Astral Ascendant: My Goldfinger's Forte is Deception

Result Swap

"I'll go next!" Zhao Fao suddenly stepped forward.

He was curious to see what his talent evaluation would yield. He wasn't worried about getting a bad result because of a particular detail.

His Pure Spirit Essence Physique.

It was unawakened at the moment, but the system description stated that it raised one's aptitude to the peak.

Regardless of the result he got now, he could work on earning Spirit Cleansing Fruits to awaken his full potential later.

"Good! One's innate aptitude might be limited but the mind must never be. In the midst of setback, a bold mind makes the most powerful cultivator!"

The hooded figure nodded appreciatively as he made this comment. Zhao Fao was secretly speechless.

He wasn't stepping forward because he was resilient to the possibility of a setback...

Not that it mattered anyways.

Zhao Fao placed his hand on the black rock and felt a peculiar sensation fill his body.

It felt like.....he was touching a vibrating machine.

A subtle force invaded his body and made a round trip before returning to the black rock.

Zhao Fao closed his eyes involuntarily while the black rock changed colour.

It was a dark blue hue that was slightly brighter than Guo Meng's result.

"Third-grade talent, water element."

The principal announced the result without much change in expression.

Zhao Fao removed his hand without looking remotely disappointed.

"Even though your talent grade is average, your water element is a rare variation. This result is enough to apply to a few top universities."

The hooded figure gave his analysis but his tone wasn't harsh. Perhaps, he was impressed by Zhao Fao's stoic reaction.

Ling Xue and Su Jie glanced at each other.

At the end, Ling Xue went first and placed her hand on the stone.

Almost immediately, a blinding light appeared on it.

It was the same blue hue as Zhao Fao, but it was way brighter.

"Second-grade talent, water element!"

The principal's voice finally carried a trace of emotion.

He was really pleased...

This was the first second-grade talent the school had produced in years.

The hooded figure did not make a comment.

It was already good enough that the school's top talents reached this level.

As for the others who would be called for an assessment after this, he didn't have much hope.

It sounded dumb, but statistics had shown that the top talents of every school tended to rank among the top percentile of academic performance.

True talents were bound to possess higher comprehension and would therefore find theoretical education easy.

This was the logic behind the application tokens allocation.

Finally, it was Su Jie's turn.

He looked very nervous as he touched the slab.

Zhao Fao sneered secretly.

It was one thing to covertly manipulate one's way into the honour roll but it was another thing to pass the talent assessment.

The talent rock was unresponsive for a couple seconds after Su Jie touched it.

Everyone looked on patiently.

Eventually, it lit up in a very dull brown light.

Judging from the dim radiance, one could easily tell that it barely entered the fifth-grade talent rank.

Guo Meng's face suddenly lit up in ecstasy.

His result earlier had dealt a great blow to him. Seeing someone else get a lower grade brought him a malicious sense of relief.

However, just as his smile widened, his body suddenly stiffened.

So did the principal's.

So did Ling Xue's and the others present in the room.

Meanwhile, Zhao Fao felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere.

However, the feeling subsided almost instantly.

"Second-grade talent, water element!"

Zhao Fao's eyes suddenly widened in surprise.

By the desk, Su Jie was smiling happily as the principal chuckled happily and shook his hand.

On an impulse, Zhao Fao glanced at Ling Xue and asked, "What was your talent evaluation again?"

Her face darkened, but Guo Meng answered for her.

"Fifth-grade talent, earth element. To think such a trashy talent exists!"

Zhao Fao ignored the colorful expressions of the others in the room and his heart chilled. How could he not understand what just happened?

Somehow, Su Jie had switched the results of his and Ling Xue's talent assessment right before their eyes.

It seemed the memories of everyone present apart from Zhao Fao was tampered with, including the hooded figure.

Zhao Fao was especially wary because the teachers present were cultivators, although their levels were in the low stages.

What kind of system had the ability to manipulate the memories of cultivators without leaving a trace?

In hindsight, Zhao Fao even felt that his own Ultimate Deception System was a counterfeit. In comparison, whatever system Su Jie had was performing the true deception!

The system was silent. In due time....

"You always say this!" Zhao Fao mocked ruthlessly. "What's the use of having you?!"

The principal suddenly coughed, "You can take your leave now. Su Jie, you stay behind.."

"Yes, Principal."

The three students left the office. Zhao Fao glanced at Ling Xue's crestfallen expression and suddenly felt pity for her.

"It.. it's impossible. Father has tested my talent before and it was a second-grade talent, not the trash result I got!" She mumbled to herself over and over again like a crazy fellow.

"There's no use crying over spilled milk. If your talent is bad, it's bad!" Guo Meng was irritated.

Beside them, Zhao Fao's lips twitched heavily.

He wondered if Long Xue still maintained her original talent or if Su Jie's result swap actually exchanged their talents.

If the latter was the case, then Su Jie was truly a force to be feared.

He turned to the sobbing girl and suggested vaguely, "Ling Xue, you should probably try testing your talent again. Who knows, the result might be different!"

Ling Xue suddenly stopped crying. Indeed, she realized it was weird that she had different results. Perhaps, there was an error with the talent rock?

Zhao Fao remained silent until Su Jie returned to class and Miss Shao called the next batch of students for their talent assessments.

"The principal gave me a bunch of advice about the Spiritual District. I'll share them with you later!" Su Jie grinned as he took his seat.

"Thanks, dude!" Zhao Fao smiled warmly.

"It's alright, we're the same!" Su Jie smirked and suddenly lowered his voice so that only Zhao Fao could hear. "After all, an ordinary person wouldn't be unaffected by my event reset!"