"Qianhe, do you think these two kids can pass my test?"
Yu Qianxia sat with her legs bent atop a black obsidian rock, the edge of her hot pants rubbing against the gravelly surface. Her gaze was fixed on Liu Ma and Chen Kong as they warmed up in the center of the training ground.
Her secretary, Qianhe, pushed up her glasses and responded calmly.
"Mr. Liu Ma should be fine. His Golden Ox Star Core and Underworld Warhorse Star Source are both standard transformation types."
"As long as he can adapt to the sudden surge in physical abilities, completing your test shouldn't be difficult for him."
"But Mr. Chen Kong's situation is hard to say..."
"Oh? Why?" Yu Qianxia pressed.
"Because I still haven't been able to fully understand what Mr. Chen Kong's Star Core is, and his Illusionist Star Source is too variable. Anything could happen."
"It's like shooting at a target in a fog; no one can predict where his bullet will ultimately fly."
"So he might pass, and he might not. The key depends on the extent of his development of the Illusionist."
Yu Qianxia smiled. "But he is a Level 2 Perfect Illusionist! I think as long as he can replicate a suitable Star Core, the difficulty of passing the test shouldn't be too high."
The rational Qianhe remained noncommittal. In her days of observation, she had found that although Chen Kong was also one of the Children of the Stars, his various attributes were a bit mediocre.
To ordinary people, Chen Kong was an undeniable genius. But compared to the other Children of the Stars, he was, in fact, rather average. This could be seen from his progress over the past half-month. With the same amount of training time, Liu Ma's finesse had reached a solid 'B+' level, while Chen Kong was still hovering between 'C' and 'B'.
It was worth noting that Liu Ma's strengths were 'strength' and 'vitality.' 'Finesse' was his weakness. As a special-type Star Envoy, Chen Kong's 'finesse' should have been his strong suit. Yet, even his strong suit couldn't compare to Liu Ma's weak one. This made Qianhe not think highly of him, believing that with his talent and potential, if he hadn't been lucky enough to become a member of the Children of the Stars, he would at best be an ordinary Star Envoy with little future achievement.
Yu Qianxia's thoughts were similar to Qianhe's. But she had a feeling that Chen Kong might not be as simple as he seemed. She still had a great deal of hope for him, thinking that he might be able to create a miracle.
Just then, Liu Ma spoke up from a distance. "Big Sister, I'm ready!"
"Alright, begin. Remember, you only have one chance, so make it count."
Since the opportunity was limited, Liu Ma's approach was very conservative. He first attempted several attacks without using his Star Core or Star Source. After confirming that his strength and control were in a delicate balance, he began to use the power of his Star Core.
As the Golden Ox Star Core was activated, his muscles rapidly inflated as if being pumped up. In an instant, his once-fitting training suit was torn by his expanding muscles. At the same time, a golden ox phantom flashed behind him.
"Oh? Finally getting serious?" Yu Qianxia chuckled, her eyes showing a hint of interest. Liu Ma's previous series of conservative attacks had been so boring they almost made her fall asleep.
After fully adapting to the strength increase of the golden ox, Liu Ma then activated his Underworld Warhorse Star Source. After thoroughly adapting to both powers, he finally attacked with all his might. The power started from his feet, transferred through his waist, and ultimately condensed in his fist.
He threw the punch, and the mountain collapsed!
Boom!
With a loud bang, the five-meter-high obsidian rock split open in front of Liu Ma as if struck by an invisible giant axe. Amidst the flying black shards, Liu Ma opened his palm, revealing that the egg in his hand didn't even have a single crack.
Without a doubt, Liu Ma had passed Yu Qianxia's test.
Clap clap clap—!
Yu Qianxia applauded, not holding back her praise.
"Not bad, not bad. You proceeded step by step, thinking before acting."
"Little Liu, you finally look like a true martial artist and not the brute with only brute force you used to be."
At the same time, Liu Ma seemed to be experiencing an epiphany. He only looked up at Yu Qianxia after a long time and said with a grateful expression, "Big Sister, I think I'm starting to understand what you've been telling me all this time."
"It seems I'm just one step away from a perfect breakthrough."
Yu Qianxia, who had always suppressed Liu Ma from breaking through, nodded uncharacteristically.
"Yes, it's about time."
"It could be as fast as a week, or as slow as half a year, but I think you'll truly forge your own path."
At this point, she turned to Chen Kong. "What about you? When are you going to take the test?"
Chen Kong did not respond immediately. Instead, he walked over to Liu Ma and asked a few questions in a low voice. After listening, Liu Ma gestured and said something. Chen Kong nodded, then turned to Yu Qianxia and said, "I can start now."
Yu Qianxia extended her hand, gesturing for him to begin. Then, under her and the dimensional viewers' curious gaze, Chen Kong began his attempt.
Similar to Liu Ma, Chen Kong also chose a relatively conservative approach, attacking with small, tentative strikes. But due to the vast difference in strength between them, his progress was much slower than Liu Ma's. Moreover, his Sky Pattern Star Core and Illusionist Star Source were not types that could greatly enhance strength. As a result, even after attacking for a long time, the obsidian rock in front of him didn't crack; it didn't even have a single mark, which looked like a waste of effort.
But what surprised the dimensional viewers was that Yu Qianxia seemed to have noticed something and said in surprise, "Oh? Interesting."
Hearing this, the dimensional viewers began to watch Chen Kong closely and quickly noticed that a pair of golden ox horns, identical to Liu Ma's, suddenly grew on his forehead.
'Why do those horns look so familiar?'
'Crap, they're the Golden Ox horns! Chen Kong actually replicated Liu Ma's Star Core?!'
'That's not all, there's also the Underworld Warhorse. He's trying to perfectly replicate Liu Ma's successful case.'
Under the curious gazes of the dimensional viewers, Chen Kong, with his Level 2 Perfect Illusionist Star Source, not only completely replicated Liu Ma's Star Core and Star Source combination but also perfectly copied the rhythm of his punches. If it weren't for the huge difference in their body sizes, the dimensional viewers would have thought the production team was lazy and secretly replayed the same footage.
Boom!
After a loud bang, Chen Kong predictably shattered the obsidian rock in front of him, and the egg in his hand remained perfectly intact.
Seeing this scene, Yu Qianxia said with a smile, "Not bad, a truly perfect imitation show." Although it was a bit of a clever shortcut, she still recognized Chen Kong's achievement. Since both of the kids had passed the test, she naturally had to fulfill her promise.
Yu Qianxia jumped down from the obsidian rock and walked up to them. "Very good. One of you has learned perfect restraint, and the other has learned perfect imitation."
"I am a person of my word. Next, I will teach each of you a suitable Yu-style martial art."
As she spoke, she turned to Chen Kong, and a pair of dark red pistols suddenly appeared in her hands.
"Chen Kong, I know your most common fighting style is long-range shooting."
"Among the many martial artists in our Dueling City, there are quite a few marksmen like you."
"But the battles of Star Envoys are ever-changing, and anything can happen."
"Therefore, through long periods of exploration, the marksmen of Dueling City have gradually developed a special martial arts style called—Gun Kata."
"As one of the 'Five Celestial Insects' of Dueling City, our Yu clan naturally has its own exclusive Gun Kata."
"Watch closely, kid. I'll only demonstrate it once. How much you can learn depends on your own abilities."
As her words fell, Yu Qianxia's figure completely vanished in front of Chen Kong...