"If you weren't born with it, you basically won't have it in this lifetime."
After Jiang Man returned, he brought up the issue of the Visualization Method.
And that was Old Yellow Ox's answer.
"It's only upper-grade Mortal Grade. Surely it isn't that bad?" Jiang Man asked.
"You said it yourself. In all of Falling Cloud City, the Cloudfront Office basically has the only Superior Visualization Method of upper-grade Mortal Grade. Out of so many people, how would it ever be your turn? You say you're talented, but why should anyone give it to you? Are you selling your talent or your life?" Old Yellow Ox asked.
Neither could be sold. Jiang Man thought briefly, then said, "That fairy didn't say there weren't any elsewhere."
Old Yellow Ox looked calmly at Jiang Man without speaking.
Finally, Jiang Man sighed. "Senior, don't you have a Visualization Method?"
So he had gone from Brother Ox back to Senior?
Old Yellow Ox wasn't sensitive about forms of address.
After a moment's thought, he said, "I do. Although our systems are different, the Visualization Methods are fairly similar. In theory, you could cultivate mine too, and even reach the thirteenth layer.
"But this is the Cloudfront Office, directly subordinate to the Wuyun Sect, and under the rule of an Immortal Gate, no less."
"Once a Visualization Method outside the uniformly revised and published versions appears, it won't take long for it to be discovered.
"Unless you leave this place, stay far away from Falling Cloud City, and don't join the Wuyun Sect.
"Otherwise, there's no escaping it."
Jiang Man fell silent for a moment. That would still be seeking his own death.
The requirements for the next Fate Pattern would certainly be even harsher.
Without a sect backing him,
he probably wouldn't be able to fulfill them.
He definitely had to join the Wuyun Sect.
That meant he couldn't learn Old Yellow Ox's Visualization Method.
Or rather, he couldn't learn it until the very last moment.
"Do you have any ideas, Brother Ox?" Jiang Man asked curiously. "How can I get the Cloudfront Office's Visualization Method?"
When that didn't work, he became Brother Ox again.
Old Yellow Ox simply told Jiang Man to seek out someone with some influence.
Jiang Man thought back. He would have to find Mr. Zhao tomorrow.
Among the people he currently knew, only Mr. Zhao might know.
With a plan in mind, Jiang Man stopped dwelling on it and began practicing the Qi and Blood method.
Over the previous month, the Qi and Blood method had already been explained many times.
So Jiang Man could practice it directly.
Then, following the cultivation method, Jiang Man began circulating the Qi and Blood method.
What he drew upon this time was actually still spiritual qi, and the Cultivation Method purple qi stirred along with it.
He still used moving exercises as an aid, making the spiritual qi resonate with his flesh and blood.
A long while later,
Jiang Man finished a complete set.
Instantly, he could feel the Qi and Blood method drawing upon spiritual qi to nourish his flesh and blood.
He had attained Beginner-level mastery of the Qi and Blood method.
Afterward, Jiang Man continued practicing, allowing more spiritual qi to resonate with his flesh and blood. The Qi and Blood method established channels for nourishment.
This was the internal cultivation of the Qi and Blood method. Its external cultivation involved nourishing the body and strengthening the flesh.
The degree of nourishment was like collecting gourds.
The more he collected, the stronger his body became.
Only a stronger body could hold more spiritual qi and raise his cultivation.
Two more sets later,
the Qi and Blood method reached the second layer.
Four more sets later,
the Qi and Blood method reached the third layer.
Eight more sets later,
the Qi and Blood method reached the fourth layer.
After sixteen sets,
the Qi and Blood method reached the fifth layer.
For a moment, he felt his qi and blood vibrate, stirring his body and bones.
Old Yellow Ox watched in bewilderment.
He saw Jiang Man make breakthroughs in the Qi and Blood method as though it were child's play.
In less than half a day, he had reached the fifth layer of the Qi and Blood method.
"Is he a Peerless Heavenly Prodigy or not?"
Old Yellow Ox wasn't quite sure.
But...
Did Peerless Heavenly Prodigies progress like this?
Could it really be because he had married?
If getting married could do this, it wasn't something he couldn't consider.
"What are you thinking about, Brother Ox?" Jiang Man walked over and asked.
But he didn't stop walking, instead heading inside to make something to eat.
Hungry.
Far too hungry.
He discovered that practicing the Qi and Blood method made him even hungrier than before.
Soon, Jiang Man discovered that he had eaten all of this month's food.
If he wanted more, he would have to spend Spirit Source to buy it.
Of his original thirteen hundred Spirit Source, only twelve hundred and ninety Spirit Source remained.
With his current appetite, he would probably need around three hundred Spirit Source.
He also needed to buy Spirit-Gathering Pills to raise his cultivation.
His Spirit Source would soon run dry. It looked like he would have to keep working part-time at the Spirit-Gathering Hall.
"Is getting married really why you cultivate so quickly?" Old Yellow Ox suddenly asked.
Jiang Man froze. "Are you going to get married too, Brother Ox?"
Old Yellow Ox shook his head. "Helping you get married already used up all my strength."
"Then you can save up some more, Brother Ox. You'll be the next Peerless Heavenly Prodigy," Jiang Man said with a smile.
In truth, he wasn't sure what was going on either.
He had no clues whatsoever about where the Heavenly Mirror of a Hundred Books had come from.
But this thing wasn't much use in Falling Cloud City.
He needed to go somewhere with deep foundations for it to be sufficiently effective.
The Peerless Heaven's Chosen Destiny ranked ninth, so what would the top eight be?
And what benefits would they bring?
Unfortunately, there were no answers.
There was no need to dwell on it.
First, he would improve the Qi and Blood method, then strengthen his body, and then raise his cultivation.
Early the next morning,
Jiang Man left the stable and arrived at the sixth courtyard.
This morning's lesson was the Six Harmonies Palm, and sparring was beginning too.
It was just right for him to learn.
Unlike the Spirit Travel Step, the Six Harmonies Palm could be cultivated to the ninth layer at most.
It counted as a relatively powerful Spell Arts.
As soon as he reached the sixth courtyard, Jiang Man sensed something off about the way some people were looking at him.
They seemed...
Mocking, yet also somewhat envious.
It left Jiang Man baffled.
Shouldn't they simply be envious or jealous?
He had shot straight up to the Qi Refining Third Layer in a month, after all.
He was about to enter the top ten.
Envy, jealousy, and hatred would all be normal.
But what was with the mockery?
Only then did Little Fatty come over. "Brother Jiang, I heard you're going to be Eldest Miss Luo's personal guard?"
"A personal guard?" Jiang Man was somewhat stunned.
A so-called personal guard was merely a nicer way of putting it.
Put less pleasantly, it meant a household slave.
He would have to risk his life for her and swear loyalty unto death.
What virtues or abilities did Luo Xuan possess to deserve that?
"Yeah. Otherwise, why would you be improving so quickly?" Little Fatty explained. "Everyone's saying Eldest Miss Luo nurtured you.
"Just so she could train you into a personal guard."
"Every one of my achievements depended entirely on my own talent and effort. What do they have to do with Eldest Miss Luo?" Jiang Man declared righteously.
"Nobody believes that. They all think you've been chosen for training as a guard. Some aren't happy about it and think they could do better." Little Fatty looked earnestly at Jiang Man. "Aren't we learning the Six Harmonies Palm today? Sparring is starting too. Some people will definitely make you suffer during sparring to show off their abilities.
"They're hoping Miss Luo will change her mind and make them her guards."
Jiang Man marveled that people were actually scrambling to become household slaves.
But that made sense too. Miss Luo came from an extraordinary family. Becoming her guard could mean taking decades off the long, winding road ahead.
It was better than going home to farm.
Although returning from the Cloudfront Office would give them somewhat better standing,
their cultivation really wouldn't necessarily be stronger than that of the people in their villages.
Who didn't cultivate these days?
While Jiang Man was still marveling, someone suddenly bumped his shoulder.
That person turned back to look at Jiang Man and said calmly, "You're Jiang Man?"
Jiang Man brushed his shoulder and looked at the other person. He looked seventeen or eighteen, and his clothes were fairly decent.
His skin was a little dark, but much better than Jiang Man's.
"That's me." Jiang Man nodded.
"My name is Song Qing, ranked seventeenth. I should be your sparring partner for the Six Harmonies Palm. Since I haven't mastered it yet, please be understanding if I hurt you," Song Qing said with a smile.
He seemed certain of victory.
Jiang Man lowered his eyes.
He hadn't even begun practicing the Six Harmonies Palm yet.
Although his Spell-Art Innate Qi provided a boost, time was tight, and he didn't know whether he could make it.
He also didn't know whether the other party's level was high.
Or whether he could withstand it.
This was the aftereffect of not improving by a large enough margin.
Would anyone dare provoke the person in first place?
Recommending a friend's new book: "A world ignorant of mythology: I alone form a Contract with the king of the gods."
Before you continue