"Follow me, Young Master. I will take you to the exam room."
Ken followed the young woman through a few corridors. After leaving the main hall where many scholars discussed their experiments or others came to commission formation masters to inscribe their new homes, the place turned completely silent.
'There are formations in the hall that keep all the sound waves from coming out of the place. This way the noise does not bother anyone that is not there,' Ken thought to himself as he tried to uncover the hidden runes with his eyes, to no avail.
'I guess I'd have to probe the walls with my Qi to find the formations. I wonder how dangerous this building is,' Ken mused as he imagined the consequences of attacking the Formation Mastery division. It must be the place with the most dangerous formations inscribed, and they are probably everywhere.
"Here is the room for the new examinees, Young Master. Please go ahead, I will return to my post now." Standing in front of a closed door, the woman bowed and turned to leave.
"Wait, what if I want to take the test for fourth-rank formation masters?" Ken stopped her and asked. She looked at him in surprise and doubt before ultimately deciding to answer.
"Then you must take first the test for the first rank. If you manage to finish it before the test for the second-rank formation masters is over, you can go and take it in the room on the other side of the corridor. The same goes for the third rank which you can find by turning right." After explaining that much, she left.
'Huh, she didn't believe I was seriously a fourth-rank formation master because I only look thirteen. If I really do it the normal way, I'd be able to take the test for second-rank formation masters at best within the time frame. Good thing I'm a haughty young master.'
Ken's lips stretched in a slight smile as he pushed the door open and found himself in a room full of cages. all of them were occupied by young men and women, giving a hint to the nature of the test. There was a line of examinees waiting for their turn to take the test.
"Hello, I'm Ken Sue, I'm here to take the exam,"
Ken said and a middle-aged woman glanced at him. She pointed at the end of the line and beckoned him to stand there.
"Wait for your turn, your number is 183. If you can exit the cage within 20 minutes, you pass. You are not allowed to use violence or attacks to break out, you can only tackle it as a formation master solving a problem," she explained before averting her gaze back to the cages.
'Hmm, letting the examinees solve formations is faster than asking them to arrange them,' Ken pondered as he realized the test would take too long if 200 examinees were asked to create formations.
"Examinee number 44 fails, get out and try again next month. Or even better, next year after you actually learn something about Formation Mastery. Your performance was embarrassing to watch," she spat her words toward a young boy that staggered out of the cage with tears in his eyes.
"Yes, Ma'am," he said quietly with a downcast expression and left the room.
"Number 52, enter cage number 4," she said in a bored tone, and another boy stepped forward to enter.
"Halt."
Ken's soft voice reverberated throughout the room, making all eyes turn to him.
"Unless you want a fight with the Sue clan, give up your turn and let me go first."
Ken marched to the cage confidently, shoving the shoulder of the teenager whose turn arrived.
"Stop, this will not be tolerated. The people behind you will not wait another minute for a spoiled brat," the woman shouted angrily at the blatant disrespect. "Kid, do you think you can do whatever you want here with your family's name?"
Ken, however, only turned his eyes to the nervous boy next to him and yelled.
"Didn't you hear the bitter woman? the others can't wait another turn, you must go to the end of the line so they won't be delayed!"
The woman gaped for a moment when she heard how confidently Ken distorted the meaning of her words before collecting herself.
"Who do you think you are?" She disappeared from her spot and reappeared in front of Ken, sending her hand to grab his shoulder. She was confident in her ability to pressure a kid, no matter what family he came from. With the backing of the Formation Mastery division, she did not have to fear retaliation; the elite families knew to respect them.
"AH!"
"A mere fourth-stage cultivator who is not even battle-oriented dares touch me?"
Ken said with disdain as he held her wrist and twisted it, making her go to the floor in a loud scream of pain.
"You can't act willfully in here! The elite clans don't control us!" she said through clenched teeth.
"Nice, good thing I will be part of the division soon. Now, will you stop wasting my time and let me take the test?" Ken asked and directed his bloodlust at her.
Saliva threatened to come out of her mouth from the fear that took over her brain for a short moment, but the sensation came and left instantly, as if it never happened. Ken didn't mean to cause her to soil her clothes in front of everyone.
"Yes… take it. You! Since you willingly gave your spot up to Young Master Ken, go back to the end of the line!"
Ken didn't call her bitter for no reason, she really was. She took it out on the teenager that stood behind them the whole time, venting the humiliation.
Ken entered the free cage and the door closed behind him. The runes were not hidden; it was the test for first-rank formation masters after all. He channeled his Runic Qi to the walls of the cage, and one second later, the whole formation crumbled.
With a light push of his hand, the door opened in a creak, allowing him out.
"Huh?- Number 183 passes, here's your token. Take it to one of the receptionists to update your details on it."
The woman lost her cool for a moment, but she quickly threw a grey token and sent him away. It was boring before he arrived, but boring and peaceful was better than eventful and painful.
"Sure."
Ken stepped out and headed toward the room for the second-rank formation masters.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l