The First Assessment: Void Perception

“Impressive, Young Master Li!”

As Li Xiushen walked back into the crowd, praise rained down on him from all sides.

Liu Lu, Bai Baibai, even Yang Qu, that chubby kid who usually had it in for him, were all staring at him with surprise.

Those surprised looks and the flattery in his ears made the pride on Li Xiushen’s face even more pronounced, his steps lighter.

So what about S-grade innate Void Energy concentration?

His A-grade was no slouch either. A score of 572, which would be considered high even among all previous years, proved everything.

In the comprehensive talent rating, there was an unwritten rule: S-grade innate Void Energy concentration was the minimum threshold for a comprehensive S-grade.

If not for that damned rule, his score would have been enough to brush against comprehensive S-grade.

“Candidates number 3, 4, 100, and 122, please proceed to the examination hall immediately. Candidates 90, 93, 110, and 299, please prepare.”

The broadcast sounded calmly.

“Just average, average!” Li Xiushen dealt with the surrounding compliments while glancing sideways at Huang Xiu.

Behind the silver-white table and chairs, the girl gently brushed aside a stray lock of hair from her forehead.

Revealing a small ear that looked like it was carved from white jade.

She slowly stood up and walked toward the examination hall following the signs.

‘Now it’s your turn. Let me see what you’ve got, ‘S-grade’,’ Li Xiushen said quietly in his heart.

Inside the silver-white corridor of the building, the green guide lines on the floor were the only splash of color.

Arrowheads, like fish, swam unerringly along the guide lines.

Thump, thump, thump.

A somewhat cluttered sound of footsteps suddenly rang out, growing clearer and closer.

Two young men and two young women appeared one after another from around the corridor’s bend.

The one in front was a girl in a light green dress, and the one bringing up the rear was also a girl.

She wore a playful short-sleeved T-shirt with a cartoon cat, and black unisex capri sweatpants that exposed her fair calves.

On her feet were pristine white shoes with cookie-like soles.

“Is this the place?” The girl in the green dress at the front suddenly stopped, looking up at the rectangular metal gate ahead that was a full four meters high, her face full of surprise.

The same was true for Huang Xiu, who was last.

Why was this underground base all metal, with no other materials in sight?

Was there some special requirement?

With this question in mind, the gate split apart in the middle with a crack, like gear-like fissures, and retreated to both sides.

The headquarters of Yunsheng Province Control Bureau seemed to have hollowed out the ground for several kilometers around.

Inside the gate was another vast silver-white space, with lights reflecting off the floor, somewhat dazzling.

The four of them didn’t hesitate and stepped inside.

They scattered and took their positions, then looked around and were immediately taken aback.

The silver-white space was completely empty, with nothing at all. Even the white light that illuminated the space seemed to come from nowhere.

And for some reason, Huang Xiu felt as if the space she was in was dead, sending a chill down her spine.

“Welcome.” A mechanical voice, indistinguishable as male or female, as if synthesized by a computer, echoed from all directions.

Whoosh!

Darkness flooded in like a tide, extinguishing the lights from near to far.

In an instant, the four were plunged into absolute blackness, unable to see anything anymore.

They had all gone “blind”!

“The lights… where are the lights!”

“It’s so dark!”

“Don’t be scared!”

Though all four were flustered, they managed to stay relatively calm and didn’t descend into chaos.

“Test item 1: Void Energy Perception. Please use the Void Energy within your body to perceive the light switch. Abilities are not allowed in this round.”

A cold mechanical voice suddenly sounded from directly in the middle of them, startling everyone.

Especially Huang Xiu, who nearly threw a punch.

Because the moment the voice sounded, an icy hand reached into her pants pocket and snatched Huang Xiaoxian away.

The whole process was so fast that the girl was dazed, so fast that Huang Xiaoxian had no chance to react or resist.

But it probably wasn’t seriously hurt. Huang Xiu could still sense its existence through her ability [Senluo].

“Use Void Energy to perceive the switch? How do we do that? Does anyone know?”

Just then, Huang Xiu heard a somewhat impatient male voice from her right.

From memory.

That direction was a high school student whose face was covered in acne, like the surface of the moon.

“How would I know? I’ve never learned that either!” Another male voice came from the left.

The owner of the voice was pacing anxiously on the spot. The thumping of Marten boot heels sounded like a metronome.

The sightless darkness amplified people’s negative emotions. The four were all restless and irritable.

But Huang Xiu was in the best shape. The experience of those five days had toughened her considerably.

She knew that if things continued like this, these people would be driven mad by the darkness. So she joked half-seriously, “Don’t worry, first try closing your eyes slowly. Well, in this environment, closing your eyes doesn’t make a difference anyway. We can’t see either way.”

The joke was lame, but her soft, sweet voice still brought them some comfort.

“Everyone, close your eyes.” The girl in the green dress also spoke.

This made Huang Xiu think a bit more highly of her.

The four closed their eyes one after another and began to perceive the switch.

Since they were to use Void Energy to perceive the switch, they would channel Void Energy directly into their eyes to “see” where the switch was.

That was what Huang Xiu thought, and what she did.

On the ocean of mercury, she raised towering waves. A massive amount of Void Energy overflowed from the shore and surged toward her eyes.

Channeling Void Energy to a specific part of the body, the most Huang Xiu had done before was to send Void Energy through her hands or feet to her mutant plants.

But even that was only easy thanks to [Senluo].

It was often done with a single thought, accomplished before she even realized it.

Now trying on her own, she found that what seemed simple in her mind was actually extremely difficult to execute.

Void Energy moving independently inside the body was as difficult and slow as wading through a swamp, and the consumption was enormous.

A distance of just a few centimeters was comparable to mutating a treant.

But Huang Xiu had deep reserves. She didn’t have much of anything, but she was truly rich in Void Energy.

Void Energy silently soaked into her eyes like spring rain, but didn’t stir a single ripple.

Before her eyes was still darkness, she couldn’t see anything.

‘Is it because I’m using too little Void Energy?’ Huang Xiu frowned, then gritted her teeth and continuously output Void Energy to her eyes.

Time ticked by. Sighs and heavy breathing were clearly audible.

It was too hard!

They all thought to themselves.

And just then, in the pitch-black darkness, a tiny white light suddenly appeared.

That white light dispelled the darkness. It was a flame, a white flame burning in the depths of a pupil.

It was extremely faint, yet so conspicuous in the darkness.