No matter how others think or criticize, it didn't matter—Auks was number one. From the first stage's 1299 points to the top spot in the second stage, it was an absolute reversal of fortunes.
Even if she used a method close to "cheating," who would still dare to call her a failure?
"Only fifteen minutes left in the exam. What's she doing in that cave? There are still ducks in there."
"Right, how long was her mimicry ability supposed to last again?"
People were discussing, while Blue Loqi curled his fingers slightly, silently thinking: Ten minutes.
Her mimicry lasted exactly ten minutes.
Every time she transformed into a duck, the time was precisely ten minutes, and Blue Loqi was certain of this because he had been paying attention from the start.
He had his suspicions.
He suspected that this mimicry was a secret technique.
"Secret techniques are high-level resources, requiring a knowledge body, and they must be activated with special materials. They are not reusable resources. Such knowledge bodies might be found in the Xie family, but they wouldn't give her one, and even if they did, it's not like she would be taught. She could have learned it from the academy, but she only just returned from a trash planet. She hasn't attended school. No junior high in Jingyang City would equip students with arcane knowledge bodies, unless they were students who had made enormous contributions in competitions or provincial exams. Xuan Yu had one before, but that doesn't apply to Auks."
If those possibilities were ruled out, then it must have been a backdoor in the exam—perhaps the education center had offered additional help to the underprivileged genius.
Blue Loqi, a noble by thought but working in government, had a certain understanding of the education department's thinking. Therefore, he speculated that Auks might have acquired this secret technique during the exam.
"However, if she gained it during the exam, secret knowledge bodies need time to be digested. Considering she only had about four hours in total, and the time she appeared in front of others was lengthy, it would leave no more than 20-40 minutes for her to grasp a secret technique. Could she really have grasped a secret technique, especially a rare one like mimicry, in that short span?"
The logic seemed sound, but it didn't make sense for Auks.
If she were that talented, why wouldn't the Xie family support her?
Blue Loqi understood the ruthless, profit-driven nature of Xie An. If something had value, the Xie family wouldn't care about background, so someone as smart as Auks should have revealed her talent early, prompting the family to cultivate her.
Yet, what did it seem like now? She was pretending to be incompetent, deliberately distancing herself from being seen as an illegitimate child, unwilling to be nurtured.
The gap between father and son was glaring.
Why?
The only thing left was to confirm whether Auks' mimicry ability was a secret technique.
Blue Loqi had a keen eye and wasn't easily deceived. After careful observation, he continued running calculations on his communicator: meditation aptitude score, estimated level, estimated training time, time and speed of casting level-one arcane spells, and mimicry duration.
Finally, the result was clear: Auks' mental strength must be over 10,000. Despite her performance, her mental strength was relatively low, but she had ample potions, and since she used level-one arcane spells throughout, with her mimicry, she didn't need to use extra mental energy. If the mimicry was a secret technique, her mental strength would likely last longer than ten minutes. Unless it was a skill with cooldown time, draining more mental energy, which would account for the ten-minute limit.
The combination of facts led him to conclude that the education department might have indeed offered extra help, but Auks' performance didn't fit the pattern.
At that moment, a call came through on his communicator, and Blue Loqi raised an eyebrow when he saw the number.
Looks like the message had already been relayed.
"How's your side? Got time to handle the little matters here?"
To Blue Loqi, it was no big deal. Even if Blue Bing lost some points, the overall rankings still had room for recovery in the third stage's practical dungeon.
As for Auks… even if she was a genius, she could still be dealt with. After all, she wasn't really a prodigy—her arcane aptitude was dragging her down, so there was no need to overestimate her.
He spoke to the other side, more concerned about their situation.
Blue Xuan Yu stood on the twenty-first floor of the Beiruk Education Center, looking out over the grand city. Through his eagle-eye vision, he spotted the dense crowd of exam candidates in the square below. His gaze was calm as he said, "Used a bit of my connections, it's settled. Just keep it quiet; let them think I'm still stuck in the family matters, so I can free up time for other things."
Blue Loqi immediately understood—Xuan Yu was preparing to deal with those secretly causing trouble.
Probably from the four major schools.
"Regarding your matters, I can't interfere. My department's position is too sensitive, but your brother's situation…"
He briefly mentioned the situation.
"Second Uncle, you've already cleared your doubts so easily?" Blue Xuan Yu's voice was indifferent, giving no hint of anger towards Auks.
His prudence and self-restraint were evidently far greater than his two brothers.
Blue Loqi lazily responded, "The most likely explanation among the many impossibilities. Isn't that the nature of analysis? But you're cautious, probably thinking of eliminating the root cause. However, others aren't fools, and the Xie family is definitely no fool. If they wanted him dead, it would be done. Otherwise, no chance."
If the green-blooded aristocrats were so easy to deal with, they wouldn't be worthy of their title.
Blue Xuan Yu: "Then let's leave him be for now."
He didn't seem too eager to eliminate him. For now, his focus was on dealing with the competitors.
The conversation ended there.
Blue Loqi hung up and glanced over at a nearby screen. He noticed that the countdown was ticking away, and the cave, still black and ominous, remained a focal point on several screens.
Something wasn't right. Numerous candidates seemed to be heading towards this cave simultaneously.
"Three areas, fan-shaped distribution, with this mountain at the center. It looks like most of the ducks have been wiped out by these candidates. The ducks can no longer respawn. The remaining points can only be earned by exploring the mountain."
"Look, they've found equipment and are dismantling it."
"It seems like Auks' sudden rise in points alerted them."
As the candidates continued their investigation, Blue Loqi couldn't help but watch intently, seeing a group of super scholars discussing their next steps. But in the shadows, Auks had already made her move.
In the darkness, she made sure not to draw attention, intentionally avoiding the floodlights. She ran quickly as the area around her plunged into complete blackness, hoping to escape detection.
The mimicry wasn't a first-level arcane spell and couldn't be used, so she ran. As for whether she could escape… that would depend on luck.
The cave contained several secret spaces, and she intended to grasp as much as she could. Time was too short, but she had to take advantage of this rare opportunity, much better than the Xie family could offer.
Minutes later, she left the cave, only to realize something was off. When she looked down, she bent to pick up something, causing a faint rustling sound.
What was it?
Feathers?
But the ducks were mechanical, and their materials weren't so delicate.
Her enhanced vision allowed her to see clearly—these feathers were different, and they contained intricate blood vessels, unlike mechanical constructs.
Thinking deeply, she burned the feathers with a small flame.
It wasn't the material of a mechanical construct; it was organic—biological feathers.
"Strange, which candidate grew feathers?" she muttered, unease creeping in.
Something wasn't right.
The situation around her had taken a disturbing turn.