Lu Ding looked up at Yan Feifan standing at the mountain’s peak.
He had never thought of him as useless.
He simply wasn’t inclined toward combat.
As more and more participants reached the mountain’s various heights and claid their flags, one thing beca clear—
The investigators from Yunhai 749 had claid the highest quality flags.
With the Heart Trial complete, the next phases would test comprehension (悟) and combat ability (武).
The Comprehension Trial
When the test was revealed, the participants were shown a painting.
It depicted a writhing mass of crimson flesh, like a living mountain of at.
Lu Ding took one glance and instantly understood its essence.
But honestly?
He wasn’t that interested.
The ability in the painting was similar to his "Living Shedding, Living Corpse" ability—
But weaker.
The technique, if comprehended, allowed the user to regrow flesh and bones—a highly practical skill, especially in battles against demons and monsters.
Injuries could be healed quickly, potentially saving lives.
But Lu Ding’s ability didn’t just heal wounds—it ripped off the damaged area and regenerated it instantly.
If that wasn’t enough?
He could vomit out his own body parts to fully restore himself.
"Full health, I’m back again—hello there!"
That kind of instantaneous regeneration would leave enemies in utter despair.
So to him, this technique felt... too inefficient.
Had soone tried challenging him to a comprehension contest, he wouldn’t have minded showing off a little.
But no one did.
Because everyone knew—
Lu Ding’s mastery over techniques was always at the perfect level.
Challenging him on comprehension?
You’d have to be a masochist.
In the end, the top spots went to Shangguan Qing from Yaodu and a young genius from Qingsheng.
Their comprehension ti and technique mastery were exactly the sa.
The Combat Trial (Baby Cup)
Lu Ding was bored out of his mind.
The fights were just weaklings slapping each other.
And since he wasn’t allowed to enter the ring to stomp them himself, it was painful to watch.
When the final rankings were announced, the top nine spots went as follows:
Yunhai: Wen Ruchu, Tantai Xianyue, and Xue Ning.
Yaodu: Shangguan Qing and a girl carrying a massive sword.
Qingsheng: Two participants, one male and one female, whom Lu Ding didn’t recognize.
Special Cases: Lu Ding and Bai Hen, who were given automatic placents.
Essentially, Yaodu and Qingsheng had each sacrificed a spot to accommodate Lu Ding and Bai Hen.
Hilarious.
Yan Feifan’s performance in the second and third trials was average.
Not everyone could develop rapidly in a short ti.
His mindset had changed, but his raw strength still needed ti to grow.
However—
His first trial had shocked many people.
Director Chu glanced at Yan Feifan, then at Lu Ding, deep in thought.
"That ntality... that intelligence... he'd actually be perfect for managent."
As he considered this, a mory surfaced—
That eting day, when Yan Feifan was the first to start clapping and cheering.
A smile crept onto Director Chu’s face.
Nightti - The Three-District Combat Trials Conclude
Inside the Yunhai 749 Bureau’s conference room—
Three investigators, each wearing the Crescent Moon insignia, sat reviewing their docunts, laughing to themselves.
One of them spoke first.
"The Three-District Combat Trials actually produced two guaranteed spots... This is a first."
"A bunch of geniuses... but two of them are monsters.
"Good thing we prepared so heavy rewards for them."
"And also, a chance for them to handle so ‘problems.’"
They continued chatting among themselves—until the conference room door was knocked on.
The nine qualifiers, led by Lu Ding, entered and took their assigned seats.
Once everyone was settled—
The three Crescent Moon investigators got down to business.
et the Instructors
“I’ll introduce myself first,” said the man in the center.
"My na is Lü Ting, one of the instructors at the advanced training facility. I’ll be taking you there."
The woman beside him spoke next.
"Ran Jing, also an instructor at the training facility."
Finally, the third introduced himself.
"Wu Beifeng, instructor at the training facility."
After finishing introductions, Lü Ting picked up a small cardboard box.
"Three districts. Thirty total qualifiers.
The top nine go to advanced training. The remaining twenty-one get rewards."
"Even though training itself is a reward, you’ll still receive the sa benefits as the others."
Then, with a smirk, he added—
"You’ve all heard of the ‘welcoming gift’ for training investigators, right?"
Lu Ding had only learned about this tradition after his Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts battle.
It was a lavish reward.
However, there was a catch—
It wasn’t simply handed over.
To claim it, you had to retrieve it yourself.
And the "locations" of these rewards?
Absolutely horrifying.
The envelopes inside Lü Ting’s box contained the locations of each participant’s welcoming gift.
These locations included, but were not limited to:
Infamous monsters and demons
Wanted rogue Cultivators of Qi
Forbidden sect territories
Terrifying deep mountains and forests
Want it? Go get it.
Is it dangerous? Well, that depends on your luck and strength.
Everyone was already aware of these conditions—
But nobody moved.
Instead, all eyes instinctively fell on Lu Ding.
Yet Lu Ding didn’t react at all.
Sure, he was arrogant, but that didn’t an he was stupid.
Logically speaking—he and Bai Hen, as exceptions, would be treated differently.
And "differently" ant:
They were definitely getting the most absurdly difficult missions.
These instructors weren’t amateurs—they had definitely investigated his combat capabilities beforehand.
So his assigned task?
Would probably be sothing like:
"Solo a Si Ming Realm enemy."
And realistically?
He couldn’t win.
Not without going all out and risking his life.
And why the hell would he risk his life over so stupid "welcoming gift"?!
He had his golden finger (cheat ability).
Why not just train normally and grow steadily?
Worst case?
Screw training.
Yunhai was still a human city, and while its monster and demon population was weaker—there were still plenty to farm.
Why rush?
Advanced training was great, but not necessary.
The Awkward Silence
Because Lu Ding was in no hurry—
Lü Ting started getting impatient.
He was waiting for soone to step forward.
But no one moved.
He suddenly felt like...
A clown.
Especially Lu Ding—who was nothing like what he expected.
Lü Ting’s mind was racing.
Wait, you’re seriously not tempted?!
You, the absolute freaking genius who crushed all the Three-District talents into the ground—you’re not even a little interested?!
Co on, show so reaction!
Where’s your enthusiasm?!
Shouldn’t you be the type to stand up first, calmly say sothing like—
"Can I get a few more of these?"
Then I’d respond with—
"Get your first one first, then we’ll talk."
But instead, you’re just sitting there like this?!
Fine. You want to play it cool? Let’s see how long you last.
Getting more and more annoyed, Lü Ting pulled out the envelope labeled ‘Lu Ding.’
He cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Lu Ding, as a guaranteed placent genius, you have ‘special privileges.’ You can listen first, then decide.”
(That ‘privilege’ part? Yeah, I just made that up.)
Lu Ding: “Thank you, sir.”
Damn it, he’s even polite?!
Lü Ting tore open the envelope.
“Given your past conflicts with Daheshan, your welcoming gift is currently waiting for you at the deepest part of Heifeng Cave in Daheshan.”
He glanced at Lu Ding before continuing.
Before he could say another word—
Lu Ding spoke up.
“Sir, what’s the cultivation level of the strongest Cultivator of Qi in Daheshan?”
If any other place had been ntioned, Lu Ding probably wouldn’t have cared.
But Daheshan?
Oh, he was definitely going.
Since he was about to leave Yunhai, he needed to tie up all loose ends.
He wasn’t worried about Daheshan retaliating.
If they had a problem—they could co fight him.
But Yan Feifan was staying in Yunhai.
The two of them had handled the previous conflict together, but Lu Ding was the one who had taken all the glory.
Now that he was leaving, he couldn’t let Yan Feifan take the heat alone.
If Daheshan sent people for revenge and couldn’t find Lu Ding—
They might target Yan Feifan instead.
Hell, that’s how villains in every novel operated.
And Yan Feifan was one of his few real friends.
He’d been there from the start, running errands, writing reports, even helping set up his badass monts.
Even without this welcoming gift nonsense, Lu Ding had already planned to deal with Daheshan soon.
Now that the opportunity had presented itself—
Why wait?
Lü Ting narrowed his eyes.
He didn’t react earlier, but the mont Daheshan was ntioned, it was like he got injected with adrenaline.
You really hold grudges, huh?
He gave Lu Ding a firm answer.
“Si Ming First Layer. But he’s old.”
Lu Ding: Oh? Ti to put ‘Living Shedding, Living Corpse’ to good use.
He pulled out his phone and started tapping away.
Lü Ting watched in confusion as Lu Ding opened the investigator privileges section of the 749 App... and selected ‘plane tickets.’
Frowning, he asked—
“What are you doing?”
Lu Ding (without looking up):
“Booking a flight to Daheshan.”
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