Chapter 4: 04: Does Talking Count As Golddigging?

Lin Songmei then had to pause her conversation with Yan Mingqing, receiving a small name tag that had her name along with her number on it. It wasn’t a hard process, just giving the staff their name and letting them scroll through a list on their fancy device. Then, they’d print it right then and there and hand it to them. 

However, with her name tag, and Yan Mingqing also having her name tag, Songmei had a million questions running through her mind. Why was she here? Why was the second child of the famous Kunpeng clan talking to her? A direct descendent too! 

And... if Mingqing didn’t have that lonely edge that poked its head out in her voice every little bit, Songmei would’ve run away in a heartbeat, relocating to the other side of the world if possible, or more likely, the other side of the auditorium. 

A quick look revealed the people around them were still talking and chatting, absorbed in their own worlds of nervousness or excitement. So, without worry about being discovered, Songmei began to whisper her questions to Mingqing who was sitting there wondering if she shouldn’t have revealed her identity. 

Meticulous with her words, Songmei knew that if she said something offensive or stupid, her future would be bleak at best and fast track to an incinerator at worst... 

“So... why me? And... why don’t you get to talk to a lot of people in general? And... that Kunpeng clan? The really big one everyone probably thinks of?”

“Well, my gut told me that you were a cool person! And since it was a shame no one else seemed to know, I decided to come up to you,” Mingqing began, scooting over so that she was sitting next to Songmei against the wall, “I don’t get to talk to many people because... for a few reasons... And yes I am from that Kunpeng clan you’re thinking of, the Kunpeng that can be both a massive bird and massive fish, the one related to the ocean and stuff.” 

Even though she had known about it before, hearing Mingqing confirm it sent a waterfall of shivers running down Songmei’s spine, what was she supposed to do? She was just an orphan who had practically given herself carpal tunnel syndrome the night before... 

Shaking her head and dispelling her anxieties, Songmei did her best to keep the conversation going as the sun began to shine through the transparent high ceiling, “Well, nice to meet you! Uhm... why are you here? And like... why aren’t there any media people then? Wouldn’t they swarm over you, especially with how famous your brother is?” 

“Ahh... I pretty much snuck out with my parents' help,” Mingqing shrugged, a carefree sigh escaping her mouth, “I don’t like the expectations and eyes that are all around high-society. Although I probably have a talent for cultivation, and a pretty good one too, on the off chance I’m one of those born into a cultivator family that has no talent at all, I’d rather find out like this than with the media around.” 

Opening her mouth to reply, Songmei’s eardrums were once again destroyed by a staff member, she couldn’t help but feel... Did the world have something against her and her hearing capabilities? Like... Why her hearing specifically...?

The message, which was displayed on a large screen as well as being repeated by the staff member at the microphone several times led to a fair amount of people standing up and making their way through the semi-crowded auditorium.

[EVERYONE WITH THE NUMBER 1-100, PLEASE REPORT TO ONE OF THE TESTING HALLS! FIRST TWENTY TO THE FIRST HALL, SECOND TWENTY TO THE SECOND HALL AND SO ON.]

Looking down, Songmei saw that her own number was in the hundreds, while Mingqing’s was in the two-hundreds.

“How long do you think this’ll take?” 

“A while...” Mingqing sighed, her bubbly attitude fading a touch, “I asked my mother and she said they need to record a lot of things, so it takes the whole day to get through the 500-ish people here...” 

“I see... Well, good luck with the test, though... it seems we’ll have a while before our turns. Anything you want to talk about?” 

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And so, as a steamy, warm breakfast was being served to one section of the auditorium at a time, Songmei and Mingqing, two girls from separate ends of society began to talk, getting to know each other. As they talked, they transitioned from topic to topic, letting down their guards as they’d never see each other again after the day was over. 

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[101-200, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO YOUR DESIGNATED TEST HALLS. FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE PROVIDED AT THE HALL.]

Giving Mingqing a small wave, Songmei made her way through the groups of people walking into the second corridor. 

However, even with an official number, 135, Songmei still couldn’t help but feel a little out of place. Everyone else was wearing formal clothing, the most expensive, ornate outfits they had. Yet, here Songmei was, in a pair of pants given to everyone in the orphanage and a cute jacket she had bought with some spare change she had saved up.

Getting in line between 134 and 136, Songmei suppressed the shame she was feeling, staring out the window beside her. 

Outside the window, consistent with anywhere affiliated with cultivators, was lavish. An immaculate garden trimmed to perfection with a small, empty gazebo in the middle. 

‘This place is so rich you could probably announce the richest people in the world and that gazebo would place first…’

Beginning to move forward as a staff member motioned for them to, Songmei was once again faced with a video projection of the loud cultivator that read out the opening statement. 

“Hi everyone! I want to say, congrats on the big day! I hope one day I’ll be able to fight alongside some of you!”

Letting out a small, inaudible sigh under her breath, Songmei had to suppress the urge to say ”as if.” If she got even a smidge of talent, she wasn’t going to cultivate to fight off the big evil demons, instead, she’d go fight off her urge to become a potato. 

But, Songmei couldn’t lose herself in her thoughts for long as the recording continued after a short pause. 

“So... the test isn’t too complicated on your end. For you, it’ll just be pressing your hand against a crystal orb. The crystal orb is quite special you see, it’ll display what quality of spiritual root you have, along with any special constitution you might have.” 

“Sadly, for some confidentiality reasons, we ask everyone to not share anything about their results. These could decide your future after all...” 

“No need to worry about the measurements themselves! They may seem mystical and mysterious, but everyone will be categorized into a list, then based on your position, different sects may reach out to you, either to offer you a direct position, or a chance to take their sect entrance test.” 

“With that... Good luck everyone! May the heavens smile upon you!”