127 Measurement Standardization (2/2)

Then the two sides’ argument quickly turned from a debate to a personal attack. And when the personal attack was about to turn into a full blown fight, the Lady Boss picked them up by the collar and threw them out one by one.

After they desperately got up and came back, they found Wang Lu, who was sitting in the corner doing his report, stood up.

“The way I see it.”

As soon as Wang Lu opened his mouth, the inn hall immediately quieted down. Although he was not the number one on the list of exceptionals, no doubt he was the most famous one at present, moreover, the makings of a leader in him also deterred people from being disobedient.

“Don’t you guys think that you’re stupid? Knowing perfectly well that cultivation stage is not reliable in measuring strength, yet every time you discuss who’s stronger than who, you always use cultivation stage as the comparison.”

Being questioned by Wang Lu, the other disciples suddenly didn’t know how to answer. However, after a while, someone finally whispered, “What else could we use? Besides cultivation stage, other qualifications are even more unreliable; right now, there’s simply no reasonable standard to measure strength.”

Wang Lu grunted. “Idiot, if there’s no standard, then create it, what’s so difficult about it?”

The other disciples looked at each other, thinking that Wang Lu’s suggestion was ingenious, but also absurd.

“H-How to create this standard?”

Wang Lu sighed, cast a despised look at the useless fellow who asked that question, then walked to the center of the hall, found a table, and took out a paper and pen.

“It’s very easy. Let’s set the standard value first.”

“Standard value?” The disciples curiously asked as they quickly gathered around him.

Wang Lu nodded and then explained, “We first set a cultivator whose all aspects are mediocre and with the low cultivation stage. For example…”

Wang Lu said and then drew a little person on the paper.

The disciples wondered, “Who is this?”

“This is Xiao Ming.”

“... Xiao Ming?”

“Xiao Ming is a common cultivator that you can find anywhere in the Immortal Cultivation World. His cultivation stage is level nine Foundation Establishment, his spirit root is seventh rank Triple Element Mix Spirit Root. He also has a low-rank Core Immortal Cultivation Method, three pieces of middle-rank magical tools, as well as ten low-rank elixirs… In general, this kind of cultivator is probably the most common in the Nine Regions, right?”

The nearby disciples talked a bit and nodded.

Indeed. Although Xiao Ming was quite poor compared with the disciples of the Spirit Sword Sect, these disciples, who have seen and been accustomed to the pain and difficulties of the common folks, have realized that poverty was a widespread condition in the Immortal Cultivation World. Although Xiao Ming looked down and out, there were actually a lot of people that were poorer than him. These cultivators barely reached the Foundation Establishment Stage and would, for their lifetime, remained there because of their poor spirit root quality. They were far from the young cultivator that Wang Lu drew on the paper. In addition, although middle-rank magical treasure was not uncommon, having three of them could already be considered as good, and possessing ten low-rank elixirs was more like the icing on the cake...

Wang Lu said, “We then set Xiao Ming as the standard for the level nine Foundation Establishment Cultivator. And then, we set another cultivator; for example, this is Xiao Gang.”

With that, Wang Lu drew another person which was ninety percent similar to Xiao Ming.

“Xiao Gang is another common mediocre cultivator that can be found anywhere in the Nine Regions. However, he is different from Xiao Ming; in that he is level eight Foundation Establishment… As for his Core Cultivation Method and equipment, I’m not going to list them in detail; let’s just say that they have the same basis. So, if Xiao Ming and Xiao Gang fight, basically, Xiao Gang has eighty percent chance of winning; we can agree to this, right?”

Although the difference in their level was just one, a seemingly small disparity, but since the other conditions remained constant, the difference in level became very noticeable. Taking into account various random factors, Xiao Gang would have eighty percent chance of winning.

Wang Lu smiled and then took up his pen and changed some of the information on top of Xiao Ming’s picture. “Then let us assume that Xiao Ming doesn’t posses middle-rank magical tools but high-rank magical tools. What would be the outcome then?”

The disciples, where this question was aimed at, froze for a moment. They then discussed among themselves, and the result of that discussion was...

“Then the odd is probably fifty-fifty.”

Wang Lu nodded. “In other words, Xiao Ming, with a high-rank magical tool, have the qualification to challenge another cultivator with one cultivation level above him. Then…”

Wang Lu picked up his pen, wrote additional information on Xiao Ming’s information box, which changed it into ninth Foundation Establishment + 1.

With that, Wang Lu put down the pen and then smiled. “This is the basic principle. I don’t need to explain the rest of it, right?”

...

[1] Literal meaning is “Glazed Tile”

[2] See Chapter 46