Weekend Gathering

The study was huge, located on the southeast side of the villa. Rather than a study, it was more like a small library.

Rows upon rows of bookshelves stood in neat succession. Books of varying thicknesses, old and new alike, were arranged neatly on the rosewood shelves.

Wenren Sheng moved among them, browsing for the books he needed.

Encyclopedia of Otherworldly Species, Development History of Divine Continent Otherworldly Species, Records of Ancient Gods and Monsters, Secret Records of the Forty-Eight Provinces, Source of Otherworldly Species...

He had read some of these books before, while others he had never had the time to read. This time, he planned to study them all together.

Divine Land had possessed a tradition of examinations since ancient times. Though examinations had many flaws, they were still the least bad method of selection, so long as their content did not go astray.

The examinations in this world were never rigid. They were updated entirely in step with the trends of the world. The once-famous Eight-legged Essay of his previous life had been nothing more than a brief flash in history.

Becoming a judge for the Otherworldly Qualification Exam came with many benefits, especially for him.

First, it allowed one to build an extensive network. For example, this was the best time to discover talented Cultivators, and judges could make all kinds of investments in advance.

Second, the Supreme Patrol Division paid quite generously each time. If one earned additional merit, there might even be rare opportunities for Otherworldly patronage, much like the hereditary official appointments of ancient times.

When ministers had rendered great service through hard work, emperors would often permit them to grant one or several descendants official posts without examination. Jia Zheng in Dream of the Red Chamber was such a hereditary official.

Except hereditary officials allowed descendants to benefit from their ancestors, whereas Wenren Sheng's situation was the reverse. That was why his mother had said that the father was like a son, while the son seemed more like the father.

Third, it enhanced one's reputation. The more often one became a judge, the greater one's influence in a given field, and influence represented another kind of power.

For Wenren Sheng, there was an additional benefit: he would have the chance to encounter many newcomers. If he got lucky, he could greatly raise his Mystery Points cap.

The Otherworldly Qualification Exam was held simultaneously in several locations to improve efficiency. Each examination site covered several nearby provinces, and many people from neighboring countries would also take part.

As for the drawbacks, there were naturally some. One might get drawn into conflicts between certain factions.

Competition existed everywhere. Otherwise, things would inevitably become stagnant; and competition bred factions, because huddling together for warmth was human instinct.

Of course, with the big shots above keeping watch, such competition had its limits.

Thus, the risks were relatively manageable.

With so many benefits and such low risk, becoming one of the judges was naturally no easy matter.

First, an Expert Level Evaluation was the foundation. Though the proportion of people who became experts was low, the absolute number was not small.

If appointments and removals were decided by a superior's word alone or through recommendations, unfairness could easily arise.

In literature, there was no first; in martial arts, there was no second. Before a formal contest, no one would think themselves inferior to others.

Therefore, the selection process for judges also required an examination. Moreover, judges specializing in different types of Otherworldly Species would be tested on different content.

Wenren Sheng knew his own situation well. He was an expert in the field of mysterious combat, or more specifically, an expert in the defensive branch.

His current core mysterious skills—Extraordinary Physique (Intermediate) and Mystery Resistance (Intermediate)—had received massive passive boosts from the Seed of Mystery. In truth, they far exceeded an advanced evaluation and could approach a Master Level Evaluation.

If he actively expended Alien Power for a second boost, he would reach a Master Level Evaluation.

Thus, passing an Expert Level Evaluation was nothing out of the ordinary for him. He merely lacked the corresponding supporting knowledge and certain systematic skills.

In other words, he was a crippled sort of expert. His core skills had been raised to an extreme degree, allowing him to obtain an Expert Level Evaluation ahead of time, but his lack of surrounding knowledge and skills put him at a considerable disadvantage against established experts.

Put simply, if they entered the arena and fought hand-to-hand, his physical and mystical resistance were extraordinarily high, and his explosive power was formidable. He could easily crush experts in the same field; but in a written exam testing his knowledge reserves, he would suffer badly.

He had gone to learn Extraordinary Memory not only to cultivate fighting techniques, but also to force-feed himself vast amounts of knowledge and make up for his shortcomings as much as possible.

But memory was only memory. Understanding and applying that knowledge flexibly remained a major problem. That was where review came in: revisiting the old to gain new insight.

Just as Wenren Sheng was engrossed in his reading, his phone suddenly rang.

He frowned, half inclined to throw it several yards away. After thinking it over, he answered it anyway. Buying a new one would cost money, and recovering the data inside would be troublesome.

It was an unfamiliar number, but it could not possibly be a spam call, because his number received extra protection.

"This is Wenren Sheng. Who is this?" he asked in a somewhat unfriendly tone. Interrupting his reading was a grave offense, especially at a time like this. Could it be some competitor? "Oh, Mr. Wenren, I am Feng Youlin. President Zhao introduced me to you. I would like to invite you to meet tomorrow at Dengke Tower in this city." A deep male voice came through the phone.

"Sorry, I need to study at home these next two days. I do not have time to go out." Wenren Sheng refused outright.

"Haha, sir, you are busy. Let us speak plainly: we have the latest outline for this judge examination. Would Mr. Wenren still be willing to spare the time for a gathering?" the other party immediately said.

"Oh? If you dare say you have the exam questions, I will hang up at once. If it is only the outline, what time tomorrow?" Wenren Sheng was immediately interested.

Though he had a family background in the field, he was ultimately a person from another world. He had only formally entered this circle three years ago, so his knowledge reserves lagged far behind those of the locals.

"The gathering is at ten tomorrow morning. We will send someone to pick you up in advance, sir." A trace of delight entered the other party's tone.

"Let me think it over," Wenren Sheng said after some consideration.

"Very well. Please do not miss this opportunity, sir. If you decide to come, please give me a call." The other party sounded rather regretful.

Wenren Sheng hung up, then found a contact labeled "Big Fatty" and dialed the number.

It took a long while for someone to answer. Through the receiver, he could faintly hear heavy panting, seemingly from two people? "Is that Wenren? Strange, you are calling at this hour?" President Zhao's voice seemed a little rough.

"Uh, I did not interrupt President Zhao, did I?" Wenren Sheng asked without revealing anything.

"Alas, there is no sorrow in life greater than losing a son in old age. But since we are Otherworldly Users, we must always remember that enemies will not give us time to weep. We must wipe away our tears and set out at once." President Zhao's tone was filled with tragic resolve.

Uh, you had set out remarkably fast. Your son was arrested in the morning, yet by evening you were already in the mood to set out.

"My condolences, President Zhao," Wenren Sheng said against his conscience.

"Ah, it is all right. At least there is still a chance to turn things around, so I am not completely despairing," President Zhao abruptly changed the subject. "But you called at a time like this. You came specifically to comfort me, did you not? You truly are thoughtful. I did not support and promote you in vain."

"Yes, yes, I called to comfort President Zhao," Wenren Sheng said helplessly.

"Good, then let us leave it at that," President Zhao said, about to end the call, when he suddenly added, "Oh, right. A man named Feng Youlin came to see me some days ago, wanting to meet you. I told him it would be best to find you over the weekend. He is an adviser to the Five Colors Group. If you have time to meet him, then meet him; if not, forget it. He is just a minor figure, anyway. I am hanging up."

Wenren Sheng gave an acknowledgment. Since he had already achieved his purpose, he naturally did not press further and hung up as well, his brows tightly furrowed.

The Five Colors Group—wasn't that Xu Yunshuang's family company? If so, why did they not contact him through her? Why did they have to go such a long way around?

There had to be something suspicious going on.