“Then let us continue to the third and final test. For the third test, we simply need you to create an array— the stronger the better, and we will test its strength.” Senior Huang said to him.
Yuan nodded and created a confinement array a few seconds later.
“Impressive…” Senior Huang muttered in a dazed voice, as he has never seen such a powerful basic array before.
“Is this really a level 1 array? Even level 2 arrays would not be able to contest against this…” The beautiful woman mumbled to herself as she inspected the array with great focus.
The handsome man, however, remained seated in his chair behind the table, almost like he had no intention of even looking at the array.
Yuan figured that it was because he could see the array from that distance, so he didn’t need to look at it closely.
Sometime later, the other judges returned to their seat with a look of fascination on their faces, looking like their views on this world had been broadened.
“Ahem!” Senior Huang cleared his throat before speaking, “Yuan… You have passed the assessment. I don’t think any of us would deny someone of your talents as an Array Master. In fact, it would be disingenuous if we made you a level 1 Array Master.”
“Therefore, I suggest that we give you an advance promotion to a level 2 Array Master. Normally, if you want to raise your level, you would need another assessment, but you have proven yourself more than worthy of being a level 1 Array Master today.”
“If you don’t agree with my decision, let me hear your reasons, fellow Masters.” Senior Huang turned to look at the other two judges.
“No, I totally agree with you, Master Huang. If he doesn’t deserve being a level 2 Array Master, then nobody should be qualified to be one. I would even argue that you qualify as a level 3 Array Master based on your mastery over creating array symbols alone, but your speed is a little too slow even for an average level 3 Array Master, and we need more than just the three of us to promote you to a level 3 Array Master.”
They turned to look at Master Zeng, who had been silent this entire time, and he continued to remain silent.
“Silence often means you have no objections, so I will go ahead and say congratulations, Array Master Yuan, you have passed the assessment and become a level 2 Array Master.” Senior Huang said to him.
“Congratulations, Yuan.” The beautiful woman also congratulated him.
And she continued, “I have been wondering for a while now, but exactly how long have you been studying arrays? Surely, you didn’t study arrays for only a week to have such results. Now that we’re aware of your capabilities, you can stop joking with us and just tell us the truth.”
Senior Huang nodded his head, “I would also like to know the truth. Even if you started learning when you were 10, it is still an incredible achievement to become a level 2 Array Master at the age of 18.”
A weird smile appeared on Yuan’s face as he said, “But I’m not joking… I really only started learning arrays around a week ago. I only know of the 10,000 basic symbols and the basics to combining array symbols.”
The entire room turned dead silent.
“Are you telling me that you don’t know any level 2 or level 3 array symbols? T-Then how did you create those level 3 array symbols? There’s no way someone with only one week of experience can do such a thing!” The beautiful woman exclaimed.
“Level 3 array symbols? Sorry, but I don’t know what those are.” Yuan shook his head.
“Arrays are separated into 9 different levels depending on their difficulty, and the 10,000 basic array symbols are level 1 array symbols— the least complex array symbols and also the easiest to learn. Intermediate array symbols are level 2, advanced symbols are level 3, and so on… What Master Zeng created during the 2nd test are level 3 array symbols.” Senior Huang explained to him.
“Is that so… No wonder why I didn’t know any of those array symbols. Turns out that they were not part of the 10,000 basic array symbols. Anyways, I merely copied the array symbols. Although they’re definitely much more complex than level 1 array symbols, they still function the same, so as long as I can trace the symbols, I can create them.” Yuan said.
“Y-You traced them?” Senior Huang stared at him with a shocked face.
How can someone treat array symbols as though they are merely words on a paper? Even if one can trace level 3 symbols, activating them is a different story!
If arrays were as simple as words on a paper, everybody would be a level 3 Array Master and above!
“So you’re telling me that you really have only one week of experience as an Array Master?” The beautiful woman asked him in a dumbfounded voice.
Yuan nodded his head calmly.
“W-Who is your Master? Where did you learn about arrays?” She continued to ask.
“A friend of mine explained the basics to me, but I learned arrays mostly through the manuals that she gave me. The Body Shielding Array, 10,000 Array Symbols, and Guide to Combining Array Symbols. Those were the manuals she gave me to study.”
Senior Huang nearly fell out of his chair from shock when he heard the names of the manuals.
‘These are all basic manuals for complete beginners who have no experience in arrays! Even the Body Shielding Array is one of the most common array combinations out there! He’s definitely screwing with us!’ Senior Huang cried inwardly.
Neither Senior Huang or the beautiful woman believed Yuan’s words for a second. They speculated that he was probably from a hidden family of renowned Array Masters, hence why he was reluctant to tell them the truth.