Five jin of rice

Lin Yu began spouting nonsense, spinning a story for himself.

And this story...

He had already worked it out the night before last.

He knew that seeing through [Choices] repeatedly would inevitably arouse suspicion, so... posing as someone on an unknown Transcendent pathway was his best option!

And no one would suspect a thing!

The world's Transcendent pathways came in every imaginable variety.

Shen Sui's eyes lit up as he said:

"Just as I thought... a support pathway that predicts danger..."

"Very rare, and extremely important!"

Lin Yu continued:

"Unfortunately, this sixth sense only works for me. I can't tell whether other people will be safe making their [Choices]. Perhaps... things will change once I advance in sequence."

Lin Yu said it casually.

But Shen Sui, Ye Qing, Yellow Hair, and even Cheng Yuening all brightened.

If Lin Yu could eventually see the risks each of them faced when making a [Choice], wouldn't their chances of survival increase dramatically too?

Powerful!

What an incredible ability!

Yellow Hair grew excited. He rushed up to Lin Yu, slung an arm around his neck, and said:

"Brother, I knew you were something special the moment I laid eyes on you! Hahahahaha!"

The corner of Lin Yu's mouth twitched.

Really?

Didn't you try to steal my bread the day before yesterday?

Shen Sui asked another question:

"Then what do you think the outcome of this [Choice] instance will be?"

Lin Yu's gaze was calm, his voice low and distant.

"The answer fate gave me was... survival!"

Fate!

Everyone committed that word to memory.

Could it be...

The fate pathway? That sounded seriously badass!

But they had never heard of anyone obtaining that pathway.

And this...

Was precisely the effect Lin Yu wanted.

Fate was intangible and unpredictable. No one could explain it clearly.

So whatever he said from now on would remain perfectly plausible as far as he was concerned.

Zhai Guang's eyes still brimmed with resentment. He sneered, "Heh, pretty words. For all we know, he's a fraud. Just because he says he's a Transcendent, that makes him one?"

"I've never seen such a weak Transcendent."

Lin Yu's gaze remained calm as he said flatly:

"I don't need to explain myself to idiots. Let's go. It's time to make our [Choices]."

With that...

Lin Yu headed into Huangyang Village.

Shen Sui and the others paused briefly, then immediately followed.

The other survivors stayed rooted to the spot, unwilling to move.

Inside a [Choice] instance, they were nothing but cannon fodder. They would surely be forced to make [Choices]. Who wanted to march to their death?

Yellow Hair raised an eyebrow, turned back, and began his profanity-laced "persuasion":

"Well, holy shit. You fuckers think you're hot stuff, huh?"

"We Transcendents are going in there to risk our lives, and you dare stand around doing nothing? Have we been too fucking nice to you?"

As he spoke...

Yellow Hair's expression turned vicious, and he looked ready to find someone to beat up.

At once...

All the survivors panicked and hurried toward the village.

Don't mess with him. Don't mess with him...

Yellow Hair might not have been as brutal as Zhai Guang, but his fearsome reputation was well known.

As the survivors walked, they kept glancing at Lin Yu, their eyes filled with envy, shock, and disbelief...

They had heard everything he had just said too.

They had never expected Lin Yu to become a Transcendent as well!

No wonder Lin Yu could make three [Choices] in a single day. Now it all made perfect sense!

Su Man's eyes filled with joy. She was happy for Lin Yu, but she was also happy for herself.

She had shown Lin Yu kindness, and now that he had become a Transcendent...

The value of that friendly gesture had skyrocketed!

Help in someone's hour of need meant far more than adding to their good fortune!

Some rejoiced, while others despaired.

Zhou Mei sank even deeper into despair...

It's over...

It's completely over...

Even the scar-faced man kept glaring viciously at Zhou Mei, afraid that she would give Lin Yu reason to hold a grudge against him too.

Wu Han, the owner of the twelve-seater van, was overcome with regret.

Back then, afraid of earning Zhai Guang's resentment, he had stopped taking the initiative to speak to Lin Yu.

Now it seemed...

He had missed his chance to befriend Lin Yu too...

Damn it...!

The moment they entered the village, a white light lit up the first house on the left of the entrance. At the same time, a screen of light appeared in the air directly ahead of them.

[Welcome to the Huangyang Village Choice instance. Enjoy your choices.]

[First question.]

[The first household on the left makes its living from Huangyang Village's specialty industry. What is Huangyang Village's industry?]

[A. Wine]

[B. Orchards]

[C. Farming]

[D. Hunting]

[A correct answer awards five jin of rice. If the answer is incorrect, the chooser must enter the house and fight ten ravenous wild dogs. Note: the wild dogs' carcasses are poisonous and cannot be eaten.]

This [Choice] was a question-based choice.

They could only proceed to the next choice after selecting the correct answer.

Everyone stared at the [Choice] in the air, as shocked as if they had seen a ghost!

Hadn't Lin Yu just said that Huangyang Village was famous for Huangyang Wine?

Yellow Hair gaped at Lin Yu in shock. "This... holy shit, is this fate's guidance too? You gave us the answer to the first choice before we even entered the village?"

Yellow Hair couldn't help trembling slightly.

This was fucking terrifying!

Even the ever-calm Shen Sui felt the corner of his eye twitch...

This...

And Lin Yu, the man responsible for it all, was just as dumbfounded.

What a coincidence!

Huangyang Village really knows how to make me look good!

Outwardly, however, Lin Yu maintained his calm facade. He glanced at Zhai Guang and said flatly, "That's what knowledge and brains are good for. If your head is full of nothing but muscle, you'll die in a [Choice] sooner or later."

Zhai Guang's expression darkened. He snorted and said nothing.

This time...

Lin Yu really had pulled it off.

Shen Sui looked over the crowd and singled out a survivor who hadn't participated in a [Choice] for a long time.

"You. Go choose A."

Although the answer was practically out in the open...

They still needed the cannon fodder to go first, just in case.

The chosen survivor looked grim, but he gritted his teeth and shouted at the light screen:

"I choose A."

At least...

This is the answer the newest Transcendent-Lin Yu-confirmed. It should be right, shouldn't it?

The light screen shimmered...

One second later.

[Correct choice!]

[Awarding five jin of rice!]

In an instant...

A bag containing five jin of rice was deposited directly onto the open ground.

The survivor, who had been utterly terrified, immediately lit up with delight and excitement!

I survived!

I survived!

The survivor burst out laughing:

"Hahahahaha! It really was wine! It really was wine! Brother Lin, you're fucking awesome!"

Although he looked to be in his forties, he had no hesitation in calling the twenty-one-year-old Lin Yu "Brother."

A hint of a smile appeared in Shen Sui's eyes as he said to Lin Yu:

"This bag of rice is thanks to you. Take it with you later."

Lin Yu nodded. Of course he wouldn't refuse.

Rice was good stuff. If he rationed it carefully, five jin would feed him for a month!

Many of the survivors stared at the rice, unable to stop themselves from swallowing.

Fragrant rice...

It tasted so much better than bread or steamed buns...

But no one dared entertain any malicious intentions.

Lin Yu was now...

A Transcendent!

Even a support-type Transcendent with no combat ability was not someone they could afford to cross.