Everyone else was stunned by Mu Chen’s actions, but his opponent was the first to recover. He looked at the nine Original Stones on Mu Chen’s long table and laughed heartily. "You must know you’re about to lose. Since you can’t find any real ones, you just grabbed nine to make up the numbers, didn’t you?"

This was exactly what everyone was thinking—even his staunchest supporters like Xu Fei and Wan Xian’Er. Mu Chen let out a long breath, slowly closing his eyes. "We’ll find out soon enough if I’m just filling the count."

After speaking, Mu Chen let his left hand fall to his side, his body standing ramrod straight. A glimmer of excitement shone in his eyes. Only he knew what he had just done. In a mere twenty seconds, he had instantly appraised every single Original Stone on the field and memorized the precise locations of all those containing Spirit Crystal Ore. If he were to say this out loud, absolutely no one would believe him. It was as outlandish as a ghost story.

There were over a hundred thousand Original Stones in the pile. Even a true Spirit Selection Master might not be able to appraise them all in three days, let alone memorize the locations of every Spirit Crystal Ore without touching them. But Mu Chen had actually done it. A confident smile touched his lips. ’The rest of this match just got a lot easier,’ he thought. ’I won’t even need to use my Purple Sky Demon Pupils.’

Seeing that the examiner and the others were still dazed, Mu Chen looked around curiously before addressing the examiner, "Can we begin the inspection? The match is over."

In the silent square, Mu Chen’s neither humble nor haughty voice was exceptionally clear. Almost everyone heard his confident and serene tone.

"Huh? Oh!"

This had to be the first time anyone had seen the examiner with such an expression. He walked over to Mu Chen’s side in a daze and subconsciously activated his Pupil Technique, covering all nine Original Stones on the table. Ten seconds passed... then twenty. At last, the examiner looked up in astonishment and announced, "Nine Original Stones, and all of them contain Spirit Crystals! There’s no need to inspect the other contestant in this round. The one advancing is Spirit Selector number 159!"

"But..." Spirit Selector number 160’s mouth fell open. He glanced at the eight Original Stones on his own table and roared, "That’s impossible! He’s just a Third Grade Spirit Selector! How could he possibly have picked out nine Spirit Crystal Ores in such a short time? I demand you inspect those nine stones!"

"That’s right! It would already be defying the heavens for a Third Grade Spirit Selector to find six Spirit Crystal Ores, but he found nine! It doesn’t make sense!"

"I find it hard to believe, too. Please, Examiner, inspect them further."

One by one, people from Spirit Selector number 160’s rest area stood up. Clearly, this was his personal cheering section. The examiner simply smiled and announced in a loud voice, "Quiet, please! I know you all have many questions, but the Spirit Selection Conference has its rules. An examiner’s judgment is not up for debate. We have all undergone a rigorous selection process to be in these positions."

"However, I’m also very curious as to how this Third Grade Spirit Selector managed to pick out nine Original Stones. To satisfy all of you—and to satisfy myself—I’ll go ahead and cut them open." With that, the examiner waved his palm. After a slight ripple of Primordial Power, the nine Original Stones on Mu Chen’s table suddenly cracked open. Nine dazzling rays of light shone forth. When everyone saw the nine glittering Spirit Crystals, their jaws dropped. It wasn’t just because there were nine, but because among them, three were emitting a colorful glow.

"Those are... Attribute Spirit Crystals..."

As one person spoke, the others finally caught on. The examiner chuckled. "See that? Have anything to say now? Not only did he find nine Spirit Crystal Ores, but three of them turned out to be Attribute Spirit Crystals. And while they aren’t Rare Attribute Spirit Crystals, with a success rate this high, do you still think number 160 lost unfairly? Oh, and by the way, while number 160 did pick eight stones, only six of them are genuine Spirit Crystal Ores. The other two... heh... are Fake Original Stones." With another wave of his hand, the stones on Spirit Selector number 160’s table shattered. Six revealed ordinary Spirit Crystals, but the remaining two were completely empty.

"Any more objections?"

At his words, the crowd fell completely silent. By now, even a fool could see that Mu Chen had won this round with an overwhelming victory. As for Spirit Selector number 160, his face was a shifting canvas of red and white, as if the examiner’s words were a series of invisible slaps across his own cheeks.

Mu Chen shrugged indifferently and slowly walked down from the high platform. As he did, he faintly heard an announcement from behind him, "In the second major group, Spirit Selector number 320 is victorious."

A small smile played on Mu Chen’s lips. ’That fatty,’ he thought. ’Seems he’s not so simple after all.’

Before Mu Chen could even make it back to his seat, Xu Fei jumped to his feet and yelled ecstatically, "Brother Mu Chen, that was amazing! I knew you could do it!" As he spoke, he swiftly cast aside his earlier doubts about Mu Chen just grabbing stones to make up the numbers.

Wan Xian’Er was equally proud of Mu Chen. Although she had no interest in the Spirit Selection Conference, didn’t particularly care for Spirit Selectors, and didn’t even know Mu Chen all that well, for some unknown reason, she just felt that his victory was a reason to be happy for him.

Nearby, Ma Bi’s brow furrowed. Once Mu Chen was seated, Ma Bi whispered to Ma Gedan, "I take back what I said before. This kid, Mu Chen, might have some skill. But that’s it. He’s still no match for me."

Ma Gedan chuckled. "Well, isn’t that just perfect? Every contest needs a second place, after all. It’s just a matter of how elegantly you win. You have to put him in his place right from the start, show him some real power so he can’t get too full of himself."

Ma Bi said arrogantly, "Naturally. It would be against my nature to do otherwise, and we can’t have that."

The next few matches held little suspense. It was simply a matter of the higher-Grade Spirit Selector winning; when Grades were equal, it came down to luck. The round of 40 quickly drew to a close. Ma Bi, of course, had his match and won with overwhelming dominance, advancing to the round of 20. But Mu Chen didn’t disappoint, either. He once again secured his advancement by finding just one more Spirit Crystal Ore than his opponent.

With each round of eliminations, the remaining contestants were naturally getting stronger. When the round of 20 began, which would narrow the field to 10, Mu Chen remained calm. His opponent was a Fifth Grade Spirit Selector, but Mu Chen still managed to advance by once again finding one more Spirit Crystal Ore. By now, the total number of Spirit Crystal Ores he had selected had reached sixteen—a number completely at odds with his supposed rank. At this point, no one could possibly believe his abilities were merely those of a Third Grade Spirit Selector.

"That kid is definitely hiding his true strength. Stone City is being really treacherous this year," Ma Gedan growled, gritting his teeth. By now, even a fool could tell that Mu Chen’s Spirit Selector Grade was at least Fifth Grade, perhaps even on par with Ma Bi. While one couldn’t lie about their age at registration, there was no rule against hiding one’s Spirit Selector Grade. Still, Grade was a symbol of status—how many would actually be willing to conceal it? As the competition progressed and Mu Chen’s revealed power grew, even Lin Xiao found himself astonished.

"A fifteen-year-old Fifth Grade Spirit Selector... this is truly the first I have seen in my long life. Your Majesty, it seems Stone City might just produce a miracle this year."

Lin Xiao’s words struck a deep chord with Shi Feng. He nodded. "Guards! Immediately destroy the document on my desk. I want my desk completely cleared by the time I return to the palace!"

Hearing this, the expression of a man standing behind Shi Feng grew solemn. He bowed his head respectfully. "Yes, Your Majesty!" Then, in a few flashes of movement, he disappeared from Fenglan Square.

If one were to ask who was the most frustrated person at this moment, the answer would undoubtedly be Ma Bi. Why? Because the strength Mu Chen was displaying was simply terrifying. A fifteen-year-old, registered as a Third Grade Spirit Selector, was soundly defeating Fifth Grade ones. And that wasn’t all—he was intentionally winning every match by a margin of a single Spirit Crystal Ore. It was a posture that screamed to the world, ’I have the power to challenge anyone; I’m just choosing to be low-key.’

This realization left a sour taste in Ma Bi’s mouth. He was still confident he could defeat Mu Chen without breaking a sweat, but Mu Chen had already built up so much hype. Even if he won now, people would just make excuses about age and experience. After all, Ma Bi was twenty-seven or twenty-eight, over a decade older than Mu Chen.

’You little brat, daring to play the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Very clever,’ Ma Bi thought. ’Just wait. I’ll be the one to knock you off your pedestal.’ After that, Ma Bi’s white Pupil Technique flared once more. As expected, he again took advantage of his opponent’s error to win with fewer Spirit Crystal Ores, successfully advancing into the top five of the second major group.

"Spirit Selector number 148 and Spirit Selector number 159, please come to the stage! This match will determine which of you enters the top ten of the entire Spirit Selection Conference. So please, give it your all and leave no regrets!"

The examiner’s voice had grown a little hoarse. He had, after all, been running the show ever since Elder Lin Xiao left to rest. Although Mu Chen didn’t know the man’s exact position within the Imperial Capital’s Spirit Selection Guild, he was certain it wasn’t a low one.

Glancing over at the top five contestants from the second group, Mu Chen was surprised to see the trembling fatty was among them. He smiled. ’So it is,’ he thought.

Looking at the fatty’s sleeve cuff, Mu Chen discovered that his Spirit Selector Grade was identical to his own: a mere Third Grade.

’Is he also hiding his true Grade?’

Finally, Mu Chen’s gaze caught the fatty’s attention. The fatty looked at Mu Chen, surprised, but when he saw Mu Chen’s friendly face, he gave a slightly shy nod in greeting. Mu Chen smiled back. He had no time for any further pleasantries; the twenty-second timer was almost up.

"Two! One! Time’s up!"

As the final call echoed, Mu Chen’s long table was once again piled high with Original Stones. To avoid suspicion, Mu Chen had made a point to activate his Purple Sky Demon Pupils before every match, though only for two seconds each time.

His opponent this round was tough, managing to pick out twenty Original Stones. But Mu Chen was even more decisive, picking out twenty-one. This act again sent a wave of shock through the entire square.

"Does this prodigy have no limits?"

Elder Lin Xiao could finally sit still no longer. In a flash, he appeared at Mu Chen’s side, beating the examiner to the punch. He reached out a perfectly manicured hand and casually brushed it over a few of the twenty-one Original Stones Mu Chen had chosen. He then looked at Mu Chen in sheer amazement. "Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Young man, you are truly something else! This round! Mu Chen is the unconditional winner!"