gēn jù zhōu qīng áng de jì yì ， wǔ lǎo huì zhì xià ， zǒng gòng fēn wéi wǔ dà 【 tiān yù 】， fēn shǔ bù tóng de tiān zūn guǎn xiá 。
根据周青昂的记忆，五老会治下，总共分为五大【天域】，分属不同的天尊管辖。
According to Zhou Qingang's memory, the Five Elders' Council divided the world into five major [Heavenly Domains], each governed by a different Heavenly Sovereign.
ér měi yī 【 tiān yù 】， dōu yǒu zhe hé qí tā dì fāng jié rán bù tóng de xiān míng tè diǎn 。
而每一【天域】，都有着和其他地方截然不同的鲜明特点。
Each [Heavenly Domain] had distinct characteristics that set it apart from others.
tā de jiā xiāng ， míng wèi 【 jūn zǐ zhī guó 】。
他的家乡，名为【君子之国】。
His own domain was the Cloud Sea Region. He knew very little about hisgo live, basically communicating in one direction. Each meeting point changed after their encounters.
yīn qí nèi suǒ yǒu rén dōu wú fǎ shuō huǎng ér dé míng 。
因其内所有人都无法说谎而得名。
Zhou Qingang led him to an uninhabited island where he searched around and found a seemingly ordinary stone with some small holes at specific positions. These holes represented coordinates from the Cloud Sea.
dāng rán ， nà shì 【 jūn zǐ zhī guó 】 yù zhōng rén de zì chēng 。
当然，那是【君子之国】域中人的自称。
Using these coordinates, Zhou calculated the location of their next meeting.
wǔ lǎo huì qí tā dì fāng de xiū shì ， gèng xǐ huān chēng zhī wèi 【 zhēn shí zhī guó 】。
五老会其他地方的修士，更喜欢称之为【真实之国】。
After breaking the stone, they flew towards it.
bù guǎn rú hé chēng hū ， bú huì yǐng xiǎng tā de měi hǎo běn zhì 。
不管如何称呼，不会影响它的美好本质。
A day later, in a ruined area under the sea, Zhou found his target: a broken stone that looked ordinary. He placed both hands on it and activated a secret technique, causing yellow light to emanate from his palms.
zài nà lǐ ， rén men zǒng shì tǎn chéng xiāng dài ， shǐ zhōng zhǎn xiàn chū zì jǐ zuì zhēn shí de yí miàn 。
在那里，人们总是坦诚相待，始终展现出自己最真实的一面。
Instantly, the same faint yellow glow appeared inside the stone, quickly scanning over Zhou's body. The light returned to the stone after confirming its identity.
suī rán huì bù kě bì miǎn de shí bù shí fā shēng xiē xǔ sī shā ， dàn shì bǐ qǐ chōng chì zhe huǎng yán de wài jiè 。
虽然会不可避免的时不时发生些许厮杀，但是比起充斥着谎言的外界。
Soon, the surface of the stone became smooth like a mirror, revealing a blurry face image within it.
zhōu qīng áng rè ài jí le zì jǐ de jiā xiāng 。
周青昂热爱极了自己的家乡。
"Hey! What’s going on? Didn’t you tell me to stay hidden and not contact anyone recently?"
zài 【 zhēn shí zhī guó 】 yǐ běi ， zé shì wú shù xiū shì de mèng xiǎng xiāng ，【 wú yōu lè tǔ 】。
在【真实之国】以北，则是无数修士的梦想乡，【无忧乐土】。
The voice was cold and stern. Zhou imitated Zhou Qingang's tone: "Boss! This time I have important information to report, which is why I’m contacting you!"
zhì yú qí tā sān yù ， zhōu qīng áng bèi xuǎn zhōng jiē shòu jiàn dié péi xùn shí ， shàng qiě nián yòu ， què shì méi néng dé zhī le 。
至于其他三域，周青昂被选中接受间谍培训时，尚且年幼，却是没能得知了。
"Important information?" The other party clearly didn't believe him, his tone hostile.
……
……
Zhou lowered his voice and approached closely, saying, "I made a friend who can get us the test questions for this year's entry exam."
yǎn huà de mèng jìng jí jiāng pò miè ， lǐ fán yòu zài dù chóng yǎn le biàn mèng jìng 。
衍化的梦境即将破灭，李凡又再度重演了遍梦境。
The face image was taken aback. "Who’s trying to fool me? Do you really believe such an absurd thing? And you even went out of your way to report it?"
yǐ què bǎo dé dào xìn xī de zhǔn què xìng 。
以确保得到信息的准确性。
"Zhou Qingang, Zhou Qingang, have you been spending too much time in the Cloud Sea Region and gone mad?"
rú cǐ chóng fù le sān cì 。
如此重复了三次。
Zhou put on a look of great distress. "Boss! This is true! I can guarantee it!"
cóng zhōu qīng áng shēn shàng qǔ xià yī xiē shēng lǐ cái liào ， lǐ fán kāi shǐ yǐ qí wèi mú bǎn ， liàn zhì qǐ le fēn shēn 。
从周青昂身上取下一些生理材料，李凡开始以其为模板，炼制起了分身。
The face image looked at Zhou's earnest expression and became uncertain.
shù tiān zhī hòu 。
数天之后。
"How did this happen?"
yī jù hé zhōu qīng áng yī mú yī yàng de shēn tǐ chū xiàn 。
一具和周青昂一模一样的身体出现。
"Let me tell you," Zhou said, "my friend has some connections."
lǐ fán wēi wēi diǎn tóu ， suí hòu yòu rú fǎ páo zhì ， fā dòng qí xuán zhēn líng biàn ， zì jǐ yě biàn chéng le zhōu qīng áng de yàng zi 。
李凡微微点头，随后又如法炮制，发动奇玄真灵变，自己也变成了周青昂的样子。
Previously, he had reported to the boss that he had met the guardian of Liuyu State on Luyu Island, He Zhenghao. This man was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him and had complained about his low contribution points.
pǒ xiǎn guǐ yì de chǎng miàn chū xiàn zài le zhè xiǎo xiǎo de hǎi dǐ mì shì zhōng 。
颇显诡异的场面出现在了这小小的海底密室中。
"Who would have thought that just a few days later, he switched to an Essence Body cultivation method!" Zhou exaggerated.
sān jù yàng mào wán quán yí zhì de shēn qū ， shén tài què shì gè yì 。
三具样貌完全一致的身躯，神态却是各异。
"This unusual change caught my attention. I spent a lot of effort to find out..."
“ miào zāi ， miào zāi ！”
“妙哉，妙哉！”
The face image was now intrigued by what Zhou said.
lǐ fán mǎn yì diǎn tóu dào 。
李凡满意点头道。
Seeing the sudden pause, it shouted, "Spill it!"
kàn zhe réng rán hūn mí zhōng 、 zuǐ jiǎo shàng yáng de zhōu qīng áng ， lǐ fán yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī yì sè 。
看着仍然昏迷中、嘴角上扬的周青昂，李凡眼中闪过一丝异色。
Zhou chuckled, "He Zhenghao is not as simple as he seems."
“ cǐ shì jiù bù shā nǐ le ， miǎn de lù chū pò zhàn 。”
“此世就不杀你了，免得露出破绽。”
"On the surface, he’s just an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. But his background is enormous!"
“ yǒng yuǎn de chén nì zài huàn mèng zhōng ， duì nǐ lái jiǎng ， yě wèi bì bú shì yī jiàn hǎo shì 。”
“永远的沉溺在幻梦中，对你来讲，也未必不是一件好事。”
"He has a daughter named He Xinxin. Actually, she should be called He Hengxin!"
jiù dì qǔ cái ， wèi zhōu qīng áng dǎ zào le yī jù shí guān 。
就地取材，为周青昂打造了一具石棺。
"Have you heard of the He Family in the Heaven Yu State of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance? He Xinxin, the He Family’s crown jewel, is an Essence Body Weaving Mage and was once involved with He Zhenghao!"
bǎ tā fàng jìn qù hòu ， sā xià yī duī líng shí ， yòng lái wéi chí qí shēng jī 。
把他放进去后，撒下一堆灵石，用来维持其生机。
"This sounds ridiculous! But it’s true!"
lǐ fán yòu yǐ 【 yún shuǐ huàn mèng 】 wèi hé xīn ， bù zhì le yí gè zhèn fǎ 。
李凡又以【云水幻梦】为核心，布置了一个阵法。
"Previously, because He Zhenghao's cultivation level was too low, he had to cut ties with the He Family. So his life became quite difficult."
néng gòu wéi chí zhì shǎo èr shí nián de huàn jìng 。
能够维持至少二十年的幻境。
"But recently, something changed."
suí hòu yòng jù shí bǎ shí guān fēng sǐ ， zài shēn mái jìn hǎi dǐ 。
随后用巨石把石棺封死，再深埋进海底。
Zhou paused, looked at the face image, and continued, "He Xinxin is now an adult. She feels sorry for her father’s miserable life and wants to help him, but she can’t do it openly in case it’s discovered by family members."
“ zhè yàng yī lái ， shì shàng chú le wǒ zhī wài ， yīng gāi zài méi yǒu rén huì fā xiàn nǐ xiāo shī le 。”
“这样一来，世上除了我之外，应该再没有人会发现你消失了。”
"So instead, she secretly passed on information she had overheard," Zhou said excitedly.
jiāng hén jì chǔ lǐ wán bì ， lǐ fán de shì xiàn fǎng fú chuān tòu le hǎi dǐ ， kàn dào le zài huàn mèng zhōng chén mián de zhōu qīng áng ， mǎn yì de shuō dào 。
将痕迹处理完毕，李凡的视线仿佛穿透了海底，看到了在幻梦中沉眠的周青昂，满意的说道。
"Thanks to his daughter's help, He Zhenghao has completely turned things around!"
tā zhè me zuò ， hái shì shòu dào le wèi lái 【 xuán wǎng 】 shì jiè xiàn zhōng ， nà dào 【 yǒng héng xiān qiáng 】 de qǐ fā 。
他这么做，还是受到了未来【玄网】世界线中，那道【永恒仙墙】的启发。
Zhou seemed envious. "He got wind of the impending price hike for the Obsidian of Agog and sold everything he could at a loss."
xuán huáng jiè xiū shì sǐ hòu ， tiān dì gǎn yìng ， huì yǒu yì xiàng xiàn yú tiān kōng 。
玄黄界修士死后，天地感应，会有异像现于天空。
"After doubling in value, he sold it off again. He made over ten thousand contribution points from this transaction!"
lǐ fán mù qián hái méi zhǎng wò néng gòu bì miǎn yì xiàng chǎn shēng de fāng fǎ 。
李凡目前还没掌握能够避免异像产生的方法。
"Ten thousand! Boss! That’s enough to cover my expenses for years!"
ér xiàn zài hái bù néng ràng bié rén fā xiàn zhēn zhèng de zhōu qīng áng yǐ jīng sǐ le 。
而现在还不能让别人发现真正的周青昂已经死了。
"He Zhenghao was afraid that his daughter would be implicated if the news leaked out, so he fabricated a story about ancient Heaven Mechanism Sect guidance."
cǎi yòng rú cǐ fāng shì ， zhēn shì zài hé shì bù guò le 。
采用如此方式，真是再合适不过了。
"Such nonsense! You’re treating us like fools!"
zuò wán zhè yī qiè ， fēn shēn fǎn huí tài ān dǎo ， jì xù dāng wàn xiān méng zhèn shǒu 。
做完这一切，分身返回泰安岛，继续当万仙盟镇守。
"Boss, I’m glad I was smart and persistent. I finally got him to reveal the truth," Zhou gloated.
běn zūn zé shì cháo zhe zhōu qīng áng jì yì zhōng ， hé shàng xiàn de jiē tóu diǎn ér qù 。
本尊则是朝着周青昂记忆中，和上线的接头点而去。
"The source of the test questions for this year’s entry exam is also from He Xinxin."
duì yú zì jǐ de shàng xiàn ， zhōu qīng áng qí shí zhī dào de yě hěn shǎo 。
对于自己的上线，周青昂其实知道的也很少。
"Boss, do you think it’s reliable?"
yì zhí yǐ lái jī běn dōu shì dān xiàng lián xì 。
一直以来基本都是单向联系。
The face image on the stone did not react angrily but remained silent, as if searching for something.
bìng qiě měi cì jiē tóu zhī hòu ， xià yī cì jiàn miàn de dì miàn dū huì biàn huà 。
并且每次接头之后，下一次见面的地面都会变化。
After a long time, the voice came back. "He Xinxin does have a daughter, but her father's identity has always been a mystery."
lǐ fán lái dào yī chù wú rén dǎo yǔ ， zài shàng miàn sōu suǒ yī fān ， guǒ rán zhǎo dào le yī kuài kàn shàng qù pǔ pǔ tōng tōng de shí tou 。
李凡来到一处无人岛屿，在上面搜索一番，果然找到了一块看上去普普通通的石头。
"However, many years ago, she traveled with a young man who disappeared soon after,"
zhǐ shì zài tè dìng de wèi zhì ， yǒu jǐ gè bù qǐ yǎn de xiǎo dòng 。
只是在特定的位置，有几个不起眼的小洞。
"I’ll take a look at his appearance..."
zhè xiē xiǎo dòng ， zé shì dài biǎo zhe cóng yún hǎi de 【 zuò biāo 】。
这些小洞，则是代表着从云海的【坐标】。
"It’s really He Zhenghao!"
lǐ fán gēn jù zuò biāo ， suàn chū le zhè cì jiē tóu de dì diǎn 。
李凡根据坐标，算出了这次接头的地点。
The face image was shocked.
jiāng shí tou niē suì zhī hòu ， jìng zhí cháo nà biān fēi qù 。
将石头捏碎之后，径直朝那边飞去。
"And this..."
yī tiān zhī hòu 。
一天之后。
"Before the price hike of Obsidian of Agog, there were unusual transactions. Someone bought heavily and then sold off at high prices."
hǎi dǐ yī chù fèi xū zhōng ， lǐ fán zhǎo dào le mù biāo 。
海底一处废墟中，李凡找到了目标。
"The timing is too perfect to be coincidental,"
yī kuài kàn shì xún cháng de duàn shí 。
一块看似寻常的断石。
"Who bought it?"
lǐ fán jiāng shuāng shǒu fù shàng ， tóng shí yùn zhuàn qǐ le mì fǎ ， shuāng zhǎng fā chū huáng sè guāng máng 。
李凡将双手覆上，同时运转起了秘法，双掌发出黄色光芒。
"He Zhenghao again!"
chà nà jiān ， duàn shí zhōng yǒng xiàn chū tóng yàng de dàn huáng sè guāng zé ， kuài sù sǎo guò lǐ fán quán shēn 。
刹那间，断石中涌现出同样的淡黄色光泽，快速扫过李凡全身。
A loud thumping sound came from the face image.
yàn zhèng tōng guò ， guāng máng fǎn huí duàn shí 。
验证通过，光芒返回断石。
"So, the test questions for this year’s entry exam might be real?" The other party's breathing became rapid.
bù jiǔ zhī hòu ， duàn shí de wài biǎo biàn dé guāng huá rú jìng 。
不久之后，断石的外表变得光滑如镜。
Zhou nodded. "That’s why I rushed here! The entry exam is about to begin."
yī zhāng mó hú de rén liǎn yǐng xiàng ， chū xiàn qí zhōng 。
一张模糊的人脸影像，出现其中。
"If we can get the questions in advance..."
“ gǎo shén me ？ bú shì ràng nǐ hǎo hǎo zhé fú ， zuì jìn bú yào lián xì me ？”
“搞什么？不是让你好好蛰伏，最近不要联系么？”
"We could place our people in more critical positions within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance!"
duì fāng yǔ qì bīng lěng ， xùn chì dào 。
对方语气冰冷，训斥道。
The face image understood the gravity of the situation and asked, "What did he say?"
lǐ fán zé shì mó fǎng zhe zhōu qīng áng de yǔ qì ：“ tóu ！ zhè cì kě shì wǒ yǒu zhòng yào qíng bào yào huì bào ， zhè cái pò lì lián xì nǐ de ！”
李凡则是模仿着周青昂的语气：“头！这次可是我有重要情报要汇报，这才破例联系你的！”
At that moment, Zhou hesitated. "Boss, He Zhenghao is asking for a high price this time..."
“ zhòng yào qíng bào ？” duì miàn míng xiǎn bù xìn 、 yǔ qì bù shàn ，“ shuō shuō kàn 。”
“重要情报？”对面明显不信、语气不善，“说说看。”
The other party shouted, "Just tell me! Fifty thousand contribution points? That’s nothing compared to the test questions!"
lǐ fán yā dī le shēng yīn ， còu jìn shàng qián shuō dào ：“ wǒ jié jiāo de yī wèi dào yǒu ， jù tā shuō ， tā néng gǎo dào zhè cì wàn xiān méng rù zhí dà kǎo de shì tí 。”
李凡压低了声音，凑近上前说道：“我结交的一位道友，据他说，他能搞到这次万仙盟入职大考的试题。”
Zhou held out his hand, mimicking the amount: "He wants this much?"
rén liǎn xiān shì yī lèng ， suí hòu lì mǎ mà dào ：“ yòu shì nǎ ge piàn zi ？ zhè me lí pǔ de shì qíng nǐ yě xiāng xìn ？ hái tè dì xiàng wǒ huì bào ？”
人脸先是一愣，随后立马骂道：“又是哪个骗子？这么离谱的事情你也相信？还特地向我汇报？”
"Five hundred thousand?" The face image was stunned.
“ zhōu qīng áng a zhōu qīng áng ， nǐ shì cóng yún hǎi dāi jiǔ le ， nǎo zi lǐ jìn shuǐ le ba ？”
“周青昂啊周青昂，你是丛云海呆久了，脑子里进水了吧？”
"Five hundred thousand? He must be crazy!" His voice trembled.
lǐ fán lì mǎ zuò chū yī fù shí fēn wěi qū de biǎo qíng ：“ tóu ， zhè cì kě shì zhēn de bù néng zài zhēn le ！ wǒ gǎn bǎo zhèng ！”
李凡立马做出一副十分委屈的表情：“头，这次可是真的不能再真了！我敢保证！”
But quickly, he recovered. His expression darkened with a hint of murderous intent. "You’ve been exposed!?"
rén liǎn kàn zhe lǐ fán xìn shì dàn dàn de yàng zi ， yě biàn dé yǒu xiē chí yí qǐ lái 。
人脸看着李凡信誓旦旦的样子，也变得有些迟疑起来。
"He Zhenghao wouldn’t offer such an outrageous price for a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator."
“ zěn me shuō ？”
“怎么说？”
"Unless... he already knows about your organization..."
lǐ fán shuō dào ：“ wǒ zhè wèi dào yǒu ， shàng miàn yǒu rén ！”
李凡说道：“我这位道友，上面有人！”
The image on the stone flickered, as if it might disappear.
“ zhī qián wǒ bú shì xiàng nín huì bào guò ， jié shí le liú lí dǎo zhèn shǒu hé zhèng hào ma 。 cǐ rén gēn wǒ yī yàng ， yě shì zhù jī xiū wèi 。 qián bù jiǔ ， hái xiàng wǒ bào yuàn guò ， shuō shì gòng xiàn dù nán zǎn ， xiǎng yào gǎi huàn gōng fǎ bù zhī dào yào duō jiǔ 。”
“之前我不是向您汇报过，结识了琉璃岛镇守何正浩嘛。此人跟我一样，也是筑基修为。前不久，还向我抱怨过，说是贡献度难攒，想要改换功法不知道要多久。”
The face image stared at Zhou intently, waiting for his answer.
“ shuí céng xiǎng ， jǐ tiān méi jiàn ， tā jiù huàn shàng le yuán yīng gōng fǎ le ！”
“谁曾想，几天没见，他就换上了元婴功法了！”
Zhou was speechless. "Boss, in your mind, do I seem unprofessional?"
lǐ fán yòng kuā zhāng de yǔ qì jiǎng dào 。
李凡用夸张的语气讲道。
"I just told him that someone backs me."
“ rú cǐ yì cháng ， zì rán yǐn qǐ le wǒ de zhù yì 。 wǒ fèi le hěn dà gōng fǎ ， cái dǎ tīng dào ……”
“如此异常，自然引起了我的注意。我费了很大功法，才打听到……”
"Everyone has connections when working within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."
rén liǎn cǐ shí yǐ jīng yǒu diǎn bèi lǐ fán suǒ shuō de huà xī yǐn le 。
人脸此时已经有点被李凡所说的话吸引了。
"Don’t worry, Boss. He Zhenghao will not suspect us of being spies,"
jiàn tā tū rán mài guān zi ， lì mǎ mà dào ：“ hái bù kuài shuō ！”
见他突然卖关子，立马骂道：“还不快说！”
"In fact, he’s just spreading his net widely. He knows the risks of selling test questions and only does one transaction with a limited number of people."
lǐ fán hē hē yī xiào ：“ hé zhèng hào cǐ rén ， bù jiǎn dān a ！”
李凡呵呵一笑：“何正浩此人，不简单啊！”
...
“ biǎo miàn shàng kàn ， zhǐ shì yí gè píng píng wú qí de zhù jī xiū shì 。 shí jì shàng ， tā de bèi jǐng dà de xià rén ！”
“表面上看，只是一个平平无奇的筑基修士。实际上，他的背景大的吓人！”
Hearing Zhou's explanation, the face image gradually calmed down.
“ tā yǒu gè nǚ ér ， jiào hé xīn xīn 。 hēng ， shí jì shàng ， yīng gāi jiào héng xīn xīn cái duì ！”
“他有个女儿，叫何忻忻。哼，实际上，应该叫衡忻忻才对！”
The image on the stone became clear again as it analyzed carefully. "Fifty thousand per person is expensive but acceptable."
“ wàn xiān méng tiān yǔ zhōu héng jiā ， bù zhī tóu nǐ tīng guò méi yǒu ？”
“万仙盟天禹州衡家，不知头你听过没有？”
"But still, the amount is huge. If these test questions are fake..."
“ héng jiā de zhǎng shàng míng zhū ， nián jì qīng qīng jiù yǐ jīng shì yuán yīng zhī fǎ shī de héng ruò shuǐ ， jìng rán shì hé zhèng hào de lǎo xiāng hǎo ！”
“衡家的掌上明珠，年纪轻轻就已经是元婴织法师的衡若水，竟然是何正浩的老相好！”
Zhou shrugged, "He Zhenghao said that we can get the first day’s exam questions for free. We’ll confirm them before making the final transaction."
“ zhè shuō chū qù shuí xìn a ！ dàn piān piān jiù shì zhēn de ！”
“这说出去谁信啊！但偏偏就是真的！”
Hearing this, the face image was thrilled.
“ zhī qián ， sì hū shì yīn wèi hé zhèng hào cǐ rén xiū wèi tài chà ， bèi pò hé héng jiā duàn le lián xì 。 suǒ yǐ guò de bǐ jiào kùn dùn 。”
“之前，似乎是因为何正浩此人修为太差，被迫和衡家断了联系。所以过的比较困顿。”
(End of chapter)
According to Zhou Qingang's memory, the Five Elders' Council divided the world into five major [Heavenly Domains], each governed by a different Heavenly Sovereign.
Each [Heavenly Domain] had distinct characteristics that set it apart from others.
His own domain was the Cloud Sea Region. He knew very little about hisgo live, basically communicating in one direction. Each meeting point changed after their encounters.
Zhou Qingang led him to an uninhabited island where he searched around and found a seemingly ordinary stone with some small holes at specific positions. These holes represented coordinates from the Cloud Sea.
Using these coordinates, Zhou calculated the location of their next meeting.
After breaking the stone, they flew towards it.
A day later, in a ruined area under the sea, Zhou found his target: a broken stone that looked ordinary. He placed both hands on it and activated a secret technique, causing yellow light to emanate from his palms.
Instantly, the same faint yellow glow appeared inside the stone, quickly scanning over Zhou's body. The light returned to the stone after confirming its identity.
Soon, the surface of the stone became smooth like a mirror, revealing a blurry face image within it.
"Hey! What’s going on? Didn’t you tell me to stay hidden and not contact anyone recently?"
The voice was cold and stern. Zhou imitated Zhou Qingang's tone: "Boss! This time I have important information to report, which is why I’m contacting you!"
"Important information?" The other party clearly didn't believe him, his tone hostile.
Zhou lowered his voice and approached closely, saying, "I made a friend who can get us the test questions for this year's entry exam."
The face image was taken aback. "Who’s trying to fool me? Do you really believe such an absurd thing? And you even went out of your way to report it?"
"Zhou Qingang, Zhou Qingang, have you been spending too much time in the Cloud Sea Region and gone mad?"
Zhou put on a look of great distress. "Boss! This is true! I can guarantee it!"
The face image looked at Zhou's earnest expression and became uncertain.
"How did this happen?"
"Let me tell you," Zhou said, "my friend has some connections."
Previously, he had reported to the boss that he had met the guardian of Liuyu State on Luyu Island, He Zhenghao. This man was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him and had complained about his low contribution points.
"Who would have thought that just a few days later, he switched to an Essence Body cultivation method!" Zhou exaggerated.
"This unusual change caught my attention. I spent a lot of effort to find out..."
The face image was now intrigued by what Zhou said.
Seeing the sudden pause, it shouted, "Spill it!"
Zhou chuckled, "He Zhenghao is not as simple as he seems."
"On the surface, he’s just an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. But his background is enormous!"
"He has a daughter named He Xinxin. Actually, she should be called He Hengxin!"
"Have you heard of the He Family in the Heaven Yu State of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance? He Xinxin, the He Family’s crown jewel, is an Essence Body Weaving Mage and was once involved with He Zhenghao!"
"This sounds ridiculous! But it’s true!"
"Previously, because He Zhenghao's cultivation level was too low, he had to cut ties with the He Family. So his life became quite difficult."
"But recently, something changed."
Zhou paused, looked at the face image, and continued, "He Xinxin is now an adult. She feels sorry for her father’s miserable life and wants to help him, but she can’t do it openly in case it’s discovered by family members."
"So instead, she secretly passed on information she had overheard," Zhou said excitedly.
"Thanks to his daughter's help, He Zhenghao has completely turned things around!"
Zhou seemed envious. "He got wind of the impending price hike for the Obsidian of Agog and sold everything he could at a loss."
"After doubling in value, he sold it off again. He made over ten thousand contribution points from this transaction!"
"Ten thousand! Boss! That’s enough to cover my expenses for years!"
"He Zhenghao was afraid that his daughter would be implicated if the news leaked out, so he fabricated a story about ancient Heaven Mechanism Sect guidance."
"Such nonsense! You’re treating us like fools!"
"Boss, I’m glad I was smart and persistent. I finally got him to reveal the truth," Zhou gloated.
"The source of the test questions for this year’s entry exam is also from He Xinxin."
"Boss, do you think it’s reliable?"
The face image on the stone did not react angrily but remained silent, as if searching for something.
After a long time, the voice came back. "He Xinxin does have a daughter, but her father's identity has always been a mystery."
"However, many years ago, she traveled with a young man who disappeared soon after,"
"I’ll take a look at his appearance..."
"It’s really He Zhenghao!"
The face image was shocked.
"And this..."
"Before the price hike of Obsidian of Agog, there were unusual transactions. Someone bought heavily and then sold off at high prices."
"The timing is too perfect to be coincidental,"
"Who bought it?"
"He Zhenghao again!"
A loud thumping sound came from the face image.
"So, the test questions for this year’s entry exam might be real?" The other party's breathing became rapid.
Zhou nodded. "That’s why I rushed here! The entry exam is about to begin."
"If we can get the questions in advance..."
"We could place our people in more critical positions within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance!"
The face image understood the gravity of the situation and asked, "What did he say?"
At that moment, Zhou hesitated. "Boss, He Zhenghao is asking for a high price this time..."
The other party shouted, "Just tell me! Fifty thousand contribution points? That’s nothing compared to the test questions!"
Zhou held out his hand, mimicking the amount: "He wants this much?"
"Five hundred thousand?" The face image was stunned.
"Five hundred thousand? He must be crazy!" His voice trembled.
But quickly, he recovered. His expression darkened with a hint of murderous intent. "You’ve been exposed!?"
"He Zhenghao wouldn’t offer such an outrageous price for a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator."
"Unless... he already knows about your organization..."
The image on the stone flickered, as if it might disappear.
The face image stared at Zhou intently, waiting for his answer.
Zhou was speechless. "Boss, in your mind, do I seem unprofessional?"
"I just told him that someone backs me."
"Everyone has connections when working within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."
"Don’t worry, Boss. He Zhenghao will not suspect us of being spies,"
"In fact, he’s just spreading his net widely. He knows the risks of selling test questions and only does one transaction with a limited number of people."
...
Hearing Zhou's explanation, the face image gradually calmed down.
The image on the stone became clear again as it analyzed carefully. "Fifty thousand per person is expensive but acceptable."
"But still, the amount is huge. If these test questions are fake..."
Zhou shrugged, "He Zhenghao said that we can get the first day’s exam questions for free. We’ll confirm them before making the final transaction."
Hearing this, the face image was thrilled.
(End of chapter)