"Hey buddy, that old man can't control the mission's direction for you. Tsk, why not consider the path I'm suggesting?"
Hong Yue's voice was soft and seductive, like a breath in his ear, with a hint of deliberately lowered allure:
"Your system is so cold and impersonal, but mine... can save you so many detours, you can do the math."
Zhang Yu rolled his eyes inwardly. He was still hoping to live a few more years and had no interest in getting entangled with this mysterious "Love Silk Dao Seed," so he simply ignored her.
"Accept the mission."
Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Having a task is better than having no task. Isn't it just 'Greedy for Money'?"
He wanted to see what the Spirit Stone of the cultivation world actually looked like.
He glanced at Zhang Lingyun subconsciously.
This is the Peak Master of the Soul Refining Sect. With his power and status, it shouldn't be difficult for me to embezzle some Spirit Stone by relying on this powerful figure.
To be honest, Zhang Yu had absolutely no concept of Spirit Stone.
Back in Yuhua Prefecture, his Cultivation only that of Great Grandmaster, so he had no chance to come into contact with such things.
At this moment, Wu Siyuan, who had been rejected, was facing away from the crowd, letting several Outer Disciple sneer at him in hushed tones.
"Him?"
How many Spirit Stones could a Servant Disciple possibly have in his pocket?
"Does he even deserve to curry favor with the Peak Master's disciple?"
"Tsk, that's hilarious, always daydreaming?"
Wu Siyuan lowered his head, his face turning pale and then red, but he just gritted his teeth and endured it, without uttering a single word in rebuttal.
At the Soul Refining Sect, he was already used to this kind of disdain.
Moreover, he felt that those people were right, and that he had been having some unrealistic ideas.
Zhang Yu had a good impression of him, and he also had a system mission to complete at the moment.
So, on a whim, he stepped forward, snatched the Universe Bag from the man's hand, and casually remarked:
"Speak, what is it?"
Wu Siyuan froze, then looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Did he hear that right?
The Peak Master's esteemed disciple accepted his bribe in front of so many people?
His heart was pounding, his mind went blank, and he felt that these few seconds were more exciting than the past thirty years combined.
Could it be... that I really have hope?
He suppressed his overwhelming joy, even holding his breath, afraid of shattering this hard-won opportunity.
The disciples who had been mocking them were now staring wide-eyed, their jaws practically dropping to the floor.
They stared at Zhang Yu in disbelief, their eyes filled with an indescribable shock.
In their eyes, Zhang Yu, as a disciple of the Peak Master, should be used to all kinds of grand occasions, with abundant resources and unlimited Spirit Stone, and would never be interested in a bribe from a Servant Disciple.
After all, a Servant Disciple can only accumulate a few Spirit Stone in a year, while the Peak Master can accumulate many times more by simply letting a little slip through his fingers.
Therefore, logically speaking, Zhang Yu would never accept Wu Siyuan's bribe.
But this very "impossible" thing actually happened right before my eyes.
It seems that this disciple of the Peak Master is probably a country bumpkin who has never seen the world, and also someone who Greedy for Money and will accept any kind of money.
Whether it can actually get things done remains to be seen.
At this moment, Zhang Yu's "Greedy for Money" persona was initially established.
At this moment, the system announced, "Ding--Host's 'Greedy for Money' character completion rate: 0.1%."
"System, you don't usually speak like this. Why do you turn into a robotic voice when there's a mission?"
Zhang Yu felt somewhat uncomfortable listening to the cold, electronic voice.
"This isn't my voice; it's a harsh sound effect emitted by the Rebellious Dao Seed on its own," the system explained irritably.
"I feel like it's the same whether you're here or not. Is it possible that this Rebellious Dao Seed can still operate on its own even without you?" Zhang Yu guessed.
"Haha, pretty much. Now that old man is just an observer."
However, we really can't do without him; if he were gone, the Rebellious Dao Seed would collapse."
Hong Yue naturally wouldn't miss the chance to ridicule the system, laughing heartily.
Zhang Yu ignored the system and Hong Yue's oblivious bickering.
He just frowned, looking at Wu Siyuan who was still in a daze, and said with a hint of impatience, "What is it? Hurry up and say it, I'm quite busy."
Wu Siyuan was somewhat stunned by the remark "quite busy".
When it comes to giving gifts or getting favors, who says it so openly in front of tens of thousands of people?
But now he has no way out.
This year is his last year at the Soul Refining Sect. If he fails to enter the Outer Sect during the Disciple Selection Ceremony, he will be expelled from the sect and will have no chance to cultivate immortality in this lifetime.
He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and whispered, "I... I want to become Outer Disciple. I wonder if you could help me?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the surroundings became so quiet that even the sound of the wind could be clearly heard.
Everyone stared at them as if they were madmen.
Are people now so blatant about giving gifts and asking for favors?
This is happening in front of tens of thousands of test takers!
Zhang Lingyun, who was standing to the side, saw all of this and felt a vein throbbing in her forehead. She couldn't help but glare at Zhang Yu fiercely.
Are you that desperate for Spirit Stone?!
Even if you want to accept bribes, wait until you're alone to do it!
At that moment, she felt utterly humiliated by this "Brother".
"Walk!"
Zhang Lingyun gave a cold snort, her tone icy, and turned to leave.
Sensing Zhang Lingyun's impatience, Zhang Yu didn't explain further, but quickly caught up while turning back to Wu Siyuan and saying:
I've remembered your request, but whether it will be successful is another matter.
Even if things don't work out, I won't return the gift you gave me.
Upon hearing this, Wu Siyuan was completely stunned, his mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.
Everyone in the room was stunned.
This disciple of the Crimson Serpent Peak Master is truly... amazing!
Someone muttered under their breath, "What kind of immortal cultivation is this? This is just cultivating 'greed'!"
Some sneered, "Just wait and see, this kind of person will be expelled from the sect by the Peak Master sooner or later."
But Wu Siyuan seemed to hear heavenly music, and his eyes instantly lit up.
He didn't refuse!
He accepted the gift and even promised to help!
Even just "remembering" it was enough to ignite hope in Wu Siyuan.
He suppressed his overwhelming joy and bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, young brother, thank you, young brother."
Zhang Yu simply gave a faint "hmm" and quickly followed Zhang Lingyun.
Halfway there, Zhang Lingyun, her face cold, walked so fast she almost crushed the cobblestones beneath her feet, her voice laced with suppressed anger:
"If you ever lack Cultivation Resources in the future, just tell me. Don't resort to such a shameful method again."
Zhang Yu, however, acted with an air of male chauvinism, walking confidently beside her, his tone matter-of-fact:
"That won't do. How can a man's business be paid for by a woman?"
I'll earn my own Cultivation Resources.
Zhang Lingyun paused, glanced at him sideways, and almost laughed out of anger.
You call embezzlement and bribery "earning money for yourself"?
And they say it so confidently, so matter-of-factly.
How come I never noticed before that this guy could be so shameless?
But looking at Zhang Yu's "I'm a pillar of heaven and earth" expression, she felt that there was no point in saying anything more, so she simply stopped caring.
She thought to herself, "Oh well, let him be."
She genuinely believed that Zhang Yu's actions stemmed from male chauvinism.
Little did she know, Zhang Yu was secretly and happily planning something:
"System tasks are all about Greedy for Money; there's nothing I can do about it."
Whether the matter can be accomplished after accepting the gift is another matter.
But getting the Spirit Stone and the Cultivation level is the only real thing!