ASER - Chapter 45
Chapter 45: Fuxiang Garden
A'Diao suspected Rao Xueya's big mouth was responsible for spreading this. While it did manage to conceal the truth, it was utterly unscrupulous.
When will I be able to generate my own mental power? Then I'd strike it rich.
However, the Tian siblings and the others did notice the marks on her neck.
"What happened here?"
By now, A'Diao could speak a little. She claimed that Rao Xueya had coveted her toilet stall, insisting its feng shui was superior, and had fought her for it, even choking her.
Tian Zhongye was astonished. "Are girls these days really this fiercely competitive over toilet stalls?"
The Tian siblings weren't entirely convinced, let alone anyone else. But then Rao Xueya entered, clutching a reddened cheek (she had slapped herself for authenticity), and glared daggers at A'Diao from across the room, yelling, "You, surnamed Diao, mark my words! If you dare try to snatch a stall from me again, I'll beat you to death!"
A'Diao retorted, "Fine by me! Next time, I'll smash the toilet bowl and let all that filth spray all over you, leaving you as yellow and green as these vegetables!"
Rao Xueya: "!!!"
This secret alliance was so hard to forge.
The students eating in the cafeteria: "..."
【From Wang Wei +365!】
【From...】
Ah, Jinling Academy truly lives up to its name as Jinling's top high school. This mental power is so easy to farm.
Having harvested a wave of mental power, A'Diao's mood improved slightly. But as she lowered her head to sip her soup, her gaze discreetly swept across the teachers' dining area on the second floor.
Like Zhou Jiang, she suspected that a teacher from Jinling Academy was the culprit.
But she couldn't be sure which one. The assailant was remarkably composed; there hadn't been any fluctuation in their mental power even when potato shreds had shot from their eyes.
Otherwise, if their mental power had spiked and revealed a name, it would have been enough for her to investigate.
For now, she didn't know the assailant's identity, but she guessed there was an eighty to ninety percent chance they were connected to the Cui Clan. As for the remaining ten to twenty percent... could it be related to her eldest brother?
An image flashed through her mind: her eldest brother, perpetually holding a book, his gaze on her always deep and inscrutable.
There were many things from her youth she preferred not to recall, but undeniably, she deeply distrusted the Chen family.
If her academic performance was too outstanding, it might increase her value to Chen Ran, but it wouldn't necessarily benefit her eldest brother—the legitimate son of the first wife—or the second young miss—the legitimate daughter of the current stepmother, Madam Xu. She didn't know where the second miss was studying, but her eldest brother was indeed a student at Jinling Academy.
A'Diao recalled the youth she had glimpsed standing by a window earlier.
She recognized those quaint, silver-rimmed glasses.
He knew she had come to Jinling Academy. Would he try something?
A'Diao felt she was becoming paranoid. But regardless of who was behind it, she currently lacked the means to identify the teacher involved. It remained to be seen if Jinling Academy was as formidable as it claimed. If they couldn't catch the culprit, well, that would be fine too.
Toilet: Then you can demand hefty compensation from the academy.
A'Diao smiled inwardly.
Toilet: In that case, you'd better take this afternoon's test seriously. The amount of compensation the academy offers will depend on your individual value. Both the dead and the living have their price.
How ruthless, A'Diao thought, but she deeply agreed. Still... "Are you implying something? Isn't talent fixed? Aptitude can be refined, but talent can't be changed, can it? How am I supposed to 'try harder'?"
But the Toilet remained silent.
Damn it! she cursed inwardly. Always speaking in riddles, so infuriatingly mysterious.
A'Diao was baffled but could only calm her thoughts and prepare for the afternoon's examination.
On the other side of the cafeteria, Wang Wei, who had suffered a significant setback at the hands of Jiang Chao, was fuming. Proud and arrogant, he was extremely resentful and had been trying to find Jiang Chao's sister.
"And what if you find her? Are you going to go after her? Don't be rash. Jiang Chao is Official Jiang's only son. The Song family line is sparse and highly valued. His mother is the sole sister of the Song family head, the apple of their eye, and even wields some familial power. Don't lose your head and provoke the Song family."
Wang Wei was indeed a legitimate scion of the Wang family, but rarity dictates value. The Wang family had numerous offspring; in terms of personal standing, he truly wasn't as influential as Jiang Chao, who was a nephew to the Song family.
More importantly, Jiang Chao, having trained in martial arts since childhood, was formidable. His true strength likely reached G3, far beyond what rookies like them could compare to.
"I know, I just want to find out who she is. That Song Ling? I've looked into the Song family's lineage; I know everyone in the main branch. Jiang Chao calls her his sister, but I suspect she's merely from a collateral line."
Wang Wei, still resentful and intent on causing trouble, suddenly received a phone call. It was his elder brother, who said coldly, "Jiang Chao has informed me. Song Ling's aptitude is exceptionally high, and she has already been designated for priority development. Whether she's from a collateral or direct line is irrelevant; what matters is that her name has been officially entered into the main family records, and her branch is now registered under the main family. He warned me not to stir up any trouble. The Cui Clan isn't completely wiped out yet, and the elders on both sides wish to avoid a pointless conflict. You understand what this means. Don't cause me any more problems. Furthermore, something just happened at the academy, and a strict investigation is underway. You'd better keep a low profile!"
Wang Wei was somewhat stunned and wanted to ask more, but the call had already disconnected. He knew his elder brother was an elite student at the academy, on the cusp of important examinations, and undoubtedly had access to inside information.
Thus, he could only glare at Song Ling, who was eating by herself not far away, grit his teeth, and swallow his resentment.
Still, what exactly had happened at the academy? Wasn't it just some glutton who stir-fried and ate potato shreds in the restroom?
In a corner of the cafeteria, Cui Yun was cautiously answering a call from his parents.
They had arranged for someone, but the assassination attempt had failed.
Cui Yun's initial reaction wasn't to blame his parents for rashly arranging the assassination, but to lament its failure.
"Has everything been cleaned up? If it's traced back to us, the consequences will be dire."
"Rest assured, the operative was very cautious and left no loose ends. It's just a shame it wasn't successful. He said the girl likely possesses a special Spiritual Vessel or a Forbidden Item, which caught him off guard. Coupled with the disturbance, he had no choice but to retreat for the time being."
Third Master Cui said, "Actually, looking at her now, she seems quite promising. Perhaps we should consider marrying her into the family first. Her aptitude is good; any child she bears should also have good aptitude."
Mother Cui interjected, "Absolutely not! How can that country bumpkin be the mother of my grandson! If it comes to that... we'll have to eliminate the mother and keep the child later."
Seeing his parents' conversation stray further and further, as if his marriage to Chen A'Diao was a settled matter, Cui Yun gritted his teeth and ended the call.
He would never allow this Chen A'Diao to trample all over him!
Meanwhile, in another room of the Cui residence, Cui Yong met a servant. The servant presented a recording he had intercepted, offering it to his master, the head of the clan, before obediently departing.
After listening to the conversation, Cui Yong let out a cold smirk and contacted his eldest son, Cui Liang.
"A'Liang, Cui Yun will undoubtedly make another move... This is your opportunity."
"However, are you certain Chen Xun will go?"
Cui Liang, who was in the midst of cultivating by absorbing and expelling Spiritual Energy, replied, "Regardless of whether he likes this sister or not, his sense of duty to his family will compel him to act. He cannot ignore his sister's life-or-death situation. He will definitely go."
Chen A'Diao was merely a pawn; the Cui family's primary target had never been her from the start.
As Song Ling finished her meal and was carrying her tray out, she happened to see A'Diao and her companions also done with their food. Her gaze flickered to the dark bruise on A'Diao's neck, and she frowned.
A man's fingerprints.
Was she targeted for assassination? It seemed the commotion in the restroom had indeed been because of her.
A'Diao noticed Song Ling's gaze. She glanced over and, operating on the principle of cultivating mid-tier talents for sustainable "wool-shearing," couldn't resist saying, "Song Ling, you have such excellent manners! You even return your tray after finishing your meal. Truly as kind-hearted as you are beautiful. And your tray is so clean! Cherishing food is the noblest of virtues."
Everyone else, who almost always returned their own trays, some of which weren't even picked clean: "..."
Song Ling: "..."
【From Song Ling +99!】
Why not a four-digit number this time? Suddenly so stingy.
A'Diao was bewildered. Does she enjoy it this much when I verbally spar with her? Is she a masochist? But she's so pretty, how could I bring myself to be harsh... Oh well, I'll see if I can push myself during the talent assessment this afternoon.
But what if my talent turns out to be far inferior to hers?
Wang Wei remained resentful. He and his companions managed to find out the location for the afternoon's assessment for the examinees.
As expected, it was at Fuxiang Garden.
They had also undergone their aptitude tests there during the previous internal selection.
A'Diao and the other externally admitted students were still unaware of what Fuxiang Garden was; it was Tian Zhongxiang who had gathered information from others.
"They know a few students who passed the internal selection," Tian Zhongxiang explained. "They said their assessments were also held in this Fuxiang Garden. It's filled with numerous flowers and plants and was previously used merely as an ecological garden. After the resurgence of Spiritual Energy, Jinling Academy, with its profound foundations, unexpectedly saw the manifestation of three Spirit Gates on its grounds, one of which, a smaller one, is located right here. The Headmaster made a decisive choice not to seal this small Spirit Gate but to keep it open around the clock, sealing off only Fuxiang Garden itself. Consequently, many of these flowers and plants gradually transformed into spirit plants. Remarkably, these spirit plants created their own Spiritual Energy cycle within the garden, one that is not only as potent as the energy released by the small Spirit Gate but even stronger. Most importantly—research has shown that these plants release special spiritual enzymes that can awaken human talents, allowing for early detection of talent ceilings and thereby an assessment of one's innate aptitude."
Scientifically validated methods involving Spiritual Energy—it sounded truly impressive.
A'Diao grew curious. Presently, they were all gathered before a large gate, facing a massive, semi-circular crystalline dome. Within, a vibrant tapestry of lush greens and flowers in hues of crimson, fiery red, and brilliant gold unfolded, a sight that naturally inspired yearning.
By visual estimation, the area spanned at least a thousand mu. The exterior also featured a belt of vegetation with ample soil, nurturing numerous trees and other flora.
However, these appeared to be newly cultivated.
So, Fuxiang Garden is set to expand?
As A'Diao pondered this, she silently committed the surrounding plants to memory, planning to research them later. Just then, there was some activity at the front of the group.
"Everyone, Teacher Zhou has been called away on urgent business. I, Wang Hai, will be overseeing this afternoon's talent assessment. Rest assured, there will still be a display screen and a leaderboard. Well? Are you nervous? Excited?"
This man was rather portly, with a witty and humorous demeanor, appearing much more approachable than Zhou Jiang. He managed to amuse many of the nervous students, though some were curious about how the talent assessment scores would be calculated.
"Considering the initial generation, talents are myriad. During that early period, there were no precise assessment standards, let alone a scoring system. Teacher, could you please explain the current scoring criteria?"
Cheng Zhang, true to his analytical nature, posed the question. Coupled with his high ranking as a top-seeded examinee, second only to Song Ling, several teachers treated him with considerable courtesy.
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