Chapter 5: Pride.JPG
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: LonePlum
Alvin looked at Yun Yingzhi, genuinely heartbroken for him, and was speechless for a long moment.Yun Yingzhi was truly upset—his eyes and nose were red from crying—but even like this, he looked incredibly adorable. There was no denying it: Yun Yingzhi was truly handsome.
Alvin had seen many people, but among them, Yun Yingzhi was definitely one of the most beautiful. Alvin wiped Yun Yingzhi’s tears and suddenly asked, “Zhizhi, who told you that your mental power is only C-level?”
With a crying voice, Yun Yingzhi replied, “I-it’s… it’s what the tests said. Mom said the same… that Zhizhi is only…” He sniffled and hiccupped between sobs. “A waste… the highest of all talents is only C-level… a shame to the Yun household.”
Alvin lifted Yun Yingzhi up again and said, “Zhizhi, do you believe Teacher?”
Crying, Yun Yingzhi answered, “Zhizhi believes Teacher Alvin… sob…” He hiccupped again between tears.
Alvin patted Yun Yingzhi’s back, letting the little one continue his crying hiccups. “But, Zhizhi,” Alvin said, “in Teacher’s eyes, it’s impossible for you to be C-level.”
Yun Yingzhi froze, blinking his big watery eyes in confusion.
Alvin continued, “I’ve observed you for a full year. Your destructive ability is so strong… to me, you’re at least SS-level, and might even be SSS-level in mental power!”
Yun Yingzhi was stunned. His pupils trembled; the little boy couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Shocked, his body even forgot to hiccup. Pointing at himself with his tiny hand, he asked in a soft voice, “Zhizhi… not C-level?”
Alvin nodded firmly. “Yes. You’re not C-level.”
Excitement sparked in Yun Yingzhi’s eyes. “Zhizhi is… is SS-level! Maybe even SSS-level in mental power!”
Alvin smiled, glancing around the workshop. He pointed at the various source-weapon materials strewn about. “Zhizhi, look. These are all the materials you’ve wasted these past few days. Without SS-level mental power, your destructive ability wouldn’t be this strong. Our Zhizhi is quite the little destruction expert.”
Yun Yingzhi suddenly realized this might not have been a compliment. On one hand, he was happy; on the other, he felt shy. He buried his little face in Alvin’s arms, as if trying to hide the ‘destruction expert’ side of himself. But a few seconds later, he looked up at Alvin again and asked, “Teacher Alvin… Zhizhi is SS-level… SSS-level?”
He was no longer Mom’s so-called waste, the child whose highest talents were only at C-level.
“Of course,” Alvin affirmed.
Yun Yingzhi’s whole body seemed to bloom with joy. The little boy looked utterly radiant.
Alvin pinched Yun Yingzhi’s nose and said, “Zhizhi, my dear, Teacher will test your mental power talent now, okay?”
Yun Yingzhi hesitated briefly, took a deep breath, and nodded vigorously. “Okay!”
Before adulthood, children’s talents could change at any time. Especially for those who hadn’t yet awakened their second forms—once they did, their abilities could qualitatively transform. Even for those who had already awakened their second forms, their talents could still improve. To facilitate testing of minors’ talent levels, every major region of Imperial Star had specialized talent testing centers.
Alvin took Yun Yingzhi outside specifically to test his talents. He opened his personal terminal to locate the nearest testing center and boarded a hovercar in self-driving mode, taking Yun Yingzhi along. The little boy’s features were delicate. Perhaps reassured by Alvin’s recognition, he remained cheerful, even humming a happy little tune, “da-da-da.”
Alvin had known Yun Yingzhi for over a year. The boy wasn’t normally very expressive, so seeing him hum gleefully meant he was truly happy. Alvin even thought that after the talent test, if the boy found out he was SS-level—or even SSS-level—he might be so happy he’d start dancing.
Soon, they arrived at the talent testing center. After explaining their purpose, the staff led them to the testing area. The center had two types of testing zones: public and private. In the public zone, anyone could see the tester’s results. Good results would earn envy; poor results… didn’t matter, since no one knew each other.
Alvin looked down at the little boy in his arms, still happily humming, and asked, “Zhizhi, my dear, do you want to be tested in the public area or the private room?”
Yun Yingzhi pressed his cheek to Alvin’s, hesitated briefly, then said nervously, “Zhizhi wants the public area… Zhizhi wants… everyone to know… that Zhizhi’s mental power is very strong!”
He wanted to tell his parents he wasn’t a waste. He lifted his little chin slightly, full of anticipation for the test.
Alvin nodded and told the staff, and they guided the two to the public testing area.
The staff smiled. “In the public zone, if the results reach SS-level or above, the center will issue a system-wide announcement congratulating the child.”
Hearing this, Yun Yingzhi’s joy blossomed even more. He couldn’t help but hum a few more “da-da-da”s. Alvin, smiling at the boy’s infectious cheer, felt his lips curl upward.
Yun Yingzhi pressed his cheek to Alvin’s again. “Teacher Alvin, if Zhizhi gets a good result, can you take a picture for Zhizhi?” He added, “Zhizhi wants to show Mom!”
He wanted to tell his mother that he wasn’t the shame of the Yun household, and also show his brother that he could actually be amazing.
“Of course,” Alvin replied gently.
Most of the children being tested in the center were minors, and the majority were under ten years old. Just like Yun Yingzhi, all the little ones had arrived at the talent testing center accompanied by their guardians. The moment Yun Yingzhi stepped into the public testing area, many eyes turned toward him.
One child even stared straight at Yun Yingzhi and said to his parent, “Mom, look! That’s going to be your future daughter-in-law!”
Immediately, a few other children were displeased. They clustered together, claiming Yun Yingzhi as their future wife. Two of them, utterly captivated by his beauty, even started fighting.
The grown-ups watching were shocked.
Yun Yingzhi, confused, buried his little face in Alvin’s chest, utterly bewildered.
Soon, under the supervision of the parents and staff, the children stopped squabbling. But more and more kids now turned their gaze to Yun Yingzhi’s handsome face. Following the crowd is instinctive. Those who had originally not been very interested in Yun Yingzhi suddenly became deeply infatuated, acting as if they could not live without him. Their parents could only watch, half-amused, half-exasperated.
Normally, children queued for talent tests in the public area. But Yun Yingzhi, with his striking face, was immediately ushered to the front of the line. Nervously, he stood at the very front, waiting for the test under everyone’s watchful eyes.
The staff calibrated the mental power testing device, ready for Yun Yingzhi to begin. He looked back at Alvin, his little face flushed with nervousness. Before Alvin could give him any encouraging words, other children surrounded him, chattering excitedly, offering all sorts of jumbled reassurances.
“Little beauty, don’t be scared! Even if your score isn’t high, it’s okay. Later, you can marry a big brother—he’ll take care of you, and you can stay home looking beautiful!”
“No! Don’t marry him. You’re a boy! You should marry a little sister, understand?”
“This little one is so pretty! How could they be a boy? Clearly, it’s a girl!”
Seeing several children about to start squabbling again, their parents quickly stepped in to restrain the rowdy kids.
Though small, Yun Yingzhi understood that they didn’t expect him to have any incredible mental power. He frowned, a little upset, stomped his tiny feet, tossed his head, and let out a petulant “hmph,” preparing to undergo the mental power test.
He had no idea his adorable moves caused many children to hold him in their hearts as their “white moonlight” of innocence and beauty. The mental power testing device began to operate, and soon, the results appeared.
It registered as D-level mental power.
Yun Yingzhi was still very young. He didn’t know all the characters, but he could recognize S, A, B, C, D, E. He looked at the projected level, counted on his tiny fingers, and realized he had dropped—from C-level down to D-level…
D-level…
The other children in the public testing area looked at Yun Yingzhi with sympathetic, heart-wrenching eyes. After a moment of confusion, Yun Yingzhi’s mindset completely collapsed. Tears streamed down his face. “Waaah!” he cried.
Alvin immediately stepped forward, picking Yun Yingzhi up into his arms, trying to soothe him.
Sobbing and hiccupping, Yun Yingzhi said, “Mom… QAQ… Mom wasn’t wrong… Zhizhi really is a waste… sob sob sob… Zhizhi is a waste!”
“No, Zhizhi dear, you’re not a waste. You will one day be the most beautiful bride in our Empire—absolutely beyond SSS-level! Don’t cry. You’re amazing!” one of the children comforted him.
“Yeah! You can’t possibly be a waste.”
Yun Yingzhi didn’t want to be an SSS-level bride. He just wanted to be a child who wouldn’t disappoint his parents. He cried uncontrollably.
Alvin soothed him, saying, “Zhizhi, my dear, something must have gone wrong. Trust Teacher. Think about your incredible destructive power. If you really were only D-level, you couldn’t possibly have caused such devastation. You have to know… your brother has already gone to such lengths for you—” He suddenly realized he had spoken too freely and stopped mid-sentence.
Yun Yingzhi immediately caught the point and paused his crying. Alvin was momentarily surprised—why had Yun Yingzhi suddenly stopped crying? Still, he allowed himself a small sigh of relief.
Before he knew it, Yun Yingzhi’s cries grew even louder. “Waaah, wuuuh… Zhizhi… Zhizhi isn’t just a waste, Zhizhi is clearly a waste, and still a waste with crazy destructive power… one that makes my brother have to work himself to the bone to support me… wuuuh, waaah, waaah!”
At this point, the little boy could not listen to any comfort at all.
A whole group of children looked at Yun Yingzhi with eyes full of sympathy. One of them shouted, “Zhizhi, darling, trust me! Even if you’re a waste, it’s okay—you’re so beautiful. I’ll work really hard to take care of you!”
A chorus of other little admirers echoed his words.
Alvin’s lips twitched. He carried Yun Yingzhi, whose emotions were completely uncontrollable, out of the public testing area. Some of the children who had fallen in love with Yun Yingzhi at first sight tried to follow, but their parents stopped them.
A staff member watched with a heart full of sympathy as the tiny figure curled up in Alvin’s arms, crying uncontrollably. He thought that after such a scene, Alvin might simply leave the center with the child. But unexpectedly, Alvin said, “Please prepare a private testing room for me.”
The staff member froze for a moment, then immediately led Alvin to an isolated testing room.
Yun Yingzhi was still crying, his small body trembling, looking utterly pitiful.
Once the door closed, Alvin patted Yun Yingzhi’s back gently and said, “Zhizhi, my dear… your previous test showed C-level, and now it showed D-level…”
Hearing this, Yun Yingzhi’s cries only grew louder. They say never hit the face, never stab the heart—but Alvin had just chosen to stab Yun Yingzhi’s most sensitive spot.
Alvin continued, “But, you see, Teacher thinks our Zhizhi’s mental power level is actually very high. That’s why you’ve been able to destroy so many source-weapon materials every day tirelessly.”
Yun Yingzhi’s cries shot up to a higher pitch. He didn’t catch the first part but fully understood the second: he was not only a “waste,” he was an expensive waste, making his brother work hard to support him.
“Zhizhi, my dear, some super-SSS mental power users—even SSSS-level—release their power so unpredictably that machines can’t measure their true mental power unless they consciously release it. So, Zhizhi, you’re very likely a super-SSS mental power user… maybe even SSSS-level.”
Yun Yingzhi hiccupped through his tears, his big watery eyes staring blankly at Alvin.
Alvin pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the little boy’s nose and tears. “Zhizhi, my dear, this time you’re going to release your mental power consciously and retest your talent, okay?”
Yun Yingzhi blinked, trying to understand, then nodded through sobs. “Zhizhi… wants to test again!”
Alvin set him down. The little boy scampered toward the mental power testing device, his tiny legs moving rapidly, da-da-da, but he didn’t touch the power switch. He looked back, chest still trembling, tears still streaming, but his eyes glimmered with anticipation.
Alvin stepped forward, touched Yun Yingzhi’s soft hair, and turned on the machine. “Zhizhi, little dear,” Alvin said, “remember how you released your power while destroying those source-weapon materials. Try to release it in the same way now.”
Yun Yingzhi wiped his tears and tried. Almost immediately, the machine’s numbers shot up at an astonishing speed, eventually measuring S-level.
When the mechanical voice announced S-level, Yun Yingzhi was stunned. He ran out of the machine, pointing first at himself, then at the device, his big watery eyes still glistening with tears. Having experienced D-level before, he was elated—S-level felt incredibly high.
Happy little flowers seemed to bloom around him. His sobs turned into laughter, and he hummed a joyful tune, barely able to contain himself.
Alvin’s brows frowned slightly. He thought Yun Yingzhi could be more than just S-level. When Alvin came back to his senses, Yun Yingzhi had both little hands covering his mouth, secretly laughing and humming a song.
Alvin thought, Truly, this little boy is easily satisfied. He crouched down and touched Yun Yingzhi’s head. “Little crybaby, are you satisfied with just S-level mental power?”
Yun Yingzhi’s flushed little face stomped its feet in defiance. “Zhizhi is… is not a crybaby!” Little happy flowers continued to bloom around him. “B-but Zhizhi isn’t a waste… Zhizhi’s mental power is S-level, heehee!”
Alvin pinched Yun Yingzhi’s cheek. “Of course our Zhizhi isn’t a waste. Our Zhizhi is a genius.”
Hearing this, Yun Yingzhi’s joy multiplied. He leapt straight into Alvin’s arms, pressing his cheek to Alvin’s.
Alvin said, “Zhizhi, shall we continue testing?”
Yun Yingzhi frowned, hesitated, then asked, “But what if I get D-level again?”
Alvin reassured him, “Zhizhi, my dear, in mental power talent tests, we always go by the highest level you reach during the test period. So you don’t have to worry.”
Bolstered by Alvin’s repeated affirmations, Yun Yingzhi summoned his courage and continued testing. On the second test, he measured A-level mental power. On the third, he reached SS-level.
Yun Yingzhi was stunned. He looked at Alvin, pointing at himself in disbelief, his expression utterly shocked—he couldn’t believe he was this amazing, this strong.
Alvin couldn’t help but laugh and nodded. Then Alvin saw it—this little boy, overjoyed, actually started spinning and dancing right there on the spot. He really was an irresistibly adorable child.
From that point on, Alvin didn’t even need to tell Yun Yingzhi to continue testing. The little boy had turned the tests into a game. Yun Yingzhi was still very short for his age. Even standing on tiptoe, he couldn’t reach the switch of the mental power testing device. Every time, he needed Alvin to turn it on for him so he could test again.
Not wanting to trouble Alvin all the time, Yun Yingzhi did something that left Alvin completely stunned: he transformed from his human form into a tiny, palm-sized white baby rabbit.
It was Alvin’s first time seeing Yun Yingzhi’s second form. Alvin had known before that Yun Yingzhi had awakened his second form, but he had never seen it and didn’t know what it looked like. The child had never mentioned it, and Alvin had noticed subtle signs that Yun Yingzhi resisted revealing his second form.
Yun Yingzhi’s second form moved differently from ordinary little white rabbits. Other rabbits hopped along, but Yun Yingzhi moved almost like a person, stepping forward with his back feet.
The soft, cute little rabbit backed up. His eyes, like black gems, were fixed on the device. Then Alvin saw Yun Yingzhi move backward, coiling energy, and execute a precise jump, landing perfectly on the device and switching it on. Jumping down, he quickly transformed back into human form, ran into the device, and began testing.
The machine indicated the result: SS-level.
Yun Yingzhi’s body blossomed with little happy flowers. He spun around twice, turned back into his little bunny form, and jumped with perfect precision again. He repeated this over and over. By roughly the sixth attempt, his face was flushed from the exercise, looking even cuter and more beautiful—like a doll kissed by the divine and displayed in a store window.
On the seventh test, the device gave its prompt: Congratulations, SSS-level mental power detected.
Little Yun Yingzhi froze in shock. He stood in place, staring at Alvin, pointing first at the device, then at himself. Alvin had suspected that Yun Yingzhi might possess SSS-level mental power, but seeing the exact result made him thrilled nonetheless.
Among all talents, SSS-level mental power was far rarer than SSS-level physical strength, abilities, or second form. Even across the entire Empire, there were only about a hundred SSS-level mental power users, each almost uniquely gifted in source-weapon creation. The minimum requirement to craft a super-level 10 source weapon was SSS-level mental power.
Yun Yingzhi’s cheeks were flushed as he bounced excitedly in place. “Teacher Alvin, Zhizhi has SSS-level mental power!”
Alvin nodded. “Yes! Our Zhizhi has SSS-level mental power!”
Yun Yingzhi danced in circles, like a child’s version of a fiery rock ‘n’ roll dance, surrounded by little happy flowers. Alvin thought Yun Yingzhi had never been more adorable. Quietly, he recorded the scene. He mused that children were indeed cuter when lively and cheerful.
Having expressed his joy through dancing, Yun Yingzhi ran back to Alvin, pressed his cheek to his, then transformed again into the small baby rabbit form, jumping with precision and repeating the testing cycle.
The following tests generally registered SS, S, or A-level results. It was clear Yun Yingzhi still could not fully release his mental power.
After about half an hour of testing, Alvin said to Yun Yingzhi, “Yingzhi, we should go now.”
Yun Yingzhi looked at the device reluctantly but obediently nodded. He was eager to tell his family about his results—he wanted to show them he wasn’t a waste!
After the final test, Yun Yingzhi leapt into Alvin’s arms, and together they left the testing room. What they didn’t know was that the machine, overtaxed from the high-frequency testing, finally completed its calculation after they left.
Congratulations, SSSS-level mental power detected.
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