Chapter 7: Unexpected Test Results

The exotic beast meat currently sold on the market is basically all killed in the wild by exotic beast hunters.

From the moment an exotic beast is killed by a hunter, it takes at least six hours—at the absolute fastest—to transport it from the perilous wild into the city and distribute it to the various butcher shops that sell exotic beast meat.

For a shop in a vegetable market to obtain exotic beast meat that is less than an hour fresh is simply impossible.

Unless...

"Unless I go to the wild and kill an exotic beast myself, it's impossible to get meat that is less than an hour fresh." Thoughts churned in Lin Li's mind as he muttered to himself.

Staring at the magical little tree before him, Lin Li made his decision.

He bent down, picked up the exotic beast meat from the ground, and put it into a bag. With a thought, he exited the mysterious island and returned to the real world.

"Splash!"

As soon as he returned to the real world from the mysterious island, Lin Li heard the sound of rushing water coming from next door.

He immediately opened the bathroom door and left. Two elderly ladies who were out for their morning exercise were passing by the entrance.

Seeing Lin Li emerge from the bathroom carrying a bag of meat, they looked at him with surprised expressions.

"Why did this young man take meat into a place like that?"

Ignoring the whispered comments behind him, Lin Li quickened his pace, left the park, and headed toward home.

…………

At ten o'clock in the morning, Lin Li arrived at the official government agency dedicated to testing cultivation levels, intending to check what level his current cultivation was at and, incidentally, register his status as a cultivator.

More than a decade ago, the government issued a regulation stating that citizens who become cultivators should conscientiously go to official agencies to register their status.

Of course, you don't have to register, but if you are later discovered to be a cultivator without having registered, you will be fined a significant amount of money by the government.

The reason for this regulation is to facilitate the overall management of cultivators with extraordinary powers, which is crucial for the stability and prosperity of the city. As long as one is a normal person, no one would oppose it.

"Hello, I'd like to register my status as a cultivator," Lin Li said to the staff member after walking into the lobby of the official agency.

"Alright, please fill out this form." The staff member took out a form and a pen and handed them to Lin Li.

Name, address, phone number, ID number...

After filling in his information, Lin Li handed the form to the staff member, who then led him to the area where cultivation levels are tested.

There were quite a few people in the testing area, all waiting in line.

The person in charge of testing was a man in his early forties. He was 1.75 meters tall, sturdy, and wore black-rimmed glasses, giving him a scholarly appearance.

"Channel the spiritual energy within your body," the middle-aged man said to a seventeen-year-old high school student in front of him, adjusting his glasses with his finger.

"Okay." This young man, who was still in high school, was likely here to test his cultivation for the first time. Hearing the middle-aged man's words, he nodded nervously and channeled his spiritual energy.

"First-stage, initial level. Very good. To have the strength of a first-stage initial level at your age, your cultivation aptitude is quite decent... Keep working hard in the future and strive to break through to the first-stage high level before you graduate from university," the middle-aged man said with a smile, encouraging the student.

"Yes, I will work hard on my cultivation in the future!" The high school student's face turned red with excitement upon learning he was already a first-stage initial level cultivator.

After the emotional high school student left, a man in his early thirties stepped up. Without needing the middle-aged man to speak, he began to channel his spiritual energy.

"The intensity of the spiritual energy fluctuations in your body hasn't reached the level of the first-stage initial level," the middle-aged man said, shaking his head.

Upon learning he hadn't met the standard, a flash of disappointment crossed the man's eyes. It had been nearly sixteen years since he awakened his spirituality at fifteen, and he still hadn't become a cultivator.

Lin Li, standing at the end of the line, felt a pang of sympathy as he watched the man in his early thirties leave the testing room with a dejected look.

If it weren't for his golden finger coming online, he feared he would be just like that man... no, perhaps even worse.

If the other man kept working hard, there was a high probability he could still become a cultivator, whereas Lin Li's own abysmal cultivation aptitude meant that no matter how hard he tried, he would have had no hope of becoming a cultivator in this lifetime.

"First-stage, initial level."

"First-stage, initial level."

"Not met."

"First-stage, initial level."

"Not met."

The middle-aged man was very efficient, and before long, it was Lin Li's turn.

Having seen the process for those ahead of him, Lin Li didn't need to be prompted to know what to do.

As Lin Li channeled the spiritual energy in his body, a wave of spiritual energy far more powerful than that of the previous people radiated from him.

The middle-aged man in charge of testing was holding a cup of water and about to take a sip! Upon sensing the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from Lin Li, he stopped mid-motion.

"First-stage, high level."

When the middle-aged man announced the result of "first-stage, high level" with a look of astonishment, not only was Lin Li stunned, but everyone else waiting for the test was as well.

"What? This guy actually has a first-stage, high-level cultivation?!!!" After a few seconds of silence, the others waiting for the test let out an exclamation, their faces filled with disbelief.

One had to know that for those who came here to test their cultivation, the result was either "not met" or "first-stage, initial level." A result like "first-stage, high level" had never appeared before.

After all, once you know you have become a first-stage, initial level cultivator, you don't need to come here to test your cultivation again.

Because as a first-stage, initial level cultivator progresses to a higher level of cultivation, they naturally know where their cultivation stands based on the changes in their internal spiritual energy.

"That little red fruit is truly amazing. It actually turned me into a first-stage, high-level cultivator directly?!!!"

Lin Li was also filled with disbelief. Before coming to the test, he had thought that he would be at most a first-stage, initial level cultivator; he never expected this result.

At the same time, the wild joy in his heart was about to overflow. That plain-looking little tree produced fruit, and just one had allowed his cultivation to make such a massive leap.

If he ate dozens or hundreds of them, wouldn't he soon become an invincible, powerful cultivator?

"Calm down, calm down. It's still early days. It won't be too late to be happy when I truly become an invincible cultivator."

Lin Li kept warning himself internally. Although he tried his best to suppress the wild joy in his heart, the corners of his mouth still couldn't help but curl upward, and the joy on his face was plain for all to see.

…………

(End of chapter)