Chapter 73: Retesting, Unknown Level

Breakfast was soon ready. Lin Xiao had contributed a great deal, which indeed made things much easier for Song Mingze. The remaining tasks were left to the staff such as Xu Qing.

Song Mingze was only responsible for cooking; everything else didn’t require his personal attention. After all, he was part of the nursing home staff, and he took charge of the meals simply because it was his passion.

Xu Qing couldn't hide the envy in her eyes when she saw Lin Xiao. She had been at the nursing home for quite some time and, though many elders had offered to teach her a skill, she simply lacked the talent. In the end, she could only study lightning abilities under the guidance of an elder specializing in that field. How could she compare to Lin Xiao, who was so favored by everyone?

No, there was no comparison at all!

Afterwards, the elderly residents arrived one after another for breakfast. Lin Xiao naturally ate a bit as well. Before long, Sun Zhiyuan found him again. Having taken a short nap earlier, Sun Zhiyuan needed Lin Xiao for other arrangements after breakfast.

Lin Xiao was paying close attention to the elderly’s reactions. Much of today’s breakfast had been prepared by him under Song Mingze’s guidance. At first, Lin Xiao was a bit anxious, worried that his cooking might not suit the elders’ tastes. But soon, his doubts were dispelled. So far, no one had noticed any difference in the flavors.

Song Mingze, on the other hand, remained calm. As soon as Lin Xiao finished cooking, Song Mingze tasted the dishes himself. With his masterful palate, he could discern subtle distinctions between Lin Xiao’s and his own cooking. But so what? This was Lin Xiao’s first attempt at making these dishes, and to achieve such results was already extraordinary.

After breakfast, Sun Zhiyuan took Lin Xiao away. Not only the two of them, but all other members of the nursing home also stayed after their meal. Only when the two set off did the others follow behind. This made Lin Xiao feel something unusual again.

Wasn’t he supposed to start learning new knowledge today? Even if he was to be instructed, why did so many people have to come along? Were they planning to teach him together? If that were the case, even if he were Superman, he wouldn’t be able to handle it all.

Sun Zhiyuan offered no explanation. Soon, the group arrived at their destination.

Lin Xiao quickly understood why all the elders had come along. Before him lay an unremarkable-looking stone. The moment he saw it, information about the stone surfaced in his mind.

This was an Awakening Stone. It had two purposes: one, to help those who had not awakened their abilities to do so; two, to test the power level of an awakened individual.

The moment Lin Xiao saw the Awakening Stone, he understood why everyone had come along. They must have learned that his ability had advanced and wanted to see what level it had reached. Lin Xiao himself was curious about this and wanted to know how strong his powers were now. In his opinion, he was at least at the A-level.

“Xiao Lin, go ahead. Inject your spiritual energy and let us see what level your ability is now.”

Lin Xiao nodded and stepped up to the Awakening Stone. Testing one’s ability was simple—just infuse your spiritual energy into the stone. There was a marked line on the stone indicating different levels; wherever the line stopped determined the grade of the ability.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Xiao placed his hand on the stone. He vaguely recalled the original host’s memories. The original host had hoped with all his heart to awaken a decent ability. After all, before him, Liu Ruyan had already been tested as an A-level, and to be worthy of her, his ability couldn’t be too weak.

Unfortunately, the original host had only awakened an F-level power, which had broken his heart for a long time.

As Lin Xiao poured his spiritual energy into the stone, he watched the marked line intently. To his surprise, no matter how wildly he injected energy, the mark didn’t budge at all.

What was going on? Could someone please tell him what had happened? Had his power not only failed to advance but actually downgraded? Was he now not even F-level?

The unusual scene caught the elders’ attention. None of those present were below level seven. They had already sensed the flux of spiritual energy from Lin Xiao and knew he was channeling it into the stone. Yet the Awakening Stone didn’t react at all.

“What’s going on? Is the stone broken?”

“I don’t know. I’ve lived a long time and never seen the Awakening Stone malfunction.”

“Then who can explain what’s happening right now?”

Sun Zhiyuan was nearest to Lin Xiao. Seeing Lin Xiao’s puzzled gaze, he was at a loss as well. He put his hand on the stone and injected a wisp of spiritual energy. The Awakening Stone immediately blazed with dazzling light; the mark climbed higher and higher, finally stopping at SS-level.

Only a hair’s breadth away from SSS-level, this indicated Sun Zhiyuan’s power was indeed at SS-level.

With a frown, Sun Zhiyuan realized that the Awakening Stone was not faulty.

“Kid, try again.”

Lin Xiao nodded, placing his hand on the stone once more, this time increasing the output of his spiritual energy. But it was useless. No matter how much energy he poured in, the stone remained unmoved.

After several attempts, Lin Xiao gave up and looked blankly at the elders.

“Would one of you, please explain what exactly is happening here?”

A hush fell over the group. These were the elite among the elite in Huaxia. Yet none of them had ever encountered such a situation.

Finally, a rather disheveled-looking man stepped forward. All eyes turned to him, waiting for his answer. Lin Xiao recognized him—Cao Bo, level eight, SS-level in the light element. His ability was formidable, but he cared little for cultivation, preferring to research other things. The weighted material Lin Xiao wore was his invention.

“This is the first time I’ve encountered something like this,” Cao Bo began. “But in my view, there are only two possible explanations. Xiao Lin says he feels his power has advanced, that his spiritual techniques are much stronger than before; previously, he was F-level, so we can rule out the possibility that his ability is now non-existent.

“The first possibility is that after leveling up, his ability mutated, rendering it undetectable to the Awakening Stone, so no rating can be given.

“The second is that Xiao Lin’s ability has surpassed SSS-level—in other words, exceeded the stone’s capacity to measure. Personally, I lean toward the first explanation; surpassing SSS-level is a bit too fantastical, and Xiao Lin’s spiritual techniques don’t seem to go beyond that range.”

With this reasoning, everyone present felt it was about right. They too believed Lin Xiao’s ability had mutated. It was a pity, though—they were all terribly curious about his actual level.

Lin Xiao accepted the result—what else could he do? Still, he didn’t like the way they put it. What if his ability truly was unprecedented and beyond SSS-level? They had said it was possible.

What if, indeed?