Excellent Rating... the final day...
Those words exploded in Dong Hao's mind like thunder, making him sharply suck in a breath.
At the same time, an unbelievable guess instantly surged into his heart, causing his eyes to widen abruptly.
"Hiss... could it be because of that?"
"No way..."
"Jiang Xuan resisted drinking so fiercely. Could it be that he thinks he has a chance to open all thirty-six Apertures today and secure an Excellent Rating?!"
"But I remember his Spirit Root grade is only Mystic-Middle?"
"Besides, his talent lies in swordsmanship. That has little to do with cultivation efficiency, doesn't it?"
Though he had formed some guesses, the notion was far too exaggerated. Even Dong Hao himself found it absurd beyond reason.
Yet after searching all around, Dong Hao discovered that only this outlandish guess could explain why Jiang Xuan refused to give him even the slightest bit of face.
That made him clench his fists.
"No, I need to make plans early!"
No matter how difficult it was to believe, this matter was simply too important—there was one thing Dong Hao had not lied to Jiang Xuan about. He truly did not have much confidence in breaking into the top ten in the second round of assessments, nor in entering the inner sect directly through the Hundred-Day Grand Examination.
His talent was decent, and his family was fairly well-off, but the Star Daoist Academy had no shortage of people like him. The fact that nearly forty people had received Excellent Ratings in the first round alone showed that Dong Hao was nothing remarkable among them.
If the road ahead had not been so narrow, he would not have scattered money so freely to gather a group of followers. Yet even so, he still had little confidence in entering the inner sect directly.
After all, he was far from the only one in the Daoist Academy who held resources and gathered talents from every direction. Zeng Jun and Su Linyin had not been idle these past days either.
But the people those two recruited were all elite talents. Those heaven-blessed geniuses capable of receiving an excellent rating had pride in their hearts. They considered themselves inferior to no one and were extraordinarily difficult to recruit.
Having understood this, Dong Hao clenched his fist once more.
"Wait, Jiang Xuan seems to have that same mindset! When I previously offered him cultivation techniques, he refused to accept them and insisted on writing an IOU to borrow them; when I gave him pills and spiritual meals, he always remained somewhat reserved. I had thought he was merely aloof by nature, but now that I think about it, he clearly has confidence in opening thirty-six apertures himself, which is why he refuses to accept my favors for nothing!"
"Now that he is willing to attend my invitation, it is likely because he has accepted some of my favors and cannot bring himself to turn away directly."
With that thought, Dong Hao instantly made up his mind—rather than treat Jiang Xuan coldly, he needed to shower him with even greater favor and maintain this relationship well.
"What do these resources amount to? Supplies for the early aperture-opening stage are not valuable to begin with. Even if it all goes down the drain, I can afford it. But if this gamble succeeds, I will have a fellow disciple with an excellent rating, and a swordsmanship genius at that, helping me. That will raise my chances of entering the inner sect by at least thirty percent. I'm gambling on it!"
"Cousin, if you feel it would be awkward, I can go help you put Jiang Xuan in his place and make him see just how much he weighs..."
Just as Dong Hao was sorting everything out, Fu He at his side was still chattering away, offering him advice.
But those words made Dong Hao break out in a cold sweat. The next instant, he cut her off with a stern shout. "Shut up!"
After the words fell, his face darkened. His sharp gaze swept over Fu He as he said, one word at a time, "Do not mention such things again. Brother Jiang does not like drinking, so we can invite him for tea in the future. Why must you gossip about his preferences?"
"Ah?!"
Dong Hao's rebuke, along with his utterly reversed attitude, left Fu He frozen in place, her face full of astonishment.
Instinctively, she said, "But this has nothing to do with drinking. He humiliated your prestige in public..."
Before she could finish, Dong Hao interrupted her again. This time, his tone was filled with solemn authority that brooked no dispute. "Do not spout nonsense. From beginning to end, I have treated Jiang Xuan as a friend, never as some subordinate!"
"If he is a friend, how can there be any talk of humiliating my prestige?"
"???"
The moment those words came out, Fu He was completely dumbfounded. Wu Chen and Mu Yuan beside her exchanged looks, their faces equally filled with disbelief.
They simply could not understand it. Jiang Xuan had been so withdrawn and had refused to give Dong Hao the slightest bit of face, so why was Dong Hao not only unangered, but treating him with increasing gravity, even carrying a faint hint of ingratiation?
Because it was too unbelievable, a thought they had never been willing to believe suddenly surfaced in their hearts. "Could the rumors be true? Does Dong Hao simply admire people with proud, aloof temperaments?"
"Should I... imitate that too?"
Others could not understand, but Dong Hao did not hesitate in his actions.
After rebuking Fu He, he immediately summoned the maid Nan Zhi, leaned down, and gave her several quiet instructions.
His words made Nan Zhi's expression change drastically. She looked at her young master with eyes full of disbelief, but just as she was about to speak, Dong Hao's hard voice cut her off. "Just do as I say."
"...Yes, Young Master."
Thus, at the height of the noon sun, Nan Zhi accepted her orders and quickly left the training ground, hurrying straight for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion operated by the Dong Household in the city.
As for Dong Hao, he ignored the mocking looks and whispered discussions around him, returning calmly to his seat.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Nan Zhi hurried back and handed a brocade box to Dong Hao. Dong Hao accepted it, immediately rose to his feet, and walked over to Jiang Xuan again.
"Brother Dong, about what happened just now, I..."
Seeing him approach, Jiang Xuan thought he had come because of his refusal to drink earlier. He hurriedly cupped his hands and began speaking with some apology.
But before he could finish, Dong Hao waved a hand and interrupted him.
"Brother Jiang, you are too serious. I already said that I had not considered things thoroughly and failed to account for your preferences. I came specially now to apologize to you."
"Eh?" Jiang Xuan was somewhat startled by those words as well.
While he was still stunned, Dong Hao gently placed a white jade bottle in Jiang Xuan's hand. Before Jiang Xuan could refuse, he added in a low voice, "The pills inside are related to Spirit Pivot Condensation."
At those words, Jiang Xuan's movement abruptly paused.
Dong Hao had been watching his expression closely. That single subtle reaction completely confirmed it for him—Jiang Xuan truly intended to challenge the thirty-sixth aperture and condense a Spirit Pivot!
This set off endless stormy waves in his heart.
My guess was actually right!
Though he was astonished inwardly, Dong Hao revealed not the slightest hint of it on his face. His attitude only grew more humble and enthusiastic.
"Ahem, Brother Jiang, you presumably know why the first realm of our Dao cultivation is called Spirit Pivot Aperture Opening?"
"I know a little." Jiang Xuan nodded and calmly explained what he knew. "Aperture Opening means opening the hidden Apertures of the human body. The human body possesses three hundred and sixty Apertures, matching the number of a Greater Celestial Circuit. But besides Apertures, the human body also contains Spirit Pivots. The Lower Dantian, Middle Dantian, and Upper Dantian are the three great Spirit Pivots of the human body, as well as secret repositories where Cultivators store their essence, qi, and spirit."
"Brother Jiang is indeed well-read." After praising him, Dong Hao explained the details and revealed the use of the pills. "Spirit Pivots and Apertures are inherently connected, each giving rise to the other. Only after a certain number of Apertures are opened can one trigger Spirit Pivot Condensation."
"Thirty-six apertures are the minimum threshold for condensing the first Spirit Pivot. That is why Lecturer Song Zhou set the excellent-rating line for the first assessment at thirty-six apertures."
"Once seventy-two Apertures are opened, the second Spirit Pivot may be condensed. Opening one hundred and eight Apertures allows the third Spirit Pivot to be condensed. Of course, that is merely the minimum. If one wishes to forge a Dao Foundation with only one hundred and eight Apertures, there is almost no hope of success."
Since this was not the time to discuss Dao Foundations, Dong Hao did not say much more on the subject. Instead, he changed the topic.
"Spirit Pivot Aperture Opening is not entirely without risk. During the initial condensation, the qi channels are unstable, and there is a risk of collapse. Even if such an accident happens, it will not mean all previous efforts have been wasted or that condensation will be impossible forever, but it will cause all the Apertures throughout the body to tremble and damage the qi channels. One must rest and recuperate for a long time before attempting it again."
"The Origin Spirit Pills in this bottle can help you rapidly stabilize your qi channels and suppress the Spirit Pivot's origin during Spirit Pivot Condensation."
Hearing this, Jiang Xuan no longer declined. He immediately put away the jade bottle and cupped his hands toward Dong Hao. "Thank you, Brother Dong."
"I should be thanking Brother Jiang." Dong Hao quickly supported him, smiling. "For the assessments to come, I will have to rely entirely on Brother Jiang."
"I will certainly offer my full assistance."
Since the other party valued him so highly and had given him resources, Jiang Xuan naturally did not mind lending him a hand. Of course, he would never hand over his own inner-sect spot to anyone.
Seeing Jiang Xuan's serious, solemn response, the smile on Dong Hao's face grew brighter and lighter.
Ever tactful, once he had received Jiang Xuan's earnest reply, he immediately patted his chest and promised him, "Then I shall thank Brother Jiang in advance. Also, if Brother Jiang needs anything, you may tell me."
If Jiang Xuan received an excellent rating and was still willing to help Dong Hao into the inner sect, then Dong Hao would owe Jiang Xuan a favor.
Thus, Jiang Xuan felt no psychological burden at all about gaining benefits from Dong Hao.
Besides, Jiang Xuan believed that only by becoming stronger himself could he better help Dong Hao.
"I do indeed have some things I need Brother Dong's help finding. But let us discuss all that tomorrow."
Dong Hao instantly understood the deeper meaning of those words.
Right now, Jiang Xuan was merely a poor student, his status as far below Dong Hao's as clouds from mud. If he asked for things now, it would inevitably carry the flavor of begging for charity.
But tomorrow, he would be a genius of the Star Daoist Academy who had earned an Excellent Rating, an ally capable of standing on equal footing with Dong Hao. Asking then would be equal cooperation, each taking what he needed.
Although Dong Hao was already ninety percent certain that Jiang Xuan would receive an excellent rating, he also understood that too much was as bad as too little. Thus, he did not press further, merely agreed with a smile, then turned and left.
I only wanted to find a useful chess piece, yet I unexpectedly picked up a pearl covered in dust. Heaven truly is helping me!
There will definitely be a place for me, Dong Hao, among the top ten of the second-round assessment!
And the position of legitimate son in the Household—I may not be unable to fight for it!
Dong Hao's heart was stirred with excitement, and Jiang Xuan's mood at this moment was much the same.
With Dong Hao's assistance, memorizing three hundred volumes of the Daoist Canon will no longer be a difficult task.
As for establishing the Scripture Repository... if all else fails, I can take up the position first and build the Scripture Repository myself later.
Dong Hao can also help me secure a position at the Scripture Repository.
Unable to achieve everything in one step, Jiang Xuan could only compromise for the time being.
However, becoming a Scripture Mystic Daoist was a matter for the future. Jiang Xuan's most pressing task now was to nurture his thirty-sixth Apertures and condense his first Spirit Pivot.
"Hoo..."
Closing his eyes and holding his breath, Jiang Xuan first focused his mind and rested for over an hour. When more than half of the Wei hour had passed and he felt that he had recovered most of his condition, he slowly opened his eyes.