Chapter 60
The Induction: Unconvinced.
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She took a deep breath and projected her voice to the stunned crowd.
"You possess the Abysmal Star and the Wheeler's Eye Innate Spirits! Both are evaluated at the Honorary Pass Grade!"
Her declaration sent a shockwave through the crowd, turning the buzz into a roar.
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"Honorary Pass... and both Innate Spirits are at that level?!"
"Heavens! Even the Coven's fabled High Priest Sage Vikram from over a thousand years ago, the man who wielded power that almost rivaled the heavens, only had a single Honorary Pass Grade Innate Spirit!"
"Who would have thought another one would appear in this era?"
"What a time to be alive! Hahaha! A genius greater than the Sage has descended!"
The crowd erupted into a frenzy. Even the upper echelons of the Coven, the usually stoic Elders and Lords, were beaming from ear to ear, unable to hide their greed and excitement.
Naturally, Lu Xie could hear their feverish discussion. She quickly cross-referenced their words with Alia's memories.
The last time an Honorary Pass had appeared was indeed over a thousand years ago. Back then, the Coven had surged to its Golden Age, led by High Priest Vikram. He was a legend whose power was said to touch upon the daos of cultivation. However, centuries ago, at the end of his natural lifespan, he wandered off into the unknown and was never seen again.
Since his disappearance, the Coven had declined, forced to retreat into seclusion. Yet, no power dared to offend them too deeply, fearing the expert might one day return.
And now, they believed his successor had arrived.
"Me?!"
"Cough! Cough!"
Anthara forced out a series of dry, racking coughs to call everyone's attention back.
"I am not done yet," she said sharply, struggling to suppress the manic grin threatening to split her face.
It was then the crowd remembered the other two phenomena—the Green Cat and the Yin-Yang Fish—which were likely Mythical Attributes.
Usually, Mythical Attributes were of secondary importance. They were auxiliaries, merely decorations on the cake. They were hardly ever graded by the Stone-Fate Altar unless they complimented ones Innate Spirit.
However, after the show Lu Xie had just put on, the crowd leaned in, holding their breath.
Anthara folded her hands into her long crimson sleeves, looking down at the crowd with superiority.
"Again, another oddity. These are Dual Mythical Attributes as well."
"The Green Cat possesses the Attribute of Absolute Mimicry. Thus, you possess the Myriad Mimicry Beast Attribute."
She then pointed to the space where the fish had been.
"And the Twin Draconic Fish are of the Extreme Attributes. Hence, you also possess the Extreme Bipolar Dragon Attribute."
Anthara paused for dramatic effect.
Just as the crowd concluded she was done talking, she added.
"And... each of these Mythical Attributes has been graded at the Honorary Qualifier Grade!"
Silence shattered.
"What?!"
"How is that even possible?!"
"Did I hear that right?!"
"Unheard of! Did Demoness Anthara just grade a Mythical Attribute that didn't compliment ones Innate Spirit. Truly unheard of."
The crowd discussed fervently.
"I OBJECT!" A voice laced with a strong tone of discontent rang out.
Bavna, the 5th Yogi, suddenly stepped forward, her face twisted with a mix of disbelief and jealousy.
Every gaze fell on her. Most held expressions of schadenfreude, taking joy in her misery. It was no secret that the relationship amongst the Seven Yogis wasn't completely harmonious, and seeing the bully get surpassed by the victim was delicious entertainment.
However, Bavna ignored them. She walked up to the High Priestess and bowed stiffly.
"Your Eminence! I simply cannot accept these results. While I concede that her Innate Spirit might qualify for an Honorary Pass, I simply cannot accept that her Mythical Attributes could be graded at the Honorary Qualifier level!"
She pointed an accusing finger at Lu Xie.
"Everyone knows just how rare it is for the Stone-Fate Altar to grade a person's Mythical Attributes. That only happens when the Attribute perfectly compliments the Innate Spirit."
Bavna's voice rose, desperate to find a flaw.
"Alia's Mythical Attributes clearly do not compliment her Innate Spirits! A Cat and a Dragon have nothing to do with a Void Star and a Wheel! There is clearly foul play involved! Please address this matter fairly!"
The air turned stagnant. Accusing the Altar of foul play was akin to blasphemy.
Demoness Anthara slowly turned her head toward Bavna. Her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.
"You deranged, low-IQ barnyard fowl."
Anthara's voice was low, but it carried the weight of a sledgehammer.
"How dare you question my assessment? How dare you question the Altar?"
Bavna opened her mouth, but Anthara cut her off with an explosion of verbal violence.
"Just who do you think you are? You screeching, featherless chicken! Your brain is so smooth that flies slide right off it! You accuse me of bias? I should slap you so hard your ancestors feel it!"
Anthara stepped down from the podium, her aura flaring.
"Look at yourself! Go find a puddle of diarrhea, stare into it, and use that reflection to wash off that thick, shameless skin of yours! If stupidity was a cultivation technique, you would be a Heavenly Emperor by now! It would benefit the coven if the High Priestess turned you into a corpse puppet just to make you useful for once!"
The audience, on the other hand, was ecstatic.
It was a feast for the ears to witness Demoness Anthara swearing at people—as long as they weren't the ones being sworn at. In fact, the Elders could tell she was restraining herself because she was speaking to a Child of Principalities. If it were a regular disciple, her words would have been far more profane.
"Demoness Anthara... watch the way you speak in the presence of the High Priestess," Lord Rava cautioned in a low voice, trying to salvage some dignity for the event.
"You! You old fart, don't tell me—"
As Anthara was about to retort and roast Lord Rava too, the High Priestess waved her hand.
"That is enough!"
Authority spilled from her aura like a physical weight, crushing the arguments instantly.
She turned her gaze to the girl in yellow.
"Bavna. Have you always been this audacious?" she questioned.
Cold sweat trickled down Bavna's back, soaking her robes. But her jealousy gave her a spine of steel.
"I wouldn't dare, Your Eminence. However..." Bavna gritted her teeth. "We all know the laws of the Altar."
She turned to address the crowd, rallying support.
"The Stone-Fate Altar grades Innate Spirits on a scale of eight:
The Eighth being Failed Grade which means they are ordinary Merefolks with no Innate Spirit or Mythical Attribute.
Then the Seventh being the Horrible Grade, which does not even qualify one as a disciple of the coven.
Followed by the Sixth being Horrible Pass Grade, which hardly qualifies one to join as a Red Level Disciple.
Then the Fifth–The Pass Grade,
Then the Fourth–The Qualifier Grade,
Then the Third–The High Qualifier Grade,
The Second–The Honorary Qualifier Grade.
And finally the First–The Honorary Pass Grade."
Bavna took a breath.
"During my Induction, I too had Dual Mythical Attributes that both complimented my Innate Spirit perfectly. Yet, even then, my Mythical Attributes were only graded as High Qualifier Grade — The Third grade!"
She gestured to the twins standing nearby.
"Yuge and Huge were graded similarly to me! So why is her case different? Her Attributes don't match her Spirits. It defies the logic of cultivation! Therefore, I remain unconvinced!"
"She... she actually has a point," a disciple whispered.
"Yeah, I thought she was only trying to cause trouble, but the logic holds up," another agreed.
The crowd was quick to sway. This validation made Bavna even bolder. She turned to the Twins for backup.
"Tell them! Isn't it true?"
Yuge and Huge spoke at the exact same time, their voices blending into an eerie unison.
"Don't drag us into your existential crisis."
Bavna choked, shooting them a deadly gaze of betrayal.
However, before she could scream, she felt a stare piercing the side of her skull. It was cold, heavy, and oppressive.
Subconsciously, she turned to lock gazes with it.
It turned out to be the High Priestess. And behind the golden gauze... she wasn't smiling.