Since all these rules and superstitions are outdated, what's wrong with me indulging in some me

"We suspect that this cauldron is composed of those fragments. Not a jigsaw puzzle, but a more fundamental connection. The fragments are fragments of the cauldron, and the cauldron is the complete form of the fragments."

After Yan Xiangming finished speaking, the conference room fell silent for a moment.

There were more than thirty high-level players, each of whom was a veteran who had climbed out of countless dungeons and had seen too many of the system's tricks.

But the three characters "九州鼎" (Jiuzhou Ding) carry too much weight.

Lu Changsheng stared at the slowly flowing cauldron on the screen, Yan Xiangming's words echoing repeatedly in his mind.

A series of questions collided in my mind, but I couldn't find the answer to any of them.

Other countries also have bronze fragments from dungeon rewards, and the official team is currently handing them over, but for now, it's better to focus on entering dungeons and collecting as many fragments as possible.

"But we have an advantage." Yan Xiangming said each word carefully, his gaze fixed on Lu Changsheng.

All eyes in the conference room turned to look; over thirty pairs of eyes, some curious, some scrutinizing, and some filled with an inexplicable expectation.

Lu Changsheng neither avoided those gazes nor tried to please them; he simply sat there quietly.

"The rewards for the customized dungeon are no secret." Yan Xiangming turned his gaze away from Lu Changsheng and faced the audience again. "The system's condition is that you can choose specific people to enter the dungeon, and the selection is randomly limited to one person per month. In other words, we are not just passively waiting for the system to select people, but we can actively send people into the dungeon."

Shen Qianlan's voice came from the middle of the long table, cold and crisp.

"Therefore, the most reasonable use of customized dungeons is not to send in experts, but to send in newcomers. Train them first, then send them in for real combat, allowing newcomers to grow in relatively easy dungeons. Once they have grown to a certain level, then send them to more difficult dungeons, forming a closed loop for talent development."

Yan Xiangming nodded.

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

He brought up a structural diagram on the screen.

At the very bottom is "selection" —

We are recruiting promising individuals nationwide, regardless of age, gender, or occupation, and only those who pass physical and psychological tests will be considered.

The next floor is "Training" —

Led by experienced players, the team will undergo a two-week intensive training program, which includes analysis of dungeon rules, strategies for dealing with common supernatural tales, and basic item usage methods.

The next level up is "real combat"—

Test your training results in a realistic ghost story environment by sending a customized copy into a D-level or C-level copy.

The top level is "Advanced" —

Players who excel in actual combat will be incorporated into official teams and participate in fragment collection and other advanced missions.

"I named this plan the 'Nine Provinces Project'."

Yan Xiangming turned around, his back to the structural diagram, and remained silent for a few seconds.

"What we lack isn't time, it's manpower. There are too few S-rank players. Even fewer can enter S-rank dungeons. And very few can emerge alive from S-rank dungeons. The competition for fragment collection won't wait for us to slowly cultivate new talent."

He turned around, his gaze shifting from one face to another.

"Therefore, the Kyushu Project is not a long-term plan, but an emergency measure. We need to cultivate as many usable talents as possible in the shortest possible time."

An Zhiyu spoke, her voice so calm it didn't sound like she was discussing life and death.

"I agree. But there's one problem—who will train the new employees?"

"I can teach you some of it," a man nearby said. "Combat techniques, item usage, and survival rules in dungeons—I can teach you those."

"Rule analysis and ghost story debunking, I'll handle that," the other man said. "I'm not out of my mind."

After the two finished speaking, they looked at Lu Changsheng.

Lu Changsheng was silent for a moment, then spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "I agree to train new talent, but I have one condition."

Yan Xiangming's brow twitched slightly. "Speak."

"I will select the new recruits. It's not enough to just pass physical and psychological tests; only those I deem suitable after reviewing their applications will be accepted."

Someone at the long table frowned. An Zhiyu's lips twitched slightly, it was unclear whether she wanted to laugh or say something.

Most people looked at Lu Changsheng with a scrutinizing gaze.

It wasn't that they didn't believe in Lu Changsheng's abilities, but the condition was too personal and subjective, lacking any quantifiable standards and entirely dependent on Lu Changsheng's "feelings."

Yan Xiangming remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Sure. But we need quantity, not just quality."

Lu Changsheng nodded. "I know."

The meeting ended shortly after Lu Changsheng's conditions were accepted.

An Zhiyu walked up to Lu Changsheng and stopped.

"When did you start picking people?" she asked.

"Now."

Yan Xiangming was waiting for him, holding a tablet with a list on the screen.

"These are the candidates selected in the initial screening."

Yan Xiangming handed over the tablet.

"Forty-three people, from a pool of player candidates across the country. Ages range from eighteen to thirty-five, half male and half female, none of whom have ever entered a dungeon. Their physical fitness and psychological test scores are both in the top five percent."

Lu Changsheng took the tablet and scanned it from top to bottom.

Photo, name, age, place of origin, physical fitness test data, psychological assessment report, education, occupation—everything is listed clearly.

He didn't look at it closely; he simply went through the list from beginning to end and memorized everyone's face.

Where are they?

"Headquarters training center. They're doing acclimatization training." Yan Xiangming glanced at his watch. "If we go now, we can still make it to the afternoon training session."

Lu Changsheng handed the tablet back to him. "Let's go."

The training center is on the other side of the headquarters, separated by an underground passage.

Lu Changsheng stood at the door for a few seconds, then went inside.

The training ground is large, and forty-three people are divided into four groups, training in different sports.

Lu Changsheng did not greet anyone, did not introduce himself, and did not do anything that would interrupt the training.

He simply walked in, slowly strolling along the edge of the training field, like a wolf patrolling the perimeter of its prey.

Yan Xiangming followed behind, saying nothing, just watching.

He continued walking forward and looked at all forty-three people.

Then he stopped, stood in the center of the training field, turned around, and faced everyone.

"Stop." His voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly throughout the entire training ground.

Training stopped. Everyone stopped at the same time.

Forty-three people, plus four instructors, plus Yan Xiangming, all eyes were simultaneously on Lu Changsheng.

"I am Lu Changsheng," he said, without any further introduction or polite small talk. "You should have heard of this name before."

There was a slight commotion in the crowd, but it quickly subsided.

"I'm here to select people." His gaze moved from one face to another. "So I don't look at physical fitness test scores, psychological evaluation reports, academic qualifications, or professions. I only use my eyes to look."

He first pointed out three people from the crowd.

"The three of you can leave now; you don't need to participate in the rest of the training."

After Lu Changsheng finished speaking, the training ground fell silent for a moment. The three people stood there, each with a different expression on their face.

The three people stood still, like three wooden stakes nailed to the ground.

Lu Changsheng looked at them, offering no explanation, no comfort, no feedback. He simply repeated his words, his tone lighter than before, but each word carrying more weight. "The three of you can leave. You don't need to participate in the rest of the training."

The tall man finally spoke. His voice was strained, as if he were trying to suppress something. "Mr. Lu, may I ask why?"

"I don't know what methods you used to pass the screening, but you're not suitable."

Lu Changsheng showed no intention of explaining in detail.

The tall man's face turned bright red.

"Mr. Lu." The tall man's voice trembled slightly, but he still tried to maintain his composure. "I respect your judgment, but I need to know why. Not because I'm dissatisfied, but because I want to know—what exactly is wrong with me?"

Lu Changsheng looked at him and remained silent for a few seconds. Then he spoke, his voice not loud, but every word seemed to pierce into everyone's ears like nails.

"Just now in the combat zone, when you were sparring with the instructor, your opponent was the instructor, but your eyes kept looking at the female trainees in the group next to you."

Lu Changsheng's gaze was as calm as a stagnant pool.

"You're observing her not because there's anything you can learn from her, but because you think she's beautiful. You're distracted in battle not because of tactical needs, not because you're observing the environment, but because your eyes can't help but glance at her."

The tall man's face turned from red to white.

"This isn't the first time," Lu Changsheng continued, his tone completely flat, as if stating a fact unrelated to him. "I don't care about the methods you use to select people, but your intentions are wrong."

He looked at the tall man.

"In a dungeon, every second could be your last. Your attention must be 100% focused on the quest, the rules, and survival. One moment of distraction and you're dead. You'll not only kill yourself, but also your teammates. I don't need someone who's thinking about other things when life and death are at stake."

The tall man's lips were trembling.

"Do I need to point out the others?"

Lu Changsheng didn't have the patience to explain one by one. These three people weren't unsuccessful, but their appearances all had major problems.

"take away."

Yan Xiangming said coldly from the side, not giving the three people any chance at all.

The training ground remained quiet for a long time.

The remaining forty people looked at Lu Changsheng, their gazes changing.

Lu Changsheng stood in front of these forty people and nodded slightly. These remaining forty people could indeed be considered elites, as they were first-rate in both physical fitness and mental skills.

Lu Changsheng withdrew his gaze.

"You forty of you can stay." His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "Not because you're the strongest, not because you're the smartest, not because you're the best at performing. It's because your character is impeccable."

No one cheered, no one breathed a sigh of relief, and no one showed any extra emotion. The forty people simply stood quietly, like forty saplings planted in the same flowerpot, not yet knowing how they would grow, but at least the soil was right.

"But—" Lu Changsheng paused, "remaining doesn't mean you're selected. You've just gone from 'unqualified' to 'pending.' The real selection process begins now."

"Lu Changsheng, have you decided what subjects you want to teach?"

Yan Xiangming handed the class schedule to Lu Changsheng.

Lu Changsheng glanced at it briefly.

Lu Changsheng took the timetable and scanned it from top to bottom.

The training schedule is packed, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., with almost no breaks.

Physical training, combat skills, prop usage, psychological resilience, teamwork—each course has a dedicated instructor, and each course specifies the class hours, venue, and assessment standards.

The timetable was very professional and systematic, much like the schedule of a regular military academy.

But Lu Changsheng noticed something—there was no rule analysis.

All the courses teach "how to cope," but none of them teach "how to understand."

These are all necessary, important, and can improve the survival rate. But they teach "techniques," not "principles."

Lu Changsheng returned the class schedule to Yan Xiangming.

"These courses are all good," he said, "but one is missing."

Yan Xiangming's brow twitched slightly. "What's missing?"

"Analysis of Copy Rules"

Yan Xiangming was silent for a moment. He didn't ask "why," because he was Yan Xiangming, and he knew the importance of rule analysis.

But he didn't agree immediately because he knew the course would be difficult to teach.

The person who teaches combat can be a martial artist who has practiced martial arts since childhood; the person who teaches props can be a high-level player who has dozens of props at his disposal; and the person who teaches psychology can be a professional psychological counselor.

But those who teach rule analysis need to meet three conditions simultaneously:

First, you need to have read enough dungeon rules; second, you need to have experienced enough dungeon battles; and third, you need to be able to transform the first two into a methodology that newcomers can understand.

There are very few people like that in the entire country of China. And among those few, Lu Changsheng is one of them.

"How do you plan to teach?" Yan Xiangming asked.

Lu Changsheng did not answer immediately. He turned around to face the forty people.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll be teaching you a course." His voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly throughout the training ground. "Dungeon rule analysis. It's not an elective, it's mandatory. It's not theory, it's practice. It's not about memorizing the rules, it's about understanding them."

He paused for a moment.

"Everyone here thinks they know what the rules are. The hints the system gives, the constraints in the instance, the things that will kill you if you break them. Right? Yes, but not entirely."

"The patterns in dungeons are all pretty much the same, so understanding them is crucial. Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM, in the conference room. First lesson. Latecomers will be disqualified."

He didn't say anything more and turned to walk out of the training field.

Yan Xiangming followed him out and caught up with Lu Changsheng in the corridor.