"Go there now, mama will wait here" Su Meiyao said as she pushed Wu Xiaotian a bit towards the examiner, encouraging him with a warm smile on her face.
"I'm going" he said as he walks with steady steps towards the center of the plaza where the pillar is located. Looking at his small figure standing straight like a sword in front of the pillar, the surrounding people couldn't help but admire the boy being able to act like that despite the one being assessed previously being a monster. As the sole male child of the sect master, the pressure of getting at least a good score is immense. Some even imagine being in the boy's place and all they could think of is forfeit, or not even showing their face at all.
However, seeing him standing confidently there made them think that this kid's potential might not be so bad after all, considering the fact that he's also an offspring of a union of two people among the greatest geniuses of the previous generation, not knowing that they are bound to be surprised, far more than they did when they witnessed the young girl's potential.
"Place your hands in the pillar" the examiner said monotonously before holding a record writing something in there.
The moment Wu Xiaotian touched the pillar, it emits a bright light far surpassing anyone else but right now, he was in his own world as something entered his mind, a technique than encompasses a wide area of martial arts, from movement and disguise techniques to martial and peculiar techniques. This isn't what surprised him though as he is more excited about the words written in the semi-transparent golden screen of the system rather than anything else at the moment.
[Detected a massive amount of martial knowledge being absorbed by the user. Reward: Martial God System]
Seeing the words, he couldn't help but smile as he manages to get another freebie system, something that costs millions at the cheapest when he checked at the shop.
Controlling himself, he marvels at the view of the starlight dancing around as he touched the pillar, each of them moving as if to tell an ancient, yet obscure story.
Once the activity of the pillar calmed down, the examiner's hand was shaking as he announced the results with an uncertain voice, as if what he just saw defies logic.
"W-Wu Xiaotian… 1…108 starlight motes, p-passed"
Hearing the numbers, the entire crowd, including the sect master and the two beside him stares at Wu Xiaotian with wide eyes, after all, it is universally known that the absolute limit of the starlight mote test is 100 starlight motes, as it signifies the extreme of cultivation and breaking that pretty much defies the natural order, the rules of the heavens itself.
Seeing the sect master's expression, Su Meiyao shows a displeased expression as he stares towards her son as if he's going to be a tool of great use. Witnessing him changing so much, she couldn't help but be filled with disappointment as she knew there's no longer a trace of the man she once accepted in him.
Looking at her son with worry, she hopes that the first meeting of the father and son won't end up with her being abandoned by her son. She fears that happening so much that she even prayed to the heavens that she never acknowledges in her entire life.
With that being said, there's nothing she could do when the sect master approached her dear baby, trying to appear as amiable as he could as he stood in front of the boy face to face. Bending his back, he stares at the young boy with a smile on his face as he tries to reach out for his head trying to touch it, but the young boy avoided his hands.
"Not bad kid, I am the current sect master, want to be my disciple and go in the inner sect?" he asks still maintaining that smile, even though he was annoyed at the kid avoiding him.
Seeing his actions not even acknowledging him as his son, Wu Xiaotian was annoyed as well. Trying to drive him away, he replied, "My apologies sect master, but my mother doesn't allow me to just go with any stranger"
The replies caused the entire plaza to be dazed. This is the sect master! Everyone dreams of the man to owe them even a small favor yet here the kid was, invited by his father back to the sect yet completely leaving his decision towards his mother, with a not-so-great status within the sect.
"Is that so, then why don't we ask for her opinion, right Meiyao?" he said as he pretentiously waved his hands trying to call the mature woman with a smile, but all he gets is a cold gaze as she gradually closes in from the crowd, until eventually standing beside her child.
At first, she was scared of how the event would proceed but once she heard her son's reply, she was washed with relief and delight thinking that she is more important to him, but despite that, she doesn't celebrate as a new predicament loom over her.
Based on what she heard from people occasionally passing through their palace, the sect master is now a domineering character that refuses to let go of things that doesn't go his way. Based on that character, it is unlikely that he just let go if this especially when her son just disrespected him by not even giving a thought about his suggestion.
"It all depends on my Tian'er, sect master" she said as she hides her disdain towards him with a smile before she continues, "If he chooses to practice in the inner sect, his old mother won't be able to do anything but accept his decision" as she grab her son's hand and tighten her grip around it.
"So she said kid, so what do you say?" he said now annoyed with how the two passed him around, his voice a bit coercive as he let out a bit of his aura to scare the kid.
Feeling the suppression, anger well up from Wu Xiaotian's heart as he thought, 'Haha, so this is how you do things. Are you even worthy of being a father?'
The aura never did anything to him though, as it's not even comparable to the pressure he faces when he first entered the second layer of the Infinite Qi System.
Seeing the kid not even budging, the sect master was astonished given that he completely thought that the boy is a greenhouse flower, but he doesn't give any room for retaliation as he continues increasing the pressure until it was powerful enough for the others near him to feel.
The moment she felt something is amiss, Su Meiyao also releases a powerful aura that pushes the sect master's suppressive aura away. This angers him even more as the final thread snaps as he shouts
"Rude!!! What do you think you are doing?" he said towards Su Meiyao without any regards for their past.
"I'm protecting my son, my son you are trying to scare with that pressure" she replied without backing down, pulling Wu Xiaotian behind her.
"Scaring him? I'm disciplining and teaching him how to respect his elders!" he said with confidence as if he has every right to do what he had just done.
"Hmph, Wu Xiaolong, you're just being shameless, besides, who give you the rights to call yourself as my Tian'er's elder?"
"You…" before the situation escalates, the sect master's words were interrupted when a terrifying presence arrives in the plaza without so much as a noise. Standing between the two arguing adults is an old man appearing to be in his late 50s and of quite a tall stature, all the hairs in his body being white, making him appear like an immortal, yet his eyes sharp and brutal as if a demon tempered through killing.
Seeing the old man, everyone in the plaza kneeled on their knees and this time, even Su Meiyao bowed her head and even made her son bow his, making them a conspicuous sight as except for the sect master and his current family, they're the only one not kneeling in front of the old man.
"We greet the old sect master!!!" shouted everyone in unison with their voice filled with immense respect tinged with fear.