A Thousand Peaks Stand Tall, a Hundred Branches Vie for the Current

Jiang Xuan paid no attention to what happened afterward, nor did he have the mood to concern himself with it.

Once his outstanding rating had been confirmed and he learned that rewards would be distributed that evening, Jiang Xuan, his spirits soaring, turned and headed toward his seat.

But halfway there, Dong Hao came over to greet him and warmly pulled him to his own seat.

Dong Hao's attitude toward Jiang Xuan remained as enthusiastic as before, yet this time, not a single person around them mocked him for lowering his status.

The young scions from Aristocratic Clans could only look at him with envy and jealousy filling their eyes.

"Damn it, how did he run into such a good thing?"

"Hah, it's fine. Jiang Xuan advanced on the very last day. The gap between his talent and a good rating isn't that large." The speaker clenched his knuckles until they turned white. Clearly, even he knew these words were nothing more than self-deception.

An outstanding rating also meant one thing: Jiang Xuan could receive the Dao-Bearing Class's resources, the instructors' personal guidance, and all other benefits—and at the highest tier.

With so many advantages, Jiang Xuan and those classmates rated good might initially differ by only a hair's breadth. But as resources increasingly tilted toward him, the gulf in strength between them and Jiang Xuan would only be pulled wider and wider.

This was why Instructor Song Zhou had said that the Great Dao must be fought for. It was also why so many scions of Aristocratic Clans would stake everything on entering the inner sect through the Hundred-Day Grand Examination—on the road of cultivation, one step slow truly meant every step slow. To catch up afterward, one would have to pay tenfold, perhaps even a hundredfold, the price.

"Brother Jiang, sit, sit! Have some tea! Hahaha, I knew it—Brother Jiang, your talent stands above all your peers..."

After pressing Jiang Xuan into a seat, Dong Hao showered him with praise. Even Jiang Xuan, whose confidence had only recently taken root, felt somewhat embarrassed by it.

"Ahem, Brother Dong, you flatter me. My outstanding rating this time was in no small part thanks to the resources you provided earlier."

These were not empty pleasantries, but Jiang Xuan's heartfelt words.

Although the Three Purification Incantations and his Unity of Man and Sword with the Azure Glaze Sword had sent his spiritual energy refinement efficiency soaring, his lack of resources had always been his greatest weakness. If Dong Hao had not repeatedly sent him spirit meals and medicinal pills to make up for his cultivation deficit, his cultivation speed would have been cut by at least half, perhaps even seventy percent.

Even now, Jiang Xuan vividly remembered how, two or three days ago, he had burned through his life force so excessively that he could barely remain standing. It was precisely because of this weighty favor that he could not refuse Dong Hao's invitation.

Obviously, Dong Hao knew this as well. But he was smooth and worldly, and he wanted something from Jiang Xuan, so naturally he would not keep bringing up this favor.

"No, no, no, Brother Jiang, I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. Even with heaven-toppling resources, without talent and Root Bone to match, it would still be like drawing water with a bamboo basket. Look at those Aristocratic Clan scions ahead. There are plenty of them, and they have never lacked resources, yet the overwhelming majority are now far inferior to you, Brother Jiang."

"Besides, there is something I ought to properly thank you for, Brother Jiang." As he spoke, he finally turned his gaze toward Zeng Jun beside them.

Like Su Linyin, Zeng Jun had long since lost his usual calm ease. All that remained was an ashen face. Especially when he met Dong Hao's teasing gaze, his knuckles clenched tight, his lips drained entirely of color, and he looked both wretched and dejected.

But Dong Hao was as humble and warm toward Jiang Xuan as he was merciless toward his opponent. He showed not the slightest pity now, instead grinning as he said to Zeng Jun, "Brother Zeng, tell me now—which of us had the sharper eye?"

Crack!

That lightly spoken question made Zeng Jun grind his molars until they creaked, nearly crushing them to pieces.

Yet Dong Hao clearly had no intention of letting him off so easily.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. Brother Zeng, Brother Guo, don't forget that the two of you still owe me three hundred and eighty Spirit Stones. No problem having them delivered within three days, right?"

Clatter—

Those words demanding payment made Guo Shaoshang shoot to his feet with a whoosh.

He had risen so quickly and so suddenly that he knocked into several things, scattering items all around him.

But he had no mind to care about that now. His face was deathly pale, his body trembling without end as he said in panic, "Th-that was a joke, the academy..."

With words like those and such a demeanor, it was obvious that those Spirit Stones from the wager were an enormous sum to him.

Beside him, Zeng Jun's expression was dark as water.

But though he nearly ground his teeth to dust, he ultimately did not try to welsh on the debt as Guo Shaoshang did.

"No problem. I'll give them to you in three days."

More than three hundred Spirit Stones was an enormous sum for Jiang Xuan. Even for Dong Hao, it was not something he could casually produce. But for the Zeng Lineage and the Dong Household, it was nothing much.

And although the Divine Firmament Sect followed the principle that the Great Dao must be fought for, it could not be denied that it was a renowned righteous sect.

Therefore, the cultivation lineages within the Divine Firmament Sect had to care about face and trustworthiness in addition to strength.

Within such a great sect, a good reputation had always been invisible capital.

It was because he was certain the other side would never gamble away the reputation of their entire Lineage over such a small number of Spirit Stones that Dong Hao had never worried Zeng Jun would welsh on their bet, even though they had made it without so much as a written agreement.

A mere three hundred Spirit Stones was not enough to make them sacrifice their Lineage's reputation.

Under these circumstances, the reason Zeng Jun's expression was so grim was that the Lineage was the Lineage, and he was himself—having to compensate several hundred Spirit Stones for his own mistake, and having "lost" to Dong Hao, someone his own age, made him a complete and utter failure in the eyes of the Lineage elders.

Once branded a loser, his say within the Lineage would plummet, and his future share of resources would certainly be slashed dramatically. The more he thought about it, the uglier his expression became.

When Guo Shaoshang saw that even Zeng Jun, whom he followed, had agreed, he did not dare say anything further no matter how unwilling he was.

At this moment, all he could do was pray that Zeng Jun would advance the Spirit Stones he needed to pay.

Dong Hao had never cared about an opponent's misery, and Jiang Xuan cared even less.

Besides, he soon had no mind left to think about such things—Dong Hao was simply too adept at dealing with people.

The moment the matter of the wager was settled, he immediately leaned close to Jiang Xuan and lowered his voice. "Brother Jiang, we won these Spirit Stones thanks to you. They should all rightfully belong to you."

Needlessly offending Zeng Jun would have been troublesome for Jiang Xuan, but if it could be exchanged for more than three hundred Spirit Stones, that was another matter entirely.

Yet Jiang Xuan had his own principles and would never swallow all the benefits for himself.

"No, Brother Dong. Without your advance payment, this wager could not have been made. And if it had been just me alone, I might not have been able to collect the stake either."

He understood it perfectly well. The Dong Household and the Zeng Lineage were both cultivation lineages, so the other side dared not welsh on the debt. But if a poor commoner like him had wagered against them, the situation would have been as different as heaven and earth. They would not even need to employ any underhanded tricks. All they had to do was report him to the Law Enforcement Hall for neglecting his proper studies at the academy, gathering people to gamble, and displaying poor conduct. That charge alone would not only void the wager, but also earn him a heavy punishment.

Therefore, he did not take it all and only intended to take half—after all, he had contributed effort.

But what Dong Hao valued had never been this small profit in Spirit Stones. What he valued was a place among the Inner Disciples. He still needed Jiang Xuan's full assistance in this matter, so he insisted on giving all the Spirit Stones to Jiang Xuan, intending to make him accept this favor.

"I've already earned more than enough. Being able to use this matter to suppress Zeng Jun by a head will greatly increase my say within the Lineage. That is a benefit not even a thousand Spirit Stones could buy."

After a round of mutual refusal, they finally agreed on an eighty-twenty split. Dong Hao would take two shares, while Jiang Xuan would take eight.

But after dividing the benefits, Jiang Xuan did not intend to take the Spirit Stones.

"Brother Dong, there's no need to give me these Spirit Stones yet." Before Dong Hao could speak, he continued, "I remember your Household runs the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. There should be Dao scriptures and Dao collections in the pavilion, correct? I want to use these Spirit Stones to purchase a batch."

Seeing that Jiang Xuan was not declining the money but wanted to buy things instead, Dong Hao immediately patted his chest in agreement. "What problem is that? After tomorrow's gathering ends, I'll take you to my Household's Myriad Treasures Pavilion. Pick whatever you like."

Jiang Xuan hurriedly said, "The day after tomorrow would be better. Once the Spirit Stones have arrived..."

"Brother Jiang, now you're treating me like an outsider." Dong Hao deliberately pulled a stern face before breaking into a smile again. "We're teammates in the same boat. Take whatever catches your eye. If you don't have enough Spirit Stones, I'll advance them for you first."

To secure an inner sect place beyond all doubt, Dong Hao was astonishingly generous at the moment. Of course, he dared say this because he knew Jiang Xuan had principles and disliked owing favors—he still remembered clearly how Jiang Xuan had insisted that the One Qi Sword Art he wanted to give him be counted as a loan.

Precisely because of this, Dong Hao was not worried that Jiang Xuan would open his mouth like a lion and grab things at random. Instead, he feared that Jiang Xuan would only take what was due to him and transact with him strictly as silver for goods, which would not benefit his later plans.

"When Su Linyin and I made that agreement, neither of us expected Jiang Xuan's talent to be terrifying to this extent."

"Su Linyin must be regretting it until her intestines have turned green by now. She definitely won't be willing to give up... I have to bind Jiang Xuan firmly to my side."

Su Linyin regretted having "missed out" on Jiang Xuan, while Dong Hao's heart was filled with vigilance. He absolutely did not wish to watch the inner sect place that was within easy reach fly away just like that.

After thinking it over, he truly came up with a method.

"Brother Jiang, although I don't know what you intend to do by purchasing Dao scriptures and Dao collections, this foolish elder brother grew up in the Myriad Treasures Pavilion and has seen a thing or two. Would Brother Jiang be willing to hear a suggestion from me?"

"Of course. Brother Dong, please speak freely."

Dong Hao's gaze fell upon the bamboo sword that Jiang Xuan carried with him wherever he went, and he said slowly, "I can tell that Brother Jiang is a man who loves the sword. But to be frank, the grade of your sword is truly too low. I suggest that you replace it... no, reforge it."

He had read Jiang Xuan's expression and caught the trace of reluctance in his eyes toward that bamboo sword, so he immediately changed the word "replace" to "reforge."

And this suggestion truly made Jiang Xuan's eyes light up.

It was not because of combat power or any desire to show off that he wanted a better sword.

At Dong Hao's reminder, Jiang Xuan recalled something of utmost importance—he could achieve Unity of Man and Sword with the Azure Glaze Sword, and could even use the sword to draw upon the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

But the Azure Glaze Sword was merely a playful creation forged by Jiang Xuan's father, not a true dharma artifact.

At present, he could only use the sword to absorb wood-element spiritual energy, and the Azure Glaze Sword's power to draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth could only be considered passable. But if he could reforge the Azure Glaze Sword and raise its grade...

"Then, with the Azure Glaze Sword as my foundation, wouldn't my efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy directly double—or even multiply severalfold?"

Just thinking of the benefits made Jiang Xuan's heart surge.

But he quickly came back to himself and shook his head with a bitter smile.

How could reforging a flying sword be easy? Setting aside the number of rare spiritual materials required, merely finding a reliable artifact refiner to do the work would cost an astronomical number of Spirit Stones. The few hundred Spirit Stones he had just obtained were simply a drop in the bucket.

Naturally, Dong Hao knew the difficulties of reforging the Azure Glaze Sword. But since he had raised the matter, he naturally had a way to resolve it.

"Brother Jiang, my uncle happens to be a senior artifact refiner. With him taking action, your bamboo sword can certainly be reforged into a mid-grade dharma artifact."

"Don't rush to refuse. The second round of assessment will test actual combat ability. If you want a good ranking, you need a weapon that fits your hand."

Once those words were spoken, Jiang Xuan could no longer refuse. Moreover, after becoming a Clear-Heart Sword Disciple, he had been eagerly anticipating a good longsword. The two considerations together made Jiang Xuan cup his hands to Dong Hao. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Dong."

"Hahaha, it's a small matter!"

Once Jiang Xuan agreed, Dong Hao knew that his inner sect place was more than halfway secured.

Setting aside Jiang Xuan's disposition, this one point alone left him little room to go back on his word. Accepting benefits yet refusing to contribute effort would make Jiang Xuan faithless and dishonorable, someone people would point at and curse behind his back.

And entering the inner sect meant taking a master. But for someone so faithless and dishonorable, even the Divine Firmament Sect, which revered the principle that the Great Dao must be fought for, would have no master willing to accept an ungrateful white-eyed wolf as a disciple.

Jiang Xuan understood this as well, but since he had agreed, he naturally had his own considerations.

"Dong Hao only wants me to help him enter the inner sect. He does not want to fight for first place, much less block my path... As long as I am strong enough, it will not be difficult for both of us to enter the inner sect together."

Being rated outstanding finally allowed Jiang Xuan to let go of the worry that had been hanging over his heart. He even relaxed enough to chat idly with Dong Hao for quite some time.

But he did not slacken because of it. During the evening class, he still entered meditation together with Dong Hao and the others.

Although he had already cultivated once in advance that afternoon, now that his Origin Sea Spirit Pivot had formed, the qi and blood throughout his body had gained a true foundation. During this evening cultivation, he refined even more spiritual energy than usual.

Yet this time, Jiang Xuan did not open any new apertures.

All the spiritual energy he refined was completely absorbed by the thirty-six apertures he had already opened, leaving not a single trace behind.

Spirit Pivot Aperture Opening placed the Spirit Pivot first in the first realm of cultivation, which had already made its importance beyond doubt.

Once the Spirit Pivot formed, not only did the extraordinary power within Jiang Xuan gain a central hub of command, but the apertures opened throughout his body also gained a core hub, allowing them to resonate at the same frequency and undergo a complete transformation.

"Three Spirit Pivots mean three complete transformations. No wonder the cultivation world has always said that realm is the foundation of cultivation."

Though he had not nourished any new apertures, all thirty-six apertures he already possessed had been nourished and tempered, still filling Jiang Xuan with a solid sense of abundance.

The evening class ended, and it was time to dismiss. Jiang Xuan usually left at the first opportunity, but today he remained behind with Dong Hao and all the other students rated outstanding, beneath the envious and jealous gazes of their fellow disciples.

They were not kept waiting long. Once all irrelevant students had left, Instructor Song Zhou's figure suddenly drifted before them like a startled swan.

The moment he appeared, he gave these high-spirited youths a sharp warning.

Buzz—

A vast pressure suddenly spread out, silencing everyone at once. His cold voice followed. "Don't think that receiving an outstanding rating means you can sleep with your head resting high and your heart at ease."

"The first assessment merely filtered out a few seedlings barely worth using."

"I can tell you plainly: the overwhelming majority of you will never rise to become Inner Disciples after one hundred days."

"Seven to nine people. That is the number who entered the inner sect from Star Daoist Academy in previous years. This means that among you more than forty outstanding students, at least three quarters will be eliminated!"

Uproar—

The moment those words fell, the students, who had still worn pride on their faces moments ago, instantly changed expression. When they looked at one another, their eyes now carried a few more traces of undisguised wariness.

Yet among them, some reacted fiercely while others remained unmoved.

Quite a few already knew the inside story, while others had absolute confidence in their own strength.

For instance, Qin Feng, who had been the first to condense a Spirit Pivot, watched everyone's panic with great interest, not the least bit anxious.

But very quickly, he could no longer maintain that ease.

After glancing at the unconcerned Qin Feng and the cool-faced Xie Hanyan, Song Zhou continued, "You should also know that our Divine Firmament Sect is a major sect of the northern lands. Here, a thousand peaks stand tall and a hundred branches vie for the current. These many lineages are further divided into the Upper Branch, Middle Branch, and Lower Branch."

"Although disciples of the Upper Branch, Middle Branch, and Lower Branch all belong to the Divine Firmament Sect, and Inner Disciples have no nominal distinction of high or low, I believe you all know perfectly well, without my needing to say it, the differences in the quantity of resources and treatment they receive, as well as their standing within the sect."