Jin placed his hand on the orb.
The crystal reacted immediately.
The light climbed.
8.5.
9.0.
9.4—
The numbers didn't stop.
The glow intensified, stabilizing instead of breaking apart.
9.7.
9.8—
Then it stopped.
---
[ Gene Energy Adaptability Result ]
Candidate: Wei Jin
Purity Index: 9.9 / 10
---
Silence.
Not the tense kind—pure disbelief.
Teachers froze.
Students stared.
Even the exam staff forgot to speak for a moment.
Jin himself blinked.
9.9…?
He knew his gene quality had risen from devouring—direct absorption, refined over time—but this was far beyond what he'd expected.
This level of purity…
That's top-province level, he realized.
Elite-family level.
He withdrew his hand calmly and looked at the stunned staff member.
"…Can I go back now?"
The examiner snapped out of it. "Y-Yes. Yes, you may."
Jin turned and walked back to his school's line.
The moment he moved, the arena exploded into whispers.
"Did you see that?"
"9.9? That's impossible."
"Which academy is he from?"
"Outer-zone school? No way."
"Check his background—now."
Several teachers were already pulling up student databases.
Top-school examinees turned to look, expressions sharp and unreadable.
Teacher Han Qiu stood very still on the platform, staring at Jin as if seeing him for the first time.
So that's why, he thought.
Jin returned to his place.
His classmates stared at him in stunned silence.
Zhao Chen opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Jin just stood there, expression calm—already moving on in his mind.
That calm didn't last long.
"What the hell was that?" someone shouted from the crowd.
"9.9? That's fake."
"No way a nobody from an outer-zone school gets that score."
"He cheated. There's no other explanation."
"We should report this—right now."
The murmurs quickly turned sharp.
Several students from top academies stepped forward, voices raised, pointing toward Jin's position. A few even called out the name of his school.
"Starfall Tenth Academy?"
"Does that place even count as a real school?"
"Of course it's a low school pulling tricks."
Teacher Han Qiu's expression darkened, but before he could speak—
The senior staff member overseeing Phase One lifted a hand.
The noise didn't stop.
He glanced toward the upper balcony.
High above the arena, partially concealed by layered screens and light barriers, a man stood with his hands behind his back. His face was indistinct—but the pressure he gave off wasn't.
Their eyes met.
The man gave a single nod.
The senior staff member turned immediately. "Escort team."
Several officials in dark uniforms moved forward without hesitation. They stopped in front of Jin.
"Candidate Wei Jin," one of them said formally. "Please come with us for verification."
Jin didn't react defensively. He nodded once. "Alright."
He stepped out of line and followed them.
The moment he left, the arena erupted.
"See? They're taking him away!"
"Cheating, obviously!"
"Low schools always pull this kind of stunt—"
"Shut up."
A different voice cut in.
"Verification doesn't mean guilt."
More voices joined.
"Yeah. If they were confident enough to announce 9.9 publicly, they wouldn't panic now."
"A prodigy from a low school—why is that so impossible?"
"Starfall Tenth Academy hasn't had one in decades. Maybe it's just their turn."
Students from lower-ranked schools began speaking up, pushing back against the accusations.
For once, the lines were clear.
Top schools accusing.
Lower schools defending.
Teacher Han Qiu watched Jin's retreating back, fists clenched at his sides.
Come back clean, he thought.
Show them.
Above the arena, the man on the balcony turned away, interest clearly piqued.
Jin was taken to a quiet verification room.
No threats.
No accusations.
They ran multiple tests—gene resonance scans, energy purity recalibration, blood and core samples. An independent device measured his gene circulation twice. Another compared his results against the Phase One orb logs.
Jin cooperated calmly the entire time.
When they were done, an official nodded. "You can return to your group."
That was it.
Jin walked back into the arena like nothing had happened.
The moment he reappeared, eyes snapped toward him.
Zhao Chen leaned in immediately. "What happened?"
"Did they say anything?"
"Are you okay?"
"They ran tests," Jin said simply. "Results will be announced in a few minutes."
That answer only fueled the noise.
"He's pretending to be calm."
"They're just delaying the disqualification."
"No way they let him off."
A few minutes later, the senior staff member stepped onto the platform again.
His name appeared on the screen.
Senior Examiner: Feng Shen
The arena gradually quieted.
Feng Shen's voice carried clearly. "The verification for Candidate Wei Jin is complete."
Some students leaned forward. Others smirked.
"The results are conclusive," Feng Shen continued. "No cheating was detected. No external interference. No illegal enhancement."
Murmurs rippled.
"We also submitted samples to the Gene Association for independent confirmation," Feng Shen added. "They have verified the authenticity of his gene purity."
Silence followed.
"Candidate Wei Jin's Phase One score—9.9—is valid."
The words landed heavily.
"The NCEE will continue as scheduled."
That was all.
Feng Shen stepped down.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then—
"Tch."
"Lucky."
"Whatever."
Students from the top academies looked away, expressions dismissive now rather than hostile.
"High purity doesn't mean combat strength."
"Low school kid probably hasn't even seen real dungeon."
"He won't last Phase Two."
Their tone shifted—not denial anymore, but indifference.
Teacher Han Qiu let out a slow breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Zhao Chen stared at Jin like he was seeing him for the first time. "You're insane…"
Jin just sat down, expression unchanged.
Good, he thought.
That's settled.
Around him, whispers spread—not accusations now, but curiosity.
A name people hadn't known an hour ago was being quietly remembered.
Wei Jin.
Senior staff member Feng Shen stepped back onto the platform.
The noise hadn't fully died down yet, but the moment his presence was felt, the arena quieted again.
He raised one hand.
A system panel unfolded above the central stage.
[ NCEE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ]
Phase 2 Details
Test Type: Team-Based Dungeon Combat
Dungeon Rank: Rare+
Team Size: 5 Members
Registration Window: 30 Minutes
Rules:
• Teams must be finalized and registered within the allotted time
• No changes allowed after submission
• Failure to register within 30 minutes results in immediate disqualificationh
Feng Shen's gaze swept across the arena.
"This phase evaluates coordination, adaptability, and real combat judgment," he said evenly.
"Choose carefully."
Then he turned and left the platform.
The moment he disappeared—
The arena exploded into noise.