The Second Trial

"Who the hell fights like that with Praying Mantis Fist?!" The Vice Cult Master's eyes went wide. He had heard of Praying Mantis Fist before—it was an art that mimicked a praying mantis. It was supposed to mimic a mantis, not turn the person into one! In order for this trial to meet expected standards, he had calculated and simulated it over and over, even having several sharp-minded high-ranking members of the cult test it out to confirm that aside from his standard answer, there could not possibly be a second solution. Now two nonstandard answers had popped up at once. He simply could not accept this! The Cult Master was rather more open-minded: "Look at it from another angle. Just from watching a mantis for a few moments, he comprehended Praying Mantis Fist. Historically, the general of Jin had no martial talent whatsoever, which proves this Lu Yang's martial talent is extraordinarily high. By the end, he had even stepped into the Dao through martial arts, reaching the profound realm where martial arts became spells. This is a once-in-a-blue-moon genius!" The Vice Cult Master froze for a moment, then turned his head to look at the solemn Cult Master. "Are you serious?" The Cult Master thought to himself: *Of course I made it up. Honestly, I couldn't understand how he turned from a human into a mantis either, but as Cult Master, I can't let my subordinate see me look ignorant.* The Cult Master nodded. "Of course I am." Hearing the Cult Master put it this way made the Vice Cult Master feel a bit better. If he truly was a once-in-a-blue-moon genius, stumbling upon a way to break the deadlock made sense. He could grudgingly accept it. "Those who could pass have passed. Let the first trial end here," the Vice Cult Master said. Hundreds of thousands of images floated across the water's surface, recording everyone's performance. Only a small fraction of people had learned persistence from the spider; an even tinier fraction had drawn strategy from the mantis. Most had sunk into despair in the cave, deserted their posts, and were killed by soldiers of Liang amid the chaos of war—dying nameless, without their killers ever knowing what high spirits they once possessed. "Commence the second trial." ... "The second trial is to make the examiner genuinely want to keep you." This sentence appeared in everyone's minds. Stripped of context and preceding memories, they remembered only that they had to find a way to pass the second trial. Yan Wangsun felt a little dazed. He had no recollection of what had happened prior, except a vague memory of an overly familiar fellow asking where he was from, to which he had replied Huangyue City. *I am Yan Wangsun, and I am currently applying for a position at the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce. I need to pass an interview, and the interview rules state I must not share the questions with anyone else.* Yan Wangsun sorted through the information he currently possessed. Even without such a rule, Yan Wangsun wouldn't have shared them anyway. That would only be paving the way for others with zero benefit to himself. Yan Wangsun noticed he was sitting in the very first seat, next to a burly man wearing a scholar's robe. "My name's Man Gu. What's yours?" Yan Wangsun didn't answer, because the examiner was calling his name. Upon entering the room, Yan Wangsun noticed a crumpled wad of paper by his feet. He tossed it casually into the wastebasket before getting ready for the interview. The examiner was chubby, his clothes strained tight against him, and he wore a perpetual smile. "Yan Wangsun, is it? Go to the market right now and see if anyone is selling potatoes." Yan Wangsun obediently left. After taking a walk around the market, he found only one stall selling potatoes. Returning, he said, "Yes, there is." The chubby examiner asked again, "How many potatoes are there?" Having no choice, Yan Wangsun ran out a second time. Coming back, he said, "There are eighty jin of potatoes." "And the price?" Cursing internally, *Fatty, why couldn't you have asked that earlier?*, Yan Wangsun ran out a third time, inquired about the price, and reported, "Three copper coins per jin." "What's the quality of the potatoes like? Does it match the price?" Holding back his fury, feeling like he was being walked like a dog, Yan Wangsun dashed out a fourth time to inspect the potatoes' condition. "The potatoes are average quality, worth around three or four coins. The price isn't set high." The chubby examiner said with a smile, "You're eliminated." "On what grounds?!" Yan Wangsun flared up. The chubby examiner had run him ragged four times, running there and back each time. After toiling for half the day, he was being told he failed? Was this a joke?! The chubby examiner spread his hands. "You had to run out four times just to ask about a trivial matter like potatoes. How could I trust you with any real work?" "Then why didn't you ask everything in one breath?!" The chubby examiner shook his head. "It was you who failed to be thorough. How can you blame me for not asking all at once? Young man, in the workplace, you have to learn to anticipate your superior's intentions." "Bah! Who do you think you are, the Emperor? 'Superior's intentions' my foot!" The chubby examiner wasn't angry either. "Although you failed, you may stay." Yan Wangsun looked suspiciously at the chubby examiner, worried he was being toyed with again. "Really?" "Do you remember that wad of paper you picked up the moment you stepped through the door? I dropped it on the ground on purpose just to see who would pick it up." Yan Wangsun rejoiced, thinking: *Was that a test of my sense of responsibility and attentiveness?* "We just happen to be short a cleaner, so you can stay behind and do the sweeping and cleaning." Yan Wangsun: "..." Yan Wangsun badly wanted to curse, but swallowed it down. Regardless, being kept meant passing the trial; that was a good thing. "Next!" the chubby examiner called. Man Gu walked into the room. Seeing Man Gu's simple and honest appearance, Yan Wangsun felt a touch of disdain, thinking this guy was definitely going to get toyed with by the examiner just like he had. "Go see if anyone in the market is selling potatoes," the chubby examiner asked the same question. Man Gu uttered an "Oh," left, and returned more than ten minutes later. "At the market, an old man is selling potatoes from a cart. He has eighty jin of potatoes at three copper coins per jin. The quality matches the price, and the old man also said that if we buy in bulk, he can give a ten percent discount..." Man Gu answered in meticulous detail, having asked about things even the chubby examiner hadn't considered. Yan Wangsun, standing off to the side, was dumbfounded. Don't let Man Gu's hulking build fool you; he was actually meticulous and thoughtful at heart. He was skilled at learning humbly, especially from Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. From the look of things, he still had a long way to go before graduation. "Congratulations, you're hired." ... "What did I tell you? Man Gu is good material, isn't he?" The Vice Cult Master was delighted to see Man Gu pass the trial once more. This proved his logic in designing the tests was sound. Others had managed to answer the examiner's four questions in two trips, which barely counted as passing. Only Man Gu had matched his expectations perfectly. The Cult Master nodded. "It seems this second stage tests whether one is thorough in their work and capable of considering things on their superior's behalf." Those on the demonic path had to act with extreme caution, leaving no loose ends behind lest the righteous sects seize leverage over them. Furthermore, only by anticipating a superior's needs could one demonstrate potential for advancement, earning promotions from the upper ranks. It was precisely based on these various considerations that the Vice Cult Master had designed the second trial. "This time, there shouldn't be any other methods," the Vice Cult Master laughed smugly. The Cult Master did not speak, turning his gaze toward the two who had performed outstandingly in the first trial. Intuition told him there might just be another way.