On the Right Track

"Chen Rong, Zhang Jingjing?"

"How are you two here...?"

Tao Dapeng and Jiang Ran exchanged a glance, both feeling a little awkward.

Da Peng was embarrassed because he had spoken without thinking just now.

As for Jiang Ran, it was because...

The other person was Zhang Jingjing.

Zhang Jingjing was the acknowledged beauty of Class One at Pingjiang No. 1 High School, and one of the strongest contenders for school beauty.

She was stunning, an excellent student, and came from a wealthy family.

With all three qualities combined, Zhang Jingjing naturally became the object of countless male students' affection.

However, most people felt they were not worthy of the school beauty, or believed that someone like Zhang Jingjing would be extremely difficult to pursue.

As a result, Zhang Jingjing actually did not have many suitors.

During their second year of high school, Jiang Ran had been egged on by that group of troublemaking classmates from Class Three. In the end, he had actually worked up the courage to confess to Zhang Jingjing.

The result was obvious—he had been brutally rejected.

That alone was not too bad. What came afterward was even more ridiculous.

For some reason, the previous owner of this body had been fed some kind of nonsense by those "bad classmates." He stubbornly believed that one failure meant nothing, and that if he persevered, Zhang Jingjing would one day be moved by his sincerity.

What followed became increasingly absurd.

Jiang Ran's confessions became a daily quest. He went to confess once every few days.

Ninety-nine times. Over the course of a year, he had confessed ninety-nine times, just one short of the glorious achievement of being rejected by the school beauty a hundred times.

Not only Classes Three and One, but many people throughout the school had heard of such an oddball.

Meanwhile, the students who had stirred things up and egged him on from behind the scenes had quietly disappeared.

At that moment, Jiang Ran rubbed his brow, feeling a headache coming on.

He truly could not understand why the previous owner had been stupid to such an extent.

Getting rejected once was not humiliating enough? He had to embarrass himself a full hundred times...

By his standards, Zhang Jingjing was indeed exceptionally beautiful, but she was nowhere near the level of some heavenly fairy.

"Talk about bad luck..."

Jiang Ran had not taken the matter to heart. After all, more than a year had passed, and those instigators had long since lost interest.

As long as he gave up outright and pretended nothing had happened, Zhang Jingjing, as a girl, naturally would not come looking for trouble with him.

Who would have thought that, in such a huge school, the two of them would run into each other here?

"Tao Dapeng, watch your language!" Chen Rong said angrily.

"This is a public place. I can talk however I want..." Tao Dapeng muttered, clearly unwilling to cause trouble.

"What did you say?" Chen Rong frowned, not having heard him clearly.

"Nothing!" Tao Dapeng waved a hand. "Beautiful Chen, take your time eating. We'll head over there."

After saying that, he gave Jiang Ran a look, signaling him to follow.

Chen Rong was Zhang Jingjing's best friend and also one of the top students in Class One. Her grades were excellent.

In high school, top students were practically protected animals. If Da Peng argued with a student like Chen Rong, he would definitely be the one to suffer in the end.

"Wait!" Chen Rong suddenly called out.

"Jingjing..."

Chen Rong and Zhang Jingjing exchanged a glance, seeming to convey some unspoken emotion.

"What now?" Tao Dapeng said impatiently.

"Ahem..." Chen Rong cleared her throat.

"Jiang Ran, don't you have anything to say?"

Jiang Ran, who had been quietly slipping away, immediately froze and had no choice but to turn around.

"Me?"

"What could I possibly have to say? Nothing." He found it rather baffling.

A loser who had been rejected ninety-nine times should have enough self-awareness to stay far away at a time like this, shouldn't he?

"You..." Chen Rong was at a loss for words.

Beside her, Zhang Jingjing set down her cup of water, her delicate brows faintly furrowed.

"Chen Rong, there's no need to say any more."

Zhang Jingjing seemed to want to resolve the awkward situation, but Chen Rong appeared unwilling to let it go.

"Jiang Ran, I'll be frank with you."

"Jingjing is a good student. She'll definitely get into one of the top ten prestigious universities in the future. She isn't from the same world as you."

"Jiang Ran, unless you can get into one of the top ten prestigious universities too, you should give up on her as soon as possible."

Chen Rong's fingers trembled slightly. She felt that her words had been harsh.

Although Jiang Ran was very handsome, they all knew he was a poor student whose grades had always ranked near the bottom. There was not the slightest possibility between him and Zhang Jingjing.

"Oh, got it."

Jiang Ran nodded, then turned and left expressionlessly.

That suited him perfectly. From now on, they should have nothing to do with each other and spare him countless troubles.

"For your last confession, you don't need to..."

"Huh? Why did he leave?" Chen Rong looked confused, unable to process it.

"Jingjing, what did Jiang Ran say just now?"

"He said he understood," Zhang Jingjing answered softly.

Watching Jiang Ran's retreating back, her feelings were extremely complicated.

"No, why is he acting like this?" Chen Rong's heart was filled with confusion.

"Jiang Ran likes you so much. He never gives up an opportunity to talk to you. Why did he just leave like that today?"

"Did I... go too far just now?"

"Maybe..." Zhang Jingjing unconsciously tightened her fingers around the cup.

The matter with Zhang Jingjing was only a minor interlude.

Jiang Ran devoted all his attention to cultivation.

The speed at which his cultivation improved from refining True Qi was practically like riding a rocket.

About thirteen jin of Icebound Spirit Water could yield one complete strand of Ice-Lake Spirit-Water Qi.

Thirteen jin of Icebound Spirit Water cost around seventy thousand yuan. In other words, as long as Jiang Ran wished, he could now mass-produce Ice-Lake Spirit-Water Qi.

If those cultivators from Black Dragon Mountain found out, their jaws would probably drop.

However, Jiang Ran did not act rashly or refine True Qi frantically.

The main reason was that he was still a high school student and was about to face the college entrance examination.

The cultivation limit for the college entrance examination was Qi Refinement Level Three. Anyone above that would automatically lose their eligibility to take the exam.

Given Jiang Ran's current circumstances, he was confident he could break through again within a month.

But for the college entrance examination, he still had to restrain himself and control his cultivation progress.

"The maximum is Qi Refinement Level Three, which means I'm qualified as long as I don't break through to Qi Refinement Level Four." Jiang Ran made his calculations.

He had already figured something out: Tianlu's finest cultivation inheritances were all within the ten major sects, and the only way to enter those sects was to test into one of the top ten prestigious universities.

—Behind every prestigious university stood a super sect.

The top ten prestigious universities were every candidate's dream, and their annual enrollment was extremely limited.

To get into those schools, Qi Refinement Level Three was practically the bare minimum.

Raising his cultivation was not difficult for Jiang Ran now, but he had to make the growth of his cultivation seem reasonable.

For a poor student with a Low-Grade Spirit Root, cultivating to Qi Refinement Level Two or even reaching the top five hundred in the grade would not be too outrageous.

But if he soared too high at once and broke through to Qi Refinement Level Three, that would be difficult to explain.

"I need to find an opportunity to switch to a better Spirit Root." Jiang Ran pondered continuously.

"Preferably, I should also make my source of funds presentable."

Just then, his heart stirred as he sensed a strange change within his body.

"Essence Nourishment... is about to reach completion."