Aperture Opening, 35!

Looking at Dong Hao's outstretched hand and recalling the many resources he had given him before, Jiang Xuan sighed softly in his heart.

"Sure enough, the resources of a cultivation lineage were never so easy to take."

With that thought, he did not refuse aloud. He could not deny that, whatever Dong Hao's original intentions, the other man had indeed given him tremendous help over these past days.

Never mind the spiritual meals and pills—they had replenished the deficits in Jiang Xuan's body, giving him hope of being rated excellent in the very first round of assessment despite possessing a Profound Mid-grade Spirit Root.

Of course, pills alone could not bridge the gap between Jiang Xuan and the scions of aristocratic clans, or the prodigies born of humble families.

The reason he had opened apertures so quickly was the boost from the Dao Acolyte's Three Purification Incantation, as well as his obtaining the Purple Precious Grade profession of [Clear-Heart Sword Disciple] and the various abilities it brought him.

But Dong Hao's earlier gift of the "One Qi Sword Art" had played a vital role in his being able to obtain [Clear-Heart Sword Disciple].

A gentleman judged deeds, not intentions; judge intentions, and there was no perfect person in this world.

Dong Hao's actions gave Jiang Xuan nothing to criticize, and he had genuinely received the other man's favor. Under such circumstances, Jiang Xuan could not refuse his request.

"I'll help you."

As he agreed, Jiang Xuan also sighed inwardly:

"Forget it. My goal for the second assessment isn't to fight for first place, only to enter the top ten. There'll be room enough for both of us in the second-round contest... Besides, continuing to work with Dong Hao will do me more good than harm."

A shortage of resources had always been Jiang Xuan's greatest sore point.

Although he now possessed the Three Purification Incantations and could even unleash the linked skill Communion with Truth, Jiang Xuan did not want to die. Thus, he had never considered casting the complete Three Purification Incantations on anyone else.

He would not even cast the Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation or the Body-Purification Divine Incantation on others.

"To cleanse away the filthy, turbid qi within the body and return the flesh to clarity and purity—though its effects are gradual, that is still far too earth-shaking. No matter what, these two divine incantations cannot be used on outsiders."

With two of the Three Purification Incantations removed, the only one Jiang Xuan could sell... could bestow as a blessing was the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation.

"Its effects are good, and it can earn me some money, but I need to buy a large quantity of restorative medicine. I also need to collect Daoist scriptures and classics, and build a Scripture Repository. That requires too many Spirit Stones and too much effort. With Dong Hao's help, things will be much easier."

While Jiang Xuan's thoughts whirled through countless turns, Dong Hao did not disappoint him.

Upon hearing Jiang Xuan's agreement, a brilliant smile appeared on his face. Then, with great generosity, he painted Jiang Xuan a splendid future: "Thank you for your loyalty, Brother Jiang! I, Dong Hao, am by no means an ungrateful man. If I can successfully enter the inner sect, my lineage will surely support me with all its strength. At that time, finding Brother Jiang a good position within the Divine Firmament Sect will be no difficult matter. Perhaps even..."

Halfway through, he glanced at the female cultivators ahead, dressed flamboyantly yet pale and hollow-faced, then gave Jiang Xuan a look every man understood. "Perhaps, if Brother Jiang has designs on some young lady of an aristocratic clan, I can help make the introduction."

"Of course, only collateral-line women. Even I would have to rack my brains to pursue the direct-line fairy maidens of cultivation lineages."

"..." Dong Hao's esteem was sincere, but the benefits he offered left Jiang Xuan speechless. "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Dong, but I am wholly focused on cultivation now. I have no mind for romance."

What Jiang Xuan did not expect was that his words made Dong Hao laugh even more heartily. "Brother Jiang, if you wish to advance in cultivation faster, you should consider this matter all the more seriously."

At that, he stepped closer and lowered his voice.

"Even if these women have been abandoned by their lineages and relegated to collateral branches, the resources they hold are still far beyond anything you, born to a humble family, can compare with."

"If you can marry one, you'll save at least ten or twenty years of struggle."

"...No need." Jiang Xuan had no desire to bind himself down.

Seeing his resolute attitude, Dong Hao shrugged and did not press the matter further.

After Dong Hao left, Jiang Xuan immediately followed the rites: purifying his heart, mouth, body, and hands, drawing his entire being into a state of serene tranquility. Before long, Song Zhou, lecturer of the Star Daoist Academy, arrived riding the clouds and mist.

He raised his eyes to survey the sky, then called loudly to the more than three thousand students below. "Begin cultivation."

"Breathe... in..."

At the command, more than three thousand students began breathing exercises together and started their morning cultivation session. Jiang Xuan entered meditation as well.

In but an instant, he sensed the marvelous benefits of Communion with Truth settling upon him.

His purified body, now in harmony with heaven and earth, not only made drawing qi into his body smoother, but made refining spiritual qi twice as effective with half the effort. Even when searching for apertures, his entirely clear and translucent body made him more than thirty percent faster than ordinary cultivators.

"This is an all-around enhancement!"

His cleansed body accelerated Jiang Xuan's aperture opening once more. During yesterday's evening session, he had opened six apertures in one cultivation period. Today, he opened even more—seven apertures in a single morning's cultivation.

"Unfortunately, Communion with Truth overlaps somewhat with the abilities of the Clear-Heart Sword Disciple. With the Clearheart Mirror, finding apertures was already easy for me. A purified body is of little use to me... at least for now."

"And qi gathering... [Heart: Sincerity] combined with the Three Purification Incantations already lets me achieve Unity of Man and Sword with the Azure Glaze Sword, drawing in the natural spiritual qi between heaven and earth. That also overlaps by more than half with the automatic gathering effect."

Though it could not directly increase his progress by thirty or fifty percent on top of the original foundation, going from six apertures to seven still delighted Jiang Xuan.

What stirred him even more was that, after a morning of cultivation, he was only one aperture away from the excellent standard of thirty-six apertures!

"I won't even need to wait for the evening session to open this final aperture."

The Divine Firmament Sect's class schedule was carefully arranged. The interval between morning and evening sessions allowed Jiang Xuan and the others' bodies to recover as effectively as possible.

Cultivating ahead of time would instead yield poor results.

However, Jiang Xuan was now only one aperture short. Even if his cultivation efficiency was reduced, it would not affect this final kick at the gate.

"The sooner I break through it, the sooner I can rest easy. Lecturer Song Zhou will certainly be here when the evening session begins, but he may not remain here when it ends."

"In the past, those who met the evening-session standard usually reported their results to Lecturer Song Zhou the next morning. But today is the final day of assessment. If I report tomorrow, I can only receive an elite rating."

Although Jiang Xuan felt that, by all common logic, Lecturer Song Zhou would remain until the very end today, he did not dare gamble. Nor could he afford to lose.

"The path of Dao cultivation is like a thousand armies and ten thousand horses crossing a single-log bridge. One step slow truly means every step slow. If I can reach the shore steadily, there is no need to risk danger."

"Jiang Xuan, come eat."

When Jiang Xuan finished his cultivation and emerged from meditation, Dong Hao came looking for him again and invited him to share a spiritual meal. This time, however, the place he was heading to was among the front-row seats.

"I have a few friends I need to introduce to Brother Jiang."

Dong Hao, who was determined to charge into the inner sect, had naturally recruited more than Jiang Xuan alone. He had also taken notice of several gifted youths and drawn them into the same camp. Today's meal was both for eating and drinking, strengthening their bonds, and bringing Jiang Xuan together with the others so they could become familiar with one another.

That would make it easier for them to cooperate in battle later.

Jiang Xuan said, "All right."

Since he had decided to become teammates with Dong Hao, Jiang Xuan was willing to grant him this courtesy. After taking a seat at the front, he saw the other three people Dong Hao had recruited.

They were two men and one woman. From their clothing and bearing, Jiang Xuan discovered that two of them came from cultivation lineages, while only one shared Jiang Xuan's humble background.

"Brother Jiang, let me introduce you." Dong Hao smiled and raised his hand. "This is Mu Yuan, who possesses an Earth-grade low-grade Spirit Root. Like me, he comes from an aristocratic clan. This is Wu Chen, who, like Brother Jiang, was born to a humble family and also possesses an Earth-grade low-grade Spirit Root. This is Fu He, my cousin from my mother's clan."

Having said that, Dong Hao gave everyone a deep bow. "I'll have to rely on all of you in the second Daoist Academy assessment."

Jiang Xuan said, "You're too courteous."

Mu Yuan said, "Brother Dong, you jest. In the second assessment, we are the ones who will need you to see us safely through."

Wu Chen said, "I'll help you with everything I have!"

As Dong Hao made his introductions, Jiang Xuan appraised the three of them. They were also appraising him. Relying on his sharp divine sense, Jiang Xuan raised an eyebrow as he noticed that each of their eyes held a faint, barely perceptible hostility.

"Why..."

No sooner had the thought arisen than he understood—the matter came down to nothing more than profit.

Where there were people, there was a world of factions; where there was profit, there was conflict. Here at the Star Daoist Academy, they competed for the pitifully few inner-sect slots. Those from aristocratic clans competed for the position of a direct heir receiving focused cultivation from their lineages. Even the servants and retainers of great households engaged in endless scheming and intrigue.

Clearly, Mu Yuan, Wu Chen, and the others regarded themselves as Dong Hao's subordinates. As such, they wanted to earn greater favor from Dong Hao. That way, when they entered the Divine Firmament Sect's gates, they could obtain better positions, and thereby more cultivation time and resources. Then, they might have hope of establishing a Dao Foundation.

And a Dao Foundation did not merely mean powerful mana and lofty status—it also represented a lifespan more than doubled.

To live longer, they naturally fought fiercely.

As for why their hostility toward him ran so deep, Jiang Xuan could guess part of it as well.

Among the four, he alone possessed the poorest Spirit Root talent, yet Dong Hao valued him the most.

"Is their hostility born from envy and jealousy? There's no need. You and I are not people walking the same road at all."

Though they held some hostility toward him, the other three were clearly people of manners and showed none of it on their faces when Jiang Xuan arrived.

Mu Yuan and Fu He, both born to cultivation lineages, even greeted Jiang Xuan warmly.

Seeing this, Jiang Xuan calmly exchanged a few pleasantries with them.

As the group conversed, Nan Zhi did not remain idle. She took one food box after another from her storage pouch and arranged them before everyone.

Today was Dong Hao's first gathering, and he had clearly prepared with utmost thoroughness. There were dozens of spiritual dishes and soups alone.

Moreover, there were both hot and cold dishes.

Once the dishes had been laid out, Dong Hao mysteriously took an elegant jade bottle from his storage ring.

"Everyone, this is good stuff." Smiling, he removed the stopper. "This is Hundred-Blossom Brew, which I specially asked my household for. It is made from a hundred kinds of century-old spiritual flowers and aged for three years through a secret method."

"It is rich and fragrant upon entering the mouth, with a lingering aftertaste. It is a rare treasure."

As he spoke, he personally poured a cup for each of the four, Jiang Xuan included. The jade-like liquor had barely entered the cups when a pure, crisp fragrance spread through the air. With only a wisp entering his nose, Jiang Xuan felt his soul float slightly, as though he were treading empty space upon the clouds.

This faint intoxication was not unpleasant. Instead, it carried a dreamlike sensation as though both heart and mind had become drunk.

After filling all four cups, Dong Hao was the first to raise his. He called out to the group, "Everyone, for the sake of our future Dao Paths, let us drink this cup together!"

As his words fell, Wu Chen, Mu Yuan, and Fu He all raised their cups. Jiang Xuan alone remained seated, a touch of helplessness and awkwardness appearing on his face.

Dong Hao naturally noticed this. Jiang Xuan's unmoving posture made the smile on his face stiffen slightly, but he quickly understood and chuckled. "Brother Jiang truly devotes himself wholly to the Dao. Are you afraid that getting drunk will delay important matters? Don't worry, I considered that long ago. This Hundred-Blossom Brew is no ordinary mortal wine—it is itself a spiritual liquid."

"After drinking this cup, you may sleep a few extra hours, but when you awaken, not only will there be no discomfort whatsoever, your soul will also be cleansed once by the medicinal power of the Hundred-Blossom Brew. Then, whether your body or soul, you will be clear and refreshed, and your cultivation results will only rise another level."

Dong Hao was no mediocre person and naturally understood the importance of cultivation to everyone. Even for a team meal, the celebratory wine he produced was a spiritual treasure beneficial to cultivation.

Such meticulous consideration should have allowed everyone to lower their guard and drink without worry.

Unfortunately, Jiang Xuan had already made up his mind to attempt the final aperture that afternoon. There was no way he would drink wine and risk delaying matters.

Yet after hesitating for a moment, Jiang Xuan did not reveal the truth.

To him, an excellent rating was the threshold for a fish leaping through the Dragon Gate, an opportunity to change his fate. It could not tolerate the slightest mishap.

Although Lecturer Song Zhou was present and, in theory, no one would dare cause trouble in the academy, Song Zhou could not watch them every moment. He only came personally for the morning and evening sessions. Right now was precisely the gap when no one supervised them.

At such a critical juncture, if someone secretly obstructed him, then even if the culprit were severely punished afterward, it would already be too late once his rating had been delayed.

What was more, Zeng Jun, Guo Shaoshang, and the others were not far away.

The circles among the Star Daoist Academy's students nested layer upon layer. Jiang Xuan himself had a circle, with Cheng Xiu taking him as its center.

He had now joined Dong Hao's group, while Dong Hao, Zeng Jun, Guo Shaoshang, and the others all gathered around Xie Hanyan. Because of this "teammate" relationship, their seats were not far apart to begin with.

And Jiang Xuan had not forgotten that he and Guo Shaoshang still had a wager of three hundred and eighty Spirit Stones between them.

With such a high-stakes agreement and their antagonistic relationship, the other side had every reason to obstruct him.

At this final moment, Jiang Xuan wanted no accidents at all.

Thus, he refused Dong Hao's proposal to drink Hundred-Blossom Brew together, his face showing apology as he said, "Sorry, everyone. I have never been good at drinking. Is there any plain tea? I'll use tea in place of wine and offer everyone a toast."

This refusal to give face made the smile on Dong Hao's face difficult to maintain. Strong displeasure also surfaced on the faces of Fu He and Nan Zhi.

Only Mu Yuan had a barely noticeable flash of delight pass through his eyes. Yet he did not kick a man when he was down. Instead, he smiled and tried to smooth things over. "Brother Jiang, it is only one cup of wine. It won't delay anything. Everyone is happy today, so a light drink is harmless."

These words had already given Jiang Xuan ample room to back down. If the matter were not so important, he would not have minded granting this favor.

But today mattered too much. He feared getting drunk and sleeping too long. Seeking stability, he could only shake his head in the end, his tone calm but resolute. "Sorry."

Two refusals in a row instantly chilled the atmosphere at the table.

In the end, Dong Hao was still the first to react. With a chuckle, he said, "My mistake. I did not ask about Brother Jiang's preferences clearly enough. Since you are not good at drinking, Jiang Xuan, then we shall serve tea. I happen to have quite a bit of good tea here."

As he spoke, a cup of clear tea was swiftly delivered into Jiang Xuan's hands.

Jiang Xuan raised his cup and used tea in place of wine, drinking a toast with everyone.

Afterward, they began eating. Though Dong Hao frequently attended to everyone and occasionally shared amusing stories to lighten the mood, Jiang Xuan's earlier refusal had ultimately left a thorn in the gathering. The atmosphere never truly warmed.

The looks everyone gave him also gained an extra hint of strangeness. Nan Zhi and Fu He, in particular, could barely suppress the anger in their eyes.

This situation made Jiang Xuan somewhat uncomfortable as well.

Thus, before long, he rose to take his leave and returned to his own seat.

The moment he left, Fu He could no longer hold herself back. Frowning at Dong Hao, she said, "Dong Hao, you are simply too kind! Jiang Xuan does not understand even the slightest rule. If you keep indulging him like this, how will you manage him in the future?"

"You need to make him understand that it is not us who cannot do without him—it is he who cannot do without us!"

Before Fu He could finish, a derisive snort suddenly came from beside them.

"Kind? Heh heh, that sounds nice. This is weakness."

"An aristocratic clan's son being ridden over by someone born to a humble family—Dong Hao, you truly are useless enough."

The one who mocked him at this time was naturally Guo Shaoshang. After him, Zeng Jun also sighed and drove another blade into Dong Hao's heart. "Brother Dong, this truly will not do. You are about to disgrace all of us aristocratic clan descendants."

Neither man concealed his mockery. It drew the attention of everyone nearby, and the looks they directed at Dong Hao carried scorn and ridicule.

This naturally included Su Linyin.

"Abandoning Jiang Xuan was the right decision. That man is too arrogant, too foolish, too willful, and does not understand gratitude at all. Keeping him by my side would only make him a burden."

The mocking gazes around them made Wu Chen and Mu Yuan, who were on the same team, feel their faces burn with embarrassment.

Nan Zhi, who wholeheartedly supported Dong Hao, and Fu He, who wholeheartedly wished to marry into the Dong Household, both came to resent Jiang Xuan, this "ungrateful wretch," to the extreme.

"Dong Hao, you truly cannot go on like this! If it continues, all your authority will be gone..."

Fu He chattered endlessly beside him. The area was filled with contemptuous, mocking looks. Combined with Jiang Xuan's earlier refusal that had left him no face at all, all those emotions piled together until even Dong Hao, who was usually so good-tempered, felt a rare surge of anger rise in his heart.

He even developed a measure of resentment toward Jiang Xuan.

"I have treated you with such courtesy, and this is how you repay me?"

Yet that anger came quickly and went quickly.

Dong Hao had been the first to discover Jiang Xuan's talent and, without caring in the slightest about others' opinions, had immediately placed a heavy bet to recruit him. Such a Dong Hao was undoubtedly capable—bold yet meticulous, understanding forbearance and balance.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down. Then, his mind rapidly replayed every detail since he had met Jiang Xuan.

"No, Jiang Xuan is not that sort of person."

"Though, as a sword cultivator, he really is rather proud. Earlier, he had been wholly unwilling to accept my gift of a cultivation art and would only call it a loan."

"Later, he had also accepted the Spirit Stones and pills I gave him with great reluctance."

"But though Jiang Xuan's temperament is somewhat cold, he is absolutely not someone who fails to understand human relations and refuses all consideration. This morning, when I invited him to join my team, he accepted with courtesy and restraint. It was precisely because he had principles without being stubbornly isolated that I was willing to invest so heavily in him."

Having known Jiang Xuan for some time, Dong Hao only felt that Jiang Xuan's reaction today was far too abnormal. Yet no matter how he thought about it, he could not understand where the problem lay.

"I have not done anything improper, and Hundred-Blossom Brew truly is, as I said, a precious item that benefits cultivation... Could today hold some special significance for him? Perhaps the death anniversary of an elder?"

"But that cannot be right either. Even if it were an anniversary, he would not react so strongly to a single cup of wine."

Dong Hao was racking his brains, utterly unable to make sense of it.

Then, at a certain moment, a voice rang out and made him suddenly freeze.

"Huh? Why has Lecturer Song Zhou come at this time?"

"What else could it be? Today is the final day for excellent ratings. Even Teacher Song Zhou cannot afford to neglect this day."

Excellent rating... final day...

Those words exploded through Dong Hao's mind like thunder, making him sharply suck in a cold breath.

At the same time, an unbelievable guess instantly surged into his heart, making his eyes widen abruptly.

"Hiss... Could it be because of that?"

"No way..."