The Head Array Master was impressed. Not only had William formed an Advanced Rune successfully, but he did so in a matter of minutes! "Well done young man! You can now consider yourself an Array Master. And will be granted 100 Contribution Points."
"Thank you Sir, could I try the next test?" William asked.
"Of course. I will continue to test you until you reach the limit. How do you feel now?"
William checked his Mana, which was over three quarters full. "I'm ready Sir."
"Alright, your next test is to create an Advanced Array. This one must have at least three different Advanced Runes. You have an hour, begin!"
William got to work. He created an Advanced Rune of Barrier, followed by an Advanced Rune of Reflect and two Advanced Runes of Strength. He was reaching the limit of what he could handle, but this was still enough. He focused intently on the process of combining the Runes into an Array. Five minutes, ten minutes, twenty.
The Array was formed. William raised the Advanced Barrier Array with some Mana, causing a thick semi-transparent wall to appear in front. The Head Array Master called in his bodyguard to test its defenses, which didn't crack until he threw a punch with power close to the peak of the Core Formation Realm.
The Head Array Master was incredibly surprised this time. If William was a Cultivator, an Advanced Array like this might be able to stop a Nascent Soul expert! If William was well protected, his position as Head might be succeeded by this little guy one day!
"Young man, you are truly impressive. You've passed the test for Level 8, might I ask how old you are?"
"I'm 20 years old, Sir." William responded, giving the Head another surprise.
The spectators were in an uproar. "He's only 20?!? What will happen when he reaches 30, or 40? Will he be more skilled in Arrays than the new Head?" they felt history was about to be rewritten.
-Became a sensation in the Array Hall and impressed the Head Array Master. +10 Potential Points, +10 Fame.
The Head Array Master spoke up amidst the chatter, "Be quiet, we are still testing." he looked at William. "Are you ready for the Level 9 Arrays test?"
"Yes Sir." William was in a great mood after seeing more Potential Points.
"To achieve Level 9, you must create an Advanced Array using six Advanced Runes. This task requires Immense Mana control and cannot be achieved with just practice." the Head Array Master handed William a scroll, depicting an Advanced Trap Array.
William knew this would be extremely difficult, but he wanted to try anyway. He first formed two Advanced Runes of Suction, then a Rune of Lightning and two Runes of Freeze. The last Rune of Strength became too difficult to control and William lost focus. The Runes were destroyed.
William tried again. Suction Runes, Lightning, Freeze...Crack! He failed.
Again..fail.
His time was running out. William needed to try something new. He decided to trade the Lightning Rune for a Fire Rune.
Just like before, two Runes of Suction were quickly formed, but the expressions of the spectators changed when they saw the Fire Rune. It was formed instantaneously due to William's A Rank Fire Affinity, glowing with a deep red hue.
"He has two Elements?!? A dual Manamatus and an Array Master at the age of 20! He's on par with Supreme Left!" the Cultivators chatted excitedly. Some of those who held poor intentions before had to cancel their plans, as William would definitely be valuable to the Head Array Master now.
William was oblivious to these thoughts. He formed the Runes of Freeze with some effort, then managed to complete the Array with a Strength Rune.
The Head Array Master sent his bodyguard to test the Array. Once he walked into range, the Array lit up, pulling the bodyguard in, locking him in place, and striking him with a large fireball.
The bodyguard, who was in the Nascent Soul Realm, was actually slightly injured by this Array. His arms that were used to block the fireball were both suffering from burn marks and bleeding profusely.
The Head Array Master watched this process with extreme interest. "Kid, you can now consider yourself a Level 9 Array Master, which places you on par with myself. Judging by your execution of that last test, this is probably your limit. That being said, even if you wanted to test for the next Level, I am not qualified to test you as I have not reached those limits.
Starting today, you will be given a Level 9 Array Master Badge and robes and will be my honorary second-in-command until you gain more experience in the matters of Array Masters. You will also be awarded 500 Contribution Points and have access to all of our materials on Arrays, including the Forbidden ones."
William listened intently to the Head Array Master. He didn't really care about the second-in-command position, but the Forbidden Arrays sounded enticing.
He spoke to the Head Array Master, "How much money can I earn from building Arrays for customers?"
The Head Array Master had forgotten that William had just entered the Array Hall today. "Ah yes, most Array Masters earn between 100-500 Gold Coins per order, depending on the complexity." he fiddled with his pockets, pulling out a small orange token.
"Here is my token of authority. You can use this to prove your identity to Array Halls in other cities so they do not mistake you for someone unqualified."
William took the token but was entirely focused on what the Head Array Master said previously. His eyes were literal Gold Coins as he thought of 500 Gold Coins falling into his pocket after every job.
The Head Array Master misunderstood William's expression. "Don't worry, the responsibility isn't too heavy, just come to some of our events once in a while. We will watch the juniors form Arrays at competitions, and you won't have to do anything."
William nodded his head in understanding, but he was still thinking of money. I wonder how much the powerful Cultivation Techniques cost?
He decided he would visit a shop later. He bowed slightly to the Head Array Master. "Thank you for overseeing my test, Sir. I would like to view the Forbidden Array Techniques now if possible."
"Come right this way, the Forbidden library can't be viewed by outsiders." the Head Array Master led William out of the testing room, then into the Head Array Master's personal quarters. He made a few motions with his hands, causing a secret door to appear seemingly out of nowhere.
He led William to another hidden passage, where he made similar hand movements at a random point on the wall, causing a second door to open, leading to another passage that held a small library.
Fowley, who was still in the testing room, didn't know what to say. He couldn't believe William was actually more talented in Arrays than him. If the kid had the Space Element, William might be able to crack the Array on his Space Ring without Fowley's help.
I must befriend the kid further, or my position in the Array Hall will fall.
Somewhere else in the training room, a young man with a long ponytail and traditional clothing had similar thoughts, but with a different goal.
The kid is too talented, I must get rid of him, or my position in the Array Hall will fall.