Song Meiling.
She was the daughter of Elder Song Ruyi, one of the senior elders of the Song Scholarly House, and the younger sister of Song Tianyu, the heir presumptive of their clan division.
She was born five days before Song Chen, yet she still chose to refer to him as senior brother due to the way he always treated her kindly and offered occasional advice on her cultivation journey.
In other words, she respected him deeply, believing he was wiser than his years suggested.
While she had great interest in joining a powerful sect and becoming a renowned cultivator, her ultimate goal was to marry Song Chen.
Song Meiling stared up at Song Chen, unintentionally flashing her beautiful purple eyes.
"So, Senior Brother, you promised that you'd assist me with some flower picking tomorrow."
Her pretty eyes fluttered.
"Are you still open for that?"
There was elation ringing in her voice with each word.
Song Chen looked at her for a moment.
『When invited by a girl to any event, the expected response is to accept like a good boy, right? But not for yours truly! When you get an invite, remember, good little dogs are a dime a dozen, but a man who goes the extra mile? Now that's a rare breed! (￣ω￣)』
Next, he dramatically cleared his throat, rubbed his chin, and hummed in deep thought.
"Hrmm…"
Song Meiling pouted and placed her hands on her waist.
"Big Bro Chen, you promised! (｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡)"
A smirk appeared on Song Chen's face, and he patted her on the head.
"I suppose I could make some time then."
His words and gestures brought a warm smile back to her face.
Out of nowhere, Ye Shan shouted—
"SONG CHEN!"
He stepped forward and pointed aggressively at his fellow young boy.
"YOU BASTARD, GET AWAY FROM MEILING THIS INSTANT!"
Song Chen gave a dramatic shake of his head, acting like he was disappointed, even though he honestly couldn't care less.
"Tsk, tsk, you should strive to be more composed. Sigh~ I don't think Mei'er is a fan of such noisy men. Well, in your case, she'd be Mei. Ling. Yes?"
He proudly adjusted his sleeves.
Ye Shan glared viciously at him.
"Grrr!"
Some disciples in the background started whispering.
"I heard that Ye Shan is obsessed with Song Meiling and has been rejected by her several times."
"Maybe it's because she's only interested in that talentless trash, Song Chen. Tuah! He's total shit!"
"I agree. I hate him so much!"
Despite the murmurs and glares, Song Chen maintained his peaceful smile.
『If you don't have haters in a cultivation world then you haven't succeeded, bahaha!』
Elder Stonehead was tired of all the silly arguing.
He figured it was finally time to start the assessment.
"We shall now begin the assessment. As I've said before, though your pill-sized brains must have forgotten, you must use your spiritual energy to punch the altar to record how many spiritual seas you possess. Is that clear?"
No one dared to focus on the drama between Ye Shan, Song Meiling, and Song Chen any longer. They all turned to face the respected elder and bowed their heads in acknowledgment.
With his head bowed, Ye Shan gave Song Chen a death stare and muttered—
"We all know you're a bronze talent. You don't have to go out there and disgrace yourself in front of Meiling. Just give up and kill yourself already!"
"…"
Song Chen didn't respond to Ye Shan.
He just kept his head bowed.
Naturally, Ye Shan got triggered by this.
"Bastard, didn't you hear me?!"
"Yes, I did. And?"
"And w-, well…"
Without looking, Song Chen chuckled.
"Look, Ye Shan, behold the disparity betwixt thee and I! Though should I falter in this test, and thou triumph, fair Mei'er shall still favor my humble self. Verily, talent eludes me, yet sweet, affectionate, and tender-hearted this Young Master remains!"
"Eh? (๑•̌.•̑๑)"
"Eh?"
They were both confused.
One barely understood what he just said and the other didn't understand what he'd heard.
Elder Stonehead sighed.
"The assessment has begun!"
･･･
Every disciple took their turn at the altar.
They'd punch it, the altar would light up, and the number of times it glowed showed how many spiritual seas they had.
Some already knew their count based on their talent grade or the time it took for them to be conceived. But sometimes, a person's spiritual sea could multiply as they grew older. It was rare and required numerous favorable conditions, but it wasn't impossible.
BLAAM!
A disciple punched the altar.
"Three spiritual seas!"
"One spiritual sea!"
"Two spiritual seas!"
"Three spiritual seas!"
"Four spiritual seas!"
"What—!? Four?! That's crazy!"
There were a lot of disciples who weren't skilled enough to reach the three spiritual seas mark, and just like Elder Stonehead had warned, they were kicked out right away.
Many of them ended up in tears, going to Song Tianyu for comfort, and he would gently tell them that their cultivation journey wasn't over yet and there was still hope.
The assessment wasn't particularly challenging, but it favored those who were already blessed by the heavens.
Many disciples weren't sure if they would do well enough to become Elder Stonehead's students, which would give them access to all kinds of cultivation resources. Still, they all knew one thing—having at least three spiritual seas was a must, since it was the same as having a spirit talent grade.
"Record of four spiritual seas, you pass…"
Elder Stonehead announced as he noted another disciple's results in his scroll.
"YES! YES! YES!"
The successful disciple cheered ecstatically, while others waited patiently in line for their turn.
Standing just behind Song Meiling, Song Chen appeared calm, but Song Meiling was hiding her worries.
『Father and Elder Brother always say Big Bro Chen doesn't have what it takes to be a cultivator because he only has one spiritual sea. They believe there's no chance he'll open a second one, even with his bronze talent grade. If he fails this assessment, everyone will laugh at him… sigh~ I don't want that to happen.』
She sighed inwardly and hoped for the best.
"Mei'er, are you alright?"
Song Chen asked.
He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Song Meiling perked up slightly—
"Y-, Yes… Senior Brother! Don't worry about me."
She chuckled nervously.
Song Chen could tell she was worried because she kept avoiding his eyes. Still, he didn't ask any questions and just kept his attention on the assessment.
The next disciple in line was Ye Shan.
With a grin on his face, Ye Shan looked at Meiling.
"Meiling, behold the talent of this future immortal."
Song Meiling kept a straight face as she watched Ye Shan walk towards the altar, cracking his knuckles.
His fellow disciples were already buzzing.
"Hmph! It's finally Ye Shan's turn."
"I don't know how many spiritual seas Ye Shan will have, but he's one of the top three in our class. I heard he's at the Third Level of the Spiritual Sea-Opening Realm at such a young age, so he definitely has more than three spiritual seas."
"Well, it's to be expected. Ye Shan might even have a brighter future than Master Song Tianyu."
"Shhh! Are you daring enough to say something so arrogant?!"
Ye Shan closed his eyes to block out the noise around him as he took a deep breath. He placed his fist against the altar, focusing his internal muscles and gathering spiritual energy. He pulled his fist back, and as he exhaled, hot steam could be seen leaving his mouth.
BOOOOOOM!!
In a flash, Ye Shan smashed his fist into the altar which unleashed a tempest of spiritual energy that blew most of the disciples away.
For cultivators like Elder Stonehead and Song Tianyu, who were Core Formation cultivators, it felt like a cool breeze.
Elder Stonehead nodded with an approving smile—
"Five spiritual seas, you pass!"
"FIVE—!?"
"That's the highest so far!"
"With that amount of spiritual seas he'll definitely make it into a prestigious sect!"
Ye Shan turned away from the altar, dusting his hands with the pride of a thousand peacocks.
"Chen, do you see the difference now?"
He grinned repulsively at Song Chen.
Song Chen frowned back in response.
『What's his problem? I only have one spiritual sea, there's no point competing with me. Sigh~ idiot…』
The next disciple was Song Meiling.
As she stepped up to the altar, it was like hearts were floating through the air—every male disciple was glued to her, unable to look away.