A Scheming Person Like Me

Regarding the book in the little fatty's hands, Gao Cunfeng's plan was simply to find a suitable moment to throw it away and replace it with a new one. He needed to hire someone to write a proper guide for his son. After all, the boy had been working so hard lately that spending a bit more effort on him was nothing. Although joining a sect was hopeless, he still counted on the boy to sire many children. That, too, was a major matter. With a higher cultivation, fathering children would be much easier, and he could produce a few more. "Have you thought it through?" Gao Cunfeng sat on a nearby chair and spoke in a soft voice. "Will it be cultivation or marriage? "You don't seem able to endure the hardships of cultivation. "Right now, our family depends on you to branch out and spread the family tree. After all, your elder brothers are entirely devoted to cultivation, with no intention of marrying." "I want to cultivate," the little fatty said earnestly. "Didn't you want nothing to do with cultivation before?" Gao Cunfeng said rather helplessly. "The bitterness of cultivation is no easy thing to bear. While we're pleased you're cultivating now, it is a bit late. "You really ought to focus on taking a wife. The one we found for you is definitely the best match. "Good talent, solid cultivation, and well-built to bear children." The little fatty: "..." With complete solemnity, he replied, "I still feel that walking the path of cultivation suits me better." Gao Cunfeng looked at his youngest son and smiled. "Very well. But if you haven't reached Qi-Linking fourth layer by August, you'll obediently come back and accept our arrangements. "Also, don't steal any more paper to take outside next time, especially to show other people. "It delayed quite a few things. "For now, just continue staying around that Jiang Man. At least he can push you to cultivate." Pausing for a moment, Gao Cunfeng spoke again: "Has he said nothing about lacking resources? Or has he partnered with other families? "Or could he actually have been groomed by the Luo family all along?" "I don't know," the little fatty said, shaking his head. He truly did not know. Brother Jiang went on and on about having married an immortal maiden every time he opened his mouth, which was obviously fake. The man simply had incredible talent of his own. *** February 1. Jiang Man received his ranking record sheet. February 1. Yunqian Division, Qingyun Pavilion. Back Courtyard, Sixth Courtyard. Name: Jiang Man. Ranking: 1 (out of 26). Cultivation: Qi-Linking seventh layer. Technique Levels: Simple Qi-Linking Method ninth layer, Simplified Qi-Blood Method eighth layer, Simplified Visualization Method sixth layer. Resources Obtained: Simplified Qi-Linking Method, Morning Light Qi-Linking Method, Simplified Qi-Blood Method, Simplified Visualization Method, Divine Travel Step, Six Harmonies Palm, Three Powers Force, Dragon Suppressing Method... Plan: Practice one hundred repetitions daily. Score: 79. Evaluation: Genius. During the assessment, Jiang Man had used only simplified techniques, so only simplified techniques were listed. With a high score of seventy-nine, he wondered where he stood in Qingyun Pavilion. Logically speaking, he should be close to Li Yuan now. If they met during the next contention, he hoped the other fellow could speak with some civility. "Some among us have made immense progress this time. Everyone should still learn from him," Zhao Leming announced. The students were puzzled. Who could it be? The top ranks were usually fixed and rarely saw major jumps. Who else was worth learning from? Surely they weren't supposed to learn from someone at the bottom? Yet Fang Yong, Luo Xuan, Cheng Yu, and Chang Qiwen all looked toward Jiang Man with curiosity, eager to know his score. None of them went over to ask, however. Unless a friendship was exceptionally close, no one would show their record sheet to another. The contents on it were practically personal secrets. Meanwhile, Jiang Man was frowning. He knew Teacher Zhao was talking about him. But Zhao Leming had not called him out by name, and though the others were curious about his score, none of them came over to ask. This made him rather uncomfortable. Why didn't they just come over and ask, so he could let them see his evaluation? The scores would be posted at noon anyway; what truly mattered was the evaluation. Fortunately, the little fatty came over. "Brother, what's your score?" the little fatty asked. Jiang Man smiled faintly. "Want to see?" The little fatty nodded. Jiang Man handed the sheet to him. The instant he saw the score and evaluation, the little fatty's mouth fell wide open in disbelief. "Brother, is this you going all out?" the little fatty asked. Jiang Man shook his head and said softly, "I merely applied a bit of effort." He was still a long way from going all out. At least nine points away. The little fatty did not believe him, yet his admiration remained profound. They had clearly started out together at the very bottom, but now one was in first place while he was still third from the bottom. Though his score had risen... it was as good as not rising at all, because only the three of them remained at Qi-Linking second layer. They were all trying to break through to the third layer, and whoever proved the slowest would end up dead last. After the little fatty finished looking, Song Qing secretly asked him about Jiang Man's score. The little fatty offered just one word: "Genius." Those nearby overheard, though they remained somewhat baffled. It was not until noon that the courtyard rankings were posted: First place: Jiang Man, 79 points. The instant they saw this score, everyone sucked in a breath of cold air. Wasn't this progress way too fast? Jumping more than ten points in one go? Luo Xuan let out a sigh. Fang Yong gritted his teeth, his brow furrowed. Cheng Yu fell into deep thought. Chang Qiwen, meanwhile, was wondering whether he ought to go apologize and make amends, as there seemed to have been some minor bad blood between them before. Jiang Man paid no heed to any of this and simply cultivated. He was waiting for Qingyun Pavilion to announce the pavilion rankings. However, in the afternoon, the little fatty told him that Qingyun Pavilion would not be publishing rankings for now. They would wait until April 1, after the break, and publish rankings once every three months. Jiang Man fell silent for a moment, thinking Qingyun Pavilion was truly lacking in vision. If they didn't post rankings every month, how could anyone stay motivated to strive upward? It was holding back the student cultivators' progress! Without posted rankings, how would they ever be driven to cultivate sleeplessly around the clock of their own accord? Putting it out of his mind, Jiang Man resumed cultivating in the Sixth Courtyard. Because Jiang Man progressed so quickly, the others dared not rest either. They all followed suit, throwing themselves into cultivation. February passed in this manner throughout. Come the next assessment, everyone's scores showed a leap forward. In particular, the few at the bottom had successfully entered Qi-Linking third layer. Jiang Man merely reached eighty points this time and climbed no further. Fang Yong was still in the sixties. Qi-Linking seventh layer had a bottleneck; advancing was nowhere near that easy. "It's March 1 now. In half a month comes the break," Teacher Zhao reminded them. "Over these past two months, you have learned other subjects. If you feel you have a knack for something, you can try your hand at the Appraisal Office. Whether you wish to continue studying or seek related work, either is fine." He then turned his gaze toward Jiang Man and Fang Yong. "The second contention is also about to begin. You need to determine what you lack before competing for it. However, teammates are also extremely important, and you must strike a proper balance. Make ample preparations. August is not far off. The rest of you must also find your own paths." March 15. The time for the break had arrived. For Jiang Man, this meant the second contention was right around the corner. The list of cultivation techniques and spells would be delivered within the next couple of days. *** Today, Luo Xuan and Cheng Yu left the Sixth Courtyard together. "Are you heading back?" Cheng Yu asked. Luo Xuan shook her head. "I'll head back in a few days." "I'll head back in a few days too," Cheng Yu said with a smile. "Who would have thought Jiang Man's score could be so high? Eighty points! I remember back then Young Master Cheng and Young Master Yang wanted to play tricks on him. If they knew his score now, I wonder if they'd still have the nerve to mess with him." Luo Xuan did not answer that, only asking curiously, "You didn't make the cut either. What are your plans for what comes next?" "Me?" Cheng Yu pointed at herself and laughed. "A scheming person like me will definitely end up living better than you."