In the principal's office, dozens of teenagers were waiting, making the spacious office seem quite crowded.
With the arrival of Li Lei and the others.
The principal's office became even more packed.
Zhou Qing said, "Principal, all the students at our school who have reached the Body Tempering Ninth Rank are here, a total of twenty-seven."
Principal Guo Xu nodded.
His slightly wrinkled face showed a smile as he looked at the two young men and women opposite him.
Weren't they the disciples from the Sun and Moon Bright Sect who had a brief encounter with Xu Lingjun earlier?
He had a slightly self-satisfied look on his face and said, "Miss Ji, Mr. Zhang, these are the most outstanding students at Qingyang High School. They haven't yet taken the Dragon Gate Examination, but everyone is already at the Body Tempering Ninth Rank, just one step away from the Qi Gathering Realm. Do they catch your eye?"
"Not bad."
Zhang Ziqian said casually, but his indifferent expression clearly showed that his words weren't heartfelt.
Guo Xu wasn't upset. Although the two people in front of him were just a few years older than these students, they had already successfully entered the Qi Gathering Realm and were even close to the True Transformation Realm.
At their age, such cultivation is indeed something these students cannot match.
Ji Roufeng carefully scanned the group of students but didn't find the person she was imagining.
She hesitated and said, "Is there someone missing?"
Zhou Qing asked, "Who's missing?"
"I don't know his name either."
Ji Roufeng blushed slightly and said softly, "But this morning, I accidentally bumped into him, and he directly pinned me down. Um... I'm already at the early stage of True Transformation, yet he managed to pin me down, so his aptitude must be exceptional. But why don't I see him here?"
Guo Xu: "................."
This young lady's expression looks familiar.
It's like the expression my wife has when talking about her son's friend.
But pin... pinned down, huh...
Could it be that this kid harassed the guest from the sect?
Thinking this, Guo Xu chuckled and said, "There are twenty-seven people, and I'm sure all those above the Body Tempering Ninth Rank are here. None are missing. Not to make you laugh, I've spent a lot to secure five slots for outer disciples within the Sun and Moon Bright Sect. Naturally, I want to provide the best students for the sect. If there were truly outstanding students, I wouldn't hide them."
Zhang Ziqian laughed coldly, "Looks like that person is just a silver spear with a pewter head."
"You're talking nonsense; he's not..."
Ji Roufeng caught herself mid-sentence, realizing that she might not be behaving appropriately.
She's here representing the sect, after all. How could she let personal feelings override reason? But he's indeed not a "silver spearhead"; when he bumped into me, my body indeed felt something.
She gave her junior brother a cold look again, making Zhang Ziqian shiver in his heart.
She then said, "Alright, let's get down to business. You must have heard of our Sun and Moon Bright Sect, right?"
Sun and Moon Bright Sect?
A few young people looked at each other, completely clueless...
Ji Roufeng wasn't angry, and simply smiled softly, "It's fine if you haven't heard. Let me tell you responsibly that the Sun and Moon Bright Sect is stronger than the Four Great Martial Mansions. For example, I am twenty-one this year..."
Zhang Ziqian moved his lips, wanting to remind his senior sister that she was already twenty-two this year.
But after hesitating, his instincts told him it was best not to speak.
Ji Roufeng continued, "But I've already reached the early stage of True Transformation as a martial artist. Such cultivation, if placed in any of the academies of the Four Great Martial Mansions, would be at least in the top ten... However, within the sect, I'm probably not even in the top thirty. That's the strength of our Sun and Moon Bright Sect."
Guo Xu explained, "Though Miss Ji's words aren't formally verified, they're highly credible."
Indeed, everything for the sect's disciples is granted by the sect. To the sect, disciples are personal assets and naturally won't be mistreated... but precisely because of this, compared to the Martial Mansions, sect disciples are like children with milk, while those without. Initially, they have the upper hand.
But once students from the Martial Mansions rise in the early stages, they can stand on par with the sect and even surpass it. It's probably another expression for the maturity of less fortunate children.
However, it's too early to discuss this with these young students. These kids currently have no choice, and any chance they have should be firmly grasped.
He thought to himself.
Ji Roufeng said, "The reason we're here is to recruit five students into our Sun and Moon Bright Sect. Of course, the sect only accepts the best students, so I will conduct a comprehensive assessment... and this is a mutual decision. You might want to go back and learn more about sects. If interested, gather here again tomorrow morning. That's it for today."
Saying this, she nodded slightly at Guo Xu and then turned to leave.
Zhang Ziqian hurriedly followed his senior sister's pace.
After they left, Guo Xu said, "Alright, you don't have to go back and stress over this. Let me educate you on the differences between sects and Martial Mansions. Whether you have this intention is entirely up to you, but I can give you a heads-up. Qingyang High School went through a lot of trouble to secure this connection with the Sun and Moon Bright Sect. They've invested almost all funds for these years to get these five slots."
With that, he started introducing these still somewhat bewildered students.
At this time.
In class.
During break time, Xu Lingjun handed over a piece of bread to the girl sitting behind him and smiled, "The bread you wanted."
"Thank you... Xu... Xu Tongxue."
The girl blushed and shyly lowered her head.
And from Xu Lingjun's perspective, there appeared a line of small characters.
[You helped Liu Yina buy snacks and bread, and after much effort, received Liu Yina's thanks, thus earning the favor of the world's original will. Source Value +8!]
Girls like to eat snacks between classes.
And they have started to initially use their gender advantage. So, in these budding romantic classrooms, there are always some weaker male students who are ordered around by female students to run errands...
And the female students not only save effort but also gain face.
But no one thinks of Xu Lingjun as weak.
In fact, helping these girls buy things makes them even more grateful to him, thinking... Ah, Xu Tongxue is so enthusiastic, so polite, I feel so important.
As a result, their gratitude for Xu Lingjun skyrockets.
Xu Lingjun's favorite activity during break time is to help female students buy things and run errands. Compared to jumping into the cold water in the dead of winter to save an animal lover's beloved dog, this is like farming Source Value; it feels amazing!
"What's up, are you interested in her?"
Seeing Xu Lingjun looking satisfied after buying something for Liu Yina.
Guo Zheng poked Xu Lingjun's shoulder and whispered, "No way, Liu Yina is pretty, but she's just a class belle. She might not even qualify to be with you... don't just settle for anyone, focus on the school flower. Leave the class belles for us ordinary folk."
Xu Lingjun countered with a punch and said, "Stop it. Can you stop being so dirty-minded? This is just friendly help between classmates. Liu Yina, don't you think so?"
Liu Yina giggled with the bread in her arms, nodding, "Yes, yes, it's caring, very caring."
Guo Zheng suggested, "How about it, go for a few rounds after school?"
Xu Lingjun shook his head and said, "No, this afternoon I have an appointment with Teacher Zhou Qing for a strength assessment."
"You really broke through?"
Guo Zheng sighed regretfully, "Too bad, just a little more and you would have had the chance to be accepted into a sect."
"If I get it, great; if not, that's fate, nothing to regret."
Xu Lingjun remained quite calm. The benefits of joining a sect are primarily that you don't need to worry about cultivation techniques and resources, as they are fully supplied by the sect.
But the problem is, I now have Source Value. I can't get real cultivation techniques or resources... but I can definitely get the fake ones, right?
For me now, there's no difference between real and fake... So, joining a sect really doesn't mean much to me.
Thinking this, Xu Lingjun popped a Blood Supplement Capsule into his mouth.
The Blood Qi was absorbed immediately by the "Infinite Divine Demon Body Refining Technique," making him feel slightly stronger.
Guo Zheng asked, "What are you eating?"
Xu Lingjun replied casually, "I've been feeling a bit anemic lately, just taking some medicine to supplement it."
"It's not blood you're supplementing, is it?"
Guo Zheng gave Xu Lingjun a knowing look and sighed, "Teacher Wang is really ruthless, tormenting the Empire's young blooms... It's only been a day, and you're already taking supplements. If it happens for a long time, you might turn into a withered guy?"