Mythology Returns! Starting with Folklore and Strange Tales

"Since they haven't explained what the 'genius clause' means to you, then I will explain it to you."

"You meet this requirement. During your internship, you will have the same authority and benefits as a regular inspector. After becoming a full-fledged inspector, you will receive the corresponding senior treatment. No one other than the head or deputy head of this region is authorized to give you orders. Similarly, if anything happens to you, no one may question or punish you by any means or method before we intervene."

"Geniuses deserve special treatment, but if they enjoy that treatment, they must also take on the corresponding responsibilities."

Then, Director Chu turned to Zhang Wei and said, "What you need to do now is not worry about anything, take the benefits you are entitled to, get started quickly, cultivate rapidly, and then whether you enter the Shadow Realm or go to the mortal world, do tasks in the real world to accumulate indicators, be fast but also steady. If you encounter something you can't handle, don't overthink it, just call for backup."

"Since you're a genius, show some genius spirit. In six months, all twelve districts will gather at the headquarters for a grand competition. I won't even give up the top three; if you get into the top ten, I'll beat those guys from Shanhaiguan until they're completely submissive. They'll make those old fogies from the Huang and Liu families bow down to you!"

"Do you have confidence?"

Zhang Wei: ? ? ?

The topic changed a bit too quickly, didn't it?

Since even the bigwigs have chosen to make a big show of this matter and then let it go easily, Zhang Wei isn't going to be tactless either: "Top ten? Number one!"

Regardless of whether it works or not, we're just shouting slogans, so what's wrong with being bold?

He's experienced similar group activities since he was a child. The first and second place winners are usually not this excited, but the later ones in line are the bolder they become!

At times like these, just shout the slogans as loudly as possible; failure is the norm, but success is an unexpected bonus!

Moreover, even if he wasn't one of those travelers who were directly chosen upon descending from the Three Realms, he might still have a chance.

As I said before, no matter how capable you are or how many years of experience you have, my magical mechanisms may not be inferior to yours.

In one-on-one combat, Hurricane is second to none!

Even with a one-to-many dynamic, he won't stagnate for another six months!

As it turned out, Zhang Wei was right. After hearing his morale-boosting words, Chu Xiong paused for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Damn it, I'm getting younger and younger at my age!"

"Good lad, you have ambition. I'll take charge and allocate another 500 quotas for you to cultivate properly. Damn it, it's time to shake up this perennial third place position!"

"As for you, kid..." Chu Xiong said, his gaze shifting from Zhang Wei to the boy beside him: "You took the initiative, but considering you just returned from the silhouette realm, and the Thousand Serpent Cave you experienced was far too cruel, I feel you have some mental issues. How about this, three days of solitary confinement for psychological counseling. If there are real problems, you can be cured and repay your debts by slaying demons and monsters in the future. If there are no problems, then you can wait to go to the Black Prison!"

That's what they say.

But if we were really going to punish them, then there wouldn't have been those words.

After giving their instructions, the big boss left, and the others either left or went in to clean up the venue.

The boy's staff member wiped the sweat from his forehead as he followed two fully armed staff members and led the boy through another passage to leave.

Before leaving, the boy, who had been escorted away and had removed his mask, shouted to Zhang Wei, "Thank you for your help! I'll definitely repay you when I get out!"

Zhang Wei sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

This kid is a little too honest!

Thinking that there was nothing else to do, Zhang Wei asked the staff member to take him to the dormitory that had already been assigned to him.

On the way, Zhang Wei thought for a moment and asked, "Is that the high school student who finished the silhouette on the same day as me? What's the deal with the Thousand Snake Cave? Can you tell me about it?"

The staff member paused for a moment: "Yes, that child's name is An Yixi, and she's a pitiful child. Before being selected by the [Three Realms], her grades at school were mediocre, and she looked a bit frail, so she was easily bullied."

"After being selected as a traveler, the first thing you see inside is the Thousand Serpent Cave, which is quite dangerous even in a village-level setting."

"It's called a snake cave, but it's actually a village that worships snake gods... snake demons. Every year, the village selects a few children to offer as tribute to the snake demons on the mountain, praying for good weather, abundant harvests, and many children. And while these demons aren't exactly benevolent, the thing about them compared to evil gods is that if you make a deal with them, they'll actually do what you ask..."

"It's a bit complicated to explain this silhouette in detail, so I'll give you a simpler explanation. The snake demon on the mountain wants these children to reproduce, in order to overcome the threshold that beasts must reach in their cultivation years and rely on luck to unlock their intelligence."

The snake-people, born from the reproduction of humans and snakes, are not exactly respectable beings, but they possess wisdom and the foundation for cultivation ahead of time. This custom has continued for nearly a century, but the young population of a village cannot withstand annual sacrifices, especially since the snake demon insists on selecting the best.

After some evolution, to prevent the snake demon's descendants from rejecting the offerings, the villagers would put a mask on the children's faces before sending them up the mountain. However, for some unknown reason, the person who bought the masks included a mask of Fang Xiangshi among the pile, and the child then gained the favor of this Nuo god.

"And so, they went on a killing spree in the snake pit!"

"The other sacrifices were drained of their life force and swallowed whole, bones and all, but he grew stronger with each battle, eventually charging headlong into the snake demon and defeating it as well."

"What's even more outrageous is that, whether it was because he was really dizzy and disoriented during the past few days in the snake cave, or because he had been too repressed for the past ten years or so, after killing the snake demon, he didn't run away immediately. Instead, he went back to the snake cave, grabbed a snake-man, and used the human radar method that I had only heard about on the internet."

"We're investigating as we go. If we feel tense, it means there are still snake people nearby. We kill one and capture another, repeating this cycle. With the power given by the Nuo God, he managed to destroy the Thousand Snake Cave! That's why he was interrogated for so long in the reception room. Although few demons and monsters are good, we're genuinely afraid that this kid will get addicted to it and habitually go to extremes whenever he encounters a problem!"

"It's just that the kid's talent is too outstanding, so outstanding that even the bureau chief has to keep the news under wraps and protect him carefully. Otherwise, if he were to commit a crime openly, a few days of confinement would be too much..."

Perhaps he realized he had spoken out of turn.

The staff member chuckled and quickly changed the subject.

Zhang Wei was a little stunned at this moment.

For some inexplicable reason, he felt as if a car had run over his face.

Human body radar?

He's quite a talent!