Liu Baijian stood by, watching the group of burly men encircle the youth peddling exam guides. The scene struck him as bullies tormenting a timid middle schooler—the next step would surely be snatching his money.

“Hand over all those spirit stones you made!” The leader loomed over the boy, his face mere inches away, snarling with savage intensity. His bulging cheek muscles twisted his features into a grotesque mask of menace. Despite possessing ordinary good looks, this menacing visage ruined his appearance, making him resemble a thug about to get his face smashed in.

The commotion drew the attention of others nearby, who turned their heads to look.

The threatened youth remained calm, showing no panic or fear. He spoke slowly and deliberately: “Twenty spirit stones were yesterday’s price. Today it’s thirty. Not a single one less.”

“…You’ve got some nerve!” The man flew into a rage at his words, his hand shooting out to strike.

The youth sidestepped the blow. “Are you sure you want to start something here? The Daoist masters of the Wendao Sect might be watching right now.” He even calmly threatened the man.

“…” The man.

A flicker of panic crossed the man’s face at the youth’s words. He immediately withdrew his hand, took two steps back, and created some much-needed distance between himself and the youth.

“You!” His eyes burned with hatred as he glared at the youth before him. “Yesterday you sold it for twenty spirit stones, today thirty! You deliberately swindle people out of their money! Don’t you fear that the Zhenjians and Daojuns of the Wendao Sect will find out? A greedy, despicable, shameless person like you has no right to stand here!”

Hearing this, the youth let out a cold laugh. “Fool!”

“What did you say!?” The man roared in fury. “You dare insult me?”

“Insult you? No, no, no. I’m merely stating a fact.” The youth stared at him with utter scorn. “Even a six-year-old child knows that scarcity determines value. Even identical items command different prices when scarce versus abundant, and again when in high demand versus low demand. “

”This year’s price differs from last year’s, and next year’s will differ from this year’s. It’s a simple principle.“ The youth regarded him with a look that suggested he was observing someone mentally challenged, continuing, ”Yesterday, I sold it for twenty spirit stones in the city because many others were selling it there. Today, I’m selling it for thirty because I’m the only one offering it here. You can choose not to buy.”

He adopted a cold, dismissive posture toward the man, as if to say, “Take it or leave it—if you’re not buying, get lost.” Of course, there was one thing the youth didn’t mention: today’s thirty spirit stones price was due to the approaching exam. Many of these candidates, who had traveled thousands of miles to seek apprenticeship at the Wendao Sect, were now gripped by pre-exam nerves and anxiety. Those who had been reluctant to spend spirit stones on guides yesterday were now generously shelling out coins to ease their minds.

Candidates’ money was the easiest to earn!

In a sense, it was indeed profiteering off their misfortune.

But it was a willing buyer and a willing seller.

How could you call it robbery when people willingly part with their money? The youth argued with righteous indignation, “I earn my money through my own skills.”

“You!” The man, hearing the youth’s words, instantly flew into a rage. “That’s just you twisting the truth!”

The youth laughed upon hearing this. He adopted an attitude of not wanting to waste breath on him, dismissively replying, “If you say so, then so be it.”

The surrounding crowd murmured in agreement. “This guy is unreasonable, just nitpicking.”

“If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it. Why all this hassle?”

“Looks like he just doesn’t want to pay and is picking a fight.”

“…”

“…”

Hearing the surrounding murmurs, the man’s face flushed crimson with fury. He glared at the youth before him, his voice thick with rage. “This is fraud! A hundred percent pass rate?”

He sneered coldly, his gaze fixed on the youth. “Last year, plenty of people bought your guide and failed the assessment!”

Yesterday in the city teahouse, he’d overheard complaints from last year’s candidates for the Wendao Sect discipleship exam. Many had bought the boy’s guidebook only to fail the sect’s assessment and return home in regret. After a year of preparation, they’d come back seeking an apprenticeship! The group had grumbled in the teahouse about how expensive the guidebook was—last year it cost ten spirit stones, but this year it was twenty.

“But no matter the cost, we have to buy it—it really works! No one else’s guide compares to his,” they said, their expressions etched with the pain of parting with hard-earned coins.

It was precisely this moment that the man set his sights on the guide—now priced at twenty spirit stones, a hefty sum that made these buyers grit their teeth. That desire led him to corner the youth today.

After finally mustering the resolve to shell out twenty spirit stones for this supposedly invaluable guidebook, the man was stunned to hear it had risen again! From twenty yesterday to thirty today—he was furious and stormed over to confront the youth.

Hearing this, the youth lifted his eyelids, fixing his gaze on the man. The smile vanished from his face.

Seeing this change, the man’s face lit up with a smug grin. He shouted at him, “You’re a fraud!”

“Hmph—”

The youth gave a cold laugh, his gaze fixed on him as he said, “What did I say?”

“You said your guidebook guarantees 100% success on the Wendao Sect’s assessment!” the man retorted, then turned to the youth, “What else are you trying to argue?”

“You said I claimed the guidebook guarantees 100% success on the Wendao Sect’s assessment, correct?” The youth stared intently at his face, enunciating each word.

The man listened, carefully chewing over the words in his mind, confirming they held no trap or flaw before stating firmly, “Yes, that’s correct! That’s the lie you told.”

“It’s not a lie,” the youth said, his gaze fixed on the man. “I did pass the Wendao Sect’s assessment every single time.”

“…” The man.

The man blurted out immediately, “Impossible!”

“You’re lying!” the man declared with certainty. “If you truly passed the Wendao Sect’s assessment, why are you still here now?”

The youth replied, “It’s true. If you don’t believe me, go ask the Zhenjians and Daojuns of the Wendao Sect.”

“…” The man.

Even hearing this, the man’s expression remained one of stunned disbelief. Or rather, upon hearing the boy’s words, his expression deepened even further in shock and disbelief. As he had just said, if this youth truly passed the Wendao Sect’s trials, why would he still be here? Yet the boy didn’t seem to be lying…

Those around them had also heard the youth’s words. Startled, they couldn’t help but whisper among themselves. Claims like “passing the assessment with absolute certainty” were just empty boasts meant to sell goods—everyone knew it. Few truly believed such exaggerations. If it were truly as the merchant claimed, wouldn’t everyone who bought it be able to join the Wendao Sect? There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Only that man seized upon the loophole in the words, deliberately picking a fight.

But the youth’s counterargument was even more astonishing than the merchant’s advertising pitch. Had he truly passed the Wendao Sect’s assessment?

Standing nearby, Liu Baijian, who had also witnessed the scene and heard the youth’s words, noticed a blind spot. Everyone present, including the troublemaker, had subconsciously focused on the youth passing the Wendao Sect’s assessment, overlooking the crucial phrase “every time…”

Liu Baijian felt this was the real point—had he passed the Wendao Sect’s assessment every single time?

His gaze fixed on the youth before him, who spoke with a cold, composed demeanor, Liu Baijian’s expression turned thoughtful.

“Therefore, there is no deception here,” the youth stated. “This comprehensive guide to 100% passing the examination is precisely the experience I distilled from my own 100% success rate in the Wendao Sect’s trials. If anyone can execute every step outlined in this guide to perfection, they too will inevitably pass the examination.”

The textbook is provided; how much one learns is their own skill.

If everyone who bought the textbook could pass the exam, would such a good thing exist in the world? But can you say the textbook is deceiving people and swindling money just because you bought it and failed the exam?

“…” The man.

The man’s mouth fell open upon hearing the youth’s words. Instinctively, he felt the youth was wrong—that he was making excuses! Yet he couldn’t pinpoint exactly where the fault lay.

He was rendered speechless by the youth’s retort.

Instead, the surrounding crowd nodded in agreement, finding the youth’s words reasonable. “Precisely. The guidebook is merely an external aid. Ultimately, success depends on one’s own effort and talent.”

“If guides alone were enough, why would we need to strive at all?”

“Those who rely solely on guides for success are merely lazy, defeated losers seeking excuses for their incompetence.”

“…”

“…”

Compared to so-called guides, people place greater trust in themselves—whether through diligence or innate talent. These are inherent to humanity.

More reliable than any shortcut.

This is what it means to be human.

The youth’s precise words cut deep, revealing a mastery of human nature and a skill in manipulating hearts.

The man’s defeat was no accident—he was no match for that youth at all! Liu Baijian watched the youth ahead, thinking this silently.

As if sensing his gaze, the youth turned his head and met Liu Baijian’s eyes. His expression froze in surprise.