After leaving the inn, Shui and Alicia headed straight for the Array Association. All the important buildings for the various prominent crafting professions were near the center of the city so they could reach the association with just a short walk. Those who frequented this region of Paraj possessed high status or plentiful resources, but Shui's pair still stood out. Shui had made great improvements in restraining his divinity and concealing his strength, so he looked an ordinary, albeit very charming, scholar, and Alicia was a playful beauty that stood out in a crowd. Those who recognized Alicia paid special attention to them.
Several took a step forward in attempts to start a conversation, but Alicia's secret guards sent a message to those persons with their intimidating aura. Of course, there were those with enough status or strength to force their way, but Shui didn't want to be delayed, so he subtly trapped them in an illusion long enough for the pair to move ahead. Thanks to this, it was a peaceful trip.
The Array Association headquarters was on a large estate with one tall pagoda and several smaller buildings, similar to the arrangement of a minor sect or academy. Usually you would have to show relevant ID or pay a fee to gain access to the premises, but Shui could enter freely with Alicia by his side. From the whispers of the ones who watched her as they walked by, Shui pieced together a decent picture of her background.
"Could that be?"
"I think so. ... from the Sphere clan."
"You mean the one that's famous for having experts in every field?"
"That's the one. ...for her to be here. I think her brother came as well."
"Is that the one beside her?"
"No. I don't know who he is, but he must have some high status too."
It wasn't much, but it allowed him to get a better idea about her. Although rare, it was possible for clans with strong foundations to produce several types of talents. In the same generation, it was possible that there would be a potential array master, forge master, a body cultivator and a spiritualist, but naturally the resources needed for any of these paths was no joke so only a wealthy clan would be able to support such a collection of talents.
Of course, if he really wanted to, Shui could find out much more than this, but he didn't see a point in showing that much interest. Even if fate caused their paths to intersect, he didn't think he would see her again after he left the city.
Little did he know, Alicia didn't plan to let fate decide the extent of their connection.
'I'm sure he's hearing what they're saying about me, yet he won't ask me anything. We've gotten closer since yesterday, but his guard is still high. I could probably ask for a favour using the information I gave him, but it would be best if he's willing to do 'that' of his own will. It's troublesome still, it's fun having to guess someone's thoughts like this.'
Once they went past the guards at the entrance, Shui wouldn't have minded if they parted there, but Alicia showed no sign of leaving.
'Well, I guess I might as well appreciate her help.'
If it wasn't for Alicia, Shui knew that he would have had much more trouble finding and entering this place, so he didn't try to push her away. The tall pagoda was where certification exams were held, in addition to important meetings among the executives of the Array Association. There were eight floors, separated based on the ranking of the array masters that could freely enter them. The first floor was for array masters of tiers 1-2, the second floor was for array masters of tier 3, while the third floor was for array grandmasters of tier 4, and so on.
Some would joke about the fact that the floors higher than the fifth floor hardly saw any use, but Array Lords were already figures of legend when Paraj was first established.
With Alicia's lead, Shui quickly reached the main examination room on the second floor of the pagoda. Since the exam wasn't for public eyes, only a few spectators could be spotted near the entrance. Those spectators glanced at Alicia and Shui, and after a nod of acknowledgement they went back to looking at the ongoing exam.
"Oh, it seems we made it in time for the finale," said Alicia.
As soon as they entered, Shui could quickly spot Emily. She had removed the hood of her cloak, so her adorable features were no longer hidden. He was always able to see through her concealment, but a smile still formed on his face as he thought of how much she had grown.
The array master certification exam was generally split into one written portion and two practical portions. The written test had posed no trouble, while the first practical test was about deciphering an array made by the examiner. With her skill-set, this was simple for Emily, and since one only needed to perform very well on two of the three portions to pass, she might as well have already received her certification. However, she, along with her fellow competitors, had no intention of taking it easy for the last stretch.
The next re-evaluation of the Alterna Array Master Minor Ranking was fast approaching, so these rising stars were eager for a chance to prove themselves worthy of the honour of participating. In fact, among the test takers were those who were already well known to have a high chance of making the initial list of candidates, and Emily pushed herself into that group with her astonishing results in the previous tests. At first, she was underestimated because she was the youngest in the group, but now she was a serious threat.
For the second practical exam, they needed to construct a tier 3 array in five hours. Usually, it was fine to try constructing an array that you weren't confident in as points were given for technical difficulty, but that wasn't an option for the elites in the group. If they wanted to be on the Minor Ranking, then they couldn't allow themselves to fail.
Some played on the safe side with an array that they were confident they could perfectly construct in a short time, while others chose the most difficult array in their arsenals. Emily was in the latter group and chose the array that her master had been famous for, the hundred mirror army array. It was an array that could produce clones with the same cultivation as the one who activated it. The clones would only possess the intelligence to process basic requests and the array had to be controlled by the one who activated it, but it was still an exceptional way of boosting one's quantitative advantage. This array was once used on a very large scale against a beast wave to delay the evolved beasts' onslaught, and that incident played a big role in her master Nikolai later getting a position on the Minor Ranking.
Besides its fame, this array was also the last one that her master was able to teach her, so Emily felt a sentimental attachment to it as well.
'Don't worry, master. I'll definitely make you proud as your disciple.'
The materials required for the hundred mirror army array were easy to find, but they were rather expensive, so Emily only had enough for one attempt. Usually, she would have no reason to worry, but in this critical setting, images of possible failures popped into her head.
'I have to do this right. I can't fail.'
Emily silently endured the pressure, not revealing a hint of distress to her competitors. They would have preferred to think that she was just going for an easy array, but one glance at the edge of her outline told them otherwise. As caution and fear brew in their hearts, one of them decided they had to make a move.