Chapter 3782: Open Disdain

The young looking elder approached quickly.

"Elder He Jian!" A smile appeared on his face. "You arrived at the perfect time."

Elder He Jian chuckled. "Looks like I haven’t missed it."

The Junior Elder shook his head. "The assessments are still ongoing and will continue until tonight."

His eyes briefly drifted toward Little Bull as a trace of curiosity appeared there. This was undoubtedly the recruit everyone had been talking about,Elder He Jian’s recruits always attracted some degree of attention.

Not because they were famous but rather because they were unpredictable. The old Elder rarely followed conventional standards. Sometimes he returned empty handed. Other times he brought back surprisingly talented individuals from places nobody expected.

Zhou Ren stepped forward. "How many recruits are participating in this batch?"

The Junior Elder quickly answered. "Three hundred and seven."

He glanced at a floating jade screen nearby. "Though one hundred and thirteen have already completed their assessments."

Zhou Ren nodded. "A decent number."

The Junior Elder agreed. Recruitment never truly stopped in the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect. Assessments occurred constantly throughout the year. Yet some periods were naturally busier than others.

This happened to be one of them.

Zhou Ren looked interested. "Any impressive recruits so far?"

The question caused the Junior Elder to think briefly. "None particularly exceptional." His tone was thoughtful. "There is one that stands out slightly."

"Oh?" Elder He Jian asked.

"He possesses a bloodline." The Junior Elder revealed. "The Six Winged Immortal Butterfly Bloodline."

Even Lin Mu raised an eyebrow internally. Bloodlines connected to immortal beasts were often valuable and a Six Winged Immortal Butterfly Bloodline was especially uncommon.

From what Lin Mu remembered, the Bloodline had a natural affinity to Illusion Dao, just like the beast.

The Junior Elder continued. "He shows decent compatibility with several cultivation paths."

"And his assessment rank?" He Jian asked.

"Rank Four."

A whistle escaped Zhou Ren’s lips. "Rank Four already?"

The Junior Elder smiled. "It was enough to attract several elders."

Little Bull tilted his head. "What does Rank Four mean?"

The conversation paused. Elder He Jian realized that Little Bull naturally knew nothing about the ranking system. The old man patiently began explaining. "The rankings are simply a way to estimate a recruit’s future potential."

Little Bull nodded and he seemed to understand. A moment later he asked another question. "How many ranks are there?"

"Seven." The old man raised seven fingers. "The ranks help determine where a recruit begins their journey within the sect."

Little Bull listened carefully. Lin Mu was genuinely interested as well. He Jian had mentioned rankings during their travels but had never explained the details.

The old man began from the bottom. "Rank Seven is the lowest."

Little Bull blinked. "What happens then?"

The old man answered calmly. "Those with Rank Seven can only join as servants."

Little Bull raised his eyebrows and the reaction caused Zhou Ren to misunderstand. Thinking the young man had become worried, he quickly added an explanation.

"Being a servant isn’t permanent."

Little Bull looked toward him. "Really?"

"Many servants eventually become disciples." Zhou Ren nodded. "They simply have to prove themselves through hard work."

Little Bull nodded. "Oh."

His expression relaxed. The simplicity of his reaction almost made Zhou Ren smile. Most recruits would panic hearing such news. Little Bull simply accepted it.

"Rank Six and Rank Five recruits are eligible to join the Outer Court." Elder He Jian continued. "That is where most disciples begin."

Little Bull nodded again. "What about Rank Four?"

"Rank Four means the recruit possesses good talent." This time the old man smiled. "They still enter the Outer Court initially, but most people expect them to reach the Inner Court relatively quickly."

Little Bull’s eyes widened slightly. "That’s good?"

"Quite good." The Junior Elder nodded in agreement.

A Rank Four recruit was considered valuable. Many divisions would actively recruit such individuals.

"What about Rank Three?" Little Bull asked.

This time Zhou Ren answered. "Rank Three means you can directly become an Inner Court disciple."

Little Bull’s eyes widened further. "Right away?"

"Right away."

The young man looked genuinely shocked. The reaction amused several nearby disciples.

"The upper ranks are much rarer." The Junior Elder continued the explanation. "Rank Two recruits enter the Inner Court immediately and possess strong potential to eventually reach the Core Court."

His expression grew slightly more serious. "Such recruits usually attract attention from many elders."

Little Bull slowly nodded, then he pointed upward. "What about Rank One?"

"Rank One recruits are exceptional." The Junior Elder smiled. "They can directly enter the Core Court."

Silence followed as Little Bull stared and his mouth slowly opened. The expression looked so exaggerated that even several nearby disciples laughed. The Junior Elder himself smiled slightly.

Yet not everyone found it amusing.

The two Administrative Division disciples who had accompanied them from the harbor openly showed their disdain this time. To them, Little Bull’s reaction appeared ignorant. Every answer seemed to surprise him and every explanation required repetition.

The more he spoke, the more convinced they became that he was merely a lucky villager brought back by Elder He Jian. Neither bothered hiding their thoughts particularly well anymore. One even folded his arms while looking away dismissively.

Lin Mu noticed everything and so did Elder He Jian. But the old man simply ignored it. He had seen similar attitudes countless times over the centuries. People often judged books by their covers.

People often underestimated commoners. People often believed talent could only emerge from prestigious backgrounds. The old man had spent centuries proving such assumptions wrong.

Little Bull continued scratching his head. "So Rank One is the best?"

"Yes," Zhou Ren answered.

Little Bull nodded seriously. Then he asked a question that nearly made several people laugh again.

"Can I get Rank One?"

The room briefly fell silent. The two Administrative Division disciples exchanged looks. One visibly suppressed a snort while the other simply shook his head. The Junior Elder looked amused.

Zhou Ren looked awkward and even Elder He Jian blinked. Little Bull, however, appeared completely sincere. As if he were asking whether he could buy another steamed bun.

The old man eventually laughed. "We’ll find out soon enough."

Little Bull nodded. "Okay."

His answer was simple and direct. Totally without arrogance, ambition and fear. To everyone present it sounded like the innocent confidence of a simple villager who didn’t understand the scale of what he was asking.

Only Lin Mu knew the truth.

And somewhere inside the Sleepscape, Xiao Yin, Xiao Yang, Ashy, and Little Shrubby would have been laughing if they could see the expressions on everyone’s faces.

Because among all the people present in this hall, the person most likely to casually achieve the impossible was standing right in front of them pretending to be a confused village simpleton.

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