Chapter Eighteen: How Truly Terrifying This Young Man Is!

This matter was settled! Su Ye was so unafraid of hardship and exhaustion, and so sensitive to numbers, he was the perfect candidate for chief engineer. However… the royal blue storage pouch was out of the question. Zhang Ning had developed an aversion to that color, so he promptly refused it.

Zhang Ning opened his system panel and, seeing Su Ye’s seven-star potential displayed there, grinned foolishly to himself.

Advanced Appraisal was no joke!

Seeing Zhang Ning’s smile, Zhuge Yi, too, was genuinely happy for him. When Su Ye had entered earlier, Zhuge Yi’s heart was thrown into turmoil, because even his Life-bound Divine Weapon, the Heaven and Earth Compass, could not detect Su Ye!

When Zhuge Yi had first joined the Supreme Heaven Demon Sect, he had barely slept a night in peace. His master, the Myriad Phenomena Demon Lord, had worried for him and poured his efforts into forging the Heaven and Earth Compass, a divine weapon capable of detecting all forms of energy within a ten-mile radius! No matter the race, living or dead, spiritual ore, earth spirits, formations, talismans, or even other treasures—no matter if they were of the Venerable level—it could detect them all! It was a lifesaver for anyone plagued by paranoia and suspicion.

Though it was only a divine weapon, its efficacy was no less than a peerless artifact! Of course, it wasn’t without its flaws. For example, it could not sense the spiritual energy of Chu Hanyu—after all, that was the one who had forged it. But in most cases, such shortcomings were trivial compared to its overwhelming strengths.

Yet today, it had failed to register Su Ye’s energy at all! This proved that, although Su Ye’s cultivation was low, he must be harboring a great secret! For someone like him to pledge loyalty to the Supreme Heaven Demon Sect… naturally, that was cause for joy.

This was a sacred place, after all. Surely it would not lack the capacity for inclusion. But Zhuge Yi, who had studied people like Su Ye—those with something to rely on—knew that suppressing his pride a little would help ensure Su Ye’s loyalty to his fifth junior brother. Hence, his earlier display.

Still, when his master emerged from seclusion, it would be best to report this matter.

Even after imagining a thousand scenarios, Zhuge Yi betrayed nothing on his face, and merely reached out to ruffle Zhang Ning’s hair. “Judging by your expression, you already have ideas for the exam questions?”

Zhang Ning replied, “Yes! I just need to confirm a few things.”

He flipped through the materials at hand and, sure enough, found a biography of his eldest senior brother (only recording the past, with no mention of the present—dreadful oversight!). Skimming over the effusive praise, he glanced through it and finally felt at ease. Though he wore an air of calm and confidence, inwardly he was throwing his head back and cackling with delight!

At last, he had found his senior brother’s weakness! Though the man was a top scholar, he never indulged in entertainment. In this area, Zhang Ning finally had the upper hand!

Half an hour later.

Beneath the Great-bellied Boat

Those who had come for the test were thrown into chaos, barely able to maintain order as nearly everyone was seized by anxiety and unease.

The disciple recruitment was being presided over by none other than the Fifth Prince himself—someone who had never shown his face before! No one had even heard of this prince. Even the most well-informed had not expected Zhang Ning to step forward and take charge of such an important matter. Clearly, he was a person of considerable means!

Where the crowd gathered noisily below, an earthen platform had quietly been molded into existence, neither crude nor lacking in dignity. A circle of chairs was set out in subtle arrangement, and a number of imposing, even famous figures were seated or observing with deep, inscrutable gazes. In the center, a child of about eight or nine years, with black hair and eyes, innocent and seemingly harmless, sat in the seat of honor with perfect composure.

Many people mustered their courage to steal glances at Zhang Ning’s youthful face, discovering he was, in fact, a genuine child!

Lin Feng watched from below with a cold eye, listening to the little fat Chen Baishu muttering bleakly, his own mind deep in thought.

He had come because the Third Prince was known for his strictness and intolerance of monsters or demons among his followers. A carefree life was already beckoning to him, but now, if he were selected to join the sect while the Fifth Prince presided as chief examiner, he might plunge headlong into a nascent vortex of power—something at odds with his true aims.

While the crowd’s eyes flickered with suspicion or calculation, Zhang Ning closed his eyes, a faint, mysterious smile playing on his lips. Everyone was waiting for this Fifth Prince to open his eyes and say something, to do something, but Zhang Ning seemed determined not to act according to anyone’s expectations. He simply kept his eyes closed, quietly awaiting the orderly progression of the recruitment ceremony.

After confirming everyone’s qualifications, Zhang Ning ignored the surprising upsets and the rivalries among the examinees, responding to the officials who sought his opinion with a single phrase: “No objections.”

After the Myriad Phenomena Demon Lord’s talismans had been used to test everyone’s aptitude, Zhang Ning showed no particular favor or kindness to the dark horses that emerged, only uttering, “No objections.”

When his stewards and direct subordinates presented the behavioral analysis reports they had compiled on the candidates, Zhang Ning simply said, “I defer to you.”

Now, even the most cynical among the candidates could no longer dismiss him. They had thought themselves blessed by great fortune, only to find that the prince was nothing but a timid child!

“No objections!”

“Not opposed!”

“I defer to you!”

They thought it would have been better to let his subordinates handle everything directly! Could such a person truly be worthy of the title 'Your Highness'? The faint smile at Zhang Ning’s lips now became, in their eyes, proof of his weakness, a sign that he was soft and easily bullied!

Yet Lin Feng found himself warming to such a hands-off superior.

By this time, the once-limitless sea of candidates had dwindled to less than two hundred. But when the test papers were finally handed out, every one of them turned pale!

And at last, Zhang Ning opened his eyes! This time, no one dared to look down on him—indeed, no one even dared meet his gaze!

That faint smile now seemed, to those present, to radiate a wicked charm! His childish, cherubic features had not yet matured, but now seemed sharp and dangerous, his whole demeanor taking on a devilish, unrestrained air in their eyes!

Lin Feng, too, could not help but look toward the Fifth Prince, only to see that this child, faintly revealing the makings of a future overlord, wore elaborate robes that did not burden him in the slightest. Instead, they accentuated his commanding presence!

Zhang Ning rose from the comfortable chair where he had been sitting and announced with relish, “Please finish the questions within a quarter of an hour. Cheating and discussion are welcome~~~”

The look in his eyes was that of a child delighting in crushing ants—innocent, yet cruel! It sent a chill straight to the heart.

This scene would be burned into the memories of those present for a lifetime!

Some, with faces drained of color, picked up the exam paper, only to feel as if Zhang Ning’s eyes were still staring at them from its surface!

But at this point, even those from other sects who had infiltrated as 'sand' could not simply walk away; they could only settle down and answer the questions. And on the test paper, it read: “Word limit—see you in the next chapter~~~”