More and more people gathered in the Sixth Courtyard.
Fang Yong once again became the center of attention, surrounded by admirers.
Only then did Jiang Man manage to enter the Sixth Courtyard without trouble.
Before long, Zhao Leming arrived.
The moment he entered, he told those below him with a stern face, "Line up according to your rankings."
Everyone began adjusting their positions.
They formed two lines.
Jiang Man did not move.
After all, he was ranked last.
Soon, a young man stood beside him.
He had a round figure.
It made Jiang Man rather envious.
How much would someone have to eat to become that round?
His family must have been wealthy.
"Jiang Man, thank goodness you're here. Otherwise, I'd be at the bottom, and my family would never let me off." The young man chuckled, looking relieved. After a pause, he asked curiously, "You don't stink anymore?"
Gao Yao, the little fatty, was at the bottom of the rankings just like Jiang Man.
Jiang Man had been somewhat wooden and dull before, while Gao Yao simply did not want to cultivate and had limited talent.
"What are we doing today?" Jiang Man asked.
The little fatty looked at Jiang Man in surprise. "You're actually interested now? You never showed any interest before."
Before Jiang Man could find an excuse, the little fatty continued, "It's almost September. It's time to arrange our cultivation for the second half of the year.
"They'll also see who's eligible to compete for a chance to take the Wuyun Sect's assessment.
"The Sixth Courtyard has two slots. Most likely, they'll go to Fang Yong and Luo Xuan."
As he spoke, he looked at the two people at the very front with considerable envy.
Jiang Man followed his gaze.
One was the high-spirited Fang Yong, and the other was a serene young woman who seemed untouched by the smoke and fire of the mortal world.
With her lovely features and splendid clothes, one glance was enough to tell she was not from a village.
Her ranking first was therefore quite reasonable.
With money at home and ample resources, she had already won more than half the battle.
With a little effort and a little talent, she could leave those of them from villages far behind.
Catching up required many times the effort, along with extraordinary talent.
And people like that could be counted on one hand.
"But none of this has anything to do with us. As the last and second-to-last, we won't be assigned to take part in the assessment. We won't even get cultivation plans," the little fatty said.
Those words left Jiang Man stunned.
They did not even qualify to compete?
Fortunately, he had made a deal with Mr. Zhao, so there should still be a chance.
Jiang Man checked: he was ranked twenty-sixth.
Last in the courtyard.
The little fatty was twenty-fifth, second from the bottom.
He had always been grateful to Jiang Man for taking last place for him.
"Let's always stay friends. Whether I get fewer beatings when I go home depends entirely on you," the little fatty told Jiang Man earnestly.
Jiang Man: "..."
Their little boat of friendship was probably about to capsize.
"You should all have a clear idea of your rankings. If you want to compete for eligibility, you have a little over three months left. The final list will be released in December.
"After that, it cannot be changed.
"Even if someone who qualifies dies, their slot will not be passed down.
"So in these last few months, work hard when you should, and put your lives on the line when you must.
"If you miss this opportunity, no amount of effort later will earn you another like it.
"You'd better think it through."
Afterward, Mr. Zhao handed everyone a sheet of paper listing the strengths and weaknesses of each rank.
Then he came over to Jiang Man and the little fatty.
After giving Jiang Man a long look, he said calmly, "You two, come with me."
Some people were curious, but they did not think much of it.
Zhao Leming met with Jiang Man alone first.
"Do you understand today's situation?" he asked, sitting at a desk inside the room.
Jiang Man bowed respectfully. "I understand."
"Any thoughts?" Zhao Leming asked, casually picking up a book.
After a little thought, Jiang Man answered honestly, "I'd also like to try competing for a chance to take the assessment."
Zhao Leming raised his eyes to glance at Jiang Man and said calmly, "Under the Azure Cloud Pavilion's rules, you should not be eligible to compete for the assessment."
Hearing this, Jiang Man understood that it depended on whether what he offered was useful.
If it was not, then the rules were the rules.
If it was, then rules were dead, but people were alive.
Jiang Man took out what he had hidden inside his robe, placed it on the desk, and pushed it toward Zhao Leming.
The latter unhurriedly picked up the book.
A short while later, he slowly closed it and said:
"Under the Azure Cloud Pavilion's rules, you two are indeed ineligible to compete.
"However, rules are dead. It would be rather inhumane to extinguish your enthusiasm simply because of them.
"Considering the difficulties of your cultivation and your wholehearted desire to compete for the final slots,
"I'll make an exception for you.
"The exception has been made, but it still depends on whether you're willing to compete.
"If you participate, you must follow the Sixth Courtyard's arrangements and take part in the daily cultivation assessments."
Jiang Man immediately replied, "I am."
Afterward, Zhao Leming followed the usual procedure and met alone with the little fatty, Gao Yao.
Before long, Gao Yao emerged with a miserable expression.
Looking at Jiang Man, he heaved a heavy sigh. "We agreed to give up together. Why did you suddenly have a change of heart? Still, I'm more talented than you, so you'll stay at the bottom."
When they left, they each held a sheet of paper.
Their respective situations were written on them.
Jiang Man's contained the simplest information.
August 17. Cloudfront Administration: Azure Cloud Pavilion. Rear courtyard: Sixth Courtyard. Name: Jiang Man. Rank: 26 (out of 26). Cultivation: none. Cultivation method level: none. Resources received: "Simple Qi Refining Method," "Spirit Travel Step." Plan: practice the Qi Refining Method thirty times daily. Score: 0. Comment: room for improvement.
Only thirty times? They're underestimating me.
Not a patch on the Peerless Heaven's Chosen Destiny, Jiang Man thought ruefully.
Just then, Gao Yao sneaked a glance at Jiang Man's comment and said indignantly, "Why does yours say 'room for improvement,' while mine says 'stupidity beyond reach'?"
Jiang Man: "..."
Maybe because I slipped him a treasure.
They had barely returned to the courtyard when the others looked over.
Everyone was somewhat surprised to see the papers in their hands.
They had not expected these two at the bottom to compete for eligibility too.
The little fatty felt a little embarrassed.
"I keep feeling like they're laughing at us," he said, gently nudging Jiang Man.
Your feeling is right, Jiang Man answered inwardly.
But he did not care.
How could sparrows know the ambitions of a swan?
Soon, they would witness the rise of a peerless heaven's chosen.
Before long, however, they all began cultivating.
At a time like this, getting distracted by other people's business
would mean wasting a splendid opportunity.
Hadn't they seen that Fang Yong and Luo Xuan had not even turned their heads?
Jiang Man then began cultivating as well.
He continued practicing the Qi Refining Method.
He would first see when he could reach the ninth level.
After reaching the ninth level, he would improve his cultivation.
That should be the best choice.
Still, he also glanced at the little fatty's paper.
His cultivation was at the first level of Qi Refining.
So Jiang Man was the only ordinary person in the entire class.
"As long as we both follow our plans, when they hand out new papers after next month's assessment, you'll definitely still be at the bottom," the little fatty said with a smile.
Jiang Man smiled politely.
Then he practiced the Qi Refining Method.
Thirty repetitions were naturally not enough. He would practice a hundred times before heading back.
Before you continue