Cosmic Ruler - Chapter 176

Chapter 176: Test Ends III

As the sun set, the matches concluded, leaving today’s top 10 participants basking in their well-earned glory.

Aiden, having discerned the essence of each participant’s spirit, stood up and addressed the old man, “I’m heading back to my room.”

The old man nodded and advised, “Keep training, Aiden. Talent doesn’t mean you don’t need to train.”

Aiden nodded in agreement and began to leave.

The old man’s gaze lingered on Aiden’s retreating figure. As Aiden exited, he murmured to himself in a barely audible tone, “Don’t break my trust, Aiden.” His voice, like a mosquito’s whisper, carried his heartfelt wish and disappeared. Although he knew Aiden wouldn’t betray them, Aiden’s act of concealing his true strength caused the old man to doubt him. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to confront Aiden about it.

The old man clenched the stick he was holding, causing cracks to form and spirit energy to leak from the gaps. It wasn’t an ordinary stick but a spirit-grade sword.

With a sigh, the old man muttered again, this time with a voice filled with desperation, “Please… never break my trust, Aiden”

****

Unaware of the old man’s lingering doubts, Aiden went inside his room and began to meditate. For the next few days, he tried to approach Ivan, but Ivan seemed to sense impending danger. Every time Aiden got close, Ivan would evade him as if his life depended on it. Aiden felt frustrates by kt but still he continued hia chase. This cat-and-mouse game continued until the final day arrived.

On that day, the young man, acting as the examiner for this year’s session, took the central stage. He scanned the area and then looked to his right, where 60 students stood in neatly arranged rows of six, with ten students in each row. The examiner nodded in approval and then shifted his gaze to the crowd of hopefuls who were eager to join the academy.

Among the crowd, emotions were mixed. Some aspirants appeared nervous, shifting from foot to foot and casting anxious glances around. Others stood tall and confident, their eyes shining with determination. There were also those who looked at the already selected students with envy and disdain, their disdain steams from the their absolute belief in their own talent, as today only talented were to be selected. They have absolute confidence that they will be selected.

At the forefront of the selected students stood Aiden. He yawned, seemingly indifferent to the proceedings. He observed the crowd, the central arena, and finally the ten altars arranged in a row, each hosting a glowing glass orb. These orbs were used to measure an individual’s Spirit talent. Unlike ordinary orbs, these could measure beyond Grade 9, indicating a higher level of potential.

“So, Grades 1 to 9 are called mortal grades,” Aiden mumbled to himself. He recalled the detailed information provided by the Akashic Insight,

*****

Orb of Cyrus(Mass produced)

The Orb of Cyrus is a spirit-grade artifact designed to measure the potential of one’s spirit up to a certain extent. This artifact, although powerful, is a rundown version of the original Cyrus Orb. As a result, it can only measure spirits in the Mortal and Earth Grades.

******

After learning about the grade above Mortal, Aiden inspected the others and discovered that many fell into the Earth grade, with the lowest being Grade 3.

“Hmm, Earth grade is probably the common state in the academy,” Aiden thought. He also recalled two anomalies who didn’t fall under the Earth grade.

“Ramona and Ivan, these two are still unknown,” a glint flashed in his eyes as he considered this.

“And not to mention, both of them are hostile to me,” Aiden thought, then smiled dangerously.

“I will kill them before they grow into a nuisance, if I can’t touch them,” Aiden resolved, his determination clear.

“I am not like those idiot villains who die at the end of the day,” Aiden mused to himself. He began to think about how to counter Ramona and Ivan.

“But… I can spare Ivan if I successfully touch him,” Aiden considered.

“Hmm, by the way, could Ramona be a protagonist too?” Aiden questioned himself. Without his system to distinguish protagonists for him, he had to rely on his own instincts and observations.

Ivan, who was also standing in line, felt uncomfortable, as if a predator was eyeing him. He glanced suspiciously at Aiden but, seeing him yawning and looking laid back, snorted in contempt. “Damn geniuses, all of them think no one is better than them,” he thought bitterly.

Seeing Aiden’s nonchalant demeanor, Ivan forgot about the earlier sensation and instead felt angry that someone like Aiden could attain the top rank.

Ramona, on the other hand, also felt like she was being eyed by a predator. However, her thoughts were entirely different from Ivan’s.

“Hmm, is Aiden thinking of picking a fight with me?” she wondered, clasping her legs.

“But… in front of everyone, should I allow him or not?” She questioned herself as she squirmed a little, causing the other students to step away from her.

Fortunately, Aiden couldn’t read her thoughts, or he would have definitely labeled her as a pervert, instead of a protagonist.

The examiner then started announcing the purpose of today’s gathering.

“Today is the final day for the selection of students for the Academy,” he declared, his words causing the crowd to fall silent. The entire stadium became pin-drop silent.

The young man showed no expression as he continued, “Today, we will select students based on their talent.” His words echoed throughout the coliseum.

Everyone nodded in understanding as the examiner pointed to the altars. “These will measure everyone’s spirit, and those with the best spirits will be selected. Today, we will choose 30 students.”

His words caused many to widen their eyes in surprise, some frowned, and a few of the students waiting to be appraised saw this as a windfall and began cheering.

“SILENCE!” he shouted, silencing everyone. “Don’t be happy yet, you brats. Just because you’ve got talent and are being selected today, there’s one catch.”

As he finished speaking, he snapped his fingers. Another ten altars, each hosting different orbs, appeared in the arena.

“After the spirit appraisal, everyone must touch these new orbs too,” the examiner instructed.

“These new orbs will test whether you are truly worthy or not,” he added, then ordered his assistants to begin.

While his assistants managed the proceedings, the examiner created chairs for himself and the selected students. They sat together, watching the appraisal progress.

The first student touched the appraisal orb, and the assistant examiner noted his spirit grade before guiding him to the next orb.

Aiden, sitting at the front, had an amused expression on his face. “Illusion orbs, what a way to test them,” he thought. As he observed, these were indeed illusion orbs designed to test the students’ character.

The first student touched the orb and immediately fell into an illusion. A misty screen appeared above the orb, showing the student’s vision. In the illusion, he celebrated being selected first for the academy. However, once he entered the academy, he became lazy, stopped training, and didn’t attend classes. Whenever someone asked why he wasn’t training, he arrogantly replied, “I am talented; I don’t need to train, just like how easily I was selected.”

The next scene showed him defeating everyone in the academy and taking over, holding girls in each hand. The audience watched with mixed expressions until Aiden couldn’t control himself and laughed a little.

This created a domino effect, causing everyone to start laughing. The assistant examiner shook his head, broke the illusion, and declared the student failed.

That student face paled as he saw everyone laughing at him, he stared crying and run away.

Seeing thia other students felt scarf, the fakt afraid of moving forward but eventually they we’re forced too by the s

As the appraisals continued, a variety of scenarios played out on the misty screens above the illusion orbs. Each student’s character was shown in unique and often humorous ways.

The second student, a confident kid, entered the illusion orb. The screen showed him boasting about his superior talent to everyone he met. He demanded special treatment, claiming he would be the academy’s future leader. However, in a twist, the illusion showed him constantly tripping over his own ego, literally stumbling and falling flat on his face during training sessions. The crowd couldn’t help but laugh as he continued to trip over the smallest obstacles. In the end, the assistant examiner broke the illusion and marked him as failed.

The third student, a shy girl, was shown in the illusion starting her academy life with a quiet determination. She diligently attended all her classes and trained hard every day. Despite her reserved nature, she always helped her fellow students, earning their respect and friendship. Her perseverance and kindness shone through, and the audience watched in admiration. When the illusion ended, the assistant examiner nodded in approval and marked her as passed.

Next, a boastful student strutted up to the orb, confident in his abilities. In his illusion, he immediately started showing off, trying to impress everyone with flashy but ultimately useless techniques. His constant need for attention became a running gag, as he interrupted classes and training sessions with over-the-top demonstrations that often backfired, leaving him covered in soot or tangled in his own robes. The audience’s laughter filled the arena, and the examiner swiftly marked him as failed.

And such many hilarious and genuine students were shown each showcasing their own potential future.