Investment

Sun Qi walked off the field in dejection. The crowd reacted differently—some sneered, while others felt his pain.

No matter what, Escort Huang had rejected him. His words were cold, yet they also revealed a fact: Sun Qi was no genius.

"Jiang Ping!"

Before long, the second of the Top Five to receive some attention stepped onto the field.

"Come to think of it, do you think he'll break through to the Third Layer? I remember his talent being just a little better than Sun Qi's."

"How could that be? Even if it's a little better, he's still within the bounds of ordinary people." Sun Zheng immediately retorted. He was the one least willing to see Jiang Ping break through.

"Better is still better. Maybe he really will break through." This person could not stand Sun Zheng's arrogant face from earlier and could not help sneering.

Everyone began chattering at once.

Of course, the outcome still depended on Jiang Ping's coming display of Fist Force.

Yet some people noticed Sun Qi's expression and found that he showed little emotional change, as though he was not worried that Jiang Ping would break through before him.

Bang!

Up ahead, Jiang Ping had already thrown his punch. His control over his strength had now reached a meticulous level; displaying only the Fist Force of the Nourishing Life Technique's Third Layer was easy enough.

"Hm?" The moment the punching sound rang out, the Head Escort gave a soft cry of surprise, then swiftly returned to calmness and announced,

"Two hundred and seventy-five jin!"

As Liang Sheng's words fell, the crowd was instantly shocked.

Third Layer Fist Force!

Jiang Ping had done it. He had completely surpassed Sun Qi!

"See what I said? Jiang Ping's talent is simply better than Sun Qi's. Do you still have anything to say now?" The young man who had argued with Sun Zheng earlier looked at him smugly.

Sun Zheng no longer dared to speak. He lowered his head, fear showing in his eyes.

This time, he was truly afraid. A chill ran down his back.

Sun Zheng's old friend was the same. First came surprise, followed by a wave of annoyed dread.

Fortunately, after breaking through yesterday, he had not become too swollen with pride and had not offended Jiang Ping much. Otherwise, things would have become serious.

At the same time, he regretted becoming somewhat lost after his Fist Force entered the Top Five and choosing to side with Sun Zheng during that conflict with Jiang Ping. Otherwise, the two of them might even have become friends.

But it was too late to say anything now. The wood had become a boat; from now on, whenever he saw Jiang Ping, he had to keep his distance and absolutely could not create any conflict.

On the other side,

Sun Qi's face revealed no emotion, but the fist at his waist was clenched red.

The others were likewise either shocked or jealous.

"Say, do you think the Head Escort will grant Jiang Ping an extra reward?"

At this moment, someone grew curious again.

The Head Escort cherished talent; that could be seen from his attitude toward Fang Yong. Now that Jiang Ping had also displayed considerable strength, would he receive special favor?

Jiang Ping himself was looking forward to it as well. Something was better than nothing, and it could also bring him closer to the Head Escort.

However, to the disappointment of both Jiang Ping and the crowd, Head Escort Liang kept his eyes straight ahead and made no further move.

"Looks like Jiang Ping has some talent, but he's still far behind Fang Yong. That's why he can't enter the Head Escort's Dharma Eye."

Everyone came to their conclusion. Liang Sheng's standards were extremely high. Even Jiang Ping, who was already impressive enough, did not catch his eye; one had to be at least like Fang Yong.

Up ahead, seeing that the Head Escort had not spoken, Jiang Ping prepared to leave the field. But Escort Huang stopped him, pulled him over, and whispered,

"From now on, eat three portions of nutritious food. You won't need to spend any silver."

Hearing this, Jiang Ping immediately understood. Head Escort Liang did not think much of the talent he had displayed, but Escort Huang was willing to invest in him and draw him in.

"Then many thanks, Escort Huang." Jiang Ping gladly accepted.

Since a senior was willing to grow closer to him, how could he have any reason to refuse?

Jiang Ping was not the sort of person to be arrogantly blind to everyone else.

This was a matter of personal ties, and also of building connections.

It could be said that from this day onward, Jiang Ping had someone in the Escort Agency.

Not long after Jiang Ping, another person who had drawn considerable attention stepped onto the field: Liu Wensheng.

What no one expected was that he too surpassed Sun Qi. His Nourishing Life Technique had broken through to the Third Layer, and his future as an Escort Agency escort was nearly set in stone.

Of course, the Head Escort remained unmoved. Escort Huang, however, warmly pulled him aside and whispered something.

"The Head Escort likes geniuses, so he invests in Fang Yong. Escort Huang also cherishes talent, so he chooses to invest in Liu Wensheng and me, who have a bit of talent."

"However, his status and strength are inferior to the Head Escort's, so he is unwilling to hand out rewards openly and honestly. He fears people will think the Head Escort is stingy, choosing only the very best to reward and build ties with, and that this would cause resentment between himself and the Head Escort."

"Likewise, Fang Yong, the finest of them all, has been noticed and rewarded by the Head Escort. Escort Huang will not try to draw him in, because that would offend the Head Escort. The invested party would certainly want to eat from both ends, but investors would naturally be unwilling."

Watching Escort Huang speak with Liu Wensheng, Jiang Ping's train of thought stirred.

They were both building ties with outstanding people, but due to the difference in status, the people they invested in and the methods they used were different.

As expected of an escort who had struggled and fought his way through the world for many years—he handled human relations and worldly affairs flawlessly.

Then, the two escorts left, and the test came to an end.

"Did Escort Huang also give you a portion of nutritious food?" Liu Wensheng walked over and asked quietly.

Jiang Ping nodded slightly. Liu Wensheng said that he had received the same support, then smiled. "Come to think of it, your dormitory is truly a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers lie. The two people who broke through to the Nourishing Life Technique's Second Level this time are both from your dormitory—Qian Dele and Luo Tiegen. They'll likely become escorts in the future too. Have you thought about making friends with them? When you go on Escort Missions together later, you can look after one another."

Jiang Ping glanced at him in surprise. "Didn't you look down on people who fawn on the powerful and bully the weak?"

"That was then, this is now. I thought my talent was outstanding and looked down on everyone, but who knew Fang Yong would appear? A person still has to admit defeat when it is due. Since I can't get the best treatment, I should still draw some people to my side, so life in the Escort Agency can be more comfortable in the future." Liu Wensheng sighed.

"Oh." Jiang Ping's response was rather flat.

Seeing his expression, Liu Wensheng instantly understood what he was thinking. He changed the subject and said frankly,

"Still, drawing in Brother Jiang is a hundred times better than drawing in those two."

"Why don't you get close to Fang Yong?" Jiang Ping suddenly asked. Liu Wensheng snorted. "This person is too arrogant. I brought him wine before, yet he acted as though no one else existed. He called his dorm mates over to drink but did not even invite me to the table. He even asked why I had not left."

Jiang Ping laughed when he heard that. After a pause, he said, "A genius, after all."

After the meal, Jiang Ping practiced the Nourishing Life Technique for an entire morning.

He found that after eating three portions of nutritious food, there was no obvious effect. It was no different from before.

It seems that after reaching Entry Grade, this sort of nutritious food has only a negligible effect.

Jiang Ping thought to himself. In other words, Escort Huang's investment had gone to waste.

Of course, he would still remember this goodwill. It was not merely a personal favor, but also a bridge for drawing closer and becoming connections.

Just as Liu Wensheng approached him, Jiang Ping did not reject him even though their true strength differed greatly. After all, having another friend was not a bad thing.

He would not be like Fang Yong and look down on everyone.

Of course, a bootlicker like Luo Tiegen, who fawned too shamelessly on the powerful, was another matter...

Time flew by.

More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye.