Chapter 5: 3rd Place in the Test
The next morning arrived with a thunderous chime that echoed across the mining camp like a war drum.
Xing Yan jolted awake. His body still ached from yesterday's fight, but his mind feels refreshed this is maybe the residual effect of the White Vein Warg's Core he'd absorbed the night before.
The miners were already lining up outside the central square, where a massive, translucent crystal stood proudly in the middle. It looked like a frozen chunk of the heavens itself—clear, tall, and humming faintly with energy. Its name: The Resonance Crystal.
"This is the Aptitude Test," Foreman Tie barked from atop a crate. "Hit the crystal with all your might. If you lit the crystal, you pass, barely. If you make it hum, you qualify. If you crack it… well…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but everyone understood. Cracking the crystal was something only monsters could do.
The first few miners stepped up. Thwack. Tap. Thud.
Some strikes bounced off the crystal with pathetic clinks. Others left faint scratches. A rare few made it emit a soft, harmonic hum.
Then, midway through the line, a cold wind swept the crowd.
A man stepped forward. Silent. Unsmiling. His clothes were simple, but there was something wrong about how calm he was. No nerves. No hesitation. Even the way he breath is unusual.
'Is this what an Emo like in this world?' Xing Yan commented on his mind.
The emo-like man raised his pickaxe without flourish.
And slammed it into the crystal.
BAM!
A thunderous crack resounded.
The crystal didn't just hum—it split down the middle with a sound like shattering glass. The crowd erupted in disbelief.
"DID HE JUST…?"
"Holy sh*t—he broke the test!?"
The man didn't even glance at the crowd. He simply turned, eyes emotionless, and walked away as if nothing had happened.
"From Department 7," one of the foremen whispered. "That guy's not normal…"
When Xing Yan saw this scene, he can't helped but gulp.
'Quiet kids, sure are the scariest.' He reminded himself to never cross paths with this monster.
A few moments later, a new figure emerged. A young woman with hair like molten copper, eyes sharper than blades, and a fairly beautiful face that could captivate anyone's heart. Her steps were light, but every one of them drew attention.
"Woah..."
Like a united robots following a command, the young miners activated their neurones almost in unison.
"She's so beautiful..."
"Did the heaven fell? Why do I see an Angel?"
"Even the brightest ores can't compare to her beauty!"
Praise after praise. The appearance of the gorgeous young lady send a small commotions all over the place. The boys are the most happy, to see a beauty like this, is like a once in a lifetime experience. The girls isn't fond of it though, they didn't like how she got all the spotlights just by appearing on the stage.
The gorgeous lady swung her pickaxe, in an elegant but fierce way. The blow didn't shatter the crystal, but a massive chunk exploded from its side, falling to the ground with a dull thud.
All the boys present quickly give a loud applause and all sorts of compliments fly after one another.
"She's not just gorgeous, she's also talented!"
"So strong! You deserve to be my wife!"
"A lady with both the power and beauty, other girls must be dying with envy."
The last comment wasn't wrong, all the faces of the girls dimmed as they witnessed the shocking performance of the girl.
"Department Five's prodigy… I think her name's Xu Yueling." one of the Foreman commented.
"She's a monster too…" the other Foreman answered.
Xing Yan swallowed. What kind of monsters are they?
After the two shocking performance, the test continued and all the remaining miners took a turn to strike the gem.
It took a little while, for his turn.
"Miner Xing Yan, come up quickly." Foreman Tie announced.
It was finally Xing Yan's turn.
People whispered, some in excitement, others in skepticism.
"That's the kid who killed the White Vein Warg?"
"No way. They're just exaggerating."
Xing Yan stepped up, pickaxe in hand. He begun circulating the Soul Essence throughout his whole body. He tightened his grip and took a deep breath.
He didn't need to crack it. Just prove he wasn't trash. He don't need to compete with such monsters.
"Hu... Let's do this." he muttered tightly gripping the pickaxe. "Don't break now."
He focused—this time, directing the Soul Essence to his arms, then into the tip of his weapon. Exactly the same method he did during the battle. He could feel the Primordial Forge reacting, steadying the flow like a second heartbeat.
"Ha!"
Clang!
Xing Yan swung with all his might, he felt the hardness of the gem when he struck it. Like a bolt of lightning, the shock spread to his hands. It hurts like hell, but he's not letting go of the pickaxe.
"Hold!" Xing Yan groaned.
Shing~
The crystal rang out.
The sound was sharp and clear—louder than any of the others before the prodigies, but nowhere near their level. A faint light rippled across the crystal's surface, and a clean dent shimmered where the pickaxe struck.
The ground didn't shake. No chunks flew off. But the crystal hummed, long and proud, it even got a visible dent.
Gasps.
"…He made a dent."
"That was definitely Soul Essence! He can already use Soul Essence?"
"Who is that guy?"
The gasp and comments isn't louder than the two prodigies. But Xing Yan could care less about that right now, he passed and that's enough for him.
"He's not stronger than the two prodigies, but he certainly got a better control at them in Soul Essence." One Foreman commented.
"He sure do, afterall I'm the one who teach him how to control it." Foreman proudly said like a father boasting the achievements of his son.
"Wait, what do you mean? He only manage to control the Soul Essence? That doesn't make any sense!" Barked by one of the Foremans.
"What a bunch of monsters..." Another Foreman wryly said.
After Xing Yan took the test he went back down to his previous spot and took a sit.
Mo Lin who's stilll in the line, curled up her hand and give a good job signal at Xing Yan.
Xing Yan smiled and replied with a good luck signal.
The remaining part of the test isn't as interesting like the performance of Xing Yan and the other two monsters.
Every once in a while, someone would make the crystal shine brightly. While almost all of the time, the crystal don't emit a single shine or the light it shined is almost unrecognizable because of how thin it is.
Mo Lin, surprisingly did very well. She didn't leave a dent on the crystal like Xing Yan, but she did made the crystal shine brighter than the others.
After the last batch of miners hit the crystal. The Aptitude test finally ended.
Foreman Tie stepped up on the platform holding a long list of names.
"i will now announce the names for those who passed. This result is the overall rating, of your performance this past two weeks."
"Miner Zhang Xibai from Department 1, passed."
"Miner Su Dalji from Department 1, passed."
...
One by one, Foreman Tie mentioned the names for those miners who passed the test.
"Miner Mo Lin from Department 9 passed."
When Mo Lin heard her name, she jumped with happiness, with a bright smile in her face.
Xing Yan also smiled when he heard Mo Lin passed. But whe is his name not mentioned yet?
'Surely I passed... Right?' Xing Yan nervously thought. He can't help but be nervous, he doesn't know how well the previous Xing Yan in the test.
Foreman continued reading the names in the Department 9. While Xing Yan nervously listen, hoping his name would be called any second now.
"Lastly, Miner Ji Fan from Department 9. All the names of the miners that got called, congratulations."
Loud shouts and applause rang out through the crowd. Some were happy they passed, and some were dejected.
Xing Yan on the other hand, frowned so hard his face distorted.
'No way... I failed?!'
But, just as he was about to question his abilities. Foreman Tie flipped out another list of names.
"Now I will announce the Miners who passed with flying colors."
"In 1st place, Huo Shuan from Department 7. Come up here on the platform."
Huo Shuan—the silent monster who cracked the Resonance Crystal—walked up to the platform without a word. His gaze swept over no one. He didn't care about applause, nor the admiration burning in others' eyes. He simply stood there, like a blade unsheathed and waiting for battle.
"In 2nd place… Xu Yueling from Department 5!"
A chorus of cheers, especially from the boys, rang out once again. Xu Yueling ascended the platform with effortless grace, her copper hair glinting under the crystal light. She spared a glance at Huo Shuan, but he didn't even twitch. She smirked.
"And in 3rd place…" Foreman Tie raised his voice, scanning the crowd. "…Xing Yan from Department 9!"
When Xing Yan's name got mentioned, murmurs exploded.
"3rd place? Hiss... I heard he's only been here for 2 weeks!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
"What?!"
"Him!?"
"No way!"
The disbelief was palpable. Some eyes narrowed, others widened in shock.
Xing Yan froze for a moment, dumbfounded. He blinked. Wait… third place?
He slowly stood up and walked toward the platform, his mind swirling.
"Go, go!" Mo Lin whispered loudly from behind, nudging him with excitement.
When Xing Yan stepped onto the stage, he couldn't help but glance at the other two. Huo Shuan didn't react. Xu Yueling gave him a once-over, then a small, approving nod.
She recognized me…?
"Despite being new blood," Foreman Tie continued, grinning proudly, "this boy has shown exceptional control over Soul Essence, a sharp mind, and unparalleled growth within just two weeks after he joined the trial. Not to mention—he single-handedly took down a White Vein Warg."
The crowd gasped again. Even those who had doubted the rumors earlier now looked at him with new eyes.
Foreman Tie handed them each a badge—black iron, embedded with a single glowing rune.
"This badge marks you as Achievers in this batch. You can use that badge to access the library to choose 1 Mining Skill and 2 Battle Skills to your liking. The Village where you belong will also get a 10 years worth of resources. Congratulations."
The benefits made Xing Yan's heart thump faster. Battle Skills and Mining Skills? I striked a vein of fortune!
"And for those names who didn't got called," Foreman Tie's voice turned serious.
A bunch of sad whimpers sounded from the crowds as Foreman Tie mentioned this.
"Better luck next year. I hope you do your best in the academy to polish yourself. Dismissed!"
The Miners gave a loud applause before the crowds slowly dispersed.
As the crowd dispersed, Xu Yueling, the girl with from Department 5, stepped closer to Xing Yan.
"You're better than I expected," she said plainly, voice low enough only he could hear. "When we meet again I would like to know you more."
She turned, walking away before he could respond.
"…Was that a compliment?" Xing Yan muttered, then sighed. "This world keeps getting crazier."
Before he could return to his seat, Foreman Tie pulled him aside. "Quite impressive I might say."
"Heh. Old man, is this your doing?" Xing Yan asked.
"I only hold that thing down, you delivered the final blow, its technically your kill." Foreman Tie replied, saying it if it wasn't a big deal.
"Hah.... Thank you I guess." Xing Yan sighed.
"Don't mention it. You should probably go to the library and choose your rewards. Afterall, tomorrow's the day you go back to your village."
"Go back? Is the trial over?"
"You passed the trial didn't you? So of course its over, to you that is." Foreman Tie pointed at a group of miners who's sobbing and crying at the corner.
"Not for them though, they've been in the Academy for 9 years now, and they took this trial for 4 years. They're not so talented like you or the others, if they fail the trial next year, they will be kicked out from the Academy and send to their hometown." Foreman Tie explained.
Xing Yan looked at the dejected miners with sympathy. Right, not everyone has the capacity to pass the trial.
"Don't pity them, that's just how the world works." Foreman Tie remarked.
And he's right, the world will only devour the weak. Especially in this world, if you don't show your worth, you will only be discarded and left to rot.
"Anyway, one of your village elders will escort you back to your village tomorrow."
"I see... Wait what?!"
Xing Yan flinched.
'F*ck! I completely forgot that this body isn't mine!'