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Chapter 35: Rank Test
🕑 Added 2025-06-11 10:19:28 +0000 UTCEthan decided to test Heatblast's other abilities again. He concentrated his mind, trying to manipulate the superheated plasma on Heatblast's body. He found that not only could he now more freely control the size and shape of the flames, but he could also condense them into various solid-looking weapons—a flaming sword, a scorching whip, a shield of fire.
Ethan was channeling Aura in his room for a while, experimenting with his newly enhanced form, until his mother, Sarah, called him out to eat dinner. Sitting at the dinner table, Lily said to Ethan, "So, how was your absorption of the Aura Core with the 'Flame' skill?"
Ethan scratched his head and said in an uncertain tone, "I guess it was successful."
His father, Simon, sounded a bit anxious. "What do you mean, 'you guess'? Don't tell me it failed?" After all, that Skill Aura Core was worth a fortune. As parents, they were often reluctant to even buy expensive, non-essential vegetables. If such a precious item went to waste, he would be absolutely heartbroken.
Ethan hurriedly explained, "No, no, it was definitely a success. It's just that there was a little… accident during the process. I'll show you later, and you'll understand."
Lily nodded. "Just right. I'll take you to get your talent rank re-tested tomorrow morning. Afterwards, I also want to see for myself how much you've really grown."
Ethan suddenly had a very bad premonition. "H-how will you see?"
Lily smiled, a sweet, terrifying smile. "By having a friendly spar, of course!"
Ethan stammered slightly, "Uh, Sis Lily, what's your current rank?"
"Oh, not high, not high at all," she said breezily. "Just Rank Four, Level Three."
Ethan felt his blood run cold. "I'm screwed! I'm totally going to be barbecued!" he thought in despair. He protested aloud, "You're a Rank Four psionicist bullying a Rank One! Have you no shame?"
Lily nodded and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Nope. I have no shame."
Ethan was speechless. "……” "You......"
"Tell you what," she said, her smile widening. "You can call your two little friends over to… train together with us."
Ethan's eyes lit up. Hmm, this could work. Three of us against one of her… He thought for a moment, then vigorously shook his head in his mind. No way, no way! Those two are my best friends! If I set them up like this, what's the real difference between me and a dog! I can't do it!
Just as Ethan was about to righteously refuse, Lily added another sentence. "If they come, they can at least help you share some of the offensive pressure. If they don't come, then you'll just have to take the whole beating all by yourself."
Hearing her words, Ethan made up his mind in an instant. Sorry, my friends. It is for the greater good. And because a dead friend is better than a dead me, I have no choice but to sacrifice you! And besides, he rationalized, a Legendary-rank psionicist's personal guidance is an extremely precious opportunity for you. I’m really doing you a favor! Thinking like this, Ethan's heart felt much, much better.
Ethan, with a now troubled heart, quickly finished his dinner, then hurriedly went back to his room to train. The stronger I can get tonight, the fewer beatings I'll have to endure tomorrow.
The next day, early in the morning, Ethan went with Lily to the imposing New Veridia People's Government building. It seemed that the commotion Lily had caused a couple of years ago upon her own awakening was indeed quite big, as even the security guard at the main entrance recognized her instantly. The main reason for this gap in knowledge was that Ethan, having transmigrated, had no memory of past local events. And because she was his aunt, not his older sister, they didn't interact on a daily basis before she left for university, so naturally, no one had bothered to mention her local fame to him.
Seeing that this person was actually the living legend of New Veridia from back then, the security guard didn't dare to be slow. He hurriedly reported the news of her arrival to the mayor's office. A man dressed in a sharp suit walked out and, upon seeing them, said in a gentle, respectful tone, "Welcome, Miss Lily. The Mayor has already prepared tea to receive you. Please follow me."
Under the guidance of the mayor's secretary, the two of them arrived at the spacious mayor's office. In the office, Mayor Everett Thorne had already brewed the tea himself and was sitting in his seat waiting for them. Seeing the two enter, Mayor Thorne hurriedly stood up and said with a warm, genuine smile, "Lily, you've come! Come, come, quickly try my precious Cloud-Mist tea! And this young man beside you must be Ethan."
Ethan quickly bowed his head. "Good morning, Mayor."
"Why call me Mayor? That's so formal," Everett Thorne said with a laugh. "Just call me Uncle Everett."
My aunt has so much 'face'! Ethan thought in awe. "Ahem, yes, Uncle Everett." A powerful connection for free—it'd be an absolute waste not to use it.
Just as Ethan thought that Mayor Thorne had discovered something he was embarrassed about, Lily suddenly spoke up. She didn't bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point. "Everett, the main reason I came this time is to have you re-test Ethan's talent rank. I went over his previous test results; his awakened ability is clearly very strong. It shouldn't possibly be a 'No-rank' talent. I think there was a mistake in the initial test."
Mayor Thorne smiled, leaning back in his chair. "You little brat. The last time we met, you even called me Uncle Everett yourself. Why the sudden, formal change of address?"
Lily playfully pushed his offered hand away. "Can't be helped. Who told you to let my nephew call you Uncle? Since he's calling you uncle, then my own seniority has to be raised a notch to match."
Everett Thorne laughed. "Alright, alright, I won't fuss with you. Re-testing his talent rank, is it? I can do that. As the mayor of this city, it is my duty to serve the people."
"Is that so?" Ethan, being a rather direct person who didn't always read the room, blurted out what was on his mind. "But why have I never heard of anyone having a second awakening or a re-test?"
Mayor Thorne didn't get angry. "Because the energy of the Awakening Stone is very, very precious. We must have specialized technicians from the capital cities come to recharge it, and those people charge a huge fee for their services each time. This is a decision made by the central government. They come once a year for a free city-wide recharge. Just that single event costs the government a huge amount of resources. Every city will, based on the number of students who need to awaken each year, strictly allocate the stone’s energy. At most, there will only be an error margin of enough energy for a dozen or so extra people."
Ethan pressed, "Then why could those other people use it for a re-test if they wanted?"
"As I said, the energy of the stone is precious. If they want a second awakening or a re-test, they must fund an extra, private recharge. This is not included in the government's welfare program, so it has to be self-funded. The price is not low; how much do you think it takes? Even so, it's already considered a good deal, as the pure energy the stone needs is not something that credits can easily buy on the open market. Let me put it this way: to awaken one person costs at least one million credits. With so many students awakening each year across the nation, this expense is truly massive."
Ethan's eyes widened. He said in disbelief, "One million credits! Every year, so many people awaken. This public expense is too huge."
Mayor Thorne nodded grimly. "What do you think? The annual expense for student awakenings ranks in the top five of the entire nation’s budget. Do you know who is ahead of it? The military! And certain national-level talent training resource programs! The energy needed for those is only a bit more than this. The awakening of our students can be said to be one of the most important matters for the future of the entire Global Concord."
"You came at just the right time," he continued. "Some other influential families have already come to me and used the spare energy before. Now there's only enough energy left in the stone for about two people." Although he said this, Ethan was still brooding over the fact that "that person," the initial examiner, had carelessly given him a "no-rank" diagnosis in the first place, causing all this trouble
