Inside the office.

Shortly after Deng Bingding recorded Yun Jing’s valuation, a minor deity nearby said, “Lord Deng, we’re encountering some issues with Ye Lingxiao.”

Deng Bingding looked over and observed that Ye Lingxiao, within the illusion, was almost entirely impervious to temptation. Neither superior cultivation conditions nor the family’s honor and disgrace seemed capable of deterring him from obtaining his high school Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate.

If Deng Bingding were to assess him, she would say he was sufficiently self-serving, utterly focused on advancement, and possessed the audacity to relentlessly ascend the path of immortal cultivation.

However, Deng Bingding also believed that if the bidding continued, the individual would eventually agree. After all, every person has a price.

Yet, what Ye Lingxiao demanded was entirely unexpected by Deng Bingding.

In the illusion, Ye Lingxiao asked, “Since you possess such immense magical power, do you know how to apply a ‘goodwill talisman’ to a person?”

Deng Bingding frowned, “How could Ye Lingxiao possibly know about this?”

The minor deity by her side asked, “Lord Deng, what do we do now?”

“The secret of applying a ‘goodwill talisman’ to a person is of great significance and cannot be easily divulged.”

“Even though this is merely an illusion, we could simply deceive him.”

“However, for the Foundation Establishment exam’s illusion, all memories and records must be preserved.”

“Therefore… if the valuation is too low, wouldn’t it be deliberately giving the student a poor grade? And if the valuation is too high, wouldn’t that reveal to Ye Lingxiao that a significant secret lies within this matter?”

“This is truly… a difficult situation to manage.”

Upon hearing this, Deng Bingding felt a surge of trouble and realized something important.

“For this person to make such a request amidst so many temptations in the illusion… it indicates that he has subconsciously recognized the high value of this secret, perhaps even understanding its true implications.”

“Hmph, this Ye Lingxiao’s curiosity is simply too intense, and his ambition too vast.”

“Yet, aren’t selfishness, audacity, and insatiable greed also traits of a potential immortal cultivator?”

A thought quickly crossed her mind, and Deng Bingding decided to try a different approach, asking, “Where did he acquire this knowledge? Was it mere hearsay, or did he genuinely witness it?”

The minor deity replied, “He claims he witnessed a high school student named Zhang Pianpian use it. I’ve already reviewed her profile; she’s exceptionally talented, but it doesn’t seem like she would possess such a skill. Could she have been deceiving Ye Lingxiao?”

Deng Bingding closed her eyes, and countless scenes from the Spirit Realm materialized before her.

Arriving before a row of massive bookshelves, she casually opened Zhang Pianpian’s file. Her divine power swiftly scanned it, and the individual’s life history appeared before her.

This was the first-floor archive of the Ministry of Myriad People, theoretically containing information on every individual on the first level.

As Deng Bingding rapidly reviewed Zhang Pianpian’s information using her divine power, a strange feeling arose within her.

“This Zhang Pianpian is indeed exceptional, even serving as the deputy captain of Songyang City’s patrol team. In fact, she’s almost *too* excellent.”

“Another one from Songyang City…” Deng Bingding frowned, “Why do all the students from Songyang City seem a bit odd?”

As she pondered, this Sixth-Rank Four-Directional Wandering Deity suddenly detected something amiss.

“Zhang Pianpian’s file… has someone tampered with it?”

The notion that someone had tampered with the archives startled Deng Bingding. When she attempted to uncover the truth hidden behind the file, an unprecedented sense of danger halted her.

“It’s none of my business; I want to know nothing.”

After a moment’s thought, she immediately withdrew and reported Ye Lingxiao’s situation. As for the issue with Zhang Pianpian’s information, she didn’t mention it, feigning ignorance.

What surprised her even more was the swift response from higher up.

“A direct directive from the Ministry of Myriad People?” Deng Bingding’s heart leaped. She mused that Zhang Pianpian indeed had an issue, though she couldn’t guess what high-level plan or scheme she was involved in.

The directive from the Ministry of Myriad People, however, was to immediately lower Ye Lingxiao’s valuation to 5.5 billion.

Witnessing this, Deng Bingding felt a pang of emotion.

Many inhabitants of Kunxu, especially the poor, believed that the regulations of the Ten Great Sects and the Eight Divine Legions were sacred, inviolable heavenly laws.

However, Deng Bingding clearly understood that this wasn’t always the case.

Take the current Foundation Establishment exam, for instance; it wasn’t that no one initially dared to harbor ulterior motives.

It’s simply that anyone, human or divine, who dared to harbor such thoughts was sent to the Spirit Realm to ‘enjoy their blessings,’ and gradually, no one dared to attempt it again.

However, even for a high school Foundation Establishment exam where no one on Kunxu’s first level dared to transgress, if the powerful figures above wished to act — such as suppressing Ye Lingxiao’s evaluation at this moment — then it would simply be done.

“Everyone has a price, and so do the rules of Kunxu.”

“As long as the cost can be borne, many things are not impossible.”

“However, for some, the price involves their entire lineage, while for others, it might only require a single directive…”

Deng Bingding cleared her mind of these distracting thoughts, firmly burying the matter deep within her heart, vowing never to reconsider it.

She then turned her gaze to the final individual in the current Dao Heart test: Zhang Yu.

More accurately, at this moment in the office, both she, the Four-Directional Wandering Deity, and the four other minor Merit Officer deities, had their attention fully fixated on Zhang Yu’s illusion.

Deng Bingding remarked with a hint of doubt, “This Zhang Yu has actually held on until now.”

Huang Zichou, however, spoke with a mix of nervousness and excitement, “Lord Deng, Zhang Yu’s illusion is on the verge of collapsing if this continues.”

“What did you say?” With a surge of curiosity, Deng Bingding used her divine power to scan the records of the illusion.

Within the illusion.

Unbeknownst to Zhang Yu, an increasing number of items had piled up before him.

Such as Heavenly Spiritual Roots, Dharma Skeletons, and even citizenship in Immortal Capital City…

Diverse valuable offerings were presented to Zhang Yu, yet he steadfastly refused to abandon the Foundation Establishment exam.

Even when company shares were offered, Zhang Yu, though visibly tempted, still gritted his teeth, refusing to reject the Foundation Establishment exam.

For as soon as the thought entered his mind, a profound chill would immediately follow.

“This idiotic ritual… can’t I just accept the conditions and retake the exam next year?”

“No, this ritual, while foolish, shouldn’t be like this. What’s wrong here?”

Through the illusion’s continuous probing and escalating offers, Zhang Yu’s consciousness gradually perceived that something was amiss.

“Wait… this must be worth tens of billions, right?”

“Aren’t you offering too much?”

“Is my abandoning the Foundation Establishment exam truly worth this price?”

As Zhang Yu began to ponder these questions, everything before him seemed to grow increasingly bizarre, giving him the distinct sensation of being in a dream.

Inside the office.

Deng Bingding frowned, “How could the price reach such a height? What are you doing?”

She was already suspecting Huang Zichou of haphazardly inflating the price.

Huang Zichou said, “Lord Deng, you can check the records; I truly haven’t inflated the price. The illusion has been operating by its rules, increasing the offers little by little. I’ve tried absolutely everything, but he simply refuses to give up.”

Deng Bingding meticulously reviewed the records, her brows furrowed, and discovered that Zhang Yu was indeed completely unyielding.

Deng Bingding knew that while the illusion could cause students to subconsciously overlook many inconsistencies, this phenomenon was not without its limits.

As a student repeatedly refused, and the offered prices grew increasingly higher, the entire illusion would become more illogical, causing the test-taker to feel an escalating sense of incongruity.

And once this sense of incongruity reached its peak, it would signify the illusion’s collapse.

For example, Ye Lingxiao and Yun Jing, being sufficiently wealthy and powerful, were prime candidates for the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate. Under the illusion’s influence, the price soared, and they could subconsciously overlook the inconsistencies.

However, Zhang Yu’s capabilities hardly qualified him as a prime candidate, and being poor, he would more readily sense that something was amiss as the prices dramatically inflated.

Witnessing this scene, a novel thought suddenly occurred to Deng Bingding: “Poor individuals actually possess an advantage in this test. If they persist, they can discern and break through the illusion more easily than the wealthy, surpassing its limits?”

Shaking her head, she momentarily dismissed these additional thoughts and asked, “Didn’t you ask him what he truly desires?”

Huang Zichou quickly replied, “I did ask, please look further into the records!”

Within the illusion.

Zhang Yu felt that everything around him was increasingly resembling a dream.

How could anyone possibly offer such an exorbitant sum for him to abandon the Foundation Establishment exam?

The ritual’s reactions, in particular, made him feel that everything was deeply amiss.

“Could I be…”

Just then, the other party’s question interrupted his train of thought.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu curiously asked, “What do *I* want?”

He mused that under the coercion of the ritual he bore, his deepest desire was actually to remove its power and gain true freedom.

However, he absolutely dared not utter anything related to an evil god. Even with the current dreamlike sensation, he wouldn’t dare.

Thus, the only objective he could express was his other goal: to be admitted into the Ten Great Sects, join one, and fulfill this desired path.

And considering the current condition of abandoning the Foundation Establishment exam…

Zhang Yu quickly formulated his words in his mind, sensing that the demand he was about to make would be something the other party could never possibly agree to.

Yet, that dreamlike sensation prompted him to suddenly smile, and he spoke his thoughts somewhat boldly: “I wish to ascend the immortal path, all the way to the top.”

“So, if you want me to give up, you must offer me an even better opportunity.”

“An opportunity superior to passing the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate on the first attempt — a better chance to enter university, better treatment after joining the Ten Great Sects, a higher likelihood of entering a major sect… only then will I relinquish my Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate.”

“Oh, and this arrangement must also include Bai Zhenzhen.”

Inside the office.

“Everyone has a price.”

This was something Deng Bingding had confirmed countless times over.

But hearing Zhang Yu’s asking price this time, even an extreme one influenced by the illusion, still astonished Deng Bingding.

“This fellow… does he even comprehend what he’s demanding?”

“A pauper from Kunxu’s first level, asking for such an outrageous price?”

“Is this something that can even occur on the first level? Demanding better treatment than successfully passing the Foundation Establishment Certificate in the first year of high school?”

“Let alone the first level, even the wealthy on the second, or even third levels, might not be able to secure the kind of opportunity he desires.”

“And he wants to bring someone along…”

Observing Zhang Yu in the illusion, Deng Bingding was momentarily at a loss, unsure whether to attribute it to his inflated ambition to ascend the immortal path or to his insatiable nature being unleashed under the illusion’s influence.

Huang Zichou, beside her, asked, “Lord Deng, how do we respond to this? With such demands, he must know it’s impossible, right? He clearly has no intention of abandoning the Foundation Establishment exam now.”

Deng Bingding stated, “There’s no purpose in continuing the test. The temptations offered to him have already surpassed the limits of what he could possibly confront.”

“If the illusion were to truly fulfill such an unreasonable request, Zhang Yu would likely fully awaken from it, and the illusion would collapse.”

“Or perhaps…” Deng Bingding said faintly, “He might already be on the verge of waking up.”

“Let’s conclude this Dao Heart test.”

Huang Zichou asked, “What about Zhang Yu’s result?”

“What else can be done?” Deng Bingding sighed. “At the very least, this illusion still can’t determine his limits.”

With that, she recorded: “Zhang Yu, valuation unknown (???), Dao Heart test unable to ascertain limits.”