At a glance, Jiang Liu appeared in the [Immortal Forest Grass Stone] dungeon. As far as he could see, lush green bamboo filled the area, and dense spiritual energy washed over him, refreshing his very soul.
Before he could look around, the countdown ended, and the dungeon officially began.
"Only ten minutes? What can I even do in that time?"
Jiang Liu glanced at the time limit and hurried off through the bamboo grove, his eyes darting around as he searched for valuable spirit herbs and mystic stones.
Ten meters.
Fifty meters.
A hundred meters.
As Jiang Liu hurried through the grove, he increasingly felt that something was off. Every bamboo tree was the same height, the same thickness, and the same color. They were completely identical, giving him the impression that they were copies.
Good grief, had someone just copied and pasted the bamboo tree models?
Whether it was [Golden Scale Pillar] or [Mechanical Secret Device], the settings were extremely bare-bones, and the item models were very ordinary. On top of that, this Immortal Forest looked copy-pasted. Jiang Liu couldn't help wondering if Cultivation Era was short on funding. Why were its resource dungeons so shoddy?
No matter how the dungeon was made, the moment Jiang Liu realized every bamboo tree was identical, he knew.
This wasn't treasure hunting. This was a game of spot-the-difference!
Before long, he spotted something different. Beneath a bamboo tree ten meters away grew a swaying spirit herb, conspicuous against the identical scenery and impossible to miss.
He ran over and plucked it. A quick glance showed a black iron shard embedded in the surface of the nearby bamboo tree.
"This isn't about luck. It's about having sharp eyes, right?"
Jiang Liu grumbled as he pried the black iron shard free, then continued searching through the bamboo grove.
Beneath the bamboo trees. On the bamboo trees.
There wasn't a trick to it at all. Everything was placed in plain sight. Anyone with eyes could spot it if they just paid close attention.
Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and Jiang Liu was kicked out of the dungeon, looking utterly bewildered.
This dungeon was even worse than the first two!
Did the programmer not even graduate college?
[Dungeon Complete]
[Rating: C]
[Obtained 13 Ten-year Spirit Grasses, 1 Hundred-year Spirit Grass, 17 pieces of Outer-world Common Iron, 1 piece of Black Iron from Beyond the Heavens]
"This is only a C rating?"
Jiang Liu was instantly indignant. He hadn't stopped once, had covered over a thousand meters, and had collected dozens of items, yet he'd only gotten a C. What did it take to earn an A?
Was he supposed to fly around looking?
"Next time, I'll just send the paper doll. Immersive Experience in this thing is a complete waste of brainpower."
Jiang Liu shook his head. The first stage had been done so poorly. He'd try Immersive Experience again after reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage and unlocking the second stage.
He added friends, made pills, broke through several realms in a row, and cleared the Resource Dungeon.
Jiang Liu's day had been incredibly full. In the blink of an eye, the school bell rang.
But not one person in the class wanted to go home.
What was the point of going home? He'd just meditate and cultivate there. He might as well stay at school and make use of the spiritual energy.
The pile of Spirit Stones would make the spiritual energy in the classroom several times denser, greatly increasing their cultivation speed. They only had ten days, and no one wanted to miss out.
These ten days were the final sprint. They would determine who got into the Immortal Examination Class, and every step ahead or behind mattered. It was just ten days of staying at school and working hard. Who was afraid of that?
"Jiang Liu, let's hit the cafeteria."
Li Dongze called out to Jiang Liu. They were only cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage and hadn't reached the point of Grain Abstinence. After a whole day, their stomachs were already growling.
"We should stock up on snacks from the school store and keep them in our desks."
The two left the classroom and headed straight for the cafeteria. Along the way, Jiang Liu made the suggestion. Walking such a long way every time they ate was a huge waste of time. They'd be better off keeping snacks on hand.
"Good point."
Li Dongze agreed wholeheartedly. "I'll bring some fancy pastries from home next time. One Qi Refining Pill for a box. Deal?"
"Heh. I like plain steamed buns."
After dinner.
Jiang Liu pulled out his phone and called his grandfather.
"Grandpa, I won't be coming home for the next few days. We've got a training camp at school. Save my attendance Spirit Stones for me."
"Huh? How many days is the training camp?"
"Ten. Why is it so noisy over there?"
Jiang Liu frowned slightly. A chaotic din came from the other end of the phone, mixed with angry curses. It sounded like someone was arguing.
"Is something wrong at home?"
"No, no. It's fine. You focus on your training."
After Master Jiang replied, he hung up.
"What's up? Something going on at home?"
Seeing Jiang Liu's grim expression, Li Dongze offered kindly, "If there's a problem, just say so. Qi Refining Pills can smooth things over."
"I'm going back for a bit."
Worried about what was happening at home, Jiang Liu waved to Li Dongze and left the school.
A little over ten minutes later.
Jiang Liu entered his residential complex and went into the apartment building. As soon as he reached the stairs, he saw that someone had splashed paint on a neighbor's door. His expression immediately darkened.
A security door had been splashed with blood-red paint, and several big characters had been written across it in black paint.
[Spirit Stones. Selling or not?!]
They'd run into thugs trying to force a sale!
Jiang Liu's heart sank. He hurried up to the seventh floor. Just as he'd expected, his own security door and Grandma Zhao's next door had also been splashed with paint.
His door was still open. When he heard the arguing and cursing from inside, his mind went blank. Anger surged to his head like a volcano erupting.
There was only one person in his family: an old man in his seventies!
Jiang Liu shot into the apartment. In the living room, besides Master Jiang and Grandma Zhao, stood two burly men in suits with vicious looks on their faces.
The two men waved a wad of cash and glared as they bullied Master Jiang and Grandma Zhao, swearing nonstop.
"You two old bastards! Didn't we pay you? Didn't we?!"
"Fuck! What do you mean we're robbing you? Do you two even know the law? We're making a legitimate sales pitch at your door!"
"Forcing you to sell? This is just an argument during a sales pitch. It's a civil dispute!"
"Paint damage? Hahahaha! That kid went and turned himself in on the spot!"
"Listen, you two old bastards. Anyone in this whole complex who won't sell gets paint thrown on their door. We'll do it every day and turn ourselves in every day. We've got plenty of people, anyway!"
"We've got people, money, and lawyers. If you don't want trouble, hand over the Spirit Stones!"
The burly man speaking waved the cash, wearing a cocky expression as if he feared neither heaven nor earth. Master Jiang and Grandma Zhao were so angry that their faces flushed and their bodies trembled. Their blood pressure was shooting up.
"Shameless! Thugs!"
Master Jiang shielded Grandma Zhao, pointing at the two men with a trembling finger. His lips quivered with rage.
"Yeah, we're thugs. What are you gonna do about it? You know how to record us?"
"I'll beat the shit out of you!"
Jiang Liu's eyes reddened as the force of Qi Refining Layer 8 burst from him. He kicked the burly man in the back, sending him flying several meters into the wall.
"You—"
The other man was shocked. He had only just started to speak when a fist as big as a sandbag slammed into him. His skin split, and his massive body went flying.
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