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Chapter 55: Successful Promotion
Chapter 55: Successful Promotion
The group of cultivators standing within the spirit field began to turn their heads, assessing each other's progress. In fact, during the brief interval when they had cast the Qingmu Chunhua Technique, everyone had already taken the opportunity to observe one another.
Many of them, especially those who were clearly lagging behind, had a fairly good idea of their standing.
Now, as the assessment truly came to a close, they began to scrutinize each other's cultivation results.
A few of them wore complex expressions on their faces.
He Changyou didn't keep everyone waiting long. He walked into the spirit field, pacing slowly before each row.
For those whose cultivations were clearly subpar, he didn't even spare them a glance.
Only those who had done reasonably well earned a moment of his attention.
This included Chu Ning, Luo Hongping, Lu Yunfang, and a few others.
After making a full circle, He Changyou returned to his original position.
"I will now call out the names of ten people. Come to me with your blood tan woods," He Changyou announced.
At this point, everyone understood what was happening.
It was obvious that the six who would be promoted would be chosen from these ten individuals.
A few of those whom He Changyou had paused to observe earlier now wore nervous expressions.
The majority of the others, however, displayed varying degrees of disappointment.
"Lu Ming, Luo Hongping, Lu Yunfang, Chen Jinhua, Chu Ning, Jiang Dawei, Liu Qingshan..."
As He Changyou recited their names, the ten cultivators retrieved their blood tan woods and made their way forward.
Immediately, the entire field buzzed with discussion.
"Who's Luo Hongping? I've never heard of Lu Yunfang before."
"Those two went to cultivate in external immortal families."
"Oh, and who's this Chu Ning?"
"Never heard of him. A very unfamiliar name."
...
Amidst the whispers, Chu Ning and the other nine cultivators stood in a line before He Changyou.
He Changyou instructed them to place their blood tan woods in front of them.
"You are all spirit plant cultivators. You should be able to sense the differences in quality yourselves," he said.
Among the ten, four of them sighed and their faces fell, clearly acknowledging their shortcomings.
After half a day of cultivation, everyone's blood tan woods were relatively small, but these four individuals' plants were noticeably shorter than the rest.
Jiang Dawei, who ranked sixth, felt a mix of relief and surprise as he looked at Chu Ning.
Chu Ning's blood tan wood was actually slightly taller than his own.
Even when compared to the other four senior disciples, it was by no means inferior.
Not only did Jiang Dawei notice this, but several others did as well, including Luo Hongping and Lu Yunfang, whose gazes eventually landed on Chu Ning.
He Changyou nodded in satisfaction at Chu Ning and said, "Not bad. Your talent for spells has exceeded my expectations. Despite only being at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, your skills are comparable to your senior fellow disciples."
Hearing this, Chu Ning breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his position in Group C was secure.
Of course, what he truly cared about was not the planting assessment, but the art of talisman-making.
After speaking to Chu Ning, He Changyou raised his voice to announce, "The promotion assessment for Group C of the Spirit Plant Division is now concluded. The following six people will be promoted: Lu Ming, Luo Hongping, Lu Yunfang, Chen Jinhua, Jiang Dawei..."
Whether it was intentional to keep Chu Ning's achievements low-key or to highlight the name of this new disciple, He Changyou left Chu Ning's name until the very last.
As the first five names were called out, the gazes of those in the field and by the roadside turned towards them.
Everyone was waiting for the announcement of the final name.
"Chu Ning!"
He Changyou's voice rang out once more.
The cultivators standing in the field began to discuss animatedly.
"Who is this Chu Ning? Why haven't I heard of such an outstanding disciple in Group D before?"
Meanwhile, Shang Zhaoxiang and Cao Dongxin looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock.
"Chu Ning has reached Group C already? He's only been in the sect for a year and a half, and he's directly promoted to Group C," Shang Zhaoxiang exclaimed.
As soon as these words left his mouth, the news began to spread.
"I heard that Chu Ning is a new disciple who joined the sect just a year and a half ago..."
Chu Ning, with his ever-growing spiritual sense, found his hearing becoming increasingly acute. These whispers naturally reached his ears.
This made him sigh inwardly. Ever since he joined the sect, he had wanted to keep a low profile, but now it seemed that this promotion assessment had drawn the attention of many.
Sighing to himself, Chu Ning could only comfort himself.
"I'll just have to keep an even lower profile from now on. There are so many geniuses in the Qingxi Sect, they'll probably forget about me, a mere menial disciple, soon enough.
Also, this time, I've only shown that I have a talent for wood-based spells.
I haven't exposed my level or other abilities, so it should be fine."
As these thoughts raced through Chu Ning's mind, He Changyou's voice interrupted them.
"The rest of you should also diligently cultivate and not slack off."
He Changyou finished speaking to the other disciples and then turned to Chu Ning and the others, saying, "You six, come to the Spirit Plant cultivation ground tomorrow. I have something to tell you."
After he finished speaking, He Changyou turned and left.
Zhuang Yunde smiled at Chu Ning and followed He Changyou, leaving as well.
As soon as they left, the gazes of many menial disciples fell upon Chu Ning and the others, with most of the attention naturally on Chu Ning.
After all, among those who had come to take the promotion assessment, everyone except for Chu Ning had been in the sect for many years.
Upon learning that Chu Ning had successfully been promoted after only a year and a half in the sect, these disciples looked at him with a mix of envy and jealousy.
Chu Ning sighed again in his heart. He really didn't want this much attention, but he had no choice but to fight for this Group C qualification.
He didn't linger and quickly left with the blood tan wood he had just cultivated.
After walking a short distance, he saw two figures waiting for him up ahead.
Looking closely, he recognized them as Shang Zhaoxiang and Cao Dongxin.
"Congratulations, Chu Ning!"
Before Chu Ning could say anything, Shang Zhaoxiang spoke up with a beaming smile.
"It's been over a year since we last met, and I never expected your cultivation to have progressed so much."
Chu Ning quickly cupped his hands in greeting, "Brother Shang, you flatter me. It's just luck."
"This is not just luck, but solid strength," Shang Zhaoxiang shook his head and then pointed to Cao Dongxin at his side, "We're here to congratulate you, but also because Cao has something to say to you."
Chu Ning looked at Cao Dongxin with a puzzled expression, seeing the complicated and conflicted emotions on his face.
However, when Cao Dongxin met Chu Ning's gaze, he took a deep breath and said, "Chu Ning, I apologize for any offenses I may have caused in the past. I hope you can forgive me."
Chu Ning was taken aback. He never expected that Cao Dongxin had been waiting here just to say these words.
Obviously, with Chu Ning's display of strength and successful promotion to Group C, Cao Dongxin had realized that he would be far surpassed in the future.
That was why he had specifically waited here to lower his head to Chu Ning.
"In the cultivation world, strength is what matters," Chu Ning sighed inwardly.
However, as Chu Ning's gaze swept over Cao Dongxin, he felt a chill in his heart.
Even though Cao Dongxin's jealous gaze was well-hidden, Chu Ning's keen perception still detected it.
He even faintly sensed a hint of madness beneath the veil of jealousy in Cao Dongxin's eyes.
"In that case, let's see what he's capable of," Chu Ning thought to himself. Without acknowledging Cao Dongxin's apology, he bowed to Shang Zhaoxiang, "Brother Shang, I'm feeling a bit tired after casting the spell earlier, so I'll take my leave first."
After saying this, Chu Ning turned and left immediately.
At the same time, he released his spiritual sense, perceiving everything behind him.
At that moment, he saw the incredibly complex expressions on the faces of Shang Zhaoxiang and Cao Dongxin.
"Old Cao, you've really misjudged this one," Shang Zhaoxiang shook his head.
Hearing these words, a gloomy look appeared on Cao Dongxin's dark face, and a hint of viciousness flashed in his eyes.
Chu Ning continued walking forward with a calm expression.
However, in his heart, a cold determination had taken root.
(End of Chapter)
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