Chapter 6 The Sixth Planet

The sixth planet was a beautiful sight. As far as the eye could see, there was an endless forest, filled with flower fields and lakes, a truly magnificent scene. Within this forest stood a colossal, majestic structure.

It was a 'Black Pyramid'!

The Black Pyramid was over a thousand meters tall. With Xu Jingming's eyesight, he could see tiny figures of people on it.

"What kind of test is on this sixth planet?" Xu Jingming opened his personal panel to view the test details.

The test on the sixth planet: Climb the steps of the Black Pyramid and successfully reach the top!

Reaching the top counts as passing the test. Each step of the Black Pyramid is a layer of illusion. You must break through the illusion to step onto the next higher level.

Reminder: Each illusion is a life predicament! You must overcome a hundred kinds of life predicaments to reach the top!

"A hundred kinds of life predicaments?" Xu Jingming frowned slightly.

He moved his feet, transforming into an afterimage and quickly ran towards it.

Passing through mountains, forests, and lakes, he reached the foot of the towering Black Pyramid in five minutes.

The pyramid was shaped like a regular square pyramid, with steps on all four sides! Each step was twelve meters high!

"Climb to the top of this Black Pyramid?" Xu Jingming circled the Black Pyramid and could clearly see a total of 32 explorers on the four sides.

"At the same time, there are three batches of explorers in this exploration area. If each batch is roughly the same size, then there are about 180,000 people." Xu Jingming looked up at the figures on the Black Pyramid. "Approximately 180,000 explorers, and only 32 people on the Black Pyramid?"

From the dilapidated first planet, to the subsequent zerg planet, the ice planet, the sunken planet, the neutron star... large numbers of explorers had been eliminated.

"The first batch of explorers has been exploring for 330 days and is expected to finish on August 8th! Today is already August 5th, so the first batch of explorers should have already given up the test and gone to look for opportunities." Xu Jingming thought to himself, "From this perspective, we can deduce that the 32 people on the Black Pyramid are mainly from the second and third batches of explorers."

Xu Jingming instantly deduced the approximate ratio of those who reached the sixth planet.

A ratio of a few ten-thousandths suggests that he was still quite outstanding.

"A mental illusion?" Xu Jingming looked up at the Black Pyramid in front of him.

Whoosh!

With a leap, Xu Jingming jumped onto the first huge black step.

The moment he landed on the black step, the scene before him changed.

Buzz!

The scene before him was a blue planet.

"Earth?" Xu Jingming recognized the planet before him at a glance; it was his home.

At the same time, Xu Jingming's consciousness rapidly fell, falling into Earth, falling into 'Xia Country', falling into an office building, in front of a desk.

"Huh?" Xu Jingming looked at the computer in front of him, a little dazed. "A computer? This kind of antique is something from decades ago."

At the same time, a memory flooded into his mind.

"My name is Zhang Lei. I'm a 35-year-old programmer with five elders: my father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and grandfather. I have a wife and two children?" Xu Jingming blinked. "This sixth planet's test is really amazing. It's actually constructing a background based on Earth's civilization history."

"According to the description, the illusions are all life predicaments?" Xu Jingming was a little puzzled. He could only follow the routine and observe everything in the illusion.

"Ding-ling-ling."

The cell phone rang.

Xu Jingming picked up the smartphone in his pocket.

The simple memories that had been instilled allowed Xu Jingming to understand 'Zhang Lei's' life over the past 30 years. As a cosmic lifeform, his consciousness was so powerful that he naturally received all the memory information easily.

Xu Jingming gently tapped the phone: "Hello."

"Husband, remember the son's tutoring fees! The tutor has been urging me; we don't have many class hours left." His wife urged him on the phone.

"Okay, okay, I'll pay today." Xu Jingming said immediately.

"Doo-doo-doo—" The phone hung up.

As soon as he hung up, another call came.

"Huh?" Xu Jingming answered in confusion. It was a call from the bank.

"Mr. Zhang Lei, this is a notification that your wealth management investment with our bank, the third-party company, cannot pay the due amount..." The information in the phone call stunned Xu Jingming.

…

Night fell.

After a busy day, Xu Jingming drove a gasoline car back home, arriving at ten o'clock in the evening.

His children were already asleep.

"You're back?" His mother heated up the food and put it on the table. "Don't work so late in the future."

"Okay, I understand." Xu Jingming nodded.

His mother went back to the room, taking her grandchildren with her to sleep.

His wife walked out of the bedroom at this time and sat opposite Xu Jingming.

"Did you pay the tutoring fees?" His wife stared at Xu Jingming.

"Paid, paid." Xu Jingming said immediately, "I paid online, bought 180 class hours and got 20 class hours free."

"Remember the community property fees." His wife said, "If you don't pay... the car won't be able to enter the community."

Xu Jingming nodded.

He had to pay the property fees to renew the car's access card.

"By the way, do you know what day it is tomorrow?" His wife suddenly smiled and looked at Xu Jingming.

Xu Jingming was stunned.

"Pretending to be stupid?" His wife glared.

"Oh, our wedding anniversary!" Xu Jingming said immediately, "I know."

"See how you perform." Only then did his wife smile and return to the room.

Xu Jingming sat at the table, alone, looking at the food in front of him.

Suddenly, a phone rang.

Xu Jingming answered the phone.

"Lao Zhang, you should know that the company's game hasn't been able to go online, and we're supporting two or three hundred people... the company has been spending money, but there's no income! The company really can't hold on anymore! Although I'm very sorry, the boss decided to shut down the company..." The call from his superior brought another bad news.

Xu Jingming was stunned.

The bank's wealth management had gone bust, and now he was losing his job?

Was this Zhang Lei's life predicament?

"Bang." Suddenly, his wife hurriedly opened the door and rushed out.

"What's wrong?" Xu Jingming looked at his wife.

"Quick! My dad was urgently hospitalized and needs immediate surgery. The surgery fee is 80,000 yuan!" His wife's eyes were red with anxiety. "Quickly bring the money! We'll go to the hospital now."

Xu Jingming was stunned.

"Don't you have any money?" His wife said immediately, "First find a way to raise the money, and pay it back when the bank's wealth management matures."

The bank's wealth management was gone, how could he pay it back?

The mortgage for this month was still over 10,000! And he had lost his job!

Xu Jingming didn't dare to say it and rushed out with his wife.

Whoosh—

A line of illusory words finally appeared in the mid-air in front of Xu Jingming:

First-level life predicament, solution requirements: Solve the difficulties encountered by Zhang Lei. Within a year, make Zhang Lei's family harmonious and have assets of ten million. (The use of martial arts is prohibited)

…

Without the use of martial arts, Xu Jingming didn't have any good ideas.

First, he and his wife pooled money together to pay for the surgery. But his father-in-law's hospitalization was a bottomless pit; the expenses were thousands of yuan every day! Making the Zhang Lei couple breathless.

His wife also found out about the news of his job loss. Xu Jingming tried to find a job, but it was difficult to find a new job in a short time, so his wife had to work alone.

With medical expenses and mortgage pressure, his wife was under increasing pressure, and her temper became worse and worse.

When the news of the bank's wealth management collapse could no longer be concealed, his wife couldn't bear it anymore! She broke down and filed for divorce.

When the divorce was proposed, the illusion dissipated!

"Failed?" Xu Jingming returned to the foot of the Black Pyramid and opened his personal panel to check the time. "Half a month passed in the mental illusion, but only an hour has passed in reality?"

With the mental consciousness of a cosmic lifeform, doing some simple things, accelerating time hundreds of times was easy to bear.

Moreover, in a life predicament, the time spent sleeping passed in the blink of an eye.

"Prohibited from using martial arts, how to solve this life predicament?" Xu Jingming also had a headache.

He had practiced martial arts since he was a child, and entered the national team in college. His mind had mainly been focused on martial arts his entire life!

Now that he was prohibited from using martial arts, trying to solve 'Zhang Lei's life predicament' caused Xu Jingming some trouble. Although he had some ideas, he didn't have any confidence in making Zhang Lei's family harmonious and having assets of ten million within a short year...

…

Observation Space.

After Xu Jingming entered the sixth planet, the Permanent Observer naturally paid closer attention.

After all, the further he went, the greater Xu Jingming's potential!

And the probability of Xu Jingming joining the 'Seventeen Supreme Powers' was very low. He would most likely accept the Permanent Observer's invitation, since they were both from the Wu Gou Star Alliance.

"The sixth planet's hundred kinds of life predicaments place high demands on the mind." The Permanent Observer watched. "If he can overcome the hundred kinds of life predicaments, then in his life... no matter what kind of predicament, it's unlikely to defeat him!"

"Only by not being hindered by life's predicaments, is there a glimmer of hope to become a ninth-order source lifeform." The Permanent Observer thought to himself.

Of course, it was only a glimmer of hope.

Becoming a ninth-order was too difficult!

"Hmm?"

The Permanent Observer was suddenly stunned.

Because Xu Jingming was rejected from the first step and fell to the foot of the tower.

"What, he can't even stand on the first step?" The Permanent Observer was a little surprised. He glanced at the short, fat man beside him. The short, fat man was not paying attention to Xu Jingming at the moment, but was paying attention to some explorers from his hometown.

The Permanent Observer frowned slightly, looking at Xu Jingming at the foot of the tower.

"Could it be that my fellow countryman has little life experience?"

"Otherwise, it shouldn't be like this. The hundred kinds of life predicaments, the first level is just the beginning! The later levels are truly desperate and terrifying." The Permanent Observer was puzzled.

…

Yes, Xu Jingming was only 31 years old! Compared to those cosmic lifeforms who had lived for hundreds or even thousands of years, he had much less life experience.

Moreover, he had not been trained in similar 'life predicaments'.

Xu Jingming temporarily withdrew from the mysterious land and returned to his personal space in the virtual world network.

Sitting on the sofa, Xu Jingming drank plain water and pondered silently.

"How to solve life predicaments?" Xu Jingming gently tapped and began to search for information on the virtual world network.

Even cosmic citizens encounter all kinds of difficulties in their lives, so Xu Jingming found a lot of similar information!

"Solving life predicaments? Does this belong to the humanities?" Xu Jingming was stunned.

"Humanities?"

Xu Jingming's heart stirred.

In the universe, academic examinations are divided into two categories! The first is science and technology, which is the main category and has no upper limit. Not to mention a degree level of 100, there are even 120 and 130 levels. Like the cosmic legend 'Zhou Wu' that Xu Jingming once knew, his degree level surpassed 150, and he was the most highly educated person in the entire universe during that era.

The second is the humanities. Even if the academic score for the humanities is full level in both theory and practice, it's only level 60! But the humanities are still very important.

As a separate category listed in the two major categories of academic qualifications, the 'humanities' has a very significant impact on the continuation of civilization and on individual life.

"Humanities? The top talents in the humanities are people who can plan strategies and make accurate calculations." Xu Jingming thought, "And our Earth happens to have such a person. He's still my agent!"

Soon—

In Xu Jingming's personal space, Pang Ze arrived at the invitation.

"Mr. Pang, I have something to ask of you." Xu Jingming said.

"What is it?" Pang Ze asked. For the most promising peerless genius on Earth, Pang Ze was naturally willing to do his best to assist him.

"If you encounter a life predicament, how should you solve it?" Xu Jingming asked.

"Can you tell me the details?" Pang Ze asked.

Xu Jingming was stunned.

How could he say it?

He couldn't say it! For example, the first level of predicament, within a year, he would encounter all kinds of problems.

"You may encounter many life predicaments, all kinds." Xu Jingming said, "If you have to solve all these life predicaments?"

"Solve many life predicaments?" Pang Ze thought for a moment and said, "I can help you think of ways to solve one or two things, but if you want to solve many predicaments? Then you need to master the knowledge yourself."

"Master the knowledge?" Xu Jingming asked.

"Humanities knowledge is all-encompassing." Pang Ze said, "Solving life predicaments is just one branch."

"Please teach me, Mr. Pang." Xu Jingming said, "I hope to master this skill as soon as possible."

Pang Ze nodded slightly.

As an existence that was nearly full level in the path of the humanities, he naturally knew how to teach.

"These are the three books that I think are the most worth reading for solving life predicaments." Pang Ze quickly bought three books. "You read these three books first! After you finish reading them, I'll send you to the 'virtual world' for learning for half a month."

"That's about it, you'll have enough theoretical knowledge." Pang Ze said, "After half a month of theoretical study, there's practice! Practice is the most important thing. Many people are just armchair strategists, and when they really encounter life predicaments, they still fall into despair."

"How much you can learn and how much you can comprehend still depends on your personal potential." Pang Ze said.

Back then, Pang Ze's learning environment was extremely harsh. At that time, he used Earth's virtual room and could only log in for a few hours a day. No one guided him, and he learned by groping. In just a few years, Pang Ze's humanities skills broke through level 50, and the Cosmic Human Alliance took the initiative to help him advance to a 'cosmic lifeform'.

Now, with his outstanding achievements in the humanities, Pang Ze is able to easily earn a high income in the virtual world and has become Earth's richest man.

He took many detours back then.

Now, he was helping Xu Jingming by pointing out the fastest path.

"Okay." Xu Jingming trusted the other party very much. As the two people on Earth with the highest achievements, they both had a sense of mission. If Earth was to rise... they naturally had to unite and help each other.

Xu Jingming sat down and immediately began to read these three books, starting his studies in the humanities.

"Half a month of theoretical study, and then practice, I'll do it directly on the sixth planet." Xu Jingming thought to himself. He still yearned to enter the seventh planet.