10: Chapter 10 Examination for Promotion of Miscellaneous Workers

Just as dawn broke, Lin Muchen opened his eyes.

He sat up from the bed and stretched his neck.

[The Menial Servant promotion assessment will begin in half an hour at the square in front of the Outer Sect Affairs Hall.]

[It is recommended that the Host head there immediately.]

Lin Muchen got out of bed, quickly washed up, and put on his faded Menial Servant uniform.

He checked the System space.

Basic Stealth Talisman, present.

points balance, 30 points.

Origin Star ecological completion, 8%.

"Time to go."

He pushed open the door and walked toward the Outer Sect Affairs Hall.

Over twenty Menial Servants had already gathered on the square, all there for the assessment. Lin Muchen scanned the crowd and saw Wu Hai.

Wu Hai stood on the other side of the crowd, talking to two other Menial Servants, his eyes glancing toward Lin Muchen from time to time.

Lin Muchen ignored him and found a corner to stand in.

After a while, Zhao Tieshan and Manager Zhou walked over together.

Zhao Tieshan held a register in his hand, while Manager Zhou followed behind him with an expressionless face.

"Is everyone here?" Zhao Tieshan scanned the crowd. "The assessment begins now. The first task: clearing a designated area and collecting Spiritual Plants."

He pointed to the woods on the west side of the square.

"Do you see that 'Qing Wu Forest'? The assessment area is the forest's periphery, within a fifty-zhang radius. Each person has one hour to go in, clear away fallen leaves and dead branches, and simultaneously collect at least five stalks of 'Condensation Dew Grass'."

"You recognize Condensation Dew Grass, don't you? Long, slender leaves with dew-like white spots at the tips. If you fail to collect five stalks or don't come out within the time limit, the assessment is a failure."

"Is that clear to everyone?"

"Understood!" the Menial Servants responded in unison.

"Good." Zhao Tieshan opened the register. "Enter according to the order of registration. First one, Zhang Dashan."

A sturdy Menial Servant stepped out, took the bamboo basket and broom handed over by Zhao Tieshan, and walked into the forest.

Lin Muchen was seventh in line.

While he waited, his consciousness sank into his Dantian.

"System, can you scan that forest?"

[Attempting to connect to the Origin Star Black Iron Ant Colony... Connection successful.]

[Ten Scout Worker Ants have been released to infiltrate the assessment area.]

[Warning: Abnormal scent residue detected.]

[Analyzing... Scent composition is 'Low-grade Beast-Attracting Incense', which has a weak attraction for Yao Beasts below Qi Refining Stage Three.]

[Scent source location: Southeast corner of the assessment area, near three stalks of Condensation Dew Grass.]

[Deployment time: Approximately fifteen minutes ago.]

Lin Muchen's heart sank.

Beast Attracting Incense?

He had heard of this stuff; it was used by hunters to attract low-grade Yao Beasts. Why would it be in the Menial Servant assessment area?

"System, can you track the source of the scent?"

[Affirmative.]

[The Black Iron Ant Colony has locked onto the scent's diffusion trajectory. Reverse tracking in progress...]

[Trajectory points to: Thirty zhang northeast outside the assessment area, behind a green rock.]

[Detected human scent residue, 87% match with 'Wu Hai'.]

It really was him.

Lin Muchen exited his internal vision and glanced at Wu Hai.

Wu Hai was pretending to look at the scenery, but a smug smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"System, what kind of Yao Beasts will the Beast Attracting Incense draw? Is it dangerous?"

[Based on the scent concentration, it may attract first-order low-level Yao Beasts such as 'Iron Claw Rats' or 'Rotten Wood Bugs'.]

[Threat level is low for Cultivators above Qi Refining Stage Three, but it may cause interference for Menial Servants focused on collecting, leading to timeouts or injuries.]

[Recommendation: Avoid the southeast corner or use a stealth Talisman.]

Lin Muchen knew what to do.

By now, the first six Menial Servants had finished their assessment. Five succeeded, and one failed due to timeout.

"Seventh, Lin Muchen," Zhao Tieshan called out.

Lin Muchen stepped forward and took the bamboo basket and broom.

"Go in," Zhao Tieshan looked at him. "Be careful."

"Thank you, Deacon."

Lin Muchen turned and walked into the Qing Wu Forest.

The mist in the forest was thicker than it appeared from the outside, with visibility of only about a dozen zhang. The ground was covered in a thick layer of fallen leaves, feeling soft underfoot.

He had only walked a few steps when the System's prompt sounded.

[Warning: Signs of activity from three Iron Claw Rats detected fifteen zhang ahead in the southeast direction.]

[Presumed to be attracted by the Beast Attracting Incense.]

[Recommendation: Detour or use a stealth Talisman.]

Lin Muchen took out that Basic Stealth Talisman from the System space and held it in his hand.

The Talisman was made of yellow paper with crooked runes drawn on it.

He injected a sliver of Qi, and the Talisman glowed slightly as a thin film of light covered his entire body.

[Stealth effect active, duration: fifteen minutes.]

[Note: Moving too fast or attacking will break the stealth state.]

Lin Muchen nodded and walked quietly toward the depths of the forest.

He avoided the southeast corner and headed toward another Condensation Dew Grass growth point marked by the System.

Sure enough, beneath the roots of several old trees, he found five stalks of Condensation Dew Grass. The leaves were long and slender, and the white spots at the tips were faintly visible in the mist.

He carefully harvested the grass and placed it in the bamboo basket.

Next, he began clearing the fallen leaves and dead branches. His movements weren't fast, but they were steady, and he swept very cleanly.

Time passed bit by bit.

[Stealth Talisman remaining time: thirty breaths.]

Lin Muchen had already collected eight stalks of Condensation Dew Grass, and the clearing of the area was mostly complete.

He glanced toward the southeast corner.

The three Iron Claw Rats were still wandering nearby, occasionally pawing at the ground, clearly agitated by the Beast Attracting Incense.

"System, can you control the Black Iron Ant Colony to find the remaining Beast Attracting Incense?"

[Affirmative.]

[Instructed ten worker ants to proceed to the scent source.]

[Target found: Half a piece of unburnt Beast Attracting Incense hidden behind the green rock, along with three packets of spare incense powder.]

[Should they be retrieved?]

"Bring back one packet of incense powder," Lin Muchen said. "As for the rest, have the ants leave some traces at the original spot, but don't make it too obvious."

[Understood.]

Several Black Iron Ants dragged a small paper packet and emerged from under the fallen leaves.

Lin Muchen took the packet and tucked it into his robe.

At that moment, the effect of the stealth Talisman vanished.

The film of light dissipated, and his figure was revealed once more.

However, the assessment was almost over.

Lin Muchen picked up his pace, finished sweeping the last bit of the area, and then walked out of the forest carrying the bamboo basket filled with Condensation Dew Grass and fallen leaves.

"Time's up." Zhao Tieshan glanced at the hourglass. "Bring the items here."

Lin Muchen handed over the bamboo basket.

Zhao Tieshan checked it.

Condensation Dew Grass, eight stalks, intact.

Cleared area, clean.

Time taken, exactly one hour.

"Pass." Zhao Tieshan made a note in the book. "Next, Wu Hai."

As Wu Hai walked past Lin Muchen, he whispered, "Consider yourself lucky."

Lin Muchen said nothing and stood to the side to wait.

Wu Hai entered the forest.

Not long after, a startled cry suddenly came from the forest.

"Ah! What is that!"

Then came the "squeak-squeak" of animals and the sound of a broom being swung wildly.

Zhao Tieshan frowned and said to Manager Zhou, "Go in and take a look."

The two of them walked into the forest.

After a while, they came out with a disheveled Wu Hai.

Wu Hai's clothes were torn in several places, and there were two bloody scratches on his hands. His bamboo basket contained only three stalks of Condensation Dew Grass, one of which was broken.

"Assessment failed." Zhao Tieshan's face was cold. "What's wrong with you? You can't even handle a few Iron Claw Rats?"

"I... I didn't know there were Yao Beasts there..." Wu Hai stammered.

"Didn't know?" Zhao Tieshan stared at him. "There are usually no Yao Beasts in the assessment area at all, unless someone tampered with it."

Wu Hai's face turned pale, and he fell silent.

The assessment continued.

Once all the Menial Servants had finished, Zhao Tieshan announced the results.

Twenty-three participated, sixteen passed, and Lin Muchen was one of them.

"Those who passed, come to the Affairs Hall tomorrow to handle the Outer Sect Disciple procedures," Zhao Tieshan said. "Now, dismissed."

The Menial Servants left one after another.

Lin Muchen was the last to leave.

As he passed Zhao Tieshan, he paused for a moment, pulled the packet of Beast Attracting Incense powder from his robe, and quickly pressed it into Zhao Tieshan's hand.

"Deacon, I found this behind a green rock outside the forest," he said in a low voice. "I think it might be related to what happened today."

Zhao Tieshan squeezed the paper packet, his eyes narrowing.

He glanced at Lin Muchen and nodded. "I see. Go back for now."

"Yes."

Lin Muchen turned and left.

As he walked out of the square, he heard Zhao Tieshan's voice behind him.

"Wu Hai, you stay. Manager Zhou, you stay too."

Lin Muchen didn't look back and went straight back to the Zayiyi.

Closing the door, he let out a long breath.

"System, settle the accounts."

[Assessment task completed.]

[points obtained: +100 points.]

[Current points balance: 130 points.]

[Origin Star ecological completion increased to 9%.]

[Cumulative Physical Body strength increase: 0.45.]

[Cultivation speed bonus: Approximately sixty-five percent.]

"One hundred and thirty points now." Lin Muchen calculated in his head. "Tomorrow, I'll be an Outer Sect Disciple."

[Yes.]

[Recommendation: After being promoted to the Outer Sect, you can exchange for a basic Cultivation Technique to accelerate Origin Star's development.]

Lin Muchen nodded and sat on the bed.

His consciousness sank into his Dantian to look at the Origin Star.

The Black Iron Ant Colony had grown in size again. The worker ants were lining up, their antennae twitching as if they were discussing today's "spoils."

The two rabbits had grown quite a bit, their fur sleek and shiny.

The Spiritual Soil area had expanded again, and the weeds were growing lushly.

"Good job," Lin Muchen said to the ant colony.

The worker ants' antennae twitched even more excitedly.

Exiting his internal vision, Lin Muchen lay down on the bed.

Tomorrow would be a new beginning.

Outside the window, the sound of Zhao Tieshan reprimanding Wu Hai came faintly, indistinct and blurred.

Lin Muchen rolled over and closed his eyes.

points balance, 130 points.