"Ol' Ling, how come you're so strong? Do you have any tricks? Teach us!"

As soon as Instructor Bai Yang dismissed them, both Li Kai and Wang Jiabao approached Ling Jiu.

Ling Jiu smiled bitterly. "What trick? I've been practicing as soon as I get off work, and I usually don't stop until midnight. I don't even sleep at night because I spent the whole night absorbing the Gene Arcana!"

That was the truth!

As an a.d.u.l.t, he was m.a.t.u.r.ed, and he had passed the stage of wanting to have fun a long time ago.

Plus, the Arcana was a superpower that he had always dreamed of, so it went without saying that Ling Jiu would work much harder.

Unexpectedly, in just two short months, he had increased the gap between him and the other youngsters!

"You've been doing additional practices after work!"

Wang Jiabao scratched his head and said in embarrassment, "I've been drinking and eating with classmates, as well as friends, after work or gaming in the Internet cafes or playing basketball or shopping with my girlfriend. I've never done any additional practice!"

"I'm about the same!"

Li Kai felt a little ashamed. In the past two months, he had become a successful person in the eyes of his classmates and relatives. He was popular and sought after for eating, having fun, and socializing, so how could he have time to practice?

Ling Jiu shook his head. They were at that playful age, plus, with the sudden drastic changes to their lives, it was understandable if they got engrossed in it for a while.

"Regardless, you two should take this seriously. Passing the assessment in half a year's time is the most important thing. It is key to whether you can stay in the company or not!"

Ling Jiu still advised them.

"Yeah, Ol' Ling, you're right. We'll have to put in hard training after work. We need to pass the training assessment!"

"Me too!"

...

After the test, Ling Jiu realized that everyone seemed to notice the urgency and seriousness of the matter, and they became much more serious than before.

Observing them, Ling Jiu worked even harder. He did not want to be overtaken by a group of brats.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, four months had gone by.

Today, as Ling Jiu was about to get off work, the general manager, Luo Jia came to the training room with an entourage of company leaders and looked for the new trainees.

"Ms. Luo, you're here!"

Instructor Bai Yang stepped forward to greet her.

"Instructor Bai, how are they doing?"

Luo Jia glanced at the 15 newcomers standing neatly in a row with their heads and c.h.e.s.t high. The company leaders also looked at Ling Jiu as well as the rest.

"Passing the assessment shouldn't be a problem!" Instructor Bai Yang replied confidently.

"Is that so?"

Luo Jia raised her eyebrows as she looked at Ling Jiu and the other 14 people. "I have some bad news for you. Due to a last-minute request by the government, the training assessment this time around is for you and also the rejected ones!

"That means, the training assessment this time around is not only for you newcomers, but also the Arcanists who have independently awakened their Arcana in society. Also, those who were dismissed in previous years will also be participating!"

The expressions of Ling Jiu and the others changed dramatically.

In previous years, only new recruits would participate in the assessment. Most would be from major high schools, and some would be those who had awakened their Arcana themselves. Before this, those who had been eliminated in the past would not be allowed to participate.

Yet, this year... even those who had been knocked out in the previous years would be participating. It was a huge change!

One needed to know that those eliminated in the past years had trained at least a year longer than them. A whole year! What level of strength could they have reached in that time?

They would generally be better than this year's newbies, right?

It would be fine if that were the case!

"The content of the assessment is the same as in previous years. You will be sent to a county infested by Direbeasts. You need to hunt the Direbeasts down and collect their hearts!"

Luo Jia plainly said, "The more beast hearts you collect, the better your results will be!

"Although murder is not allowed during the assessment, you are allowed to snatch from one another!

"That means, even if you try your very best to kill the Direbeasts and dig out their hearts, there is a possibility that someone will snatch them away. In other words, this year's assessment is extremely unfavorable to you newbies!"

The hearts of Ling Jiu and the rest sank. In the previous years, only the newcomers competed, and everyone was basically at the same level of strength. Even if they were to compete and snatch from one another, it would be relatively fair.

This year was different. With a group of old farts who had been previously eliminated, their general strength and competitiveness would be higher than this year's newcomers!

"But, there are always two sides to a coin!"

Luo Jia continued, "The crueler the assessment is, the more you can demonstrate your capabilities. Gold always shines by washing away all that is not gold. Using my power as a general manager, I promise you that those who end this assessment in the top three will receive rich rewards!"

"There are rewards?"

Ling Jiu's ears immediately perked up.

"The first reward is an intermediate Gene Arcana secret technique that is worth one billion!"

"Whoaaaa!"

The 15 newcomers were in an uproar, and even Instructor Bai Yang was shocked. "A Gene Arcana secret technique that is worth one billion? The reward this year is that big?"

The efficiency of Gene Arcana absorption of a low-level secret technique was 10 times better, while the efficiency of an intermediate-level secret technique was 100 times better.

Therefore, using two similar Arcanists as a comparison, the amount of Gene Arcana one with an intermediate-level secret technique could absorb at a time was equivalent to the amount one with a low-level secret technique could absorb for 10 days.

The former's one year was the latter's ten years. It was a full ten times gap in cultivation!

"If I could obtain the intermediate Gene Arcana secret technique, my speed in absorbing the Gene Arcana would shot up to the moon?" Ling Jiu was very tempted.

"The second reward is the chance to resign your contract!"

Luo Jia continued, "Your current contracts are all C-level contracts. If you end up in the top three, you will be able to switch to an A-level contract!"

"A-level contract!"

The 15 newcomers were once again shocked. They had been in the company for almost half a year now, so they had naturally learned a lot about the company, such as things pertaining to employee contracts.

Ordinary employees generally had the lowest D-level contracts with a salary of several thousand, and they were no different from office workers outside.

Arcanists started off with a C-level contract, and not only did they have a basic salary of 10,000, but they also lived in luxurious townhouse-villas. Their benefits and privileges were much better than that of ordinary employees.

As for the higher B-level and A-level contracts, no further explanation was needed. It was said that once an A-level contract was signed, not only would the monthly salary be in the millions, the house would also be changed to a stand-alone villa.

In addition, there were many other benefits. What left the deepest impression on Ling Jiu was that he could enjoy a 30% discount when he shopped in the company's trade center. For example, an intermediate-level Gene Arcana secret technique that was worth one billion could be purchased for seven hundred million.

That was the benefit of an A-level contract!

Luo Jia swept her beautiful eyes over them. "After all is said and done, it still comes down to the same thing. As long as you perform well, the company will not be stingy! So, do your best!"