Scene Thirty-One: A Stinging Rebuff

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Within Test Chamber 879, Sang Sang sat with her eyes closed, reviewing the test regulations in her mind. The list of test items matched exactly what she’d seen on the interstellar network, which eased her heart considerably.

Each basic item had a maximum score of ten points. The basics included speed, strength, reflexes, physical durability, brain capacity, and genetic potential. Adding the three advanced categories—level, internal energy reserves, and internal energy purity—there were nine items in total. Though the bonus categories were worth only three points, there were more than five hundred options, covering insight, spiritual form, talent, and a myriad of saintly skills. Among these, the Five Elements Body Refinement Technique alone contributed forty-two selections, with the remaining seven not chosen being basic items.

As the countdown to the test began, Sang Sang opened her eyes. Before her, a humanoid energy projection of the central AI materialized out of thin air.

“The test begins.”

With the AI’s announcement, the environment blurred and shifted; beams of light wove together in chaos, coalescing into a battlefield where thousands clashed in a life-and-death struggle.

The energy arrows flying toward her felt all too real—Sang Sang could sense the heat curling her hair and her expression changed. A surge of anger shot through her mind, and she instinctively used her enhanced Shun-Kong Step to tear through space, appearing behind her assailant. She gripped a sharp sword and swung it at the enemy’s neck.

She wasn’t losing control of her senses, nor was she overwhelmed by the carnage of the battlefield. Rather, what infuriated her was that the enemy’s face was the very one she loathed most—the one she’d wished to tear apart. Even though she had already cut that person into pieces in reality, and knew this was only an illusion, the sight still filled her with disgust, especially as she realized every enemy bore the same face.

Kill, kill, kill!

She beheaded, slit throats, sliced horizontally and vertically—wielding all manner of cold weapons, from swords and spears to staves; then fists, palms, kicks, finger strikes, sonic attacks; and finally, elemental variations like wind and thunder. She unleashed every combat skill in her basic repertoire, then followed with saintly abilities: soul thrust, light burst, vitality drain, psychic retribution…

As the test went on, others began to finish, their scores and recordings uploaded to the Temple’s official site.

With more participants completing the test, those still inside stood out all the more.

“Most contestants have now finished. Let’s look at the leaderboard. Ninety-one have achieved perfect basic scores. Among the top ten, seven are seeded competitors. The highest score is three hundred fifty-one—truly thrilling. There are over one hundred ninety bonus achievements. Princess White Artemisia is indeed the favorite for the championship, outshining all other seeds. And—what a surprise—the previously underestimated Little Princess Bronwyn has made it into the top ten, ranked eighth with a total of three hundred ten points and two hundred bonus items. We can see her bonus skills are still at the beginner’s stage, likely learned specially for this test. A commendable effort—it’s praise-worthy.”

“Judging by the overall data, advanced civilizations still hold a clear advantage, followed by the intermediates. The lower civilizations have yet to produce a dark horse… Oh, my mistake—one contestant from a lower civilization, Sang Hongye, is still fighting. Her perseverance is admirable; persistence is a virtue. Persistence can bring victory, a brilliant future—provided the direction is right. Persisting at the wrong time or place may bring not victory, but despair.”

“As you can see, contestant Sang Hongye is still battling tenaciously. Has no one told her that the duration doesn’t affect the score? The longer she stays, the more she risks exposing her weaknesses. The best strategy is to use her strongest attacks at the very start, showcase every skill, and submit her test as soon as possible. Judging by her actions, she seems to think the test ends only when all enemies are defeated. Well, we must understand—children from the Wild Star Territories haven’t experienced high-civilization testing before; it’s understandable. The shame lies with her guardian, who failed to prepare her in advance.”

“As is well known, based on past data, contestants who take longer than average tend to rank lower… Hm? We have a viewer contacting us live, requesting an update on Sang Hongye’s current score. Clearly, everyone is curious—has she reached a hundred points? No, let’s trust Lord Anthony’s judgment—give Lord Anthony fifty extra points, a hundred fifty! No more than that! After all, the foundation is what it is; we must be objective. Now, let’s see…”

The media correspondents, regardless of species, chattered on, frequently mentioning Sang Sang’s name—but always in a disparaging tone. Not one believed in her.

This left those rare viewers who supported Sang Sang and watched the live broadcast shaking their heads, reflecting that even the most stubborn pundit would eventually be proven wrong. Kind-hearted friends sent messages to dig up Sang Hongye’s past records, while mischief-makers wondered if the promised stunt of eating a chair would be broadcast live, and if the Temple AI would issue a compensation bill if it really happened.

“Contestant Sang Hongye’s current valid score is three hundred twenty-nine… Sorry, I misread the number—don’t get excited. The actual valid score for contestant Sang Hongye is… Hm? I didn’t misread it earlier—it is indeed three hundred twenty-nine. This is… truly, truly unexpected. Haha.”

“Well, the foolish colleague beside me has now learned Little Sang Hongye’s score. I suspect he wants to say it’s a data error, but he dares not cross the central AI, so he corrects himself. Let’s look forward to his live chair-eating spectacle. Back on topic—for those who have been watching Sang Hongye from the beginning, this is a spirited girl, perfectly suited for the law of the jungle—no warm, civilized society could have raised her. Her attacks are clean and decisive, each strike hits a weakness—not her strongest moves, but always the most appropriate.”

“To date, Little Sang Hongye has used one hundred fifty-eight bonus items—not the most among contestants, but she has mastered more at the ‘entered the hall’ level, earning two points each, than anyone else. For a child who has been at the Temple for only five months and never trained in body arts before, her insight is remarkable. Basic entry can be instilled, but true mastery requires talent and hard work.”

“I haven’t personally witnessed her efforts, but since she’s never attended any banquets or visited the entertainment areas of the Budding District, it’s clear she’s a hardworking child. I must admit, at her age, I was not as accomplished. I wonder how many present here were as outstanding at twenty-one or twenty-two. For clarification, Sang Hongye’s age of twenty-one is by her home planet’s calendar; converted to ours, she’s just over two years old—barely old enough to nurse at her mother’s breast.”

“From the energy fluctuations of her internal power recovery, we’ve noticed her unique trait—universal energy affinity. As a full spiritual form, this explains why she can master so many bonus skills. Ordinarily, someone with such broad energy acceptance would recover internal power quickly but at the expense of purity—and no one at the test site can purify with holy light. Yet, by my observation, her internal energy purity remains at Level Three—the stellar standard. We’ll await the central AI’s official results after the test, but I believe I’m right: this child has dual talents, both in body arts and the soul. Her body arts talent—internal energy purification.”