The next best after the S-grade invitation are the A and B grades. These are the grades of invitation that the top 50,000 usually receive. Those who receive this grade of invitation are usually at the tenth transformation and/or are lucky.
After that is the C grade. This invitation is meant for menial disciples. The examinees between the 50,000th and the 500,000th positions usually receive this kind of invitation.
Menial disciples are the ones who perform the day-to-day tasks of keeping a sect running, such as running the farms, raising animals, running errands outside the sect, and guarding certain places.
Being a menial disciple is not a dead end, as some people think. Many menial disciples have managed to reach the third mortal coil. For many people, it is a great opportunity for them.
Augustus didn't think it was a great opportunity for him. He was given the C grade invitation after his sect examination. He thought it was better for him to go back home and live like a king than to slum it in a sect for the opportunity to reach the third mortal coil.
He isn't alone in this. Most of the children of cultivation families who get the C grade invitation turn it down and choose to return home. They are either too proud to become servants or believe that they have a better opportunity staying at home.
Only bastards and the general populace dream of getting the C-grade invitation. Usually, as long as someone participates in the fourth test or possesses cultivation at the tenth transformation and finishes among the top 500,000, they will be given the C-grade invitation.
It is not certain, though. The number of menial disciples that the sect needs every time differs. It could be as few as 100,000 or even as many as 600,000 menial disciples.
For people who are not the true children of cultivation families, every invitation is to be cherished. Even if a true child doesn't appreciate a C-grade invitation, the family might force the child to accept it in case no one from the family received a better invitation.
Cultivation families make it a must to put some of their descendants in the sects every five years, no matter how low the invitation is. If they can pay for it, they will pay for the C-grade invitation.
Cultivation families cherish every type of invitation because most of the ancestors of their families started out as menial servants without any background. So they can't look down on any invitation, as it can still lead to something good.
Besides, half a loaf is better than none. Arthur won't have to settle for half bread, though. It is because he was offered an S-grade invitation.
He didn't receive an S-grade invitation from just one sect. He received an S-grade invitation from all five sects. This meant that he could choose which sect he wanted to join. He didn't have to settle for one sect or another.
In order to make the best choice, he went to Patriarch Calcetti to receive advice. Augustus sent him to see the Patriarch on the matter.
He wasn't the only one who was sent to see Patriarch Calcetti. Every child that got an invitation was also sent to meet the Patriarch.
The patriarch then held a class for all of them. It is kind of a tradition. The patriarch that followed the ship would give the children of the family some advice before sending them away.
Everyone went to the room where the patriarch was staying and sat down. There were eleven of them in the room.
These eleven were all the children of the family that survived the fourth test. Every child participated in the fourth test and used the unity of the family to pass.
The bad news was that six of them didn't pass the fourth test. These six died in the test.
The good news was that the remaining eleven passed and were offered invitations by various sects. Then there was Arthur.
Arthur didn't participate in the fourth test. He also came late to the meeting.
It wasn't his fault for being late. He is a bastard, so he didn't know about the traditions of the family. Augustus had to come over to call him when the meeting was about to start.
So Arthur came when the other eleven had already gotten their seats. His flowing red hair and mummy-like getup, plus his tardiness, made him stand out as soon as he entered the room.
He first bowed to the Patriarch and said, "I'm sorry that was late, Patriarch."
Patriarch Calcetti smiled and said, "Apology accepted. Go on. Get your seat."
Patriarch Calcetti, who is famously known for hating lateness, didn't seem to mind that he hadn't been able to begin the class because he was waiting for Arthur.
Far from being in a bad mood because of the delay, Calcetti was actually in a good mood and was smiling instead of frowning and glowering with increased light intensity.
Calcetti was indeed in a good mood. It wasn't just because Arthur got a special invitation. He would have been happy if Arthur got any invitation.
What made him in a good mood was because he won the prize pool of the second round of betting among the patriarchs. Someone in the Dyson family had performed better than the twenty-something other cultivation families.
It was mostly due to luck, as the other patriarchs made sure to point out to him many times, but he didn't care about it. In fact, he appreciated this win more than the first win because he didn't have to rely on the freak of a monster called Arthur to get it.
So he was in a very good mood and could cut Arthur some slack for his tardiness.
Besides, he also knew that Arthur didn't know about the meeting beforehand. Since no one told Arthur and he didn't know about it, he shouldn't be angry that Arthur was late.