Jiang Ran looked suspiciously at Qingque, who had revealed her true intentions, feeling that it was a bit unreliable.
"Oh, don't mind those details! As Lord Taibu's subordinate, of course I have to consider her happiness."
Qingque crossed her arms, nodding seriously as she spoke.
Jiang Ran sighed. With his talent, how could he possibly improve enough overnight to pass the Cloud Knights Martial Trial?
However, the reward for passing was too tempting, and he didn't want to give up just yet.
"Then, may I ask, what brilliant ideas does Senior Qingque have?" Jiang Ran asked with a hint of anticipation.
Qingque waved her hand, then spread both hands, saying, "No need to be so polite, just call me Qingque. As for a method, I actually don't have any good ideas..."
Jiang Ran: ?
Are you kidding me?
Uh... she did just say she was here for fun...
Seeing the expression on Jiang Ran's face change from anticipation to disappointment.
Qingque no longer played coy, and said in a cheerful tone, "I don't have a way, but we can go find someone who does."
"I'll take you to Yanqing. He's a Vanguard of the Cloud Knights, he definitely has a solution."
After hearing Qingque's words, Jiang Ran's eyes lit up.
Although Yanqing was still young, he was exceptionally talented and had already become a Vanguard of the Cloud Knights.
If he could receive his guidance, it was indeed possible to make great progress.
Thinking of this, the two didn't delay and went directly to find Yanqing.
After hearing their purpose, Yanqing smiled and nodded, "The General already anticipated that you would come to me and has instructed me to look after you."
"Didn't the General say he wouldn't show him favoritism?"
"Of course, tomorrow's Martial Trial will be fair and just."
"But today... it's just a friendly sparring match between friends. How can that be called favoritism? That's what the General said."
Yanqing blinked, repeating the General's words.
Jiang Ran thought, able to bend and stretch, truly worthy of being the Luofu General!
"Alright, alright, then you two practice. I won't disturb you, my card buddies are calling me to play cards." Qingque was ready to slip away and slack off.
"Uh... if I'm not mistaken, shouldn't it be working hours at the Divination Commission right now? You're going to play cards at this time?"
"Why not?" Qingque asked, somewhat puzzled.
"..."
After sparring with Yanqing for a while, Jiang Ran found that Yanqing indeed possessed great skill.
No matter how he attacked, he couldn't inflict any effective damage on him, and he couldn't help but sigh, "Is this what a favored child of heaven is like?"
"Your basic physical conditioning is good, it's clear you've put in a lot of hard work. But your combat technique is really poor, you'll suffer greatly in the Cloud Knights Martial Trial."
After a brief exchange, Yanqing accurately identified Jiang Ran's shortcomings.
Jiang Ran, of course, knew his own weaknesses, so he humbly asked for advice, "Then, in your opinion, is there any way for me to successfully pass tomorrow's Cloud Knights Martial Trial?"
Yanqing shook his head, "Let alone me, even the General probably can't make you master combat techniques overnight."
Jiang Ran's spirits plummeted. Yanqing was already the person with the highest martial arts skill he could access, and even he couldn't help.
He feared that this time, he wouldn't be able to pass no matter what.
Seeing Jiang Ran's dejected look, Yanqing felt a little sympathetic, so he voluntarily said, "I'll teach you the Xianzhou Sword Technique once; learn as much as you can."
Jiang Ran nodded, forcing himself to concentrate, and carefully observed the sword technique Yanqing demonstrated.
Yanqing's Xianzhou Sword Technique was known for its agility, with every move a dazzling flash of cold light, the sword body like a dragon.
Combined with the footwork, this set of Xianzhou Sword Technique was pleasing to the eye and naturally agile just by watching it.
Yanqing deliberately slowed down his movements to accommodate Jiang Ran, allowing him to clearly see his actions.
Jiang Ran's eyes widened, trying hard to memorize every move.
But when he tried to practice, he found that simply remembering the moves was useless; he couldn't execute them at all.
Jiang Ran shook his head and gave a bitter smile for a while, trying to dispel the gloom in his heart, but found that no matter what, he couldn't truly calm down.
In the past, if he didn't pass, so be it; it was merely a matter of losing face.
But now so many people in the Divination Commission were watching him. If he didn't pass, Fu Xuan would also be laughed at.
That wouldn't be good.
Just as Jiang Ran was anxious, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind:
Ding—
System download complete... Installing... System installation complete.
Jiang Ran: ?
No way, the system is here?
Twenty-five years! Do you know how I've lived these twenty-five years!
You're twenty-five years late? If this were another world, I'd have died several times over.
[System Prompt: Due to the host's poor talent, the system download speed was too slow.]
The system seemed to know what he was thinking and popped up a system prompt.
My apologies, it turns out it was my problem... Jiang Ran quickly adjusted his mindset and began to check the system's functions.
The function of this system was very simple: use points to deduce various skills.
In simple terms, it was an "accelerator."
It could allow Jiang Ran to skip the learning process and directly receive the results.
However, points needed to be acquired through training, meaning Jiang Ran only needed to do basic training, and the system would handle the improvement of skill realms.
It compensated for his talent issues.
"You're twenty-five years late, shouldn't there be some compensation?" Jiang Ran began to haggle with the system.
[Based on the host's previous training duration, initial points issued: 500]
Unfortunately, the system showed no sign of guilt, only giving some initial points.
According to the system, if he hadn't diligently practiced martial arts for five years, these initial points would have been 0.
This stingy system, if I don't train hard, it's like not having it at all... "Forget it, let's try it first."
As soon as Jiang Ran focused his mind, a glowing screen appeared before his eyes.
[Current Martial Art: Xianzhou Sword Technique (Completely Unfamiliar)]
[Can use points to accelerate martial art progress]
[Remaining Points: 500]
Jiang Ran didn't hesitate, pouring all his points into the Xianzhou Sword Technique.
All-in! That is wisdom!
Points rapidly decreased, but the realm of the Xianzhou Sword Technique behind it rapidly increased.
[You diligently practiced the Xianzhou Sword Technique, and after ten years, reached the introductory realm.]
[You continued to practice, and in the seventeenth year, the Xianzhou Sword Technique broke through again.]
[In the fifty-second year, you occasionally gained insights during practice, and the Xianzhou Sword Technique reached the Grandmaster realm.]
Xianzhou Sword Technique (Grandmaster)
After reaching Grandmaster, the deduction automatically stopped, with 86 points remaining.
The deduction ended, and Jiang Ran let out a long breath, a flash of understanding rising in his heart—the Xianzhou Sword Technique was now ingrained in him.
Seeing Jiang Ran's sudden change in demeanor beside him, Yanqing was astonished.
He couldn't understand why Jiang Ran had undergone such a significant change in such a short time; his entire aura was different.
Moreover, his breathing was long and his steps steady, clearly showing the appearance of someone who had achieved mastery in martial arts.
"Is this the legendary... enlightenment? Could it be that I'm also a genius at teaching swordsmanship?" Yanqing thought to himself.
Seeing Jiang Ran's change, Yanqing suddenly felt an irresistible itch.
"How about we spar again?"
"Exactly what I was thinking!"
The two drew their swords and sparred, using Xianzhou Sword Technique against Xianzhou Sword Technique, fighting back and forth, sword energy soaring to the heavens.
"Hahaha, good, what a thrill!"
Yanqing's eyes grew brighter with each exchange, his face showing the expression of meeting a worthy opponent.
In fact, he was incredibly shocked.
He himself was a sword practitioner, and he knew the hardships involved better than anyone.
Yet Jiang Ran had learned the Xianzhou Sword Technique almost completely just by watching him demonstrate it once.
If other martial artists knew about this, this talent would surely make countless people envious to death.
However, Yanqing also knew that Jiang Ran's fundamental skills were genuine; he had indeed put in arduous effort.
Yanqing thought, perhaps it was his many years of prior accumulation that led to this sudden burst of talent.
"Master Yanqing, if I participate in the Cloud Knights Martial Trial with this sword technique, can I pass?" Jiang Ran sheathed his sword and asked cautiously.
Yanqing was stunned, then let out two hearty laughs and said, "Of course you can!"
"Alright then. I can finally rest assured."
Jiang Ran's heart, which had been suspended for so long, finally settled back into his chest.
After the two left, a small purple figure emerged from the corner.
Perhaps because she was too short, the two hadn't noticed her at all earlier... Jiang Ran returned home to find his parents had already prepared dinner and were waiting for him.
"You're back? Come eat quickly, the dishes are getting cold."
Looking at his mother Lin Yu's concerned gaze, Jiang Ran's heart warmed, and he responded.
In his previous life as an Earthling, he had no parents. In this life, reincarnated on Luofu, he had both parents.
"Look at you, what a mess you've made." Lin Yu took a wet towel to wipe his face.
Jiang Ran had been running around all day, sparring with people and going to the Divination Commission, so he was already covered in sweat and dust.
Hearing his mother's words, Jiang Ran felt a little embarrassed.
He was already twenty-five years old, but his parents still treated him like a child.
After all, in the eyes of the long-lived Xianzhou people, twenty-five years was actually a very short period of time.
Although he had already passed the adult qualification exam... Jiang Ran's father, Jiang Xing, also walked out of the living room with a smile, "You're participating in the Cloud Knights Martial Trial tomorrow, how is it? Do you feel confident?"
"He just got back, why are you saying all this? Let's eat first." Lin Yu turned and gave Jiang Xing a reproachful look.
"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore. How about we two men have a drink?"
"No drinking! The child has to participate in the Martial Trial tomorrow."
Watching his parents bicker as usual, Jiang Ran felt a warmth in his eyes.
The family affection he had never experienced in his previous life was now complete in this life, but his lagging talent had also caused his parents a lot of worry, which made him feel a little guilty.
But now, everything was no longer a problem.
After dinner, Jiang Ran helped clear the dishes and returned to his room.
As soon as he lay on the bed, Jiang Ran heard movement outside the door. He opened the door and looked out, finding that it was the landlord who had come.
Jiang Ran eavesdropped at the door for a long time before realizing that the rent was going to increase.
The Xianzhou Luofu had been recuperating in recent years, and the population had gradually increased, causing rent and housing prices to slowly rise.
Jiang Ran could only sigh inwardly; life was not easy in any world.
Seeing his parents being timid and submissive in front of others over a bit of rent, Jiang Ran felt a pang of sadness.
"If the rent keeps going up like this, we won't be able to afford it. Jiang Ran..."
"Hey, keep your voice down, don't let the child hear it and add to his pressure. Don't worry, there will always be a way. He's still young, it's fine if he tries for a few more years. It's just that we'll have to work a bit harder."
"That's true, at worst, we'll just rent a cheap house near the Garden of Expectation..."
The quiet conversation between his parents made Jiang Ran feel very uneasy.
He wasn't very talented, and he had paid a large sum of money to study at the martial arts school. He hadn't achieved anything significant for several years in a row, which had also added a considerable burden to his family.
Thinking of this, his anticipation for the Cloud Knights Martial Trial grew even stronger.
Because the Cloud Knights' duties within the Six Commissions were the most dangerous, the Xianzhou always treated the Cloud Knights favorably.
As long as he joined the Cloud Knights, this little bit of rent money would no longer be an issue.
Jiang Ran hadn't expected that what was originally a simple Cloud Knights Martial Trial now carried so many layers of meaning.
Whether for himself, for Fu Xuan, or for his family, he could not lose!