Twelve hours later.
The Ancient Reality continent had finally returned to dusk. I stepped out of the royal palace of Vinia after having reunited Princess Ava to her people.
Earlier, when I'd arrived in Black Frost's cave, I'd met with this well-spoken of princess. Immediate we saw one another, a rattle of connection quickly rung inside our hearts. She bowed to me, saying she knows that I possess the same bloodline as herself, and that although she was a direct princess, my bloodline level was so powerful that it gave those also possessing it, a yearning to kneel before me. Through further statements, I also came to understand that only true "core members" possessed such imposing bloodlines, and hence, those from the side family would not even dare to stand before me.
I was astonished; Black Frost was flabbergasted. I ignored its gaped lips and kept on posing lots of questions at her, but I realised there was not a single difference in my newfound abilities, and hers... only I had a much powerful animal aura which resonated with my spirit more compactly.
She refused to tell me beyond that, after realising I was not from her time and world. Based on my explanations, she explained that it just could be that I was teleported into a Time Portal which resonated to my bloodline, and hence, this continent. Also from her, I got to understand that this planet was called Planet Arerat... although I'm still wondering why everything just has to carry the word "arerat" in it.
So there, more stupid than I thought... I'm not even in planet Earth! But why wasn't I taught about Planet Arerat in school... at least just to be a little prepared about this place!
Well, after the long conversation, we flew back on the wings of the glacier-dragon to the royal palace. There, the worried King and Queen were more than relieved on realising that their dear daughter was sound and fine.
I was then asked to recount everything I'd said to Ava... Princess Ava, when I met her. About the test. And just like her, His Highness also concluded that I'd stepped into a Time Portal — and that I most likely came from the future. According to him, based on what I'd relayed, since the duration was 48hrs, then my portal for returning back would be that very day. So he made quick calculations and told me the results of his conjecture.
Like Ava, as well, he didn't teach me anything new about my inept abilities, only saying that I was destined to achieve more on self-discovery.
Since I was to be returning back with Black Frost, the king ordered all the core family to appear before him (all possessing the Royal Spirit Bloodline). When they arrived, they got orders into suppressing the power of Black Frost with the power of Time and Formations... something, I declare, that I shall never understand!
The teenage Black Frost began to shrink in size... and soon, he became a little baby who could barely even stand, crawling at most. I was dumbstruck, of course. But I was grateful about something, its regress in nature did not affect its knowledge, or in extension, its brain. It immediately felt embarrassed and transmogrified back into its original form. Sadly, there wasn't any thirty-metre long, ferocious beast. Rather... a cute, harmless, dragon cub.
Soon, as I said at the top, I was bouncing out of the palace. I began strolling back to the nearby forest where I'd appeared in, behind the lead of Black Frost. It was still an aerial beast who had taken to knowledge, the entire map of the continent.
"You, your name's cool... but I'll call you Frosty. Others may keep on calling you Black Frost, but I'll call you Frosty, is that cool?" I said as we strolled on.
It nodded somewhat unwillingly (the same manner Little Wolfy did back then). I mean... wasn't that a cute name? Ugh!
I soon located my original spot, that evening, and as expected, a portal rolling in spiral soon tore through the space and appeared before our very eyes. I smiled, then stowed Frosty away into my recluse ring, before taking a light step.
* * *
Opening my eyes, I was almost blinded by the unexpected brightness that shot against my eyes. I shaded my face with one arm, and tried blinking sequentially to adapt to the light.
I was once again amongst the sea of people in the large room where the portal for the test was situated. It seemed like they too were just coming out. However, there was a significant difference between myself and the others — no, scratch that, and every other person! Don't ask me the difference between what I just said.
I looked as neat as how I'd walked in, even kinda tight-stomached from eating those wonderful meals in the palace and treated like a 'queen-cess'!
But...
Some people around me looked as though they'd been beaten blue black by the waves of an ocean. Others looked like they'd almost been made toast out of, having hairs standing on ends. Others still, had leaves tucked into their hairs as though they'd run into trees... no, doesn't sound right... it was as though tress had run through them. Some were limping, others crawling. Some freezing, others begging for a drop of water on their tongues... sound familiar, can't remember where I heard that phrase from. Anyways, it was nothing but cool... better left as "disastrous"!
So this is what it means to go through a scholarship examination, huhn? No wonder scholarships were rare from my part of the country, back home on "Earth".
As I looked about me, observing every single person and raising a thousand and one jokes about what each one could possibly have encountered (in my mind, mind you), unknowingly to me, someone was also examining me, curiously. It wasn't until the person was ten inches away from me did I feel her hot gazes on my skin.
"Weird," said this person. A young girl with an angelic face, not any older than me.
I didn't say anything, but observed her curiously. She was in a white gown and wore a pair of leggings socks as trousers. She had a graceful aura about her, and her eyes were so clear that I could see myself through her pupils... without the disguise, I noticed. Her face had a perfect jade-like appearance that spoke of her fine foundation in cultivation. Apart from a bruised elbow, nothing seemed off about her appearance.
Despite how noisy the air was, standing before her made me feel like no one else was in the room. She finally opened her mouth to speak.
"Hmm... Hi Stranger, I'm Wu Lian. I'm called Lian because of my cute face. So my friends call me Lian'er. What are you called?"
(Most Chinese youngsters have "'er" added to their personal names. Lian is the Chinese word for face.)
I told her.
"Hmm... Nice to meet you, Steph. Different race, different beauties!" she declared with a smile that could charm just about any boy.
Just then an elder dashed into this large room (or hall, in the better perspective). He looked about before shouting:
"Who is Stephanie?!"
I was baffled to hear my name, and thought, 'could I possibly also have a namesake here? That'd be cool!' But before I could muse further, Lian'er gave a loud shout, pointing at me, "She's right here!"
The elder quickly looked in our direction. It was then that I noticed an official standing behind him. The official began to stammer.
"Y-you... you are... S-stephanie?!"
I looked about me to see if any other "Stephanie" would identify herself, but there were no responses as all eyes fell on me.
I nodded, then added, "Yes, I am."
They both stepped forward and observed me, be it aura and dress — though they couldn't perceive my cultivation because I'd earlier reined in my aura.
"Ha!" the elder suddenly shot a warm smile at me with that exclamation.
"A perfect result, how is that even possible? Plus you're not even scratched in the slightest way... were you tested on sleeping or eating?" the pale-faced official could not help but ask.
Immediately after those words were said, puzzled voices began to spread after hearing the phrase, "perfect result", from the official.
Without even waiting for the shrill to die down, the smiley elder exclaimed, once more, "This is a genius amongst geniuses, a rare prodigy!"