ABRIWMTHM Chapter 11

Shi Xing finished testing his mental power intensity, and instead of raising his head immediately to check the score, he looked at his hands.

The mental threads inside his mental sea were fully activated, and he could feel that this time it was very easy.

He hadn’t experienced this feeling even in the energy training chamber the day before. The only difference he could think of was… he had absorbed the beast core that Chi Yao had given him before coming here.

His eyebrows moved slightly, and Shi Xing couldn’t help but think of some past events.

The level of his first talent assessment had come about from being “hungry.” After spending half a year at the prince’s mansion, nourishing himself with a large amount of crystals, he regained his vitality and soon awakened his talent.

It’s rare for Blue Star humans to have accompanying talents, which is why, after half a year, he underwent another talent assessment. The result Shi Xing still remembered was an S.

After that, every time his mental sea and mental threads grew, ordinary crystals could no longer satiate him. It seemed his body required a lot of high-grade energy to support the normal growth of his abilities during the maturity period.

So, did this characteristic start to show from now on?

Shi Xing couldn’t tell. After a moment of silence, he finally raised his head.

Seeing the “S” following his name, Shi Xing smiled; it was no surprise.

In another viewing room, Lu Lu was incredulous, repeatedly refreshing the panel multiple times, each time showing an S. Realizing it wasn’t a display error, but that Shi Xing truly… Lu Lu’s mind went blank.

Suddenly, some data flashed through his mind. When he was searching for information, he had indeed seen fractional S rankings before, although not in this particular category.

But there were indeed instances of a single S and a single B in the fractional rankings, which, taken together… ultimately resulted in an A.

Thinking of this, Lu Lu forced himself to sit back down and continue watching.

“This is… the first time I’ve seen an S in this category,” Yun Wu said in disbelief. “Is it really that powerful?”

Hua Li breathed out lightly, also shocked. “Yeah, it’s amazing.”

“The ones that are most disadvantaged actually all score S.” Suddenly realizing something, Hua Li whispered, “I just hope it’s not a fractional ranking…”

Yun Wu paused, “Oh right, there are fractional rankings.”

Before the confused Tan Yan could ask, Yun Wu explained, “There can be a few rare Blue Star humans whose one or two fractional rankings are very high, while the rest are very low, and such total scores would end up balanced to a B or A.”

It’s harder for a Blue Star human to achieve a high level than for an Imperial citizen.

They seem to always have many unexpected situations that restrict the improvement of mental strength levels.

Regarding this, He He Ze adjusted to a more upright sitting posture and calmly said, “What the situation is will soon be revealed.”

Chi Yao spoke to end the conversation, “Hmm, let’s see.”

As they discussed, the Blue Star humans in the testing area gradually moved past the initial surprise and began to whisper among themselves.

Yu Man rubbed his eyes again, looking at the S in disbelief. Something crossed his mind, and his words burst out before he could think, “What’s so impressive about an S, isn’t it just a fractional situation?!”

After he spoke, he felt all the surrounding eyes turn towards him. Thinking everyone didn’t believe him, just as he wanted to add something, Shi Xing pointed out the critical flaw, “Your voice is too loud.”

Yu Man: “.”

Shi Xing didn’t deny it, “You’re right; it’s not impossible that there’s a fractional situation.”

“The teacher is calling for the next assessment. We’ll know more as we go on; let’s go.”

Yu Man wanted to stay to see Shi Xing’s results, but having delayed this long, the people in front had filled his spot, and he had to awkwardly form a group with Shi Xing.

The talent assessment consists of five categories, the first three being tests of current strength, with relatively lower scoring weight: [Mental Power Intensity], [Mental Sea Threshold], and [Mental Thread Density].

The first item was laborious, while the latter two required focused concentration; one involved allowing the energy probe to reach the deepest and furthest points of his mental sea, and the other required each mental thread to touch the energy probe.

For the second item, the mental sea threshold test, when the teacher called out, Shi Xing entered the assigned instrument.

But the most challenging aspect today had already passed for Shi Xing.

Closing his eyes, he placed the two probes into his mental sea, allowing one to fall freely in the core area while marking the perimeter with the other, measuring the depth and breadth of his mental sea with energy fluctuations.

This process didn’t require effort; Shi Xing felt very relaxed.

This should also be the first time he faced a talent assessment with such a proactive attitude; he wanted to see his limits.

At this thought, Shi Xing found himself no longer resisting the energy probes, his mental sea completely opening to let them collect every bit of information about him.

The falling probe began to accelerate, and the perimeter-measuring probe moved more smoothly…

When Shi Xing opened his eyes again, he found everyone staring at him.

He froze for a moment, realizing that he had taken too long for his measurement; he was the only one not yet out.

The teacher handed him a bottle of water, guiding him, “Come out; the results will take some time.”

Shi Xing came out of the instrument, took the water, found some reassurance, and smiled at the teacher, waiting patiently.

During this time, his gaze swept over the screen, and Yu Man’s results had long since come out: an A.

Shi Ran’s was also an A. Seeing this, Shi Xing felt a little more at ease.

His results took some time to be issued. By the time Shi Xing felt a bit anxious, suddenly, several voices of “Wow” fell into his ears, and Shi Xing immediately looked up.

This time, Shi Xing confirmed twice that it was an “SS.”

Yu Man turned pale and was speechless.

The whispers around could no longer be hidden.

“That’s amazing.”

“Is this truly something a Blue Star human can achieve?”

In the viewing room, Chi Yao lightly tapped the armrest of his chair, displaying a tangible smile.

Yun Wu couldn’t help but cover his mouth this time.

Hua Li murmured, “So strong.”

Tan Yan’s focus was a little misplaced; he thought the smile on Shi Xing’s face in the screen looked somewhat cute.

Meanwhile, in another viewing room, Lu Lu… went stiff.

The talent assessment continued.

The [Mental Thread Density] test began, and Shi Xing skillfully used the energy probes to touch every mental thread inside his mental sea.

Pleasant emotions affected his mental power, and the probe moved forward smoothly. The bottom mental threads completely unfurled, proactively extending to touch the small probe at the surface.

Yu Man’s mental thread density fractional ranking remained an A.

But no one cared about him anymore because after this item, Shi Xing’s name reappeared, once again showing an SS score.

After the initial shock, the scene quickly fell silent, and people even started to boldly guess whether Shi Xing’s last two rankings could be even higher.

Shi Ran squeezed his way through the crowd to Shi Xing’s side, happy for him.

Shi Xing looked at his friend’s goofy smile, simply saying, “Focus on doing well with the last two items.”

Shi Ran nodded, not sure if he took it in, his face flushed and more excited than Shi Xing, the one actually being tested.

Watching such a friend, something complicated swelled in Shi Xing’s eyes but was quickly suppressed.

The next item, mental sea potential, involved releasing a small amount of high-energy particles for absorption to see the highest energy intensity and density they could withstand, thereby deducing the limit the mental sea could achieve in the maturation period.

This item was prone to people overstraining themselves; five people formed a group and entered the energy room together for the test.

Shi Ran wanted to be with Shi Xing, and unexpectedly, Yu Man also asked to join the same energy room.

Considering Shi Xing’s uniqueness, the teacher included those with the highest previous ratings in their group.

The transparent five-sided instrument housed a high-energy particle storm flow simulator. Each person leaned against one face, and before they started, the teacher emphasized, “Lean against the wall and don’t move; the particle storm is synthesized in the center and is twice as strong as at the edges. Don’t wander.”

“If anyone feels they can’t handle it, press the button nearby; the wall will flip and bring you out directly.”

Once everyone was ready, the simulation began.

High-energy particle flows began to synthesize. When the first energy flow passed through Shi Xing’s body, he instinctively absorbed it, feeling… it still wasn’t enough.

This carefully selected group didn’t let the teacher down; when they reached A-level intensity, the first person withdrew.

Shi Ran was next to Shi Xing and said with some effort, “Star, I feel a bit uncomfortable, but I think I can still hold on.”

Shi Xing observed him, saying, “Then hold on for a bit.”

“Okay.”

After a while, only Yu Man, Shi Ran, and Shi Xing remained. Shi Ran called Shi Xing once again. Yu Man let out a light laugh, looking very dismissive.

Shi Xing reassured Shi Ran, and when the energy shifted again, he nodded for Shi Ran to be let out when he reached his limit.

His attention had been on Shi Ran the whole time, and after Shi Ran left, he suddenly noticed Yu Man and froze, “You should be getting out now.”

Yu Man’s mental sea appeared to Shi Xing to be completely covered in particles, reaching its limit.

But Yu Man insisted, “Who said so?!”

Realizing Yu Man was trying to outdo him, Shi Xing didn’t advise against it, “Don’t regret it.”

Almost echoing what he had said in the grove before, Yu Man’s heart skipped a beat. Shi Xing reached over to confirm Yu Man’s state was fine, and the particle flow shifted again.

Originally already gritting his teeth to hold on, Yu Man was taken aback as a stronger flow of particles hit him, and he instantly lost consciousness.

Yu Man fainted.

When the unexpected happened, the teachers on site immediately aimed to stop the test, but Shi Xing was quicker than them. He removed his safety line and, before anyone realized, passed through the storm of particles that was twice the strength, reaching Yu Man and pressing his abandonment button.

The wall flipped, and Yu Man was ejected, the crisis resolved.

Everyone was stunned into silence, and Shi Xing didn’t return to his original position, instead standing beside Yu Man. He conducted further confirmations, and again, confirmations, and more confirmations…

When Shi Xing emerged, everyone had lost track of what to say. In the stillness, the panel revealed the results. Yu Man had been faint for too long, resulting in a B grade, while Shi Xing remained stably at SS.

Faced with this crushing result, everyone was left dumbstruck.

When Yu Man awoke, the final testing item began.

The [Mental Power Mildness/Piercing Degree] item required a higher degree of mildness (or penetrative ability). The greater the mental power’s intensity, the deeper it could enter a higher-level mental sea without being rejected. Unlike the previous test, this one required them to actively extend their mental power into the simulated energy mental sea.

Both the venue and the viewing room fell into a silence; everyone’s attention focused on Shi Xing.

Everyone wanted to see if Shi Xing could still… bring them surprises.

Shi Xing entered the instrument. As the test progressed halfway, just when everyone was holding their breath in anticipation, the lights suddenly flickered, and the screen in the viewing room went black.

Chi Yao and Tan Yan almost simultaneously spoke up.

“Overload.”

“The instrument has overloaded!”

Fu Qing belatedly realized that both His Majesty and Major General Tan were SSS-level mental powers, and the instrument’s capacity was insufficient. They were quite accustomed to situations exceeding the limits of testing instruments.

The next second, the screen lit up again.

For the first time during the talent assessment, a mechanical voice from the light brain echoed, [Detected a special circumstance, please replace with R8376 model to continue the test.]

R8376 was not an instrument designed for Blue Star humans; it was prepared for high-ranking Imperial citizens.

The administrator immediately sought Chi Yao’s opinion, gained consent, and hurried to handle it.

While contemplating, Chi Yao slowly stood up, asking everyone in the viewing room, “Is there anyone who wishes to accompany me to the venue to wait for the results?”

As Chi Yao was going to the venue, naturally, everyone followed.

The administrator had the staff adjust the settings in the system to automatically filter out the appearances of His Majesty and others from the live broadcast.

With Chi Yao present, the efficiency at the Nest was remarkably high, and when Shi Xing saw Chi Yao, the new instrument was quickly sent to the venue.

“Your Highness.”

Shi Xing approached to greet someone when the teacher called from behind.

Shi Xing felt a strong urge to say a few more words.

Instead, Chi Yao calmly waved his hand, “Go ahead, we’ll discuss it the same after the test.”

Looking into those grayish eyes and seeing the assurance and expectations within, Shi Xing suddenly felt a wave of peace and nodded vigorously.

The halted test continued without issue this time.

When Shi Xing emerged from the instrument, the panel was extremely unstable; his name continued to flicker on screen.

After a while, a result displayed—an A.

Before the crowd could buzz, this A slid upward, turning into an S and began flashing again.

“The calculation volume is too large; the light brain got involved,” Chi Yao explained.

Sure enough, this S soon turned into an SS, but… the flickering hadn’t stopped, which indicated there was still potential.

This was something Shi Xing hadn’t anticipated; he inadvertently held his breath while waiting.

Slowly, but surely, Shi Xing’s item finally jumped to a rating of “SSS.”

At that moment of clarity, Shi Xing felt as though he had been hit by something, his heart racing, and his mind filled with excited blankness.

Chi Yao was sharp, “It’s not over yet.”

After he spoke, indeed, seamlessly following the fractional display showed the total score column; only Shi Xing’s column flickered after everyone else’s names.

The light brain was processing his data separately for analysis.

Like last time, starting from A, transitioning to S, then to SS.

The SS after the total rating continued to flicker. Before long, it leaped to SSS but soon switched back, fluctuating multiple times between SS and SSS, finally settling on the “SS+” rating, a number the Nest had never given before.

But although the level was set, the flickering didn’t stop, leading everyone to wonder, and they all felt the light brain might have bugged out, when finally, the complete ratings all jumped out.

[Shi Xing—Talent Assessment, SS+, accompanying talent confirmed.]

A Blue Star human actually had an accompanying talent?!

The room froze for over ten seconds, erupting into a clamor.