"Are they here?" Riko asked the middle-aged man as she arrived at the entrance.
"They are already here. Only you and this young sir remain." The middle-aged man responded.
Riko nodded, and took the lead to walk through the gate. Shi Xiaobai followed closely behind. After passing through the gate, he heard the middle-aged man whisper to him, "Take care."
Shi Xiaobai was surprised as he said with a smile, "Years ago, someone told This King to take care*, but he ended up being unable to slim down for three years. Uncle, don't raise any unwanted flags."
After saying that, Shi Xiaobai ignored the stunned middle-aged man and walked into the building.
Upon entering, Shi Xiaobai's eyes were immediately attracted by a smooth and bright metallic wall. He looked up and saw huge frames lined up across the wall. There was a high-spirited face imprinted in each frame.
"These are the Rookie Kings of [Gaia] over the years." Riko said in front of him.
"Rookie...King?" Shi Xiaobai followed half a step behind her.
"[Gaia] recruits rookies every year. After a period of training, a competition between all rookies is held. The strongest is given the title of Rookie King. The Rookie King's photo frame is then displayed in this Rookie Museum." Riko explained patiently.
"The strongest person amongst the rookies. A king-like figure!" Shi Xiaobai's eyes lit up as he said with excitement, "The title of Rookie King is tailored for me, Shi Xiaobai! The first step in This King's journey shall be you—Rookie King!"
Riko was at a loss whether to cry or to laugh, but suddenly her eyes darted around, having come up with an idea. She immediately said slyly, "Boy, I also believe that the title of Rookie King belongs to you. Work hard for I think highly of you!"
Shi Xiaobai gave her a cold stare. "Don't do that. It's sickening.. Ouch!"
Riko grunted while her fist was raised. She continued walking deeper into the building as Shi Xiaobai rubbed his forehead. As he slowly kept up behind her, he grumbled.
After a short moment of walking, they arrived at a metallic door that was slightly ajar. Riko stopped and took a deep breath.
"By the way, I think I haven't told you the purpose of coming here today?" Riko suddenly said.
"So that's it. There is a purpose behind coming here today." Shi Xiaobai was enlightened as he raised his hands immediately in a defensive stance. He snapped, "Girl, you have finally revealed the true colors of yourself being an evil witch?"
In a rare instance, Riko did not roll her eyes but said with a sigh, "Today, I brought you here to partake in a Rookie Evaluation Test in name, but it's actually a trap a few bitches had laid for me. Xiaobai, I'm sorry for implicating you in this trouble, but I...can only rely on you."
Shi Xiaobai was surprised, and just as he wanted to say something, he saw Riko push the metallic door open. She had walked in.
Following that, a shrill voice immediately erupted from inside, clearly entering Shi Xiaobai's ears.
"Oh, the weakest 'Pontus' in history and the trash rookie she has brought has finally arrived!"
Translator’s Note: Take care (保重) can be literally translated to ‘conserve your weight’.
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Chapter9 Owning the Entire World
"Oh, the weakest 'Pontus' in history and the trash rookie she has brought has finally arrived!"
Shi Xiaobai could tell the deep provocative tone in the shrill voice at the door, but he immediately heard Riko's pearly voice in response.
"Tsk, even the weakest Pontus is a Pontus. Some trash can't even be one and can only look on with eyes of envy while barking like an abandoned dog."
"What? Who are you calling the abandoned dog? Didn't you become a Pontus only because you are His Excellency One-Pun's student? If not, with your Hero Ranking, how can you even become a Pontus?"
"Tsk, for Teacher One-Pun to only take me in as his only student, that alone explains everything. The Hero Ranking is just a matter of time, and I will surpass the abandoned dog that is you sooner or later."
......
The shrill voice and Riko's voice went back and forth in a heated argument.
Shi Xiaobai slowly walked in and jumped in fright when he saw what was inside. The room was extremely spacious. All sorts of exotic facilities were placed in here. Two large rows of seats lined each side of the room, rising upwards like staircases. On the seats to the left, there were three people sitting in random fashion.
And at this moment, there were four people standing in the middle of the room. Riko and a red-dressed woman were engaging in a war of words. Beside them were two teenagers. One of them looked quite handsome and had his hands crossed, like he was watching a good show. The other person looked very well-built as he kept gesturing with his hands while a distressed look hung on his face.
There was a high platform in the inner recesses of the room, resembling a rostrum in a lecture hall. At this moment, there were three older people sitting on the platform. An old man, a middle-aged man and a middle-aged woman. The three of them were looking straight ahead, as if they had no intention to stop the squabbling between the two.
Shi Xiaobai slowly walked towards Riko, as if no one noticed his arrival, or it could be said that even if they did, no one cared about his arrival.
At this moment, the red-dressed woman suddenly screamed, "Enough! Who knows if you and His Excellency One-Pun had engaged in some dirty deal? Who knows if you sold your body to become His Excellency One-Pun's student?"
The moment this was said, there was silence for a second.
"Pa!" The silence came to an abrupt halt at a sudden loud slap!
"Shut up!" Many roaring voices exploded in unison.
The three older people on the platform stood up.
The middle-aged man reprimanded, "Mu Hongli, do you know who are you talking about?"
The middle-aged woman said with a shrill voice, "How can His Excellency One-Pun's name be used in vain?"
The elder said solemnly, "His Excellency One-Pun is not to be insulted."
Riko, who had already sent out her slap, breathed violently out. She said coldly, "Mu Hongli, go back and reflect on what you just said."
On Mu Hongli's beautiful white cheeks, a pinkish palm print appeared. Her watery eyes seemed to well up with a mist of water vapor as she lowered her head and said with a trembling voice, "I.. I.. will personally apologize to His Excellency One-Pun."
After that, she raised her head and looked hatefully at Riko, saying coldly, "But I will never acknowledge your qualification as Pontus. Also, don't you forget our bet!"
After Mu Hongli said this, she turned around and saw the stunned Shi Xiaobai behind Riko. Immediately, her hatred for Riko extended to Shi Xiaobai. She stared ruthlessly at Shi Xiaobai before quickly walking to her seat on the right side of the room.
The handsome teenager moved to the right side of the room with a look of regret while shaking his head. Following that, the well-built youth also followed while scratching his head.
"Girl, you and that red-dressed witch made a bet?" Shi Xiaobai went to Riko's side and asked in a whisper.
"Nothing much, just...a casual bet." Riko revealed an unnatural smile before pointing to the seats on the left and said, "Go there and take a seat. Those three people are rookies participating in today's Rookie Evaluation Test."
"Alright." Shi Xiaobai nodded his head before walking over to the left.
Riko watched Shi Xiaobai's back and was about to say something, but for some reason, she could not force herself to open her mouth.
At this moment, Shi Xiaobai, who was about to walk far into the distance, stopped. Without turning back, he suddenly said, "Girl, This King is a very, very, very...reliable person!"
After saying that, Shi Xiaobai strode towards the seats on the left.
"Tch!"
Riko issued a disdainful jeer and turned to walk towards the right, but a charming smile had blo
omed on her face.
......
Shi Xiaobai was at quite a loss. What was Pontus? What was Riko and that red-dressed witch arguing about? What was the strange atmosphere in the room about? Shi Xiaobai had no clue at all.
Shi Xiaobai was desperately hoping he could ask someone. He glanced at the other three rookies that were seated in front of him. One of them was a blond youth about 12–13 years old, while there was a 8–9 year-old boy, as well as a 4–5 year old loli.
Shi Xiaobai instinctively walked towards the blond youth, but was immediately met with a scornful look. With a turn of his head, he saw the boy giving him the middle finger, and when he walked to the loli, she made a face at him.
"Foolish humans, to think they dare treat This King with such disrespect."
Shi Xiaobai sighed in his heart. He nonchalantly found a seat and sat down. He then looked at the four people on the right side of the room, who were distancing themselves like water and fire.
"The four people on the left and the four people on the right, could there be some connection?"
Shi Xiaobai pondered over this for a moment before feeling irritated. "Who cares? This King will adopt the necessary measures depending on the situation."
After the two sides took their seats, the elder on the platform stood up once again and took a few steps forward. With a cough, he immediately attracted everyone's gazes.
"Riko Minamiya, Mu Hongli, Zhao Xiong, Fang Qingshan, the four of you are the respective young leaders of [Annihilation], [Creation], [Order], [Chaos]. Your every action will indirectly affect the prestige of the four Divisions. Therefore, even in the annual Rookie recommendations, you should not relax in your efforts."
The elder asserted eloquently, when he suddenly looked to the right side of the room. With a twist in his words, he said, "Riko Minamiya, the rookie you introduced two years ago has disappointed the organization greatly. This year, you are not only the young leader of [Annihilation], you are even the Oceanic Pontus. I wish you will take things seriously and not let the organization down anymore."
Riko replied with an unhappy "Tch", while Mu Hongli laughed with gleeful mockery while covering her mouth.
The elder continued, "The same old rules apply. After the rankings of today's four rookies are out, the organization will announce it officially internally. The first ranked Division will receive an increment in Division points, and the last place will receive a reduction in Division points. [Gaia] encourages competition and will reward the strongest, as well as punish the weakest!"
As Shi Xiaobai heard the elder's words, he was lost in deep thought. Suddenly, he saw the blond youth walk towards him, putting him on high alert immediately.
However, he saw the blond youth stop midway. His eyes were filled with burning disdain as he said to Shi Xiaobai with a mocking tone, "So you are just an ordinary person without any Psionic Power. It looks like Riko Minamiya is a rather unreliable person as the rumors go."
Shi Xiaobai's gaze turned a bit cold but he remained silent.
"For Senior Hongli to send me to take down trash like you, it is such an overkill."
The blond youth suddenly revealed a ferocious smile and pointed his thumb at himself, proclaiming loudly, "I am a one-in-a-million Psyker!"
Upon saying the word "Psyker", the blond youth's arrogant look made it seem like he owned the entire world.
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Chapter10 People are born Unequal
The blond youth's proud look seemed to be a proclamation of his superiority. At the same time, he was staring intently at Shi Xiaobai's expression, hoping to see looks of shock and admiration from that handsome face.
However, the blond youth was disappointed. Shi Xiaobai only slanted his head and asked with curiosity, "What is a...Psyker?"
The blond youth was stunned for a second as he stared intently at Shi Xiaobai. He realized that Shi Xiaobai did not seem like he was acting dumb in anyway, so he could only let out a dry laugh and mocked, "So it's just a bumpkin that doesn't know what a Psyker is. Riko Minamiya has wasted her recommendation on you. She is truly a foolish girl. Such a foolish girl has no right to be a Pontus. I will prove this to [Gaia] in a time to come."
After saying that, the blond youth turned around and returned to his seat. Shi Xiaobai was just about to say something when he immediately heard another derisive voice.
"Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?"
Shi Xiaobai traced the voice with his head and saw a boy, who was likely a rookie like him, sitting behind him.
"This King does not lie."
Shi Xiaobai really did not know what a Psyker was. He had an impression of Riko mentioning this word before, but back then, he was only concerned about becoming a Hero, so he did not pay attention to what Riko had said. When he first arrived in this world, he had heard some things about Psionites, but he had no clue when it came to Psykers.
"Then you will soon find out."
The boy's child-like voice seemed earnest, and Shi Xiaobai could even detect a whiff of resentment. "A Psyker is someone who makes people despair."
"The term despair should not be said out loud so simply, as despair will make people unable to speak."
Shi Xiaobai mused with a smile.
"It just so happens to be that This King is good at fighting despair."
......
The elder reiterated the importance of the recommendation chances to the four young leaders once again, hinting that if any of the four lacked confidence, they could take the opportunity now to switch their recommended rookie. Seeing the four people ignore his kind intentions, the elder sighed. He gave a meaningful glance at Riko Minamiya before he began to announce the rules.
"The Rookie Evaluation Test is split into two stages. The first stage is an evaluation of one's natural endowment, while the second stage is an evaluation of one’s ability. The natural endowment evaluation shall begin now. [Order] Rookie, Yang Yang, please come to the podium."
The moment the elder finished his words, the boy sitting on the left stood up. His hands trembled, reflecting the nervousness appropriate for his age. He took a deep breath before walking up to the podium.
The handsome teenager sitting on the right looked at the well-built youth and asked, "This Yang Yang is the trump card of your [Order] that has the highest likelihood of entering the A-Class rookies?"
The well-built youth scratched his head. He looked honest, and his voice sounded powerful and good-natured. "He's a good prospect."
The boy, Yang Yang, slowly walked to the middle of the podium. Suddenly, a square metal box rose up from the ground slowly, like a telephone booth that had suddenly risen.
"Go in." The elder said with a deadpan expression. At the same time, one face of the square metal box gradually opened. The interior looked complex and intricate, and there was room only for one.
Yang Yang bowed respectfully at the elder before entering the metal box. Following that, the metal door closed and the dull metal box's surface began to emit a faint golden glow.
Shi Xiaobai watched this at a loss. He was filled with curiosity, when suddenly, he saw a series of fluorescent text appear on a large metallic wall beside the podium. The entire wall looked like a gigantic liquid crystal display.
The text began to scroll from top to bottom in streaks, as the constantly changing numbers dazzled Shi Xiaobai.
After a considerable amount of time, a line of text appeared at the highest spot on the wall—"Mind Expanse: A+ Class."
"Not bad." A gleeful look flashed in the elder's eyes as he made a praising remark. However, his eyes were still stared intently on the text shimmering on the metallic wall. It was not only limited to him. Other than Shi Xiaobai, everyone present was closely monitoring the changes on the metallic wall.
It seemed like they were waiting for something even more important.
Finally, at the top of the wall, another line of t
ext appeared—"Psy-genes: None."
When this line of text appeared, other than Shi Xiaobai, everyone withdrew their gazes. The numbers on the metallic wall also stopped scrolling.
"In terms of Mind Expanse, he is ranked amongst the top of the rookies of recent years." The elder said lightly.
Yang Yang came out of the metal box. He did not seem any different on the surface. He nodded at the elder before silently returning to his seat.
"It's sooo impressive to have an A+ Class Mind Expanse~" The blond boy said with a eccentric-sounding voice, causing Yang Yang's facial expression to change.
"I'm so envious. To have A+ Mind Expanse, I want it too...Wu Wu Wu~" A loli with a bit of baby fat pursed her lips as she looked at Yang Yang earnestly.
Yang Yang's eyes turned hazy as he sat in his seat with his head lowered, while remaining completely silent.
At this moment, the elder's voice emerged once again.
"[Chaos] Rookie, Zhong Yue'er."
The little loli smirked with a gleeful giggle as she briskly skipped over to the podium. She was eager to enter the metallic box and did not seem nervous at all, as if she was entering a most interesting game.
The illuminated text on the metallic wall began to shimmer, and in a while, another row of text appeared at the top—"Mind Expanse: D- Class."
Shi Xiaobai was silently comparing A+ and D-, and then immediately realized the reason why Zhong Yue'er was looking at Yang Yang with earnest eyes. At the same time, that made him more at a loss why Yang Yang's expression looked so heavy.
At this moment, another line of text appeared—"Psy-genes: F Class."
"Nice!" The expressionless elder suddenly revealed a beaming smile. The middle-aged man and woman beside him also nodded their heads, looking very satisfied.
Fang Qingshan looked at Zhao Xiong and said with a chuckle, "This Zhong Yue'er can only be ranked third amongst [Chaos]'s batch of rookies this year."
A tinge of heaviness appeared on Zhao Xiong's good-natured face, before he said seriously, "Yang Yang is ranked first in [Order]."
Fang Qingshan seemed to immediately lose all interest. He turned his head and no longer spoke, while Zhao Xiong clenched his fists tightly, releasing a deep sigh.
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