Second floor, inside the conference room.
Li Yi, Zhang Gao, Zhao Xiaoxiao, and six other Cultivators came to apply for the job as guides.
Manager Xu Ming said, "The recruitment of guides this time is quite special, so everyone who comes will get two contracts to choose from. You can decide which contract to sign based on the content and requirements specified. However, no matter which contract you sign, you'll also have to sign an additional confidentiality agreement."
"This is because the matter involves the employer's privacy, and we hope everyone can understand."
Having said that, Xu Ming arranged for his assistant to distribute the two paper contracts to everyone.
Everyone carefully started reading them after receiving them.
Li Yi was also looking through them, and he couldn't help but be startled, "Nine thousand Yuan per hour? That's a high rate, but the working hours are a bit long, and it requires six uninterrupted hours. If the guidance is stopped midway due to personal reasons, then the wages for those six hours will be halved."
"This is the first contract; let's see the second one."
"The second contract is actually measured? Earning a hundred Yuan for guiding each portion of Cosmic Energy, with no upper limit, and a six-hour work duration, but breaks are allowed."
"This is really a tough choice," Zhang Gao couldn't help but say aloud.
Someone immediately nodded in agreement, "It really is a difficult decision. A fixed salary of nine thousand per hour is already quite high, but the return of a hundred Yuan per portion of Cosmic Energy could be greater. However, there is also the risk. With good luck, one could earn tens of thousands in an hour, but with bad luck, one might not even make three thousand in an hour because capturing the overflow of Cosmic Energy from wormholes is too unstable."
"Fixed salary isn't without risks either. Six hours of Meditation time tests a Cultivator's stability. If you exit Meditation midway, your salary is halved, which makes signing the second contract more appealing," Zhao Xiaoxiao voiced her opinion.
"There are pros and cons to each; it depends on what everyone chooses."
The seven people discussed among themselves.
But soon, someone had already signed a contract, "I don't like gambling; I'll sign the first contract."
"Makes sense, a stable income is important to me; I'll sign the first contract too."
Watching several people quickly sign, Zhang Gao asked, "Li Yi, which contract are you leaning towards?"
"The second one," Li Yi signed his name on the second contract without any hesitation.
He had a Mysterious Object that could guide massive amounts of Cosmic Energy, an opportunity to make money he wouldn't miss.
And he wasn't worried about the Mysterious Object being exposed.
The incomplete Mysterious Artifact Energy Field was too small. Lin Yue couldn't detect it even when she was so close to him, so others would be the same. Plus, during the work period, he could take the opportunity to cultivate, killing two birds with one stone.
Because the contract also stated, during the work period, food and accommodation were covered.
Seeing Li Yi so decisive, Zhang Gao hesitated for a bit but then opted to sign the first contract.
"Forget it, I won't take the risk, I'll choose the first contract," Zhao Xiaoxiao, seeing that most people had made their choice, thought it over and then signed her name on the first contract.
Seven people, only Li Yi chose the second contract; everyone else chose the first contract.
After signing the contracts, Xu Ming said, "Everyone's dormitory is on the third floor, each of you will have a separate suite. The work hours are from midnight to six in the morning. I will notify you half an hour in advance, so please be prepared. As for the wages, they will be settled daily and paid in cash; we hope you understand."
Subsequently, Xu Ming arranged for his assistant to let everyone rest in their dormitories first and start work in the evening.
Soon, Li Yi was assigned to room number four.
The room was spacious, bright, clean, and tidy, much better than the house he had in the old district.
But he couldn't stay here for long. He needed to go back every few days as his parents were still lying in the medical cabin at home, and he had to occasionally find time to go back and change their nutrient solution.
But he wasn't worried about any issues at home.
He had installed cameras at home, which allowed him to monitor the situation in real-time via his smartphone. Additionally, the medical cabin had specialized monitoring software, enabling him to promptly understand the operating status of the cabin. If there was an emergency, his phone would alarm, and Li Yi would know immediately.
"It's two in the afternoon now, and work starts at midnight, which gives me some time to Meditate and cultivate a bit and also snag a free dinner," Li Yi thought frugally, making full use of his free time.
But as he was getting ready to Meditate.
Suddenly.
"Thud! Thud!"
The door was knocked.
"Is Li Yi there?" Zhao Xiaoxiao's voice came through the door.
"I'm here," Li Yi said after opening the door, only to see Zhao Xiaoxiao and a few other unfamiliar Cultivators standing at the doorway.
"You're Li Yi, right? Hello, my name is Wu Zhen, we met earlier," said a young man about twenty-five or twenty-six years old with a buzz cut, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, and a sturdy build, exuding a strong sense of aggressiveness.
"Hello, what can I do for you?" Li Yi nodded in response.
"It's like this, through Zhao Xiaoxiao, I learned you signed the second contract back in the conference room, right?" Wu Zhen said.
"Yes, I felt the second contract was more suitable for me. Is there a problem?" Li Yi replied.
Wu Zhen smiled, "Of course, there's no problem. I just wanted to give you a heads up. As you know, guiding Cosmic Energy is unstable; sometimes there's more, sometimes less. I've calculated that a Cultivator in Meditation can guide an average of around sixty portions of Cosmic Energy per hour."
"So we few have reached an agreement that we will control the amount to an average per hour while guiding Cosmic Energy. In doing so, the employer won't think we are slacking off, and we can also spare some time to cultivate during working hours, benefiting both ways."
"What average value did you all set?" asked Li Yi.
By his side, Zhao Xiaoxiao said, "Considering the importance of this job, we've set the number to be around seventy, with a variance of no more than ten up or down. What do you think of that, Li Yi?"
"So what you're saying is that the maximum Cosmic Energy I'm allowed to guide in an hour can't exceed eighty?" Li Yi finally understood their intentions completely.
"That's correct," Wu Zhen nodded and said, "Because your contract is different from ours, I felt it was necessary to give you a heads up."
"If I guide eighty units of Cosmic Energy in an hour, my hourly wage is only eight thousand, while you guys get nine thousand. Doesn't this mean I'm losing a thousand?" Li Yi said.
Zhao Xiaoxiao said, "Li Yi, it's not exactly like that. You can use the extra time for your own Cultivation, which is a win-win situation."
"It might seem like a win-win situation to you, but from my perspective, it's a big loss. I am in dire need of money, so I'm eager to save up a sum in a short period of time. Jobs like these that measure the guidance of Cosmic Energy aren't always available. I only got this job through a friend's referral after much difficulty. I reject your proposal."
Li Yi firmly rejected their plan.
"Is there no room for negotiation?" Wu Zhen's eyes narrowed slightly, with a hint of light flickering within.
Li Yi said, "I understand you guys want to slack off at work and still get paid, but I am more interested in advancing myself. Otherwise, why would I sign a second contract? Plus, by signing it, I'm taking a risk too. If in one hour, I can't even guide ten units of Cosmic Energy, I have to shoulder the loss myself."
"I am betting on my luck, hoping to encounter a surge of energy from a wormhole and make a large sum of money quickly. If I comply with you guys, I'm the one who loses when I'm unlucky, and when I'm lucky, I can't exceed the cap of eighty, watching the money slip away. It's a loss either way... so no, there's no room for negotiation."
He looked very serious as he spoke to Wu Zhen.
Rejected twice in a row, Wu Zhen, Zhao Xiaoxiao, and several other Cultivators didn't look too pleased.
"What if I really want you to agree? Can you give us some face?"
At this moment, Wu Zhen extended his muscular arm and placed it on Li Yi's shoulder, staring intently at him. The look in his eyes was no longer just a gaze but a menacing glare.
A threat, unmistakably overt.
The others also stared at Li Yi, remaining silent.
"I don't want to cause trouble."
Li Yi glanced at the arm on his shoulder, feeling the hand's grip getting increasingly tighter.
Wu Zhen said with a smile, "We're all out here trying to make a living, and none of us wants to make a big deal of this."
Li Yi, expressionless, spoke, "Fine, I'll give face to you guys and agree to your request. But if something comes up later, can you guys give me face too?"
"Of course, that won't be a problem."
Wu Zhen immediately burst into laughter, then patted Li Yi on the shoulder, "Thanks, my friend."
Seeing that Li Yi agreed, the others also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Li Yi, get some rest. We won't bother you anymore, and thank you for being understanding," Zhao Xiaoxiao said with a smile.
"We'll take our leave." Upon achieving their goal, they all started to disperse.
"Wu Zhen."
However, just as they had barely taken a few steps and turned around, Li Yi's voice suddenly rang out.
"What?" Wu Zhen instinctively turned his head.
But in the next instant, his expression changed drastically. He saw Li Yi's figure suddenly close in on him, followed by a tremendous force striking his waist.
"Bang!"
Wu Zhen was sent flying, tumbling several times on the ground before finally crashing into the corridor wall and coming to a stop.
"Dare to ambush me? You're courting death." He quickly realized what happened, furious, and instinctively tried to stand up and fight back.
"Wu Zhen, careful!" someone suddenly shouted a warning.
Suddenly, Li Yi's figure slammed aggressively in front of him once more.
Wu Zhen's pupils contracted sharply, only to see a knee hurtling fiercely towards his face.
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Wu Zhen's nose erupted in blood as his head slammed against the wall behind him, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.
However, before he could even recover, another knee strike came at him.
"I'm going to kill you... Bang!"
After the third knee strike, then the fourth… Wu Zhen was in turmoil, feeling someone grabbing his hair and repeatedly hammering his head with a knee.
"Stop, please don't hit me…"
The intense pain and severe dizziness rendered him incapable of fighting back, only able to instinctively try to block with his hands.
Li Yi, without any expression, continued to grip his hair and drive his knee into Wu Zhen.
The physical prowess and explosive power provided by Cultivation made his knee strikes as heavy as a hammer, relentlessly pounding onto Wu Zhen.
Zhao Xiaoxiao and the others watching were stunned into silence, not daring to step in and stop the violence.
At this moment, Li Yi did not seem like a person but more like a wild beast fighting desperately for food, instilling fear in those around him.
Was it the rage of a normally placid man?
Or was this his true nature?