At this very moment, Deng Bingding, along with four other minor deities, was observing the performances of the candidates in the Trial of the Dao Heart.

“The four of you have reached this stage, having experienced countless large and small assessments. You should know that one of the most crucial aspects of any exam is to discern the examiner’s intentions and understand the main purpose of the test,” Deng Bingding began.

“This applies to us as examiners as well. Only by grasping the higher-ups’ meaning can we select talented individuals who will serve the Ten Great Sects and the Celestial Court in the future.”

Deng Bingding continued, “The higher-ups have been quite dissatisfied with the weaklings selected in recent years. The results of various assessments have been declining annually.”

“This reform aims to find those who climbed up from the lower echelons of Kunxu, those with ambition, desire, and courage, who can withstand temptation and pressure, and who can walk further on the path of Immortality.”

“Among these qualities, resisting temptation is the key to this round of testing.”

Looking at the candidates on the screen, Deng Bingding said, “For example, the illusions in this Trial of the Dao Heart present the wealthy with the temptation of even greater wealth. If one layer of temptation isn’t enough, there’s a second layer.”

“It can be said that whoever among these people ultimately passes the Foundation Establishment exam will inevitably encounter similar situations.”

“Therefore, our scoring criteria should be clear to everyone. A key aspect is how much monetary temptation the candidates can resist.”

“If exceptionally outstanding candidates emerge, reporting them will be a meritorious deed.”

Just as Deng Bingding finished speaking, the minor deity Huang Zichou, a Merit Officer, looked at Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen in the illusion and exclaimed in surprise, “There are actually two impoverished students in this year’s exam?”

The other minor deities also turned to look upon hearing the word “impoverished.”

Seeing a poor person in this Foundation Establishment exam was indeed a rare occurrence.

Deng Bingding also glanced over and recognized the student she had registered earlier, a student named Zhang Yu from Songyang High School, as she recalled.

“Seven hundred thousand in debt, with a five-figure bank balance, an ant.”

Ant. This was Deng Bingding’s evaluation of Zhang Yu.

This was not a derogatory term, but rather stemmed from her internal evaluation system.

Just as there were nine ranks of deities and ten realms of Immortal Dao, Deng Bingding naturally divided people into different levels.

Those without even a high school education were dust.

Those with a high school education and a bank balance that consistently remained in the five or six-figure range were ants.

High school graduates at the peak of Qi Refining who could find a job were beasts of burden.

Only those who graduated from university and found a company job were barely considered people in Deng Bingding’s eyes.

Looking at Zhang Yu’s savings, Deng Bingding had already labeled him as a failure.

This wasn’t because Deng Bingding discriminated against the poor, but because of her experience as a deity for so many years…

“Although the wealthy far surpass the poor in terms of magic power, physical strength, martial arts, and talismans, they often excel even more in Dao Heart.”

This was Deng Bingding’s seasoned observation. From the various exams and tests she had witnessed, the poor were comprehensively inferior to the rich.

Even if a few impoverished individuals managed to climb up, their greatest advantage was often their low price, demanding the least money and working the most overtime.

On the other hand, the wealthy had been trained and honed since childhood, hence…

“The wealthier they are, the stronger they are, the more resilient they are, the higher their aspirations, the stronger their ambition, and the more resistant they are to temptation. They are the Immortal aspirants most needed by the higher-ups.”

“As for ants… Alas, why cultivate Immortality when you have no money?”

“If it weren’t for the corporations controlling the media and desperately luring people in to toil, they wouldn’t be suitable for cultivation in the first place.”

Just then, Zhang Yu in the light screen had awakened.

The air he breathed was exceptionally fresh. With each breath, it felt as if countless tiny hands were massaging his body, nourishing every piece of his flesh.

He found himself lying on an incredibly soft bed, experiencing an indescribable sense of relaxation throughout his body.

He observed his surroundings and discovered that he was in a room with excellent sunlight, surrounded by various pieces of furniture that looked expensive but he didn’t know how to use.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling glass windows was a swirling sea of clouds.

Zhang Yu stepped forward and discovered that within the sea of clouds were forests, lakes… and even a giant dragon swallowing clouds and spitting mist, soaring from the sea of clouds.

The sea of clouds was surrounded by densely packed skyscrapers and pavilions that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Huang Zichou said, “The wealthy individuals in the illusion said they admire him and want to entertain him.”

“Mm, he rejected them as expected.”

“They’re all like that at the beginning, very vigilant and decisive.”

Another minor deity analyzed, “Although their cultivation and Dao Heart can’t detect that it’s an illusion, being suddenly kidnapped to a wealthy family’s home will definitely make them very wary.”

Huang Zichou said, “But this house has free spiritual veins, elixirs, and tonics. These poor people will definitely stay and take advantage of it…”

“Hmm? He actually requested to lower the Spirit Qi concentration?”

Another minor deity exclaimed in surprise, “He’s not eating the dragon meat tonic, but actively ordering synthetic food?”

“What’s this poor man thinking?”

In the illusion.

Zhang Yu didn’t even glance at the table full of delicacies.

Especially after the servant introduced that almost all the dishes were made from powerful demonic beasts, even dragons.

That made Zhang Yu even more afraid to eat, and he only asked them to bring him some synthetic food so that he could eat with peace of mind and assurance.

Zhang Yu was afraid that after eating it, they would ask for money and bankrupt him.

After all, he only had a little over ten thousand yuan in his pocket, but he was staying in the upper city of Immortal Metropolis.

How should he describe this feeling… It was like appearing in the enemy’s jungle with low health. He only felt apprehensive, and he might go bankrupt if he wasn’t careful.

Thinking of this, he immediately asked them to lower the Spirit Qi concentration as low as possible, preferably turning it off completely.

Listening to the discussions of the surrounding minor deities, Deng Bingding said, “You guys are used to being around wealthy people and know too little about these lower-level poor people.”
“He’s simply afraid,” one of the minor deities stated with a dismissive air.

“Afraid that each extra breath he takes, each morsel of meat he devours, will bankrupt him when the bill arrives.”

Bankrupt from an extra breath or a single piece of meat?

The attendant deities exchanged glances, a flicker of surprise in their eyes. They hadn’t witnessed such abject poverty in ages.

After all, those reduced to such straits were rarely worthy of their attention, nor did they typically frequent establishments of such extravagant expense.

Deng Bingding continued, “But this is merely a temporary state. Those who have known such deprivation are the easiest to corrupt once their desires are indulged.”

“Long ago, a peasant tilling the fields ascended to the second tier. He was hesitant to eat, reluctant to dress well, fearful of purchasing anything.”

“And in the end? Hah, a mere second-tier city citizenship extinguished his aspirations to advance on the path of immortality.”

“Alas, the lives of these paupers are so worthless, their contentment so easily achieved. To prevent them from scaling the heights is far simpler than deterring the wealthy.”

Meanwhile, within the illusory realm, Zhang Yu faced increasingly tempting enticements.

In the illusion, the pharmacy overflowed with an inexhaustible supply of top-tier elixirs, free for the taking.

The spiritual root chamber housed three heavenly spiritual roots, offered for Zhang Yu’s unrestricted use.

Within the training hall stood a Yellow Turban Warrior, ready to serve as his personal sparring partner.

And arrayed alongside were twelve flying swords, likewise presented as mere playthings.

Zhang Yu inhaled deeply, struggling to suppress the surging tide of his desires.

Back in the office, the minor deity Huang Zichou sighed, “He’s about to crack.”

“For the past few days within the illusion, he’s been constantly verifying whether these offerings are truly free.”

“Once he confirms they’re given freely, he’ll undoubtedly succumb and begin to utilize these cultivation resources.”

“Ah, they’re drawing up a contract, confirming his free and unlimited access to everything for two months.”

Even as Huang Zichou spoke, they observed Zhang Yu adjusting the concentration of spiritual energy within the room.

Within the illusion,

Another day passed, and Zhang Yu sank his teeth into a dragon rib, savoring the burst of savory juices, a satisfied smile gradually spreading across his face.

Grabbing a nearby syringe, he plunged it into his arm.

He then instructed them to further increase the concentration of spiritual energy.

Back in the office,

Witnessing Zhang Yu’s actions within the illusion, the attendant deities exchanged knowing glances.

“So easily bought,” Huang Zichou remarked, “Doesn’t he know that the free things are the most expensive in the end? Once he becomes deeply enmeshed, he’ll never be able to leave these things behind.”

Deng Bingding remained silent, finding the situation utterly predictable. The vision of these ant-like paupers was too narrow; they were easily ensnared by temptation.

As they watched the illusion’s time flow, observing Zhang Yu’s increasingly voracious consumption of meat, his increasingly reckless injections, and his joyful experimentation with the flying swords and spiritual roots, Deng Bingding knew he had utterly fallen.

Just then, Huang Zichou exclaimed in surprise, “Hey, this kid isn’t sterilized yet? Isn’t he just making it harder on himself?”

Within the illusion,

Zhang Yu, overwhelmed by the excessive absorption of spiritual energy, his meridians clogged and constricted, collapsed to the floor, unable to move.

“Sir, you’ve absorbed too much spiritual energy lately. Your meridians are congested, and your muscles are spasming,” the figure before him stated.

Immobilized, Zhang Yu thought to himself that he was truly an upstart, incapable of even adapting to the rarefied environment of the wealthy.

But then, a wet and soft sensation startled him.

A young woman was sucking on his finger, as if being held, the tip seemed to be wrapped by something like a tender snake.

“You…”

A voice emanated from the young woman: “Sir, please relax and allow me to help you release the blocked spiritual energy.”

Zhang Yu felt as if some special medicine had been injected into the tips of his fingers through the other party’s tongue. With each entangling sensation, Zhang Yu’s body gradually relaxed, and his entire being felt as light as a feather, as if he couldn’t muster any strength.

The young woman said, “As a part-time cultivation furnace partner, I have just absorbed the excess spiritual energy for you and established a mana cycle to complete the breathing exercise for you.”

Back in the office,

Huang Zichou shook his head and sighed, “He’s beyond saving. He’s utterly fallen now, like a puppet.”

“As he continues to wallow in this, unable to leave these things behind, once the two-month free period ends, if we continue to allow him to use this house and its contents for free, or even gift him a few more things, he might directly agree to withdraw from the Foundation Establishment Exam.”

Another minor deity added, “Even if he doesn’t agree at first, adding a few more chips to the table should do the trick.”

Huang Zichou glanced at Zhang Yu’s basic information and stated, “After all, he’s just a high school freshman. His resolve for the exam is not as firm as that of a high school sophomore. Coupled with his humble background, he’s definitely more susceptible to corruption.”

“I reckon the most temptation he can withstand is one or two hundred million, perhaps.”

On the other side, Deng Bingding had already grown weary of watching the pauper’s antics and turned her attention to the other high school senior examinees.

After all, in the Foundation Establishment Exam, high school seniors were often the ultimate victors. High school freshmen were merely bit players.

Especially those two top students from the Immortal Capital City in this test, Ye Lingxiao and Yun Jing, were not only born into prestigious families, incredibly wealthy, but also blessed with extraordinary talent. They were her particularly favored candidates, and she thought that if their results were particularly outstanding, reporting them would also be a meritorious deed.

“Yun Jing has already withstood temptations worth 1 billion.”

Deng Bingding nodded slightly, “Ye Lingxiao is not bad either. Faced with the temptation of 1.2 billion in assets, he still insists on taking the Foundation Establishment Certificate and pursuing a longer path on the road of immortality.”

Huang Zichou analyzed, “After all, these two know that the treatment of high school students with or without the Foundation Establishment Certificate on the second tier is vastly different.”

“Anyone who wants to go further on the path of immortality, and even enter the sect rather than the company after graduating from college, this high school Foundation Establishment Certificate is an excellent stepping stone.”

“Moreover, this is their last chance to participate in the high school Foundation Establishment Exam, so they are definitely more resistant than high school freshmen.”
Meanwhile, another minor deity, observing the illusion surrounding Zhang Yu, chuckled, “This kid might actually falter here.”

Within the Illusion.

Zhang Yu entered a chamber of alchemical cauldrons he had never seen before.

There, he beheld six alluring women, each possessing captivating beauty. Some were petite, others voluptuous, still others slender and elegant, while some even bore bestial features… Each unique in their allure, they turned their gazes upon Zhang Yu.

A maiden at his side introduced them, “This one is Ling Lu. Her body has been specially crafted. As you employ her, she will guide the circulation of your muscles, aiding in physical refinement…”

“This is Yun Xiao. She can draw out and absorb the medicinal poisons within your body, mitigating the side effects of elixirs…”

“This is Xian Luo. She can secrete calming hormones, alleviating your mental stress through caresses and gentle ministrations…”

“Master, if you but agree to relinquish your Foundation Establishment Examination, we shall become your possessions for eternity.”

Upon hearing the condition of forsaking his Foundation Establishment qualification, Zhang Yu seemed to envision the familiar chill and the power of the ritual, immediately waving his hands in rejection, “Get out! Begone!”

“Do not dare disrupt my Dao heart!”

“This Foundation Establishment qualification… I would sooner die than relinquish it!”

Back in the office.

Huang Zichou exclaimed in astonishment, “Refusal, I can understand. But to refuse so decisively?”

“A high schooler, with such vibrant Yang energy, such vigorous Qi and blood… He hasn’t been neutered yet, precisely when desires are at their peak. Yet he can reject an opportunity to become stronger while indulging in pleasure without a moment’s hesitation?”

Another minor deity beside him pondered, “I understand! Could it be he’s naturally impotent? Hence no need for neutering? Or perhaps he simply doesn’t favor women, which is why he can refuse so readily?”

Huang Zichou waved his hand dismissively, “That’s simple enough. Let’s arrange ten handsome male cauldrons and test him. We’ll see then.”