I attained immortality in the real world.

Chapter 42 guidance concludes
How accurate!
Li Banxian's prophecy that mastering the first volume of the Yi Xiang Secret Manual would allow one to top the list of Tai Sui (Grand Duke Jupiter) has come true.

The fortune-telling system constructs a network of destiny, but it's merely building it in a corner of a small city like Zhu Zicheng.

The top of the Tai Sui list is related to a country, with countless variables and a vast amount of information required.

Could it be that we can directly connect to the world's consciousness and read the information we want?
As Chen Jing pondered Li Banxian's predictions, Qu Jiu, seeing Chen Jing fall silent, continued, "Is fortune-telling really that difficult? Can't I learn it?"

A crown prince wants to learn fortune telling? How could he not learn it? He has such exceptionally favorable conditions.

Chen Jing's thoughts were pulled back, and he shook his head, saying, "What is difficult for others, as difficult as climbing to the sky, is very simple for you, so simple that you don't even bother to learn it."

Simple? Qu Jiu knew his own aptitude well. He wasn't stupid, but he wasn't particularly smart either. Otherwise, he wouldn't have only become enlightened about physiognomy after meeting Chen Jing. He said, "I've been thinking about it for two months. As long as the teacher is willing to teach, I will definitely learn."

After saying that, Chen Jing pointed to a servant holding a lamp in the corner and said, "If you predict that he won't live past today, and then try to harm him in every way, what are his chances of surviving today?"

The life and death of a lowly servant could be decided by a single word, but Qu Jiu shook his head dismissively: "Absolutely impossible."

Chen Jing nodded in approval: "You successfully predicted a day of life and death, not only learning fortune telling, but even surpassing your teacher in an instant."

Qu Jiu was speechless for a moment, then shook his head firmly and said, "This is not... fortune telling."

Chen Jing picked up his wine glass, poured out a little wine, and trapped a passing ant in the wine. He explained, "This is not the fortune telling you imagine. Fortune telling should not be like humans crushing ants. It should be a means for the weak to predict the life and death of the strong and achieve an incredible reversal."

Qu Jiu nodded quickly: "Yes! That's exactly what I meant."

"Actually, fortune telling can be divided into two types. One is to be an observer and predict the outcome based on existing trajectories. For example, the moment a stone is thrown into a mountain stream, the image of water splashing appears in one's mind. After reading too many similar stories, one can know the subsequent plot development after flipping through half of them."

"This kind of prediction has limitations; it's not always accurate, and we don't know when it will come true. Fortune tellers either don't mention the time or stretch out the time frame as much as possible to ensure the accuracy of their predictions. Your Highness probably wouldn't bother learning this method, would you?"

Having mastered both literary and martial arts, and willing to serve the imperial family, Qu Jiu, as the crown prince of the Tai Sui Kingdom, had countless such people at his disposal. He replied, "Of course!"

Chen Jing continued to explain: "There is another kind of fortune telling that is actually about control, just like when I drowned this ant, or when I predicted the death of Zhou Qing and Zhou Silang, it was all about the strong controlling the fate of the weak."

"You think I'm weaker than Zhou Qing and Zhou Silang? I may not be as well off as them in terms of family background, but that doesn't mean I'm weaker. At least on an informational level, I can completely overwhelm Zhou Qing and Zhou Silang. I know about his affair with Ling Niang, and I know that Ling Niang's husband harbors hidden murderous intent. That's why I can use him."

"Your Highness's definition of strength is too simplistic. High position is strength, wealth is strength, physical strength is also strength... Everyone knows the principle of using one's own strength to attack the enemy's weakness, but few people put it into practice."

"In Zhuangzi's discourse on swords, there is the sword of the common people, which can cut off the neck and collar above and sever the liver and lungs below. There is the sword of the feudal lords, which is modeled after the round heaven above to conform to the three luminaries and the square earth below to conform to the four seasons. There is the sword of the emperor, which can cut through the floating clouds above and sever the earth's boundaries below."

"Your Highness is about to inherit the nation's most important assets. Fortune telling is so simple for you, so simple that it's boring."

Qu Jiu closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before saying, "Young Master's teachings are still so clear and easy to understand. Just relay these words to Father, and the top spot will undoubtedly belong to you, Teacher."

The King of Tai Sui Kingdom has been in power for many years and his team is already well-established. Now, the selection of officials is more for the purpose of preparing for the crown prince. The crown prince's words naturally carry a lot of weight. Chen Jing cupped his hands and said, "Then I thank Your Highness for the recommendation!"

"........."

[The Grand Duke Jupiter List – Zhu Kui!]

On the day the results were announced, Zhu Kui, a poor student, topped the list.

The crowd of people gathered in circles to see the results. A burly servant emerged from the throng and ran to a nearby inn: "Young master, you've passed! You're second in the imperial examination!" The young master looked displeased and scolded the servant: "What are you yelling about for being second? Isn't the top spot held by the Wang family's heir, Wang Ling?"

The servant quickly shook his head: "No, Prince Wang Ling is ranked third. The top scholar is a scholar named Zhu Kui, whom no one has ever mentioned. He is probably from a poor family."

Zhu Kui's name spread rapidly throughout Tai Sui City. The Tai Sui Ranking had been dominated by powerful families for several years, and it was rare for someone from a poor family to emerge and achieve the top score. Naturally, he instantly gained immense popularity.

But no one knew who Zhu Kui was or which inn in the city he was staying at. A yamen runner in charge of registering the information of the scholars carefully recalled and finally remembered where Zhu Kui was staying. He hurriedly ran to an inn in the east of the city to announce the good news and shouted loudly: "Congratulations, Master Zhu Kui, on passing the Tai Sui list with top honors!"

The Zhu Kui at this moment is not the original Zhu Kui, but a managed AI born from the fusion of the original Zhu Kui's memories and the memories after Chen Jing possessed him.

He took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and handed it to the constable, revealing a faint smile: "A reward!"

The moment the result was confirmed, Chen Jing relinquished the honor to Zhu Kui and silently withdrew from the Boundless Realm.

At Xiaotuanshan, the main god's sphere of light appeared to greet them, and a cold voice said, "Congratulations, contractor, on successfully passing through your first trial world and completing the novice cultivator's guide."

Beginner's Guide?

It's the kind of tutorial that shows you the route, tells you how to use your skills, and tells you that as long as you don't give up, even a complete idiot can win.

After careful recollection, Chen Jing realized that entering the Formless Realm was smooth sailing, and the difficulty lay in the cultivation itself. As long as one could cultivate the Lotus Heart Seal Technique, the task could be completed without doing anything, which was indeed similar to the tutorial in a game.

He ordered, "Retrieve information about the Spirit Realm, the Cultivation World, and cultivators."

The divine aura flickered twice: "The contractor must receive the cultivation world node token and transform Xiaotuanshan into a training ground before the divine god has the authority to inform you of this information."

Chen Jing clicked on the sword-shaped mark on the back of his hand to view the mission.

[Task: Listed on the leaderboard (Completed)]

[Reward: Mountain Spirit, a node token of the cultivation world.]

[Special Reward: Yogacara School – Kalan Temple, Novice Monk's Order.]

"........."

【Name: Mountain Spirit!】

[Note: Spirit Realm Node. After use, it can transform a Yuan Realm territory into a cultivation ground, allowing one to descend into the cultivation world with a mere thought.]

[How to use: While in the Elemental Realm, simply crush the outer shell binding the mountain spirit.]

【Name: Novice Monk's Decree】

[Note: This is an identity token held by an ordinary novice monk at the Jialan Temple, a sect of the Consciousness-Only School in the cultivation world. Using this token will change the random possession method upon descending to the cultivation world, instead of possessing a random body, it will possess a novice monk at the Jialan Temple.]

[How to use: Carry this with you before entering the world of cultivation.]

(End of this chapter)