Who Let Him Cultivate Immortality

“Who performs Mantis Fist like this?!” The vice sect leader widened his eyes. He had heard of Mantis Fist, a martial art mimicking the movements of a mantis.

It was supposed to mimic a mantis, not transform into one!

He had repeatedly simulated the test to meet the expected standards and even had several of the sect’s most intellectually agile higher-ups try it, confirming there was no second solution apart from the one he provided.

Now, suddenly, two solutions outside of the standard emerged, and he couldn’t accept it!

The sect leader, however, saw it more openly: “Think about it from another angle. He just glanced at a mantis and then understood Mantis Fist. The historical general of Jin also had no martial arts talent, which shows that this Lu Yang has an extremely high martial arts talent. In the end, he even reached the profound realm of integrating martial arts into techniques, a talent that is hard to come by!”

The vice sect leader paused, turned to look at the serious-faced sect leader, and asked, “Are you serious?”

The sect leader thought, of course, I’m making this up. In fact, I also didn’t understand how he transformed from a human into a mantis, but as a sect leader, I can’t appear ignorant in front of my subordinates.

The sect leader nodded: “Of course, I’m serious.”

After the sect leader put it that way, the vice sect leader felt slightly better. Since it was a rare talent who accidentally found a way to break through, it was within reason.

“Those who could pass have passed. Let’s end the first test here,” said the vice sect leader. The surface of the water showed tens of thousands of scenes, recording everyone’s performance.

Only a small number of people learned perseverance from the spider, and an even smaller number learned strategy from the mantis. Most people gave up in the cave, becoming deserters, killed by Liang soldiers in the chaos, dying nameless and unknown, with the Liang soldiers unaware of the once majestic air of the people they killed.

“The second test begins.”

…

“The test for the second round is to sincerely convince the examiner to keep you.”

This sentence appeared in everyone’s mind, forgetting the cause and effect, only remembering they needed to find a way to pass the second test.

Yan Wangsun felt dizzy, having no recollection of prior events, only a vague memory of someone overly familiar asking him where he was from, to which he replied he came from Huangyue City.

“I am Yan Wangsun, currently applying for a position at the Land of Gold Commerce, needing to pass an interview, which requires not sharing the interview questions with others,” Yan Wangsun summarized the information he knew.

Even if it wasn’t required, Yan Wangsun wouldn’t share the interview questions with others, as it would be helping others at no benefit to himself.

Yan Wangsun found himself sitting in the first seat, next to a man dressed in a Confucian robe.

“My name is Barbarian Bone, what’s yours?”

Yan Wangsun didn’t respond because the examiner was calling his name.

Upon entering the room, Yan Wangsun noticed a bundle of papers on the floor, casually throwing it into the trash bin before preparing for the interview.

The chubby examiner, struggling with his tight clothes and always smiling, said, “Yan Wangsun, right? Could you go to the market and see if anyone is selling potatoes?”

Yan Wangsun obediently left, toured the market, and found only one vendor selling potatoes. He returned and simply said, “Yes.”

The chubby examiner then asked, “How many potatoes are there?”

Yan Wangsun had no choice but to run out again. Upon returning, he reported, “There are eighty pounds of potatoes.”

“What about the price?”

Yan Wangsun cursed in his heart, “Why didn’t this fatty say earlier?” He ran out for the third time, found out the price, and reported, “Three coins per pound.”

“How’s the quality of the potatoes? Does it match the price?”

Suppressing his anger, as if he were walking a dog, Yan Wangsun went out for the fourth time to check the quality of the potatoes. “The quality of the potatoes is average, about three to four coins per pound, so the price is not high.”

The chubby examiner smiled and said, “You’ve been eliminated.”

“Why!” Yan Wangsun argued, infuriated. He had been sent out by the chubby examiner four times, running there and back each time, working hard all this while, only to be told he failed?

This is a mockery!

The chubby examiner spread his hands, “If you need to run out four times for a small matter like asking about potatoes, how can I trust you with work?”

“Then you should have asked everything all at once!”

The chubby examiner shook his head, “It’s your fault for not being thorough. How can you blame me for not asking everything? Young man, you need to learn to anticipate your superior’s expectations at work.”

“Ptui, you think you’re the emperor, expecting people to guess your ‘intentions.’”

The chubby examiner wasn’t annoyed, “Even though you failed, you can stay.”

Yan Wangsun looked suspiciously at the chubby examiner, worried he was being played again, “Really?”

“Do you remember the ball of paper you picked up when you first entered? I deliberately threw it on the floor, just to see who would pick it up.”

Yan Wangsun was pleased, thinking perhaps this was a test of his responsibility and observation skills.

“We just happen to need someone for cleaning, so you’ll stay and take care of the cleanliness.”

Yan Wangsun: “…”

Yan Wangsun wanted to curse, but he never did. After all, being allowed to stay meant he passed the test, which was a good thing.

“Next,” called the chubby examiner.

Barbarian Bone entered the room, and Yan Wangsun, seeing Barbarian Bone’s simple appearance, somewhat disdained him, thinking this person would surely be played by the examiner just like himself.

“Go see if there’s anyone selling potatoes at the market,” asked the chubby examiner, posing the same question.

Barbarian Bone simply acknowledged and left, returning after more than ten minutes.

“There’s an old man at the market pushing a cart selling potatoes, eighty pounds of them, three coins per pound, the quality matches the price, and the old man said if you buy more potatoes, the price could be ten percent cheaper…”

Barbarian Bone’s answer was extremely detailed, even addressing issues the chubby examiner hadn’t considered, leaving Yan Wangsun, who stood by, stunned.

Despite Barbarian Bone’s robust appearance, he was actually a person with a delicate heart and considerate thoughts. He excelled in learning humbly, especially from Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

From the current situation, there’s still a long way to go before graduation.

“Congratulations, you’ve been kept.”

…

“See, what did I tell you, this Barbarian Bone is a promising seed, right?” The vice sect leader was pleased to see Barbarian Bone pass the test again, proving his question design was correct.

Others managed to answer the examiner’s four questions in two runs, barely qualifying.

But only Barbarian Bone perfectly matched his expectations.

The sect leader nodded, “It seems the second challenge tests whether the task is done thoroughly, whether one can consider things from their superior’s perspective.”

In the path of cultivation, one must be careful and leave no trace, to avoid giving the righteous path any leverage.

Moreover, only by considering the superior’s perspective can one demonstrate potential for promotion, which is why the vice sect leader designed the second challenge based on various considerations.

“This time, there shouldn’t be another method,” the vice sect leader said with a smug smile.

The sect leader remained silent, focusing on the two individuals who had performed excellently in the first challenge.

His intuition told him that perhaps there was another way.

(End of the chapter)