Chapter 53: The Palace Examination

An elite? Zhao Erdong considered herself exceptionally talented, yet when she thought of Yue Wuqing, who appeared to be scarcely older than her—at most nineteen—his cultivation was truly unfathomable. He could come and go completely unseen right before her, a fourth-rank martial general.

Then what was Yue Moli’s fourth-rank cultivation worth?

Yue Moli slowly swept his gaze across the five figures standing straight before the Azure Water Palace. When his eyes landed on Zhao Erdong’s face, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed his features, and his gaze lingered for a moment.

"Lords and ladies, today’s palace examination will select the finest among the best. There is only one position for the Imperial Court's First-Class Appraiser. I hope everyone will give it your all."

Yue Moli spoke in a clear, resonant voice. Combined with the uniquely striking good looks characteristic of the Yue family, he possessed an infinite charm.

Unfortunately, having witnessed the bewitching visage of Yue Wuqing, Zhao Erdong found it exceedingly difficult to consider any other man handsome... Wait, why was she thinking of that scoundrel again?

The rule for today's palace examination was a single round to decide the outcome. Yue Moli would personally set the questions, writing five tasks on white paper for the five contestants to draw from. Whoever could complete their assigned task with the highest perfection would become the Imperial Court's First-Class Appraiser.

Unfolding her drawn slip of paper, neat and elegant handwriting leaped into her view: A crimson primordial spirit crystal, weighing five catties and two taels.

A crimson primordial spirit crystal was not difficult to find; in fact, the majority of the primordial spirit crystals piled up in heaps within the Azure Water Palace were crimson. However, a weight of precisely five catties and two taels—that was the true test of an appraiser's genuine mastery.

Zhao Erdong had never studied orthodox appraisal arts and had no idea how other appraisers determined the specific weight of the crystal core within a raw stone. She could only rely entirely on her keen eyesight to make an educated guess.

Stealing a glance at the other four appraisers, she saw that every single one of them wore a deeply troubled frown. Evidently, they were mere amateurs; the moment they encountered such a difficult problem, they were completely stumped. Fortunately, there were no true experts among them, otherwise she would undoubtedly lose this trial today.

Recalling the many crystal stones she and Baihe had cut open back at their home in the imperial capital—stones of varying weights that she and Baihe had once personally weighed—she knew that a weight of five catties roughly corresponded to a size similar to Xiaolan. Thinking along these lines, she grew increasingly confident.

Deliberately avoiding the others, she walked around to the back of the stone pile and quietly activated her divine sight to search through the raw materials.

Every time she activated her divine sight, it would drain a certain amount of her vital energy. Although her vital energy was currently abundant, it still could not sustain the divine sight for a prolonged period.

An hour passed, yet she still had not found a suitable piece of stone, while the vital energy within her body was gradually depleting. A thin layer of perspiration beaded on her soft, fair forehead, and her complexion grew increasingly pale.

Xiaolan seemed to sense the change in Zhao Erdong's physical state. It stealthily crawled out of her carrying pouch, hopped up onto the pile of spiritual stones, came to a halt on a stone shaped like a bolster, and let out a series of squeaks while staring at Zhao Erdong.

Startled, Zhao Erdong hurriedly stuffed the creature back into the pouch. Fortunately, the Azure Water Palace was vast and spacious, and Xiaolan's squeaking had not attracted anyone else's attention.

Xiaolan poked its head out of the pouch once more, its front paws tugging vigorously at Zhao Erdong's clothes as it pulled her toward the bolster-shaped stone. Looking at Xiaolan's expression, a sudden realization dawned on her. "You mean this one is suitable?" she asked in a low voice, pointing a finger at the stone.

Xiaolan nodded repeatedly, looking exceedingly earnest.

Half-doubtful, Zhao Erdong activated her divine sight once again to inspect the interior of the bolster-shaped stone. Indeed, it was a crimson primordial spirit crystal, and the size of the crystal was virtually identical to Xiaolan's body. It was spot on.

Delighted, she patted Xiaolan on the head. "I never knew you had a knack for appraisal! Not bad, not bad at all. Stick with this older sister from now on, and I will certainly treat you well."