Bonus Question

The exam was still underway. Even as it reached its final conclusion and curtain call, there was no pause. After expelling all irrelevant bystanders, the interior and exterior were locked down, isolated completely from the world. And at this moment, inside the black box, in a place beyond the reach of any satellite signal. Ji Jue opened his eyes. Beneath dazzling sunlight, seawater washed over golden sand. Amid the surging sound of the tide, the cries of seagulls echoed in the distance. The workshop had vanished, and the blessings were nowhere to be found. All his creations were gone. Yet Non-Offensive and Deus Ex Machina still hadn't returned... "Huh?" Ji Jue scrambled up blankly, looking around. "Where the hell did they send me?" The exam wasn't over? Or did he transmigrate again without realizing it?! Was this still the mortal world?! "This place is still within the simulation." A hoarse voice sounded from behind him, accompanied by static like grinding metal—so deep, so familiar, sending shivers down Ji Jue's spine. While Ji Jue was frozen in shock, an old man in black robes walked out slowly with his hands clasped behind his back. In his pitch-black eyes burned emerald flames that never extinguished. Casting down a contemptuous gaze, he said, "You didn't think it would all be over just because you took out everyone else, did you?" "Holy shit, Kane—" Ji Jue cried out in shock, leaping up from the sand in sheer disbelief. "Hm?" Kanemoto raised an eyebrow, seemingly waiting for him to finish the name. "Aiyowei!" Ji Jue's face instantly broke into a beaming smile as he stepped forward with overflowing warmth. "If it isn't my revered guide to Stagnant Rot, Old Mister Kanemoto?! Haven't seen you in days, what brought you over here? A man of great value shouldn't sit beneath dangerous eaves! If some blind fool who doesn't know to respect the elderly and cherish the young bumps into your venerable self, wouldn't that be a terrible loss to the mortal world?" "What? You think that pack of mongrels in the Association can stop me?" Kanemoto glanced at him with a faint smirk. "I have you to thank for this. If those useless Association bastards hadn't been so preoccupied with the exam, I wouldn't have slipped in so smoothly. Tell me, shouldn't I be thanking you?" "Perish the thought! Profound Grandmaster, supreme in arts and arms! Unifying Embers, commanding awe throughout the Profound—it's just a matter of time! What an immense honor it is for someone as humble as me to contribute a single brick to the grand cause of Stagnant Rot! Even if I have to work myself to—" As he spoke, his movements suddenly stalled. His brows slowly arched. Before his eyes, Kanemoto's vivid likeness began to disintegrate, bit by bit, revealing a stern, solemn face whose age was impossible to discern, carrying an aura of shifting, elusive change. Like an illusion, yet unmistakably real. "Is that so?" The newcomer nodded in understanding. "I see. An undercover mole who infiltrated the Association, then." "Perish the thought!" Ji Jue threw his head back and retorted, dropping every ounce of his fawning demeanor in favor of solemn righteousness. "Mister, you misunderstand! Just now, I was merely temporizing with a deceitful villain! Though forced to consort with scoundrels, I share a feud beneath the same sky with that old dog Kanemoto! "In my heart, there is only Embers—no, only the Association is my sun!" "Is that right?" the newcomer asked dubiously. Ji Jue nodded emphatically. "Of course it is! A misunderstanding! A complete misunderstanding!" "Such flexibility of posture, such agile course correction... truly rare..." A trace of amusement showed on the newcomer's face. "Since it's a misunderstanding, it's good that we've cleared it up. But why is it that your grip on the dagger behind your back only tightened?" "What dagger? I don't know what you're talking about." Ji Jue shook his head blankly, clenching his fist to crush the dagger he'd shaped from stone into fine powder, destroying the evidence, and shaking off the dust. His smile was candid and bright. Sweet, endearing, completely unclouded. He blinked curiously, the picture of innocence. "Might I ask how I should address you, sir?" "Hmm, you can just call me the Examiner." The Examiner smiled just as warmly, telling him, "The original proctor caught a cold and couldn't come to work, so today's task fell to me." "How strange," Ji Jue sighed with feeling. "Every single math teacher I've had since childhood said the exact same thing." The Examiner kept smiling, as though he hadn't caught Ji Jue's sarcasm at all. Clapping his hands in gratification, he said, "At any rate, congratulations. You passed the exam and emerged victorious to the very end! Starting today, you are a bona fide Embers artisan! Without exaggeration, you'll be famous overnight! "Mm, who knows, perhaps this generation of artisans will look to you as their leader. If you play your cards right, you might even establish a new branch of your own within the Association. Manage it steadily, and within your lifetime, a Director's seat would hardly be out of the question, would it?" "Excuse me, but I have a weak stomach and hate eating pie in the sky. Could you hold off on drawing any more of them?" Ji Jue looked around. "If I may ask—what's the situation now?" "Hmm... A bonus stage, perhaps?" The Examiner's smile grew even more amused as he appreciated Ji Jue's expression, then suddenly said, "By the way, you don't need to walk on eggshells. While Kanemoto is a bit extreme, what he taught you—aside from the exploitation of corruption—mostly happens to be part of the orthodox heritage of your lineage. "Even if it inevitably carries danger, it still counts as an orthodox path to some extent." He offered reassuringly, "No need to be so guarded." "Excuse me, I have no idea what you're talking about." Ji Jue shook his head firmly, correcting him in all seriousness: "I have an irreconcilable feud with that old dog Kanemoto, so how could I possibly be colluding with him? Besides, what do you mean by 'your lineage'? "The Association is so large, surely it isn't incapable of tolerating an outspoken nail like me?" "..." This time, it was the Examiner's turn to fall silent. He looked at him. After a long moment, his expression shifted slightly, as if taken aback. Finally, he let out a soft sigh. "It seems they really haven't told you anything." "Sorry, but please speak plainly if you have something to say. Don't play the riddler." "Hahaha, but I like it." The Examiner burst into laughter, not hiding his delight in the slightest. Bullying a kid with smug satisfaction, and clearly finding it quite entertaining. Ji Jue said nothing more, watching him in silence. The Examiner waved his hand, conjuring a set of table and chairs out of thin air. He sat down at his ease and raised a glass to clink with Ji Jue's. Mm, a glass of lemonade had appeared in Ji Jue's hand as well. "As I said, this is just a bonus stage. No need to be tense, just make yourself comfortable." The Examiner raised his cup and took a sip. "It's like the bonus problem at the end of an exam paper. Whether you do it or not is entirely up to you. It won't be factored into your score anyway, nor will it affect your achievements or ranking. "Think of it as... a little challenge. How about it?" "What do you want me to do?" Ji Jue set the lemonade on the table, unmoved. "Whatever you want to do. Anything at all—" The Examiner raised a hand, pointing at him, and toward the ocean behind him, the blue sky, the endless shimmering waves, and everything else: "Don't you want to try, Ji Jue? "Truly unfettered, holding limitless possibilities in your hands." He promised, "The whole world belongs to you. You can do whatever you please." "You sure?" Ji Jue eyed him suspiciously. "Of course," the Examiner nodded decisively. And so, Ji Jue nodded without hesitation: "Since you put it that way, can I sever ties with my sect first, leave Chaosheng from now on, establish my own lineage outside, and cut off all bonds and debts with everything from before?" "..." The Examiner's expression froze for a moment. He stared at Ji Jue, and Ji Jue stared right back. In the silence, neither spoke. Until the Examiner raised a hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose, his expression turning conflicted. "...What the bloody hell. Is severing ties and going solo part of the heritage too?" Several times, the Examiner started to speak and stopped. Finally, he gave a helpless sigh: "Besides, don't you think it's a bit too late for you to wash your hands of them?" "I feel like it, none of your damn business!" Ji Jue said. "Didn't you say I could do whatever I pleased?" "..." Sighing, the Examiner shrugged. "Looking at it this way, your lineage truly does produce a wealth of remarkable talents." Ji Jue replied indifferently, "I've already severed ties. What talent?" Since he had chosen to be stubborn, he would see it through to the bitter end. Come hell or high water, there was no way Ji Jue would let his own mess drag his teacher down. "Birds of a feather flock together. Isn't that precisely how your lineage came to be?" The Examiner shook his head. "Kanemoto sought knowledge, was possessed by obsession for it, and threw himself into Stagnant Rot to forge a new tradition. Ye Xian sought truth, refusing to play games with hypocrites, not hesitating to sever ties and strike out on her own. "And now there is you..." He looked up at him, brimming with curiosity: "What is it that you seek?" "Money!" Ji Jue answered without thinking, talking out of his ass. "Very good." The Examiner nodded, seemingly gratified. Without the slightest contempt for filthy lucre, he actually voiced approval: "Contentment brings happiness. It's a good thing for a person to be easily satisfied." Ji Jue's brows twitched slightly. "What about wiping out an entire family?" "Hmm, a bit overly aggressive, but no matter," the Examiner concurred. "Everything has its use; you'd still make good material." "Those who follow me shall prosper, those who oppose me shall perish?" The Examiner clapped. "Extraordinary boldness, commendable ambition!" Ji Jue was amused to laughter. "And what if I wanted to pillage and ravage, committing every conceivable evil?" "A bit low-class, but at your age, entirely normal." The Examiner propped his chin on his hand, studying him with a mischievous smile. "However, if you could truly lower yourself to revel alongside vermin and beasts, you wouldn't have struggled this far, would you?" "Is this some kind of little interview by the Association?" Ji Jue asked coldly. "Can I refuse to answer?" The Examiner spread his hands slightly, countering plainly and bluntly, "Do you think you have a choice?" "..." Ji Jue had nothing to say, merely cutting his eyes at him. Not even pretending anymore, huh? "Indeed, constantly grilling an examinee like this isn't very proper." The Examiner offered a mock-sympathetic sigh. "So, let's get back to our original topic—if having too much freedom makes you uncomfortable, how about I set a goal for you?" "I don't need a goal." Ji Jue looked at him and said with utter sincerity, "I think... I think I need a lawyer. How much can I get in compensation if I sue the Association for unlawful detention and sending someone to subject me to inhumane psychological torture, which caused me to develop severe depression and lose the ability to care for myself?" "Mm, it seems you're quite looking forward to a goal as well." The Examiner smiled and abruptly raised his hand, pointing straight at Ji Jue's face: "You—go slay the Nether Sea Worm."