"Yo! This tailless rabbit is pretty arrogant!" David Brooks shouted at him, making Samuel Thompson almost jump up in shock. The people beside him quickly held him back, urging, "Don't stoop to his level."

Standing next to David Brooks was his father and eighteen cultivators—going up now would just be asking for a beating, wouldn't it?

When it was Charles Johnson's turn, he glanced coolly at David Brooks and said, "Every backer will fall one day. Only your own strength is your true capital. Hmph!"

Charles Johnson stood before the sundial, shouted loudly, and pressed both palms heavily on the center, forcefully activating it. With a clatter, the stone rings spun rapidly. He managed to move four layers in one go, and the force kept spreading outward, finally bringing the fifth layer into motion as well—though the fifth layer spun slower than when Henry Carter did it earlier.

"Well done!" Samuel Thompson took the lead in cheering loudly. The county school’s teaching assistants quickly exchanged whispers—there were quite a few promising students this year, and they hoped to keep them all at the county school.

David Brooks said sarcastically, "Wow, this rabbit really cares about Charles Johnson—he's even happier than Charles Johnson himself. What's the deal with these two, anyway?"

Samuel Thompson blushed furiously and shouted, "I'm not a rabbit!"

Even James Brooks couldn't stand it anymore. He slapped him and scolded with a laugh, "Where do you even pick up all this nonsense?"

Charles Johnson came down and stood shoulder to shoulder with Samuel Thompson, saying coolly, "What skill is there in winning with words? Just don't embarrass yourself in front of the sundial later."

David Brooks just chuckled and said nothing, so Samuel Thompson and Charles Johnson naturally assumed he was feeling guilty.

No one particularly outstanding appeared in the following assessments. After about half an hour, it was finally David Brooks's turn. He went up with the remaining five youths, while Charles Johnson and Samuel Thompson stood aside, sneering and waiting for him to make a fool of himself. Besides them, David Brooks also felt another gaze. Turning around, he saw it was Henry Carter.

"Guess how many layers this loser can activate?"

"How many layers? You actually used the word 'many'? He'd be lucky to activate even one."

"Hahaha, you're right, brother. My wording was off."

David Brooks was quite frustrated—if it weren't for that peach tree, these bastards would have guessed right about him. Thinking back to the pitiful red glow of the Heaven-bestowed Divine Stone, he figured that even if he could activate the first layer of the sundial, it would probably spin very slowly. But now...

He calmed himself, cleared his mind, and placed his hands steadily on the center.

From afar, Mr. Miller gave James Brooks a subtle signal: Don't worry.

Clack, clack, clack... The sundial under James Brooks's hands began to turn, faster and faster—the first layer, the second, the third! The motion quickly spread to the third layer, and showed no sign of stopping.

"This is impossible!" Samuel Thompson cried out in shock as the sundial's motion smoothly reached the fourth layer. That ring sped up from slow to fast, quickly passing the force to the fifth layer, which was still spinning rapidly!

"Is there something wrong with the sundial?" Charles Johnson shouted in disbelief.

James Brooks looked at Mr. Miller in surprise. If this was arranged by the county school, it was a bit much!

But Mr. Miller was just as shocked—clearly, this wasn't their doing. The county school staff weren't stupid; if they arranged something like this, it would only make things more suspicious.

The fifth ring kept accelerating, and with a buzz, the motion passed to the sixth ring! David Brooks was already among the last group to take the entrance assessment, which meant he was the most talented of this batch!

"This, this, this..." Everyone was dumbfounded. The result was just too hard to accept.

In the stunned silence, someone suddenly said with ulterior motives, "Maybe there's something wrong with this sundial? Why not have him try again with the Heaven-bestowed Divine Stone?"

It was Charles Johnson who spoke.

Chapter 010: Entrance Assessment (Part 2)

James Brooks's expression changed. He snorted coldly, "Are you questioning the fairness of the county school?"

Even Mr. Miller's face darkened, and he narrowed his eyes, staring coldly at Charles Johnson. But after raising the issue, Charles Johnson quietly stepped aside and said nothing more. The other youths, already dissatisfied, were now riled up by his suggestion: "If there's no problem, why not dare to verify it with the Heaven-bestowed Divine Stone?"

"That ridiculous wastrel is just a good-for-nothing—he could activate six rings? If word got out, no one in Qidong County would believe it!"

"We don't accept this! The county school is unfair, tarnishing the academy's reputation!"

With the crowd in an uproar, James Brooks and Mr. Miller exchanged glances, both uncertain what to do. Mr. Miller knew the county school had indeed made some arrangements, but all he had planned was for David Brooks to spin two rings—just enough to pass.

But now David Brooks had managed to activate six rings in one go. He didn't know if David Brooks's bloodline had suddenly awakened, or if someone below had messed up. So now Mr. Miller was feeling very uneasy.

David Brooks stepped forward. "The Heaven-bestowed Divine Stone? No problem."

Hiding behind the crowd, Charles Johnson's expression changed slightly. David Brooks's calm and composure gave him a bad feeling: Could this useless guy really have awakened?