Chapter 29: Guide Assessment in Progress 1
After Lin Yao and Mo Yun officially met, Shasha, who was entangled with Mo Yun, touched its scales with its leaves, as if completing some solemn ceremony.
The next second, the ice-blue vines suddenly began to shrink, turning into a thin circle, and wrapped around Mo Yun's neck three times, like an exquisite necklace.
The remaining small piece of vine with a leaf lazily draped over Mo Yun's head. The ice-blue leaves shone brightly in the sunlight, and against the backdrop of the dark scales, it looked like a gorgeous gem inlaid on Mo Yun's forehead.
Lin Yao couldn't help laughing and was about to say something when he saw Shasha suddenly tap Mo Yun's head with the tip of the leaf and waved it towards the depths of the meadow.
Mo Yun's golden-brown vertical pupils turned, as if he understood what it meant. He twisted his huge body slightly and took Shasha into the dense grass.
A dark track was instantly cut through the grass waves, and the leaves of Shasha resting on Mo Yun's head swayed up and down with the undulating grass slope.
Lin Yao suddenly felt a burst of joy coming from the spiritual connection, with the fragrance of grass leaves and the coolness of the wind.
That was the joy of killing, pure and passionate; he turned his head to look at Ye Heng and found that he was also looking in the direction of the meadow with a faint smile on his lips.
"It seems they get along very well." Lin Yao said.
Ye Heng hummed, the dark green in his eyes unusually soft, like the surface of a lake brushed by the evening breeze. Mo Yun rarely felt so relaxed.
He could clearly sense the emotions coming from Mo Yun. They were no longer his usual calm and alert self, but rather contained a touch of indulgent joy, like a stream warmed by the sun.
At this moment, Lin Yao felt something was wrong. This was the hunger coming from Shasha! It was the hunger for the morning glory grass that Shasha had compensated the Cang family for.
Lin Yao's face changed instantly, and the word "not good" was filled with unprecedented panic, like a stone hitting the calm lake.
"What's wrong?" Ye Heng clenched his hands so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Years of battlefield instincts made him instantly alert, and his sharp eyes swept around the meadow.
There were no suspicious energy fluctuations, no strange spiritual field intervention, only the rustling sound of grass waves in the wind.
Lin Yao didn't have time to answer Ye Heng's question. He rushed out along the trail that Mo Yun had just left, his steps so fast that he almost tripped.
An idea was churning in his mind: Could it be that Shasha was eating Mo Yun?
Ye Heng didn't ask any more questions. He took a few steps and caught up with Lin Yao.
Amid the sound of grass leaves scraping against his trouser legs, he could clearly hear Lin Yao's rapid heartbeat, as well as the inexplicable anxiety rising in his own chest.
When they turned around the protruding cliff, the scene before them made them both stop.
Mo Yun's huge body was tightly bound by ice-blue vines, like a worm wrapped in a cocoon.
The sluggish leaves were sticking to the anaconda's scales. Ye Heng couldn't see them, but Lin Yao could sense that the black substance was being madly devoured by the vines.
The enhanced bright green energy flowed along the veins of the vines and seeped into the gaps between the scales of the dark cloud, and the dark cloud was shrouded in green light.
Lin Yao was extremely panicked. Sha Sha was his living ancestor!
He knew about the black substance in the Sentinel's spiritual body, and Shasha liked it very much. When he was channeling it before, because of Lin Yao's restraint, Shasha only had a brief taste of it.
Who knew he would be so desperate today, kidnapping a spirit to a remote place and doing it! After being caught, he brazenly sucked the spirit right in front of the owner?
"Kill, kill!" Lin Yao's voice was trembling. Shut up! Looking at the ball of light that was getting smaller and smaller, could it be that it had sucked Mo Yun dry?
Shasha ignored the explosion in Lin Yao's heart. Seeing that his order was useless, Lin Yao reached out to pull the vine, but Ye Heng grabbed his wrist.
"Don't." Ye Heng's voice was low and hoarse, his eyes fixed on the two entangled spirits.
He could feel Lin Yao's trembling with his fingertips, but another stronger perception was pouring in from the spiritual connection, and Mo Yun did not resist.
That was not a forced restraint. Mo Yun's scales were even slightly turned outward, as if he was actively accepting the bright green energy.
The golden brown vertical pupils were half-closed, and the frequency of spitting out air was slow and even, with a kind of almost lazy comfort.
"It doesn't resist." Ye Heng loosened his grip on Lin Yao's wrist. He could clearly feel Mo Yun's emotions, not pain, but indulgence, like soaking in a hot spring, every scale was stretching.
As soon as he finished speaking, a strange warm current flowed into Ye Heng's limbs and bones along the spiritual connection.
The fluctuation value of his spiritual sea has been hovering around 90 since a year ago, and now it is 92. If he was not a 3S-level sentinel, this value would be enough to make him collapse.
Every day, his mental power rolled like magma in his cranial cavity, and his mental images were in turmoil. He relied entirely on the cold electric current of the suppression ring and his strong willpower to suppress it.
Sometimes in the middle of the night, he could even hear the sound of his mental barrier cracking, fragmented and desperate.
But now, following the rhythm of Mo Yun's breathing, the warm current seemed to carry a soothing power, flowing along the nerve endings into the sea of consciousness.
The surging energy magma was actually slowly calming down, those sharp edges were quietly smoothed out, and even the stinging pain from the suppression ring was greatly reduced.
Ye Heng subconsciously looked at the suppression ring on his hand. The fluctuating values on it were: 87, 83, 79... The red high-risk value was jumping down at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if it was gently pressed into the safe zone by something.
"This is..." His Adam's apple rolled, and his voice was filled with confusion and excitement that he himself didn't even notice.
The fluctuation value that had been gradually increasing since he entered the battlefield, especially after the recovery battle five years ago, was now visibly decreasing.
Ye Heng felt that the huge rock pressing on his mental power was suddenly removed, and even his breathing became smoother.
The scales of Mo Yun were glowing with a moist luster, and the bright green energy was spreading along the blood vessel-like lines, outlining emerald-like veins under the black scales.
As Shasha's vines tightened, the cocoon shrank. This was not because Mo Yun was being sucked dry, but because Ye Heng was able to control Mo Yun's body shape freely.
The size of the spirit body is controlled by the master. In order to avoid causing disturbances, the sentinels will control the size of the spirit body on a daily basis.
When Mo Yun is in combat mode, he is a fifty-meter-long giant python. When Ye Heng's fluctuation value is below 90, he can control it to about five meters. When it exceeds 90, Mo Yun's smallest size is ten meters.
Now, as the black matter was sucked away, Ye Heng's fluctuation value decreased and Mo Yun's body size also shrank.
Lin Yao was still very anxious! He tasted from Ye Heng that Shasha was not eating Mo Yun!
But it was using healing and purifying power! This ability had not been used on any other Sentinel in reality except for Zhao Feng after it was unconsciously used by him.
The effect of this enhanced ability is outstanding. Shasha used it on his own without Lin Yao's instructions. Isn't this exposing his trump card?
Lin Yao cried out in his heart: Do you like this snake Mo Yun so much?
Ye Heng grabbed his wrist, but before he could say anything, Mo Yun suddenly let out a low hiss, which was not a roar of pain, but more like a sigh of satisfaction.
Following this roar, Ye Heng's fluctuation value stopped steadily at 65, which was the safety line he had never reached in the past five years.
Ye Heng looked at the entangled spirits, and suddenly looked down at Lin Yao.
There was still a layer of panic and anxiety in his eyes, like a little animal that had gotten into trouble.
"Let them continue." Ye Heng heard himself say this, his fingertips unconsciously stroking Lin Yao's wrist, "Mo Yun and I need this."
The wind blew the grass over my ankles, carrying the salty taste of sea water and the sweet scent of grass.
For the first time, Ye Heng felt that the wind on this cliff was so warm.
After a long while, the bright green finally disappeared completely, and Shasha once again turned into a thin strip and wrapped around the dark cloud which was only about one meter high.
At this time, Mo Yun was in a lighter state than before. It was obvious that he was very happy after losing the heavy burden. So he didn't care about the two masters waiting on the side, and once again carried Shasha and disappeared in the meadow.
Because of its shrunk size, after Mo Yun rushed in this time, Lin Yao had no way of finding its trace with the naked eye. He could only confirm it through the induction with Shasha.
Lin Yao stared at the scene in amazement. No! Didn't the two spirits have hearts? What if they just glanced at each other?
The two of them had no choice but to find a flat rock to sit on and look at the sea level in the distance.
The setting sun gradually sank to the west, dyeing the sky a brilliant orange-red. The clouds were gilded, and the sea water turned a warm golden color. The grass waves swayed gently in the evening breeze, with a gentle rhythm.
"It's very comfortable here and can make people calm down." Ye Heng looked at the sunset and spoke in a low voice.
"I swear on everything I have that I will keep this a secret for you! Please believe me!" Ye Heng seemed to know his concerns and directly and firmly stated his promise.
Lin Yao turned his head to look at him. The afterglow of the setting sun fell on Ye Heng's profile, softening his usually cold and hard features. His dark green eyes reflected the sunset, like a bright starry sky.
"Thank you!" Lin Yao's thanks blew into Ye Heng's ears with the wind.
Shasha and Mo Yun came back at some point and stayed quietly beside the two of them.
The setting sun completely sank into the sea, leaving only the last ray of afterglow on the horizon.
Ye Heng stood up and said, "It's time to go back. We have an assessment tomorrow."
Lin Yao nodded and stood up.
On the way back, the aircraft was very quiet, with only the low hum of the engine and the occasional sound of wind passing by outside the window. Even Shasha and Mo Yun were communicating silently.
When they arrived at De Lin's house, before Lin Yao got out of the car, Ye Heng called out to him, "Lin Yao."
"Um?"
"The assessment went well!" Ye Heng's eyes were serious and firm.
Lin Yao felt warm in his heart and nodded vigorously: "Thank you for your good wishes."
Watching the aircraft disappear into the night, Lin Yao stood at the door, touched the sleeve of Shasha that he had finally pulled back, and felt his heart filled with strength.
-
At seven o'clock in the morning on the 13th, Lin Yao was woken up by his biological clock on time.
The stars outside the window had not yet completely disappeared. When he sat up, Shasha had already emerged from his sleeve and handed the folded guide uniform to the bedside.
Lin Yao took the clothes and put them on. The clothing requirements of Baita Academy require that the top silver button be fastened and the spirit body must not be exposed more than three centimeters.
Shasha obediently shortened the vine, leaving only a small piece of leaves resting on her wrist.
Breakfast was nutritious porridge, which Lin Yao drank.
At eight o'clock, Lin Yao went out after a final check.
At 8:50, a long line had formed in front of the Hall of Truth on the main campus of Baita College, and the candidates were wearing the guide uniforms of their various guide colleges.
Lin Yao followed the team into the hall and looked up at the stained glass on the dome, which depicted a pattern of the first generation of guides and sentinels fighting side by side. The colors flowed in the sunlight, like a living epic.
He found his seat and sat down, typing his admission ticket number on the examination computer with his fingertips.
At exactly nine o'clock, all the screens lit up at the same time, and the title of [Guide Qualification Written Exam] popped up with a golden border, and questions from the three major modules spread out like a tide.
After three days of preparation, all the knowledge points the original owner had learned were activated, one after another like an airtight net, trapping all the questions, and the answers emerged one by one.
At exactly eleven o'clock, the reminder to hand in the paper sounded on time.
Lin Yao looked at the words "Submission Successful" on the screen and breathed a sigh of relief.
When he stood up, he accidentally glanced at the screen of the candidate sitting next to him. The last case analysis question was still left with a large blank space, and the cursor was flickering in the "intervention plan" column.
In the square outside the Hall of Truth, candidates gathered in small groups of three or four, and the sound of discussing answers surged like a tide.
"For the last question about the Gamma Star campaign, did you use the three-level intervention plan or just go straight to forced counseling?" "I think for the short-answer question on the ethics code, you absolutely have to include Article 37!"
Lin Yao found a place to sit down. The location was perfect, not many people were around, and he could see the announcement screen, so he would be able to see the results at a glance.
He took out his laptop, but before he could figure out what to do, Ye Heng's message arrived.
The two of them chatted like this, time passed quickly, and suddenly the bulletin board lit up with a dazzling white light, and the results list appeared.
Lin Yao's eyes were fixed on the screen.
Lin Yao; Score: 295; Ranking: 1
Seeing his name at the top of the list, Lin Yao was stunned for a moment, and then he felt that this result seemed reasonable considering the original owner's knowledge!
Before Lin Yao could be happy for long, he heard several deliberately exaggerated voices coming over.
"Hey, isn't this the 'Ever-Victorious General' from our theoretical exam?" Chen Yue and two followers were blocking the stairs. She was wearing the uniform of Western White Tower Academy with an exquisite silver badge on her collar. The contempt in her eyes was almost overflowing.
This guide from the Western White Tower Academy is a relative of Delinwei's mother's family and also her follower. In the original owner's memory, she has been so aggressive towards the original owner since she was a child.
"What's the point of doing well on the written test? Won't you be exposed in the practical exam later? I wonder what's the point of a loser like you taking away your cousin's guide job quota?"
The shorter girl behind her immediately chimed in, "Exactly! In the mock exam at the beginning of the year, someone couldn't even do the simplest mental energy training, and in the end, they only managed to pass because the examiner let them off easy."
The tall boy crossed his arms and sneered, "I bet he'll definitely come in last in this practical test. Then we'll see how he can stay in Central Star White Pagoda Academy!"
Lin Yao frowned, not wanting to pay attention to this unwarranted provocation. Just as he was about to walk around, Chen Yue reached out to stop him.
"What? You don't dare to pay attention to me?" Chen Yue took a step forward, the malice in her tone undisguised, "Do you know you're no match for me and want to slip away early? Let me tell you, Lin Yao, don't think you can show off just because you got first place in the written test. The guide looks for real ability!"
"What do you want?" Lin Yao stopped and his eyes suddenly became colder, no longer as calm as before.
"Are you using your 'real skills' to interrupt me and win my battle? Or is the purpose of Western White Tower's teaching to make students waste their time on groundless provocations?"
These words pierced the crowd like an icicle, and the surrounding discussions instantly became quieter.
Chen Yue's face flushed red. "Don't try to change the subject! If you're capable, accept my bet. If you're not, get out of here!"
"Bet?" Lin Yao sneered and glanced at the followers behind her.
"In the mock exam at the beginning of the year, who was it that relied on family connections to modify the guidance data and barely managed to pass? And who was it that, in the group assessment, nearly caused a mental breakdown in the mock sentry due to an operational error, and only managed to avoid being expelled thanks to his teammates?"
With every word he said, Chen Yue's face turned paler, until he almost gritted his teeth and said, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
"You know whether I'm talking nonsense or not." Lin Yao took half a step forward, and his aura suddenly overwhelmed the other party.
"Practical assessments are meant to test your abilities, not to be used as a gambling tool for you to show off. If you're truly confident, prepare well for the assessment and don't just buzz around like a noisy cicada."
"As for the job quota at Baita? Delinwei gave it to me voluntarily! After all, she and the young master of the Cang family are in love with each other!" Lin Yao finished speaking with a sense of oppression.
Chen Yue froze in place. It was not that she didn't know the ins and outs of the matter, but because she knew it, she didn't dare to cause trouble for Lin Yao without any scruples!
A few suppressed sneers were heard around. Chen Yue's followers wanted to step forward to argue, but were given a cold glance by Lin Yao, and subconsciously took half a step back.
At this moment, someone pushed through the crowd and came over. Seeing Lin Yao's full aura, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he supported him:
"Well said! Some people just put their minds in the wrong place."
"How many points did you get on the theory test? Tell us so everyone can see! You're not as skilled as others and yet you're jealous and sarcastic!"
Chen Yue was both angry and anxious, pointing at Lin Yao and the boy and unable to speak for a long time.
Finally, he stamped his feet fiercely: "Good! Very good! I want to see how you embarrass yourself in the practical test this afternoon!"
After saying this, he almost fled with his followers.
Lin Yao rolled his eyes in his heart, but he was not affected at all.
He knew that practical assessment was the best way to prove himself, and there was no need to argue with Chen Yue.
He turned around and looked at the boy who was supporting him in a gray-blue uniform. He had the badge of the Northern White Tower Guide Academy pinned on his chest and a bright smile between his eyebrows.
"Thank you." Although Lin Yao didn't care about those rumors and knew that the next test would prove it to him, he still thanked the person who spoke up for him when he saw injustice.
"It's just a small favor. She's the youngest daughter of the Ximang Xingchen family. She's known for her bad temper. Don't take what she says to heart."
The boy waved his hand, revealing a small canine tooth. "My name is Chen Yan, from the Northern White Pagoda Academy. I've been following you since before the exam!"
Lin Yao was a little surprised: "Do you know me?"
Chen Yan looked at him with a half-smile, then patted Lin Yao on the shoulder: "It's hard not to know him!"
Lin Yao recalled the original owner's reputation as a loser and touched his nose awkwardly. "Then why are you still speaking for me? Didn't you say she was the daughter of the Chen family? Aren't you afraid she'll cause you trouble?"
"I'm afraid of her? Are you kidding! Would I be afraid of that girl?" Chen Yan said with a proud look on his face and stiff neck.
"When I, Chen Yan, was doing so well, there was this little brat who only knew how to act like a spoiled brat and complain. Last time, in the Starship Simulator Competition, she lost to me by three points. She cried and complained to the referee, but was eventually taken back by her brother and made to copy the school rules as punishment. With that kind of ability, she still wants to cause trouble for me?"
After getting a rough idea of what was going on and finding out that he would indeed not cause any trouble for the warrior, Lin Yao said he was going to eat.
Speaking of eating, Chen Yan opened up again:
"Come on, I'll take you to eat something delicious! There's a restaurant up ahead. Their supplementary meals are amazing. I always eat there every time I come to the Central Star White Pagoda for the assessment. It's also not far from the Xingluo Courtyard where the practical assessment will be held this afternoon. I can even rest for a while after eating."
"If you have any questions, you can ask me!"
"Every time you come?" Lin Yao said this unconsciously, which made the chattering Chen Yan stop.
Chen Yan felt a little helpless. How come after he had said so much, this person had caught the point that he was most reluctant to answer?
Lin Yao probably knew he had asked a difficult question and was about to laugh it off when Chen Yan waved his hand, "Forget it! I'll tell you what I'm going to tell you! This is my fifth time here!"
At this point, he chuckled twice, scratched his hair, and said with a hint of self-mockery: "Don't you think it's embarrassing? I took the test five times."
Lin Yao shook his head: "No, it's amazing that he can persist for so many times."
"What's so great about that?" Chen Yan kicked the pebbles under his feet.
"I failed the theory exams the first two times. I finally passed the theory on the third time, but during the practical exam, I lost control of my mental power and poked a hole in the simulated sentry's mental barrier. The examiner stopped me on the spot.
The fourth time was even more extreme. When Chen Yue deliberately tripped me up, she was retaliating against me for the Starship Simulator Competition. Her spirit interfered with my channeling frequency, and my final score was 0.5 points lower."
He suddenly stopped talking and looked at Lin Yao with sparkling eyes: "But this time is different! I brought a secret weapon!"
As he spoke, he took out a palm-sized metal box from his backpack. When he opened it, there was a pale purple crystal inside.
"This is a stabilizing stone produced by Jixuan Star. It can neutralize external interference. This time, Chen Yue will have no chance of doing anything bad!"
The lavender light flows in the stone, which is very beautiful.
Chen Yan raised his chin proudly: "Impressive, right? My brother asked someone to get it for me. It's said to be in high demand."
The two walked to the door of the restaurant. The wooden sign was very different from the surrounding metal style and swayed gently in the wind.
Chen Yan pushed open the door and called out, "Uncle Zhang, two set meals are the same as before, plus two servings of energy soup and double the amount of star fruit!"
A middle-aged man in an apron poked his head out, and his eyes lit up when he saw Chen Yan: "Xiao Yan is here again? Is this your friend?"
"Well, my new friend, Lin Yao, got first place in the written test this time!" Chen Yan patted Lin Yao's shoulder, his tone full of pride.
Uncle Zhang smiled as he brought two bowls of steaming soup. "You'd better drink more so you can do well on your exam this afternoon! My son drank this soup every day during his exams, and he got a great grade in the end!"
Chen Yan picked it up and took a big gulp, mumbling:
"Did you hear that? Come and share in the good news! Oh, and let me tell you, there's a hidden level in this practical assessment. It's the Guide Monument. It's said to be able to unleash the potential of spiritual beings, but many people can't trigger it. Give it a try, you might get a surprise."
Lin Yao scooped a spoonful of soup, and the warm liquid slid into his throat with a faint fruity aroma. Chen Yan's excited look also passed this joy to Lin Yao.
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