Chapter 491: Autumn Stream Rain's Mistake

Chapter 491: Autumn Stream Rain's Mistake

November 16, 2024

Many middle-aged and elderly participants had struggled to secure good positions for the examination.

But now, it seemed their efforts were in vain, as they still failed.

Ten assessors simultaneously inspected the formations, and out of the ten, only two managed to function properly.

Moving on to the next group, three people's formations were functioning as intended.

In the following three or four groups, three or even four people managed to pass.

Overall, about three out of ten formation masters who participated in the examination were able to pass.

With over two hundred participants, only around seventy were likely to pass this test.

Those who failed had dejected and disheartened expressions on their faces.

The assessment continued, and the assessor, You Mingshan, reached Autumn Stream Rain's formation.

She still had some confidence.

Seeing You Mingshan, her expression remained unchanged.

You Mingshan glanced at her and asked softly, "Are you from the Qiu family?"

"I'm Autumn Stream Rain from the Qiu family."

"I've heard your name several times, and this is the first time I've met you."

You Mingshan smiled, indicating that Autumn Stream Rain had gained some fame.

Autumn Stream Rain bowed to him and introduced herself.

Su Chen had only guessed this before, but now he was certain.

"The Qiu family indeed produces many talented individuals. I hope you won't fall behind them."

After speaking, You Mingshan reached out to touch the bramble formation she had set up.

Initially, the formation seemed to function normally.

However, in just a moment, the entire bramble formation lost its essence, and its effects vanished.

As Su Chen had said, there was an issue with Autumn Stream Rain's formation.

She had claimed to have her reasons for the setup, but now it seemed like she was just making excuses.

Seeing this, You Mingshan, the assessor, was momentarily stunned.

Autumn Stream Rain, the one who set up the formation, was also taken aback.

She believed that this formation was flawless.

But self-assurance meant nothing if the formation didn't work.

If the formation failed, it simply failed.

You Mingshan could only smile helplessly.

"There's still a chance. Think carefully about where the problem lies.

When you correct it later, it will still count as a pass."

He didn't waste any more time on Autumn Stream Rain's formation.

Next was Su Chen's formation.

As he approached Su Chen's formation, You Mingshan unconsciously shook his head.

This bramble formation was significantly different from what he had expected.

In You Mingshan's eyes, this formation appeared incomplete.

He couldn't comprehend the arrangement of the array patterns at all.

Setting up a formation like this would most likely result in failure.

Even without considering the effectiveness of the bramble formation, it was unlikely to function normally.

Without hesitation, You Mingshan reached out and touched Su Chen's bramble formation.

Setting up a formation successfully in such rugged terrain was indeed more challenging.

Therefore, You Mingshan felt it was a pity that Autumn Stream Rain had failed.

In his opinion, Autumn Stream Rain's abilities were already sufficient.

This failure had significant external factors.

As he touched Su Chen's formation, his mind was still pondering these thoughts.

Suddenly, intense pain caused You Mingshan to quickly retract his hand.

He had encountered two successful bramble formations earlier.

But none of them caused such pain.

Su Chen's bramble formation caused him genuine pain upon contact.

His reaction drew the attention of many onlookers.

Autumn Stream Rain, standing nearby, also glanced at You Mingshan.

A moment later, she unconsciously looked at Su Chen.

You Mingshan coughed awkwardly a few times before reaching into the formation again.

This time, prepared, he could endure the pain.

He maintained his composure and didn't want to appear foolish.

After multiple confirmations, You Mingshan finally concluded.

Su Chen's bramble formation not only functioned normally but also had greater power than those set up by other formation masters.

Ordinary eighth-rank formation masters would struggle to set up such a bramble formation.

Even You Mingshan, a Transcendent Expert, felt the pain intensely.

Others had bramble formations made of shrubs, but Su Chen's seemed like they were forged from mysterious iron.

You Mingshan paused for a while before speaking again.

"Not bad. Although the concept seems problematic, this bramble formation is functioning.

Its defensive effect is also exceptional.

Su Xiaoyou has passed the first stage of the examination.

However, you should reconsider the concept behind your formation setup.

Be more focused during the second stage of the examination. If you pass the eighth-rank examination this year, it will be even better for you.

Of course, if you don't succeed, don't be discouraged.

You will definitely pass next year. Your technique is already quite skilled."

You Mingshan encouraged Su Chen for passing the test.

Su Chen bowed to him in gratitude.

The Thorn Array assessment was still ongoing.

The passing rate remained at around thirty percent.

Within half a chime, over two hundred Thorn Arrays were tested, and all of them had been assessed.

In total, sixty-five arrays were able to function.

Calculating the success rate, it seemed to be less than thirty percent.

One of the Array Alliance's assessors stepped forward and announced the results of the first assessment.

After announcing the results, it was time to rectify the mistakes.

"Although there's only two chimes' time, everyone must carefully examine their arrays and make corrections if needed."

"Don't make excessive changes, or you might create even bigger problems than before."

"You may begin now."

Over a hundred people who had failed rushed forward.

They rechecked their Thorn Arrays once more.

However, with arrays, it was genuinely challenging to identify issues when errors occurred midway.

Moreover, with only two chimes' time, it was too difficult to rectify the mistakes.

Qiuxiyu stood before her Thorn Array, but the initial confidence she had was now gone.

The array, which she had thought was flawless, was now malfunctioning.

With only two chimes' time, there was no way to thoroughly inspect it.

Qiuxiyu, the young genius of the Qiu Clan in array formations, had failed the first stage of the eighth-rank assessment.

As she regained her focus, Qiuxiyu glanced at Su Chen.

She seemed to recall something.

She turned her gaze to the right side of her Thorn Array.

After a meticulous inspection, the array pattern indeed showed signs of collapse.

The entire Thorn Array became completely dysfunctional due to the collapse in that area.

Qiuxiyu didn't hesitate and immediately began to repair the collapsed array pattern.

Although repairing the collapsed pattern would undoubtedly affect the array's performance and longevity, it was at least functional.

Within two chimes, Qiuxiyu finally completed the restoration of her Thorn Array.

As self-verification was not allowed, Qiuxiyu could only step back.

The other assessors checked it once more.

This inspection was much faster.

The assessor from the Array Alliance directly reached out and walked through one Thorn Array after another.

As they had expected, almost none of the arrays showed any effect.

When they reached Qiuxiyu's array, the assessor finally smiled.

"Good, good. Finally, one array that can be corrected."

Out of over a hundred failed Thorn Arrays, only Qiuxiyu managed to achieve this result.

Seeing her array functioning normally, Qiuxiyu felt delighted.

However, she didn't experience that sense of satisfaction.

Unconsciously, her gaze shifted towards Su Chen.

She hadn't heeded Su Chen's words earlier, which led to the failure of her Thorn Array.

Now that it was functioning, it was because she had recalled Su Chen's guidance.

The Thorn Array was intricate and tedious.

As the one who had set up the array, she herself wasn't sure about the issues within it.

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But Su Chen was right there, observing for a moment.

Recalling her initial attitude, Qiuxiyu felt embarrassed and somewhat guilty.

Someone had kindly offered advice, yet she had been so arrogant.

There was no need to mention her arrogance.

It was precisely because of her arrogance that problems arose later, and she had to rely on others' guidance to resolve them.

Soon, the seniors of the Array Alliance publicly announced those who had passed the first stage of the assessment.

Including Qiuxiyu, there were sixty-six people in total.

Among them, only Qiuxiyu managed to adjust her array correctly.

The difficulty of the eighth-rank array master assessment is evident,"

Most people couldn't even pass the first stage.

Out of the two hundred participants, only sixty-six passed.

Many had taken the assessment five or even six times but still failed.

Eighth-rank array masters without talent truly struggled.

Su Chen finally understood why so many people felt jealous when they heard You Mingshan's evaluation of him.

For many, becoming an eighth-rank array master was a lifelong goal.

Obtaining an eighth-rank rating meant a smooth and worry-free life with a high status.

When You Mingshan said that Su Chen could definitely be promoted to the eighth rank, others naturally envied him.

The first stage of the assessment was completed, and the names of those who passed were announced.

The day's process wasn't over yet.

Next, the non-functional arrays of those who failed would be adjusted by the Array Alliance's array masters.

By doing so, a potential hazard in that location would be eliminated.

Every year, the Array Alliance would resolve some border hazards through this method.

The assessment combined with practical application, ensuring no waste.

During the adjustment, those who had taken the assessment would observe the issues with their arrays.

They would understand where they had failed and why the arrays were challenging to operate.

Through this opportunity, the array masters of the Array Alliance would clarify their doubts.

Su Chen stood on the periphery, observing.

The majority of the array masters' failures were due to a common reason, which Su Chen didn't bother to examine further.

The wait was rather tedious.

A figure approached him.

Su Chen turned around and saw Qiu Xiuyu from the Qiu Clan.

"Thank you."

Qiu Xiuyu was aware that she had passed the first stage of the examination, all thanks to Su Chen's timely reminder.

For her to identify the issues within two or three hours was indeed swift.

"It's nothing, you have a solid foundation. Otherwise, you wouldn't have known where the problem lies, let alone fix it," Su Chen replied, not taking credit for himself.

The Qiu Xiuyu before him was very polite, and her eyes expressed gratitude.

"I'm Qiu Xiuyu, twenty-four years old. May I know your name?"

"Su Xing, a little older than you," Su Chen replied with a nod.

Qiu Xiuyu nodded, and her eyes now held a hint of seriousness.

"Thank you, Su Shixiong, for your guidance. If there's anything I can assist you with, please let me know."

The seriousness in her eyes seemed to imply that if she didn't help, she would be consumed by her own guilt.

Recalling the past, after he had helped Qiu Ruoshang, she had been determined to return the favor.

Various pills were continuously sent to him as a gesture of gratitude.

Perhaps at this very moment, Qiu Ruoshang was already preparing the resources he needed to break through to the Transcendent Realm.

The Qiu Clan members were indeed quite trustworthy in this regard.

Su Chen nodded, indicating that he would ask for her assistance.

After saying what she wanted to say, Qiu Xiuyu didn't leave Su Chen's side.

Instead, she initiated a discussion with Su Chen about the arrays set up by others.

As Su Chen and Qiu Xiuyu conversed, he pointed out the flaws in the arrays set up by others.

However, this exchange left Qiu Xiuyu somewhat perplexed.

Many of Su Chen's opinions seemed incorrect to her, and some of the critical points he mentioned were considered major misconceptions when she first studied arrays.

Perhaps because Su Chen had helped her, Qiu Xiuyu felt that something was amiss but didn't directly refute him.

Instead, she subtly and indirectly reminded Su Chen.

Su Chen listened to her reminders without arguing.

But as their conversation progressed, Qiu Xiuyu became increasingly convinced that Su Chen's understanding of array techniques was flawed.

There were simply too many mistakes.

Yet, despite the errors, Su Chen's array still functioned.

The terrain where he set up his array was rugged and uneven.

Nevertheless, it was successfully deployed.

Qiu Xiuyu's mind was filled with doubts, but due to her inferior performance compared to Su Chen, she felt hesitant to voice her skepticism.

The process of adjusting the arrays took some time.

With over a hundred flawed arrays, even by nightfall, they had only managed to adjust half of them.

The ones making the adjustments were top-notch array masters from the Array Alliance.

People like You Mingshan were sixth-rank array masters.

However, even they couldn't adjust the arrays much faster.

Their demonstrated speed left Qiu Xiuyu even more puzzled.

When she and Su Chen were discussing, Su Chen only glanced at the thorn array for a few moments before pinpointing its issue.

Yet, the array master from the Array Alliance spent a full quarter of an hour before identifying the problem.

Su Chen's displayed abilities and understanding of arrays seemed somewhat inconsistent.

At the end of the day, the sky darkened completely.

The examination for the day concluded, and the unadjusted arrays would be completed the following day.

Everyone returned to their camps to rest, and they would come back the next day to finish adjusting the arrays before continuing with the second stage of the examination.

Su Chen also returned directly to the camp.

At the camp, various meals had already been prepared.

A total of sixty-six array masters passed the first stage of the examination today.

Although there was still one more stage of the examination, many forces had already started recruiting within the camp.

After passing the eighth-rank examination, the value of array masters would undoubtedly skyrocket.

At this time, various forces were betting on their potential.

If they passed the examination, these forces would gain an advantage.

If they failed, it would be a loss for these forces.

To put it bluntly, it was a gamble.

Su Chen didn't accept any invitations or even engage in conversations with these forces.

After eating, he went to rest on his own.

Qiu Xiuyu, on the other hand, returned to the camp with her clan's elders.

On the way back, the Qiu Clan elders were clearly dissatisfied with Qiu Xiuyu's performance.

They kept questioning her, even demanding to know every detail of the process.

"Aunt, I've already told you everything. It was just a momentary oversight," Qiu Xiuyu replied.

The person Qiu Xiuyu referred to as Aunt was named Qiu Yinan.

Although she still had doubts, her tone towards Qiu Xiuyu remained gentle.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end