"The trial of the second stage is to make the examiner genuinely want to keep me?" Meng Jingzhou reread the passing condition in his mind.
"What a strange trial. Doesn't sound very difficult."
"Where am I, anyway?" Meng Jingzhou found himself sitting on a bench in a row. There were four people in front of him and five people behind him, making a group of ten, with him right in the middle.
"Oh, right, I'm here interviewing for a chamber of commerce." The background setting implanted by the Immortal Cult surfaced in his mind.
Meng Jingzhou looked at the pristine white wall across from him. His right hand twitched subconsciously, his middle and ring fingers curling inward.
Nothing shot out.
"Huh? Why did I make such a bizarre gesture?" Meng Jingzhou was bewildered. He had no recollection of having such a habit.
"Whatever, forget it. Time to focus on the interview."
Meng Jingzhou noticed that after the first person entered the examiner's room, the man rushed out in a panic, then rushed back in, repeating the trip three or four times.
Meng Jingzhou called out enthusiastically, "Hey, buddy, what are you running for? Is the examiner testing your running speed? If so, I suggest changing your shoes. The quality of your footwear makes a huge difference. Also, your starting posture—squat down, brace both hands on the ground, arch your back. That way you can launch yourself the fastest. Trust me, I'm very experienced..."
The man shot Meng Jingzhou a look reserved for idiots and ignored him entirely, sprinting off to check the quality of the potatoes.
The rules had stated clearly that candidates were strictly forbidden from revealing the questions to one another.
The first candidate, the second, the third, the fourth... Every single one dashed back and forth with great diligence, and naturally, none of them passed. Regardless of whether one passed or failed, candidates vanished immediately once their interviews concluded. That way, those waiting behind could not tell whether passing depended on making more trips or fewer.
"Next, Meng Jingzhou!" the fat examiner called from inside.
"Coming!" Meng Jingzhou strutted in, brimming with energy.
The fat examiner gave his usual genial smile and asked, "Meng Jingzhou, go to the market and see if anyone is selling potatoes."
Meng Jingzhou didn't move.
Thinking he hadn't spoken clearly, the fat examiner repeated the question, enunciating every single word.
This time, Meng Jingzhou spoke up. "Why?"
"What do you mean, why?" The fat examiner couldn't keep up with his train of thought.
"I mean, why should I go to the market to check if anyone's selling potatoes? Do you know what we're doing here right now?"
"An interview," the fat examiner answered as if it were obvious.
"Exactly! You said it yourself: this is an interview, not an errand service for you. Besides, didn't you ask the previous four people the exact same question?"
"Isn't asking it four times enough for you? You want to ask it a fifth time?"
The fat examiner replied patiently, "This is the question for the trial."
Meng Jingzhou let out an "oh" and obediently made a trip to the market. "There's someone selling potatoes."
"How many potatoes does he have?"
Meng Jingzhou didn't know the answer. He stood up to leave, and a cold sneer curled on the fat examiner's lips. *Talk back all you want, brat. The moment you come back one more time, I'm failing you on the spot.*
To the examiner's surprise, when Meng Jingzhou pulled the door open, an elderly man was standing right outside. Meng Jingzhou asked him, "How many potatoes do you have in your cart?"
The old man answered, "Eighty jin."
Meng Jingzhou turned back around. "He says he has eighty jin of potatoes. Were you also planning to ask how much a jin costs?"
The fat examiner opened his mouth, but the words "how much a jin" stuck in his throat. Even if he asked, the old vendor right at the door could answer instantly.
What was the damn point of asking now?!
"Why the hell did you bring the potato vendor here?!" the fat examiner bellowed in rage. How was he supposed to test anyone after this?
Meng Jingzhou spread his hands. "I asked him if a bunch of people had come running over to ask about his potatoes. The old man started complaining, saying several people dashed over, looked at his potatoes, and ran back; then dashed over to ask how many jin he had, and ran back; then dashed over to ask the price per jin, asking and asking without buying a single one."
"So I asked him if he wanted to meet the culprit responsible for asking without buying. He said yes, so I brought him over."
The fat examiner: "..."
What was he supposed to do now? Nobody had warned him he might run into a situation like this!
Thinking of Meng Jingzhou's total lack of respect, the fat examiner hardened his heart and yelled, "You have no idea how to fathom your superior's intentions! You are elimi—"
Before the fat examiner could finish, Meng Jingzhou planted a kick right into him. "Superior's intentions my ass! Giving a fatty like you an inch and you take a mile!"
With that, Meng Jingzhou turned on his heel and sprinted out.
The fat examiner slammed his palm down, smashing the desk to splinters. "Stop right there!"
The examiner genuinely and sincerely wanted to keep Meng Jingzhou there. Meng Jingzhou cleared the trial.
***
At the Immortal Cult headquarters, the Vice Cult Master rubbed his brow in agony. What kind of bizarre way to clear the trial was this?
He had stipulated that the examiner must genuinely want to keep the candidate because he feared some examinees might take shortcuts and bribe the examiner.
He had thought his rule was meticulous enough, never expecting such an unforeseen method to bypass it.
The examiner didn't just genuinely want to keep Meng Jingzhou—he genuinely wanted to tear Meng Jingzhou to shreds!
How was this kid's brain wired? Or was it actually *his* brain that was missing something?
"O immortal and undying Immortal Celestial, grant me an answer," the Vice Cult Master chanted, praying to the Immortal Celestial in hopes of receiving a response.
The Cult Master cut off his prayer. "If only the Immortal Celestial could actually hear you."
The Vice Cult Master didn't think the Cult Master was being blasphemous. He knew the Cult Master was the most devout believer in the entire Immortal Cult. He sighed and said, "How many times have we tried, only to fail every time? We've never managed to revive the Immortal Celestial. If we could bring the Immortal Celestial back to life, what would the Great Xia Dynasty matter? What would the orthodox sects matter? None of them would be a match for the Immortal Celestial!"
"Only a sacrifice of blood can revive the Immortal Celestial."
Neither dwelt on the topic for long. The Vice Cult Master asked, "What do you think of this Meng Jingzhou?"
The Cult Master clicked his tongue in wonder. "He refuses to tread the beaten path. A true talent!"
Inwardly, the Cult Master thought, *Thank goodness I didn't agree with the Vice Cult Master earlier and claim there couldn't possibly be any other way to pass. Otherwise, where would my dignity as Cult Master go?*
"You call that brat a talent?"
"Of course. I believe our Immortal Cult needs talents whose ways of thinking differ from ordinary people."
"Look at the orthodox Dao Seeking Sect. Why have they endured through the ages? I've summarized several reasons, and the most crucial one is that they possess wisdom beyond the mortal world's comprehension."
The corner of the Vice Cult Master's mouth twitched. As expected of the Cult Master, he could make pure lunacy sound so refined and profound.
The Cult Master continued, "Perhaps this Meng Jingzhou could become a pillar of our Immortal Cult, maybe even its backbone!"
"Speaking of Meng Jingzhou, what about that boy who was so conspicuous in the first trial? Lu Yang, was it? How is he doing?"
***
"Make the examiner genuinely want to keep me?"
Lu Yang pondered. "What's so hard about that? Wouldn't giving the examiner a good kick do the trick? Better yet, spit on him too. That's guaranteed to enrage him. Forget keeping me around—he'll want to keep my life!"
"Still, that method is too barbaric. Only a boor like Meng Jingzhou would resort to something like that. I'm a civilized man. I can't stoop to his level."
Chapter 71