First Elder looked directly at Ling Chunxi as the monument was being brought onstage. He could barely contain his excitement. The second the monument was lowered onto the stage, he beckoned Ling Chunxi to assess her innate talent again. “Chunxi, try again with this monument! Quickly, quickly! I believe you can do it!”
Ling Chunxi smiled wryly and reached her hand towards the monument, her eyes brimming with confidence. She closed her eyes in concentration once her hand was placed inside the monument and channeled her Battle Qi once more.
There was pin-drop silence in the courtyard as every eye was trained upon Ling Chunxi.
Would they witness a miracle?
What levels could Ling Chuxi’s innate talent reach?
The wind had died down, leaving a stillness in its wake. With her eyes closed, the quiet made Ling Chunxi feel like the only person alive on earth at this moment.
was silent at this moment. The whole earth seemed to only have left Ling Chuxi one person.
Slowly, Ling Chuxi inserted her Battle Qi into the monument’s groove.
As if nature were reacting to Ling Chunxi’s Qi Ocean, a violent wind broke out suddenly, scattering all the leaves around the courtyard.
Ling Chunxi stood at the centre of the gale as the sleeves of her garments thrashed around her and her silky black hair flew about in waves. She was a sight for sore eyes, radiating endless charm and elegance.
The large stone monument slowly started emitting a faint white light which diffused into a hazier glow that grew brighter and brighter. It eventually became so bright, it was dazzling.
First Elder’s heart was beating as though it was about to jump out of his chest. This particular monument had been left in storage for more than two hundred years without being used. Why was this? Because no one was capable of generating any sort of reaction from it. Until now. Ling Chunxi’s Qi Ocean was strong enough to make even this monument react.
Ling Chuxi’s Qi Ocean… what terrifying heights had it reached?
Second Elder was openly weeping with pride by now, he couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer. “Chuxi. Little one, you really did it…” he choked out as he contained a sob.
A smile spread across Ling Chunxi’s face. What happened next was even more astonishing than what had come before.
The large monument began to split apart with a crack! A loud thud followed as it broke into pieces and crumbled to dust.
Everyone observing this was shocked. Many had their jaws hanging agape in bewilderment.
First Elder himself was astounded, but he quickly went wild celebrating with joy. The usually calm and solemn First Elder started laughing uncontrollably. “Fantastic job, Chunxi! You truly are a genius! The pride of the Ling family!” So what if the Qins and the Luos had more people pass the assessment? Even if they had as many as ten people passing their assessments, none of them would be able to match up to one Ling Chunxi!
“Elder, should we fetch the last monument from the storage room as well?” asked Fifth Elder in excitement.
“As if we should! That monument isn’t even as thick as this one. If we brought that out, what else will we use for future assessment ceremonies?” reprimanded First Elder sternly, but his eyes betrayed the joy he still felt. There was another monument in storage of a size that lay between the first monument and the larger one that was just brought out. Bringing the lone remaining monument out would serve no purpose as it would not have been able to withstand Ling Chunxi’s Qi Ocean. If it were to be destroyed, where would they procure another monument for future assessment ceremonies?
Third Elder was over the moon as well, but he was also fearful. He had treated Ling Chunxi very badly in the past and hoped she would not act upon any grudges she may bear against him.
Offstage, everyone else was so busy processing their own emotions that none of them saw a big smile break out across Ling Yichen’s usually cold and unchanging face.
Ling Xiaoting gazed up at Ling Chunxi as though he had lost his soul. She dazzled like the sun. Had she really liked him before? Deep in his heart, Ling Xiaoting wished that Ling Chunxi had liked him even a little in the past.