…
As time ticked down toward the end of the assessment, the word "exam" had completely lost its meaning for Lu Ding.
At this point, he wasn’t being
tested
—he was
training
.
Using these Wooden Dummies as sparring partners, he refined his combat skills.
His ability
Oneness with Formlessness
had long since been activated.
With the power of
Oneness with Heaven and Man
enhancing his body, his Slash Attacks became a relentless storm—faster, sharper, and more precise. His attack angles grew trickier, his movements more fluid.
His combat experience was skyrocketing.
This extraordinary display had caught the attention of the 749 Bureau’s management team, who were monitoring the exam from the observation room.
"
Oneness with Heaven and Man
—this kid actually entered that state during the exam!!!"
"He just unlocked his apertures yesterday, just joined 749 yesterday, didn’t even pick a cultivation technique, and still came to take the assessment. Having such absurd combat power was already unbelievable, and now he’s even entered
Oneness with Heaven and Man
?!"
"If he scores
perfectly
, he’ll get an
Aperture-Unlocking Pill
, instantly breaking through to the second realm—
Zhaoxuan Realm
—and then he can pick his cultivation technique afterward!"
"
Damn!
This kid’s stacking buffs like crazy!!!"
"If the other examinees’ combat power is a 1, this kid is at
30
. And once he finishes comprehending
Oneness with Heaven and Man
, his Slash Attacks will get even stronger—his combat power will shoot up to
100
. Then tonight, he’ll take an
Aperture-Unlocking Pill
and instantly step into a higher realm—combat power
1000
! And he still has a
second
talent that hasn’t even surfaced yet."
"How’s anyone supposed to catch up to that?"
"He’s leveling up so fast, by
tomorrow
nobody will even be able to
see
his shadow."
"This guy just did in
one day
what would take most people
ten years
."
"And he’s still just a
trainee investigator
."
"Hahahahahaha!!!"
The management team burst into laughter.
A kid stronger than most
full
investigators was running around as a
trainee
—this was like a high schooler enrolling in elementary school.
Pure
overkill
.
And yet, there was nothing they could do about it.
The ten-mission requirement to become a formal investigator was a rule
set by the founder himself
. No one could change it.
So now?
This was just a
predator
getting dropped into a flock of
sheep
.
Massacre inevitable.
Just imagining the chaos had them laughing even harder.
As the assessment ended, Lu Ding deactivated
Oneness with Formlessness
.
On the big screen, his score stood in overwhelming first place—miles ahead of the rest.
Seeing him exit
Oneness with Heaven and Man
, the observers felt a twinge of regret.
If only he’d stayed in that state longer…
Of course, they had no idea that the state they
dreamed
of achieving was something Lu Ding could enter and exit
whenever he wanted
.
The Wooden Dummies vanished.
The results flashed onto the screen.
Lu Ding was the
only
one with a Perfect Score.
Ten others, including Liu Yun, ranked as Excellent.
Chu Hao, on the other hand, landed in the Average category.
Before today, he would’ve easily been ranked
Excellent
.
But with his Vine Armor destroyed, his defense had dropped drastically. And since he had never trained in evasive techniques, his movements had been stiff and restricted.
At this moment, Chu Hao found himself unable to lift his head.
The humiliation burned inside him—but there was nothing he could do.
He had
felt
Lu Ding’s power firsthand.
Even from a
distance
, he had
felt
like his body was being
cut apart
.
It was so terrifying that he couldn’t even
bring himself
to feel hatred.
He only stole a few glances from the corner of his eye—
Only to realize that Lu Ding hadn’t even
looked at him once
.
With a long exhale, a deep sense of
defeat
settled over him.
So this is what I am to him. Just a worthless clown.
After everyone exited the exam grounds, Lu Ding received his reward—a Aperture-Unlocking Pill.
The pill was a deep shade of green, sealed in a small wax-coated box.
As he looked at it, information from the 749 App surfaced in his mind.
Aperture-Unlocking Pill
A rare and precious pill exclusively for those in the
Aperture-Unlocking Realm
. Packed with pure and gentle medicinal energy, it allows a Cultivator of Qi to fully open all their apertures and step directly into the
Zhaoxuan Realm
.
The
Aperture-Unlocking Realm
was the first stage of cultivation.
It was said that the human body contained 365 apertures, mirroring the cycle of the heavens. Unlocking them aligned one with the Dao and laid the foundation for future cultivation.
After
Aperture-Unlocking
came the Zhaoxuan Realm, where the 365 apertures condensed into
Qi vortexes
, allowing one to absorb and store the Heaven and Earth’s Qi to nourish the body.
After
Zhaoxuan
came the Linghai Realm, where the apertures fused together to form an
ocean of Qi
. Those with resources could expand this ocean using precious treasures; those without could only cultivate patiently, grinding toward their limit before breaking through to the Divine Palace Realm.
These were the
Three Foundational Realms
.
To build a towering palace, one needed a solid foundation.
To cultivate these realms properly, both talent and resources were indispensable.
Back when Lu Ding first read about this, he had
immediately
felt grateful for joining 749.
If he had been on his own, where the hell would he have found the necessary resources?
No wonder people said
"Martial arts for the rich, literature for the poor."
Without financial backing, even the most talented cultivator would hit a dead end.
If he had been forced to cultivate alone, he would’ve been completely screwed.
But now?
He had just waltzed into 749 and casually
received
an
Aperture-Unlocking Pill
—just like that.
And in the future, he could use contribution points to exchange for even more cultivation treasures.
Even mission rewards weren’t just money—they included monster collection bounties and more contribution points.
Joining 749 had been the
best
decision he’d ever made!
Noticing that Lu Ding had gone quiet, Deng Guofu—the logistics head responsible for distributing the rewards—couldn’t help but like him even more.
From the moment he saw Lu Ding’s terrifying talent and fearless personality, he had already taken a liking to him.
Now, seeing the kid standing there in a daze, he found him even more endearing.
He even mentally assigned Lu Ding a new label: Pure-Hearted Youth.
With a warm smile, Deng Guofu asked, "Lu Ding, what’s on your mind?"
"Nothing much. Just—thank you, sir." Lu Ding snapped back to reality and bowed in gratitude.
The nearby staff chuckled.
"This is Deng Guofu, the head of logistics at 749 Bureau’s Yunhai branch."
Hearing the words
"logistics department,"
one might assume he was just in charge of daily necessities.
But in the world of cultivation, the logistics department was basically the sect’s treasury.
Every technique, resource, and pill that trainees exchanged
all
went through him.
The guy was
practically
a hidden big shot.
Lu Ding quickly caught on and corrected himself:
"Thank you, Director Deng."
"Hahaha! You learn fast, kid!" Deng Guofu laughed heartily.
Lu Ding smiled back.
Something about Deng Guofu’s warmth reminded him of the orphanage director who had raised him.
Or the kind old man from the community center who always looked out for the neighborhood kids.
People who had left deep marks on his past.
"Still haven’t picked a technique, have you?" Deng Guofu asked.
"Not yet—I was actually planning to do that right after this."
"Perfect! I was just about to head back to logistics. Come with me—I’ll give you some
personal recommendations
."
Having a veteran guide him? Now
that
was a privilege.
Lu Ding grinned.
He had definitely made the right call joining 749.