Xiaopang had no doubts about his own ranking.
He was now fifth from the bottom, having beaten a good number of people by a single point.
Thanks to the Spirit Gathering Hall's help, his progress had been lightning-fast.
He worked hard, and his family was willing to spend on resources for him.
It was just so exhausting.
Just cultivating with Jiang Man alone required more effort than most people put in.
If it weren't for his good resources, he really wouldn't have been able to keep up with others who worked just as hard.
But no matter how hard he tried, the end result would be the same: he wouldn't secure a spot, and he wouldn't be able to join the Wuyun Sect.
So, although he worked hard, he had accepted his own mediocrity.
Just because he couldn't take the best path didn't mean he had no other options.
For now, he just had to avoid the scoldings and comparisons from his family.
Because of Jiang Man's rise, everyone in his family compared him to Jiang Man.
Especially since Jiang Man was now ranked in the teens.
The gap between them was only ten-odd ranks. It wasn't a huge difference, so it was seen as something he could catch up to.
'If Jiang Man could do it, why couldn't he?'
To make his family understand that he really couldn't do it, he could only place his hopes on Jiang Man.
He hoped Jiang Man could break into the top ten.
Although Jiang Man had said that cracking the top ten would be difficult this time, getting eleventh or twelfth place would also work.
The gap would still be around ten ranks, but the significance would be completely different.
So he had been waiting for the list to be announced at noon.
He didn't really mind that Jiang Man hadn't shown up.
Jiang Man had already mentioned it yesterday, though Xiaopang didn't know what he was busy with.
'Perhaps it's still about that time they were arrested.'
The incident must have been serious, but strangely enough, all three of them ended up being fine.
'It must mean Chang Qiweng has backers, too.'
During the wait, Song Qing came over and asked about Jiang Man.
And Xiaopang told him what he knew.
Then, Song Qing asked what rank he expected Jiang Man to get.
Xiaopang hesitated for a moment. "If he does well, maybe eleventh or twelfth."
Hearing this, Song Qing marveled. The progress was just too fast.
'It was hard to imagine just how many resources Luo Xuan must have given Jiang Man to enable such lightning-fast progress.'
He was envious and longed to become one of Luo Xuan's guards.
'I wouldn't need that much; a third of Jiang Man's resources would be enough.'
'Or even a tenth would do.'
'At least then I could stay in Luoyun City legitimately, instead of having to go back to my village.'
Finally, it was time for the rankings to be announced.
Xiaopang's eyes immediately fell on the tenth-place spot.
Tenth place: Xie Kecheng, fifty points.
'A pity.'
Xiaopang felt a pang of frustration.
He immediately looked at the eleventh and twelfth spots.
But he wasn't there either.
'No way... Did he choke?'
But normally, people didn't choke during these assessments.
Then he checked the thirteenth and fourteenth spots.
Nothing.
Fifteenth, sixteenth.
Still nothing.
For a moment, he thought he might have been mistaken. 'I should be looking in the top ten.'
Next was ninth and eighth.
Nope.
Seventh, sixth.
Still not him.
Fifth, fourth.
Still not him.
For a moment, he was bewildered.
'Where is Jiang Man?'
"Song Qing, have you seen Jiang Man? I can't find him anywhere," Xiaopang asked, nudging Song Qing beside him.
At that moment, Song Qing mechanically raised his hand. "Look there."
Xiaopang looked in the direction Song Qing was pointing.
He froze on the spot. A strange chill shot through his body, and his scalp went numb.
He saw the ranking at the very top.
First place: Jiang Man, sixty-four points.
'This has to be fake, right?' Xiaopang couldn't believe his eyes.
It wasn't just him; the others were the same.
They knew Jiang Man would make some progress.
But they had never imagined he could take the top spot.
First place...
Getting first place required not only Talent but also massive resources.
Especially to surge to first place in such a short time—the resources required would be astronomical.
They had imagined Luo Xuan taking first, or perhaps Fang Yong.
But Jiang Man...
How could it be him?
Luo Xuan stood rooted to the spot, utterly astonished.
Fang Yong was simply stunned.
Cheng Yu's eyes narrowed, their thoughts unreadable.
Chang Qiweng recalled their last encounter. He felt that Jiang Man had deliberately feigned weakness, all to get him sent to the Law Enforcement Department.
Then, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Isn't Luo Xuan the one sponsoring Jiang Man? How did he surpass her?"
"I don't know. Maybe there's some inside story?"
Hearing these voices, Luo Xuan silently left.
Before, she had thought those rumors were a compliment to Jiang Man's potential. Now, they just felt like a slap in the face.
「Meanwhile.」
Jiang Man entered a compound.
The compound had three nested courtyards. Jiang Man was in the outermost one, which contained six rooms.
"Go wait in Room One. The others will be here soon. You are not to wander around. Everyone with this type of Token is in Room One. There are three types of Tokens in total," the guard explained patiently.
Hearing this, Jiang Man thanked him gratefully.
The guard then lingered for a moment.
Seeing this, Jiang Man had no choice but to give him ten Spiritual Source.
Only then did the guard leave, content.
'Those few sentences just cost me ten Spiritual Source.'
'Being a guard here is a great way to earn Spiritual Source.'
After waiting for a while, Jiang Man saw people trickling in.
As they entered, they all sized up the people already there.
They paid special attention to appearances, like clothing.
The five who came in after him were all dressed in fine silks.
Only Jiang Man wore coarse linen clothes.
The difference between them was self-evident.
Just then, a tall man approached Jiang Man and asked curiously, "Which family are you a live-in son-in-law for?"
Jiang Man: "..."
After a pause, the man shook his head. "No, even a live-in son-in-law wouldn't be this shabby. You must be a Death Warrior who's already signed away his life, right?"
"Is it for the Luo Family?"
"They don't have anyone particularly outstanding, and their foundation seems to have some problems, so it would make sense for them to find a Death Warrior."
"Never mind. You don't have to answer. I wasn't planning on making friends with you anyway."
Jiang Man: "..."
The others snickered.
No one paid any mind to the ugly duckling in the room.
Jiang Man didn't mind, however. Time would prove them all wrong.
'It's just that I haven't been awake for very long.'
'But in half a year, at most, all of them will be tasting defeat at my hands.'
'Patience.'
Soon, the room fell silent.
Then two young people came in, a man and a woman.
The man had a serene expression, but the aura he exuded was so profound that everyone instinctively lowered their heads.
Everyone was inwardly astonished. 'What level of Great Cultivator is this?'
Even the arrogant young men and women from before didn't dare show the slightest hint of disrespect.
"I won't be verifying your qualifications. Right now, I will speak, and you will listen. Do not ask questions. Comprehend it on your own," the man said, looking down at the group. "Understood?"
Everyone lowered their heads, indicating they understood.
In that moment, rich or poor, all were equal before this Great Cultivator.
"Sit," the man said. With a casual wave of his hand, he continued, "You have one hour to read the book. Afterward, I will lecture for two hours. You all have until midnight to comprehend it."
"After midnight, you will leave the books. We will determine whether you've succeeded, and then you may depart."
Jiang Man took the book and began to examine it.
The first thing he saw was the title, four large words: *Water Wood Observation Method*.
The Celestial Mirror Hundred Books activated instantly.
Its pages flipped to the very end and stopped.
[Not Worth Mentioning]
Jiang Man: "..."
Jiang Man then opened the book he'd been given. The first page showed the diagram for the Visualization Skill and its description.
The diagram depicted a great cauldron formed from the confluence of water and wood.
Beside it was written: "From the primordial mist of Heaven and Earth, water nurtures the virtue of wood. Embodying the harmony of Kan and Li, following the natural way of creation, take the Azure Dragon Jia-Yi as the Body and the Black Tortoise Ren Gui as the Application. Fuse the powers of water and fire in perfect balance to form the vital Cauldron of Water and Wood."
Jiang Man read on.
He found the text obscure and difficult to comprehend. Without guidance, he doubted he could even understand it if it were gifted to him, let alone master the skill.
This...
'This is too difficult.'
Without a solid foundation, it was like trying to read a Celestial Book.
No wonder the commonly used techniques were all Simple Skills.