Seat Rankings

"Zhang Qingyuan, have you already broken through to the Spirit Essence Realm Seventh Level?"

Dean Liu's voice

immediately brought the many fellow sect members who had been somewhat distracted back to their senses.

Their gazes suddenly fell in unison upon Zhang Qingyuan.

Spirit Essence Realm Seventh Level

had already reached the Spirit Essence Late Stage. This counted as a major breakthrough, placing him among the forefront of the Seventeenth Branch.

Under the watchful eyes of all,

Zhang Qingyuan's gaze remained calm, his heart without a ripple.

He slowly stood up and respectfully bowed to Dean Liu,

then said,

"Reporting to Dean, this disciple was fortunate enough to achieve a breakthrough yesterday."

"Good. I remember that when I first became Dean, you were still at the Spirit Essence Realm Third Level, with the lowest cultivation in the Seventeenth Branch. I never expected that in merely two years, you would already have caught up to most of your fellow sect members in the branch."

Dean Liu swept his gaze across the people below,

"You should all take Zhang Qingyuan as your example. Cultivate diligently, and only then can you avoid tarnishing the prestige of our Cloud Water Sect. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Dean!"

The disciples all responded in succession.

Dean Liu nodded

and continued,

"Our Cloud Water Sect respects strength above all. The capable rise, the weak fall. Zhang Qingyuan's cultivation has already broken through into the late stage, making him the twentieth disciple in our branch to enter the Spirit Essence Late Stage. By convention, his seat ranking should be raised to twentieth. Do any of you have objections?"

"Reporting to Dean, we have no objections."

"Good. Zhang Qingyuan, take a seat in the second row."

In this world, the strong were honored.

The seats in Chaoyang Peak's square were arranged according to Cultivation Strength. Ten people sat in each row, with eight rows in total, all sitting cross-legged in the square to listen to the Dao.

The first row contained the first through tenth ranked disciples of the Seventeenth Branch, closest to the High Platform where Dean Liu taught.

The second row came next, containing the eleventh through twentieth ranks.

And so on.

Originally, nineteen Outer Sect Disciples in the Seventeenth Branch had entered the Spirit Essence Late Stage.

Thus, the disciple originally seated at the very end of the second row

was only at the peak of the Spirit Essence Realm Sixth Level.

He was an Outer Sect Disciple named Yao Ping. Through several challenge battles, he had secured that position. His strength was extremely formidable, and he was publicly acknowledged as the number one person below the Spirit Essence Late Stage in the Seventeenth Branch.

But now, Zhang Qingyuan had broken through first.

His superior realm naturally replaced Yao Ping's position.

As Dean Liu's words fell,

Zhang Qingyuan looked calmly at Yao Ping, who had originally held the twentieth seat. Yao Ping remained silent, his furious eyes meeting Zhang Qingyuan's.

For a moment, Yao Ping wanted to leap out at once and settle victory and defeat with the fellow who had taken his position!

But after all,

his fists clenched tightly as he suppressed that thought.

Not yet!

The gap between the Spirit Essence Mid Stage and the Spirit Essence Late Stage was too great. Even if that fellow did not excel in Combat Power, he was still at the Spirit Essence Realm Seventh Level!

Crushed by the difference in cultivation realm, his peak Spirit Essence Realm Sixth Level had virtually no chance of winning!

Dean Liu seemed to sense Yao Ping's thoughts as well and glanced at him.

His brows furrowed slightly, but he said nothing.

Yao Ping forcibly swallowed his anger.

Lowering his head, he gathered his belongings and silently retreated to the third row.

Zhang Qingyuan stepped forward with a calm expression.

The line automatically shifted back by one seat, filling the gap.

The atmosphere grew somewhat stifling.

Numerous gazes swept over him.

Even several people in the first row could not help turning back for a few looks, seemingly wondering what to make of Zhang Qingyuan's breakthrough.

Expressionless, Zhang Qingyuan calmly took his seat amid the many stares.

After the adjustment,

Dean Liu did not continue the lecture.

Instead, he spoke of a major matter related to all Outer Sect Disciples of the Cloud Water Sect.

"Our sect's once-every-three-years Outer Sect Grand Competition will be held half a year from now. You must cultivate well and strive to obtain a good ranking in the Grand Competition so that you may enter the Inner Sect."

"I know that some disciples of our Seventeenth Branch have already failed to advance into the Inner Sect through two consecutive Grand Competitions. This will be your final opportunity. Prepare yourselves well. Do not say that I did not warn you."

As soon as these words were spoken,

the fellow sect members sitting in the middle and rear rows

all stiffened in expression.

Some of them

even turned deathly pale, cold sweat streaming down their faces.

Anxiety, disappointment, despair—every sort of expression appeared.

All of this

was because of the rules of the Cloud Water Sect's Outer Sect.

The Cloud Water Sect was not a place that raised trash. Passing the entrance examination and entering the Outer Sect did not mean one could rest easy from then on and remain an Outer Sect Disciple of the Cloud Water Sect for life.

Three opportunities for the Outer Sect assessment,

or ten years.

During this period, if an Outer Sect Disciple could not enter the Inner Sect, they would be sent out to open up territory, fighting as Cannon Fodder for the sect's expansion.

Unless they earned enough contributions to obtain a great opportunity and break through to become a True Essence Realm expert, they would have to spend the rest of their lives striving for the sect.

Moreover, once either of those deadlines had been exceeded,

even if they still retained the title of an Outer Sect Disciple of the Cloud Water Sect,

all manner of Cultivation resources and benefits,

as well as lectures guided by the Sect Master, would be gone.

It was equivalent to graduation.

The kind where one had sold oneself to the sect.

Zhang Qingyuan had entered the Cloud Water Sect's Outer Sect only two years ago.

He still had plenty of time and opportunities.

Naturally, he was not afraid.

There was little change in his expression.

But within the Seventeenth Branch, there was no shortage of fellow sect members who had endured two failures. Facing this final test, those with strength were still all right, but for those who were weaker, there was only disappointment and even despair.

"Enough. Today's lesson ends here. Go cultivate on your own."

There was no expression on Dean Liu's solemn face. He stood up, and Sword Light rose behind him, gathering beneath his feet as his entire body ascended into the air.

"Farewell, Dean!"

The disciples all stood up and bowed.

Amid the respectful voices of the Outer Sect Disciples, Sword Light flashed and streaked across the Long Sky. Dean Liu's figure Disappeared in the distant heavens.

"Ah, only half a year left. This is troublesome!"

"Yeah, this is already my second time taking part in the Outer Sect Grand Competition. If I fail again this time..."

With Dean Liu's departure,

the Outer Sect Disciples on Chaoyang Peak began to disperse as well. Familiar friends gathered together, whispering to one another as they discussed the approaching Outer Sect Grand Competition.

Some older disciples were dejected, worrying over their bleak futures.

Others were excited new disciples entering the Grand Competition for the first time, intending to make a name for themselves in a single brilliant feat.

Just then,

"Zhang Qingyuan!"

Suddenly, a voice drew everyone's attention.

Yao Ping, who had previously sat at the end of the second row

and had been displaced by Zhang Qingyuan, glared fiercely at Zhang Qingyuan in the distance.

"This time, I lost by a step, but do not get too smug. I have already sensed the bottleneck of the Spirit Essence Late Stage. At most half a month, at least ten days, I will definitely enter the Spirit Essence Realm Seventh Level. When that time comes, you will obediently return the position you took from me!"

After delivering his threat,

Yao Ping did not wait for Zhang Qingyuan's response.

With a cold snort,

he ignored the crowd around him that was watching the show and walked away on his own.

Under the watchful, entertained gazes of the many disciples around him,

Zhang Qingyuan's expression remained indifferent.

There was not the slightest ripple on his face.

Conflict arising

was something he had expected.

The ranking of the seats

did not merely mean sitting closer to Dean Liu during lectures.

It also represented the allocation of the Dao Path and resources.

All of it

was related to one's strength ranking.

The Cultivation resources allocated each month to the first row were greater than those allocated to the second row. Likewise, the second row received more than the third.

The sect distributed Cultivation resources

in this manner, with the strong occupying more resources and the weak occupying fewer,

in order to motivate the sect's disciples to cultivate.

The Ranking Competition between Zhang Qingyuan and Yao Ping was not limited to this either.

There were even greater interests involved.

In the Seventeenth Branch, the top twenty Outer Sect Disciples

could directly advance through the preliminary selection for the Outer Sect Grand Competition

and enter the formal competition stage.

As for those outside the top twenty, they first had to hold a small competition within the branch, where ten would be selected to participate in the true Cloud Water Sect Outer Sect Grand Competition alongside the top twenty.

Therefore,

the twentieth rank Yao Ping occupied

was far more than a simple seat.

This was a struggle for interests,

and also a struggle for the Dao Path.

It could not be avoided at all!

Zhang Qingyuan had no intention of yielding either.

That would simply be a joke.

Those who cultivated the Dao had to contend.

Could it be that just because Yao Ping had always been bold and fierce in battle, Zhang Qingyuan was supposed to take a step back and yield to him?

Some things could be yielded.

But anything related to the interests of the Dao Path

could never be yielded.

In the Cloud Water Sect's Outer Sect, if one was one step slower, one would have to expend even more effort in the future to close that gap!

If he yielded this time,

was he supposed to yield the Outer Sect Grand Competition as well?

Even if this earned him an enemy who did not seem easy to provoke, so what?

How things would turn out

could only be known after they fought.

At the very least,

in terms of apparent Combat Power, the Spirit Essence Late Stage realm was enough to defeat Yao Ping.

As for the future,

who knew?

He had made a formidable enemy in a single lecture, but Zhang Qingyuan's state of mind remained ordinary. Under the show-watching gazes of his fellow sect members, he unhurriedly left Chaoyang Peak.

There was no use overthinking.

He might as well return and properly digest what he had gained from today's lecture.

The Manifestation Tracing Technique taught in this lecture

also needed to be cultivated.

Half a quarter-hour later,

Zhang Qingyuan returned to his own Inner Residence

and began cultivating behind closed doors to improve himself.