As Evan's eyelids creaked open, the misty veil surrounding the testing stage parted like a curtain, revealing an audience that seemed to materialize from thin air. Mr. Sterling stood at attention, his eyes fixed on some invisible point beyond Evan's left shoulder. The air was heavy with anticipation, as if the very fabric of reality had been stretched to its limits.
The soundscape shifted, like a tone being adjusted on an ancient instrument. The distant hum of the city gave way to an eerie silence, punctuated only by the soft gurgling of the river and the faint creaking of wooden pilings beneath the water's surface. Evan's ears rang with an otherworldly resonance, as if the earth itself was holding its breath.
A gentle whisper caressed his ear – Leo's voice, barely audible over the din of silence: "You're up next." The words seemed to carry a weight that defied gravity, drawing Evan into their orbit. He blinked, and the world snapped back into focus. Mr. Sterling's face was an unreadable mask, but Evan detected a glimmer of calculation lurking in his eyes.
Evan's gaze drifted toward the testing stage, where wisps of fog curled around the crystal pedestal like ethereal tentacles. The air seemed to vibrate with anticipation as Leo stepped forward, her movements fluid and precise. The whispery tendrils coiled tighter around her ankles, and Evan felt an inexplicable tug – as if he were being pulled toward a precipice he couldn't quite see.
With a flick of his wrist, Mr. Sterling conjured a data pad from thin air. Numbers scrolled across its surface in dizzying succession: "SSS-Rank? Impossible." The words seemed to sear themselves into Evan's retina like a branding iron – impossible, yet somehow inevitable.
Evan's eyes locked onto the test stage once more as Leo began her aptitude test. Time itself appeared to warp and buckle around them. In this moment, everything hung in balance: fate, momentum, and the very fabric of reality...
The misty veil parted further, revealing Evan's own reflection staring back at him from the data pad's glowing surface. His eyes seemed to hold a question, one that only he could answer. The numbers on the display began to blur, as if trying to convey some hidden message.
Evan blinked, and his gaze snapped toward Leo, who stood poised before the testing stage like a reed swaying in the breeze. Her features appeared carved from marble, her eyes an icy blue that seemed to pierce the very soul of the universe. The fog tendrils wrapped around her ankles tighter still, as if sensing some fundamental shift within her.
Mr. Sterling's mask-like expression remained fixed, but Evan detected a flicker of curiosity beneath its surface – a hint that even he was unsure what lay ahead. The air continued to vibrate with tension, an otherworldly resonance building in intensity like a precipice about to give way.
Evan took the first step forward, his movements fluid and deliberate as if performing some ancient ritual. He felt the weight of his own momentum gathering pace, drawing him toward the testing stage like a moth to flame. The data pad's surface rippled once more, its numbers rearranging themselves in a pattern that seemed both familiar and yet utterly alien.
"Time to see what you're truly capable of," Mr. Sterling whispered, his voice carrying an undertone of anticipation that bordered on reverence.
The testing crystal pulsed with energy, as if feeding off the gathered tension. Evan's eyes locked onto its core, where wispy tendrils of fog now danced in tandem with the pulsations – a dance that seemed to hold some ancient power within its rhythms.
With a slow-motion deliberation, Evan extended his arm toward the testing stage. His hand hovered above the crystal pedestal as if suspended by an unseen thread. The air around him began to distort, like ripples on a pond disturbed by a thrown stone.
Time itself appeared to bend and warp once more, compressing into the briefest of moments – enough for Evan's thoughts to converge like galaxies in collision. His internal calculus ticked over with precision, weaving together threads of probability and momentum...
The testing crystal exploded.
As the shards of crystal rained down, Evan's arm remained suspended, his hand poised above the pedestal like a slow-motion puppeteer controlling its marionette. The air was alive with electricity, as if the very fabric of reality had been torn apart by some ancient force.
The fog tendrils retracted into the misty veil, their wispy forms disappearing from view like ghosts vanishing at dawn. Mr. Sterling's mask-like expression cracked, a flicker of awe dancing across his features before he regained composure. Leo stood frozen, her eyes fixed on Evan with an intensity that bordered on reverence.
The testing stage itself began to distort, its surface rippling like the surface of a pond struck by a stone. Numbers and symbols etched themselves into the air above, swirling together in a maddening dance as if trying to convey some hidden message. The air vibrated with tension, anticipation building towards some unknown culmination.
Evan's hand hesitated, then closed around the testing crystal like a vice squeezing its prey. His eyes locked onto Mr. Sterling's, a silent understanding passing between them – an unspoken agreement that would forever alter the course of events.
In slow motion, Evan raised his arm to chest level, his palm facing the audience as if presenting some ancient relic for their veneration. The air seemed to hold its breath in anticipation, time itself compressing into a single heartbeat.
And then, it happened.
A burst of light enveloped Evan's hand, casting an ethereal glow across the testing stage. The numbers and symbols swirling above coalesced into a single figure: 5-Dimensional Rank – Infinity.
The audience gasped as one, their collective breath exhaled in awe. Mr. Sterling's expression contorted, his eyes darting toward the data pad now displaying Evan's new ranking – an impossible feat that defied all known laws of cultivation.
Leo stepped forward, her voice barely audible over the stunned silence: "You're... you're a god."
Evan's gaze locked onto hers, a hint of calculation flickering behind his mask-like expression. The air seemed to shiver with anticipation as he whispered:
"The harvest begins now..."
And in that moment – just before Evan's words could unfold their meaning – the data pad on Mr. Sterling's wrist flared to life, broadcasting a single message across the testing stage: "Dimensional Rift Imminent."