The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

Lü Wenjun laughed heartily, "What's the big deal? Empty words are never reliable. Let's work together for this exam!"

Hearing the two speak like that, the woman in red shoes became even more convinced that she had messed with someone tough, and she was terrified. She immediately begged for mercy, "My lord, please spare me!"

Lu Wenjun completely ignored the female ghost. He knew he had to finish the exam no matter what, so he simply raised the Phantom Spirit in his hand high and shouted to everyone in the carriage, "I'll ask one more time, is there anyone else who wants to take on the test? We welcome anyone to join us. There are no useless spells, only magicians who don't know how to use them!"

This time, a nonchalant voice rang out in the carriage.

"Master, do you think I'm suitable?"

The guy who volunteered was a handsome blond man wearing a white tourist t-shirt with the powerful calligraphy of "He who has not climbed the Great Wall is no true man." He gave a thumbs up and said seriously, "Good Faris, a native of Maine, a devilish half-breed."

Lu Wenjun struggled to suppress the urge to criticize this old Beijing devil, and shook hands with him: "Welcome, welcome. May I ask what special skills Brother Faris has?"

"Just you wait and see!"

Faris smiled smugly and pointed to the car window beside him. The window suddenly swung open, and a strong wind rushed out of the car, blowing all three of them, including the woman in red shoes, into slicked-back hair!

Ling Gong took two big gulps of air, somewhat stunned: "Then, what happened?"

“And that’s it,” Faris chuckled. “My ancestor was named Surgart, a demon known for his skill in ‘lock picking.’ My manifestation spell, ‘Demon Key,’ can help me pick locks, but in this exam… it’s completely useless!”

Miss Linggong couldn't hold back any longer: "So what exactly are you here for?"

"Didn't you just say that all spells are useful? I was just thinking if I could shine a little... at the very least, I could be a meat shield." Faris rubbed his hands together. "Please, you two brilliant students, let me latch onto your coattails, okay? As the saying goes, helping others brings joy to Jesus."

"There's no such saying! And Jesus wouldn't protect the devil!"

Linggong sighed, feeling that she had wasted precious time; a universal key was clearly useless in conquering Basha.

Lu Wenjun found this functional technique to be very practical. He was about to say something when he felt a weight on his right hand, and a tingling, numb sensation shot straight up his palm to his heart, as if he had been doing one-handed push-ups for three hours straight.

He could barely hold onto the female ghost!

Lu Wenjun then realized that magic must consume mana, and that as a novice magician, his mana bar might not be able to sustain such continuous spellcasting.

The girl in red shoes also became suspicious when she saw the "fairy's" wrist trembling.

"My lord, are you planning to release..."

In a moment of desperation, Lü Wenjun threw the female ghost aside and shouted, "Fine, since you're willing to repent, I'll set you free!"

As the extraterrestrial light dissipated, the woman in red shoes, affected by the pressure difference, was immediately thrown out of the wide-open train window. She reacted quickly, grabbing the nearest flapping wing frame, managing not to fall off the train.

Lu Wenjun reacted even more quickly. Seeing that the female ghost was not dead, he clasped his hands together and immediately slammed the car window shut!

"Dude, that's too ruthless!" Faris was stunned.

Lu Wenjun leaned against the car window and forced a smile, saying, "No, she asked for it herself. I'm just kind-hearted and let her go."

Ling Gong silently pointed outside the car: "But... that woman in red shoes is desperately climbing over here..."

"That's a dance to express gratitude, a heartfelt joy at being able to dance on the stage of the sky."

The woman in red shoes managed to climb onto the wings and began to scream madly.

"Although I couldn't hear clearly, I felt she was saying very rude things," Faris said.

Lu Wenjun insisted, "Oh my, this kid is really something! He got so engrossed in dancing that he started singing! He's so dedicated, truly the most ambitious dancer in the world of ghost stories!"

The woman in red shoes took off her shoes and frantically pounded on the car window with the heels. However, the window seemed to be integrated with the space, and no matter how much the female ghost struggled, it did not budge.

Lu Wenjun was thinking of his next joke to smooth things over when he realized that the huge car window had neither a handle nor a switch. If it weren't for Faris's lock-picking technique, he wouldn't have known how to open the window at all.

In other words, the car windows were originally not supposed to be able to be opened...

The test was designed from the outset with the premise of "movements limited to inside the vehicle"...

He stared at the woman in red shoes yelling outside the window, then looked at the eight-foot-tall man about to break down the door, and an unprecedentedly bad idea quickly formed in his mind.

“Well done, Faris,” he murmured to himself. “Your spells are incredibly useful.”

"Huh?" Faris asked, puzzled.

Linggong was also confused: "So why—"

"Because this is part of the plan!" Lu Wenjun jumped up happily. "Come on, Ling Gong, please send out as many little foxes as possible so we can deal with the eight-foot-tall man blocking the door."

"What are you planning to do this time...?"

Nearly five minutes had passed since the exam began. Apart from the small group of Lü Wenjun and his two companions, the vast majority of trainees in the vehicle had already turned into fish-headed figures. The eight-foot-tall man had already squeezed most of his body into the carriage, ready to wreak havoc.

The red-skinned and blue-skinned guys were still frantically pressing down on the fish-headed people, drawing angry glares from the surrounding classmates. Lu Wenjun waved vigorously at the two brothers: "You two with red and blue skin over there! What are your names?"

“I am Yonggui, and my brother is Zhigui,” Honggui replied.

"Great name, truly a combination of wisdom and courage! Please stand on the chairs and strike a pose that shows off your muscles as much as possible. We also ask other students who are confident in their muscles to contribute their strength!"

The fish-headed students, curious to see what he was up to, refrained from causing trouble. The red-skinned, brave demon took off his shirt, revealing his impressive back muscles: "Is this...is this okay?"

Lu Wenjun shouted, "No! Your manliness is too weak! Put in more effort!"

The blue-skinned intelligent ghost vigorously vibrated its pectoral muscles, the two solid muscles bouncing up and down: "How is it?"

"It's starting to look good, keep it up!" Lü Wenjun gave a thumbs up. "Time is running out, Linggong, are you ready?"

"If you fail, I'll be the first to jump over and laugh at you..."

Ling Gong made a fox gesture with both hands, and four little foxes wobbled across the carriage and landed on the head of the eight-foot-tall man.

The eight-foot-tall man seemed dazed for a moment, and Lü Wenjun seized the opportunity to run forward and point, saying, "Look over there!"

The eight-foot-tall man subconsciously looked up, his drowsy mind instantly clearing as if he had drunk three cans of chili oil. Behind him sat two burly men, posing and gesturing, their muscles bulging, their eyes gleaming. Sweat dripped from their red skin, steam rose from their blue skin, veins bulged like passionate electrical wires, and muscles rippled like solid, imposing rocks.

Inspired by their enthusiasm, even more male college students with monster-like appearances are taking off their shirts to show off their muscular physiques!

"Ooh... Ooh..."

The eight-foot-tall man nearly vomited; his eyes were practically green with embarrassment. The Wise and Brave Twin Ghosts angrily exclaimed, "This phantom spirit is so rude!"

"No matter what, we're not that ugly!"

Lu Wenjun sighed deeply, his face full of sympathy.

"You lot may not know this, but Miss Hachikatsu is an urban legend known for chasing children."

The eight-foot-tall adult can be described as a "tall stalker in white," and her stories always revolve around harassing rural children. Based on this, we can infer…

"You don't like muscular, bearded men, but rather innocent little boys and pure, lovely little girls, right?"

The eight-foot-tall man nodded vigorously, his chin denting the marble floor. Lü Wenjun's expression grew even more sorrowful.

"Unfortunately, you've come to the wrong place. You might not know this, but this is a university's welcome train, and the youngest passenger on this train is already an adult!"

Lu Wenjun waved his hand provocatively: "That's right! Not even those despised teenagers, but adults who have entered society. Your favorite kid doesn't exist on the train! No matter how hard you try, you can only waste your time with this bunch of disgusting adults!"

The eight-foot-tall man's mouth gaped open in a despairing "o" shape. Under the influence of the fox spirit, she felt that every word he spoke was precious and that her future was bleak.

After finally getting out of the house, are we just going to play with musclemen and fishmen?

She was absolutely unwilling to accept this!

Lu Wenjun pointed to the car window: "Unless you're willing to broaden your perspective and look at the problem from a different angle..."

The eight-foot-tall man turned his head again, and his eyes lit up. Hanging from the flapping wing outside the car was a girl in red. She had snow-white skin, red lips, and wore a gothic-style dress. Her cheeks, flushed with anger, added a touch of cuteness to her appearance.

"Is this really okay, Mr. Eight?" Lu Wenjun said worriedly. "In the end, the entrance exam is just a job. No one cares whether you do it well or poorly. But chasing after little girls... that's your life, it's the meaning of your life!"

What is more important during a brief period of freedom?

Is it work, or life?

The eight-foot-tall lady immediately understood the problem. She swung her giant fist and smashed it against the nearest window, causing the entire carriage to shake violently, but the window did not break.

Seeing this unfold, Faris immediately understood the true nature of the plan and pointed, shouting, "Open!"

The train window opened with a snap, and a rush of free air rushed in. The eight-foot-tall woman suddenly shrank by two sizes. She barely managed to squeeze out of the window and leap out of the train, landing on the flapping wing on the left side of the carriage.

She reached out and grabbed at the girl in red shoes, her voice filled with affection, "Pop!"

"Don't come any closer! Aaaaaaah!"

The woman in red shoes screamed and leaped towards the next flapping wing, with the eight-foot-tall giant in hot pursuit. The flying train tilted slightly to one side thanks to their efforts. They quickly moved away from Train Number 4, and a few seconds later, a monster's exclamation rang out from the next carriage: "Holy crap, what the hell crawled past?"

"What?! There's a battleground outside the vehicle?!"

"It must be a hidden map, open the window quickly!"

"Why can't I open the window?!"

"Awesome!" Faris clapped his hands vigorously. "To actually come up with such a vicious plan, Lü Wenjun, you are a complete scoundrel!"

Lu Wenjun breathed a sigh of relief: "Not at all, without Brother Faris's insidious techniques, even the best of my plans would be useless!"

The two soon-to-be college students exchanged a smile, their joy at finding kindred spirits over drinks.

Ling Gong's expression while watching was quite interesting.

"I suddenly want to leave this group..."

"You have to learn to adapt; that's the art of war!" Lü Wenjun laughed heartily. "Now that the phantom spirits are no longer blocking our way, let's set off!"

Chapter 5 begins! Skipping class!

Lu Wenjun stepped out of carriage number 4, cautiously opened the connecting door to carriage number 5, and then rolled back in with standard tactical movement. Just a second later, a small crossbow bolt whizzed past the door and struck another unfortunate minotaur classmate squarely on the forehead.

"Hee hee, I've been hit!" the dwarf holding the crossbow chuckled wickedly.

"No! I don't want to change, I don't want to—"

The minotaur cried out in terror, and its form drastically changed as it was enveloped in asphalt-colored magic. Its body shrank rapidly, becoming smooth and round, turning into a shiny, gleaming piggy bank.

[Rank 74, Mr. Minoflorol: Did you lose your dodge button?]

"Hmph!" the minotaur-pig roared angrily.

The dwarf crossbowman summoned several companions wearing red hats and sporting long beards, who then carried the pig-shot-with-arrow classmate to a wicker barbecue grill. The grill was crowded with angry piglets, and a strange man with scarlet eyes and moth wings jumped among them, his face full of rage.

[75th place, Mr. Carlo: It's better to hit a tree than a wall]

[Rank 76, Miss Lyle: A Charge in Name Only, Suicide in Reality]

"That's a pretty harsh comment," Lü Wenjun remarked.

"Instead of focusing on Mingxiao's writing style, let's pay attention to the current dire situation first," Linggong said.

Carriage number 5 was heavily guarded, resembling a battlefield. The dwarf troops, though only knee-high to an average person, were meticulously organized. They vigilantly guarded strategic locations such as the luggage racks, iron doors, and round tables between seats; anyone daring to peek out would be met with a volley of crossbow bolts and become a new member of the Little Pig Barbecue.

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad, but unfortunately, there was an uninvited guest crouching between carriages 5 and 6. It resembled a large lizard standing upright, with eyes as big as eggs, a back covered with sharp spines, and a bloody smell emanating from its ferocious fangs.

"Exotic demon, I've come to subdue you!"

A student dressed as a monk finally broke through the encirclement of dwarves and bravely charged at the demon with prayer beads in hand. Then, with a slap of his claws and a bite of his sharp teeth, he became the 73rd "alms-giving monk".

“Wow, could this be the Chupacabra?” Faris recognized it. “These things are not easy to communicate with.”

The Chupacabra, also known as the Moca vampire, is a legendary blood-sucking animal that supposedly exists in the Americas. Legend has it that it bites small holes in the bodies of livestock and then sucks all their blood through those wounds.

Both the rumors and previous battles confirm the ferocity of this creature, so trying to make it clear the way by making up stories is probably futile.

"Linggong, how long can your fox spirit influence it?" Lü Wenjun asked.

"It'll probably take about 2 seconds. A direct confrontation is unlikely." Ling Gong tossed out a little fox. "Let's see how many points the dwarf can get first."

The fox that Ling Gong threw landed behind a dwarf, luring it out of carriage number 5 in a daze. Lü Wenjun snatched the crossbow from its hand and threw it to Ling Gong. The next second, the crossbow bolt turned the dwarf into a puff of white smoke.

[Tenyinin Rei Gong +10 points]

"The price-performance ratio is extremely low," Faris commented.

Sometime during the journey, crystal screens appeared all over the carriage. One half of the screens displayed the real-time rankings of the new students, while the other half showed real-time score announcements.

You can get points by defeating the phantoms inside the car. Ling Gong, with 10 points, is ranked 56th, while the current number one student has a score of 8000, the difference between the two is like heaven and earth.

Incidentally, Lü Wenjun and Faris are tied for last place among the surviving trainees because they both have zero kills.

"It feels like such a waste of magic power..." Ling Gong sighed, "It's also a waste that Lord Yasha didn't count the points."

The eight-foot-tall man was cleverly moved out of the carriage, clearing the way but not earning any points. Lü Wenjun didn't care; his goal was to perform well in the entrance exam, avoiding embarrassment and reducing suspicion, thus upholding his previous lie about being a "descendant of immortals." As for benefits and rankings, those were things he could strive for, not essential.

"Let's get our thinking aligned first. None of the three of us are good at direct combat, so it's unlikely we can win first place by defeating the Phantom Spirit and grabbing points. The feasible strategy is to obtain the Original Tome first and stop its rampage. Any questions?"

The scores were obviously set up to determine who was better after the elimination rounds. If a student directly stopped the original from going berserk, the exam would end on the spot, and there would be no need to calculate any rankings.

“There’s no problem if we ignore the fact that you’re quite skilled.” Linggong glanced at him.

“My skill in dodging attacks doesn’t mean I’m good at fighting.” Lu Wenjun poked half his head out, cautiously surveying carriage number 5. “Then let’s not worry about the score. Try to avoid fighting as much as possible, get to carriage number 8 as quickly as possible, and then adapt to the situation depending on Yuan Dian’s circumstances.”