Star Odyssey

Chapter 2549: Cheating On The Assessment

Suddenly, a woman appeared. Astonishment filled her eyes that were glued to Lu Yin. She had an unremarkable appearance, though there was a touch of ruggedness to her. Such women were rather uncommon among cultivators, especially her calloused hands. She asked, "Are you Xuan Qi?"

Lu Yin had known all along that someone was watching him. He did not know why Xu Xiangyin had not shown up, but this woman was equal to a Semi-Progenitor, just the same as Xu Xiangyin. She was most likely the Cyclic Universe's representative for the Sixverse Academy.

"Greetings, Senior Shi Jiao."

"Greetings, Senior Shi Jiao."

…

Everyone bowed in an orderly manner.

Lu Yin hurriedly bowed as well. "I am Xuan Qi. Greetings, Senior Shi Jiao."

Shi Jiao suddenly appeared directly in front of Lu Yin, where she looked him over with an odd expression. "How do you perceive the First and Second Hands of the Stone Gate?"

Lu Yin answered respectfully, "The First Hand is gravity, while the Second Hand is relay."

"What about the Third Hand?"

"The Third Hand is release."

"How do you release it?"

"It is released by using the fifth movement of the Third Hand."

"Which movement of the first three hands is the most powerful?"

"The fifth movement of the First Hand."

The students looking on all felt confused, as they could not understand the conversation at all. The most powerful move should be part of the Third Hand, no? And what were they talking about with gravity, relay, and release? All the students had learned was how to display the different aspects of the battle technique according to the instructions they had been given. Where did all of this extra information come from?

Shi Jiao spat out more than a dozen questions in a row, yet Lu Yin answered them all without any hesitation.

"You really do understand the first three Hands," Shi Jiao exclaimed.

Lu Yin replied, "When this junior first saw the Eight Hands of the Stone Gate, for some reason, I felt a sense of familiarity with it. It felt as though I was not receiving words, but observing a person."

Shi Jiao's eyes grew large. "Watch carefully; this is the Fourth Hand of the Stone Gate."

She then raised a hand and demonstrated the Fourth Hand. Not one of the people watching from the crowd had ever seen it before.

The Fourth Hand of the Stone Gate could only be learned by those in the Central School. Even Mu Mu had not been able to learn it yet, let alone the students who were still in the Cyclic School.

People like Mu Cheng, who already passed the Cyclic School’s requirements, might choose to no longer continue studying the Eight Hands of the Stone Gate. They could instead choose to learn the Stone Cudgel, or even other battle techniques. There were seven different battle techniques available in the Cyclic School, one of which was Dragon Flash. Everyone had their own path that suited them the best.

Shi Hong had stopped after learning the First Hand of the Stone Gate, as it had been enough for her to pass the school’s requirements.

Zuo Yu, on the other hand, had found the Eight Hands of the Stone Gate to her liking, and thus had also learned the Second and Third Hands.

Shi Jiao did not mind that she was allowing the crowd of students to witness the Fourth Hand. Even with seeing it, learning it was still far from easy. Even if there were people within the crowd of students who had already learned the first three Hands of the Stone Gate, it would be impossible for them to learn the Fourth Hand from seeing a single demonstration. If they were capable of that, they would already have become famous in the Sixverse Academy.

Lu Yin watched as shadows of Shi Jiao's palm flitted about. This Fourth Hand revealed itself to be a technique that required true comprehension. The Eight Hands of the Stone Gate required that one be as immovable as a mountain. No wonder it was called the Eight Hands of the Stone Gate.

Shi Jiao quickly finished her demonstration, and she looked expectantly at Xuan Qi. "What do you think?"

Lu Yin answered respectfully, "This junior can only try."

Shi Jiao was shocked. Could there be another perfect genius who could rival the Junior Sovereign?

Until this moment, the only person capable of instantly comprehending the Eight Hands of the Stone Gate with a single glance had been the Junior Sovereign, who had established the legendary record of the shortest time required to learn the battle technique. Shi Jiao had always assumed that it was impossible for anyone to surpass that feat, but who could have expected someone like Xuan Qi would emerge from the Sixverse Academy?

This child unquestionably possessed unrivaled talent in many aspects, but was it also true for cultivation?

Lu Yin started demonstrating the Fourth Hand of the Stone Gate.

At this time, Jiang Xiaodao rushed up, having moved at his top speed. Upon arriving at the stone wall, he happened to see everyone surrounding Xuan Qi, who was in the middle of demonstrating the Fourth Hand of the Stone Gate. Jiang Xiaodao was filled with joy at what he saw.

The Fourth Hand of the Stone Gate was a complex technique that was incredibly difficult to master. It required a great deal of time spent practicing it. Jiang Xiaodao had only taught Lu Yin a small bit of the Fourth Hand, not even a tenth of the full thing. On top of that, it had been the final portion of the Fourth Hand. As it so happened, it was precisely that final portion of the Fourth Hand that Lu Yin was executing as Jiang Xiaodao arrived and saw what was happening. The early portion of Lu Yin’s demonstration had been entirely missed by Jiang Xiaodao.

As Lu Yin finished the Fourth Hand, the people surrounding him remained lost in their shock. Before Shi Jiao could even open her mouth, Jiang Xiaodao shouted, "He’s cheating! That guy’s a cheater!"

Everyone looked over.

Jiang Xiaodao leaped into the clearing and pointed a finger at Lu Yin, an arrogant look on his face. "Xuan Qi is cheating! He just demonstrated the Fourth Hand of the Stone Gate technique."

"That was the Fourth Hand," Zuo Yu said.

Jiang Xiaodao lifted his head high. "I taught it to him."

Everyone turned to look at Lu Yin in surprise.

The man who had received ten slaps from Lu Yin shouted, "I knew it! He must have learned the first four Hands a long time ago!"

"So Jiang Xiaodao taught him."

"Xuan Qi’s trying to trick us all."

...

Lu Yin calmly listened to the various comments around him. He looked at Jiang Xiaodao, and simply said, "It couldn’t have been easy to get over here."

Jiang Xiaodao snorted disdainfully and lifted his chin in an arrogant manner. "As a noble, I won’t waste words with a cheater! Xuan Qi, you used the Fourth Hand I taught you to deceive others and gain the reputation of a genius. Do you feel guilty?"

Lu Yin shrugged. "No."

"Good! You should feel guilty," Jiang Xiaodao suddenly froze before staring at Lu Yin. "You don’t feel guilty?"

Lu Yin replied, "I never was able to understood anything that you taught me. I had to figure it out myself."

Jiang Xiaodao gritted his teeth. "Then how did you just perform it? If you didn’t learn it from me, then who could have taught you the Fourth Hand?"

"I did," Shi Jiao stated while directing a cold stare at Jiang Xiaodao.

Jiang Xiaodao looked at the woman and blinked. After the briefest moment, an endearing smile appeared on his face. "Oh, Sister jiao? How did you find the time to come over here?"

Shi Jiao continued to look at Jiang Xiaodao through cold eyes. "Did you teach Xuan Qi the Fourth Hand of the Stone Gate?"

Jiang Xiaodao stood up straight. "Yes, I taught it to him."

Shi Jiao then looked over at Lu Yin. "Did you learn it?"

Lu Yin admitted, "I was taught it, but I didn't really learn it. What you taught me, Senior, this junior grasped in an instant."

"You’re being ridiculous! How could you be unable to learn what I taught you? If you didn't learn it from me, then how did you just demonstrate the Fourth Hand? Wait a minute." Jiang Xiaodao grew puzzled. "Sister jiao, why did you show him the Fourth Hand?"

Shi Jiao asked in a frigid tone, "Did you teach him the first three Hands?"

Jiang Xiaodao shook his head. "No, I didn't."

"How many moves in the Fourth Hand did you teach him?"

"Just the last few."

"You didn't teach him the first moves?".

"Uh, I didn’t have enough time," Jiang Xiaodao replied, inwardly rolling his eyes. If he had actually taught Xuan Qi the entire Fourth Hand, who knew how long it would have taken him to learn it all? After all, it was perfectly normal to take at least a year to learn the Fourth Hand.

Shi Jiao looked back at Lu Yin. "To be honest, I can’t believe that anyone can master the Eight Hands of the Stone Gate from a single glance. However, you just performed all of the moves of the Fourth Hand, while Jiang Xiaodao says he never taught you the first three Hands. For the moment, I'll believe you.

“I will show you the Fifth Hand, and if you can learn it in a short amount of time, I’ll acknowledge your talent. However, if you can't-" The woman’s expression turned cold. "I will show you the terror of the Eight Hands of the Stone Gate."

Lu Yin respectfully replied, "I understand. Please show me, Senior."

Jiang Xiaodao frowned. Wait a minute, he just performed the first three Hands and the complete Fourth Hand? How is that even possible? Where did he learn all of that? Something isn’t right.

Everyone nearby stepped back. At the Fifth Hand, the power of the Eight Hands of the Stone Gate underwent a massive improvement.

"Xuan Qi is done for! I knew it was impossible for him to master the Stone Gate's Fourth Hand with just a glance. As it turns out, Jiang Xiaodao taught him," someone commented.

"Didn't Jiang Xiaodao just say that he didn't teach the first three Hands? Also, that he only taught Xuan Qi part of the Fourth Hand," someone else commented.

"What? You don’t like the fact that he was taught by someone? Since he learned the Fourth Hand, the first three Hands would have been much easier for him to grasp," another person speculated.

"I hope he's a cheater. Even He Shu needed a month to learn the First Hand of the Stone Gate and pass the school’s requirements. How could anyone comprehend the same technique with but a glance? Such a person doesn't exist."

...

Lu Yin was unaffected by the discussions of the watching crowd. He was focused entirely on the FIfth Hand that Shi Jiao was performing. As she moved through the battle technique, the power of the Eight Hands of the Stone Gate increased more and more, and the artistic comprehension that the battle technique required grew increasingly profound.

The complexity of the Fifth Hand far surpassed that of the Fourth Hand.

As Shi Jiao completed her demonstration, everyone’s focus returned to Lu Yin.

His eyes were unfocused, as though immersed in comprehending the battle technique. Slowly, he lifted a hand and attempted to copy Shi Jiao's movements. Gradually, he demonstrated the Fifth Hand.

As Xuan Qi proceeded through the technique, Shi Jiao’s eyes grew larger. This child was successfully executing the Fifth Hand.

After just a few movements, Lu Yin froze. He was unable to grasp the underlying comprehension needed for the technique. While he could remember the actual moves, he could not perform them. He needed to comprehend the artistic aspect of the battle technique.

He spent three days contemplating the Fifth Hand. Nobody tried to rush him, as everyone who had gathered was eager to see his results.

News of what was happening in the Cyclic School quickly spread, reaching the entire academy. Some people claimed that Xuan Qi was indeed a cheater, while others believed he possessed peerless talent, and endless arguments erupted.

Xu Xiangyin finally arrived, though he did not reveal himself. Instead, he watched from just outside of the Cyclic School.

Why did Xuan Qi create so much trouble everywhere he went? Also, had he really cheated? Even Xu Xiangyin could not believe that the youth had learned the first portions of the Eight Hands of the Stone Gate with just a glance.

"I hope he didn't cheat, as that would mean that he will need to endure the wrath of Sage Stone." Mu Sanye also appeared, though he was reveling in Xuan Qi’s misfortune.

Xu Xiangyin's expression contorted, but he said nothing.

If Xuan Qi was exposed as a cheater, then his entire character would be questioned. Even if he possessed exceptional talent, it might not be a good idea to take such a person to the Voidforce Universe.

Zhi Bing intervened, "Actually, there is someone else who managed to learn all eight Hands from observing them just once."

"Are you referring to that perfect Junior Sovereign?" Mu San asked.

Zhi Bing replied, "As someone has already accomplished such a feat, it should not be too surprising if others are able to do the same."

Mu Sanye shook his head. "It is inappropriate to compare the Junior Sovereign to this child."

Xu Xiangyin frowned. He had devoted a great deal of time and effort to Xuan Qi. If it was revealed that the child had cheated in order to be recognized as a genius, the old man would not be able to accept it.

"Ah, he’s moving!" Zhi Bing exclaimed in surprise.

All three men turned back to look into the Cyclic School.

Shi Jiao's eyes grew large as she watched Lu Yin perform a flawless demonstration of the Fifth Hand of the Stone Gate. Sure enough, the youth had gotten the Fifth Hand correct. He had fully comprehended the artistic aspect of the technique. He had truly mastered the Fifth Hand.

While the watching students were unable to comprehend the Fifth Hand, Shi Jiao's reaction made it clear that Xuan Qi had succeeded.

Jiang Xiaodao's mouth fell open. How was this possible? He had struggled greatly to learn the Fourth Hand, and yet Xuan Qi had managed to learn the Fifth Hand in just three days?

As he thought back to when Xuan Qi had repeatedly failed to learn a few movements of the Fourth Hand when Jiang Xiaodao had demonstrated them, the young man gritted his teeth. The bastard had been messing with him!

Lu Yin stopped and let out a breath. He turned to face Shi Jiao. "Thankfully, I didn't disgrace the technique. The Fifth Hand is truly profound and has opened my eyes. It is worthy of being Senior Sage Stone’s battle technique. Learning this will surely benefit this junior for the rest of my life."

Shi Jiao's eyes flickered. "Xuan Qi, are you confident that you can also learn the Sixth Hand right now?"

Lu Yin hesitated.

Shi Jiao continued, "If you can master the Sixth Hand within a month, you can make a request. Whatever your request, I will do my best to fulfill it. If I am unable, our Stone Gate will do so. If even they are unable to fulfill your request, a report will be made to our Honored Master, and Honored Master will carry out your request."

Everyone was stunned in disbelief. This was no different from a promise from Sage Stone himself, one of humanity’s most powerful experts!

Lu Yin was similarly astonished. Was learning this battle technique really so important?