Patriarch Bai and Juno entered arm in arm the huge battle hall. Its size was impressive. Every six months, it opens the door for those who want to raise their rank. The importance of an additional rank is tremendous. It can drastically change the pract.i.tioner"s life for the better. The peers will have more respect, the financial situation will increase, new opportunities will arise.The qualification is divided into two parts: knowledge and talent a.s.sessment. The first part is carried out without to much fuss or any unwanted spectators. There"s always lots of noise and commotion during the second part. Crowds of stressed out youngsters shove and push in the line. But today it"s unusually quiet here.
The hall was still empty when the patriarch took his place in the center. His granddaughter sat next to him. One glance at her would tell how nervous she was. Juno was about to tear off her golden lock that she was furiously twirling around her finger.
«Right, in five minutes, the first part of the qualification begins. The knowledge a.s.sessment. I guess it will take an hour or two. Just enough time for your mother to arrive.»
«Uh-huh.» - grunted Juno.
The front door swung open. A pretty girl came in. It was Stephanie. A handsome 19-year-old dark-haired young man followed her with a guilty expression on his face. It was Lee. An imposing-looking tall old man who also known as great Elder Boe entered the last. He was telling Lee off:
«Thank you? Did I hear you say thank you, grandson? Then mark my words: thank you means nothing nowadays. The result is the only thing that matters! I had to reschedule an important meeting, wasted a lot of time and effort to organize this d.a.m.ned qualification, and for whom? For the kid who you all can"t stop talking! G.o.d forbid this Kyon disappoints me with his mediocre talent. I will kick your a.s.s with your "thank you" a hundred times! And I will punish this boy properly. It"s beyond me how you could talk me into this?! You have a kneeling talent, Lee! And your grandfather does not like it!»
The elder"s offensive words made Stone number one blush.
«I didn"t lie to you, grandfather! Kyon is really a genius... You"ll see everything yourself…» - He turned away from Boe"s suspicious eyes and looked sternly at Stephanie.
In her in turn, Stephanie turned away from Lee and blushed even more than he. She had to use her secret female weapon to make him "convince" the most respected elder to organize the qualification for Kyon only. And now she wished the ground would swallow her up as soon as she saw Lee.
«I am counting on that.» - Boe grumbled and looked surprised at the unexpected guest in the central seat, the patriarch!
Stephanie was in shock. The patriarch himself was present at the qualification! It was all her doing! If Kyon screwed up, Lee would kill her first, then his grandfather, and then the patriarch himself! She couldn"t wrap her head around how Kyon managed to talk her into this adventure. What was she thinking?! However... It was too late.
«My respect, Mr. Bai.» - The elder said politely, slightly bowing his head slightly.
Stephanie and Lee got respectfully on one knee. They also greeted the patriarch"s granddaughter properly.
«Lady Juno! I am glad to see you no less than my grandfather. Do you want to look at glorified Kyon?»
«I do…» - Juno nodded and nervously twisted a lock of her hair on another finger.
Bai said with a smile:
«My granddaughter promised me a pleasant surprise. How could I say her no? Besides, personal qualification takes place for the second time in the last twenty years. This Kyon must be someone extraordinary. I hope he will not disappoint me!»
«As for the pleasant surprise, I will express my strong disagreement. The point is... I have invited Kirsan, who has just returned from another empire, to examine this highly acclaimed Kyon. If only he dares to screw up before Kirsan...»
Stephanie gasped. Kirsan was well-known for his strictness and inflexibility. He was a nightmare for any Stone who qualified for a higher rank. Only every 30th examinee succeeded in pa.s.sing the third and most challenging test in talent a.s.sessment. Each partic.i.p.ant prayed to the G.o.ddess on the night before the qualification to help them avoid Kirsan.
«It"s much more entertaining. The boy who made the whole kingdom accuse us of nasty lies shouldn"t expect any preferential treatment!» - Bai"s voice boomed throughout the hall.
Just then, another four people entered the room, a married couple of dignified elders among them. Kirsan, the examiner, walked a little behind them, with a stone expression on his face. A charming lady with golden hair proudly walked at the head of the procession. There was something irresistible about her. She captivated anyone around her with her beauty and charm. She emanated the aura of a proud, n.o.ble lady could move mountains and conquer the seas. However, there was an incomprehensible and almost imperceptible longing in the depths of her eyes. In some inexplicable way, Marina was a living image of this lady.
The patriarch rose from his seat and hugged the beautiful lady.
«I am so happy to see you, daughter.»
«So am I, father.» - Diana answered in a melodious voice. - «You invited me to look at the new rising star of the Stones.»
«Something like that…» - Bai glanced at Juno, and she pretended not to notice it.
When Diana saw Juno, she hugged her happily.
«My dear, Juno. I am sorry it"s been so long since I last called you. How are you doing?»
«Fine.» - Juno mumbled.
The new arrivals began to greet each other.
When Stephanie saw another two elders and Diana, she wanted to squeeze into her chair and become invisible. She thought the qualification would be held in a quiet way, with few or no spectators, and here had gathered the elite of the family: three most powerful elders, the most strict and influential examiner, the great patriarch and his close relatives! She had a feeling she came to swim in the river, and happened to be in the center of the ocean! If Kyon screwed it up, they would bury her alive!
{I hope Kyon has a plan! I am counting on that!}
Juno felt the same, albeit to a lesser extent. She thought her a.s.sistant got a nice blow on the head when he was a child. What the h.e.l.l does he think he is, a G.o.d! Not everyone in the n.o.ble phase (4) can pa.s.s the qualification, and he is only in the first phase. Moreover, the examiner is Kirsan! Let shame be a lesson to him, dumb a.s.shole. She will get the long-awaited joy of victory in return. She will say to the battered and humiliated Kyon at once: "I told you so!" She had a good feeling about this time!
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Everyone took their seats.
Elder Boe asked:
«Kirsan! Where is your nephew, Yegorka? I have a couple of questions for him.»
«I have not seen him yet, Mr. Boe. I haven"t come over the death of my brother Martin when I get the order to examine the qualification. My apologies.»
«Our condolences for your loss.» - Boe said for himself and the rest present.
Kirsan nodded silently and stood in the center of the hall next to the trigram cut out on the floor, waiting for the only examinee. He was punctual, as always. Kirsan arrived just when the first part of the exam had begun, the knowledge a.s.sessment. Usually, it lasted an hour and a half till someone pa.s.sed or failed, in rare cases, an hour. So they all had plenty of time before Kyon entered the hall.
Looking at Kirsan, who was even gloomier than usual, everyone, including Stephanie and Juno, came to the conclusion that Kyon stood little chance for success.
The patriarch said confidently:
«Whoever this Kyon is, it was worth coming here if he pa.s.ses Kirsan"s qualification. Our family badly needs new talent. I don"t know anyone apart from my eldest granddaughter who has successfully qualified under the age of twenty.»
Elder Bo coughed into his fist:
«Actually, my grandson Lee has pa.s.sed…»
The patriarch looked at the young man, who had tucked his head into his shoulders, and turned away. Elder Boe must take him for a fool. As if he didn"t know who had helped this dunce to pa.s.s the difficult qualification.
«I have a bad feeling about all this.» - Boe changed the subject. - «I won"t be surprised if Kyon fails the knowledge a.s.sessment. That"s a laugh! What do you think, Lee?» - He looked at his grandson, who cringed and turned pale.
A few minutes later, a wise-looking, gray-haired old man in a white robe dashed out of the exam room, screaming - «To the h.e.l.l with you! I won"t tolerate this!»
When he saw nine people in the hall, the patriarch in particular, he let out an astonished "oh" and immediately hurried greet the important spectators with a bow.
«What"s the matter, Master Xin? And is the exam finished so quickly? Has our promising young man already failed?» - Bai asked.
«Sir…» - The old man spoke in a trembling voice. - «I… I don"t know what to say! I have been an examiner for fifty years and have seen a lot, but I won"t tolerate it when someone is making a fool of me!»
Everyone in the hall was waiting for explanations from the old examiner.
«What do you mean?» - Bai frowned.
«What a nerve! How inconsiderate! The younger generation has decided to take me to the grave! They must have used some tricks to transfer information. This rude charlatan has perfectly answered all the written questions in one minute! Even the most exceptional genius writes the written part for at least one hour! Then I decided to expose him as a liar he was and began to ask him all the tricky questions... And you know what? The smarty-pants fancied himself a know-it-all! He bombarded me with questions the answers to which I.. I.. I don"t know! Kirsan, deal with him yourself. I quit and retire. I can stand it no more. Forgive me if I am being rude.» - Master Xin finished his speech, sighed heavily and took his leave, muttering something quietly under his breath.
All those present in the hall looked at each other, perplexed. How could Kyon send master Xin, so patient and extremely erudite, into a screaming fit? It had never happened before. This Kyon wasn"t that simple, after all.
As everyone started to discuss the mysterious young genius, the doors opened slowly, and the black-haired young man entered the hall. He was in the ninth stage of the base phase.