Chapter 254 Doubts? Then let's test it again!

On Qian Rongrong's exquisite face...

...the look of surprise did not dissipate for a long time.

She never expected...

...that the youth with clear eyes but somewhat arrogant words she had encountered by chance at the C City Appraisers Guild would reappear in her vision in such an earth-shattering way.

(Reappearing in her vision.)

One month ago, in C City.

In what she saw as a small shopping mall.

That youth insisted that the rare Beast Egg, judged by many Appraisers to have excellent Aptitude but an unknown state, was actually a dead egg.

At the time, she only felt he might have some talent, but it was mostly the nonsense of a young and reckless person; after all, even she, a Mid-grade Appraiser, found it hard to determine life or death, so how could a youth who looked even younger than her?

However, upon returning to the Qian Family...

...when she intended to hatch and form a contract...

...she was shocked to find that the Beast Cub inside really was dead!

She didn't think much of it at the time.

She just felt Jiang Yun must have guessed it.

A Common youth from C City...

...could not make her care too much.

As time passed, she forgot about it!

However...

At this moment... that sky-piercing red light pillar.

That shattered Testing Stone.

And the steady figure of this youth standing at the center of attention... instantly awakened that memory in her.

"Could it be... he wasn't speaking nonsense back then, but really... saw through something we all failed to see?"

Ripples formed in Qian Rongrong's heart.

In the gaze she directed at Jiang Yun...

...besides surprise, there was more scrutiny and deep meaning.

If he truly possessed the terrifying SSS-rank talent, then having perception beyond Common logic in the path of appraisal seemed not entirely impossible.

But...

The biggest problem right now...

...was that exploded Testing Stone.

It caused this world-shaking SSS-rank result...

...to be covered by a thick cloud of doubt.

Just as thoughts were racing through Qian Rongrong's mind...

In the air...

The voice of Zhan Qiong, the Dean of the Beast Taming Institute whose aura was the most tyrannical, like a human-shaped wild beast, suppressed the whispers of the whole field like a great bell and fell directly on Jiang Yun in the center.

"Little fellow, state your name, place of origin, and how you obtained the qualification for admission to my Sky Dome Academy."

His voice was not harsh...

...but it carried an unquestionable majesty.

As if he wanted to use the simplest information...

...to make a preliminary judgment of the youth's background.

Instantly...

All the noisy discussions came to a screeching halt.

Thousands of gazes...

...along with the stares of the big shots in the air...

...were like invisible spotlights...

...firmly locked onto Jiang Yun.

Everyone held their breath.

Pricking up their ears, afraid to miss a single word.

Jiang Yun took a deep breath.

Facing the pressure that would make an ordinary youth's legs go weak...

...he straightened his back.

His expression was calm.

Neither humble nor arrogant.

He answered clearly and powerfully.

"Student Jiang Yun, from C City, graduated from C City's Qingquan No. 1 Middle School. My admission qualification was obtained by achieving first place in the C City competition, awarded by a teacher from Sky Dome Academy."

His voice...

...spread clearly to every corner.

The moment his voice fell...

Boom!

Like a drop of cold water into boiling oil.

The whole place instantly erupted!

"What?! C City?! Is it that border town, C City?!"

"Qingquan No. 1 Middle School... never heard of it! Is it really a school from such a small place?"

"City-level first? Can the weight of C City's first place compare to the provincial capital?"

"My God! I thought he was some peerless Genius secretly cultivated by a Hidden Family! It turns out he's from a place like C City?!"

"That red light just now... could it really be..."

Hearing Jiang Yun's self-introduction...

...voices of doubt, astonishment, and unbelievable discussion rose like a tide.

The doubts about Jiang Yun's background, which had been barely suppressed by the red light pillar and the appearance of the various Deans...

...were now confirmed by his own mouth.

Instantly, it was like a wildfire spreading across the plains, burning fiercely.

"Hahaha! I knew it! C City! It really is that godforsaken backwater!"

Lin Tao, mixed in the crowd...

...was almost jumping with excitement.

His face was filled with a distorted sense of pleasure.

He growled at the followers around him.

"Did you hear that? C City! Can an SSS-rank Genius come from such a place? What a joke! The Testing Stone must be broken; some error must have occurred to produce that terrifying red light! Let's see how he handles this now!"

Su Mingxuan's heart also settled.

The fire of jealousy was temporarily replaced by a sense of superiority that it was "as expected"; he sneered and muttered to himself.

"Trash is trash. Even if you get lucky and measure something abnormal, it won't change your lowly birth! This is great; now everyone knows. Let's see who will believe your SSS-rank nonsense!"

On the high platform...

Elder Mo Chen's hand stroking his beard paused slightly.

His brow also furrowed.

He certainly appreciated Jiang Yun's steady demeanor just now, but the background of C City, combined with the explosion of the Testing Stone, indeed greatly discounted the reliability of the matter.

He had presided over tests for many years...

...and knew well the impact of regional resources on the discovery and performance of talent.

"Could it be... the Testing Stone really went uninspected for too long and happened to have a problem at this moment, and it just so happened to be encountered by this youth, showing an erroneous Peak display?"

This thought cooled the excitement of making history in his heart by half.

In the audience area...

...the atmosphere was even more subtle.

Those who were still hesitating whether to continue currying favor with the Su Family quickly cooled their enthusiasm, replaced by undisguised suspicion and scrutiny.

"C City? It really is C City! Patriarch Su, the background of your matrilocal son-in-law is truly... unexpected."

One family head drawled.

The sarcasm in his words was self-evident.

Although they had just heard from Lin Hong that this Su Family matrilocal son-in-law came from C City...

...after witnessing that terrifying SSS-rank phenomenon...

...they only felt that Lin Hong was talking nonsense!

After all, could such a Prodigy come out of such a barren land?

The lie seemed to have been exposed.

Unfortunately, Lin Hong had already left in anger.

Otherwise, he would certainly be able to hold his head high now.

"City-level first? Heh, C City's first place, if placed in the provincial capital, probably wouldn't even make the top hundred! No! Not even the top thousand!"

"The Testing Stone just happened to explode at this time, what a coincidence. In my opinion, it's most likely a malfunction; that red light just now doesn't count."

"Sigh, a false joy. I thought I'd really witness history."

These discussions were like needles.

Stabbing at the members of the Su Family.

Su Qingshan was red-faced with anger.

He wanted to retort but was stopped by Su Yuntian raising his hand.

Su Yuntian's face was calm.

But a trace of imperceptible gravity also flickered deep in his eyes.

He believed Jiang Yun was extraordinary.

But this succession of unfavorable evidence...

...forced him to admit...

...that the situation was extremely unfavorable for Jiang Yun.

He stared intently at the isolated but upright figure in the field, thinking to himself.

"Jiang Yun could reach the Gold Rank at sixteen years old... even if his talent isn't SSS-rank, it certainly won't be too low..."

"He will surely be able to wash away the humiliation later..."

In the air...

The reactions of the various Inner Court big shots were more direct and rational.

Medicine Dust Son of the Pill Institute twirled his beard.

"C City? I traveled through that newly developed land a century ago. The Spiritual Qi is thin and resources are scarce. Although heroes are born there, the base population is too small. The probability of such an unprecedented talent appearing is... minuscule."

Tie Kuang of the Artifact Institute scratched his head.

Looking at the fragments of the Testing Stone below.

"Coming from C City and blowing up the Testing Stone? Putting these two things together, why does it feel so weird?"

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi of the Formation Institute had a cold expression.

"Logical inference: a malfunction of the Testing Stone led to an erroneous display of extremely high talent, which then shattered for unknown reasons. This possibility is far greater than a C City youth possessing an unknown talent that exceeds the Testing Stone's capacity. The latter... is nearly Legendary, even mythical."

Wen Yuan of the Rune Institute nodded in agreement.

"Dean Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi is correct. SSS-rank is already the theoretical limit of the human talent spectrum. Exceeding the limit... is unheard of. Combined with this boy's background, we must be cautious."

The attitudes of the several vice-deans...

...clearly leaned towards the Testing Stone malfunction theory.

After all...

A Prodigy from a borderland who exceeds cognition is too shocking and disruptive, while a problem with the Testing Stone is a more logical and easily accepted explanation.

They came here to compete for an SSS-rank Prodigy. If the authenticity of this Prodigy is in doubt, then the meaning of the scramble is greatly diminished.

Everyone's gaze...

...finally converged on Zhan Qiong, the Dean of the Beast Taming Institute.

Among the many Deans...

Zhan Qiong was the person with the most status and strength in Sky Dome Academy besides the Headmaster and Vice-Headmasters.

Encountering such an unexpected situation...

...how to handle it...

...made him the backbone of the group.

No emotion could be seen on Zhan Qiong's face beneath his curly beard; his bell-like eyes scrutinized Jiang Yun below, seemingly weighing the options.

Give this youth from C City, whose Testing Stone exploded, a chance?

Or, based on probability...

...conclude it was a test malfunction and let the matter drop?

He hesitated.

After all...

What if?

What if that red light was real... After thinking it over...

...he decided to let this student named Jiang Yun decide for himself whether to take the test again.

After all, as the only and most authoritative academy in the provincial capital...

...they couldn't chill the hearts of the students.

So Zhan Qiong spoke.

"Everyone, the Testing Stone exploded for unknown reasons. Just how great this boy's talent is, perhaps... we should hear his own thoughts?"

These words woke everyone up.

Right!

The person involved is still here!

However...

Before Zhan Qiong or the other Deans could ask...

In the field...

...the figure of the youth who had been enduring thousands of questioning gazes suddenly raised his head!

His eyes were clear and firm.

There was not the slightest panic or cowardice caused by his background being despised or the results being doubted.

On the contrary...

A flame of unyielding spirit burned in his eyes.

He had already made a decision in his heart!

Questioned? Then test again!

He took a deep breath, poured all his strength into his voice, and spoke loudly. That clear and powerful voice instantly drowned out the noise of the whole field, echoing clearly in everyone's ears, every word carrying weight.

"Deans!"

"The Testing Stone exploded; I do not know the reason!"

"I am from C City. It is a fact that the region is remote and resources are scarce!"

"But!!!"

His gaze was like lightning.

Sweeping across the Inner Court Deans with their vast auras in the air, sweeping across the people with various expressions around him, he finally shouted firmly.

"I have a clear conscience regarding my own talent!"

"If there are doubts about the test results because the Testing Stone was damaged or because of my place of origin..."

Jiang Yun straightened his chest.

His voice suddenly rose...

...carrying a resolve and confidence that burned his bridges.

It resounded through the clouds.

"I, Jiang Yun, request!!!"

"To be tested once more!!!"

Test once more!!!

These four words...

...slammed violently onto the already turbulent surface of the lake!

The whole field...

...instantly fell into another kind of extreme silence.

Everyone...

...was stunned by the youth's proactive request, which was full of confidence and boldness.