Chapter 23: Is This Some Kind of Entry Test?

Blue Star, Lakeheart City, SkyMight Tower.

In the opulent reception hall, a middle-aged man with snow-white hair tapped his fingers against the desk with increasing speed, a rhythmic agitation that left the several elders seated in the room feeling quite uneasy.

Chu Kuangren!

In the world of "Pilgrimage," these three words were a name known to all, a title forged in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Back then, although Chu Qingtian was already forty-seven years old, he was a formidable master in the world of virtual gaming. In that realm, while virtual games could bypass a player’s physical limitations, as a player aged, their focus and stamina inevitably declined compared to their youth, and even their neural reaction speeds would diminish.

Yet, Chu Qingtian remained on the front lines. Relying on his own strength, he battled four "Saint-ranked" individuals simultaneously. Those three opponents were in the prime of their lives, their focus and reflexes at their peak, but they were still defeated by Chu Qingtian.

Later, Chu Qingtian wiped out an entire city with a single spear, crushing the Blazing Sun Guild—the very group capable of challenging the major giants at the time. From that moment on, the name "Chu Kuangren" shook the entire world of Pilgrimage.

However, the reason the name Chu Kuangren became universally known was due to an entirely different matter.

It stemmed from an internal power struggle within SkyMight. Chu Qingtian had a fundamental disagreement with another founder—a person whose name could not be spoken—over the guild’s vision. Everyone in Pilgrimage at the time assumed Chu Qingtian would compromise, especially since that unnamed founder was backed by five Saint-ranked experts.

Instead, Chu Qingtian broke away from that individual.

That incident nearly caused SkyMight to fall from its status as a top-tier guild. It was only through Chu Qingtian’s efforts, blocking the assaults of several other top-tier guilds, that he barely managed to preserve SkyMight’s position in Pilgrimage.

Though Chu Qingtian was now nearly fifty and his temperament had mellowed significantly—becoming far gentler with others—his expression now was so gloomy that it sent a chill down the backs of the elders present.

"Has Secretary Zhang not arrived yet?" Chu Qingtian glanced at his watch and tightened his brow, turning to the elders. "Didn't you tell me she was already on her way?"

"Guild Master, Secretary Zhang is on her way, but that was five minutes ago. It will likely take another minute or two for her to get from her residence to the guild," a white-bearded elder explained cautiously.

"Secretary Zhang is becoming increasingly outrageous," Chu Qingtian said coldly. "Making us wait here is one thing, but does she not know that Su Wuming is here today? We’ve kept Su Wuming waiting for over an hour. Anyone would think we’re trying to intimidate him."

"Today is Su Wuming’s recruitment assessment. It concerns the very reputation of SkyMight. If we let young people like him think that SkyMight is nothing special, his salary demands will surely reach the heavens!"

The elders present nodded in deep agreement, their expressions turning serious.

Although SkyMight was one of the five giant guilds of Pilgrimage and appeared formidable to the outside world, those on the inside knew the truth: with Pilgrimage on the decline, they had already poured massive amounts of human and material resources into developing new, alternative games.

SkyMight currently had little spare capital. If Su Wuming passed his assessment easily, such a proof of ability would mean his salary demands would not be low. But if they could make the assessment feel difficult, they could appropriately lower the offer.

It was precisely because this assessment was so important that they had entrusted it to the guild’s chief steward, Zhang Qingwei, who was also the head of the Human Resources Department. Several of the guild’s Saint-ranked members had been assessed by her, and the salaries negotiated had been quite ideal.

***

"By the way, why isn't Zhao Hu here? Didn't he say he wanted to meet Su Wuming today?" Chu Qingtian scanned the room and noticed that Zhao Hu, who had been clamoring to meet Su Wuming, was absent.

Zhao Hu had been desperate for Saint-ranked players to help develop new games, but the current Saint-ranked members of SkyMight were either tied up with their own duties or had no interest in new ventures, preferring to focus on increasing their power within Pilgrimage.

As a newly recruited elder, Su Wuming was certainly a target Zhao Hu wanted to win over at all costs.

"I contacted Elder Zhao Hu, and he said he didn't have the time," the white-bearded elder explained.

"No time? What is he doing?" Chu Qingtian asked, surprised. "Developing the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty is Zhao Hu’s top priority. What could be more important than recruiting a Saint-ranked expert to help?"

"It seems he's participating in an assessment for a certain game," the white-bearded elder shook his head. "Elder Zhao Hu said he absolutely must pass that assessment, or he’d have no face to return to the guild. I couldn't convince him otherwise."

"Fine, that’s just the kind of person he is." Chu Qingtian stopped caring and checked the time again. "Is she still not here?"

Just as Chu Qingtian was about to pull out his phone to call Zhang Qingwei directly, she walked in at a leisurely pace, her face full of helplessness.

"Guild Master, apologies for keeping you all waiting," Zhang Qingwei took a deep breath, adjusting her composure. "I have prepared for the recruitment assessment of 'Blade Saint' Su Wuming. I guarantee it will be enough to uphold SkyMight’s prestige."

"I certainly hope so." Chu Qingtian glanced at her. He had intended to give her a piece of his mind, but considering her mental state—and the doctor's advice that she needed more sleep—he let it go. "Let us head to the testing room now."

***

81st Floor, SkyMight Tower.

The entire floor, the size of a small playground, had been converted into a recruitment testing facility. It was used daily for new recruits, as well as for the promotion assessments of existing members.

The 81st floor, usually bustling with activity, was deathly quiet today, as it had been entirely cleared for Su Wuming’s assessment.

"Brother Su, sorry to have kept you waiting. This is our Human Resources director. We lost quite a bit of time adjusting the settings," Chu Qingtian said with a smile as he looked at the sturdy, short-haired youth lying in the virtual gaming pod.

Su Wuming was young, only twenty-five, and had risen as a Saint-ranked expert in the past year. As a freelance player, he had defeated several Blade Saints in just one year, securing a spot among the top ten. He was a talent with immense potential; had SkyMight not been sincere enough, it would have been difficult to recruit him.

"It's fine. It's just playing a game; it's the same wherever I play," Su Wuming exited Pilgrimage and looked at Zhang Qingwei with curiosity. As for Chu Qingtian’s excuse, he didn't believe a word of it. "Can we begin now?"

Su Wuming had heard plenty about guilds trying to suppress salary offers. Waiting an hour was nothing—some small guilds would make recruits wait until the middle of the night without offering coffee or bathroom breaks, using every trick in the book to shake their confidence.

An hour of waiting was a minor affair; it wouldn't affect his state of mind at all.

"We can."

Zhang Qingwei stepped forward. She had intended to have him enter a combat game she had previously selected, but suddenly remembering the potential of *High Martial Arts Descent*—and knowing that Luo Wushang also needed experts—she decided to snatch him for that project instead.

With a swipe and a tap, Zhang Qingwei opened *High Martial Arts Descent* in the gaming pod and said softly, "Elder Su, this is today’s assessment game. You just need to pass this test."

"Good! Today I shall finally see the rumored SkyMight recruitment assessment." Su Wuming laughed as he saw Zhang Qingwei randomly select a new game for the test, and he clicked to enter.

Using a new game's test as a recruitment assessment? Su Wuming felt SkyMight was underestimating him. Given his skill level, any game was a piece of cake—how difficult could a new game's assessment possibly be?

One second later...

Two seconds...

Three seconds...

Su Wuming exited the *High Martial Arts Descent* test. He took a deep breath, paid the 198-credit resurrection fee, and entered again.

Three seconds later, he woke up, and once again silently paid another 198 credits.

After dozens of attempts, his longest time awake was only eleven seconds. Finally, Su Wuming took a deep breath and stood up.

"My apologies, I’ll be taking my leave."

"???"

This scene left Chu Qingtian and the others stunned, completely unable to understand what had just happened.

Su Wuming gave a lingering look at the greyed-out icon of *High Martial Arts Descent* in the gaming pod, then glanced at Chu Qingtian and the others, his expression one of profound speechlessness.

This was a recruitment assessment?

No! This was a flat-out rejection!

If they didn't want him to join, they should have said so earlier, rather than using a new game's test to toy with him.

Seven shadows from a single spear strike!

Was this even a game for humans to play?