The examination registration hall was a storm contained within walls.
Voices overlapped in waves, silk brushing against silk, heels striking polished marble, The ceiling arched high above, carved with elegant patterns that glowed faintly with stabilizing arrays, barely containing the sheer volume of energy gathered in one place.
It was crowded.
Women filled the hall, Powerful auras, refined appearances, cultivated postures. Some stood confidently alone, their expressions cool and self-assured. Others arrived flanked by family members, personal guards, or carefully dressed male companions, concubines, betrothed, younger brothers acting as escorts.
Jewelry shimmered beneath the light, Perfumes mingled in the air, sweet and sharp and intoxicating.
This was not merely an examination registration.
It was a display.
A marketplace of talent.
A silent battlefield where reputations were measured long before the exam even began.
Near the far end of the hall, away from the main registration counters, in a quiet corner partially shielded by a decorative pillar, sat a girl with long white hair.
Her skin was fair, almost luminous under the overhead glow. Her features were delicately shaped, sharp enough to be striking, soft enough to be disarming. Her lips curved naturally, as though she carried the faintest suggestion of a smile even when she wasn't smiling at all, She sat straight-backed, composed as she observes people or rather, her opponents. To anyone glancing casually, she looked calm.
But inside, her thoughts moved steadily, It felt strange being here, stranger than she expected.
Scarlett felt as though she was seeing the world again for the first time.
How long had she been inside her cultivation space? True she knew it was overly just two days, but subjectively…It felt longer.
The silence of cultivation had stretched time thin. The focus, the breakthrough, each moment carved deeper into her perception. Stepping back into a crowded hall filled with noise and perfume and ambition felt like emerging from underwater.
Her fingers rested lightly on her lap.
Her current strength pulsed quietly within her, steady and obedient.
She was already becoming addicted to it. The way mana responded to her will more smoothly than before.
If this was what even a small advancement felt like…
How strong would she have to be to step onto the First Continent?
The thought sent a flicker of anticipation through her chest.
She couldn't wait, but she also knew she couldn't rush this, step by step they say, and consolidating one's foundation is always best for cultivators, or so she read.
That was what every cultivation text emphasized, a rushed foundation crumbled, a solid one endured.
She had read enough to know impatience ruined more geniuses than lack of talent ever did.
Scarlett's gaze drifted across the hall again. they was no familiar faces, nothing from the previous Scarlett's memory and it seems no one recognized her as well.
Good, at least she doesn't have to pretend to anyone, it seems no one will pay attention.
Or so she thought.
In reality, eyes had already settled on her.
Some noticed her cultivation aura, subtle, but not weak. They marked her silently as someone to watch.
Others noticed her appearance.
White hair.
Composed posture.
Sitting alone, detached.
Show-off.
Attention seeker.
Arrogant.
Labels formed quickly in crowded rooms.
Scarlett remained unaware.
She shifted slightly, adjusting her sleeve.
"Move."
The voice was sharp.
Hissed rather than spoken.
Scarlett blinked and looked up.
Two young women stood in front of her, Expensively dressed. Confident and looked…annoyed?
Scarlett glanced around herself.
No one stood behind her.
"Me?" she asked, genuinely surprised.
A second girl snorted loudly.
"Wow," she said, folding her arms. "Not only is she a show-off, she's also dumb."
The surrounding space reacted instantly.
People shifted, Stepping back and created distance.
No one wanted to be caught in the middle of a conflict, especially not when it has to do with the Caesar family, which was already quietly circulating through whispers.
Scarlett's brows knit faintly.
Show-off?
She had been sitting here, doing nothing.
"Aren't those two from the Caesar family? How did she offend them?" someone whispered nearby.
"She's finished," another murmured.
Others snickered.
"Serves her right," a voice muttered. "Who told her to offend them?"
A different girl frowned. "How is she at fault? She's been sitting there since we came in."
One tuts, don't mind him, he's one of the fan of the fourth miss of the Caesar's family, what else would you expect
The accused young man flushed red but lifted his chin stubbornly.
"What do you know?" he snapped. "Miss Diana would never hurt someone innocent. She's gentle and talented. Do you think she would lower herself to bully some random weakling? It's just her friends fighting for her, who knows the evil this one might have done"
He pointed subtly at Scarlett.
"Look at her. It's obvious she spends more time trying to look pretty than improving her strength. Weak and evil minded."
The words spread.
Some nodded in agreement.
Some grimaced in distaste.
Some simply watched with open curiosity.
The hall divided naturally.
Supporters. Critics. Spectators and Neutral observers who wanted entertainment without involvement.
Scarlett sat very still.
Her confusion deepened.
She did not remember offending anyone or being evil to anyone. Evil? Isn't that word too strong?
Her mind sifted quickly for a quick search but no memory of this two or even their miss surfaced.
She looked at the girl in front of her again.
"I should move? Why?" she asked quietly. It was obvious this two was causing issues with her for no reason.
She looked around her, even if the hall was crowded there was still enough space if they truly wanted to seat, so why ask her to move, was this the legendary troublesome girls? Isn't this too early? She haven't even interacted with anyone yet
"Why should you move? Are you always this dumb" the first girl snapped.
Scarlett's expression remained composed. It was a face that could easily be mistaken for arrogance.
The girl leaned closer. "You dare sit in our designated space and act clueless?"
Some people became confused, designed space? They all looked at the 'designated' space…
Scarlett also glanced at the marble floor.
There were no markings.
No signs.
No labels claiming territory.
"I wasn't aware seats could be owned," she replied honestly.
A ripple went through the crowd.
Some suppressed laughter.
Others looked alarmed.
The first girl's face darkened.
"You have some nerve."
Scarlett tilted her head slightly.
She wasn't trying to provoke.
She genuinely didn't understand.
The second girl countered "…but you saw Diana standing for so long close to you and you refused to move for her to sit, even when you knew she has a weak constitution, people like you are truly heartless"
Everyone nods, while looking at Scarlett
"See, I told you she was evil minded" the die hard fan snickered "who doesn't know Miss Diana has a weak constitution" he continued…
Diana? Weak constitution? How does this even concern her? Scarlett was perplexed, she looked at the supposed weak Diana who looks to be in the peak of core refinement stage but they said she has a weak constitution, something she can't even see, look at her rosy cheeks and full face that looks super healthy.
Sigh… Kids, she feels too old to argue with them, she was about ninety in her previous life and even though she's about thirteen to fourteen now she's still their elder by soul and that's old enough, so she'll pass…
Scarlett exhaled slowly.
If this was the level of conflict before the exam even began…
This semester would not be quiet because this seems to be a normal accordance here, looking at how everyone was watching with interest in their eyes, even when it was obvious to dumb people that this doesn't even make sense
She simply looked up at the girl calmly.
"If you want the seat," she said softly, "you can have it."
Gasps followed.
Some interpreted it as surrender.
Others as mockery.
The girl hesitated, this was not what she expected, Scarlett stood smoothly, movements graceful but unhurried, she stepped aside, her eyes briefly swept across the crowd again and stopped on Diana, who flinched but walked up quickly while flanked by blinging young men and huge women.
Scarlett doesn't look surprised of the huge looking women, she already saw the hulk woman during her last visit to the examination center, these women looks smaller compared to the female hulk.