Amidst the brewing conflict, ti flew by, and soon enough, soone finished. The first to complete their work was the one who drew the most attention: Lin Li, a disciple of the Divine Rune Mansion. His speed was impressive; he was truly worthy of being called a genius of the Divine Rune Mansion.
"Patriarch Wang, the helper you found this ti is truly incredible, finishing first!" a neighboring Patriarch chid in with so flattery.
"Everyone knows the reputation of the Divine Rune Mansion. If they couldn’t even manage this, how could they be called one of the top third-rank factions?" Patriarch Wang smiled, feeling imnsely pleased. He didn’t forget to shoot a glance toward Zhu Tianhong, curious to see his expression.
His expression was grim. It had to be said that his side was much slower; there was simply no comparison. The few people they had invited, Yi Tianyun included, were all working at a snail’s pace, unable to keep up at all. The difference in skill was clear at a glance.
Lin Li of the Divine Rune Mansion happened to be right next to Yi Tianyun. When he saw Yi Tianyun inscribing so ticulously, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "I wonder which family sent him up here. To think they’d dare send soone so young. I don’t even know what rank he is. Is he even a Second-Grade Divine Rune Master?"
He saw that Yi Tianyun was inscribing far too slowly and couldn’t help but mock him, his eyes filled with contempt. From the looks of it, the boy was only inscribing a First-Rank Divine Rune.
Yi Tianyun paid him no mind, simply continuing his inscription at a steady, unhurried pace.
Soon, most of the contestants were finished. The few that Zhu Tianhong had brought were done as well, with the sole exception of Yi Tianyun, who was still dead last. This situation made Zhu Tianhong frown, having no idea what Yi Tianyun was up to.
"How strange. What is that kid doing? Why is he so slow?" Steward Liu couldn’t help but mutter from the side. He was displeased with Yi Tianyun, but seeing him work this slowly made him even more worried.
’We just hoped he wouldn’t get into the top three, that doesn’t an we’re okay with him not even making the top ten!’
"What is Elder Yi doing? He looks like he’s struggling with the inscription," Zhu Yuxuan inquired.
"Don’t worry. Elder Yi has his reasons," Zhu Yuwei said with a serene smile, not the least bit concerned.
She had absolute faith in Yi Tianyun, believing he would undoubtedly win!
Finally, Yi Tianyun completed his last stroke. He put away his Divine Rune Pen and said with a faint smile, "Not bad..."
His "not bad" earned him contemptuous looks from the others nearby. ’Not bad? He’s dead last, and he calls it "not bad"? His self-satisfaction is a bit much, isn’t it?’
When the last grain of sand fell through the hourglass, ti for the first round was officially up. The stewards standing beside Li Tianlong descended from either side and began their inspections one by one. No one had been eliminated; every single contestant had completed their Divine Rune inscription.
Even if it was just the simplest Divine Rune, they had to produce sothing. Otherwise, it would be a huge loss of face.
They imdiately began testing the items in the order they were completed. The first piece they picked up was Lin Li’s armor. Since he was the first to finish, his work was tested first. After picking it up, a steward inspected it briefly and announced, "A Third-Rank Defensive Divine Rune. The test will now begin!"
A Third-Rank Defensive Divine Rune! The announcent caused an imdiate stir. As expected of a disciple from the Divine Rune Mansion, the skill he displayed was at least that of a Third-Rank Divine Rune Master.
Subsequently, the other stewards found a few other Third-Rank runes, but they were rare. Most were Second-Rank Defensive Divine Runes. The Divine Rune inscribed by Lin Li, the first to be tested, completely eclipsed their skill level!
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The steward then began to attack the piece of armor. He started by channeling the power of the Body Refining Stage. When the armor held, he gradually increased his power level by level, testing the absolute limit of its endurance.
Finally, with a single punch, Lin Li’s armor shattered. The level it had withstood was revealed—the seventh layer of the Spirit Refining Stage! The armor itself was just an ordinary Mortal Iron Level piece, yet it had managed to endure an attack equivalent to the seventh layer of the Spirit Refining Stage. Truly remarkable.
Soon, the others’ creations were tested. Their performance was not high; most could only withstand the fourth or fifth layer of the Spirit Refining Stage, and so only the first or second. They were far inferior to Lin Li’s work.
The skill Lin Li demonstrated left many of the families stunned. This was an incredibly high standard, placing him a cut above all the other contestants!
"The disciples of the Divine Rune Mansion are truly on another level, leagues ahead of the other contestants. For Patriarch Wang to be able to recruit Lin Li as an Honored Guest Elder for the Wang Family, your ans are truly impressive!" the neighboring Patriarch continued, laying the flattery on thick.
"It was rely average..." Patriarch Wang said, feigning humility, but he was already grinning from ear to ear. He couldn’t help but glance over at Zhu Tianhong, his eyes dripping with ridicule.
’To have such an advantage in the first round alone... If this continues, won’t the Zhu Family be left completely in the dust?’
Zhu Tianhong could only remain silent. He knew he had no rebuttal; anything he said would only lead to further humiliation.
’But it’s so strange,’ he thought. ’Isn’t Yi Tianyun a Fourth-Rank Divine Rune Master? Why would he perform so slowly?’
The results were quickly tallied. So runes had only held up to the seventh or eighth layer of the Body Refining Stage, which was simply too low-grade to be presentable. Anything below the Spirit Refining Stage was hardly worth a second glance.
Setting aside the runes’ performance, the inscriptions themselves were mostly Second-Rank. Third-Rank Divine Runes were few and far between, and even those that were Third-Rank Defensive Divine Runes were still a far cry from Lin Li’s.
How could there be such a massive gap between runes of the sa rank?
It all ca down to the individual’s inscription technique and the quality of their Divine Rune Pen. The enhancents from both could produce a significant effect.
Finally, it was the Zhu Family’s contestants’ turn. A steward inspected a piece for a mont before announcing, "Second-Rank Defensive Divine Rune."
The test began imdiately. The result was decent, but not particularly outstanding.
"Patriarch Zhu, the person you invited is quite skilled..." Patriarch Wang said with a laugh. "I suppose you won’t be finishing in last place this ti, will you?"
The taunt was so obvious it was tantamount to rubbing Zhu Tianhong’s face in the dirt.
"Hmph!" Zhu Tianhong snorted coldly, not bothering to respond. The gap in skill was plain to see. What more could he say?
At last, it was ti to test the Divine Rune inscribed by Yi Tianyun. A steward walked over, inspected it, and said, stunned, "A First-Rank Divine Rune?"
A First-Rank Divine Rune wasn’t surprising in itself; others had made one too. But they had done so out of desperation after failing multiple tis to inscribe a higher-difficulty rune. Seeing that ti was running out, they had no choice but to resort to this last-ditch effort. The score would be low, but at least they wouldn’t be eliminated.
Yi Tianyun, however, had been inscribing slowly from the very beginning and had never once failed. Everyone had noticed this. They had assud he was working on a Second or even Third-Rank Divine Rune, but to think that after all that ti, it was only a First-Rank Divine Rune?
At these words, the entire audience was stunned, and then Patriarch Wang burst out laughing. "A First-Rank Divine Rune? After all that ti, you’re telling it’s just a First-Rank Divine Rune? Is he here to compete? I suspect he’s here to be a clown! Then again, it makes sense. He looks so young, at best he’s a First-Rank Divine Rune Master. It’s not surprising at all that he can only inscribe a First-Rank Divine Rune."
Patriarch Zhu’s face sank. ’This is the skill of a Fourth-Rank Divine Rune Master?’
"Haha! So your skill really is just at the First-Rank level... Little guy, you shouldn’t just butt into events like this. Be a good boy and run along ho to your mother! If you don’t have the skills, don’t co out here and make a fool of yourself." Lin Li laughed. After fiddling around for so long, he only produced a First-Rank Divine Rune. The thought made him laugh out loud right then and there.
"Please test it." In the face of their ridicule, Yi Tianyun’s expression remained indifferent, as if it didn’t concern him in the slightest. He simply raised his hand, gesturing for the steward to proceed with the test.
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