A short while later, those who had lost their matches were taken to the infirmary, while the winners passed the selection and gathered in the viewing room again.
The six young cultivators sat on either side.
As it happened, they came in pairs, representing Mysterious Wind Temple, Hidden Dragon Pool, and the Yue Family Cultivation Office.
Liu Yuanjun and Li Flying Rosy Clouds were senior brother and junior sister. The girl from Hidden Dragon Pool with long, straight black hair was named Su Renxue, and the red-haired man in the leather jacket was Ji Yang. Although the girl was a head shorter and looked much younger, she was actually his senior sister.
Then there was the Yue Family Cultivation Office, where Yue Wen was the boss and Zhao Xing'er was his assistant.
"Welcome, everyone, to Carefree Media's latest Wasteland Exploration Livestream project." He Caihua stood at the front, radiant and beautiful. With a wave of her hand, she opened the slideshow. "Next, I'll walk you through the full livestream plan."
The slide showed a map of the outskirts of City Seven, with a sizable area marked out in dark green.
The slide changed, revealing detailed views of the grounds: towering trees dozens of meters tall, dense thickets of thorny undergrowth, eerie clearings piled with unidentified bones, and still, sinister black swamps...
There was even footage of demonic beasts crouching in trees as they hunted.
The young cultivators were stunned by what they saw. These scenes really were indistinguishable from the actual Wasteland Zone. They had all seen at least some footage that powerful cultivators had brought back from out there, so they knew a little about it.
It was certainly convincing enough to fool the livestream viewers.
"The company spent six months building this Simulated Wasteland Zone on the outskirts of Satellite City. It covers almost as much ground as a small town, and we've worked to reproduce everything exactly," He Caihua said with a smile. "It's also thanks to Jiangcheng City being selected for this pilot project that I've had the good fortune to become the team leader, and that all of you have the chance to participate."
"We've already registered the project with the Supernatural Affairs Bureau and secured official support. Naturally, we won't be deceiving the public. We'll explain that this is a fully simulated Wasteland Zone. Apart from being inside the City-Defense Grand Array's barrier, everything is the same as it is outside. In a sense, you can think of this as a variety show."
"Our promotional pitch is that the company has placed three Treasure Chests inside this Simulated Wasteland Zone. The young cultivators under my leadership will have three days to search for them amid all the dangers there, earning a reward for every chest they find. You should already have been told about the revenue-sharing arrangements. Whether the tips come through the official main livestream or your individual streams, you'll receive a share."
Listening to her explanation, Yue Wen couldn't help marveling at how much Carefree Media was spending.
Who knew how much money it had taken just to build a Simulated Wasteland Zone like this? Add the initial promotional costs, and they probably couldn't recoup their investment with a single livestream. Still, they had said this was only a pilot project. If it went well, they would likely have further plans.
For the young people taking part, though, this was an excellent opportunity.
Not only could they make some quick money through the platform the company had built, but if they performed well and attracted fans amid all that exposure, they could get their own personal accounts off the ground.
At that moment, A Mei approached with a fresh stack of contracts and a charming smile.
"Everyone, if you've decided to take part in the project, you'll need to sign this new short-term contract for the three-day livestream. The contract also stipulates that participants must give our company first priority when signing over commercial management rights for their personal accounts for the next three years. We hope you understand. After all, we're investing so much that if you become popular and then sign with another company, it would be a major loss for us. If you simply want to go back to focusing on cultivation without any commercial activities, this won't affect you at all."
Though it was only a three-day agreement, the contract was a thick stack of pages. Even the Simulated Wasteland Zone posed certain dangers, so it included numerous precautionary clauses as well as plenty of specialized legal provisions.
None of the young people present had any expertise in this area, and the pages left them feeling overwhelmed.
Ji Yang looked up and asked, "Can I take this back and have a lawyer look it over before deciding whether to sign?"
"Of course." He Caihua nodded. "You can take it back and consider it at your leisure, as long as you give me an answer before noon tomorrow. We'll be gathering at the company tomorrow afternoon before heading to the base, so please don't hold up the Livestream Plan."
Yue Wen had no problem with that. He was here to make quick money. As long as they paid enough, he didn't mind signing either a long-term or a short-term contract.
But after putting the contract away, he stood up and noticed Zhao Xing'er beside him, her eyes lowered as though she were deep in thought.
Thinking?
That was a pretty rare expression on her face.
Zhao Xing'er said nothing, however, and Yue Wen didn't ask.
After returning to the office, he left Zhao Xing'er to watch the place as usual and went upstairs to cultivate.
Watching those Immortal Sect disciples fight had given him a few ideas. Compared with disciples who had abundant resources, he had far too few divine abilities and spells.
Wandering Dragon Hand was useless outside close combat, while Thunderclap Art and Flash Technique were minor spells that only helped in specific situations. The only combat ability he could truly rely on was his Sword-Controlling Technique.
Before, when he casually took on jobs fighting minor evil spirits, things weren't particularly complicated. Sword-Controlling Technique alone had been enough.
Recently, though, the more complicated battles had made his limited repertoire painfully apparent. This Wasteland Zone exploration might be staged, but there would still be Demon Beasts supplied by Carefree Media inside. It wasn't entirely without danger.
He planned to buy another divine ability from Da Long to keep in reserve.
Of course, the biggest reason for wanting to spend money was never that he lacked something. It was that he had money in his pocket.
After his haul beneath the Tiger Head Gang's base, Yue Wen's savings in Evil-Suppressing Money had reached just over a hundred coins. Ever since then, he had been thinking about getting another powerful divine ability.
He sank his divine sense inward and slipped into the space that housed the Black-Gold Palace.
King Big Dragon sat high upon his enormous chair and slowly opened his eyes. "You've been coming here quite often lately."
"Hehe." Yue Wen chuckled. "I've had a good haul these past few days, so I wanted to buy another divine ability."
"What kind do you want? I'll give you some options," Da Long said.
"Today, I saw someone use a spell that let them hide their body in shadows. Shifting Form, Changing Shadow. It was pretty versatile," Yue Wen said. "I'd like a similar ability, something that lets me evade attacks and, ideally, attack as well. Something useful in complicated environments."
"An evasion art that incorporates attacks?" After hearing his description, Da Long's crimson-
gold eye flames flickered faster, and he looked thoughtful.
A short while later, he raised his draconic neck and let out a ringing dragon cry. "Haa-"
As the Dragon Tongue reached Yue Wen's ears, a complex body of information instantly appeared in his mind. He sorted through it briefly and began examining its contents.
It contained introductions to three techniques.
There were not only written and spoken explanations, but even visual effects resembling video demonstrations.
"First, Trace-Hiding Art."
"This is a pure stealth spell. It allows the caster to blend into the light and shadows of their surroundings as they move, passing unnoticed by gods and ghosts alike..."
A deep voice sounded beside Yue Wen's ear. It wasn't Da Long's voice, and he had no idea who had recorded the narration.
At the same time, corresponding images unfolded in Yue Wen's mind.
He saw a primeval jungle, its surroundings tangled and complex. Numerous Demon Beasts lurked nearby, their roars sounding incredibly real.
Yet after watching for a while, Yue Wen saw no changes whatsoever. He asked, "Where's the demonstration? There's nothing here!"
As though answering him, the narrator spoke just then. "The caster has activated Trace-Hiding Art and traveled through the entire jungle, while the dim-witted Demon Beasts remain completely oblivious..."
"Wait, what?" Yue Wen scratched his head.
Not only had he seen absolutely nothing, but somehow it felt as though he'd been insulted too.
The scene changed to a street flanked by tall buildings, with traffic streaming past.
The voice continued, "Upon entering a street with more pedestrians, the caster still remains undetected by everyone..."
This time, Yue Wen stared wide-eyed for a long time, but he still spotted nothing. "I know Trace-Hiding Art is supposed to conceal you, but if you don't show me any before-and-after footage, how am I supposed to know you haven't just grabbed some random documentary clip to fool me?"
The narration continued unhurriedly. "The caster has crossed the entire street, and was even knocked flying by a speeding bus, yet the feeble passersby remain completely oblivious..."
"He got knocked flying too? A bus doesn't care about any of your fancy tricks, huh?" Yue Wen covered his face. "And why do I feel like I've been insulted again?"
The scene changed again, this time to a room enclosed on all four sides by pure white steel walls. Neat stacks of cash stood in its center.
"Even after leaving the complex surroundings and entering a bank vault with a uniform color scheme, the caster remains undetected..." the narrator said.
Compared with the jungle and street from before, this vault was indeed much simpler. In theory, that made hiding more difficult, since even the slightest flaw in the illusion would be easy to spot.
Yue Wen watched even more closely. He still couldn't see any change in the surroundings, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the banknotes piled in the center were gradually disappearing.
Every few seconds, another large stack vanished.
"I can't find where you're hiding, you bastard, but I can see you committing crimes!" Yue Wen called out.
The scene changed once more. Splashing water sounded all around, and a naked figure was faintly visible through the mist nearby.
Naturally, the important parts were pixelated.
The narrator spoke. "After escaping... ahem, leaving the vault and entering someone else's bathroom, an equally simple environment, our caster remains completely in his element and undetectable to anyone. An ability like this costs you just sixty coins of Evil-Suppressing Money. Isn't that a bargain?"
"That's enough! Do you really need this many demonstration scenes? And even if you have to demonstrate it in a bathroom, couldn't you use your own?" Yue Wen snapped. "This isn't an ability meant for decent people to practice at all!"
Before you continue