Chapter 81: Ranking

Before long, including Liu Xiaolou, ten young and elegant cultivators had arrived in the hall. It seemed the guests were all present, and from behind the hall emerged an old man with a beautiful beard. Though he looked to be fifty or sixty, he was still handsome and imposing, enough to make one admire him.

The young cultivators in the hall bowed and offered greetings in unison: "Greetings, Lord Zheng!"

Liu Xiaolou followed suit, moving his lips as he thought to himself, could this be the head of the Zheng family?

Lord Zheng laughed. "It is rare to have so many people here. You are all the rising stars and outstanding talents from the vicinity of Luo Mountain. Gathering here at my Luo Mountain is Luo Mountain's good fortune. I am overjoyed; tonight's banquet can truly be called a grand feast."

With these few short sentences, Liu Xiaolou felt a warmth in his heart. Suddenly being included among the "outstanding talents" and becoming a "rising star" naturally made him happy. Along with the other young cultivators, he bowed humbly and kept saying, "I dare not."

Lord Zheng took the main seat and nodded to the steward beside him. "Begin."

The steward stepped forward and announced in a loud voice, "Will all outstanding talents please take your seats according to rank!"

As the name implied, "ranking seats" meant arranging the seating order. Liu Xiaolou's spirit lifted; he thought the competition had begun, though he didn't know how the ranking would be determined.

Immediately, someone stepped forward and cupped their hands. "This junior's cultivation is at the seventh level of Qi Refinement!"

Another said, "This junior is at the sixth level!"

Another added, "This junior is also at the sixth level."

"This junior is at the fifth level!"

"This junior is at the seventh level!"

"This junior is at the fourth level..."

"This junior is at the third level... I am ashamed..."

"This junior is at the second level..."

Amidst the chatter, everyone reported their cultivation levels.

The one who claimed to be ashamed was not Liu Xiaolou. Although Liu Xiaolou was also at the third level and ranked toward the back among the young cultivators, he felt no shame at all. Instead, he was quite pleasantly surprised—surprised that he was not at the very bottom. It was already difficult to find another at the third level, and what was rare was that there was someone even lower, at the second level!

To have the nerve to apply as a retainer with a mere second level of Qi Refinement, and not even call oneself "ashamed"—how thick-skinned could one be?

Liu Xiaolou inadvertently glanced at the second-level cultivator a few times, his eyes full of disdain—the appearance was decent, but it was just a fancy pillow!

After everyone had reported their cultivation, the steward said, "Will all outstanding talents please arrange yourselves according to cultivation, with the highest in front and the others behind!"

Thus, the young cultivators sorted themselves out. Standing in the front row were the two at the seventh level, followed by the two at the sixth level—the Bai Yun Swordsman and the Scholar in Green. Behind them were the two at the fifth level, one at the fourth level, then the two at the third level including Liu Xiaolou, and finally the one who reported being at the second level.

Liu Xiaolou turned his head to look at the other third-level cultivator beside him, thinking to himself that he was a cut above in cultivation; after all, he was only one meridian point away from the perfection of the third level, wasn't he?

That person also turned to look at him and said, "I am Yuan Ziqi from Yuanjiawan. How should I address you, brother?"

Liu Xiaolou replied, "I am Liu Xiaolou of the Three Mystical Sect."

This Yuan Ziqi blinked; he likely had no impression of the Three Mystical Sect. He cupped his hands. "I have long heard of you."

Liu Xiaolou knew nothing of Yuanjiawan either, so he smiled and nodded.

Suddenly, he heard the steward point to one of them. "Young Master Zhang, I heard that Young Master Zhang failed to break through last month. In just over half a month, have you broken through?"

Young Master Zhang's face turned red instantly. "Although this junior failed to break through, it was only by a small margin. I can barely count as fifth level."

The steward shook his head. "A level is a level; there can be no falsehood. Young Master, please return."

Young Master Zhang looked toward Lord Zheng and stammered, "Uncle Zheng..."

Lord Zheng sighed. "Nephew, return to the mountain. I will apologize to your father later."

This Young Master Zhang, who had falsely reported his cultivation, had no choice but to leave in low spirits.

Liu Xiaolou was speechless. Since they were applying to be retainers, one's cultivation would be known with a single test; how could this be faked? With one competitor fewer, while he was happy, he couldn't help but be puzzled: "Since this Zhang fellow is a family friend of the Zheng family, why come to apply as a retainer? And why care so much?"

The steward said again, "Outstanding talents, some of you I know, others I am ignorant of and do not yet recognize. Please report your family backgrounds."

The young cultivators reported their family origins one after another:

"This junior is from the Bai Yun Villa in Yunxi. My father is Yun Conglong!"

"This junior is a disciple of the Huangti Palace. My master is the Recluse Chongyang."

"This junior is from the Three Emperors Sect. My father is Elder Peng Qingyun of the Three Emperors Sect."

"This junior is from the Chen family of Jiepai..."

When it was Liu Xiaolou's turn, he reported, "This junior is the Sect Master of the Three Mystical Sect!"

Everyone was surprised. Liu Xiaolou instantly became the focus of attention in the hall, and even Lord Zheng's gaze turned toward him.

The steward couldn't help but ask, "This outstanding talent, may I ask what kind of immortal sect the Three Mystical Sect is?"

This hurdle could not be avoided. If the application were successful, others would surely ask for verification later, so Liu Xiaolou had to answer honestly: "The Three Mystical Sect... is a sect on Wulong Mountain."

The steward pressed, "Wulong Mountain... is that the Wulong Mountain in Western Xiang?"

"Yes."

Once the "Yes" was answered, the outstanding talents shook their heads, and some light sneers could be heard.

The steward ignored Liu Xiaolou and looked at the young man at the second level of Qi Refinement in the last row. He answered simply, "This junior is from the Ding family of Shuanglong Town."

Yet, the steward showed great respect. "Honored guest, please move forward three places."

The young cultivator surnamed Ding smiled and stepped forward, passing Liu Xiaolou and Yuan Ziqi, and stood in the row of those at the sixth level of cultivation.

The steward said again, "Will the honored guest from the Three Emperors Sect please move forward two places, and the two honored guests from Bai Yun Villa and Huangti Palace each move forward one place."

After the queue was rearranged, the steward paused and looked at Liu Xiaolou and Yuan Ziqi, who were standing side by side. "Will this honored guest from the Three Mystical Sect please take a step back."

When it came to family background, Liu Xiaolou was the weakest; no one could compare, so he had to accept his fate and retreat to the end.

The steward spoke again: "Will all outstanding talents please report the mystical arts you cultivate!"

"This junior cultivates the Six Desolations Boundless Art passed down by my sect!"

"This junior cultivates the Three Emperors Mystical Method!"

"This junior cultivates the family-transmitted Bai Yun Sword Technique!"

"This junior practices..."

"This junior..."

When it was Liu Xiaolou's turn, he had already made up his mind and reported two techniques: "This junior cultivates the Three Mystical Arts and the Thousand Extremes Scripture!" There was no need to mention the Three Mystical Arts, but the Thousand Extremes Scripture was a catalog of array plate materials; it couldn't be considered a mystical art, but as the saying went, having many skills is never a burden—reporting one more was better than one less.

The steward whispered with Lord Zheng for a moment and adjusted the order of a few people. Liu Xiaolou remained where he was, showing that the so-called Three Mystical Arts and Thousand Extremes Scripture had failed to impress Lord Zheng.

Suddenly, the steward asked one more question: "Outstanding talents, has anyone learned dual cultivation methods?"

Some of the young cultivators looked at each other, some stared straight ahead, and some blushed and lowered their heads. The hall fell silent; no one answered.

Only Liu Xiaolou felt a stir in his heart. Although he didn't know what the relationship was between recruiting retainers and having learned dual cultivation methods, he still raised his hand. "This junior has a mystical method within the Three Mystical Arts called the Yin-Yang Scripture, which is indeed a dual cultivation method."

At this moment, he had to give it his all.

Although it drew a wave of disdain, the effect was extremely significant. The steward immediately announced, "Will the outstanding talent from the Three Mystical Sect please move forward three places!"

Liu Xiaolou happily moved to the front, arriving at the sixth position. He heard Lord Zheng stroke his beard and laugh, "Good, it is good to understand dual cultivation; it is fitting for having children early."

Liu Xiaolou couldn't help but be stunned. ===== CHAPTER 82 =====