The top three in this trial were Song Zhongming, Liu Benxin, and Jiang Sixuan.
By giving himself some leeway, Xiao Chen successfully secured ninth place, which was within his expectations.
It was only then that he learned that his usually low-key neighbor, Junior Brother Liu, who tended the Spirit Fields with him, was actually from the Pingyuan Liu Clan, a family with a unique lineage of Spirit Plant Cultivators.
'No wonder he found out about the Ghost-faced Spiders the night before the trial. So he has his own connections.'
Thanks to his exceptional performance, Chen Guangyu was pushed down to fourth place, missing out on a Xuan-level technique.
After spending so many Spirit Stones to buy points, he still failed to make the top three. Chen Guangyu's expression turned grim on the spot.
It was worth noting that the point gap between the top few ranks wasn't large—less than thirty points in total.
Unfortunately, Chen Guangyu was reluctant to spend more Spirit Stones and gave up on buying more points. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been difficult for Xiao Chen to help him take first. In the end, the generous Song Zhongming took the top spot.
Overall, this time's top ten came as a surprise to many of the disciples.
Aside from the seven sixth-level Qi Refining disciples from the Second Division, the remaining three were Liu Benxin, Jiang Sixuan, and Xiao Chen.
To put it bluntly, everyone could accept the others' high rankings. They either had high Cultivation, powerful backgrounds, or both.
But Xiao Chen stood out like a sore thumb. He was the only disciple who was at the fifth level of Qi Refining before the trial and had no family background.
Furthermore, thanks to Instructor Wu's vigorous promotion and his earlier rapid breakthrough to the fifth level of Qi Refining, the name Xiao Chen was known by practically everyone in the Second Division.
However, no one had expected this newcomer to the Second Division to suddenly become a candidate for the Inner Sect—and not even the lowest-ranking one.
It was just too absurd. How did he manage it?
As the rankings were announced, nearly every disciple's eyes fell upon Xiao Chen, sizing him up as if trying to figure out what made him so special.
Steward Chen was also a little curious, but he had to distribute the rewards first.
After announcing the rankings, he took out several Secret Manuals for Magic and motioned for them to come forward and claim their rewards.
The three Xuan-level techniques were quickly distributed. Next, the remaining winners had to choose one of five Yellow-level Techniques.
These techniques corresponded to five different functions: Concealing Breath, Defense, Investigation, attack, and cultivation support.
This should have been a crucial decision, as the choice of Magic was inextricably linked to one's future path of Cultivation.
But Xiao Chen noticed that several disciples from prominent families, or those connected to them, unhesitatingly chose the Supporting Magic for cultivation.
They didn't even glance at the descriptions of the Cultivation Techniques, obviously having already laid out a clear plan for their future Cultivation.
He curiously picked up the Supporting Magic and saw that it was the "Three-star Coordination Skill," a technique that increased a Cultivator's affinity with their Magical Artifacts.
The Investigation technique was the "Stargazing and Qi Observation Skill," which allowed a Cultivator to estimate the strength of others.
The disciple in tenth place, after browsing through the options, also followed suit and chose the "Three-star Coordination Skill."
His reasoning was simple: 'I don't know which technique is best, but the others must have their reasons for choosing it. I'll just follow their lead for now.'
Xiao Chen, however, had no intention of following the herd.
He had the Cloak now, so he didn't have an immediate need for the Concealing Breath Technique. Considering the boost from his Augments, his attack and Defense weren't lacking either—at least, they weren't urgent priorities.
That made the "Stargazing and Qi Observation Skill" the most suitable Cultivation Technique for him right now. It would shore up his weakness in lacking any means of Investigation.
As far as Xiao Chen knew, after entering the Inner Sect, the Sect would arrange for disciples to go out and complete missions on its behalf.
Although he had just broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining, he was confident he could break through again in a short time and reach the late stages of the realm.
Therefore, the "Stargazing and Qi Observation Skill," which would be useful almost immediately, was clearly more valuable than the "Three-star Coordination Skill," which might not pay off for a long time.
Thus, Xiao Chen made his own choice, picking the "Stargazing and Qi Observation Skill." He was, once again, the only one not to choose the "Three-star Coordination Skill."
This unconventional choice once again drew everyone's attention to him.
Standing out isn't necessarily a bad thing, but failing to fall in line often isn't good.
The gazes some disciples now cast on Xiao Chen carried exactly that sentiment.
Others began to wonder just how Xiao Chen had managed to break into the top ten.
'Does he have some hidden background none of us know about?'
'Does he possess some incredibly powerful Attack Spiritual Artifact?'
'Did he secretly cheat his way through?'
...
Jiang Sixuan was also pondering, but she was not one to regret her decisions.
Before this, she had already decided to keep her distance from Xiao Chen, believing him to be nothing more than a lucky fool.
She still believed in her judgment, as this trial did indeed involve a great deal of luck.
In hindsight, it was clear that Song Zhongming and Liu Benxin had killed many of the Spirit Beasts with superior efficiency, getting to them first.
Xiao Chen was just lucky enough to find Spirit Beasts that others had missed.
Jiang Sixuan herself had found a small path and earned a great number of points thanks to a Magical Artifact her family had given her.
So, she naturally assumed that Xiao Chen had simply gotten lucky again.
Luck might last for a while, but it can't be relied upon forever.
As the saying goes, things happen in threes. Xiao Chen had been lucky three times in a row; his streak was about to end.
「Elsewhere.」
Liu Benxin was also watching Xiao Chen, but his thoughts were the complete opposite of Jiang Sixuan's.
In his eyes, despite his neighbor's average aptitude—he'd heard he only had a low-grade Spiritual Root—he was incredibly hardworking in his Cultivation and definitely a talent worth molding.
To Liu Benxin, Xiao Chen was a tenacious, ascetic Cultivator.
In the past six months, he had never seen Xiao Chen attend any event besides the Division's exchange meetings.
Every morning, he would wake up and first meditate in his courtyard. Then, in the Spirit Fields, he would use the breaks between casting Magic to sit cross-legged and seek enlightenment.
At night, he wouldn't go out for fun or seek out others for drinks and merriment. Instead, he would continue to quietly practice his Cultivation Technique under the moonlight.
For half a year he was like this, every single day—a model of diligence.
Liu Benxin didn't know that Xiao Chen was cultivating at ten times the normal speed, and that he was practically addicted to the feeling of his own rapid progress.
He knew he could never endure such tedious, high-intensity training, and so he admired Xiao Chen from the bottom of his heart.
This was also why he was willing to set aside his status and chat with his neighbor while they worked the fields.
Seeing Xiao Chen enter the top ten and become a candidate for the Inner Sect, Liu Benxin was filled with admiration. He sincerely believed that Xiao Chen's achievement today was not just due to good luck, but a reward for his hard work.
Besides them, everyone else had their own thoughts on the matter.
Su Wanqing found out about the results almost immediately.
Ever since parting ways with Xiao Chen that day, the matter had been on her mind. Upon her return, she had specifically asked her clansmen to look into it.
"Ninth place?"
However, upon hearing his rank, Su Wanqing was dumbfounded.
???
'Someone as powerful as Xiao Chen only ranked ninth?'
'Then who in the world were the top eight?'