Hugo Lowell saw her rush to answer the phone, shouting about saving her a spot, and knew she was off to see that Morgan boy again.
He sighed to himself. ’That boy has nothing going for him but his looks and his brain. His martial arts talent, on the other hand, is just awful.’
’He’s already 28, but his Combat Power is still at the Martial Artist level. What kind of children could soone with talent like that produce?’
’The two of them must not end up together!’
***
anwhile, Aurora Sinclair was brought to an even larger testing ground.
The walls inside were lined with nurous launchers with openings of various sizes.
The proctor had her put on a helt and stand in the centermost circle.
Many circles were drawn on the floor. The innermost one had a diater of only one ter, and it was surrounded by concentric rings, each a different color.
"Once we begin, balls of various sizes will be launched from the sides. You need to dodge them. The quantity and speed of the balls will gradually increase."
Aurora Sinclair nodded.
"Alright, let’s start with a few to get a feel for it..."
The proctor walked to the entrance of the testing area, activated a screen on the wall, and began to select the test mode.
Tanner Sinclair glanced over and saw that he had directly selected E-level mode.
DING—
A system voice suddenly announced: "Contestant, please be ready. The test is about to begin. Countdown: 3, 2, 1, begin!"
A tennis ball shot out, heading straight for Aurora Sinclair’s face. She didn’t even move her body, dodging it easily with just a tilt of her head. Her expression remained perfectly calm, a clear sign of her excellent composure.
A brighter gleam appeared in the proctor’s eyes.
Next, two tennis balls shot out. Aurora Sinclair dodged them with the sa ease, her feet not moving an inch.
The number of tennis balls increased, and Aurora Sinclair began to move her upper body more, but her feet barely moved.
Watching from outside, Tanner Sinclair’s heart was in his throat.
Finally, after 60 seconds, the E-level mode ended.
Just then, Hugo Lowell and several high-ranking mbers of the Alliance arrived at the test site’s control room.
Hugo Lowell spoke into the control room’s microphone, "B-level mode."
The proctor thought he had misheard and touched the earpiece he was wearing.
Then Hugo Lowell said it again, "B-level mode, maximum difficulty."
The proctor’s expression turned serious, and he quickly operated the system.
Soon, all the launchers on the testing ground’s walls aid at Aurora Sinclair and began firing rhythmically. BANG BANG BANG.
Her feet finally moved. As nimble as a swallow, she leaped into the air, dodging all the balls and marbles.
She was incredibly fast. She even used the balls and marbles on the ground to counterattack, knocking many of the incoming projectiles out of the air.
Watching from the entrance, Tanner Sinclair was beyond excited. His heart felt like it was being squeezed, and he was incredibly tense.
This was the first ti he had ever seen his little niece in combat. ’I can’t believe her debut is already a peak performance!’
After an unknown amount of ti, the bombardnt of balls and marbles finally ceased. His little niece stood steadily within the innermost circle.
CLAP CLAP CLAP—
Enthusiastic applause ca from the entrance. Aurora Sinclair turned to look and saw that quite a crowd had gathered there.
Her uncle, Tanner Sinclair, was proudly introducing her to the others. "This is my niece! Isn’t my niece amazing? A Great Martial Master Fifth Rank..."
The proctor was dumbfounded again, frozen in place, until Hugo Lowell’s voice ca through his earpiece once more. "Switch to S-level mode..."
"Are... are you sure?" the proctor asked in disbelief, a look of terror already in his eyes.
"I’m sure!"
The proctor quickly said to Aurora Sinclair, "The test isn’t over yet. There’s one final round."
Tanner Sinclair asked, confused, "Isn’t there only one round for the test?"
"The President ordered an additional round."
The proctor raised his hand to select the new mode. When Tanner Sinclair saw the large "S-level" on the screen, he was horrified. ’You can’t be serious! She’s only a Great Martial Master...’
"Don’t worry. Great Martial Masters can generally pass this mode. It’s just a matter of how long they can last. If I see that she can’t hold on, I’ll stop it imdiately."
The proctor offered an explanation and pressed the button for S-level mode.
The speed of the balls was three tis faster than before. This ti, Aurora Sinclair couldn’t dodge as easily, and her body moved even more rapidly.
The proctor watched the tir on the system, his heart twisting into a knot, while the excitent on his face grew more and more intense.
Ti ticked by, second by second. The figure in the center circle leaped and dodged, never once stepping out. Around her, a ring of marbles had ford, scattered in an artful pattern.
Suddenly, the machine ran out of marbles, and the figure in the middle finally stopped moving.
The onlookers all thought the ti was up. Only the proctor was staring excitedly at the "Refill Marbles" icon displayed on the control screen.
He glanced at the system tir. She had actually lasted for 33 minutes.
’This... is this a once-in-a-generation martial arts prodigy?’
Hugo Lowell’s excited voice ca through his earpiece, "Bring her to my office, now."
***
Aurora Sinclair slowly took off her helt. Her forehead was covered in beads of sweat.
"Miss Sinclair, the President would like to see you," the proctor said, his tone extrely respectful.
The people around them were completely stunned by Aurora Sinclair. Their gazes were fervent as they began making their own little calculations in their heads.
Just as they were about to leave, Zane Lockwood, the Vice President of the Martial Alliance, strode over with his n.
Upon seeing Aurora Sinclair and Tanner Sinclair, his attitude was extrely enthusiastic. "Aurora, you ca for a test! Why didn’t you let Lockwood know? How were your results?"
Aurora Sinclair looked at him, puzzled. She felt his face was sowhat familiar.
This was the first ti Zane Lockwood had seen Aurora Sinclair in person; he had only seen her in photos before. But that didn’t stop him from trying to cozy up to her.
’The girl the Young Master of the Morgan Family has his eye on, the sister his own grandson has adopted... she’s practically one of us.’
"That brat Arthur is always telling about his sister, you, but we’ve never had the chance to et. Now that you’re done with your test, let’s go rest at Lockwood’s place first..."
As he was speaking, Hugo Lowell also hurried over with his n. Inwardly, he cursed Zane Lockwood for being an old fox and trying to swoop in, but his face remained all smiles.
"Zane, your timing is a bit unfortunate! I just invited Aurora to my office for a chat."
Zane Lockwood’s face was just as serene. "Heh heh... You invited Aurora too? My brat has long since invited Aurora to a get-together at the Lockwood Family’s ho..."
Annoyed by Zane Lockwood’s shalessness, Hugo Lowell also played the family card, stating bluntly, "My Emil and Aurora were classmates, and they get along very well..."
The two n, with a combined age of nearly two hundred years, stood there trading veiled barbs, leaving the onlookers sighing in amazent.
Tanner Sinclair, of course, knew how fierce the power struggles were here. But he had never expected his own niece to be so outstanding as to be coveted by two major figures at the sa ti. He felt a pang of regret for bringing her to the Martial Alliance.
Just as the two sides were at a stalemate, Dean Morgan suddenly appeared. He held up a wooden token, which imdiately made the two n’s expressions change, and they cordially let her go.
They just told her to co over and visit their hos soti.
Tanner Sinclair glanced curiously at the ordinary-looking wooden token, instinctively feeling that it represented so even more powerful faction.
’The Morgan Family is really sothing else!’
After the three of them left, Hugo Lowell and Zane Lockwood were furious inside but maintained their pleasantries. After exchanging a few polite words, they went their separate ways.
Soon, far away at the headquarters of the PL and DAF Teams, Ethan Lowell and Arthur Lockwood each received a call from their respective grandfathers.
Zane Lockwood roared bluntly into the phone, "You ungrateful brat! How could you hide Aurora Sinclair’s incredible martial arts talent from ? You get your ass back here right now—"
On the other end, Hugo Lowell was just as furious, saying in a near-commanding tone, "Ethan Lowell, it’s ti to decide on your marriage. The Sinclair Family’s second daughter, Aurora Sinclair, is the perfect candidate..."
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