Jiang Zuo stood on the training ground, looking at the examiner. 'A cultivation level of 1.5. At his age, that's terrible.'
'Someone like this dares to look down on me?'
At that moment, the examiner said, "Hit me twice. Let me get a feel for your strength. If it's adequate, you'll pass."
Jiang Zuo asked, "And what happens if I injure you?"
The examiner froze. Xia Yue, standing to the side, was also stunned. 'Is he provoking the examiner?'
'Does he even want to pass?'
After all, passing or failing depended on a single word from the man.
The examiner sneered, "You? How arrogant. Fine. If you can't even hurt me, then you can forget about passing this assessment today."
Jiang Zuo's expression remained placid. "Can we start?"
Jiang Zuo's calm face infuriated the examiner. "Insolent."
Just then, Jiang Zuo moved, rapidly closing in on the examiner.
The examiner was inwardly delighted. 'He actually dares to get this close? He's courting death.'
He reached out to grab Jiang Zuo. If he could just get his hands on him, he would make sure to injure him severely for daring to look down on him so blatantly.
But just as the examiner's hand was about to connect, Jiang Zuo's form flickered, and he easily dodged the grab.
Then, without hesitation, Jiang Zuo gathered Spiritual Qi in his fist and threw a punch at the examiner's neck.
A killing blow.
The examiner's pupils constricted. The full power of his 1.5 cultivation erupted from his body, blocking Jiang Zuo's fist.
He staggered back two steps, horrified. But before he could recover, Jiang Zuo was beside him once more.
This time, Jiang Zuo aimed directly for the examiner's temple. Once again, the man had to erupt with his full Cultivation to block the blow. After that, Jiang Zuo stuck to him, pressing the attack and giving the examiner no opportunity to counter.
The longer they fought, the more horrified the examiner became, and that horror soon gave way to dread.
'I can't fight back. I can't fight back at all.'
'How is this possible? He clearly only has a 1.1 Cultivation! How can he be completely overwhelming me?'
'Why would someone like him be taking the 1.1 assessment? He must have hidden his true Cultivation!'
The examiner grew more and more afraid as he fought, feeling as though a single lapse in concentration would mean his death.
Moreover, the aura coming from Jiang Zuo terrified him even more.
Within those calm eyes, he could faintly perceive a vast ocean of blood.
Then, in the next second, he lost sight of Jiang Zuo's fist. At the same time, he felt an impact on his stomach.
By the time he processed it, he was already flying through the air. His only thought was, 'It's over. I'm going to die.'
After sending the examiner flying, Jiang Zuo stopped attacking.
'Couldn't be helped. This was my absolute limit.'
'My Spiritual Qi is depleted. If this goes on any longer, I'll be the one getting crushed.'
'So this is enough.'
Jiang Zuo looked at the terrified examiner and asked calmly, "Do I pass the 1.1 assessment?"
"Yes! Yes, you do."
With that, Jiang Zuo turned and left.
Off to the side, Xia Yue was completely dumbfounded. He wondered if he was dreaming.
'A 1.1 just crushed a 1.5?'
'What the hell?'
'I must be sleepwalking. Definitely sleepwalking.'
When he came to his senses, the only other person there was the terrified examiner, kneeling on the ground.
***
Jiang Zuo returned to the Marketing Department. 'Beating a 1.5 right from the start wasn't a big deal,' he thought. 'But if I had given him a single chance to counterattack, I wouldn't have been able to keep him suppressed.'
'Ultimately, I'm still not a true match for a 1.5. That performance was the absolute limit of my abilities.'
Jiang Zuo was confident that no one else in the entire world could have accomplished what he just did.
Those seemingly simple attacks were actually a fusion of countless elements: Basic Body Skill, Body Techniques, the subtle manipulation of Spiritual Qi, and innumerable years of combat experience.
These were not skills an ordinary person could master.
Let alone possess all of them.
When Jiang Zuo looked at the commission webpage again, he could finally see the listings.
Unfortunately, there was only one commission left.
Jiang Zuo glanced at it and saw that it was a healing job.
Without a second thought, Jiang Zuo accepted it.
Then, someone in Department Two suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Elder Chen's commission was taken? Who's got that kind of nerve?"
Someone else immediately added, "You're right. Which Fellow Daoist is so brave?"
Jiang Zuo frowned. 'Why did accepting this commission attract so much attention?'
'It's just a commission. Why would it require courage?'
Jiang Zuo had no intention of asking them. Instead, he took a screenshot of the commission and posted it in his group chat. They were far more reliable than the people in the Marketing Department.
After all, there was no conflict of interest between them.
Po Xiao: "Is there a problem with this commission?"
Blade Master Hai Bian immediately replied: "Fellow Daoist, you're really... how should I put this? That Elder Chen is said to have offended a certain Demon Cultivator. As long as that Demon Cultivator is around, his illness can never be cured."
"More importantly, this Demon Cultivator has a powerful background."
Chi Xue Child sent a sticker of a dramatic entrance with lightning flashing: "I know this one! Demon Cultivator Mo Yan. He cultivates Nightmare and can invade people's Dream Realms. If you can't break out of his Nightmare's Dream Realm, you'll never wake up."
Po Xiao: "Do you know his Cultivation level?"
Chi Xue Child: "No idea. But if you're going after Mo Yan, Fellow Daoist Po Xiao, let me come with you! I've been wanting to catch Demon Cultivator Mo Yan for a while. Let's team up."
Liuyue Xue sent a shocked emoji: "Chi Xue Child, are you out of your mind? Picking a fight with Demon Cultivator Mo Yan for no reason? Do you have any idea who his master is? Are you stupid?"
Chi Xue Child sent a thumbs-up emoji: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Jiang Zuo hesitated for a moment. He didn't actually like working in a team; he preferred to operate alone.
But since they had provided him with information, he figured it wouldn't hurt to bring them along.
Then he sent a message: "Meet me outside the Chen Family's villa."
After that, Jiang Zuo ignored everyone in Marketing Department Two and left the Tianhe Group building.
The Chen Family's villa was in the suburbs. It was a massive, standalone estate, so large it seemed to wrap around the entire mountain it was on.
In other words, the family was seriously wealthy.
After waiting for a long time, Jiang Zuo saw a young man approaching while eating a popsicle. When the young man saw Jiang Zuo, he pulled out another one and offered it. "Fellow Daoist Po Xiao, want one?"
Jiang Zuo: "Chi Xue Child?"
The young man nodded. "The Daoist name is pretty cool, right? Legend has it that when my master found me, I was covered in crimson blood, so he just named me Chi Xue Child. Super random."
Jiang Zuo was quite surprised. This guy was actually at Tier Two Cultivation, and he looked very young and handsome.
Then Jiang Zuo said, "Let's go inside."
Chi Xue Child looked at the popsicle still extended in his hand and muttered, "No wonder people give him bad reviews without explanation. He has zero manners."
But after muttering to himself, he followed along with a carefree expression.
'Jiang Zuo actually found himself admiring Chi Xue Child a little. The guy didn't get angry at all even after being ignored. Maybe I should learn some manners,' he thought.
Just then, a middle-aged butler came out.
He immediately gave Jiang Zuo and his companion a scrutinizing look. "You're the ones who accepted the commission? I didn't think anyone capable would actually take it."
Chi Xue Child laughed. "It seems this is your first time dealing with Tianhe. In any case, lead the way."
These two were far too young. The butler remained deeply skeptical, but he led them inside nonetheless.
Jiang Zuo asked curiously, "Isn't Tianhe famous?"
Chi Xue Child said, munching on his popsicle, "We're not exactly from the same world, after all. They're just ordinary people—rich ones, at best. If they weren't, they would never have been able to access the Tianhe commission center in the first place."