Chapter 48: The Mirror Lake Assessment

The day of the assessment arrived.

Following the instructions, Su Xinxin made her way to the designated assembly point.

She first arrived at an unfamiliar suburban park. No sooner had she settled on a bench, before she could even observe her surroundings, a soft halo of light emanated from the ground beneath her feet.

When her vision cleared, the scenery before her had utterly transformed.

This place resembled a secluded valley. Verdant mountains, layered one upon another, gently embraced this corner of the world. The sky was a clear, pristine blue, with a few white clouds drifting idly by. Before her lay a crystal-clear lake, its surface calm as a mirror, reflecting the distant mountains and the flowing clouds.

Subtle fragrances of grass and wood mingled with the humid air, instilling a sense of peace.

Standing by the lakeside, Su Xinxin took a deep breath.

The teleportation hadn’t carried her too far—the iconic skyline of Jiang City’s tall buildings was still visible on the distant horizon, appearing as tiny silhouettes. This brought a measure of reassurance to her heart.

“Are you today’s examinee, the zero-rank trainee, Gentian?”

A somewhat familiar voice drifted from behind her.

Su Xinxin turned around.

A figure emerged from a forest path. Dressed in a cornflower-blue velvet cinched short skirt, adorned with silver-white light armor shoulder pieces, their steps were steady and powerful, each one perfectly placed. The composed face held no superfluous expression, only a pair of eyes, faintly gleaming with an azure light, calmly observing her.

It was Cornflower, Jasmin’s former mentor.

“Yes, that’s me.” Su Xinxin nodded.

For a moment, she considered whether to bow, salute, or extend a hand. The aura radiating from this senior, inside and out, truly resembled that of a soldier, making one instinctively want to stand straighter.

“No need to be nervous.” Cornflower gave a slight nod, her tone remaining steady. “Just do what you can.”

No sooner had she spoken than another figure stepped out from behind her.

She wore a golden, asymmetrical short skirt, with one side of the hem high-slit and the other knee-length, revealing her slender legs. A dark brown corset accentuated her delicate waist. Her hair, styled in high twin ponytails, transitioned from gold to dark brown and shimmered in the sunlight. A golden earring on one ear and a dark one on the other swayed gently with her steps. Over-the-knee, gold-trimmed long boots featured intricate straps circling the shafts.

Su Xinxin froze.

This attire… at first glance, it bore a resemblance to Gentian’s style—both featuring asymmetrical, slightly rebellious designs. Yet, upon closer inspection, it was entirely different. Gentian’s style embodied the melancholy and wildness of deep purplish-blue, whereas this person exuded the bright sharpness of gold and dark ink.

She instinctively glanced at Cornflower.

The two stood together, one as steady as a soldier, the other as dazzling as a stage star. They looked like a pair who should be ‘disciplined’.

However, Cornflower’s expression remained unchanged; she even subtly stepped aside, yielding the primary position.

“I am your main examiner for today,” the young woman announced, her voice clear with a slight upward lilt at the end, “a second-rank Bloom Weaver, Black-hearted Chrysanthemum.”

She paused, then nodded towards Su Xinxin.

“Hello, Gentian.”

Su Xinxin turned her head to look at Cornflower again.

“I am the deputy examiner,” Cornflower stated.

Su Xinxin scratched her head.

‘Are they really not mixed up?’ she wondered.

This main examiner… dressed so dazzlingly, with twin ponytails and earrings, walking with such flair—it didn’t feel very serious. And her flower name was Black-hearted Chrysanthemum? Black-hearted… just from the name, she hardly sounded like a fair and impartial examiner, more like someone who would secretly trip people up during the assessment.

She only dared to think these thoughts, not voice them aloud.

“Gentian?” Cornflower noticed her momentary hesitation. “Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing.” Su Xinxin quickly shook her head, suppressing her jumbled thoughts. “May I ask… how exactly will my assessment be conducted?”

Before coming, she had asked Jasmin. But Jasmin had said that every magical girl’s assessment method and examiners were different—some navigated mazes, some played games, some had written tests followed by combat, and some even passed or failed outright. There was no reference point; it was all up to fate.

Black-hearted Chrysanthemum smiled faintly.

The smile was subtle, yet it inexplicably made one feel… as if they had been seen through.

“Don’t rush,” she said, raising a hand to lightly touch the golden earring on her earlobe. “An assessment, after all, needs a bit of ceremony.”

She turned sideways, looking at the lake.

“This place is called ‘Mirror Lake’,” she explained. “It’s one of the assessment venues commonly used within our Floracourt Bureau. The environment is enclosed, so we won’t be disturbed, and no innocents will be harmed.”

She turned back, her gaze falling upon Su Xinxin.

Her eyes were remarkably bright, as if they could pierce into one’s soul.

However, before that, her gaze lingered for a moment on Su Xinxin’s shoulder—where Xiao Ming was crouched, both long ears standing perfectly upright, adopting a posture that declared, ‘I must be ready to help my master at all times.’

“But before we begin,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum said, “we need to deal with this little fellow first.”

Xiao Ming froze.

“What—”

Before she could finish, Black-hearted Chrysanthemum snapped her fingers.

A golden pattern of light rose from beneath Xiao Ming’s feet, instantly enveloping her in a golden cocoon. Inside the cocoon, Xiao Ming couldn’t make a sound, only staring with ruby-like eyes, innocently at Su Xinxin.

“Don’t worry, it’s just to keep her quiet for a while,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum reassured. “Outside assistance is prohibited during the assessment.”

Cornflower nodded slightly from the side, clearly having anticipated this.

Su Xinxin watched Xiao Ming struggling in the light cocoon, feeling a slight urge to laugh, but she managed to suppress it.

She turned back to Black-hearted Chrysanthemum.

“I’m ready,” she declared.

Black-hearted Chrysanthemum looked at her and nodded.

“Good then,” she said. “So—”

She raised her hand, and the golden earring detached from her ear, rapidly expanding and rotating in the air, transforming into a golden ring that hovered beside her.

“The assessment begins.”

No sooner had she spoken than ripples spread across the lake’s surface.

Something was stirring beneath the water.

The ripples grew larger and larger.

They spread outwards from the center of the lake, circle after circle, becoming more rapid and dense. It was as if something was surfacing from the depths, or perhaps deliberately creating a disturbance to mislead the two people on shore.

Su Xinxin stared at the churning water, her palms slightly damp with sweat.

“Don’t be nervous.”

Black-hearted Chrysanthemum’s voice came from beside her, still with that upward inflection, sounding almost like casual chatter.

“First, a basic knowledge question: What are the characteristics of a medium-rank R-type ‘Aggregation’?”

Su Xinxin paused.

‘This… she’s asking this now?’ she thought.

“Uh…” She quickly recalled. “It has a distinct monster form, possesses clear physical aggression and destructive power, can break through walls, destroy vehicles, and its threat range…”

“Alright, alright,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum waved a hand. “You’ve memorized it well. Now tell me, what type of Aggregation might this be in the water?”

Su Xinxin closed her eyes, extending her magic perception.

The aura beneath the water was chaotic and turbulent, like countless resentments intertwined. Yet, within that chaos, there seemed to be a vague outline—

More than half a person tall, hunched back, a depression on its head…

She remembered the classic image that always appeared in the anime she had recently binged, a common sight during summer.

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