Chapter 263: Chapter 262: Can I Get a Photo with You?
This commission was open to all Tiers, but it specified that the Spirit Beast was at the Tier Five Peak. It seemed the Spiritual Control Sect wasn’t all that concerned about the required Tier.
That made sense, come to think of it. If Ximen Linglong were more capable, she would hardly need to fear any Tier Two opponents.
Too bad she was so pampered.
Ximen Chuihuo, on the other hand, was a walking case study. On the positive side, as a Tier Two Peak cultivator, he might not be entirely helpless against a Tier Five Spirit Beast.
On the negative side, he actually ate Spirit Beasts—an utter disgrace to the Spiritual Control Sect.
Then Jiang Zuo checked the Yongxi’s location and discovered it was also within the Demon Cultivation Realm (which was marked on the commission details).
Upon discovering this, Jiang Zuo immediately contacted Ximen Chuihuo.
In Jiang Zuo’s era, he only knew place names and had no idea how the boundaries of the Demon Cultivation Realm were set.
By the time he grew curious, he had already killed most of the world’s Cultivators, and the Demon Cultivation Realm’s borders had shifted as a result.
So, when Ximen Chuihuo had told him the location, all Jiang Zuo knew was that it was far away, not that it was within the Demon Cultivation Realm.
Ximen Chuihuo was delighted to get Jiang Zuo’s call. "Friend, have you come around?"
Jiang Zuo said, "Are you aware that a grotto recently appeared in the Demon Cultivation Realm?"
Ximen Chuihuo replied instantly, "I do! The Yongxi appeared right around there. Our Sect speculates that it very likely escaped from that grotto.
They’re already preparing to capture it, so we have to find the Yongxi first. Otherwise, we’ll lose our chance to eat some wild game.
The ones they raise in captivity definitely don’t taste the same as wild ones."
Jiang Zuo thought he had a point.
Then he said, "I’m not sure when I’ll be going, but I’ll definitely be there."
"No problem! As long as you’re coming, that’s all that matters. Just contact me when you get there. I’ll go scout ahead first."
With that settled, Jiang Zuo hung up.
Jiang Zuo was in a good mood now. Two matters had converged perfectly. He could get a good meal and protect Su Qi at the same time—killing two birds with one stone.
However, there weren’t any high-paying commissions here, which put Jiang Zuo in a bit of a bind. He now wanted to earn enough money to buy the house he was renting.
Su Qi liked it, so of course he had to find a way.
After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Zuo decided to get his Cultivation assessed. As a Tier Two cultivator, many more commissions should be available to him.
With that in mind, Jiang Zuo stood up and headed straight for the Assessment Department.
Just as he was leaving the Marketing Department, a young man appeared at his side.
The man asked, "Excuse me, friend, do you know where the Assessment Department is? Could you show me the way?"
Jiang Zuo glanced at him, then kept walking.
The man was speechless.
’So much for listening to my sister,’ the man thought. ’Telling me to keep a low profile when I’m out, saying the company is full of hidden talents.’
’Now that I’m trying to be humble, everyone else is getting arrogant.’
’I was just asking for directions. What’s with the attitude?’
The young man was fuming internally.
’I’d love to grind that guy into the pavement!’
’Just you wait. A day will come when you won’t be able to act so high and mighty.’
’Was he kidding? Who did he think he was talking to? A Tier Two Cultivator at my age! Who in this department, full of Loose Cultivators and members of minor families, could possibly match my talent?’
Jiang Zuo, of course, had no way of knowing about the young man’s inner turmoil.
In fact, he had no intention of remembering the man at all. He’d taken one look, decided he didn’t like what he saw, and walked away.
Arriving at the Assessment Department, Jiang Zuo handed his ID badge to the receptionist. "Assessment for 2.1."
The receptionist glanced at his badge, then looked up at Jiang Zuo in surprise. "Po Xiao?"
"Is there a problem?" Jiang Zuo asked.
"No, not at all," the receptionist said, quickly lowering her head.
There really wasn’t a problem; she had just blurted out the name subconsciously.
She had heard the name Po Xiao long ago. The Tier 1.1 who crushed a 1.5, and later even demolished a Tier Two—how could she not remember?
She even remembered his first visit, when he came to be assessed for Tier 1.1.
Back then, she had thought it was odd how he hesitated before confirming he was testing for 1.1.
But after hearing the legends about him, it all made sense. ’So even a 1.5 was no match for him,’ she realized. ’No wonder he hesitated.’
’And how long has it been? Not even a month, and he’s already at 2.1?’
Surprised as she was, she still had a job to do. After completing the process, she handed the ID badge back to Jiang Zuo. "Friend, it’s Room Six in the back."
Jiang Zuo took the badge and turned to leave, but he had only taken a couple of steps when the receptionist stood up and called out hesitantly, "Wait a second."
Jiang Zuo turned to face her. His expression was blank as he waited for her to continue.
The receptionist said nervously, "C-Could I get a photo with you, friend?"
Jiang Zuo turned and walked away, ignoring her.
Watching him leave, the receptionist sighed and looked down. ’I was so close. That would have been bragging rights for years. If he keeps getting stronger, I could have bragged about it for a lifetime.’
She then composed herself and sat back down as another young man approached the desk.
******
Jiang Zuo didn’t give the recent encounter a second thought. To him, such trivial matters didn’t even register.
When he reached Room Six, Jiang Zuo noticed it was more exquisitely crafted than the first five rooms. The door also bore more traces of Arrays.
’Looks like the Tier Two assessment rooms start from Room Six,’ he thought.
’The first five must be for Tier One assessments.’
’But wait, that’s not right,’ he reconsidered. ’The 1.1 assessment was in Room Three, so what are Rooms One and Two for?’
Not dwelling on it, Jiang Zuo entered Room Six.
It was much larger inside than Room Three, and traces of Arrays were visible everywhere.
Assessments from Tier Two onward were focused on Magic, so without protective Arrays, it would be easy to destroy the walls.
There were very few people in the room. Besides Jiang Zuo, there were only two others: an examiner and... a Fairy?
’She’s Tier Two. Even though she’s on the job, calling her a Fairy isn’t an exaggeration. In his past life, Jiang Zuo never had such a habit.’
’The only female Cultivator he’d ever had significant dealings with was Jiu Xi. But would he ever have called her Fairy Jiu Xi?’
’As if.’
As soon as Jiang Zuo entered, the examiner looked at him and said, "We’ll wait one more hour. If a third person doesn’t arrive by then, we’ll start."
Jiang Zuo said nothing and simply found a seat to wait.
The examiner was a little surprised. Most Cultivators who heard him say that would ask why or at least give him a curious, questioning look.
But this young man didn’t just refrain from asking; he showed not even a shred of curiosity.
However, it was just a fleeting surprise. The examiner soon dismissed it and paid him no further mind.
He planned to close his eyes and rest for a bit. It was still early in the morning, and gathering three people wasn’t going to be easy.
Just then, the woman looked over at Jiang Zuo. He seemed familiar... No, it was more accurate to say she had seen him before.
He’d left a rather deep impression on her—the guy who asked a question without a "please" and didn’t know how to say "thank you" after getting an answer.
He did leave a Spirit Stone, though.
’What a strange person.’
Still, she didn’t greet him. They didn’t really know each other, after all. At most, they were acquaintances who had met once.
Jiang Zuo, meanwhile, was observing the room. In the center stood three stone pillars, each engraved with numerous patterns.
’Overflowing Spirit Stones?’ Jiang Zuo guessed, looking at the pillars. ’Are they only planning to test the external release of Spiritual Qi?’
But regardless of the testing method, it made no difference to him. A test like this was nothing to be concerned about.
If it weren’t for the sake of getting commissions, he wouldn’t have even bothered to show up.
Just then, the third person walked in.
Jiang Zuo and the others all looked toward the door. It was a young man.
Ah, the same guy he’d taken an instant dislike to earlier.
******
Author’s Note: The next Chapter might end on a cliffhanger. If that bothers you, I suggest waiting and reading it together with tomorrow’s release.
