Chapter 604 – Eden Garden Sect Annual Assessment Examination (2)
"What's this?"
Miaomiao received a bamboo scroll with the number [1999] on it. He stared at the deacon, who had given him the scroll.
"That's your unofficial rank of all 2,000 initiates. You are ranked 1,999th."
"Oh. How nice. I'm not the last," Miaomiao scoffed, being sarcastic.
"Yes. You're lucky. One of the initiates is being punished for breaking the sect's rules, and he is disqualified to participate this year. So there you have it, he takes the last place instead of you."
"…"
"Now, proceed to the grand hall. The elders will brief you about the exam details. Don't waste my time here. Next queue, come on up!"
Although the deacon was aware of Miaomiao's overall power and influence, he shooed him away like a stray dog.
Miaomiao didn't mind it. He preferred it more when people didn't give him face since he got to savor the air of a protagonist's troubled life.
He looked forward to killing some idiot villains soon.
…
After Miaomiao had entered the hall, a certain youth descended in front of the previous deacon, who had chased Miaomiao away.
The youth was blood-soaked. However, they were not his blood.
Secondly, the young man was a mortal like Miaomiao.
The deacon glared at the youth, "Trash of the Pan Family? I thought you were dead."
The youth presented the token of the 12th mountain peak, which belonged to him.
"Here's the token. Where is my scroll?"
The deacon frowned for a moment as he inspected the token. Then, he glared at the youth. "Pan Mei, you have been disqualified for murdering one of the initiates. You cannot participate in this year's examination. Your status will automatically be demoted to a candidate."
"What if I have this?"
Pan Mei tossed another jade token, which belonged to one of the grand elders.
The deacon narrowed his eyes, "Grand Elder Xie's recommendation token?"
"A recommendation token can offset the punishment ban. Now, give me my scroll."
The deacon grudgingly warned him, "Keep this up, and you will live a short life. Don't forget that we have annulled the engagement between you and the princess! The trash of the declining family doesn't mean shit here!"
"Do you think I care when a dog barks? Give me the fucking scroll, or else."
"You'll regret this."
The deacon was from the Mu Clan. He hated both Miaomiao and this youth, but he didn't have the luxury to fight both of them here.
The deacon put the scroll on the table in front of him and called for another initiate.
Pan Mei grabbed his scroll and proceeded toward the grand hall.
He briefly opened the scroll to see his number and the instruction details.
[2,000]
He was ranked the last place.
Upon discovering that he was still in the last place, he laughed at it.
'The last laugh always wins. I want to see how Mu Gu and their grand elder reacts when they see my face again all all the trouble they gave me last year.'
…
Inside the grand hall, which was designated for initiates of the 12th peak, almost a hundred initiates gathered and waited for Sun Bin's instruction.
Miaomiao entered the hall and picked the corner of the room to stay. He leaned on the wall to wait for the next event. Also, he didn't forget to check the cultivation base of his rivals.
While Miaomiao was waiting, Pan Mei also entered the hall.
As soon as Pan Mei came, the initiates were in an uproar.
"I thought that wastrel is already dead. How come he is still alive?"
"Me, too. I thought he died during that mission. How did he survive?"
The gossip attracted the attention of Miaomiao. He found this development corny.
'A group of villains looking down on a lone cultivator? Why does this scene reek of a protagonist? I thought all protagonists were Xie Tian, Ma Moxi, Lu Fengxian, Meng Xin, and the guys that appeared in the other timelines. I don't remember this guy in the major events.'
Miaomiao sized up Pan Mei. Then, he was astonished.
Pan Mei was merely a nascent soul realm cultivator!
What was he doing here in the high-tier zone? He was supposed to be at least the 9th-stage or higher to compete against immortals.
Or, was he hiding his true cultivation base like other low-key protagonists?
As Miaomiao was checking on Pan Mei, Dion gave him a warning.
Ding
<Warning, detecting a Pangu Online 2 Alpha Test Player.>
<Please proceed with caution. Currently, the PVP mode is off. You cannot kill each other.>
"Tsk!"
Miaomiao clicked his tongue.
This explained a lot!
In the other timelines, Pangu Online 2 never showed up. It was first introduced here in his current timeline!
Which meant, this youth here was also a variable.
Miaomiao narrowed his eyes. He marked Pan Mei as the most dangerous individual here, and he planned to wait and see his stance on things.
If Pan Mei were tamable, Miaomiao would befriend him.
If not, he had to die!
If he was not a friend, then he was an enemy!
While Miaomiao had been glaring at Pan Mei, the latter also sensed Miaomiao's presence. He turned around and their eyes met.
Ding
<Scanning completed.>
<Would you like to view Pan Mei's Status Window?>
Miaomiao widened his eyes in astonishment.
'Can you appraise someone else's status?'
<Only Pangu Online 2 Players whose level is lower than you can be appraised. Currently, everybody's level is set to one, so all players can see each other's status!>
That was not good news. It meant that Pan Mei would be able to see Miaomiao's status, too!
As if Pan Mei had gotten the same message, he widened his eyes and stared at Miaomiao in astonishment and shock.
Miaomiao gritted his teeth, 'He's looking at my status. Can you hide it?'
<No.>
'Fuck! Welp, show me his status, so I can compare his strength with mine!'
<Affirmative.>
…
[Basic Information]
Name: Pan Mei
Race: War Seraphim
Cultivation Rank: 11th Stage (Transcendent Soul)
Potential Percentage: 78%
Role: Alpha Test Player
Title: Trash of the Pan Clan, Protagonist of the Primordial Age
Patron: Gaea
[Energy Pool]
Current Soul Essence: 500 Trillion Crystals
Dantian Capacity: 9 Stellar Stars, 35 Planets, 103 Planes
…
A wild protagonist really appeared!
Miaomiao was on the verge of going insane as his PTSD acted up. He didn't want to plot or scheme against a protagonist again!
'Motherfucker! Nine fucking stellar stars, War Seraphim Race, Gaea as a patron, and the same cultivation path. He's stronger than me, but his potential is lacking. His soul essence volume is also weak compared to my standard. Welp, it's still winnable, but it's going to be problematic.'
Miaomiao took a deep breath and kept being optimistic. He shook his head and averted his eyes, not wanting to associate with Pan Mei at the moment.
Unfortunately, Pan Mei walked straight toward Miaomiao.
"Hello."
Miaomiao tilted his head. His expression had "Are you serious?" written on his face.
Pan Mei wryly smiled, "Relax, I've come in peace."
"What do you want?" Miaomiao frowned at Pan Mei.
"I just want to say hello."
"Hello. And?"
"… You're not very friendly for an NPC. Well, you're an antagonist character, so I shouldn't expect much from you."
NPC?
Miaomiao inwardly grinned.
Since Pan Mei mistook Miaomiao as an NPC, he kept his mouth shut and let the former be the only talker.
"Sorry that I'm mumbling by myself. I'm just getting fed up by the NPC's cliché behavior. Oh, I have a gift for you."
Suddenly, Pan Mei brought out a big red pill and gave it to Miaomiao.
"This is a plane condensation pill. Please take it as a token of friendship."
Miaomiao stared at the red pill and Pan Mei's face. He slowly reached for it and took it.
"… Thanks."
Ding
<You have accepted a gift from a player. Please choose a reaction to the player.>
<How many impression stars or hatred stars will you give Player Pan Mei?>
'Impression Stars? Hatred Stars?'
<Impression Stars indicate a good impression from you toward the player. If you give him many stars, the player will receive a lot of bonuses to his status, and he can buy your items at a cheaper rate than usual. However, if you give him the hatred stars, you will inform him that you don't like him. The player will not get any bonus, but he might take action against you later.>
<Be warned. Once you give five stars of good impression to a player, you will not be able to attack him or her anymore. If you give a player 6 stars of good impression, the player may ask to marry you or ask you to be their sworn sibling and you will not be able to refuse!>
<Vice versa, if the hatred stars reach five, you and the player's relationship will be irreconcilable. Unless one of you permanently dies, the stars will not change. If you give a player 6 stars, a curse will befall on both you and the player, which will give permanent debuffs to status attributes.>
<Also, if the hatred stars reach seven, both you and the player will suffer from Heart Demon, and you can no longer advance to the next cultivation rank until one of you is permanently dead. However, killing high hatred-star players can reward you with abundant EXP, unique skills, and items.>
<Note: Sometimes, NPCs will give quests to other NPCs whenever a relationship between the players and NPCs is formed. Be wary of whom you befriend or make enemies with.>
'Hohoh?'
Miaomiao inwardly grinned.
This changed everything. It seemed that NPCs had the authority to dictate the boons and punishments that players could receive during the game.
Miaomiao, as the Antagonist NPC, could not afford to disappoint this honest alpha test player.
He immediately increased the impression star to one. For now, he decided to befriend this player.
Miaomiao didn't need to lift his hand to touch his system panel. He only commanded it with a thought.
Ding
Miaomiao couldn't see Pan Mei's system panels, but he seemed to be staring at a blank space in front of him. Obviously, he had been checking his system screen.
Pan Mei nodded in satisfaction. He reached out his hand to shake-hand with Miaomiao.
"I'm Pan Mei. What's your name, senior?"
Though reluctant, Miaomiao cupped his fist and saluted instead of shaking his hand, "Mao Miaomiao."
"By the way, do you hate this place?"
"Not really. Why?"
"Huh? But why are you the antagonist?"
"… What are you talking about?"
Pan Mei giggled and scratched his head in a playful manner. He changed the subject, "Umm, what was the universal line again? Oh, right. Is there something I can do for you? Do you have a quest for me?"
Miaomiao was amused.
'Does this idiot really think I'm an NPC?'
He coughed and role-played as a native of this world, "Not at the moment. I need to concentrate on passing the annual exam. Please excuse me."
"Oh, what a shame. But hey, if you need my help, be sure to look for me, okay?"
"Umm."
Miaomiao narrowed his mind, but he decided to add half an impression star to Pan Mei.
Now, it was 1.5 good impression stars.
Pan Mei's eyes glanced at something, and he smirked. He cupped his fist and bid farewell to Miaomiao, "Let's do our best, friend. Please excuse me."
"Umm."
Pan Mei walked away, but Miaomiao could still hear his complaint.
"Tsk! I thought I could get a racial quest from him. His race and skills are superior to mine! I lack a lot of seraphim racial skills!"
"…"
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