The Starry Sky Ladder Ranking Competition was a method created by the New Federation specifically to train and select outstanding Star Envoys.
And since its main purpose was training and selection, this so-called Ranking Competition was not merely a contest of "strength."
Potential was likewise a core criterion for judging a participant.
As for how a participant's potential was measured, the Starry Sky Ladder Ranking Competition had many procedures.
Obtaining seven Martial Arts Emblems before the age of twenty-five was among the most basic—and simplest—assessments.
Yet this one criterion alone could eliminate ninety-nine percent of Star Envoys with ordinary talent.
Beyond that, the Starry Sky Ladder Ranking Competition had other means of evaluation.
Based on differing levels of potential, participants were divided into four grades—heaven, earth, mysterious, and yellow—and given different "cultivation resources," namely Heavenly Martial Coins.
However, these potential grades were not set in stone.
After all, some people would suddenly experience "enlightenment," or see their potential rapidly soar after years of accumulated effort finally bore fruit.
Such cases had not been absent from past Starry Sky Ladder Ranking Competitions.
And in order to maximize the stimulation of participants' potential and strengthen their sense of belonging to the Association.
The Star Envoy Association had also arranged so-called "special mentors" for the Ranking Competition.
At the same time, if a yellow-grade special mentor could train a yellow-grade potential student into a Heaven-tier student, they would receive a considerable reward.
This was precisely what Tiandao wanted to discuss with Gorn.
He could personally help Gorn cultivate a "Heaven-tier student," on the condition that Tiandao got a cut.
But earning extra profit was merely the surface reason.
Tiandao's true purpose was actually to find an excuse to "steal the spotlight."
After all, according to the "hot-blooded anime rule," the protagonists of hot-blooded