Naath and all of the others followed senior Zhen behind a set of curtains and into a private back section of the stage. This back area was just a large open space with various equipment here and there. However, a small wooden room that was clearly recently constructed stood out. The small room was roughly 20 feet across either way and looked like it could fit no more than 6 or seven people comfortably. Senior Zhen spoke up again saying “the other examiners and I will be in this room and will examine everyone as they attempt to comprehend the skill.

You all will come in the same order as you have or would have taken the test of courage earlier. We will call you one by one as a single person finishes and they will be sent out directly via the door if they failed. However, if you pass, you will be sent out through a spatial formation directly to a place in the sect where people will be waiting to guide you. Now then as soon as I go in this room the first person should follow behind me.” With that senior Zhen turned away from everyone and walked into this small room. The first person in the line also went inside the room.

After they walked in the tension was palpable, everyone felt a lingering nervousness about this test. The prior tests they were confident in being able to pass, however, martial skills were few and far between. This was especially so for everyone here, this was after all only the lowest 12th grade sect. The wealthy families and groups who could pass down martial skills to their descendants all went to at least 10th grade sects. That meant that nobody here had actually studied martial skills before.

After an hour finally passed the first person that had entered the room left with a dazed and dejected expression. He was dazed and disoriented from having a portion of his memories erased. He was dejected because of the fact that he had failed the final test. This only made the tension in the room grow even more, the person now at the front of the line and next to go in was almost visibly sweating from the pressure he felt. “Next.” Senior Zhen’s voice came from inside of the room. The second person in the line slowly walked into the room, his hand visibly shaking when he went to grab the doorknob.

Despite everyone else’s nervousness, Naath was relatively calm. He had always been good at studying and working out information from vague hints. He figured his comprehension ability wouldn’t fall short unless his soul was suddenly crippled and he became an idiot. Naath spent the time he had while waiting checking over the changes that had occurred inside of his body during the last test. When he realized he had finished the second stage of true void arts he was stunned speechless. This was the reason he didn't stand out among the rest of the nervous faces in the crowd.

He was caught completely off guard at the amount of changes that had occurred in his body and was trying to determine his new limits. Naath silently and secretly circulated his true void arts and energy was drawn in at a rate at least 100 times faster than before! He had the urge to laugh maniacally when he felt this,but, he could only silently accept it so as to not disturb the many people here to take the test. Naath silently coped with what this meant for him and continued to inspect as he moved on to sensing the changes in his energy.

He immediately noticed that he was subtly drawing in small amounts of energy at all times. It wasn’t even 1/1000th of what he drew in when he actively cultivated but it was still happening. Naath nodded his head silently in approval, this was what he had designed the true void arts to do at this stage. This third stage also allowed Naath to produce true void energy and store it in his true void membranes. As Naath let it out it would slowly move through his meridians and out through his pores forming a hazy fog-like substance completely invisible to the naked eye and start absorbing energy at an incredible rate.

With a single thought, Naath could transform the energy into true void energy inside of his membranes. He could also simply absorb the energy as it was and store and use it to advance in his cultivation. Unfortunately, Naath would have to wait until he had complete privacy before testing out the final ability that the third stage of the true void arts would allow him to use. Confirming all of this and learning the new information took two more hours. This meant that the fourth person had now entered the room and was taking the test.

So far only the 2nd person to enter had passed, this showed how hard the test was to most of the people here. After all this time had passed, Naath grew bored and simply decided to produce more true void energy while he waited. Time trickled by slowly until finally it was Naath’s turn to enter the room. He stepped forward nonchalantly and walked into the room at neither a slow or fast pace. Once he was inside of the room Naath saw the four examiners as well as senior Zhen in the room chatting lightly.

In front of the five of them was a book on top of a wooden pillar, Naath without even thinking went up to the book and opened it. Naath read through the 10 page book rather quickly and began to immediately understand some of its concepts. In a matter of 20 minutes, he had a complete understanding of the skill. It had no practical use whatsoever, all it did was make your aura visible to the people around you. The more visible your aura the greater your mastery over the skill.

Naath shook his head after understanding all of this and spoke under his breath, “What a ridiculous art.” The ears of all five of the people watching over his part of the exam perked up at the same time. Senior Zhen spoke up saying “young man, Naath was it? If you cannot understand the art that is no reason to curse it. This skill is after all a valuable asset of our raging river sect.” Naath shook his head knowing senior Zhen had misunderstood and corrected him. “Senior Zhen I apologize for the misunderstanding, I indeed understand this art. However, what possible use is showing your aura to people’s naked eye?

Is it for intimidation? To distract them? What practical application does it have at all?” All five of them were stunned on the spot and senior Zhen spoke for all of them asking “you understood it already?” Naath nodded his head saying “I not only understood it, I've also been thinking as I read on ways to improve it. If your aura can be shown to others even non-cultivators, then shouldn't it be possible to also use your aura physically to move objects or in combat?”

Senior Zhen spoke once more saying “young man that is quite the incredible claim, however to improve upon it you must first completely master this skill.” Naath let out an annoyed breath and then released his aura and used the skill. Naath’s aura immediately seemed like a solid wall of hazy grey light. You could not see through the haze at all, you also could not touch or interact with it physically. All five of the examiners at this point went slack-jawed.

Naath had mastered the skill to the peak in a matter of only 20 minutes! This was an unheard-of level of martial comprehension, at least within their small 12th grade sect. Senior Zhen was the first to snap out of his amazement saying “pass! You pass! You are qualified to become a core disciple and even have a small council of the elders give you a meeting to take an official master!” Naath nodded and smiled as senior Zhen took his stone badge and altered it with his martial energy engraving a new insignia of a river with white rapids onto it. After that he waved his hand and activated a formation hidden on the floor, Naath was immediately sent to the receiving room in the raging river sect.