The staff member left.
Lu Ding lay on the bed and, following the staff member's earlier instructions, logged in with his personal information to browse the material on the Bureau 749 App.
That night, Lu Ding was like a parched sponge, soaking up moisture he had never experienced before.
He swam through an ocean of knowledge.
He learned about the hidden side of this world.
Lu Ding also came to understand the cultivation ranks of qi refiners.
From lowest to highest, they were Aperture Opening, Illuminating the Jade Pivot, Spirit Sea, Divine Palace, Commanding Fate, Earth Observation, Heaven Observation, and other realms. There should have been more beyond those, but with Lu Ding's current clearance level, he could not see them yet.
Aside from those, there were all sorts of unheard-of monsters, as well as heavenly treasures.
Lu Ding also found information about the South Mountain Stubborn Stone among them.
The South Mountain Stubborn Stone was a spirit creature, and also ranked among heavenly treasures.
The red liquid inside its body was earth qi essence, which could be used for Aperture Opening. Its remaining stone limbs could be used to forge weapons.
Moreover, they were exceptionally fine materials. Even if he did not use them himself, he could exchange them with Bureau 749 for contribution points. Lu Ding would not consider that option.
Reading this entry, Lu Ding thought, It really is a treasure!
So, what kind of weapon should I forge for myself?
With that question in mind, Lu Ding slowly drifted off to sleep.
Early the next morning, the alarm rang. He got up and washed, and another staff member came to take Lu Ding to the assessment grounds.
They wound through turn after turn, with people coming and going on either side.
Lu Ding finally arrived at the assessment grounds.
A boiling clamor of voices reached his ears. Looking ahead, he saw an area the size of a soccer field sunken several meters into the ground, with sixty-odd people scattered across it.
Around the edge of the grounds, men and women of all ages watched the spectacle, dressed in all manner of clothing and carrying every variety of weapon-sabers, spears, swords, halberds, and more.
Different conversations drifted into his ears.
"What a shame. When I joined Bureau 749, it was already the sixteenth. I only had fourteen days before I had to take the assessment, and ended up with an average rating. If I'd had more time, I should've been able to get a good rating."
"You call that a shame? It was the twenty-third when I joined. I remember it clearly-that damned month only had twenty-nine days. My luck couldn't have been worse, and I still managed an average rating. If I could've joined as early as you, I feel like my result would've been good!"
"That's why they say luck is part of strength. Eight of the newcomers taking this month's assessment joined before the fifth. I reckon all eight should get excellent ratings, maybe even perfect."
"Excellent, I can believe, but perfect isn't something you can achieve in a month. If just anyone could get a perfect rating by joining a few days earlier, wouldn't our bureau's Aperture Opening Pills be as common as cabbages?"
"Hahahaha, that's true. Killing a hundred wooden figures in an hour is a bit unrealistic."
"Then in your opinion, who do you think can get a perfect rating this time?"
"It has to be Liu Yun. She has a demonic saber, and she's even awakened the Shadow Walking talent. She can weave and dart through darkness and shadows. With that sharp demonic saber as well, the wooden figures in the assessment grounds will probably be cut down before they can even touch her."
"Liu Yun is a candidate, sure. Besides, she came on the tenth of last month, so she's had plenty of time."
"I think Chu Hao might manage it too, besides Liu Yun. He came on the tenth with her, and they're classmates. He also has vine armor and the Wood Control ability. The assessment grounds are full of wooden figures, so this is his home turf. He's just a little lacking in destructive power."
"Tsk, didn't I say luck is a kind of strength too? I heard Liu Yun and Chu Hao are both university students, and even belong to the same club. On the ninth of last month, their club held an outing, and twenty-odd people went to visit an old town. Then a supernatural incident broke out. Everyone died except those two, who were finally rescued by Investigator Zhu."
"Not only did those two successfully open their apertures, but each also gained a magical artifact that recognized them as its master. Their luck really is good."
Liu Yun... Chu Hao...
As Lu Ding listened, he realized they went to the same university as him.
Both belonged to the traditional culture club. Like Lu Ding, Chu Hao was a first-year student at Yunhai University, except he was in the economics and management department, while Lu Ding was in geological exploration. The two had crossed paths during an open lecture.
As for Liu Yun, she was a third-year senior, the president of the traditional culture club, and a renowned traditional-style beauty on campus.
He had not expected them to have joined Bureau 749 too.
There really were familiar faces everywhere.
Still, Lu Ding did not dwell on it. It was only a passing reflection.
He turned to ask the staff member opening the entrance gate for him, "Hello, I'd like to ask how those assessment standards they were talking about are defined."
"The assessment lasts one hour. Killing ten monsters is a pass, eleven to forty is average, forty-one to seventy is good, seventy-one to ninety-nine is excellent, and killing a hundred or more in an hour is perfect."
So that was how the ratings worked.
Simple and blunt enough.
Lu Ding thanked him and stepped into the assessment grounds.
The instant he entered, countless gazes swung toward him.
"Why is there another person?"
"Weren't there sixty-four? How did it become sixty-five?"
"Could he be a newcomer who joined in the last few days?"
"Isn't that asking for death? He's only just opened his apertures. He probably hasn't even figured out his cultivation technique yet, and he's already here for the assessment?"
"You only get one chance at the assessment. He'll probably regret it later. Even passing will likely be difficult now. Ah, young people are too rash."
"Rash? He just can't see reality for what it is. He thinks opening his apertures makes him a favored son of heaven, the protagonist of the world. He simply doesn't know how high heaven is or how deep the earth goes."
"Why are your words so barbed? You sound like you know all about it. Is that what you thought before reality beat you black and blue?"
Lu Ding's sudden arrival attracted more than just the spectators' attention.
It also drew the attention of the other people in the grounds.
Liu Yun and Chu Hao looked over. Both found Lu Ding's face somewhat familiar.
"He seems to be a first-year at our university. After military training ended, I saw him carrying equipment to the storeroom."
Liu Yun's words jogged Chu Hao's memory. "Now that you mention it, I think I've seen him in the classroom during an open lecture too."
"I didn't expect to run into a fellow student here. Come on, let's go say hello."
Liu Yun was about to step forward when Chu Hao called to stop her. "There's no need, is there? We've been here so long and never seen him before, so he probably only joined recently. He can't see reality clearly and has already rushed over for the assessment, not knowing how high heaven is or how deep the earth goes, looking down on everything. His results definitely won't be good. We should just mind our own business."
He made no attempt to keep his voice down, letting Lu Ding hear every word clearly.
Lu Ding turned to look. Why did this guy have such a foul mouth?
He could take the assessment whenever he wanted, yet this guy still had to judge whether he understood reality.
He had even pronounced Lu Ding's fate, declaring outright that his results would not be good.
Not only was it irritating to hear, but the gaze he cast over was filled with contempt, his whole manner overbearing and arrogant. Talking behind someone's back would have been one thing, but he did not even bother hiding it, provoking him right to his face.
How could Lu Ding indulge him?
He raised a finger and flicked it. A slashing strike burst forth and cleaved heavily into Chu Hao's vine armor, so fast that no one present had time to react.
They only saw Chu Hao sent flying by the strike before he crashed to the ground.
A pent-up breath lodged in his chest, refusing to come out for a long while. The savage blade mark across his chest had nearly cut through the vine armor.
Lu Ding's voice rang out at that moment. "Stop pointing fingers at other people's business. We don't know each other. If you can't keep your mouth under control next time, you can forget about keeping those teeth!"
Liu Yun stepped forward to help Chu Hao up. When she saw the damage across his chest, her pupils abruptly contracted.
She and Chu Hao had tested it before. Even a strike from the demonic saber in her hand could barely damage the vine armor. How had this man left such a terrifying mark with a mere flick of his finger?