For Xianzhou people, entering the Six Companions is an incredibly glorious matter.
However, apart from the Cloud Knights, entering the other Department can be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Essentially, one needs to possess sufficient talent in a certain field and put in arduous effort to practice before they can even touch the threshold.
Only the Cloud Knights have a larger personnel deficit, making it relatively easier.
But this is only relative to other Department; an ordinary Xianzhou person wanting to join the Cloud Knights would find it impossible without one or two years of diligent practice.
If one lacks talent, then this period of "diligent practice" would become so long as to make one give up.
This day, it was time for the annual Cloud Knights Martial Trial again.
Lin Yu and Jiang Xing, a married couple, woke up early to make breakfast for Jiang Ran.
"Eat a moderate amount, don't let it affect the Martial Trial later," Lin Yu reminded Jiang Ran while busy.
Jiang Ran stuffed some food into his mouth and said somewhat incoherently, "Don't worry, Mom."
After swallowing the food in his mouth, Jiang Ran continued, "This time, your precious son will not only get into the Cloud Knights but also bring you back a daughter-in-law!"
"Just eat your food, stop talking nonsense," Lin Yu rolled her eyes at Jiang Ran.
Jiang Xing also looked at Jiang Ran with a surprised expression, thinking that this kid was quite confident.
Although Jiang Xing thought Jiang Ran might be too nervous and talking nonsense, he didn't refute him, fearing he would put too much pressure on him.
"Why don't you two believe me?" Jiang Ran said somewhat helplessly.
"Alright, alright, we believe you, we believe you. Hurry and eat."
Faced with his parents' perfunctory attitude, Jiang Ran could only turn his frustration into food, quickly finishing his breakfast.
Then the family of three took a star skiff and arrived at a warship, where the Cloud Knights Martial Trial was to be held.
Upon arriving at the warship, Jiang Ran found it to be a sea of people, an unprecedented spectacle.
"It seems that no matter when, Xianzhou-style parents have a soft spot for exams…" After a small internal grumble, Jiang Ran spotted two familiar figures.
"Here, here."
Upon seeing Jiang Ran, Qingque's eyes lit up, and she waved at him.
"Morning, you two. Why are you here?"
Jiang Ran greeted Qingque and Yanqing, asking somewhat curiously.
"Oh, aren't we waiting for you? Whether you can pass the Cloud Knights Martial Trial is of great importance to the Divination Commission! Of course, I have to come and watch."
Qingque blinked, stating it as a matter of course.
"But… isn't it working hours now?" Yanqing asked with a strange expression.
"Isn't this work?" Qingque retorted.
Jiang Ran watched Qingque's earnest and brazen shirking of duties, truly worrying about the future of the Divination Commission.
"How is it? Are you confident you can win over Lord Taibu?" Qingque asked with anticipation.
Speaking of this, Jiang Ran was full of confidence, waving his hand, "Of course, don't worry."
"Alright, you're getting more confident by the day. Don't aim too high, just passing is fine. I'll be waiting for your good news," Qingque nodded in satisfaction.
Yanqing also spoke up from the side, "The Luofu has several fleets: the Chuihong Guard, the Chunting Guard, the Bifang Guard, and the Chanqiang Guard. If your performance is good, you might be directly assigned to a fleet. If you only pass, you'll probably have to start from a patrol unit."
Even if one passes the Cloud Knights Martial Trial, they will be assigned to different fleets based on their results.
Those with good Martial Trial results will be directly assigned to a fleet with a promising future, while those with poor results will have to slowly climb up from a patrol unit.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this yet. We'll discuss it after the exam," Qingque glanced into the crowd, suddenly interrupting the conversation and pulling Yanqing away.
"Go for it!"
Before leaving, she didn't forget to cheer Jiang Ran on.
"Miss Qingque…"
"Shh!"
Qingque pulled Yanqing and hid in the crowd, cautiously peeking out and glancing in one direction.
Only after seeing a small purple figure walk past did she relax.
"Lord Taibu's dark circles… did she stay up late last night? Wait, isn't this working hours!"
Qingque thought, "Lord Taibu, you're so proper and serious, could you also betray your work?"
She immediately pulled out her phone and messaged Fu Xuan.
[Qingque]: Lord Taibu, Lord Taibu, Lord Taibu
[Fu Xuan]: What is it?
[Qingque]: Are you working?
[Fu Xuan]: Of course.
[Qingque]: Just now I saw someone who looked a lot like you on the street, and I thought you were skipping work!
[Qingque]: (Image)
Seeing the image sent by Qingque, Fu Xuan's hand trembled, almost throwing her phone.
She hadn't expected that after disguising herself, she was still almost recognized, and by her own subordinate at that.
This made her feel somewhat disgraced.
[Fu Xuan]: Have you finished your work?
[Qingque]: …I'll come back to see you immediately, please assign me work. (Please.JPG)
This made Fu Xuan a little anxious; after all, she wasn't in the Divination Commission right now. If Qingque went back now, wouldn't she be exposed?
Thinking of this, Fu Xuan began to type frantically.
[Fu Xuan]: No, no need. I'll give you half a day off… [Qingque]: Yay! Long live Lord Taibu!
Putting down her phone, Qingque felt refreshed.
She was now officially authorized to shirk work, able to openly play cards without constant worry.
After dealing with Qingque's matter, Fu Xuan yawned sleepily; she had indeed suffered from insomnia last night.
Fu Xuan got up early today, walked around the Divination Commission, and was somewhat distracted during work, so she slipped out.
Unknowingly, she ended up on the Cloud Knights Martial Trial warship, and to her bad luck, she was caught by Qingque.
Fortunately, she managed to fool her.
"Upper and lower are Kan, full of difficulties," Fu Xuan softly muttered a hexagram.
Fu Xuan circled through the crowd a few times and finally found Jiang Ran.
Yesterday's events unfolded too quickly, leaving her unsettled, and she hadn't had a chance to look closely at Jiang Ran.
Fu Xuan observed Jiang Ran up and down, finding that he indeed looked good, thinking to herself, "No wonder those people in the Divination Commission say he's a good match for me…" Jiang Ran had practiced martial arts for years, never missing a day of training, so his physique was robust, his muscles well-defined, and his features were proper and handsome.
He truly was handsome.
As soon as Luo Yu saw Jiang Ran approaching, he went up and put his arm around his neck, quietly asking him.
"Give your brother the lowdown, did General-sama call you over yesterday to secretly impart some divine skill?"
Jiang Ran said somewhat helplessly, "General-sama just pulled me aside to ask some questions, there was no divine skill. But Yanqing did demonstrate the Xianzhou Sword Technique to me."
"Is that really true?" Luo Yu expressed doubt about his statement.
The matters in the Divination Commission were too bizarre; Jiang Ran dared not reveal them before they were finalized, so he just made up a few things.
"Of course! I practiced the Xianzhou Sword Technique for a long time yesterday. Yanqing is much stronger than old man Luo, he teaches thoroughly."
"Then I wish you good results," although Luo Yu still had some doubts, he didn't ask any more questions.
Jiang Ran nodded, "Don't worry, the General might directly assign me to a fleet."
"You're dreaming, kid," Luo Yu laughed and cursed, thinking he might be trying to cheer himself up.
So he didn't expose him.
After all, judging from yesterday's spar, his chances of getting into the Cloud Knights were slim to none.
Even if Yanqing, the General's disciple, demonstrated the Xianzhou Sword Technique to him, he couldn't possibly master it overnight, could he?
"Oh, oh, oh, look who it is. Isn't this the distinguished guest of the General and Lord Taibu?"
"With your status, do you even need to participate in the Martial Trial? The adults could just wave their hands and let you in."
Li Xiao's untimely voice suddenly cut in, interrupting their conversation.
His follower next to him also chimed in, "Senior Brother Li, look at what you're saying. Even if General-sama intends to let him in, a good-for-nothing like him probably couldn't even climb over."
Jiang Ran glanced at them, but didn't say much.
Li Xiao targeting him wasn't a new thing, and at this critical juncture, it wasn't the best time to settle scores with these petty clowns.
Jiang Ran had the patience to wait.
So Jiang Ran and Luo Yu ignored them, lining up to enter the trial grounds.
Seeing Jiang Ran say nothing, Li Xiao and his group thought he was scared and backing down.
Thus, they became even more aggressive, throwing undisguised, sarcastic taunts.
"Hmph, what a coward."
"Even as a registered disciple, he dirties our martial arts school's reputation. I can't imagine why Master took him in back then."
"Heh, that's because he threw money at them, unlike you, who has to rely on your own hard work."
These harsh and unpleasant words made Luo Yu frown.
Jiang Ran, however, pulled him, looking unconcerned, "It's fine, let them be."
Fu Xuan, observing from the side, heard these people's words, and her delicate eyebrows also raised slightly, performing a divination in her mind.
She found that very few of these people would be able to pass the Cloud Knights Martial Trial.
She secretly made a note of these individuals, thinking to report them to the General later, so the Cloud Knights could pay more attention to them.
If such people joined the Cloud Knights, they would likely be pests.
While Fu Xuan was deep in thought, her phone suddenly rang.
[Jiang Hua Yuran]: This time! I will reclaim everything that belongs to me! (Pom-Pom smirking.JPG)
Where do you get so many strange emojis?
Fu Xuan typed while thinking.
[Ruthless Calculation Machine]: Go for it!
[Jiang Hua Yuran]: Hehe, I'll invite you to my wedding feast then!
[Ruthless Calculation Machine]: Be careful the wind doesn't cut your tongue… Just don't come crying to me if you don't pass.
[Jiang Hua Yuran]: Don't worry!
Fu Xuan put down her phone and scanned the crowd, but found that Jiang Ran's figure was no longer visible.
"Oh no! How did it get so late! I need to hurry back to the Divination Commission!"
…That day, the Diviners of the Divination Commission discovered that Lord Taibu had skipped work.
After returning, Lord Taibu also seemed somewhat distracted.
"Come, come, let's do a divination, what's wrong with Lord Taibu?"
"I've been in the Divination Commission for several years, and I've never seen her old self like this!"
A group of gossiping Diviners gathered, electing a skilled Diviner to cast a hexagram.
They wanted to figure out what was wrong with Lord Taibu today, and why she seemed so troubled.
As soon as the hexagram was cast, before they could interpret it, a voice suddenly appeared behind them, laced with a chilling coldness.
"You all seem very idle? Is your work done?!"
The shirking Diviners caught by Lord Taibu immediately scattered like birds and beasts, but the hexagram remained.
Fu Xuan glanced at it and interpreted the hexagram.
"Upper Dui, lower Gen, mountains and lakes rising and falling… indicating a young woman in love…"
Mid-sentence, Fu Xuan's face suddenly flushed, and she said through gritted teeth,
"Who calculated this! It's completely inaccurate!"