Chapter 257 Stop testing! We believe it! This talent is extraordinary!

"It... exploded again..."

"How... how did it explode again?!"

The various Institute Heads in the air...

Just a moment ago, they were locked in a heated verbal battle, faces flushed red as they fought over Jiang Yun.

The next moment.

They were collectively shocked into a brief silence by the heroic sacrifice of the second testing stone.

They hung suspended in mid-air.

Their figures, usually majestic, elegant, or heroic.

Now appeared somewhat stiff.

They looked at one another.

Everyone's eyes were filled with deep astonishment and bewilderment.

And a trace of... trepidation that they didn't even want to delve into themselves.

Today's events were too bizarre.

Far exceeding their hundreds of years of experience and even the cognitive scope of nearly a thousand years of knowledge!

After the brief shock.

Experience and reason allowed them to quickly communicate secretly through Divine Sense, their voice transmissions flying through an invisible network.

Medicine Dust Son of the Pill Institute.

"It is absolutely impossible for two Amethyst Profound Stone testing stones to suffer fatal malfunctions at the same time! The probability of this is slimmer than a star falling into S Province!"

Tie Kuang of the Artifact Institute spoke with a heavy voice.

"The stones were made under my watch in my institute! The Materials, craftsmanship, and formation reinforcement are all top-tier! Never mind SSS-Rank; theoretically, they should be able to withstand an impact twice as strong! Unless..."

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi of the Formation Institute took over.

His tone carried an unprecedented uncertainty.

"Unless that power... is no longer something theory can cover. Perhaps it has touched the... upper limit of the talent Ranks the testing stone can bear?"

Wen Yuan of the Rune Institute pondered.

"A talent test connects to the rules of the Heaven and Earth Origin and maps an individual's potential imprint; there is absolutely no possibility of faking it. The red light appearing twice has already proven this boy's peerless talent. However, with the testing stones being destroyed one after another... everyone, have you considered a possibility?"

He paused.

His voice carried a tremor that even he found hard to believe.

"This boy's talent... might no longer be definable by SSS-Rank?"

This conjecture.

Exploded like a thunderclap in the hearts of the various Institute Heads!

Beyond what SSS-Rank can define?

Above SSS-Rank?

What Rank of talent would that be?

In the talent charts known to the Human Federation and passed down for countless years, SSS-Rank is already the Peak, towering in the clouds and existing only in epic and Legendary tales!

It is the theoretical limit collectively recognized by countless ancient sages and mighty figures!

Beyond SSS-Rank?

What should that be called?

Divine-Grade?

Overlimit-Rank?

Or... Unknowable-Rank?

This thought was too shocking.

It caused these big shots, who were used to great storms, to feel their minds waver.

Just then.

Zhan Qiong, the head of the Beast Taming Institute, who had been silent.

And whose aura was the most domineering and profound, slowly spoke. His transmission carried a sense of reminiscence and gravity.

"Everyone... when I was young, I was fortunate enough to hear a lecture from that Saint Emperor in the Central Continent. I vaguely remember him mentioning ancient secrets, saying... SSS-Rank Talent is indeed the recognized pinnacle of our Human Race, but... it is not the limit of Heaven and Earth."

"In those ages so long ago they cannot be traced, in the Chaos era before the Human Race had clear talent Rank divisions, there were sporadic records of beings born with extraordinary talent, their radiance soaring to the skies. Ordinary objects... could not bear their power and would crumble upon contact."

Zhan Qiong's gaze.

Slowly turned toward the plaza below.

Toward the figure of the youth who was looking at his own palm, seemingly somewhat helpless.

"What that lord called that kind of talent is no longer traceable. He only said it was like a Hidden Dragon in the Depths, not a creature of a mere pond. Once the wind and clouds meet, it may... change the world."

Zhan Qiong's words.

Were like a heavier boulder dropped into the hearts of the Institute Heads!

A talent beyond SSS-Rank... could it actually exist?

And... it seemed to be right before their eyes?

Although it was hard to believe.

The iron-clad facts before them.

Two incredibly precious Amethyst Profound Stone testing stones had shattered one after another. Other than the explanation that the talent was too strong and exceeded the testing stone's bearing limit... there seemed to be no other more reasonable explanation!

Shock, horror, ecstasy, and a trace of awe toward the unknown—all sorts of complex emotions intertwined in their hearts.

But in the end.

A crystal-clear consensus was quickly reached:

No matter what specific Rank Jiang Yun's talent was, whether it was beyond SSS-Rank or some unknown mutation, one thing was one hundred percent certain.

This boy.

Was, since the founding of Sky Dome Academy!

No!

Perhaps in the entire provincial capital or even larger regions! Even a peerless Prodigy unseen in a hundred or a thousand years of human history!

He was someone they had to, at all costs!

Keep in the academy!

A treasure to be nurtured with all available resources!

In the future!

He might even become the cornerstone for Sky Dome Academy to dominate the Central Continent and for the Human Race to become famous across the mainland!

However.

Just as the big shots in the air were feeling overwhelmed with emotion and had secretly reached a consensus, preparing to reconsider how to gently and effectively recruit Jiang Yun.

Below.

Jiang Yun looked at the remains of the second testing stone, then looked up at the silent Institute Heads in the air with their complex expressions, his brow furrowing slightly.

"They... still don't believe it? Do they think it's another coincidence or a problem with the testing stone?"

Jiang Yun thought to himself.

The resilience from City C and the stubbornness to prove himself in his bones.

Were triggered at this moment.

He took a deep breath.

Without waiting for anyone to speak.

His gaze swept firmly across the plaza.

There were still several testing channels there.

Before each channel stood an identical testing stone.

"If they don't believe it once, then twice! If they don't believe it twice, then three times!"

Jiang Yun steeled his heart and said loudly.

"This student requests to be tested once more to prove my innocence!"

Before his voice had even faded.

Before everyone.

Including the Institute Heads in the air who had just snapped out of it.

Amidst their astonished gazes before they could even react, Jiang Yun's figure flashed, and he had already arrived before the testing stone of the third testing channel!

"Wait!"

Zhan Qiong instinctively tried to stop him.

But it was too late!

Jiang Yun's palm.

Carrying a determination to not stop until he proved himself clearly, pressed firmly onto the surface of the third cold testing stone!

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!

After the familiar low hum.

Came the even more familiar, incomparably domineering crimson pillar of light.

For the third time!!

It soared into the sky without any suspense!

The red light illuminated the world!!!

Shrouding Jiang Yun's figure once again.

And once again reflecting red on countless dazed faces!

"Ho... Holy crap!!! It lit up again! It's still red!!!"

"The... the third time! Oh my god!"

"How the hell can this be a coincidence?! Three stones in a row coincidentally showing SSS-Rank?!"

"Crazy! Is the world crazy! Or am I crazy?!"

"The Su Family's son-in-law... he's going to defy the heavens!!!"

The area where the Su Family disciples were was completely boiling over; cheers and strange cries were deafening, and many were so excited they had tears in their eyes.

Su Mingxuan listened to the revelry around him and watched that red light that lit up again as if eternally undefeated. Envy and resentment bit at his heart like venomous snakes, but at this moment, even the strength to stand straight seemed to have been drained from him, leaving only boundless coldness and despair.

Lin Tao was even worse off, his face as pale as paper and his body trembling slightly. He wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into and disappear completely from everyone's sight.

On the high platform.

Elder Mo Chen was so excited he was about to faint.

He held onto the railing, old tears streaming down his face.

This time it's real... he was incoherent.

"Thre... three red lights! A Prodigy with SSS-Rank Talent has truly been born, and I am the one receiving such a Prodigy! Unprecedented! This old man... my life has been worth it! It's been worth it!!!"

In the spectator area.

The higher-ups of the various families.

Their expressions could no longer be described as just colorful; they were completely numb and horrified.

What "born in City C"?

What "testing stone malfunction"?

All the previous unsustainable doubts.

In the face of this third red light.

Were all crushed to pieces!

Su Yuntian laughed wildly.

His laughter was filled with the pleasure of vindication and endless pride.

"Hahahaha! I said it long ago! My Su Family's son-in-law, Jiang Yun, has the potential of a Saint King!!!!"

However.

The climax of the shock brought by this third red light.

Lasted for less than two breaths.

BOOM!!!!!!!

Another dull and violent explosion, no less than the first two!

The third red pillar of light connecting heaven and earth.

Was suddenly extinguished as if pinched off by an invisible giant hand!

Replacing it was a shockwave that suddenly spread again, and... a third cloud of fluttering dust and smoke shimmering with the luster of expensive Amethyst!

The third testing stone... followed in the footsteps of the first two and exploded!

For the third time, the plaza fell into a dead silence, but this time, the silence was filled with an almost absurd and numb emotion.

"It... it exploded again?"

"That's the third one..."

"What the hell... what kind of monster is this..."

"Are testing stones free or something... it exploded again!!"

In the air.

The various Institute Heads looked at the site of the third explosion below and at Jiang Yun, who stood in the smoke and dust, seemingly rubbing his nose a bit sheepishly. The muscles on their faces couldn't help but twitch.

Medicine Dust Son's beard trembled with heartache.

"Amethyst Profound Stone... nurtured for a thousand years... engraved with formation patterns... it cost a hundred billion..."

Tie Kuang beat his chest and stamped his feet.

"My Materials! My craftsmanship! This spendthrift brat..."

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi, Wen Yuan, and the others also had tight faces. Although they were shocked by the terror of Jiang Yun's talent, this destructive power was indeed heart-stopping.

However.

Something even more heart-stopping happened!

They saw Jiang Yun below.

Looking at the third shattered testing stone.

His brow furrowed even tighter, as if he had made some sort of decision.

He looked up, his gaze fixed firmly on the air.

"It seems this testing stone also had flaws! This student does not believe that all testing stones have problems! I must prove my talent and Aptitude! I request permission to test again!"

As he spoke...

He actually didn't wait for a response.

He lifted his foot and walked toward the fourth testing stone!

His posture.

Had the momentum of someone who would not stop until he had blown up every testing stone on the plaza!

"Don't!!!!"

"Little friend Jiang Yun, wait!!"

"Spare the stone!!!"

At this.

The Institute Heads in the air could no longer keep their composure and cried out almost in unison!

Their voices were more urgent and synchronized than ever before!

Zhan Qiong's figure flashed.

Instantly appearing between Jiang Yun and the fourth testing stone.

He held out a hand as large as a cattail leaf fan.

Making a stop gesture.

Squeezing out a smile that could be called amiable, if slightly comical.

His tone carried a Rare urgency and gentleness.

"Little friend Jiang Yun! There's no need to test anymore! No need to test anymore!"

He took a deep breath and looked around the entire venue. His voice, like a great bell, announced with unquestionable authority and impact.

"As witnessed and confirmed by the various Institute Heads of the academy!"

"New student Jiang Yun possesses peerless talent and soaring radiance. Ordinary stones... ahem, the existing testing stones can no longer accurately define his Rank! He is hereby designated as SSS-Rank!"

"The excellence of his talent is beyond doubt! It is absolutely not something that can be explained by any so-called malfunction or coincidence!"

He looked at Jiang Yun with piercing eyes.

His tone was incredibly solemn.

"Little friend Jiang Yun, we believe you!"

"The academy recognizes your talent! And it is the highest level of recognition!"

"So... this fourth testing stone... please spare it!"

The dignified Head of the Beast Taming Institute, a half-step eclipsing moon expert, actually had a trace of imperceptible pleading in his voice just to save a testing stone worth a hundred billion.

The other Institute Heads followed to the ground.

They all nodded.

Their eyes as they looked at Jiang Yun.

Were as if they were looking at a walking testing stone destroyer and the future hope of the academy.

It was incredibly complex.

The entire plaza.

After Zhan Qiong's announcement and that slightly humorous plea for mercy, first fell into a strange silence, and then, someone didn't know who snorted and laughed first, followed by low chuckles, gasps of realization, and then a completely relieved uproar swept across like a tsunami!

Everyone understood!

It wasn't that the testing stones had problems!

It was this youth named Jiang Yun!

His talent!

Was already so strong that even the academy's top-tier testing stones couldn't damn well take it!

One test, one explosion!

This could no longer be described by SSS-Rank!

This was a monster!

A Prodigy!

A living Legendary figure!

Su Yuntian laughed out loud!

"Hahaha! My Su Family's golden son-in-law! He has the potential of a Saint King!"

His laughter was filled with unparalleled pride and delight!

The Su Family members felt the shared glory!

They straightened their backs!

While the likes of Lin Tao and Su Mingxuan were already pale-faced and completely limp, lacking even the strength for envy, leaving only boundless fear and regret.

Jiang Yun looked at Zhan Qiong blocking his path.

And at the big shots in the air with their colorful expressions.

He finally stopped his steps.

He smiled a bit sheepishly and cupped his fists.

"Since the various Institute Heads believe me, then I... will not test anymore."

Looking at the pained expressions of these Institute Heads.

He also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was good that he stopped... if he kept testing.

He felt these Institute Heads were going to ask him for compensation...