Chapter Seventeen: Far More Than a Mere Pond Dweller

“What are you talking about? What do you take me for?” Su Yi frowned, his face darkening with anger as he immediately untied the bundle.

“I, Zhang Yi, am a man of conscience. I would never covet a single coin or stone. Whether these are spirit stones or precious treasures of heaven and earth, if they are not mine, I won’t take a penny!”

“Go ahead, feel for yourself—how many spirit stones are in this bundle?”

The old man hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Su Yi made no other move, he stepped forward and began counting.

Before long, the old man’s face flushed red, his excitement palpable.

“See, young man? I told you there are ninety-two stones, but you insisted there were only eighty-eight. You counted wrong! Now do you believe this bundle belongs to me?”

Su Yi rubbed his nose and smiled softly.

“Looks like I miscounted. My apologies. But now I’m certain this bundle isn’t yours. Out of respect for your age, I suggest you return from whence you came.”

As he spoke, Su Yi tugged hard, snatching the bundle from the old man’s hands.

Caught off guard by this sudden turn, the old man’s expression froze, a mixture of warmth and anger flickering across his face.

“Everything I said is true. This bundle is mine. Why won’t you trade it with me? You say you don’t covet my spirit stones!”

Ye Ping smiled.

“Ridiculous. Since you’re so stubborn, I won’t spare you any courtesy! These spirit stones are heavy—a single sack must weigh twenty pounds or more. An old man like you, carrying nothing but a cane, trekking this rugged mountain path—if you had lost it by accident, wouldn’t you know?”

“What old man carries so much money on him? If a few stones fell from your clothes, I might have believed it. But this many? Not only is it cumbersome, but it’s also so conspicuous. Aren’t you afraid of bandits in these mountains?”

“You’d better confess honestly, or don’t blame me if my fists show no mercy...”

The old man’s face paled, his cane dropping to the ground as he trembled.

“I... I’m sorry!”

Seeing this, Su Yi snorted coldly, picked up the bundle, and walked away without another glance.

He had only meant to scare the old man, never expecting him to break so easily.

Apparently, though the illusion was vivid, its logic was flawed—it lacked the cunning of a real person.

Of course, Su Yi’s perception was shaped by his insight; others might have struggled to get past this old man.

After all, the old man had already revealed the contents of the bundle. Being a helpless blind man walking alone on a mountain trail, who would suspect him out of pity?

Su Yi continued forward, soon encountering a man dressed in steward’s attire approaching from the opposite direction.

Thinking this must be the owner of the bundle, Su Yi approached him.

The man’s face brightened upon seeing the bundle on Su Yi’s back, and he quickened his pace.

After a brief exchange, Su Yi confirmed the bundle was indeed the man’s lost property and handed it over without hesitation, recounting the earlier incident.

The man was outraged.

“I was searching for my lost bundle when this man approached and asked what I’d lost. I said it was a bundle containing ninety-two spirit stones. He offered to help me find it, so I thought I’d found a kind soul. But instead, he turned out to be greedy, using what he overheard to impersonate the owner!”

“Luckily, this young man has sharp eyes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know how I’d explain this back home!”

“These spirit stones were painstakingly gathered by my master over two and a half years to help the young master break through his cultivation level. If they were lost... I dread to think what my master would do.”

Su Yi scratched his ear, indifferent to such trivial matters, but since this was a test, he patiently listened.

After the steward finished speaking, he bowed respectfully to Su Yi and introduced himself, assuring him to seek him out if needed.

Ye Ping paid no mind, treating it as mere formality.

Outside the formation, Qi Yongnian watched everything on the screen with admiration.

“The second test in the illusion is honesty. That old man, blind and frail, has no resistance. If the trial candidate were greedy, they could easily deceive him. But if they can remain true to their heart and honest under such conditions, they pass.”

“Of course, the difficulty was lowered, but for these young novices, it’s already sufficient...”

Zi Ling stared intently at Su Yi’s performance on the screen, her eyes shimmering with admiration.

This person had passed perfectly!

Not only her, but the other disciples of the Xianxia Sect also wore expressions of astonishment.

“This one is impressive. Facing a millennium-old illusion, he’s passed flawlessly twice. Truly remarkable.”

“Though he’s a lone cultivator, he neither gave in to greed nor was deceived by others’ words. Insightful, resolute, and wise beyond his years—he’s no ordinary talent.”

“Why do we praise him so highly? It’s just temperament. Remember, he has only four spirit roots. Even with good character, such aptitude limits his potential.”

“Ah, that’s true. Such a pity he’s only got four spirit roots...”

As the crowd discussed, a female disciple curiously asked Zi Ling,

“Senior Sister, did you also pass the second illusion perfectly nine years ago?”

Silence fell. All disciples fixed their gaze on Zi Ling, eager to hear her story.

Zi Ling’s face flushed slightly, a bit embarrassed.

“I... I was young and naive then. When the old fox correctly guessed the number of spirit stones, I handed over the bundle without hesitation and received a ‘Superior’ rating—not perfect.”

Upon hearing this, the surrounding disciples immediately understood and offered comfort.

“It’s okay. Senior Sister was just a child then, inexperienced. If you were that age, you’d do better than Zhang Yi!”

“Yes, Senior Sister is still the best.”

“We believe in the master’s ability...”

Zi Ling sighed.

“Not necessarily. This test seems simple but is actually more complex than the first.”

“Beyond controlling greed, encountering a weak person naturally stirs contempt, making one assume an old candle flickering in the wind won’t deceive them.”

“Any lapse in vigilance means losing the chance for a perfect pass.”

Hearing her explanation, the disciples nodded repeatedly, silently relieved.

Even with lowered difficulty, it was still tough. How impossible would it have been before the adjustments? Thankfully, they came at the right time; otherwise, joining the Xianxia Sect might have been uncertain!

At that moment, Xu Ze and Zhao Zijin also passed the test.

What caught attention was Xu Ze immediately returning the bundle to the old man and even helping him home.

Zhao Zijin, suspected of cheating, executed a flawless performance like in the first test—his movements smooth and effortless, securing a perfect pass.

In truth, whether one returned the bundle directly or took a portion as reward, both counted as passing since the test primarily assessed sincerity.

Perfect completion was a matter of finer details.

The first illusion had eliminated half the participants, leaving about fifty. The second test cut that number in half again due to lies or violence against the old man, leaving fewer than thirty to pass...