(He can see me?)

{I did not think this through.}

Sunwhisper was disappointed in himself. Of course, the official in charge of assigning rank would be one capable of seeing the flow of energy in a prospective candidate. Janna had covered her mouth with her hands, and from the look in her eyes it was obvious that she was about to panic. Sunwhisper met her gaze, and tried to convey a sense of calm. This was not her fault, he was the one with a genius level IQ, he should not have continued to make these kinds of mistakes.

In the future, he chided himself, you must do a better job of considering the consequences of your decisions. He vowed that he would, and he noticed that though the examiner was clearly shocked, he did not seem angry or afraid or as if he were about to take a martial stance. With a mental effort, he forced his body to relax.

"Is that bad?" He asked, trying for a mix of curiosity and apology, a humble student asking for correction.

His Aura of the Bleeding Heart technique was already at work.

"Bad?" The examiner closed his mouth, losing some of his tension. "It’s a very serious deviation, and extremely rare. How did this happen?"

Extremely rare meant that it did happen. That was very lucky. Various lies presented themselves, and Sunwhisper chose the one that would require the least elaboration.

"It is a birth defect."

"What? I haven’t ever heard of that." He rubbed his nose. "For a core to be broken in two, usually it is the result of a bad elixir taken by someone who isn’t channeling properly to begin with."

"My family did not understand it either. We are poor cultivators out of Fringe town, and we didn’t have access to many special elixirs. I was told that my mother was stung by a Hachi wasp when she was carrying me. Whatever the reason, I have done my best to overcome my deficiency."

"A wasp sting? That’s nonsense." The examiner’s eyes flashed purple again, and he looked more closely. "One of your cores is larger than the other, I’m sure you know that. Usually, when there is a split, the secondary core is shriveled and useless, but both of yours seem to be functioning. That is rarer than rare. Fringe Town, you say? The Guild will have to start sending representatives to the border to keep an eye on things. You’ve been allowed to advance too far without marking. From the size of your primary core, you should have earned your first star some time ago."

"Still, I am interested now." He stepped away from Sunwhisper, and his eyes returned to their natural hue. "You said you had a metal affinity, let’s see it. Show me a technique."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Sunwhisper eschewed his own spear for one of the swords on the rack. There was no need to flaunt the fact that he was carrying a unique weapon as well as an extra core. Whatever technique the examiner had used, it couldn’t be too precise, or else he would have realized that the cores he was seeing belonged to two separate cultivators instead of one. Then again, maybe that possibility would have been too impossible to accept, and his mind had simply provided him with the most reasonable explanation for what he saw.

Sunwhisper tested the weight of the sword, taking a few casual swipes to feel it out. Then he activated Lead Grasshopper Stance and made it to the highest pole in the obstacle course in a few quick hops. Some of the onlookers clapped politely, while others whispered about what they had heard the examiner exclaim.

Two cores? The crowd was growing. It couldn’t be helped.

Sunwhisper used Impurities Rejection to launch the sword into the platform. It shot straight as an arrow from his outstretched arm, punching a few inches into the treated wooden surface and remaining in place there, quivering.

"Not bad," the examiner said. "Is that everything?"

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Sunwhisper leapt back down, the crack of his landing so loud that it sounded like an attack, but it was merely the excess weight of his steel skeleton.

"Have I qualified for my first star?"

The examiner nodded. "You have, though your deviation is so severe, I’d like you to agree to see a guild physician. It would be for their benefit as much as yours, a case like this, it is the sort of thing that should be studied."

"I will certainly consider it," Sunwhisper said, "but I do not know how long we will be in Silk Flower." He bowed. "May I ask, what are the particulars of the test for a second star? Is it as simple as the first?"

The examiner nodded. "Don’t they know these things in Fringe? All the more reason for the guild to establish a presence there, especially if they are producing deviations like this. Yes, the only requirement for a second star is to demonstrate an Ascendancy technique. Judging from the quality of your primary core, you are not far away from that peak, but you will need a teacher. What about your mentor in Fringe, are they gold as well? It helps if the teacher shares your affinity, though it is not necessary."

(You want me to show him?)

"And what of the third star? What would I have to do?"

"Slow down, junior, you are as far from that mountain as Silk Flower is from Jade City. The third star test is more complicated, as you would have to demonstrate that you have developed a mana body.. An applicant must face a second star cultivator in single combat and defeat them without resorting to the use of their ascendancy technique.``

Then a third star cultivator was as strong as Xanthous Ascendancy made him when he was in battle, but they were that strong at all times. That was certainly something to think about.

{Show him, we want both stars.}

They activated Xanthous Ascendancy, and gold mana shone in Sunwshisper’s eyes, and shimmered in his hands. They were both well supplied from the days of processing Soma, and for the show of it, they took the obstacle course at a run and completed it in a matter of seconds.

This got a pleasant reaction from the crowd, but it got a bigger one from the examiner, whose jaw had dropped once again. When his mouth closed, it was to shift into a dour frown.

"You should have come to us long ago," he said, sternly.

Sunwhisper dropped to his knees, releasing Xanthous ascendancy and touching his forehead to the platform three times before responding.

"Forgive me, elder. I know that I should have come to be marked as soon as I learned an elemental technique, but I was ashamed of my broken core, and afraid that I would make a mistake, or harm myself in my training." A story came to him in a flash, the details filling in as he said them. "My advancement has been rapid since then, as I was given more Soma than a lowly deviant like myself was due. You have seen the marks on my sister, she stole the fruit, but I was the one to benefit. Without that, I would not be here before you, and I must earn these stars so I can better help repay what she owes."

The examiner, his eyes closed, rubbed his nose so vigorously that it seemed he would press it back into his face.

"Rapid advancement is possible under those circumstances. Regardless of your story, I will have to issue a fine in addition to the marking fee, as advancing beyond the first rank without being registered by the guild is an offense not taken lightly by this office." He stopped harassing his own face, then took a deep breath. "No matter, come inside. These voyeurs have had enough from you for today."

"One more thing, elder." Sunwhisper rose from his knees.

"What is it?" The examiner was beginning to look annoyed.

"My sister may be ready for her first star as well. Should she demonstrate?"

"No." He shook his head firmly. "She must repay her debt before she can be given rank."

The usher that had looked down on them before averted his gaze as he took them through another series of rooms in the guild house and handed the tablet with their information to a secretary behind a desk cluttered with scrolls and ink blocks.

"Congratulations," she said, without enthusiasm. "Your first star fee will be two thousand wan, the second star will be four thousand, and the fine will be five thousand. Would you like to pay with cash or bank card?"

Janna produced a wad of cash from her robes and counted out what was needed. She gave Sunwhisper a sheepish look, but he didn’t question her.

"I’m sorry," she said, "I didn’t realize he would look so closely. My brothers never talked about that part, just what they did to show their mastery."

"It wouldn’t have mattered to them," Sunwhisper said, "so I’m not surprised they didn’t mention it. In any case, he found an excuse for what he saw that was not the truth, and we learned from it. There is no reason to apologize."

It was nearly an hour before someone came for them.