Chapter 240: God's Candidate Ticket

The old man stared blankly at the glass bottles handed to him.

The thick liquid inside resembled pitch-black quicksand, churning continuously.

"Young Master, what is this?"

"Good stuff I got from Advisor Xiao Yan."

Yan Jing said, "It's to cure your illness."

"Oh, there's no need for that." The old man immediately waved his hands, trying to push the bottles back. He knew Advisor Yan didn't have it easy either.

He had just helped their young master in the Second Stage, and now he had been marked as a public enemy in the Third Stage.

Besides, something this precious must have cost their young master a massive favor.

"Young Master, there's no need for this medicine. Xiao Yu said it too—ordinary things probably won't cure my body."

The old man smiled.

"It's an ailment from my childhood. I'd probably need some legendary ancient medicine to actually get better."

"I'll just keep practicing on my own. Maybe a bit more training will fix it."

"Just try it, Master Liu." Yan Jing was resolute. Tossing the bottles to him, he said directly, "Alright, Master Liu, go get some rest. I need a good sleep."

"I'm exhausted."

Left with no other choice, the old man picked up the bottles from the floor and headed out the door.

"Get some good rest, then."

Outside the room, he watched Xiao Yu cracking sunflower seeds with a continuous snap. He glanced at the long drag mark her stool had left on the floor and said, "Xiao Yu, eavesdropping isn't a good habit."

"I didn't—crack—I wasn't eavesdropping—crack—go get some rest—crack."

Fei Yu replied while chewing on seeds, guiltily turning her head away.

"If you don't believe me, ask Mr. Tiger. Crack, crack—"

"I—I was just playing with stones earlier. I didn't hear a thing," Tiger laughed, scratching his head foolishly.

"Sigh..."

The old man sighed.

"Stop pretending. Who knows what the young master traded to get this medicine from Advisor Xiao Yan. I'm just worried it'll be a waste of money."

"The young master told you to try it, so just try it."

Fei Yu stared at the bottles, her eyes darting around.

"Who knows, it might actually be something good."

"..."

The old man pursed his lips and said nothing more, cradling the bottles as he returned to his room.

Xiao Yu stood up and threw out her arms, striking a martial stance. Swirling currents of air immediately surged to life, revolving around her body. She practiced her forms like this for a long time until, pale and exhausted, she sat back down to rest.

"Miss Fei, what kind of cultivator are you exactly?"

Tiger looked at Fei Yu and asked curiously, "I've never seen you talk about your own path. Can you tell me?"

"Me?"

Fei Yu rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm a qi cultivator."

"A qi cultivator?"

"Yeah, a qi cultivator, also known as a wind cultivator. As the saying goes, clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger. Speaking of which, Mr. Tiger, we're practically family."

"Oh? Is that so."

Tiger nodded without really understanding.

Yan Jing logged out of the Inner World.

He glanced down at his phone. Two or three missed calls and a massive pile of messages.

The messages were a chaotic mix of everything, but all the missed calls were from Shen Youran.

Before he could even return the call, a knock rang out on his door.

"Xiao Yanzi! Xiao Yanzi, are you still awake?!"

Outside, Shen Youran yelled anxiously.

Receiving no response, she began sweating profusely from panic. "I'm coming in!!!"

She took several steps back as weird energy surged around her. Aiming at the door, she squeezed her eyes shut and slammed her shoulder forward with all her might.

But a pair of hands gently caught her body.

She opened her eyes and saw Yan Jing smiling.

"Good morning, Teacher Shen."

"Xiao Yanzi, you're alright!"

Shen Youran let out a happy sigh of relief. "I thought you fainted like last time."

"Come in, Teacher Shen."

Yan Jing smiled.

Shen Youran sat on the sofa. Spotting Yan Jing's powered-off phone, she chuckled and took out her own.

"I turned mine off for now too!"

Yan Jing smiled.

"How about a cup of hot black tea?"

"Sure! I stewed some beef earlier; it should be ready in about half an hour. I'll go back and bring it over later!"

Shen Youran's eyes curved into crescents as she beamed.

The steaming black tea was handed to her. Shen Youran blew on it softly and asked, "Xiao Yanzi, did you do something shocking in Stage B again?"

"My phone was about to blow up from everyone in the group chat calling me."

Shen Youran had previously shown Yan Jing that group chat; it was filled with important connections from her past.

She had even insisted on dragging Yan Jing's alt account into it.

"Well, I wouldn't call it shocking."

Yan Jing picked up his teacup and nodded calmly. He took a sip and said, "It's just..."

Gradually, Shen Youran listened until she was completely dumbfounded.

The moment Yan Jing finished, she sprang up and frantically started searching the sofa.

"What are you looking for?"

Yan Jing took another sip of tea.

"My phone!"

Shen Youran was sweating profusely. "We're doomed. I need to check what the situation is right now. Xiao Yanzi, if things look bad, we have to run away immediately."

"That Xu Qiao'er... she's no ordinary person!!!"

Sitting in his office, Wang Changnian meticulously reviewed the documents his subordinate had handed him. Several minutes later, he took a deep breath and closed the file.

However, just two seconds later, he couldn't hold back and reached out to open the file again.

After repeating this cycle several times, he finally accepted the reality of the situation and pressed a button on his desk.

Soon, a woman wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a professional suit walked in.

"Domain Chief."

"Lock down all information regarding this Super-Large Dungeon. Within the next five minutes, absolutely no word of this can reach the prosperous sectors of the Fifth Ring Domain."

Wang Changnian spoke, his expression solemn.

"Not a single piece of news can leak."

"Understood."

Zhou Zimo nodded, though her heart was secretly pounding.

It was her first time seeing this expression on the deputy domain chief's face.

The Fifth Ring Domain had a total of four deputy chiefs. Because Wang Changnian's political ideology drastically differed from the others, he had been ostracized for years and was left to manage the more backward areas of the domain. Even so, she had never seen him look like this.

In her impression, Wang Changnian was quite easy to get along with, and occasionally even cracked dry jokes.

"Also, after this dungeon ends, send someone to find this young man named Yan Jing."

Wang Changnian said softly.

"Tell him I want to meet with him. He can decide the time and place, whatever is convenient for him."

Zhou Zimo was stunned. Wang Changnian tapped the desk.

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

"Ah, no." Zhou Zimo immediately panicked. "I apologize, Domain Chief. That was my lapse."

"Mm, you can go now."

Wang Changnian said lightly.

Hearing this, Zhou Zimo hurriedly spoke up.

"Domain Chief, there's one more thing I need to report to you."

"Speak."

"President Xiao of the Precognition Society is here."

Hearing Zhou Zimo's words, Wang Changnian raised an eyebrow.

He knew that the vice president of the Precognition Society would definitely come, but he hadn't expected her to arrive so quickly.

"Which floor?"

"In the VIP lounge on the third floor, but... we can barely hold her back."

Zhou Zimo wiped cold sweat from her forehead.

"Got it."

Wang Changnian tapped the desk lightly. Weird energy surged, and his figure vanished from the chair.

Arriving at the third-floor VIP lounge, Wang Changnian saw a crowd lingering nervously outside a room, not daring to approach. His face remained calm as he stepped inside.

In the simple and elegant room, a woman who appeared to be in her thirties, wearing a long white dress, sat on a white sofa. A bone-chilling aura radiated from her, and beneath her lowered eyelids, her gaze was icy.

"Domain Chief Wang surely puts on great airs."

Xiao Ru said softly.

"Quite unlike when you first sought me out."

"My subordinates were ignorant; they were slow to report."

As he spoke, Wang Changnian snapped his fingers. Instantly, all the faint ambient noise vanished.

This was one of his Ritual abilities. Not only did it isolate outside noise, but it also ensured that nobody outside could hear what they were saying.

After doing this, Wang Changnian's demeanor shifted. He seemed to relax, looking at Xiao Ru and speaking like an old friend, "Xiao Ru, what happened this time was an accident, after all."

"Heh."

Xiao Ru sneered. "Wang Changnian, when you came looking for me, did I not come out of consideration for our past friendship? You know perfectly well what your situation in the Fifth Ring Domain is right now. Even without you, our Precognition Society would have still secured that spot."

"Now Qiao'er's mind is completely gone! Aren't your people going to take responsibility?!"

"...In Inner World dungeons, weapons have no eyes. Those are the rules."

Wang Changnian said with some helplessness.

"Which is why I came to find you."

Xiao Ru stated, "By coming to you, the formalities are complete. As for what consequences that kid faces afterward, it has nothing to do with our Precognition Society."

Wang Changnian's expression changed.

"No. I claim this person. You cannot touch him."

Hearing this, Xiao Ru started laughing coldly.

"Are you the only one allowed to claim him?"

"I'll issue an announcement right now stating that our Precognition Society has already performed the holy rites, and Yan Jing is the next Prophet candidate of the Precognition Society!"

Wang Changnian froze, then quickly reacted, his eyes widening in shock.

"Xiao Ru, don't be so shameless! He turned one of your seeds into an idiot, and now you want to recruit him?!!"

"Hehe." Xiao Ru laughed.

"Is there anything wrong with that? He ruined our Precognition Society's Prophet candidate, so he has to become the new Prophet candidate."

"As for the mistake he made, our Precognition Society will internally decide his punishment."

"Not only does he have to become the Prophet candidate, but he also has to take responsibility for Qiao'er for the rest of her life!!!"

"Shameless, utterly shameless!"

Wang Changnian was so angry his lungs ached. He finally understood why he hadn't done well all these years—compared to these people, he was the true rookie.

Would these old birds care about love and hatred? Wrong. In the face of absolute profit, all of that was just dogshit.

He thought he knew his old friend well enough, but he never expected that after so many years, she would have long been completely corrupted by the mundane world!!!

But there was absolutely no way he would let go. He saw the final sliver of hope to turn the tables in Yan Jing.

Even if it was just a sliver, it was absolutely worth gambling on.

...

"Listen, Xiao Yanzi, I'll step forward and handle everything. If something really goes wrong, this ticket can take you outside of Yueyin. You go to the place I just told you and wait for me; the two of us will escape outside together."

Shen Youran pressed the ticket firmly into Yan Jing's hand.

Yan Jing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Teacher Shen, this is the fifth time you've said that."

"It's very important!"

Seeing that Yan Jing wasn't taking it seriously, Shen Youran angrily widened her eyes and prepared to emphasize it all over again.

Yan Jing immediately raised his hands in surrender.

"Got it! I memorized it! I really memorized it this time!"

"Good."

Shen Youran finally nodded, though her expression showed she was still extremely anxious.

"Let's tally up the loot,"

Yan Jing suddenly suggested.

"Loot?"

Shen Youran blinked.

"Yeah, it's a good time to sort through what I got earlier."

Seeing that Shen Youran's attention was diverted, Yan Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

As for how this crisis would ultimately play out, he had already anticipated the worst-case scenario. At worst, he would just find a major faction and work like a dog for them. He was no longer as fragile as when he first arrived; as long as he was given enough time, he believed most problems could be solved.

Weird energy surged in his palm, and a series of items were laid out on the table.

They were all rewards he had obtained from the Inner World System, which he hadn't had the time to sort out until now.

Item Quality Appraisal Ticket *1

Dungeon Postponement Voucher *1

Physical Enhancement Potion *1 (Bound Item)

Mental Immunity Potion *5 (Bound Item)

Physical Enhancement Potion *5 (Bound Item)

Ritual Blessing Coupon *1 (Bound Item)

Advanced Healing Potion *4

Inner World Box Key *4 (Bound Item)

Lucky Scratch-Off *2

God's Candidate Ticket. In an instant, the dazzling array of items almost blinded Shen Youran.

"Why are there so many?!"

She was stunned. She knew that given Yan Jing's promotion speed, he was definitely wealthy.

But she had never imagined he would be this rich.

"Quick, put them away! Put them away!!"

Panicking, she hurriedly threw her arms wide to push the items together, urging Yan Jing to store them safely as she looked around guiltily like a thief.

"If someone sees this, our house will be wiped clean by thieves! You can't do this anymore!"

Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of a piece of paper emitting a faint silver glow among the items, and her expression instantly froze.

"Is this... is this—"

Yan Jing had never seen Shen Youran look so astonished. He reached out and picked up the God's Candidate Ticket.

"Oh right, do you know what this is, Teacher Shen?"

He had studied it for a while earlier, but its description was very abstract.

[Item Name: God's Candidate Ticket] [Quality: Items of God have no so-called quality]

[Tier Requirement: Items of God have no so-called tier requirement]

[Effect: Items of God require no explanation of effects]

[Description: God's Candidate Ticket. This is an invitation, but you need to fill in the true name of a '' for it to take effect.]

After asking, Yan Jing noticed Shen Youran didn't answer. He turned his head in confusion and immediately raised an eyebrow.

"Teacher Shen! Teacher Shen!"

He patted the cheeks of the unconscious Shen Youran.