Chapter 62 - 26: Change in Status, Everyone’s Respect!

Chapter 62: Chapter 26: Change in Status, Everyone’s Respect!

Shaking her head, Su Linyin dismissed her subsequent thoughts. Instead, with a resolute tone and an air of absolute certainty, she declared, "My plan will undoubtedly succeed. Jiang Xuan will never escape my grasp."

After a brief pause, Su Linyin looked at Zhou Lin again. "If I remember correctly, you and Jiang Xuan were childhood friends?"

"Yes," Zhou Lin replied.

"Then over the next period, you should make a few more trips to the Jiang Family’s home. Build a closer relationship with him and his mother."

"Yes, Ms. Su."

Jiang Xuan naturally had no way of knowing what had transpired outside his courtyard. Upon returning, he greeted his mother, Liu Hui, and Zhou Lie before heading straight for the academy’s training grounds.

Unlike his previously unnoticed existence, today was different. The moment Jiang Xuan appeared on the streets of Bamboo Forest Town, countless people enthusiastically cupped their hands in greeting as he passed by. Many youths of his age were even pushed forward by their fathers, approaching him with shy faces to respectfully bow. Many others subconsciously began following behind him, all wanting to seek protection under Jiang Xuan’s name.

Once he arrived at the academy, Jiang Xuan felt this monumental shift even more profoundly. When the three thousand or so fellow students looked at him, there was no longer a single trace of provocation or mockery in their eyes. He even noticed nearly a hundred students imitating his past routines—using water for Purification, washing their hands, and performing the Purification of the Mouth before their Cultivation.

This sight left Jiang Xuan speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He also realized that he could no longer sit in the back corner like he used to. His original seat was surrounded by several people; they weren’t trying to steal it, but rather looked like eager followers waiting for him. He thought, "I don’t need that many followers, nor can I afford to support them."

Unwilling to be disturbed by such a spectacle, and considering Dong Hao’s prior invitation, Jiang Xuan walked straight to the front of the hall. Upon reaching the front rows, he distinctly felt the change in his status within this small clique.

In the past, Mu Yuan and Wu Chen had harbored a fair amount of hostility toward him, as they all wanted to become the most valued follower by Dong Hao’s side. Yet today, without him needing to do a single thing, Mu Yuan and Wu Chen displayed nothing but respect. Dong Hao even treated him as a peer. It was as if, within this group, only the two of them were the masters, while everyone else was merely a servant.

The next incident illustrated this point perfectly. In this world, there was no shortage of people with mediocre Talent and impoverished backgrounds who desperately sought advancement. However, the threshold for becoming a subordinate under top-tier Noble Family’s Descendants like Dong Hao and Su Linyin was exceptionally high. Therefore, many would settle for the next best option and pledge allegiance to the second-tier individuals around them—such as the past Jiang Xuan, as well as Mu Yuan, Wu Chen, and Fu He.

Even Mu Yuan and Fu He, who came from Noble Families but didn’t possess top-tier Talent, had Maids and Daoist Acolytes trailing by their sides. Yet, within Dong Hao’s elite clique, their servants were absolutely unqualified to enter.

The past Jiang Xuan was no exception. Whenever he came to the front, Cheng Cultivator—who had sought his patronage—was forced to stay in the back, watching eagerly from afar. But today, when Jiang Xuan took his seat, Cheng Cultivator was actually granted the qualification to find a spot to sit not far from his side. Even if this seat was further back than those of Mu Yuan and the others, and even though Cheng Cultivator was vastly inferior to everyone else in terms of Cultivation, background, and strength, he had finally made his way in.

In this world of rigid Levels, being attended by a servant was a symbol of status. It was the ultimate proof that Jiang Xuan now stood on the same Level as Dong Hao.

However, Jiang Xuan didn’t feel the slightest bit smug about this. He thought, "My current status is completely unstable. If it comes to the second assessment..."

Before he could finish his train of thought, Jiang Xuan froze for a moment. He suddenly realized why Su Linyin had been so unhurried and composed after being rejected that morning, not even bothering to offer a single extra word of persuasion. He thought, "She is certain that once I experience this kind of status, I will be unwilling to fall back into mediocrity."

It had to be said that the Su Family mother and daughter had guessed one thing correctly. Jiang Xuan truly couldn’t stomach the stark contrast of falling from the clouds back down to the mud. It wasn’t that he enjoyed being welcomed and flattered by others. Rather, the worldview and personality he had developed in his past life made him unwilling to bow and scrape before anyone else, much less endure their disdainful gazes. But within the Shenxiao Sect, only by becoming an Inner Sect Disciple could one avoid being despised.

Reaching this point in his thoughts, Jiang Xuan glanced to his side. Right at that moment, Su Linyin also looked over in his direction, and their gazes collided across the distance. Her eyes were still brimming with unhurried certainty; Jiang Xuan’s gaze, however, was as deep as an abyssal pool, leaving behind only an impassive, silent calm.

He thought, "You guessed one thing correctly, but you also got one thing wrong. There’s no need to turn back, and there’s certainly no need to rely on anyone else. Even if I only have myself, I can still maintain my current status!"