Becoming evil makes you ten times stronger, but becoming a demon gives you hundredfold strength

Meng Yu was ready, his blood already boiling with anticipation. Of course, to some onlookers, this was merely the excitement before battle.

This was good, a moderate excitement before battle indicated a suitable warrior.

Then...

Before the operation commenced, an order came down.

"Meng Yu, please accept the order."

The messenger was Meng Yu's classmate, Zhao Yuxuan, the top scorer of the 10008th joint examination, who delivered the decision from above.

"The Enforcement Hall is very satisfied with your performance this time, but has decided to cancel the mission."

"What?"

"The operation wasn't a test for you. You were the best candidate, but the Hall Master believes there's a better solution. Therefore, you don't need to participate in this operation. Hall Master Zhao holds you in high regard."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Zhao Yuxuan looked at Meng Yu with a smile that was not quite a smile, conveying the assignment. In fact, according to his family's plans, he should have first chatted with Meng Yu, built rapport, and then casually mentioned how Hall Master Zhao—his grandfather—thought highly of him.

Yes, the Zhao Family thought highly of Meng Yu. They had paid a significant price to have Meng Yu brought into the Enforcement Hall. Originally, they had intended to handle him slowly, but Meng Yu's various actions had caused the Zhao Family to grow restless.

The contract Meng Yu signed with the Enforcement Hall was very strict, full of various restrictions. For example, Meng Yu's personal bank account was frozen, preventing deposits from outsiders, the cultivation resources were only enough for ordinary people, insufficient for Meng Yu, and to learn many cultivation techniques, he would need to use points or merit for exchanges, and so forth.

In the eyes of the general public, Meng Yu should be extremely grateful for being released. However, many things that would make ordinary people deeply grateful were seen as insults and detrimental to future prospects for a genius!

But such a contract was truly good!

These were the regulations of the Immortal Sect, not the Zhao Family's. Thus, the Zhao Family could position themselves to bestow favors.

Grey Wolf Company's Chief Li was from the Zhao Family, and several other earnest individuals also took on the responsibility of reminding Meng Yu, for instance, about loopholes and connections. Resources provided by the Enforcement Hall were insufficient, social aid was cut off, but the Zhao Family, Hall Master Zhao, could provide special authorization for whatever you needed, all you had to do was ask!

Theoretically, Meng Yu should have yielded. Remember Hongye Prison?

There was a team dedicated to studying Meng Yu, clarifying his past; he had gone to great lengths to prepare for the joint entrance examination, humbling himself many times. Surely now at the Enforcement Hall, he would stop at nothing for success, right?

That's what Zhao Yuxuan thought at the time.

And he was the Zhao Family's point man for the plan.

Many things, many times, interactions between people can often lead to different outcomes due simply to different approaches or even initial impressions.

Liu Bei had to visit Zhuge Liang three times, but Zhang Fei would give the Sleeping Dragon a beating.

The Zhao Family's plan was sound, with Zhao Yuxuan set to approach and befriend Meng Yu, offering ample resources to him, ultimately fostering a sense of belonging to the Zhao Family in Meng Yu.

This was not to say that there was anything wrong with the Zhao Family's plan, but the only issue was that they should not have had Zhao Yuxuan take charge.

In his heart, Zhao Yuxuan harbored resentment towards Meng Yu.

He won the top spot in the online high school competition, but that first place was a source of humiliation, and every time it was brought up, he felt very uncomfortable.

It was given up by Meng Yu!

He didn't even want it!

You pretender, look how the real first-place winner performs in the high school competition!

How could he not bear a grudge after hearing these evaluations?

Thus, as a scion of a wealthy third-generation family, isn't he entitled to a bit of capriciousness?

The ideal plan would be to warmly extend a hand, to take the initiative to befriend others, and to become friends as naturally as spring rains foster growth. But Zhao Yuxuan felt that was too demeaning—he was the one offering benefits to Meng Yu, so why shouldn't Meng Yu be the one seeking him out?

Meng Yu could seek relatives for Third-Grade Marrow-Cleansing Pills and a Prison Warden's help for the tournament. So why not come to him proactively? Of course, Zhao would not persistently make things difficult for Meng Yu; as long as Meng lowered his head, Zhao would magnanimously help him up and, in all future dealings, secure the dominant position.

Dreams are beautiful, but reality is cruel.

After waiting four months, Meng Yu didn't come seeking connections, he didn't even complain once at Grey Wolf Company—and there would have been people reaching out to him just if he had!

This person, with a grin on his face, roamed about and even thought of keeping cats and walking dogs...That medical report, it had slapped Zhao Yuxuan hard across the face!

Others were progressing faster than him; they weren't in a rush to level up, and they were even thinking about pets!

What is called genius? This is it!

Especially when Master Xue kindly offered Meng Yu a red task (Master Xue had assessed that this task had a very high chance of success, and since Meng Yu wanted to complete two red tasks during the Qi Refinement Realm, why not give him the opportunity to finish them quickly so he could focus on cultivation afterward?), and it was approved from above. But just before the action was to take place, Master Xue personally used his merits to cancel the operation for Meng Yu. The Zhao Family realized they could wait no longer!

Master Xue went to great lengths to do a favor for Meng Yu, what about the Zhao Family?

And Meng Yu's reputation improved even further.

Meng Yu was wary of the Immortal Sect, but wasn't the Immortal Sect also testing him?

He had shone in the college entrance examination tournament, and countless people had their eyes on him. To put it this way, there were even Golden Core Cultivators willing to take him as an adopted son!

Elderly Golden Cores, close to death, could support him at most for thirty years. If they could adopt Meng Yu, in thirty years the formidable Meng Yu could ensure their family's interests, and in fifty years, once achieving his Golden Core, he could lead the family to renewed glory!

And those Golden Core Ancestors of Immortal Sect without successors, like the one from Feiyun Minor World, where descendants failed to achieve Foundation Establishment and had no one to inherit the mantle, could only select a Minor World. Upon death, they would plant their Golden Core like a seed to grow into a World Tree, creating a closed-off First-Grade Minor World where their family closed the doors and became petty tyrants, seemingly without worry for food or clothing, even luxurious, yet in fact, they were called the muddy families.

Decaying further and further, turning into mud, they eventually nourished the growth of others!

What an irony this is for a cultivator!

Hence, the Zhao Family could wait no longer—if they did, others would make their move.

"I feel like I can participate in the mission," Meng Yu still wanted to insist.

"No need for that; let other teams take care of that. You should just continue your cultivation," Zhao Yuxuan had never seen a trace of gratitude or relaxation on Meng Yu's face, only that foolish, eager desire to battle and the foolishness of not knowing how to protect oneself. Find your next read on empire

In Feiyun Minor World, if the assassination attempt failed, Meng and his team might face a siege by an army of over a million. Are you really not afraid of death?

Do you really not know your own worth?

Zhao Yuxuan's heart was filled with envy and dissatisfaction.

He had thought he would be the defining figure of this generation in the Immortal Sect, but now, he didn't even qualify to be compared with Meng Yu!

When friends talked about their generation, they asked about Meng Yu's situation; when TV interviews brought up the college entrance exam tournament, the first-place of his generation was just a backdrop and stepping stone!