Dolosa tensed the moment she caught sight of that streak of gold.
Her hands clenched tightly, but she dared not look back at Pope Alphonse VII.
All she could do was steady her steps and walk firmly toward the center of the examination hall.
“I won’t be discovered, I won’t be discovered… Those twins can’t be that bad, right? After all, they both seem to like Liang Lai quite a bit. They wouldn’t do anything to harm her…”
Dolosa silently cheered herself on in her mind.
She couldn’t show any sign of abnormality, nor could she linger in one spot for too long. She even felt a bit clumsy, needing a couple of steps to regain her composure.
Liang Lai’s body stiffened as well, because Pope Alphonse VII was standing right behind her now.
She really wanted to glance back at him, but feared that her clumsy performance would be seen through. If that happened, it would implicate Dolosa, so she, like the others, greeted the Pope respectfully and then returned to her seat, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the figures in the examination hall.
Dolosa stood in the center of the hall, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.
She had practiced countless times in the Court of Purity’s Practice Room; all she needed to do was perform as she had before…
Pope Alphonse VII wouldn’t notice any flaws. Everyone’s basic and intermediate Crystallization Abilities were the same—he was no exception.
And crystallization ability… was very unlikely to be inherited.
Thinking this, Dolosa slowly raised her hand.
Her heart pounded wildly, and countless images of past practice sessions flashed through her mind.
A faint icy blue glow shimmered at her fingertips as moisture in the air condensed into tiny crystalline dust.
She pressed her palm flat against the granite stele used for testing, and the moment her palm touched the stone’s surface, the gray-white texture immediately gleamed like glass.
Crystallization spread outward from the center of her palm, the stone’s grain perfectly preserved during the transformation, only now the material had become a translucent crystal.
The examiners could clearly see the mineral patterns inside the crystallized section, like specimens frozen in amber.
Dolosa deliberately slowed the transformation to display the standard three-phase change: first, surface atomization, then internal structural reorganization, and finally, overall solidification.
When the entire stele was fully crystallized, a dense hexagonal lattice pattern appeared on its surface.
This was the perfect crystallization form recorded in textbooks.
“Good control,” Sidric murmured, his Scales of Truth tilting slightly before swiftly returning to balance.
Dolosa exhaled in relief and was about to withdraw her hand when a sudden chill brushed the back of her neck.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pope Alphonse VII’s fractured crystal-like pupils staring intently at her, as if they could pierce through her disguise.
Her fingertips trembled uncontrollably, and a fine crack instantly appeared on the crystallized stele’s surface.
“Continue,” the Pope’s voice was as soft as a feather landing on the ground.
Dolosa gritted her teeth and quickly adjusted her breathing.
She pressed her left hand onto the stele as well, this time accelerating the crystallization noticeably.
The cracks were filled by newly formed crystal, and the entire stele refracted a rainbow-like halo under the sunlight—this was the “Self-Repair Crystallization” only achievable by mid-to-high-level crystallization manipulators.
Dolosa admitted she was taking a risk.
Originally, she had planned to exert her full strength only if Pope Alphonse VII was not present, since only then could she prove to Liang Lai that she was the most valuable child and the one best suited to become the next Pope.
But with the Pope here, she instinctively hesitated before ultimately deciding to gamble everything…
She had to give her all in this setting to secure first place in the examination and gain Liang Lai’s serious attention.
When the last inch of stone completed its transformation, beads of sweat dotted Dolosa’s temple.
She lowered her hands, and the crystallized stele suddenly emitted a faint glow, displaying a nebula-like pattern.
This was a subtle trick she had secretly added—infusing a strand of her unwavering determination to protect Liang Lai into the crystallization.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this; crystallization should be pure, free of impurities.
Yet, any crystallization with impurities should have shattered or collapsed, just as textbooks said—yet this one did not.
“Passed,” Hector announced, even going so far as to praise her unusually, “Very well done.”
But his one eye remained fixed on the unnatural nebula pattern inside the stele, as if utterly perplexed.
Dolosa pretended not to notice his scrutiny and quickly walked back to the line of examinees, her fingers trembling slightly inside her sleeve.
Liang Lai’s breathing was somewhat heavy, and her body trembled faintly from tension.
What expression did Pope Alphonse VII wear now? Had he recognized Dolosa as the daughter he had abandoned? Had he sensed something was off?
Time ticked by slowly. After the last child took the stage, Liang Lai heard a soft sigh behind her, followed by everyone standing to respectfully see the Pope off.
So, had they just dodged a bullet?
Liang Lai silently breathed a sigh of relief, her tense heart settling as she smiled brightly and waved at Dolosa and Asterys.
However, to the other Saintesses and church officials, this gesture looked like “Look at that strange girl acting up again, she must have lost her mind.”
Dolosa and Asterys smiled back at Liang Lai, but Asterys’ smile never reached her eyes.
She gave Dolosa a long, deep look, then clenched her fist quietly, sending a message in her heart to Delucia, who was still in the Court of Purity:
“Today, Dolosa stole the spotlight. Her talent is impressive—we underestimated her before…
And that cunning girl actually suppressed her power during practice. Now she’s shining brightly in front of her mother.”
Delucia had been idly playing with a bunch of earthworms in the shadowy rear garden, but upon hearing this, her expression instantly grew serious.
“We really did underestimate her… but it’s okay, Sister’s talent isn’t lacking either, right~”
Asterys finally showed a genuine smile after hearing this.
“That’s right. Let her have her moment of glory first.”
After Asterys and Delucia finished their conversation, the final exam results were announced.
Except for one child brought by Jennyph, all the others passed.
Dolosa ranked first, Asterys third, and second place went to a little girl brought by Aipuli, who looked even younger than Dolosa and Asterys.
Asterys was not pleased with this ranking.
When she ran over to Liang Lai, she immediately wrapped her arms around her and began putting on a pitiful act, seeking comfort.