Maybe it was due to the influence of Brian Clark, but the tension in the hearts of Emily and those friends who had some acquaintance with Brian Clark all disappeared. They all began to meditate and cultivate, becoming much more composed. With this mindset, while it couldn’t be said they would perform beyond their usual abilities, at least they could display their true level and wouldn’t freeze up on stage.

Brian Clark falling asleep also drew the attention of the others. After all, the airship wasn’t very big, and especially since Brian Clark was snoring contentedly—even though it was light, it was clearly audible to everyone.

“This little rascal, Mr. Thompson, please don’t mind him. He’s an orphan from our village who wants to take part in the servant disciple trial.” Mike Clark noticed that Mr. Thompson’s expression seemed a bit odd, so he offered an explanation. He was actually quite fond of Brian Clark, and thus understood what Brian Clark was thinking.

“Oh, a servant disciple, huh? Our Butterfly Valley does need more, but even for servant disciples, there are requirements. Let him try first.” Mr. Thompson nodded, then closed his eyes to rest.

“Useless as mud that can’t be shaped, really embarrassing for our village.” Olivia Harris and the others started talking about Brian Clark, and most of their comments were along these lines.

Along the way, the airship picked up people from a few more villages. The newcomers all noticed Brian Clark and started asking about him. In casual conversation, the people from his own village told his story, so at this point, Brian Clark became a minor celebrity—though not in a good way.

Soon, the airship arrived at the county town and landed in a plaza. By now, quite a few people had already gathered there, all participants in this recruitment trial—both those recruiting and those being recruited.

“Brian Clark, we’re here…” Emily gave Brian Clark a kick, then immediately stepped aside to keep her distance from him.

“We’re here? Emily, what are you doing?” Brian Clark got up, wiped the drool from his mouth, and saw Emily looking at the sky and the ground, but not at him.

“Don’t talk to me. Pretend you don’t know me.” Emily still didn’t look at Brian Clark.

“Why?” Brian Clark was confused.

“Because you’re really embarrassing right now, and I don’t want to be embarrassed with you.” Emily said directly, then put even more distance between herself and Brian Clark. Friends are meant to be “sold out” at times like this.

“……”

“When you were sleeping just now, everyone was talking about you. The consensus is that you’re just useless mud, rotten wood…” Emily came back over—the period of pretending not to know him was over.

“……” Brian Clark continued to remain silent.

“This isn’t so bad, actually. When you’re just a pile of useless mud, no one will bother to step on you. You should keep working at that.” Emily didn’t let up, continuing to tease Brian Clark.

“I’m breaking up with you as a friend!”

Brian Clark threw down this line indignantly and went off to look for the sect trial.

“Haha, wait for me…” Emily laughed and chased after him.

“Not waiting!” Brian Clark remained in his “friendship breakup” state.

“Don’t be so petty.” Emily said again.

“That’s just how petty I am!”

“Which sect should we start with?” Emily suddenly changed the subject.

“Start with whichever sect you want to go to. The best is Tai Xuan Sect.” Brian Clark said, as if none of the previous conversation had happened. That’s how friends are—what was just said was only a joke, now it was time to talk business.

“Why not Qingyun Sword Sect?” Emily asked in confusion.

“Tai Xuan Sect has the highest contribution value.” Brian Clark replied very seriously.

Each sect gives a corresponding contribution value for completing tasks. It’s not direct silver, but you can exchange contribution points for silver. Considering the total contribution value and the exchange rate, Tai Xuan Sect is the highest, followed by Huangji Palace, which is not one of the four great sects. The Qingyun Sword Sect, which Brian Clark used to like, ranks lower.

Brian Clark had already collected information and done the calculations before. In fact, this calculation is quite difficult, because the total contribution value and exchange rate for each sect are about the same. Figuring out the differences isn’t something just anyone can do.

Could Brian Clark, who can’t even read a single character, really do this?

Yes, he absolutely could. After getting the information, he only needed a few moments to work it out.

Actually, this has nothing to do with whether he can read or not. The information was gathered by listening to others, and as for the calculation, that doesn’t require literacy. These are two different systems. It’s a kind of arithmetic ability, and Brian Clark’s arithmetic ability is the exact opposite of his literacy—his math skills are extremely strong. (Here, arithmetic means mathematics, including algorithms, geometry, etc.!)

If he had received systematic training, his arithmetic ability would be even stronger. However, he often naturally applies his math skills. For example, when learning a skill, as long as he grasps some mathematical patterns, he can master it quickly!

Everything is number!!

It’s just that Brian Clark doesn’t know the use of this arithmetic ability, or even the concept itself. Anyway, he knows he can do it, so he does. Why bother to study it? Besides, even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to figure out the reason behind it.