"Bloodline concentration, determining the quality test. Test subject: 18 years and 3 months old, Cheng Jinyang."
The broadcast quickly issued the testing instructions.
Cheng Jinyang looked around and only saw a platform ahead, with nothing else in sight.
"Please step onto the platform!" The broadcast issued the command again, this time with obvious anger.
He hurried towards the platform, thinking, 'What's the rush? Your Cheng family's testing grounds are so vast, yet there isn't even a sign to guide the test subjects. You should reflect on yourselves, shouldn't you?'
There was some noise from the stands around, but Cheng Jinyang couldn't tell if it was mocking or ridiculing.
He didn't bother to pay attention to them and just ran up to the platform, feeling a bit nervous.
Nothing happened.
The discussions around the stands seemed to grow louder, and Cheng Jinyang silently stood on the platform, cursing inwardly, 'Why the hell aren't they issuing more instructions?'
In the broadcast room, Elder Cheng Qingyuan was blowing his beard and staring angrily, pointing at the numbers flashing on the instrument, and scolding the researchers beside him furiously:
"What's going on! Today is the Cheng family's ancestral ceremony, how can this bloodline testing instrument malfunction! Huh? Wasn't it inspected last night? You..."
"The instrument isn't broken," suddenly came Cheng Yizhou's voice from the doorway.
Cheng Qingyuan looked at him in astonishment, only to hear Cheng Yizhou add softly:
"I've tested his spiritual field intensity, and it's indeed of the ninth grade middle realm."
"In that case..." Cheng Qingyuan's expression changed suddenly. He subconsciously wanted to express his excitement and say, 'This child's talent is terrifyingly good, it's a huge blessing,' but thinking of the attitude of the family towards that 'Ji Nu', he couldn't bring himself to say it.
After a moment, he asked, "What should we do? What does the clan leader suggest?"
"Report the actual results." Cheng Yizhou sighed.
At this moment, the outside had been silent for about ten seconds.
Cheng Jinyang stood bored on the platform, wondering if the Cheng family of Shendu had encountered a bug.
Should he go back to prepare the passage and then make another appearance?
Then, the belated broadcast sounded again:
"Cough, one... hundred and fifty-two Ma!"
The whole venue fell silent.
The Cheng family was the first to quiet down.
No one had expected that a young man considered a "Ji Nu" would not only possess genuine gravitational bloodline but also have reached the ninth grade middle realm.
His talent was comparable to that of Xing Yuanzhi, Zhu Xinchu, and other talents of prestigious families, capable of single-handedly supporting a fifth-grade family in the future.
Immediately, the voices of the Cheng family erupted again.
This time, however, no one could hear what they were discussing, or rather, what they were arguing about.
It was almost chaotic.
On the Xing family's side of the stand, the expression of the elder Xing Shumin stiffened visibly, then he showed a thoughtful expression.
"Only eighteen years old, yet he possesses a bloodline concentration of the ninth grade middle realm. Such astonishing talent... That child, his name is Cheng Jinyang, right?" He stared at the distant stand and asked slowly.
"Yes," Xing Yuanzhi smiled faintly beside him, "And, he is also the betrothal object set by my father and late Uncle Cheng Qinghe for me."
This time, Xing Shumin's face truly froze.
Cheng Jinyang...
That name he had already forgotten, but Cheng Qinghe was naturally deeply remembered by him.
After about five or six seconds of silence, Xing Shumin suddenly said:
"Yuanzhi, tell grandpa..."
His expression was solemn, and his tone unusually serious: "If the Cheng Clan of Shendu treats him poorly for some reason, can you try to bring him into our Xing Clan?"
"Marriage alliance, is it?" Xing Yuanzhi frowned slightly.
"No, it's not a marriage alliance," Xing Shumin explained hastily, "He himself possesses the bloodline of universal gravitation. There's no reason for a marriage alliance. If in the future you bear a child with the bloodline of universal gravitation, that child will ultimately bear the Cheng surname... Grandfather means, can we make him useful to our Xing family, like a direct member of the Xing family?"
"Such an extraordinary talent, if the Shendu Cheng Clan neglects him because of his father's reasons, wouldn't it be a waste of talent, leaving a hero without a place to shine? Our Hejian Xing Clan could lend a hand, which would also be considered repaying the deceased Cheng Qinghe."
"I can try." This time Xing Yuanzhi understood, smiling as she spoke.
On the viewing platform of the five great families across from them, the Cui and Lu families also fell silent collectively, with no one speaking.
The younger generation of the Shendu Cheng Clan has yet to produce a genius, and there is a risk of decline into a common family in the future, which everyone is well aware of.
But they never expected to be so lucky as to discover such talent among the commoner youth.
It seems that when they return, they will have to reassess the Shendu Cheng Clan's reputation among the aristocracy.
On the Taiyuan Wang family's side of the viewing platform, Wang Wanrou also showed a joyful smile, as if she were happy for Xing Yuanzhi.
However, Cui Jinqi, who was beside her, saw through the smile and knew it was more of an "I see" expression, and then she spoke to Wang Xinzhi:
"Wang Xinzhi, who exactly is this Cheng Jinyang? He's barely over eighteen and already is ninth grade middle realm. Isn't it unbelievable? Could it be that the bloodline detector of the Shendu Cheng Clan malfunctioned?"
"Cough, Jinyang is Yuanzhi's fiancé." Wang Xinzhi instinctively defended him, "If he didn't possess such talent, how could Yuanzhi be willing to be with him?"
"That's right," Wang Wanrou chimed in from the side, "Sister Yuanzhi, whether in terms of vision or temperament, is top-notch. If not, Cheng Jinyang wouldn't have caught her eye."
Wang Xinzhi felt a bit uncomfortable as he was stabbed by his sister.
Cui Jinqi secretly noted the reactions of the Wang siblings, then smiled gracefully and said, "Oh, I see. That's quite interesting. It seems like another rising star is emerging in our noble circle... Oh?"
She suddenly pointed ahead, where countless targets were rising on the other side of the field.
The entrance test mainly consists of two steps: testing bloodline concentration and testing computational ability.
The former is a hard threshold—if you don't meet it, you're out.
The latter is more related to the candidate's performance on the spot.
Therefore, most noble families arrange for commoner-born candidates to undergo bloodline concentration tests first.
After this round, those who pass proceed to queue for the next round of computational ability tests, allowing candidates to rest and adjust their nervous state caused by the bloodline test.
However, looking at the arrangement of the Cheng family, it's clear that they want Cheng Jinyang to immediately test his computational ability after the bloodline test—obviously, they intend to let this commoner-born candidate shine in this test to regain the declining reputation of the Cheng family in recent years.
Many people in the Cheng family's viewing stand couldn't sit still and hurried to the backstage to seek an audience with the clan leader, Cheng Qingxin.
They only had one question in mind: Does the candidate have confidence in the early computational ability test?
The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
With an extremely rare bloodline concentration of ninth grade middle realm before the age of twenty, people subconsciously assume that this young man must have remarkable computational ability as well.
However, he is from a commoner background. If he falters in the upcoming algorithm practical test, the Cheng family's reputation will truly be tarnished.
Although most clan members hope this 'Ji Nu' can be defeated and preferably not return to the clan to avoid further association with the disreputable royal family, if the cost is a complete loss of reputation within the noble class, then it's a bit too much.
Cheng Qingxin did not meet with any of the clan members.
His son, Cheng Yizhou, could only pacify everyone outside, confidently stating, "Father has everything under control, and there will be no problem with the upcoming algorithm test."
Finally, he managed to persuade the crowd that had gathered at the gate.
After dealing with the skeptical clan members, Cheng Yizhou himself felt somewhat uneasy and asked his father upon returning back, "Father, there shouldn't be any problems with the next step, right? You moved up his algorithm test, and many in the clan have voiced objections. What if he..."
"There are no 'what ifs,'" Cheng Qingxin interrupted him coldly.
"Either he convinces everyone with his extraordinary talent, or he will be defeated in the rigorous test. He is the son of Cheng Qinghe. Since he wants to return to the Shendu Cheng family, he must give it his all, with no turning back!"