Chapter 71: Sincerity and True Intent

"The challenge of the second trial is to make the examiner sincerely wish to keep me?" Meng Jingzhou read the clear-cut conditions for passing once more in his mind.

"What a peculiar trial. It doesn't sound very difficult at all."

"But where exactly am I right now?" Meng Jingzhou was seated upon a row of benches. There were four people ahead of him and five behind—a group of ten, with him positioned exactly in the center.

"Ah, so I am applying to a merchant guild." The backstory provided to him by the Immortal Sect surfaced within his thoughts.

Staring at the pristine white wall across from him, Meng Jingzhou’s right hand moved involuntarily, his middle and ring fingers curling inward.

Nothing shot forth.

"Hmm? Why did I make such a bizarre gesture?" Meng Jingzhou was thoroughly bewildered, unable to recall ever possessing such a habit.

"Oh, forget it. Never mind that. Let's focus on the interview."

Meng Jingzhou observed that after the first applicant entered the examiner’s room, he rushed out in frantic haste, only to rush right back in. He repeated this back-and-forth journey three or four times.

Meng Jingzhou called out enthusiastically, "Hey brother, what are you running for? Is the examiner testing your sprinting speed? If so, I suggest you change your shoes. The quality of footwear does wonders for your speed. Also, consider your starting posture—crouch low on the ground, support yourself with both hands, arch your back, and that will give you the fastest start. Trust me, I have plenty of experience with this..."

The man cast a glance at Meng Jingzhou as if looking at an utter imbecile, ignored him entirely, and sprinted out to check the quality of the potatoes.

The rules stated clearly and unequivocally that applicants were strictly forbidden from revealing the questions to one another.

The first applicant, the second, the third, and the fourth—every single one of them ran with incredible diligence. Naturally, none of them passed. Regardless of whether they succeeded or failed, they vanished instantly once their interview concluded, ensuring that those waiting behind could not discern whether a higher or lower number of trips constituted a passing mark.

"Next applicant, Meng Jingzhou!" the portly examiner barked from within.

"Coming." Energetic and brimming with spirit, Meng Jingzhou strolled inside.

Following his usual routine, the portly examiner asked with a beaming smile, "Meng Jingzhou, go to the marketplace and see if there are any potatoes for sale."

Meng Jingzhou did not budge.

Thinking he had perhaps not made himself clear, the portly examiner repeated the question, enunciating every single word.

This time, Meng Jingzhou spoke up: "Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" The portly examiner could not keep pace with Meng Jingzhou’s train of thought.

"I mean, why should I go to the marketplace to see if there are potatoes for sale? Do you even know what we are doing here right now?"

"An interview, of course," the portly examiner replied, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Exactly. As you said, this is an interview, not a chance for you to send people on errands. Furthermore, didn't you ask the exact same question to the four people before me?"

"You've asked a single question four times and you're still not satisfied? You want to ask it a fifth time?"

The portly examiner explained patiently, "This is a question designed for the trial."

Meng Jingzhou gave an understanding grunt and obediently made a quick trip to the marketplace. "There are potatoes for sale."

"How many potatoes are there?"

Meng Jingzhou did not know the answer and rose to leave. A cold smirk appeared on the portly examiner's face. *You talk too much, kid. The moment you return for another trip, I shall declare your failure.*

To his utter surprise, when Meng Jingzhou threw open the door, an old gentleman was standing right outside. Meng Jingzhou turned to him and asked, "How many potatoes do you have in that cart of yours?"

The old man replied, "Eighty catties."

Meng Jingzhou turned back around. "He says he has eighty catties of potatoes. Would you also like to ask how much they cost per catty?"

The portly examiner opened his mouth, but the words "how much per catty" froze completely on his tongue. Even if he did ask, the old man at the door could answer him immediately.

What was the point of asking further!

"Why on earth did you bring the potato vendor over here?!" the portly examiner roared in fury. How was he supposed to conduct the rest of the exam now?

Meng Jingzhou spread his hands. "I asked him if several people had run over to ask about his potatoes. The old gentleman complained to me, saying that a few folks ran over just to glance at his potatoes before sprinting back, then ran over again to ask how many catties there were before sprinting back, and even ran over once more to ask the price per catty, never buying a single thing."

"I asked him if he wanted to meet the culprit responsible for all that window-shopping, and he said yes, so I brought him along."

The portly examiner was utterly speechless.

What was he to do next? No one had ever told him what to do when faced with a situation like this.

Recalling Meng Jingzhou's sheer disrespect toward him, the portly examiner hardened his heart and bellowed, "You fail to anticipate your superior's intent! You are eliminated..."

Before the portly examiner could finish his sentence, Meng Jingzhou delivered a swift kick right into his frame. "To hell with your superior intent! I've given you enough face, you fat pig!"

With that, Meng Jingzhou turned and sprinted outward.

The portly examiner slammed his palm down, smashing the desk to splinters. "You get back here right now!"

The examiner sincerely wished to keep Meng Jingzhou, and thus, Meng Jingzhou passed the trial.

...

The Vice Sect Leader massaged his temples in sheer agony. What sort of bizarre method was this to pass a trial?

He had established the rule that the examiner must sincerely wish to keep the interviewee because he worried that some applicants might take shortcuts and bribe the examiner.

He believed his regulations were meticulous enough, yet he never anticipated an entirely unforeseen method of passing.

The examiner did not merely wish to keep Meng Jingzhou with utmost sincerity; he sincerely desired to tear the boy to shreds.

How on earth was this kid's brain wired? Or was it actually myself who lacked a brain?

"Oh, undying and imperishable Immortal, grant me an answer." The Vice Sect Leader muttered his incantations, praying to the Immortal in hopes of receiving a response.

The Sect Leader interrupted his prayer. "It would be wonderful if the Immortal could actually hear what you are saying."

The Vice Sect Leader did not believe the Sect Leader was blaspheming the deity; he knew the Sect Leader was the most devout believer within the entire Immortal Sect. He sighed and remarked, "How many times have we tried? All have ended in failure. We have consistently failed to resurrect the Immortal. If only we could bring the Immortal back to life, what would the Great Xia Dynasty matter? What would the righteous path amount to? None would stand a chance against the Immortal!"

"Only through a sacrifice of blood can the Immortal be resurrected."

The two did not dwell too long on this topic. The Vice Sect Leader inquired, "What do you think of this Meng Jingzhou?"

The Sect Leader clicked his tongue in amazement. "He does not tread the ordinary path. A true talent."

The Sect Leader secretly thought to himself how fortunate it was that he hadn't agreed with the Vice Sect Leader earlier when the man claimed there could absolutely be no other way to pass. Otherwise, where would his dignity as the Sect Leader remain?

"That kid qualifies as a talent?"

"Of course. I believe our Immortal Sect precisely requires talents whose way of thinking differs from ordinary people."

"Look at the orthodox path's Dao Seeking Sect—why has it endured through the ages? I have summarized a few reasons, and the most crucial among them is that they possess a wisdom far beyond what the world can comprehend."

The Vice Sect Leader’s lips twitched slightly, thinking to himself that the Sect Leader truly deserved his title, describing absolute madness in such a refined and unconventional manner.

The Sect Leader continued, "Perhaps this fellow named Meng Jingzhou can become a core strength of our Immortal Sect, or even its mainstay!"

"Speaking of Meng Jingzhou, there was a kid who performed exceptionally well in the first trial. I believe his name was Lu Yang. How did he fare?"

...

"To make the examiner sincerely wish to keep me?"

Lu Yang pondered. "What is so difficult about that? Wouldn't it suffice to simply give the examiner a good kick? Better yet, spit on him as well. That would guaranteed enrage the examiner. Forget about keeping my person here—he would have every desire to keep my very life."

"However, that method is far too barbaric. Only a brute like Meng Jingzhou would resort to such means. I am a civilized man, and I cannot behave like him."