Strive for the Top Ten

Jiang Man looked at the little fatty with a puzzled expression. The latter quickly explained, "Because I used to always outrank you, Brother Jiang, but now you've passed me. "My father said that if you could climb steadily from dead last, "why can't I do it from second to last? "Logically, being second to last, I should improve faster than you did. "I know he's just out of touch with reality, since your rank isn't that high yet, Brother Jiang. "So he thinks that if you could do it, I can too. "That's why you have to work hard, Brother Jiang. Strive for the top ten or even top five—then he'll finally wake up." Jiang Man was rendered speechless. Prodigies truly shouldered the most inexplicable burdens. Still, the little fatty's resources had genuinely helped him a great deal. Before this, he had already gathered enough spiritual qi to fill three gourds. Now, he only needed to return, ingest a Spirit Gathering Pill, and refine it to smoothly open the fourth gourd. That night. After cultivating for a long time, Jiang Man finally ceased the circulation of his technique. Boundless spiritual qi surged through him. Having reached the Qi-Linking fourth layer, his spiritual qi had grown considerably thicker and heavier than before. No wonder he hadn't been able to break through earlier. If he had forced a breakthrough, his body wouldn't have been able to endure it at all. "Two months have passed. You only have one month left," the old yellow ox strolled over and reminded him. "Brother Ox, you'd better worry about your own troubles. Has that immortal maiden made a move against you recently?" Jiang Man asked. "I won't die, but you truly might." The old yellow ox picked up its tether rope with its mouth and ambled off to graze elsewhere. Watching it leave, Jiang Man pondered for a moment. He recalled that when the immortal maiden struck, it was the old yellow ox who ended up dead. They were in the same boat. October 15. Another round of assessments began. In the courtyard, Song Qing approached Jiang Man and whispered, "Make sure to perform well these days. I heard people from the sect have already begun their inspections." Jiang Man didn't understand why the other boy was being so kind. Even so, he thanked him. Today was assessment day, and no one spoke much, lest they become distracted. The two-day assessment period passed without incident. There were no problems, nor did any sect members appear on patrol. People often spoke of sect inspectors, yet he had never seen one. After asking around, he learned that sect members seemed to appear frequently only within the Three Towers. Perhaps rumors of them inspecting the entire Yunqian Division had been false from the start. After all, most of the capable individuals were in the Three Towers. Consequently, the courtyards in the Three Towers also possessed more assessment spots. The morning of the seventeenth. Everyone arrived early to wait. Today, the rankings would be updated. Zhao Leming arrived promptly as well. "There are no major changes in the overall rankings," he said, handing out the record sheets. Jiang Man soon received his sheet. October 17. Yunqian Division, Qingyun Pavilion. Back Courtyard, Sixth Courtyard. Name: Jiang Man. Ranking: 14 (out of 26). Cultivation: Qi-Linking fourth layer. Technique Mastery: Simple Qi-Linking Method, fifth layer; Simplified Qi-Blood Method, third layer. Resources Obtained: Simplified Qi-Linking Method, Divine Travel Step, Six Harmonies Palm, Three Powers Force. Plan: Cultivate sixty times daily. Score: 40. Remark: Stronger in two months than nearly half the students after two years. Putting away the sheet, Jiang Man looked toward the little fatty, only to find his expression rather grim. "What's your rank?" Jiang Man asked. The little fatty held his sheet out for Jiang Man to see. His cultivation hadn't changed, but his Qi-Linking Method had advanced by one layer. His ranking had climbed by one spot—third from the bottom. However, the remark was rather scathing: *A waste of resources; better off given to someone whose two months surpass your two years.* Jiang Man fell silent. Could an examination even tell that someone wasn't digesting resources well? It was indeed possible. The little fatty fumed, "Why has my evaluation never been good? Even when you were dead last, your remark was better than mine." *I already told you it's because I slipped them gifts, while you kept all your treasures for yourself,* Jiang Man replied inwardly. Around noon, the rankings were made public. Jiang Man's rise from eighteenth to fourteenth was noticed immediately. People marveled with envy; boarding Eldest Miss Luo's ship truly allowed one to advance by leaps and bounds. Looking at Jiang Man's ranking, Song Qing was filled with emotion as well. Without a doubt, Jiang Man had become Luo Xuan's guard. That was why he received her full support—how else could he advance so swiftly? Though Jiang Man repeatedly denied it, Song Qing didn't believe him. If it were him, he would deny it persistently as well. After all, this concerned ultimate success or failure; how could anyone risk suffering from others' jealousy? Others likewise assumed this was the result of becoming her personal guard. In their conversations, many spoke with disdain, yet inwardly most wished desperately they could take his place. On the way back that day, Cheng Yu said indignantly, "This Jiang Man really doesn't know what's good for him. Still, why has his ranking risen so fast?" Pausing, realization dawned on her. "Did he become someone else's personal guard? But who? There hasn't been the slightest sign." "Everyone thinks he's serving as my guard and that I'm nurturing him," Luo Xuan said with a smile. "What do we do now?" Cheng Yu asked, irritated. Luo Xuan thought for a moment before saying, "Originally, we wanted to use him to influence Fang Yong. Then, seeing he had some skill, we wanted to recruit him. "Yet things didn't go as planned. "And now, it seems we've been affected instead." Saying this, Luo Xuan looked at Cheng Yu. "Let's put this matter to rest for now. There will be opportunities in the future. "Right now, our priority should be securing a spot. "Your score isn't low either; it's not impossible for you to win a spot." She didn't want to keep wasting her energy here; she needed to focus on improving herself. Fang Yong hadn't done anything at all, yet she had allowed herself to get entangled. That was by no means a good thing. Being overtaken by him was the true danger. Setting all this aside and going all out for the spots was the proper path. There were still two months left. If she could break through within these two months, then... it would be the safest course. Cheng Yu thought it over and nodded in agreement. After that, the two parted ways and returned to cultivate. Cheng Yu waved goodbye to Luo Xuan. Watching Luo Xuan's figure disappear, Cheng Yu wiped the smile from her face and shook her head. "Luo Xuan is fine in every way, except her vision is mediocre. "For a village boy like Jiang Man to advance so quickly, he's no ordinary seed. "As long as I bring him under my wing, he'll definitely be a tremendous help in the future. "Since Luo Xuan won't take him, I will." Cheng Yu walked toward her residence, pondering how to subjugate this guard. *He refused to take the easy way out Luo Xuan offered him. He must still have pride and hope in his heart. In that case, all I need to do is crush his hope.* *Then he'll wonder who did it. The only ones who have grudges against him right now are Luo Xuan and Fang Yong.* *For the former, it could be out of embarrassment and rage at being spurned; for the latter, it could be to prevent him from rising higher.* *When that happens, stepping in to recruit him will seem completely natural.* *If luck is on my side, I might even take one of the spots myself.* Cheng Yu had an idea, but putting it into practice would be somewhat tricky. As she neared her residence, she saw someone walking toward her. It was none other than Cheng Moyang. Seeing him, Cheng Yu smiled, went up to greet him, and casually brought up the story of Luo Xuan suffering a setback. She didn't mention it because Cheng Moyang fancied Luo Xuan, but because people like him loved nothing more than toying with the poor—especially interesting poor folk. Afterward, Cheng Yu smiled and departed to return to her cultivation. The seed had been planted, and a grievance already existed. Now all she had to do was wait for the harvest. She didn't need to lift another finger.