“There are quite few candidates today.”
As one of the top “official institutions” in the entire cultivation world, the Demon Inspection Department offered extremely high benefits and status. Naturally, it was a place that countless cultivators yearned to join.
Although the number of open positions was limited, there were usually two or three hundred cultivators who came to apply every day. During peak times, that number could even exceed 1,000.
Today was a rare exception. Even though it was already 7:45 PM, there were fewer than sixty candidates in the entire hall.
“It’s likely because that kid from the Yun family didn’t bother to hide his appearance on the way here,” an examiner answered nonchalantly.
“Most people probably aren’t interested in competing for a spot against the son of a great family. They’d rather avoid the peak and apply another time.”
“That makes sense.”
The tall, thin examiner who had first commented on the low turnout nodded. “But honestly, is it really necessary for us to test him? Couldn’t we just toss him some safe desk job in the rear?”
“After all, the Young Master is just here to experience life. He’ll just gold-plate his resume for thirty or fifty years and then go back home with something to brag about.”
In truth, most children of Great Families came to the Demon Inspection Department with this mindset. They lacked neither resources nor background.
The only thing the department could provide them was “fame,” something ethereal and vain.
“You certainly have a sharp tongue.”
A female examiner shot a sidelong glance at the tall, thin man. “Since there are so few people today, why don’t the two of us just leave and let you pass him directly?”
The assessment process had to be officially recorded in the archives.
Even for a Young Master of a Great Family, if something went wrong after they were hired — such as a security leak or a major blunder — the examiners responsible for their assessment would be held accountable.
Furthermore, unlike the Heavenly Way Academy, the Demon Inspection Department never allowed “exceptions” and did not dare to grant “privileges.”
Once such a thing happened, it would not only cause internal dissatisfaction and tank morale, but external forces that were already unhappy with the department would certainly seize the opportunity to question the department’s “impartiality.”
If they dared to give the Yun family a free pass today, then tomorrow the Su family, the Shen family, the Gu family, and even families like the Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, and Wang would all demand a special channel.
It offered a hundred harms and not a single benefit.
“I was just saying…” The tall, thin examiner gave a sheepish smile.
He shifted his gaze away from Yun Heng and started another topic. “But all jokes aside, the quality of this batch of candidates is actually quite high.”
The other two examiners followed his gaze and spotted the “high-quality candidate” he was talking about almost immediately.
It was a woman with a slender figure and a face as clear and beautiful as a cold plum blossom under the moonlight.
She wore a frost-colored dress, and her long hair was pinned up with a simple silver hairpin. She gave off an aura that was not at all inferior to the Little Heavenly Maiden of the Su family.
“If I remember correctly, she’s a treasure Sister Hua dug up from the Lower Three Continents, right?” The female examiner narrowed her eyes.
‘I hope she can make today’s exam a little less boring. And maybe she can take our Young Master down a peg while she’s at it…’
Just as the female examiner was wondering whether to increase the difficulty or loosen the requirements, she suddenly noticed a scene far more interesting than the exam itself —
Yun Heng had somehow made his way to that woman’s side!
‘Tsk tsk, as expected of the Great Thief Yun who caused so much trouble in the middle and lower six continents.’
‘He hasn’t even been back in Penglai for a full day, and he’s already looking for a match?’ the female examiner thought to herself.
Her hand instinctively reached into her storage ring and pulled out two bags of peanuts.
“Give me some.”
“I want some too.”
***
Meanwhile.
“Fellow daoist, would you mind if I asked you something?” Yun Heng stood behind the woman and spoke softly.
When she turned around to look at him, Yun Heng gave a polite bow. “Do you happen to know a man named ‘Yue Wuhen’?”
The woman shook her head.
“My apologies, please excuse my intrusion.” A flash of disappointment crossed Yun Heng’s face. He cupped his hands and turned to leave.
His best friend from his past life was named Yue Wuhen. He was a man who loved to drink and was a loyal “customer” of Lan Lan’s unique wine starter.
The wine starter Lan Lan created was no ordinary product; even if one drank until they were dead drunk, they wouldn’t “stink” of alcohol. Instead, it made them smell exceptionally soothing.
Combined with Yue Wuhen’s love for playing the flute, that bamboo flute of his was practically marinated in the scent. Consequently, he always carried a unique fragrance of “bamboo wine.”
The reason Yun Heng had approached the woman to ask about his old friend was that he had caught that same unique scent on her.
He suspected the two might be connected, but the result was, unfortunately, a dead end.
Thinking back to how he used to tease his friend by saying, ‘Brother Wuhen, you smell so good that people who don’t know you would think you’re a female cultivator,’ Yun Heng couldn’t help but feel a pang of silent laughter in his heart.
The woman watched Yun Heng’s retreating back without saying a word. She simply pulled back her gaze and continued to calmly flip through the ancient book in her hand.
“What was that? That’s it?”
The female examiner had expected some world-shaking gossip to unfold, but these two young people had barely even met before it was over?
It made her feel like she was about to let out a massive sneeze, only for it to turn into a cough at the last second. It was incredibly frustrating.
“Were you two starved to death in your past lives? Why are you eating so fast?” The female examiner glared angrily at the two guys beside her who were wolfing down the peanuts. “Give them back!”
***
At 9:00 PM, the assessment began on time.
“The Demon Inspection Department holds assessments daily. Those who have already participated must wait three years before they can try again.”
“The assessment consists of three sections: arrays, deduction, and demon lore. The questions change daily and are formulated by the Seventy-Two Seats in rotation.”
“The top three candidates based on their overall scores will be hired. I am the Chief Inspector in charge of this array assessment, ranked as the Sixty-Sixth Seat…”
In the short time he had been speaking, more than ten candidates had already left the assessment hall. Fewer than forty candidates remained.
Among them were people who had failed the assessment three years ago; they had all put down their books and were listening intently as the Sixty-Sixth Seat explained the rules.
Beside the Sixty-Sixth Seat stood a man and a woman. Based on the introduction, they were the Fifty-Second Seat and the Fifty-Ninth Seat.
All of them were powerful experts at the peak of the Integration Stage.
Yun Heng also listened very seriously. Even though he was prepared to control his score, his goal was to get hired by the department. He had to secure that third-place spot no matter what.
***
About 5 minutes later, the Sixty-Sixth Seat casually tossed out thirty-seven array diagrams, which landed precisely in the hands of each candidate.
“My questions are simple, consisting of only three points: 1. Complete all missing array patterns within the time it takes an incense stick to burn. 2.”
“Find and correct the error in the spiritual circuit. 3. Briefly explain the principle of this array’s specific suppression of ‘aquatic demons’.”
Yun Heng picked up the diagram and examined it closely.
It was a fragmented “Nine Palaces Demon-Locking Array,” a Tier 5 array commonly used to deal with the demon race.
There were three missing core patterns, designed with “one obvious, two hidden” to distinguish the skill levels of the candidates. Additionally, one spiritual circuit had been intentionally drawn incorrectly.
Just as the Sixty-Sixth Seat had said, the questions weren’t difficult.
Yun Heng had been a grandmaster of arrays in his past life; this kind of problem was child’s play to him. However, he needed to control his score.
After a moment of thought, he chose to complete two of the patterns, then intentionally added an extra error when correcting the circuit. Finally, he only explained seventy percent of the principles.
As he was about to turn in his paper, Yun Heng suddenly remembered how Yue Wuhen had once discussed with him how to improve this array to make it even more effective against the demon race.
The two of them had discussed it for nearly three years, and in the end, they really did succeed in amplifying the array’s power.
Not only did it have a special effect on aquatic demons, but even demons raised near lava would find the improved version a headache.
“You two are so fast?”
The Sixty-Sixth Seat’s surprised voice pulled Yun Heng out of his memories.
He couldn’t help but look sideways at the woman next to him who carried the characteristic scent of “bamboo wine.” He then made a “please” gesture.
“Thank you.”
The woman nodded politely to Yun Heng and turned in her paper first, her face remaining expressionless.
But before the woman could turn to leave and Yun Heng could turn in his paper, the Sixty-Sixth Seat suddenly let out an “Eh?”
“Lin Xiaoyue, what do you mean by this… ‘Improved Version’? I don’t understand the principle behind this special attack on ‘fire-based demons’. Come, explain it to me.”
With that, the Sixty-Sixth Seat waved his hand to conjure a soundproof barrier, enveloping himself and the woman within it.
Yun Heng, who was blocked on the outside, stood frozen for a full minute after hearing those words.
If the female examiner, the Fifty-Ninth Seat, hadn’t waved her hand in front of him, he probably would have stayed dazed for even longer.
After returning to his seat, Yun Heng stared at the woman named “Lin Xiaoyue” not far away, his brow furrowing slightly.
‘An improved version that two Tier 9 array masters spent three years to research was discovered so easily by a junior at the early Foundation Establishment stage?’
‘Is this for real? Was there such a genius in the Demon Inspection Department in my past life? Why don’t I have any memory of her at all?’