Chapter 141: Arrange Ten For Him
Right at this moment.
Deng Bingding and the other four minor gods were watching the performance of each examinee in the Dao heart test.
“Having made it this far, all four of you have gone through countless assessments, big and small. You should know that often, the most important part of an exam is to fathom the examiner’s intent, to understand the main purpose of the test.”
“This point is just as true for us as examiners now; only by grasping the intentions of our superiors can we select worthy talents who will serve the Ten Great Sects and the Heavenly Court in the future.”
Deng Bingding continued, “Our superiors are very dissatisfied with the weak-kneed shrimps who have been selected in recent years. The results of various assessments have been declining year after year.”
“The purpose of this reform is to ensure that those who climb up from the lower levels of Kunxu are ambitious, desirous, and daring individuals who can withstand temptation and pressure, and who can walk further on the path of the Immortal Dao.”
“And among these, withstanding temptation is the key to this round of testing.”
Looking at the examinees on the screen, Deng Bingding went on, “For instance, in the illusionary landscape of this Dao heart test, the wealthy will face the temptation of even greater wealth. If one layer of temptation isn’t enough, then it will be temptation from the second layer.”
“It can be said that among these people, whoever ultimately passes the Foundation Establishment exam will inevitably experience similar things.”
“Therefore, our scoring criteria should be clear to you all. One of the key factors is how much monetary temptation the examinees can resist.”
“If any particularly outstanding candidates emerge, reporting them will be a meritorious deed.”
Just as Deng Bingding finished speaking, the minor Duty God Huang Zichou looked at Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen in the illusionary landscape and said in surprise, “There are actually two poor students in this year’s exam?”
Upon hearing the word ‘poor,’ the other minor gods also looked over.
After all, seeing poor people in the Foundation Establishment exam was truly a rare sight.
Deng Bingding also looked over and saw that it was the student she had registered earlier. She remembered his name was Zhang Yu, likely a freshman from Songyang.
“An ant with a debt of seven hundred thousand and a five-figure bank balance.”
An ant, that was Deng Bingding’s assessment of Zhang Yu.
This wasn’t a derogatory term, but rather one derived from her own internal evaluation system.
Just as gods had nine ranks and the Immortal Dao had ten realms, in Deng Bingding’s view, people could naturally be divided into different classes.
Those who didn’t even have a high school education were dust.
Those with a high school education and a bank balance that was perennially in the five or six figures were ants.
Those who graduated high school, were at the peak of Qi Refinement, and could find a job were beasts of burden.
Only those who graduated from a university and could find a corporate job were barely considered human in Deng Bingding’s eyes.
Looking at Zhang Yu’s savings at that moment, Deng Bingding had already mentally stamped him as a failure.
This wasn’t because Deng Bingding discriminated against the poor, but based on her many years of experience as a god…
“Although the rich already far surpass the poor in terms of magic power, physical body, martial arts, and talismans, they often triumph even more decisively when it comes to the Dao heart.”
This was Deng Bingding’s conclusion drawn from experience. From the performances she had seen in various exams and tests, the poor were simply inferior to the rich in every aspect.
Even if a few rare individuals from poor backgrounds did manage to climb up, their most prominent characteristic was often their low buyout price; they demanded the least money and worked the most overtime.
On the contrary, the rich received training and tempering from a young age, and thus…
“The richer they are, the stronger, the more resilient, the broader their horizons, the greater their ambition, and the more they can resist temptation. They are precisely the kind of cultivators that our superiors need most.”
“As for the ants… sigh, if you have no money in the first place, what’s the point of cultivating immortality?”
“If not for the corporations controlling the channels of public opinion and desperately tricking people into this rat race, they would have been unsuitable for cultivation to begin with.”
…
Just then, Zhang Yu, in the light screen, had woken up.
The air he breathed was exceptionally fresh; every breath felt as if countless tiny hands were massaging him from the inside, nourishing every piece of his flesh and blood.
He found himself lying on a very, very soft bed, a sense of indescribable relaxation spreading through his entire body.
He observed his surroundings and found himself in a room with exceptionally good sunlight, surrounded by all sorts of furniture that looked valuable at a glance, though he had no idea how to use them.
Beyond the massive floor-to-ceiling glass window was a roiling sea of clouds.
Zhang Yu walked over and saw that within the sea of clouds, there were forests and lakes… and even a giant dragon exhaling mist as it soared into the sky from the clouds.
And surrounding the sea of clouds were dense, endless skyscrapers, pavilions, and towers.
…
Huang Zichou said, “In the illusionary landscape, a rich person claims to admire him and wants to host him.”
“Mm, he refused, as expected.”
“They’re all like this at the beginning—very guarded and decisive.”
Another minor god analyzed, “Although their cultivation and Dao heart aren’t strong enough to detect that it’s an illusionary landscape, being suddenly taken to a rich person’s house would naturally make them very wary.”
Huang Zichou said, “But this house has a free spirit vein, boosters, and dietary supplements. A poor person like him will definitely stay to take advantage of it…”
“Huh? He actually requested to lower the spiritual energy concentration?”
Another minor god was also surprised, “He won’t eat the dietary supplement of dragon meat and instead asks for synthetic food?”
“What on earth is this poor person thinking?”
…
In the illusionary landscape.
Zhang Yu didn’t even glance at the grand feast before him.
Especially after the servant beside him introduced that the dishes were almost entirely made from various powerful demonic beasts, and even flood dragons.
This made Zhang Yu even more afraid to eat. He only asked for some synthetic food, which he ate with peace of mind and reassurance.
Zhang Yu was terrified that if he ate, they would demand payment later and bankrupt him.
After all, he only had a little over ten thousand in his pocket, yet he was in the Upper City of the Immortal Capital.
How to describe this feeling… it was like appearing in the enemy’s jungle with a sliver of health. He felt that every step was fraught with peril, that he could go bankrupt at any moment.
Thinking of this, he immediately had them lower the spiritual energy as much as possible; turning it off would be best.
…
Listening to the discussion of the minor gods around her, Deng Bingding spoke, “All of you have been dealing with the rich for too long and know too little about these bottom-tier poor people.”
“He’s just scared.”
“He’s scared that if he takes one extra breath or eats one extra piece of meat, he’ll be bankrupted when it’s time to pay.”
Bankrupted by taking one extra breath or eating one extra piece of meat?
The Duty Gods were slightly stunned to hear this; it had indeed been a long time since they had seen such a thing.
After all, people this poor were generally not worthy of interacting with them, nor were they worthy of appearing in such a high-consumption area.
Deng Bingding continued, “But this is only temporary. The poorer a person is, the more easily they fall once they start satisfying their desires.”
“A long time ago, a poor farmer climbed to the second layer. He was reluctant to eat, reluctant to wear nice clothes, afraid to buy this, afraid to use that.”
“And in the end? Heh, a mere second-layer city resident status was enough to make him lose his determination to press forward on the path of the Immortal Dao.”
“It can’t be helped. The lives of these poor people are too cheap, too easily satisfied. It’s far, far easier to stop them from climbing higher than it is to stop the rich.”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu in the light screen was encountering more temptations.
…
In the illusionary landscape.
The pharmacy had all kinds of top-tier boosters available for open use.
The spiritual root room contained three types of Heavenly Spiritual Roots for cultivation, said to be for Zhang Yu’s unrestricted use.
The training room had a Yellow Turban Strongman ready to serve as a sparring partner.
The same went for the twelve flying swords nearby; he was told he could play with them as he pleased.
Zhang Yu took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress his constantly surging desires.
…
In the office.
The minor god Huang Zichou remarked, “He’s about to lose control.”
“Over the past few days in the illusion, he has been repeatedly confirming if it’s truly free.”
“Once he confirms that it’s really being given to him for free, he’ll definitely be unable to resist and will start using these cultivation resources.”
“Mm, they’re about to sign a contract, confirming that he can use everything for free for two months.”
As Huang Zichou spoke, they saw Zhang Yu in the illusionary landscape increase the concentration of spiritual energy in the room.
…
In the illusionary landscape.
Another day passed. Zhang Yu took a bite of the dragon steak, and as he felt the juices explode in his mouth, a satisfied smile gradually appeared on his face.
He grabbed a syringe from the side and plunged the needle into his arm.
Then he had them increase the spiritual energy concentration even further.
…
In the office.
Watching Zhang Yu’s performance in the illusion, the minor gods present all sighed.
“Too easily bought,” Huang Zichou said. “Doesn’t he know that nothing free is ever truly free? The deeper he falls into this trap, the more he’ll be unable to leave these things behind.”
Deng Bingding remained silent. To her, this was perfectly normal. An ant-level poor person like him had such a shallow perspective; it was only natural for him to fall for temptation so easily.
Watching the time in the illusionary landscape pass day by day, seeing Zhang Yu eat meat more ferociously and inject alchemical enhancers more fiercely, and playing with the various flying swords and spiritual roots with great delight, Deng Bingding knew he had completely fallen.
Just then, Huang Zichou beside her said in surprise, “Hey, this kid hasn’t been sterilized? Isn’t he just making things harder for himself now?”
…
In the illusionary landscape.
Zhang Yu, his spiritual energy absorption excessive and his meridians blocked, fell to the ground, momentarily unable to move.
“Sir, you’ve absorbed too much spiritual energy recently. Your meridians are blocked and your muscles are out of control.”
Rigid and unable to move, Zhang Yu thought to himself that this was a classic case of a poor man suddenly coming into wealth, unable to even adapt to the breathing environment of the rich.
But in the next moment, a slick, soft sensation startled him awake.
He saw a young woman’s mouth sucking on his finger as if it were being held, her soft tongue coiling around his fingertip like a nimble snake.
“You…”
A female voice came from the girl, “Sir, please relax and let me help you expel the blocked spiritual energy.”
Through the girl’s tongue, Zhang Yu felt as if some special medicine was being injected into his fingertip. As it coiled around him, his body gradually relaxed, making him feel light and weightless.
The girl said, “As a part-time cultivation-cauldron partner, I have just absorbed the excess spiritual energy for you, established a magic power cycle, and completed your breathing exercise.”
…
In the office.
Huang Zichou shook his head and sighed, “He’s a lost cause. How could he not be completely ensnared by this? This is why high school students are so useless; they should just be sterilized.”
“If he continues to sink like this, once he can’t live without these things, and the two-month free period ends, if they offer to let him continue using this house and everything in it for free, or even give him a little more, he’ll probably agree to withdraw from the Foundation Establishment exam on the spot.”
Another minor god said, “Even if he doesn’t agree at first, adding a few more bargaining chips should do the trick.”
Huang Zichou looked at Zhang Yu’s basic information and said, “He’s a first year, after all. His determination to take the exam is naturally not as firm as a second years’s. Coupled with his poor background, he’s bound to fall more easily.”
“I reckon the most temptation he can withstand is one or two hundred million at most.”
Meanwhile, Deng Bingding had long since lost interest in watching the poor student’s performance and had turned her attention to the other second years examinees.
After all, in the Foundation Establishment exam, second years were often the final winners, while freshmen were merely extras.
Especially the two top students from the Immortal Capital in this test, Ye Lingxiao and Yun Jing. Not only were they from prestigious families and extremely wealthy, but their talent was also exceptional. She had high hopes for both of them this time, thinking that if their results were particularly outstanding, reporting it would be a meritorious deed.
“Yun Jing has already withstood a temptation of the one-billion level.”
Deng Bingding nodded slightly. “Ye Lingxiao is not bad either. Faced with the temptation of 1.2 billion in assets, he still insists on taking the Foundation Establishment exam and walking further on the path of the Immortal Dao.”
Huang Zichou analyzed from the side, “After all, both of them know that the treatment for high school students with and without a Foundation Establishment certificate is worlds apart after reaching the second layer.”
“For anyone who wants to go further on the Immortal Dao, or even enter a sect rather than a corporation after university, this high school Foundation Establishment certificate is an excellent stepping stone.”
“Besides, this is their last chance to take the high school Foundation Establishment exam, so they’re definitely more resistant than the freshmen.”
At the same time, another minor god looked at the illusionary landscape on Zhang Yu’s side and chuckled, “Is this kid about to give in?”
…
In the illusionary landscape.
Zhang Yu walked into the cauldron room he hadn’t visited yet.
He saw six stunningly beautiful female bodies—some petite, some buxom, some slender, and some with demonic beast features… each with a different style, all looking at him at the same time.
The girl from before introduced from the side, “Her name is Linglü. Her body has been modified so that during your use, she can stimulate all the muscles in your body to complete body tempering exercises…”
“This is Yunxiao. She can draw out and absorb the alchemical toxins in your body, helping you mitigate the side effects of taking enhancers…”
“This is Xianluo. She can secrete a calming hormone, relieving your psychological stress through stroking and licking…”
“Master, as long as you agree to withdraw from the Foundation Establishment exam, we will all be your property from now on.”
Hearing that he would have to give up the Foundation Establishment certificate, Zhang Yu seemed to imagine that familiar chill and the power of the ritual, and he quickly waved his hands in refusal, “Get lost, all of you!”
“Do not disturb my Dao heart!”
“The Foundation Establishment certificate! I would rather die than give it up.”
…
In the office.
Huang Zichou was surprised, “I can understand him refusing, but to refuse so decisively?”
“High school students are so full of vigor, their vitality so strong, and he hasn’t been sterilized. He’s at the peak of his desires, yet he can refuse the opportunity to get stronger while having fun without a moment’s hesitation?”
Another minor god at his side said, “I know! Is he a natural eunuch? That’s why he doesn’t need to be sterilized? Or perhaps he’s naturally not into women, which is why he could refuse so readily?”
Huang Zichou waved his hand grandly, “That’s simple. Arrange ten handsome male cauldrons for him, and we’ll find out.”