While Wu Wei and Chu Zhongtian exchanged pleasantries, Sang Hong arrived at the Zheng family's location, where Zheng Yutang and Zheng Dan stood up early to greet him.
"Good, good, good~" Sang Hong looked Zheng Dan over and nodded in satisfaction. Whether it was her appearance or her manners and temperament, she was indeed impeccable. Although her family background was a bit lacking, the Sang family did not follow the path of marrying into wealthy families.
Hearing her future father-in-law's praise, Zheng Dan'er blushed, making her appear even more beautiful and dignified.
Soon everyone took their seats. Sang Hong sat in the main seat on the stage, flanked by Xie Yi, the Lord of Mingyue City, and Jiang Luofu, the Principal of Mingyue Academy. The three of them were the judges for this competition, holding extraordinary positions.
Chu Zhongtian and Wu Wei sat facing each other, clearly both knowing who their real opponent was this time.
Next were the heads of the Yuan, Zheng, and Wang families. Shi Kun, as a junior member, was able to sit among them, which shows the extraordinary status of the Shi family.
"I heard you offended the sixth young master of the Shi family?" Pei Mianman asked with a smile as she looked at the stage, transmitting her voice through her spiritual energy. Clearly, what had happened in the academy earlier had not escaped her notice.
Zuan snorted: "What do you mean I offended him? It was clearly him who offended me!"
“Say what you want,” Pei Mianman rolled her eyes. “But as an ally, let me remind you, you can’t afford to offend the Shi family. Take that old man behind him, for example. He’s Shi Lezhi, the protector of Shi Kun and a member of the Shi family. He’s an eighth-rank cultivator. Crushing you would be as easy as crushing an ant for him.”
"Eighth-rank official?" Zu An was startled. "Is the eighth rank so worthless now? Shouldn't an eighth-rank official be able to be granted a title of duke or marquis? Or someone like Sang Hong, a prefect or governor of a region, be reduced to being a private bodyguard for a young man?"
Pei Mianman explained, "Those who can be enfeoffed as dukes, governors, or prefects are generally high-ranking officials of the eighth rank. Those who can be enfeoffed as marquises are lower-ranking, and there are some other official positions that are only at the initial level of the eighth rank. However, it does not mean that you can become an official in these positions once you reach the eighth rank. There are only so many official positions in total, and countless people are envious and eyeing them. Whether you can get one in the end depends on your ability, opportunities, the power of your family, and so on."
"It's common for some highly skilled individuals to waste their entire lives without ever getting the official position they want. Generally speaking, the younger someone is when they are promoted and the more promising they are, the easier it is for them to get these positions. Someone like Shi Lezhi, who barely broke through to the eighth rank in his old age, has no potential whatsoever, so it's naturally difficult for him to get a suitable position. It would be better for him to work in his family and have better benefits."
"However, his lack of potential only applies to the eighth-rank level. For low-level cultivators like you, he is still an unmatched existence."
Zu An nodded slightly, roughly understanding what was going on. Just like passing the imperial examination in his previous life, if you passed the examination and became a Juren, you could theoretically become an official. However, there were countless Juren waiting to be appointed to official positions, and some people might wait until they died without ever getting a real post.
On the contrary, it would be much better to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi. Compared to a Juren, a Jinshi is more outstanding and has greater potential.
It seems that this Shi Lezhi was one of the more mediocre talents among that group back then, and was eliminated in the competition. However, he was only relatively mediocre. Looking at the whole world, being able to cultivate to the eighth rank is already considered genius.
For the first time, Zuan experienced the intensity and cruelty of competition in the cultivation world; even someone who had cultivated to the eighth rank was considered a loser.
However, he suddenly realized that he was worrying about others for no reason. Even if it was only at the eighth rank, they could crush him with a single finger.
Just then, someone came over and called him. Apparently, all the contestants had to wait in a designated area beforehand.
Pei Mianman smiled slightly: "Keep it up, I think you can definitely win."
The two had fought each other that night, and she knew that the boy in front of her was definitely not as useless as the public thought. He might just make a name for himself today.
"It seems you have good taste," Zuan praised.
Pei Mianman: "..."
Chu, standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore and pouted, saying, "Sister Pei, I'm also going to participate in the competition later, why aren't you wishing me well?" Pei Mianman smiled slightly, "It's a given that little sister Zhao will win."
Chu Huanzhao frowned, feeling that her blessing to him was somewhat perfunctory, rather than sincere towards her brother-in-law. Could this woman be trying to seduce her brother-in-law?
Humph, I'm definitely going to tell my sister!
However, when she thought about her sister's previous attitude towards Zheng Dan, she hesitated. She felt that her sister didn't care about her brother-in-law at all, so she might as well help her check him out herself.
The two arrived at the waiting area and saw Yuan Wendong across the street. Worried that he wouldn't fall for their trick, they deliberately said loudly, "Hey Yuan, aren't you afraid to tell me in advance that I'll be the last one to appear? We agreed on a fight, and whoever doesn't show up is a coward!"
Yuan Wendong: "..."
Yuan Wendong's anger level increased by 666!
Yuan Wendong's face turned bright red. No matter how fierce the infighting was between large families, they still adhered to etiquette on the surface. For someone to curse like a commoner was beyond his usual understanding.
In front of so many important figures, although he was furious, he dared not retort. He coldly said, "Fine, I'll learn from your superior skills, Elder Brother!"
At the same time, he secretly vowed that if he didn't completely cripple you later, he would not be surnamed Yuan!
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