Everyone concentrated on cultivating.
An opportunity like this was rare. No one would stop making progress.
Even Little Fatty did not dare slack off.
He felt that his talent could be poor, but he absolutely had to complete the plan Mr. Zhao had arranged.
Otherwise, he would have no way to account for himself when he went back.
Jiang Man found it quite remarkable.
In an environment like this, how could Little Fatty maintain the mindset of being a good-for-nothing?
Improving their cultivation and entering a sect was their only good way forward.
With resources available, shouldn't they work even harder?
Jiang Man did not try to persuade him. He simply buried himself in arduous cultivation.
He practiced the Qi Refining Method over and over.
After ten repetitions, Little Fatty wanted to rest, but seeing that the person in last place was still cultivating, how could he, the second-to-last, face himself?
After twenty repetitions.
Drenched in sweat, Little Fatty looked at Jiang Man, who was still going. "Little Jiang, take a break. You need to balance work and rest."
Jiang Man glanced at him and ignored him.
Little Fatty gritted his teeth and persisted.
After thirty repetitions.
Little Fatty panted. "Little Jiang, we're done. Can we rest now?"
Jiang Man scoffed.
He kept cultivating.
Little Fatty angrily continued.
After forty repetitions.
Tears streamed down Little Fatty's face. "Brother Jiang, we're done, right?"
Jiang Man paid him no heed.
By then, the others were finishing their plans one after another.
But those who finished froze when they saw the two at the bottom still cultivating, when they should have left long ago.
Had they counted wrong?
Was the plan not finished yet?
After another repetition, then another, they finally caught on.
The bottom two were putting in the effort.
Eventually, even Fang Yong noticed.
He was rather puzzled.
What exactly were the bottom two doing?
The others began grumbling too. What was wrong with those two?
Who were they trying to impress by working hard at this point?
But none of them could be the first to leave.
Fang Yong said nothing. He could lose, but he could not possibly lose to these people.
Not until evening did Luo Xuan, who had been cultivating all along, stop and walk out of the courtyard on her own.
It was getting dark. Time to go back.
Only then did the others breathe a sigh of relief.
The atmosphere had finally broken, and everyone left on their own.
Someone said, "Their foundations are too poor, so they need to flail around. We already have plans. We shouldn't disrupt them."
The others nodded at that. "Exactly. There's no need to let them lead us by the nose. They're different from us. We're not on the same level.
"We should stick to our original plans.
"They've squandered two years. This is just a passing whim."
The others nodded in agreement.
They decided they absolutely would not do this again.
The following afternoon.
Watching the bottom two refuse to leave, they seethed.
Again?
They waited ages, yet once again, not a single person left.
Where were all those people who had sworn yesterday that they would not be affected and would follow their own plans?
Not until evening.
Luo Xuan once again broke the deadlock, taking the lead in leaving.
Only then did the second day of cultivation end.
Before leaving, some people asked Fang Yong curiously, "Young Master Fang, didn't you go out with Young Master Yang and the others today? I heard they gathered some like-minded people to exchange techniques at the Moon-Viewing Tower.
"Are you going too, Young Master Fang?"
The others immediately crowded over. "Really? You're going too, Young Master Fang? What's the Moon-Viewing Tower like?"
"I heard it's full of Heavenly Pride, and the spiritual qi is so dense that one day there is worth ten days here," someone else said.
Faced with their questions, Fang Yong maintained a smile. "I probably won't go. I happened to make an appointment with a renowned teacher."
The others were both disappointed and envious.
But Fang Yong only left after everyone else had gone. As he passed Jiang Man, a vicious look entered his eyes.
Presumably, he blamed Jiang Man for not admitting fault back then.
That had made Young Master Cheng and the others mistakenly believe the two were friends, making it awkward for them to associate with him.
Because of that, he had missed the opportunity to visit the Moon-Viewing Tower and experience cultivation there.
Jiang Man merely glanced at him without taking it to heart. His entire attention was on cultivating.
He felt the changes brought by these two days of cultivation.
Tonight, he wanted to attempt the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Method.
Ever since reaching the eighth layer yesterday, he had constantly wanted to advance to the final layer.
After cultivation in the courtyard ended, he went back, finished his work at the stables, and continued cultivating.
He kept going until late into the night.
Jiang Man sighed.
He still could not enter the ninth layer.
But he felt he was close.
It was too late now. He needed to rest.
After greeting Old Yellow Ox by the door, Jiang Man went inside and lay down.
But he had barely lain down before thoughts of the ninth layer kept circling in his mind.
I'm still young. With my cultivation method about to advance to its highest level, how can I possibly sleep?
With a sudden whoosh.
Jiang Man sprang up.
He continued cultivating.
Seeing Jiang Man come outside, Old Yellow Ox was a little surprised. "What are you doing?"
"Cultivating," Jiang Man replied.
"It's the middle of the night. What are you cultivating for?" Old Yellow Ox asked.
"Never seen it before? Now you've seen something new," Jiang Man said offhandedly.
Then he resumed cultivating.
Old Yellow Ox frowned but did not think much of it.
Only when a faint glow gradually appeared around Jiang Man did he realize what the person before him was doing.
This speed of advancement... was a little fast.
Dawn began to break.
A faint ray of light fell on Jiang Man.
At that moment, his Qi Refining Method was circulating furiously.
It was not fast, because it was circulating automatically.
This was a manifestation of the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Method.
"A little over three days, and the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Method?"
Old Yellow Ox felt his understanding being washed away bit by bit.
"Senior, do you still think I can't fulfill the second requirement of the Peerless Heaven's Chosen Destiny?" Jiang Man asked, ending his practice.
Old Yellow Ox smiled without a word.
Jiang Man frowned. Even this could not change his mind?
Afterward, Jiang Man took some time to circulate his cultivation method at full power and began absorbing spiritual qi.
As the external cultivation method circulated, he began absorbing the surrounding spiritual qi.
At the same time, the pill in his Dantian was also enveloped by the cultivation method.
After one complete circulation, a large amount of spiritual qi gathered in his Dantian, and some of the medicinal potency was consumed.
If the Qi Refining First Layer was a gourd to be filled with water, the spiritual qi had now opened that gourd and begun filling it. A thin layer of water had even appeared at the bottom.
The instant the "gourd" opened, Jiang Man felt as though a wellspring of life had been poured into his body. He brimmed with vitality, and his limbs filled with strength.
His fatigue was rapidly receding too.
The changes he felt in his body were completely different from before.
He had entered the Qi Refining First Layer.
But only the very lowest level of the Qi Refining First Layer.
By his estimate, even with the pill's assistance, he would still need to circulate the cultivation method two hundred times to fill this "gourd."
Then, perhaps he could try opening a second gourd.
"I'm on the same level as Little Fatty now. In just a few days, I'll be able to surpass him."
"I wonder what cultivation levels the people ahead of me have reached."
"I need to find out which layer of Qi Refining Fang Yong is at. Once I surpass him, I'll gain eligibility."
He still had a hundred-odd days left now.
There was still a fair amount of time.
But today, when he went to the sixth courtyard in the rear grounds.
Fang Yong stopped him.
"Do you need something, Young Master Fang?" Jiang Man asked.
Fang Yong looked at him and said calmly, "Today's the day to clean the old courtyard. You need to go there."
Jiang Man frowned. "Why haven't I heard about this before?"
"We used to take turns. This time, it's the turn of whoever's in last place, and you happen to be in last place," Fang Yong said, looking at Jiang Man.
After a pause, he continued, "Next month, whoever's in last place will still be cleaning the courtyard. I wonder if that'll still be you."
Jiang Man: "..."
You'll find out next month.
Before you continue