Skipping stones 7!
This counts as art?
Su Xing twitched the corner of her mouth, then nodded.
Although there was no sea where she was now, there had been in the places she once wandered.
Skipping stones was a game that didn’t cost a penny but could still entertain oneself, so of course Su Xing had played it before.
Kaka, on the other hand, shook his head: “Never played.”
What fun games could the young master possibly lack?
No one at home ever taught him, so naturally he wouldn’t know this kind of “technical skill.”
Apollo immediately looked at Su Xing: “Can you show me how to do it?”
Su Xing smiled: “Do you still remember that we’re supposed to be rivals 7”
Apollo pursed his lips and said nothing.
Of course he knew that, he was just giving it a try earlier.
After all, it’s easy to trick a fifteen-year-old girl, what if she just acted foolish for a moment?
Su Xing watched Apollo skipping stones, lost in thought.
To be honest, she was a bit surprised that Apollo’s assessment was this.
The environment for Apollo’s trial was rather interesting, with water all around.
If it was just about testing the game of skipping stones, then the waterfall’s design was meaningless.
If this common game was meant to counter his lofty personality, then what was the purpose of the water-filled environment?
Wait a minute? ‘
The environment?
Su Xing suddenly realized something: the environment was also part of the assessment.
She was so caught up in it that she’d forgotten this point.
Now that she stepped back, she finally noticed.
If the waterfall on Apollo’s side was useless, then wasn’t the strong wind on her side also pointless?
Why did the Inspiration Source Pen put her in such an environment—what was its intention?
Su Xing had always been good at connecting the dots, and she quickly realized that her phantasm spirit was wind-attribute.
Could the two be related?
Su Xing couldn’t sit still: “Kaka, I think I’ve figured something out, I need to hurry back and try it.”
Kaka was curious, but didn’t interrupt Su Xing at this moment, and hurriedly nodded: “You go ahead, I’ll check on Quinn and Ivan’s progress.”
Su Xing thought about her sudden inspiration as she followed the guiding stone’s directions toward the stone field in the valley.
An hour later, she returned to the valley entrance.
By then, night had fallen.
Su Xing vaguely saw a person at the entrance.
As she walked closer, sure enough, it was an old man.
This Old Man was someone Su Xing had never met before.
She approached, puzzled: “Hello, may I ask who you are 7”
The Old Man heard Su Xing’s question and turned around: “I’m from Baiyi Town, but you—why haven’t I seen you in Baiyi Town before 7”
Su Xing didn’t doubt him and explained: “I’m here for the assessment, and the test site is this valley behind you.”
Upon hearing this, the Old Man’s eyes lit up: “You’re one of Shi Lao’s candidates? How’s your progress so far 7”
That question was a bit odd.
Su Xing suspected he was sent by Apollo, so she answered vaguely: “It’s just so-so, not much progress.”
The Old Man grew happier: “Then I can help you. I’m a stone sculptor myself, and I can guarantee that after helping you, Shi Lao won’t find out. You’ll definitely pass.”
Su Xing frowned, not trusting him: “Why would you help me 7”
The Old Man said: “Of course I’m not helping you for nothing. I just need you to do me a small favor.”
“What is it 7”
Su Xing probed.
If it really could help her finish the task quickly, she’d naturally be willing.
The Old Man: “Did you see a little notebook over at Shi Lao’s place? It looks pretty old.”
Su Xing had indeed seen it before, and even considered taking that little notebook.
She nodded: “I’ve seen it.”
“That’s what I want. As long as you bring me that notebook, I’ll make a stone sculpture for you that Shi Lao will never be able to find fault with.”
Such simple words would never convince Su Xing.
She crossed her arms: “Even though I want your help, you have to tell me what’s inside that notebook.”
Shi Lao hesitated for a moment, but his desire for the notebook won out.
He gritted his teeth and said: “Alright, I’ll tell you. That notebook is actually useless to you. It records Shi Lao’s treasured, now-extinct stone sculpting techniques. I tried to borrow it before, but never succeeded. So…”
So that’s how it was, just as she had guessed.
From Shi Lao’s attitude before, Su Xing had guessed that the little notebook must have something to do with stone carving.
Looks like the Old Man in front of her wasn’t lying.
But should she agree to his request?
“I need to think about it before I decide whether to help you,” Su Xing said.
Hearing this, the Old Man frowned, clearly dissatisfied.
But he also knew this couldn’t be rushed, so he nodded: “Alright then, I’ll come here at this time every day to look for you. But I hope you make your decision soon. After all, you’re not the only one in this assessment. If you’re too slow, you might miss your chance.”
Su Xing nodded at him and walked back into the valley alone.
Just like when she came out, the valley was still filled with strong winds.
The knife-like wind stung Su Xing’s cheeks, but she didn’t mind.
She stood calmly in the wind and whispered to the Wind Lord on her shoulder: “Do you remember our special training class in the school’s Phantasm Battle Arena 7”
She meant the wind attribute special training class, where they simulated strong winds to help wind-type phantasm spirits train and gain insight.
“Hey!” Wind Lord nodded, of course remembering.
That class was one of the rare occasions it could show off!
Su Xing grinned and pointed at the valley: “Isn’t this just a wind attribute training class? Before, I never figured out what skill to comprehend, but now I’ve got an idea.”
Wind Lord sensed Su Xing’s thoughts, and its pair of fox ears perked up energetically: “Heh heh heh!”
Su Xing smiled happily: “Then let’s work hard together!”
That night, as Su Xing lay down to sleep, she finally had time to think about the Old Man she met today.
He seemed to really want that little notebook and was truly confident he could help Su Xing pass.
To be honest, Su Xing was a little tempted.
Even though she felt she’d found another way to clear the test, she had no idea how long that would take.
If there was a shortcut, who wouldn’t want to take it?
Forget it, I’ll check Shi Lao’s attitude tomorrow.
With that thought, Su Xing drifted into dreamland.
The next morning, as she’d planned, she sought out Shi Zhe.
She first chatted aimlessly for a while, then casually asked: “Shi Zhe, you have such a good personality, you must get along well with everyone in Baiyi Town, right 7”
Shi Lao didn’t notice her white lie at all and nodded in agreement, then shook his head: “My relationship with them is just average. My place is rather remote, so they usually don’t come looking for me.”
Su Xing nodded, then asked: “Back in my hometown, everyone gets along well, and borrowing things is easy. If someone needs something, they can usually get it from a neighbor. I thought Baiyi Town was like a village too—do you all borrow things from each other 7”
“Not really.”
Shi Lao denied it.
“This is the world of the Inspiration Source Pen. Whatever we want, we can easily get—no need to borrow from each other.”
Su Xing took a sip of tea and said offhandedly: “But what if it’s something you can’t get 7”
“Then I definitely wouldn’t lend it out. The one thing I have that they don’t… wait, why are you asking this 7” Shi Lao had been answering casually, but suddenly became wary.
Su Xing quickly shook her head: “Didn’t I visit neighbors yesterday? This topic just came up, so I asked.”
She didn’t press further, and got up to leave: “I’m going to practice now!”
Wind Lord’s fox tail swatted Su Xing’s face.
Su Xing turned to look and saw Wind Lord’s eyes flashing with a questioning light.
She realized that her communication with Wind Lord had become more and more in sync these past few days.
Before, she couldn’t quite understand its meaning, but now they could basically communicate without obstacles.
Knowing Wind Lord was asking what she thought, Su Xing didn’t hide anything.
“Everything we’re doing is right under the Inspiration Source Pen’s nose, so they must know if we ask for help. Since the rules don’t mention this, it proves what we’re doing isn’t against the rules. But the problem is, Shi Lao clearly doesn’t want to hand over the notebook. If I steal it, I’ll definitely be caught. Of course, I could play for time and only get found out after finishing the task. But…”
Su Xing stood silently in the cold wind for a while, then sighed: “But it just doesn’t feel right.”
If it were the old her, she’d definitely go for efficiency and wouldn’t even hesitate to help the Old Man outside.
But now Su Xing had companions, and they were all good people.
If they found out what she did, what would they think of her?
Besides, now that she had joined Lingyu Academy, she was, in a sense, already stepping into the light.
Who would want to return to darkness after reaching the light?
She shook her head with a smile: “Forget it, anyway, this is a good chance to hone our skills. If we succeed, our combat power will improve a lot.”
With that in mind, Su Xing still didn’t touch the stone today.
Just like yesterday, she worked with Wind Lord to comprehend a new move.
If she could successfully grasp the new move, this round would be no problem for her.
That evening, Su Xing left the valley, and sure enough, the Old Man was waiting there.
Since she’d made her decision, there was no need to hesitate.
“Sorry, I still want to pass the test on my own.”
Meanwhile, after Su Xing left, Kaka went to check on the other teammates.
Soon, he found the small house where Quinn was.
Unlike the others, Quinn lived in a small villa, exquisitely decorated.
At the moment, Quinn was outside in a tight-fitting dance outfit, lost in thought.
Seeing a familiar face, Kaka immediately called out in delight: “Quinn!”
Quinn jerked his head up, and when his gaze landed on Kaka, his face instantly turned red: “Ka-Kaka, w-why are you here?”
Kaka didn’t notice Quinn’s awkwardness at all and said cheerfully: “I came out to check on your progress. Su Xing was with me at first, but something came up and she went back. What’s your trial about 7”