Old Yellow Ox's attitude struck Jiang Man as strange.
From the very beginning, Old Yellow Ox had never thought he could meet the second-stage fate requirements.
Even his rapid improvement had failed to change his mind.
It seemed the problem lay with this visualization method.
A riddle-spewing bastard.
He would get his just deserts sooner or later.
There was still half a month until the assessment. He should be able to reach the Qi Refining Third-Layer Peak in that time.
Once he obtained the Qi and Blood method, he could keep improving.
But another cultivation method also meant greater consumption.
He would probably need plenty of Spirit Source.
The income from the Spirit-Gathering Hall alone seemed a little insufficient.
Three days later.
Jiang Man was still cultivating in the little courtyard.
Everyone else had grown used to it. They were all waiting for the top-ranked Luo Xuan to break the silence.
Then they could leave the courtyard.
It had been like this for half a month.
No one broke the rules.
Evening came.
Looking at the time, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Luo Xuan had also finished cultivating.
But she did not leave immediately.
Instead, she turned to look at Jiang Man.
Jiang Man was waiting for her to leave, too.
It was about time for him to earn some Spirit Source.
After these past few days of cultivation, he had discovered that filling the third "gourd" would require nearly two thousand cycles.
The requirement really had multiplied several times over.
So when Luo Xuan finished but looked at him instead of leaving, he was a little surprised.
Especially when she started walking toward him.
"Did you need something, Miss Luo?" Jiang Man asked politely when she reached him.
"Would you like to cultivate with me? I don't care about scores or cultivation levels. You just need to work harder than I do." Luo Xuan ignored the looks from everyone around them as she asked Jiang Man.
Little Fatty and the others looked astonished.
Luo Xuan had asked this question before, and Jiang Man had turned her down.
They had not expected her to ask again.
Did she think Jiang Man was worth nurturing?
Little Fatty sensed danger. He needed to work harder, too.
Otherwise, Jiang Man really would surpass him.
His cultivation was about to advance. He would have to spend some Spirit Source over the remaining half month.
He had to widen the gap.
He absolutely could not come in last.
"Thank you for your kind regard, Miss Luo," Jiang Man said politely. "But I need to earn Spirit Source in the evenings."
Luo Xuan looked at Jiang Man. "In the evenings? How much can you earn?"
"Sixty Spirit Source for a two-hour period," Jiang Man said without blushing or his heart skipping a beat.
"You can't cultivate during that time, can you?" Luo Xuan looked at Jiang Man. "I'll give you seventy. For four hours, you just need to work harder than I do."
At this, Jiang Man hesitated briefly before painfully agreeing. "When do we start?"
Seventy Spirit Source. Not even a dog would do that lousy job at the Spirit-Gathering Hall.
"Tomorrow." With that, Luo Xuan turned and left.
As Luo Xuan left, a young woman immediately followed her.
Only after they left the Sixth Courtyard did the woman speak. "Luo Xuan, why are you offering so much Spirit Source? Are you training a guard? Training someone with zero points—are you raising a deathsworn?"
The woman's name was Cheng Yu, and she belonged to a collateral branch of the Cheng Lineage.
With fifty-one points, she ranked fourth in the Sixth Courtyard.
"Neither." Luo Xuan shook her head. "Fang Yong seems to have been targeting this Jiang Man lately."
"Why? The difference between them is like clouds and mud. Is there any need to target him?" Cheng Yu asked curiously.
"I don't know. Perhaps it's a personal grudge," Luo Xuan said calmly. "But befriending Jiang Man will certainly draw his attention and consume some of his focus. Spending seventy Spirit Source to slow him down is a decent deal."
"He's reached the eighth layer of the Qi Refining Method, and he's improved in the Qi and Blood method, too."
"His score is about to catch up with mine."
"But you two will still be first and second," Cheng Yu said.
"The number of places can change considerably. Two years ago, the Sixth Courtyard had three places. Then, just when everyone thought there would be three, it suddenly dropped to two.
"What if it suddenly drops to one this year?
"Improving yourself while slowing others down along the way is a good approach, too.
"Spirit Source should also be put to its best use."
"What if Jiang Man still has zero points when the midmonth rankings come out?" Cheng Yu asked.
"Half a month will still have some effect. I simply won't use him afterward," Luo Xuan answered softly.
"I'm just worried he might get other ideas."
"Poor people all love to fantasize."
"This Jiang Man must be blooming with joy right now."
The two chatted as they walked.
Soon, they left the Azure Cloud Pavilion.
Jiang Man was indeed rather excited.
Thirty a day had become seventy. Even Little Fatty was envious.
Of course, what he envied was the chance to spend time with Luo Xuan.
But before leaving, Little Fatty had kindly offered him a reminder.
He said that a wealthy young lady from the Luo Lineage could never take a liking to a poor boy.
Some people simply enjoyed toying with the poor. He absolutely had to know his own place.
He should not entertain any further ideas.
Jiang Man thanked him.
But he felt certain Luo Xuan had some objective.
Still, it did not matter.
As long as he surpassed all these people, everything would fall into place like bamboo splitting beneath a blade.
Cultivate!
Jiang Man went to the Spirit-Gathering Hall again that night.
After collecting his Spirit Source, he told Steward Miao he would not be coming tomorrow.
The steward did not mind.
He merely said it was a shame to lose such a promising seedling. With further training, Jiang Man would surely accomplish something. His body might feel a little uncomfortable at first, but these were all necessary hardships on the road to success. Enduring hardship was the shortcut to success.
Had the damage to his body not been very real, Jiang Man would almost have been persuaded.
Over the next few days, Jiang Man cultivated in the Sixth Courtyard until evening, then followed Luo Xuan to cultivate in the courtyard of her residence at the Azure Cloud Pavilion.
At first, he had worried about other things, but once he discovered they did not even need to talk, he settled into cultivating without concern.
His progress was considerably faster than before.
The spiritual qi in Luo Xuan's courtyard was especially richer.
Earning seventy Spirit Source a day left him feeling a little guilty. That thought flashed through his mind for an instant, then vanished.
The only headache was that Fang Yong's gaze grew increasingly dark whenever he looked at him.
Especially lately, when Young Master Cheng and his group had been coming and going with the Sixth Courtyard's third-ranked cultivator, making Fang Yong feel even more strongly that his worsening situation was Jiang Man's fault.
Fortunately, Fang Yong was also wary of the rules. If he attacked, he could easily lose his eligibility to compete for a place.
Young Master Cheng and his group were probably deliberately waiting to see Fang Yong fly into a humiliated rage and make a clown of himself.
They were just waiting for him to attack Jiang Man.
Jiang Man being hired by Luo Xuan had provoked Fang Yong even further.
The person he hated most had hooked up with a wealthy young lady.
That hurt worse than being ignored by Young Master Cheng and the others.
At that thought, Jiang Man suddenly realized something.
Could Luo Xuan be using me to provoke Fang Yong?
The fight for first place had always been brutal.
After all, only first place offered a secure spot.
Once the midmonth rankings were updated, Fang Yong would be provoked even more.
If he could not bear it, who knew whether he would attack?
Then Jiang Man would be the one to suffer.
Unfortunately, the Qi and Blood method had to be exchanged for points.
He could not afford to hide his abilities.
Besides, there was nothing much to touch at Luo Xuan's residence, which was a pity.
Afterward, Jiang Man followed his routine. In the mornings, he tidied the stables, then listened to the instructors explain cultivation and Spell Arts.
In the afternoons, he cultivated to complete his planned regimen.
At night, he came to Luo Xuan's place to cultivate and collected Spirit Source every day.
This continued until September fourteenth.
Tomorrow was the fifteenth, when the assessment would begin.
The scores and rankings would be released on the seventeenth.
That afternoon, Jiang Man had already begun using the Spell-Art Innate Qi technique to practice the Spirit Travel Step.
Little Fatty, however, gave Jiang Man a mysterious smile and said confidently, "Little Jiang, thanks for all your hard work lately. Trying to catch up with me must be exhausting, right?"
Jiang Man looked stunned. Yesterday I was Brother Jiang, and today I'm Little Jiang?
Before you continue