Selection

Half an hour later.

Zhou Shan Road.

Starshine Building.

Third floor.

Outside Room 301.

A table appeared in an instant.

On it sat a teapot, teacups, a potted white magnolia, and a stack of forms, pens, and notebooks.

Then—

Streaks of spiritual light flared in the air, forming an arcane Magic Array of runes.

A man in patterned shorts, flip-flops, and a white undershirt stepped out of the Magic Array. He sat behind the table and picked up a cup of steaming tea.

"Here?"

He sounded interested.

Before his words had faded,

footsteps came from the stairwell.

Since it was only the third floor, Xu Yuan had decided the elevator would be slower and run up himself.

The first thing he saw was a sign standing on the table:

"Archaeology General Bureau Newcomer Forum and Benefits Distribution Event."

Now that's a straightforward sign!

Xu Yuan strode up eagerly and said,

"Hello, Uncle. I'm here for the event."

"Showing up this late? Don't you young people sleep at night? Don't you have a nightlife?"

The man grumbled.

Xu Yuan felt a little embarrassed too.

He had come straight here after leaving the hospital.

Ordinarily,

whether applying for a job or attending an event, you showed up at nine in the morning or two in the afternoon, when people were at work.

The notice had said it ran all day,

but arriving this late seemed to have held up Uncle's quitting time.

"Sorry about that, Uncle. I'll buy you a milk tea in a bit," Xu Yuan said with a grin.

He felt more at ease now.

The monthly exam team battle was over, and the rewards had been good. Now there was another chance to earn money.

Not just money. If he performed well and made the selection list—

someone might take notice of him.

That was probably why they had extended the nightmare competition's deadline, too.

Besides,

this selection was an institution looking after its employees' children.

You could tell from that "Archaeology General Bureau Newcomer Forum and Benefits Distribution Event" sign.

It should not be too difficult.

Just thinking about it relaxed him from head to toe.

The man straightened the crooked gold-rimmed glasses on his nose and curled his lip.

"Milk tea's full of flavoring mixed in. It's bad for you. Only you youngsters like that stuff."

"Who still uses flavoring? They use real ingredients now, or nobody would buy it," Xu Yuan explained.

"Don't believe you." Uncle stuck out his chin.

Xu Yuan joked, "Come on, Uncle. With leg hair that thick, you must have plenty of vigor. Milk tea will perk you right up."

It was autumn now.

Yet the man was still dressed so lightly.

He had to be in good shape.

The man paused and looked at his legs.

His leg hair really was thick.

How had no one ever noticed that about him? Or praised him for it?

"You know an awful lot, kid. Had plenty of girlfriends, have you?" Uncle gave Xu Yuan a wicked grin and a knowing look.

"I'm an innocent high school student. It's men your age who have all the experience," Xu Yuan declared righteously.

The train glided safely past the edge of the cliff.

"Why haven't you dated anyone?" Uncle asked.

"Women would only slow down my sword draw." Xu Yuan made a drawing motion.

"Draw your sword... What are you planning to do with it?"

"Oh, come on, it's a joke. I want to get into a good university, so I have to work hard."

Only then did Uncle look away and give a lazy hum.

"As you should. All right, fill out this form."

Xu Yuan looked it over.

It asked for the usual things: name, address, school, height, areas of cultivation expertise, future aspirations, and so on.

Might as well fill it in.

His pen scratched across the page, and he finished in moments.

Uncle studied the form and said,

"Swordsmanship is your specialty? You're in your final year of high school, so you should have learned the Swallow Song Sword Art. Show me."

"You're the judge, Uncle?" Xu Yuan asked in surprise.

"I assess the basics. Pass, and you can go inside to register." Uncle's expression grew a little more serious.

Xu Yuan thought it over. Fair enough.

He drew the Qiong Jia Sword and performed all four forms in the corridor.

It was a textbook performance.

The corridor was a little narrow, and the four forms at full strength required Spiritual Power to release Sword Qi.

That would damage the building.

So he had held back.

"So restrained. What a disappointment!"

"Kid, Swallow Song is an introductory sword art. Haven't you got a single idea of your own? Any creativity at all?"

Uncle kept picking at him.

Xu Yuan's brow twitched.

This greasy middle-aged man has been finding fault with me from the start.

"Uncle, who arranged this selection, exactly? And how much does it pay?"

Xu Yuan asked in earnest.

Uncle held up nine fingers, then five.

"Nine thousand five hundred? That'll do," Xu Yuan murmured.

Nine thousand five hundred yuan.

If they spent carefully, it would last him and his mother several months.

Besides,

there was no harm in showing what he could do with a sword.

He really did want to make a name for himself, turn it into money, and improve their lives.

He was almost starting to feel bad about scrounging breakfast off A-Fei every day. Almost.

"Here's a sword technique I worked out myself."

With that, Xu Yuan slapped his scabbard.

The sword flew out like a streak of snowy light, traced a perfect arc through the air, and returned to his hand.

"That move is barely worth looking at. What's it called?"

Uncle sounded lazy as ever.

"Swallow's Return," Xu Yuan said.

"Swallow's Return? Compose two lines of poetry inspired by that name," Uncle said.

"Why are you testing me on literature? Isn't that for the arts crowd? I'm just an ordinary student, Uncle." Xu Yuan stared at him.

Here, the "arts crowd" was this world's equivalent of the entertainment industry on Earth.

But in this world, only high-level cultivators could become stars.

"The arts scene is a mess," Uncle said.

Xu Yuan knew Earth's entertainment industry could be messy, but he had no idea what this world's arts scene was like.

Still, if all those celebrities on Earth had cultivation—

it would probably—

The greater their power, the greater the mess.

Xu Yuan could not help smiling. He asked,

"The arts scene is that bad?"

"Those cultivators throw their strength around every day, doing whatever they please and pulling stunts to grab attention. You know Zhao Zuxun?"

"Sure. He claims he'll stay in the sky forever and never touch the ground. He livestreams every day and gets huge traffic," Xu Yuan said.

"It's fake! He has two stand-ins!" Uncle said.

"To draw viewers and make money, I guess." Xu Yuan shrugged.

"Ah, if there were a world where students didn't have to study cultivation, but learned literature, mathematics, and the like instead, then worked steadily to build their country—that would be perfect."

Uncle sighed wistfully.

"...A world like that wouldn't be perfect. There would still be wars." Xu Yuan sighed.

“Why? If no one could fly through the heavens or burrow into the earth, or wipe out a city with a wave, who would dare start a war?” Uncle asked.

Xu Yuan remembered a line and quoted it outright: "Where there are people, there is a world of strife. If you don't solve the problem of human nature, then even if we went back to prehistoric times, people would still kill, and wars would still be fought."

“...Fair point.” Uncle finally nodded. “Now, the poem.”

"You're making things hard for a kid," Xu Yuan said.

“Just two lines.” Uncle held up two fingers.

“Uncle, I really am just a student. The arts scene is still a long way off for me—”

Xu Yuan stopped.

Because Uncle had already set a bulging red envelope on the table.

A few words were printed on it:

"Archaeology General Bureau Selection Excellence Award (2,000 yuan prize)"

Two thousand yuan!

The egg noodles at the little shop outside the residential compound cost twenty-five yuan a tube. A tube could last them days!

The shoes on his feet were nearly worn through, and he hated asking his mother for money.

This was just what he needed for new shoes!

They could eat better, too, and live a little more comfortably.

If he could get the full nine thousand five hundred—

they would not have to worry for at least a month or two!

Ahem—

Ancient poems aren't copyrighted, are they?

Then...

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and recited,

"Helplessly, the flowers fall away; as if once known, the swallows return."

Uncle froze. He repeated the lines silently twice, then adjusted his glasses.

"With poetry like that, you could just about make it in the arts scene."

This kid.

So that line about swallows flying in pairs through fine rain probably wasn't a lucky guess either.

He pushed the red envelope toward Xu Yuan.

For real?

Xu Yuan took it.

Inside was a thick stack of bills. He counted them once: two thousand yuan. He counted again: still two thousand.

Not a cent short.

This guy really is straightforward!

Money in hand, Xu Yuan did not go inside. He turned and ran toward the stairs, soon vanishing from the man's sight.

A few minutes later,

he returned carrying two cups of milk tea and set them on the table.

"They're both house specialties. One has Spiritglow Grass, and the other has Beautifying Fruit. Take your pick."

“You really did buy me milk tea.” Uncle smiled.

"I'm grateful for the two thousand yuan. Go on, pick one," Xu Yuan said sincerely.

"Then I'll have the Beautifying Fruit one."

“Sure. Take your time, Uncle. I’m going in.”

Xu Yuan carried the other cup of milk tea to the door, knocked, and went inside.

But within the room stretched a boundless blue sky, with banks of white cloud and swallows darting to and fro.

Soul Art?

It was said that Soul Art had to be combined with a Magic Treasure to recreate an illusory world.

At that very moment,

Xu Yuan stood outside a modest mud-brick house.

Seven or eight boys and girls around his age were waiting with him.

But everyone looked tense and solemn. No one came over to strike up a conversation.

They must all be here for the selection.

Xu Yuan stayed where he was and waited in silence.

The sunshine was lovely.

Standing there in its warmth, he felt so comfortable he nearly fell asleep.

Suddenly,

a clear peal of bells rang out from inside the house.

A little girl in a long dress ran out crying and hurried all the way up to the group.

She stood beneath the sun, sobbing inconsolably.

"You—you can go in now. The selection is about to begin."

So said the little girl.

Having heard the bells and received her message, everyone headed toward the house.

Xu Yuan followed behind them.

Halfway there, he thought for a moment, then turned back.

From a game-exploration perspective, this little girl should count as a story character here to deliver a message.

How could he let a character like that slip away so easily?