485: Demoted to the kitchen

The surrounding players all cast bewildered looks at Gui Fu Shen Gong.

They looked at one another and indeed saw the same expression in each other's eyes.

They all felt that Gui Fu Shen Gong must have gone mad.

Who in their right mind, after finally passing the trials and being recruited, right as they were about to embark on the true path to heaven, would suddenly decide to seek death like this?

Admittedly, they were indeed very unhappy about the special recruitment from Kongming Grotto-Heaven.

After all, the difficulty of the Ascension Assembly was truly high.

The entire Ascension Assembly actually began from the Great Desert, where one first needed to fight their way out from among the players.

Then, one had to find the correct method to crack the maze and enter the city, and subsequently resonate with the Legacies of the major Sects within the city.

The first trial was in the forest, requiring players to continue fighting and snatching scrolls, and then doing everything possible to find an exit while protecting their scrolls.

The second trial was in a high tower, requiring players to crack mechanical Formations all the way while being chased by Yao Beasts.

The third trial was at a great lake, requiring players to dive to the lake bottom to fight Puppets and snatch the spiritual resources they controlled.

The fourth trial... the fifth trial... the difficulty of the trials throughout the Ascension Assembly increased one after another, and they were interspersed with direct assignments from the examiners to further increase the difficulty.

After finally grinding through it all, they suddenly learned that someone had been specially recruited.

To say they felt balanced psychologically would be a lie; they certainly did not.

But it wasn't to the point of standing up directly to question Jiang Vengeance; after all, no one wanted to lose their spot.

However, Gui Fu Shen Gong, the most submissive player, was actually the first to stand up and question him, which truly exceeded everyone's expectations.

Even Jiang Vengeance was stunned for a moment, failing to react.

He never imagined that the player he favored most, the one he thought was the most timid, would be the first to rush out and defy him.

"Are you questioning me?"

Jiang Vengeance frowned, giving Gui Fu Shen Gong one last chance.

He originally wanted to say, "If you apologize now, I can act as if this never happened."

But then he felt that speaking like that was a bit too much like a native, specifically the kind of "native villain" that Yan Xiao often encountered.

So, without waiting for Gui Fu Shen Gong's answer, Jiang Vengeance simply said, "Forget it, I'll just assume your Mortal heart has not yet faded. Just practice diligently in the future..."

"Senior Brother, I am indeed questioning you."

Jiang Vengeance narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"

The other Nine Sword Dao Disciples around them also stopped in their tracks, wanting to see how Jiang Vengeance would handle this.

Everyone knew that the nature of players was often lawless, yet the players they needed had to be controllable.

Thus, how to suppress players and how to grind away their sharp edges had become a mandatory course.

Jiang Vengeance was the teacher instructing them.

They were very curious about how Jiang Vengeance would handle it.

Jiang Vengeance's answer was to not answer; he made a decision directly:

"Since that is the case, then go to the Kitchen to do odd jobs. Wait until your Mortal heart has faded before thinking about matters of cultivation."

Having said that, he waved his hand, and a waiting Utility Disciple immediately came over. He looked at Gui Fu Shen Gong and shook his head, appearing to sigh slightly.

The other players did not join in, they only remained silent.

Soon, Jiang Vengeance departed with the other Disciples and the players, leaving only the Utility Disciple to lead Gui Fu Shen Gong toward the Kitchen.

Gui Fu Shen Gong was stunned; he hadn't expected Jiang Vengeance to be so arrogant as to not even give a single answer.

Even if he had just said, "The Elder is handling matters, do you have a problem?"

He could have accepted that.

But Jiang Vengeance hadn't answered anything at all!

It was exactly like an adult seeing a child refuse to eat and simply not bothering to persuade them, just waiting for the child to get so hungry they couldn't take it and begged for mercy.

'He's certain that I'll compromise for the sake of cultivation; he wants to grind away my spirit...'

Gui Fu Shen Gong was originally just a bit angry, but he hadn't planned on making too much of a scene, just showing enough attitude to prove he wasn't a pushover.

But Jiang Vengeance's handling of the situation instead completely sparked his rebellious heart.

He felt like flinging his sleeves and leaving, saying goodbye to the Nine Sword Dao then and there.

Just as he was about to leave, the Utility Disciple spoke up:

"You finally passed the Ascension Assembly, and you want to leave just like this?"

Gui Fu Shen Gong said solemnly:

"I originally thought the Nine Sword Dao was an orthodox Sect that acted fairly, with a place for a low-level Cultivator like me.

"But now it seems it is nothing more than a back garden where the strong act willfully, and we are but figures like domestic servants.

"If I enter the Nine Sword Dao, who knows what kind of unfair humiliation I will suffer!"

The Utility Disciple sighed. "I'll act as if I didn't hear that. I won't persuade you much, I'll only ask you:

"Do you want to leave right now and have no further connection with the Nine Sword Dao from now on?

"Or do you want to follow me to the Kitchen, stay for the time being, see what my Nine Sword Dao is really like, and then make your plans?"

Gui Fu Shen Gong was silent for a moment. He was still loath to give up the spot he had fought for, so he could only agree. "Fine, I'll go with you to the Kitchen."

He followed the utility worker along the gravel path, but found they weren't going up the mountain. Instead, they were walking at the foot of the mountain; the Kitchen was clearly not on a Spirit Peak, naturally lacking spiritual energy.

At this moment, he already felt some regret—regret that he hadn't endured. But he also felt that if he didn't vent this frustration, it might damage his Dao Heart. Once they arrived, if he felt it wouldn't work, at worst he would just leave.

When he laid eyes on the Kitchen, what little expectation he had left immediately vanished into thin air.

The Kitchen was nothing but a dilapidated building of mixed stone and wood. It had only one floor and was situated in the woods at the foot of the mountain, with a picket fence, some chickens and ducks being raised, and a few vegetable patches.

As the wind blew past, it immediately made the tattered wooden door creak, making one wonder if it would be blown down the next moment.

No matter how one looked at it, this place had nothing to do with cultivation; it was clearly a place where Mortal utility workers labored.

Gui Fu Shen Gong couldn't help but feel angry. He was a player after all, a player who could spend transaction points to choose talents; his potential was far stronger than that of an average Mortal.

Even if they wanted to punish him, they shouldn't have thrown him directly into a place like this with absolutely no chance for immortal fate, right?

At that moment, a round, chubby man walked out of the Kitchen. His fat body almost got stuck in the door, and he finally managed to squeeze out. Upon seeing Gui Fu Shen Gong, he immediately revealed a smile, which caused the fat on his face to bunch together, looking somewhat comical.

Gui Fu Shen Gong was even more disappointed. Any Cultivator, even one at the most basic Qi Refining stage, would have a well-proportioned body, and those who reached higher Realms could even remain forever young.

A fat man like this was definitely a Mortal, and moreover, a Mortal who was lazy, gluttonous, and lacked ambition, never having thought about changing his life through cultivation.

Gui Fu Shen Gong shook his head, wanting to leave on the spot.

But that fat man's speed was very fast; in a few steps, he was by his side, saying with a chuckle, "Eh, is this the new brother for the Kitchen?"

After speaking, without waiting for an answer, he looked at the Utility Disciple who led the way and asked a few questions, learning of Gui Fu Shen Gong's situation.

After the utility worker left, the fat man turned around and said:

"I see. You were demoted here. No wonder you look so miserable, but... don't be sad. Our Kitchen is no ordinary place..."