My Profession Can Be Infinitely Upgraded

Chapter 45: Chapter 19: Acupoints Opening, 35

As he finished speaking, Wu Chen, Mu Yuan, and Fu He all raised their cups in unison. Only Jiang Xuan remained seated, a helpless and awkward expression on his face.

Dong Hao naturally noticed. The sight of Jiang Xuan sitting perfectly still caused his smile to falter for a moment. But he recovered quickly, chuckling as he said, "Brother Jiang, you truly are devoted to your cultivation. Are you worried that getting drunk will cause problems? Rest assured, I’ve already taken that into account. This Hundred Flowers Brew is no ordinary drink; it’s a type of Spiritual Liquid."

"Even if drinking this makes you sleep for a few extra hours, you won’t feel the slightest discomfort when you wake. In fact, your Divine Soul will be cleansed by the brew’s medicinal properties. Afterward, both your Flesh Body and Soul Spirit will feel clear and refreshed, and your cultivation will be even more effective."

Dong Hao was no fool; he understood how important cultivation was to everyone. Even the celebratory brew he brought for a team dinner was a Spiritual Object that aided one’s practice.

Such thoughtfulness should have put everyone at ease, allowing them to drink without a care.

However, Jiang Xuan had already resolved to break through his final acupoint that very afternoon. He absolutely could not let drinking get in the way.

But after a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Xuan decided not to reveal the real reason.

For him, the excellent rating was a life-changing opportunity, a chance to vault over his station in life. There was no room for even the slightest mistake.

With Lecturer Song Zhou presiding, no one should have dared to cause trouble within the Daoist School. But Song Zhou couldn’t watch them every second of the day. He only appeared for morning and evening lessons, which meant they were currently unsupervised.

At this critical juncture, if someone were to secretly interfere, it would be too late. The culprit might be severely punished afterward, but by then, his chance at the rating would be gone.

Moreover, Zeng Jun, Guo Shaoshang, and their group were sitting not far away.

In the Chen Daoist School, the students’ social circles were nested within one another. Jiang Xuan had his own circle, where people like the Cheng Cultivator looked to him for leadership.

Now, he had joined Dong Hao’s team, while Dong Hao, Zeng Jun, Guo Shaoshang, and the others all orbited Xie Hanyan. Because of this "teammate" connection, they were all seated near each other.

And Jiang Xuan hadn’t forgotten about the three-hundred-and-eighty-Spirit-Stone bet between him and Guo Shaoshang.

With such a high-stakes wager and their hostile relationship, his rival definitely had a motive to stop him.

And at this final moment, Jiang Xuan couldn’t afford any surprises.

So, he refused Dong Hao’s offer to drink the Hundred Flowers Brew, saying apologetically, "My apologies, everyone. I’ve never been much of a drinker. Might there be some plain tea? I’ll toast you all with tea instead of wine."

This blatant show of disrespect made it difficult for Dong Hao to maintain his smile. The faces of the two women, Fu He and Nan Zhi, were filled with open displeasure.

Only Mu Yuan’s eyes flashed with an imperceptible trace of glee. But he didn’t kick Jiang Xuan while he was down. Instead, he smiled and tried to smooth things over. "Brother Jiang, it’s just one cup. It won’t get in the way of anything. Everyone’s in a good mood today, so a small drink won’t hurt."

His words gave Jiang Xuan an easy way out. If the stakes weren’t so high, he wouldn’t have minded obliging.

But today was too important. He was afraid of getting drunk, afraid of oversleeping. Prioritizing caution, he could only shake his head, his tone calm but firm. "My apologies."

Being refused twice in a row caused the atmosphere at the table to instantly turn cold.

In the end, it was Dong Hao who broke the silence. He chuckled and said, "My mistake. I should have asked about your preferences, Brother Jiang. Since you don’t drink, Jiang Xuan, let’s get you some tea. As it happens, I have plenty of fine teas right here."

As he spoke, a cup of plain tea was quickly placed in Jiang Xuan’s hands.

Jiang Xuan raised his cup, toasting them with tea instead of wine, and drank with the group.

After the toast, they began to eat. Though Dong Hao tried to keep things lively by attending to everyone and sharing amusing anecdotes, Jiang Xuan’s refusal had left a thorn in the air. The atmosphere never truly warmed up.

The way the others looked at him grew strange. The eyes of Nan Zhi and Fu He, in particular, burned with an anger they couldn’t conceal.

The situation made Jiang Xuan feel rather awkward as well.

So, after a short while, he excused himself and returned to his own seat.

The moment he was gone, Fu He couldn’t hold back any longer. She frowned at Dong Hao and said, "Dong Hao, you’re just too soft! That Jiang Xuan has no sense of propriety. If you keep indulging him, how are you ever going to manage him?"

"You need to make him understand that we don’t need him—he needs us!"

Before Fu He could finish, a sudden sneer came from a nearby table.

"Soft? Heh. That’s a nice way of putting it. It’s weakness."

"A Noble Family’s Descendant getting walked all over by someone from the Lower Classes. Dong Hao, you’re truly pathetic."

The one jeering was, of course, Guo Shaoshang. After him, Zeng Jun sighed, twisting the knife in Dong Hao’s heart. "Brother Dong, this won’t do. You’re bringing shame to all of us, the descendants of the Noble Families."

The two made no effort to hide their mockery, which drew the attention of everyone nearby. Their gazes toward Dong Hao were now tinged with contempt and ridicule.

Among them, of course, was Su Linyin.

’I was right to give up on Jiang Xuan,’ she thought. ’The man is too proud, too foolish, and far too headstrong. He has no sense of gratitude. Keeping him around would have been nothing but trouble.’

...

The surrounding mockery made even his teammates, Wu Chen and Mu Yuan, flush with second-hand embarrassment.

Nan Zhi, who was devoted to Dong Hao, and Fu He, who dreamt of marrying into the Dong Family, were both furious with Jiang Xuan for being so "ungrateful."

"Dong Hao, you can’t let this continue! If you do, you’ll lose all your authority..."

Fu He’s incessant nagging, the scornful gazes from all around, and Jiang Xuan’s utterly uncompromising refusal—it all piled up, and a rare flicker of anger ignited in the heart of the normally good-natured Dong Hao.

He even began to feel a sliver of resentment toward Jiang Xuan.

’I treat you with such respect, and this is how you repay me?’

But the anger came as quickly as it went.

The fact that Dong Hao had been the first to spot Jiang Xuan’s Talent, had ignored the opinions of others, and had immediately invested heavily in recruiting him proved he was a capable man. He was bold yet meticulous, and he understood the value of patience and calculation.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down. He then quickly replayed every interaction he’d had with Jiang Xuan since they first met.

’Something’s wrong. Jiang Xuan isn’t like that.’

’It’s true that as a Sword Cultivator, he’s quite proud. Before, he was completely unwilling to accept the Cultivation Technique I offered, insisting it was only a loan.’

’Later on, he was also very reluctant to accept the Spirit Stones and Elixir Pills I gave him.’

’But even though Jiang Xuan can be a bit aloof, he’s definitely not the kind of person who’s clueless about social graces or completely uncompromising. When I invited him to join the team this morning, he accepted politely and properly. It’s because he’s principled without being rigid or reclusive that I was willing to invest so heavily in him.’

Having known Jiang Xuan for some time, Dong Hao just felt his reaction today was completely out of character. But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t pinpoint the cause.

’I didn’t do anything out of line, and the Hundred Flowers Brew really is a treasure that aids cultivation, just as I said... Could today be some kind of special day for him? Like the anniversary of an elder’s death?’

’But that doesn’t feel right either. Even for an anniversary of mourning, he wouldn’t react so strongly to a single cup of wine.’

Unable to make sense of it, Dong Hao was racking his brain.

Then, at that moment, a voice from another table made him freeze.

"Huh, why is Lecturer Song Zhou here already?"

"What other reason could there be? Today’s the final day for the excellent rating evaluations. Not even Lecturer Song Zhou can afford to be casual about it."

Excellent rating... final day...

Those words struck Dong Hao’s mind like a clap of thunder, and he drew a sharp, cold breath.

At the same time, an unbelievable theory instantly flooded his mind, causing his eyes to widen in shock.

’Hiss... Could that be the reason?’

’It can’t be...’

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