Chapter 31: A Blinding Spectacle

The crowd suddenly realized the truth: the seemingly kind-hearted Second Miss of the Xia family had never intended to help Ouyang Xiaoyue and her companion. She simply felt that the two of them were wasting her precious time.

Standing amidst the crowd, Ouyang Chenxi felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety. She longed to interject and tell everyone that Ouyang Xiaoyue was no waste, though in truth, she did not even know when Ouyang Xiaoyue had awakened her spiritual roots. More importantly, she was acutely aware that Ouyang Xiaoyue possessed an incredibly rare fire-attribute spiritual root. At the thought of this, Ouyang Chenxi burned with impatience; she desperately wanted to prevent Ouyang Xiaoyue from stepping forward to test her roots so easily. However, under the scrutiny of so many eyes, no matter how unwilling or helpless she felt, she dared not act rashly for fear of revealing her secret. Ouyang Chenxi clenched her teeth, struggling to suppress her emotions and maintain a calm facade, though her slightly trembling hands betrayed her inner turmoil.

"What are you standing there for? The two of you dragging your feet like this is just a waste of everyone's time! Whether you test now or later, aren't the results going to be the same—just a pair of useless trash?"

Seeing that Ouyang Xiaoyue and Ouyang Xiaofeng still had not ascended the high platform, the crowd began to stir. Some grew impatient, shouting constant urgings, while others, more hot-headed, even rolled up their sleeves, ready to shove them forward. Seeing this, Ouyang Xiaofeng flashed forward, rushed to Ouyang Xiaoyue’s side, and pulled her tightly into his arms to shield her. Like puppets, they were pushed by the crowd until they stumbled onto the stage.

Once they stood still, Ouyang Xiaofeng’s gaze involuntarily drifted toward the glowing crystal ball not far away. At the mere sight of it, a bone-chilling cold surged through him, spreading instantly throughout his body. He felt as though he had been plunged into an ice cellar, shivering and rigid. His thoughts drifted back to a year ago, in this very place, facing that same crystal ball—a nightmare playing out before his eyes once more. Back then, he had approached the test full of hope, only to be struck by the devastating news that his spiritual roots were ruined. From that moment on, he had fallen from a celebrated genius to a cast-off disgrace.

Today, as he stood once again upon the platform that had brought him such endless pain and humiliation, that suffocating sense of familiarity returned. It washed over him in waves, leaving him breathless; for a fleeting moment, he felt as if he might faint. He had naively believed that with the passage of time, he could face all of this with composure. Yet, reality ruthlessly shattered his final shred of hope, making him realize that those scars and that shame were branded deep within his soul, impossible to erase.

Just then, a cry of impatience came from below: "Are you going to test or not? If not, get down and stop wasting everyone’s time!" The disdain in the speaker’s voice was unconcealed, followed immediately by a chorus of mocking agreement. These voices struck Ouyang Xiaofeng’s heart like sharp blades.

Suddenly, to everyone's astonishment, the petite figure who had been standing silently beside Ouyang Xiaofeng stepped forward without hesitation, heading straight for the crystal ball. Ouyang Xiaofeng was startled and reached out to pull her back, but it was too late. In the blink of an eye, she had reached the sphere with the speed of a gust of wind.

Ouyang Xiaoyue closed her eyes slightly, entering a state of complete self-oblivion. Guided by memories deep within her mind, she concentrated, channeling the spiritual energy hidden in her dantian and carefully gathering it into the palm of her hand.

"Oh ho, so she really dares to test? It seems the Fourth Miss of the Ouyang family truly grows braver with every setback!" a voice filled with contempt and mockery rang out from the crowd.

However, the unexpected happened. In the next second, a dazzling, brilliant light erupted like lightning from the central spiritual pillar. The radiance was magnificent, like the brightest star in the night sky, radiating a powerful spiritual force that was impossible to ignore or deny.