A glimpse of opportunity: Start by marrying a mermaid bride.

On the plaza where the body retrieval team was located, Zheng Xuan squeezed into the crowd, looking at the people around him who were signing up.

Someone came over and nudged him on the shoulder, saying, "Hey bro, you're here for the selection too?"

Zheng Xuan glanced at the man and noticed a gray exclamation mark above his head, indicating he had no special opportunities. He then said, "Yes, you too, brother?"

The man then spoke up, "Yes, but this time, none of us are likely to be selected; we're all just here to make up the numbers."

Zheng Xuan frowned and looked at the man, asking, "What do you mean by that?"

Upon hearing this, the man pointed to two people not far away and said, "Do you see those two people? One is the second son of the third team leader of the corpse retrieval team, and the other is the nephew of the sixth team leader."

"Oh, a client with connections?"

Zheng Xuan said something, and upon hearing this, the man said, "Isn't that right? It's not just about connections; both of their families have members who are captains in corpse retrieval teams. They must have learned a lot from being exposed to such things since childhood. How can we possibly succeed compared to them?"

Zheng Xuan nodded upon hearing this, without saying anything more, after all, relationships are something you can't escape no matter where you are in society.

And since we're already here, it's like we can just leave. But why does this guy who's talking look so familiar?

As Zheng Xuan was pondering this, he saw the person who had just spoken to him now chatting with other people, using the exact same words as when he had spoken to him.

After waiting a few more moments, someone suddenly shouted angrily, "Damn it, they're all people with connections! What's the point of choosing? Are you kidding me? I quit! Let's go!"

These words immediately incited many people to grumble and walk out of the body retrieval team's building.

Inside the room, Captain Zhao Zhen stood side-by-side with an old man by the window. The old man held a pipe in his hand, taking puff after puff. The captain said, "Senior brother, why did you have Zhou Xun organize this? Weren't you going to use this opportunity to find a last disciple? Now that you've driven everyone away, what if there's a good prospect among them?"

The old man took a puff of his pipe and said, "Those who lack resolve are not allowed to retrieve corpses. This is the rule set by our ancestors. These people are just taking a chance anyway. Driving them away won't do us any harm."

The captain fell silent upon hearing this, while Zhou Xun, who had just finished persuading everyone to leave, turned around and found Zheng Xuan still waiting there. He looked at Zheng Xuan curiously and asked, "Brother, you didn't leave?"

Zheng Xuan glanced at Zhou Xun and said, "Since we're already here, why leave?"

Zhou Xun's lips curled up upon hearing this. Interesting. He then looked at Zheng Xuan and said, "They've already made their decision internally. What are you still doing here? Aren't you wasting your time?"

Zheng Xuan looked at Zhou Xun and asked, "Why didn't you leave?"

Zhou Xun was taken aback and said, "I... I'll leave now."

Zheng Xuan said, "You won't leave."

"Um?"

Zhou Xun was taken aback. Zheng Xuan spoke up, "You're a plant, aren't you? It seems like you were the one who posted the notice that day..."

Zhou Xun was stunned upon hearing this, and after a long while, he said, "Even the most meticulous plans can have flaws, but you have good observation skills!"

Inside the room, Captain Zhao Zhen said to the old man, "Senior brother, even if you want to test these people's resolve, you should have chosen someone else to spread the message. Zhou Xun posted the notice last time; what if someone recognizes him?"

The old man chuckled, "To recognize someone after only one meeting, three days later, shows that this person has excellent observation skills, which is an essential ability for a corpse retriever."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhen looked at the old man and said, "Senior brother, so you've already started the assessment?"

The old man said, "The official assessment for the corpse retrieval team consists of three stages, but in reality, the assessment begins the moment you enter our team."

As the old man spoke, Zhao Zhen couldn't help but sigh, "This is really hard to guard against." Just as he was thinking this, he saw Zhou Xun walk directly from the crowd onto the high platform of the playground.

Seeing this, Zhao Zhen said, "It's starting."

Meanwhile, the team captains behind them all went out to find the best viewing spots to watch the selection competition.

"Quiet down, everyone!"

Zhou Xun stood on the high platform and shouted in a deep voice. Upon hearing this, everyone looked at him. Wasn't this the person who had just spread the news?

At this moment, Zhou Xun spoke up: "Let me introduce myself. My name is Zhou Xun, from the corpse retrieval team, and I am also your examiner today."

"First of all, congratulations on staying on and qualifying for the next assessment!"

Hearing this, many people in the audience began to discuss it. Zhou Xun let them talk. After they finished, Zhou Xun said, "Now that you've all said your piece, let me say this. First of all, this assessment is absolutely fair and just. Whether you pass the assessment depends on your own ability, not on your background. I can guarantee that. If any of you are not satisfied, you can stand up and question it at any time."

"Then comes today's assessment, which consists of three parts: water skills, courage, and survival skills!"

"Alright, let's officially begin the assessment now. The first test will be your rowing and swimming skills!"

"Everyone, please follow me to the dock. Ten small boats have been prepared for you. I just counted, there are a total of 69 people. We will be divided into seven groups of ten. The first person in each group will pass the test."

"Come on, everyone, follow me to the dock."

The group quickly arrived at the dock and, sure enough, saw ten small boats tied with red cloth. At this moment, Zhou Xun said, "Your assessment is as follows: first, row the small boats to the target point downstream, then abandon the boats and swim back to the dock. The first person in each group will pass the assessment."

"Your group order will be determined by drawing lots now."

The group order was drawn quickly. Zheng Xuan was in the fifth group, not with the two seeded players, but with Yu Biao and He Miao.

The selection process began quickly, with groups going through the process. When it was Zheng Xuan's turn, he jumped onto a small boat and rowed it rather clumsily. He had only rowed a boat when he was a child, so he quickly fell behind the others. Seeing this, Zhou Xun, who had been quite interested in Zheng Xuan, shook his head. His basic skills were too poor, and his rowing technique was far inferior to those of fishermen.

Zheng Xuan also noticed that he had fallen behind the others, but as he gradually became more familiar with the boat, he gained some experience and was soon able to keep up. However, when they reached the downstream marker, he was still the last one.

The body retrieval team members waiting there shook their heads when they saw Zheng Xuan's slow pace; he definitely had no chance, as the others had already swum half a mile away.

Just as they were thinking, they suddenly saw Zheng Xuan leap up, make a beautiful entry into the water, and then dash out like a fish.

"Holy shit~"

Seeing this, the body retrieval team at the marker point were all shocked; this guy's swimming skills were even better than theirs, who dealt with water all year round.

What's even more despairing is the situation of his fellow contestants. Although they were far ahead of Zheng Xuan when they were setting sail, Zheng Xuan is now gradually overtaking them all. Despite his best efforts, he can only watch the distance between them grow ever wider and wider. It's truly despairing.

With the help of the golden opportunity given to him by his wife, "The Mermaid's Love," which boosted his swimming ability by 100%, Zheng Xuan swam towards the dock at a terrifying speed.

At that moment, the listless captains on the dock suddenly spotted Zheng Xuan rapidly approaching the dock.

"Wow, that kid's fast!"

Someone said something, and even Water Ghost Li, who was smoking a pipe and looking rather uninterested, suddenly brightened up.

"Great swimmer!"