Chapter 1000: 0597 Heart Has a Tree

"Relax, I’m not great at direct combat, but I’m not weak either."

Seeing the strange expression on Leon’s face, Shit Lady couldn’t help but smile, then continued as if no one else were there:

"The first exam is a talent test—I can’t help you there—but if the second exam is a team battle, I’m confident I can boost your combat power by a whole tier."

"As for the third practical exam, while I’m not good at missions, I’m excellent at poisoning. If you can buy me just a little time, I’m confident I can knock out most of the people here and eliminate ninety percent of your competitors outright."

"Uh..."

Feeling the sudden wave of hostile glares around him, Leon winced, suddenly certain this exam wouldn’t go as smoothly as he’d hoped.

Sister! Confidence is good, but when we’re plotting something, can you at least lower your voice a little?

As expected, Shit Lady’s blunt words immediately stirred discontent among the others.

"Heh."

A faint, mocking laugh came from beside them. The bull-horned man, who had been facing away, turned around, his two deep-blue ox eyes scanning Leon and his companion, then sneered:

"I thought someone bold enough to say that must be someone impressive—turns out it’s just a Level Two Cleaner? I’m standing right here. Go ahead, try poisoning me."

"Huh?"

Hearing the bull-horned man’s words, Amien’s eyes lit up slightly, then she exclaimed with surprise:

"You’re serious?"

"Of course I’m—"

"Silence!"

A sharp voice rang down from above, cutting through the clichéd little conflict. The white-bearded elder with the twin-fish emblem on his chest stepped out of the Dreaming River, one step landing firmly on the ground below.

As the white-bearded elder appeared, over four hundred fist-sized colorful bubbles surged down from the Dreaming River, merging like droplets into one larger, hazy dream, popping softly as it enveloped every Cleaner.

"Four hundred nineteen expected, four hundred nineteen present. No one withdrew."

After carefully studying Leon for a moment, the twin-fish director slowly sat cross-legged on the floor, spreading his animal-skin notebook on his knees, then announced to the four hundred odd figures before him:

"In the name of the Twin-Fish Director of the Cleaner Bureau, I declare the first phase of this promotion exam—the Basic Talent Test—officially begun!"

With the white-bearded elder’s hoarse announcement, the vast, hazy dream around them sharpened into clarity, transforming into a lecture hall capable of seating hundreds.

Simultaneously, the four hundred Cleaners who had been standing all sat down at once, arms resting on their desks, adopting the posture of obedient students, forced to fix their gaze on the central podium.

"This exam is simple. All you need to do is pick up your pen and draw."

After a slight cough, the twin-fish director, seated cross-legged on the podium, pointed with his back finger toward the empty space behind him, then said slowly:

"Soon, a large tree will slowly grow behind me. Your task is to take the paper and pen on your desk and draw the tree as you see it. Just draw—no need to worry about accuracy or style..."

"That’s it for the rules. Begin!"

"..."

Isn’t this supposed to be a talent test? What kind of nonsense is a drawing exam?

After hearing the first exam’s prompt, the Cleaners exchanged uneasy glances. But seeing the twin-fish director had closed his eyes and clearly had no intention of explaining further, they reluctantly picked up their pens and began drawing... except Leon.

Wait... where’s the tree?

Holding the standard-issue feather pen, Leon sat idle for half an hour, listening to the rustling of pens around him, staring at the empty podium behind the twin-fish director—still barren, not even a single twig sprouting—and he felt numb.

There’s nothing here. What am I supposed to draw, a market?

When everyone else is drawing and one person does nothing, they stand out instantly. The candidates seated beside Leon soon noticed his odd behavior.

"Heh."

Glancing at Leon’s blank paper, the bull-horned man, broad-shouldered and muscular, snorted, then Landechaofeng , turned back, hunched over his desk, gripping his goose feather pen with fingers thicker than carrots, drawing his own version of a b-tree.

Maybe... I should take a peek at what he’s drawing?

Slightly uneasy, Leon shifted his body slightly, stealing a glance at the bull-horned man’s exam paper.

I’m not cheating, and I’m not planning to copy his answer—I just want to check the format. At least sketch a branch or something. After all, even writing “Solution” is better than handing in a blank!

But sadly, when Leon, determined not to submit a blank, stole a glance at the bull-horned man’s paper, he didn’t see a tree—he saw a tree...

Or more plainly: what the bull-horned man had drawn wasn’t a tree at all, but a centipede with four goat hooves and dozens of pairs of bull horns.

And even more absurd: when he noticed Leon staring in shock, the grotesque creature on the paper lifted its head off the page and glared angrily at Leon.

Wait... what the hell is this thing?

One glance told him he couldn’t possibly copy this answer. Leon straightened up, stiff-faced, and returned to his seat.

Guess I’ll just draw whatever comes to mind! I’ll make up for it in the next two exams!

Just as Leon gritted his teeth and prepared to give up entirely, his right leg was lightly kicked. A half-finished exam paper suddenly appeared in his peripheral vision.

This is...

As Leon turned his head in surprise and met Amien’s encouraging gaze, his heart warmed—he suddenly found Shit Lady looking downright refined.

Thank you, Senior Amien! When we get back, I’ll repay you properly... uh...

On the exam paper, entirely painted brown-yellow, lay a lump of tree—coiled in a spiral like a serpent, emitting the unmistakable odor of humus. Leon’s initial delight instantly faded.

"Cough!"

At that moment, a hoarse cough came from the podium. The twin-fish director, still with his eyes closed, suddenly shifted his neck and spoke without expression:

"Additional rule: Draw only what you see. If you let your imagination run wild and draw something you didn’t actually see, I will shatter your consciousness and expel you from this exam immediately. Now—continue drawing."

"..."

Great. Now I can’t even draw a pile of shit on the paper.

Leon immediately understood this rule was aimed at him. Sighing, he declined Amien’s offer with a shake of his head, then sat stiffly, eyes downcast, face dark, waiting for the exam to end.

But where Leon couldn’t see, a pair of sharply contrasting black-and-white eyes stared through the giant dream bubble, puzzled by his blank paper. Meanwhile, the twin-fish director on the podium, eyes still closed, held his feather pen and scribbled a long string of question marks onto his animal-skin notebook.

Level 3 - Virgin Division - God of Food - Leon Ryan

Preliminary: No mutations, mental stability at maximum, score: 100

First exam: No specific aptitude, no clear development tendency, no matching celestial palace, no abnormal affinity limit... score: 0? 100?