Recaps

Jiang Man worked in the Moonlit Sect’s Sword Mound while secretly studying its formations and searching for a sword connected to Meng Qiewei. After he claimed the sword and exposed a Wuyun Sect undercover agent, the Young Sect Master began plotting a test to uncover Jiang Man’s allegiance.

• Jiang Man met Lin Fei, learned that captives were forced to draw swords, and spent his days exterminating beetles and inspecting Spirit Swords while reading at night.
• After a month of relentless work and study, Jiang Man found an ordinary Iron Sword that the Heavenly Mirror identified as one Meng Qiewei had treasured in childhood, and he began trying to pull it free.
• A Wuyun Sect Inner Sect disciple recognized Jiang Man’s Six Harmonies Palm and admitted she had called for help, but Jiang Man reported her to the Manager instead of assisting her.
• Jiang Man asked for the Iron Sword as his reward, and the Manager warned that claiming it meant he could not leave for ten years.
• The Young Sect Master told Manager Luo to test Jiang Man by arranging for others to fight him over the sword, so the Sect could assess his allegiance without acting openly.

Jiang Man finished studying formation runes, exposed his strength while defending the Iron Sword, and defeated two Wuyun Sect undercover agents and the Young Sect Master. The Sect Master and Elder Luo remained unable to understand Jiang Man’s motives as he continued drawing the sword.

• The Sect Master and Elder Luo discussed their suspicions about A Niu and ordered tighter surveillance around the Sword Mound.
• Jiang Man spent twenty days reading formation books and secretly placed runes that let him suppress cultivation stages.
• Two Wuyun Sect undercover agents confronted Jiang Man over the Iron Sword, and he defeated the woman with a palm strike and forced the thin man to his knees.
• Jiang Man revealed his power to Manager Luo, then struck down the Young Sect Master with a red sun spell before returning to draw the sword.
• Jiang Man agreed to try to free Lin Fei in exchange for thirty thousand Spirit Sources and made him write an IOU.
• At the Main Peak, the Sect Master and Elder Luo wondered why Jiang Man had exposed himself despite concealing his cultivation and acting unlike a Wuyun Sect agent.

Jiang Man negotiated permission to explore the Moonlit Sect’s Sword Mound, pulled out the Iron Sword, and found a broken sword tied to Meng Qiewei’s father and Ting Fengyin. When the Magpie Bridge opened, he met Ting Fengyin, showed him several unusual items, and asked for spell arts to protect his concealed identity as Drunken Floating Life.

• Jiang Man ignored the other prisoners’ doubts, continued drawing the Iron Sword, and negotiated with Manager Luo to explore deeper inside and take Lin Fei with him.
• Jiang Man pulled the Iron Sword free, then found a broken sword that the Heavenly Mirror of a Hundred Books identified as a keepsake of Meng Qiewei’s father, snapped by Ting Fengyin.
• Jiang Man stayed in the Sword Mound reading until the Magpie Bridge opened on August 1, then entered and met Ting Fengyin beneath the Blood-Red Fruit Tree.
• Jiang Man picked most of the tree’s fruits, updated Ting Fengyin on his mission involving the Demon Lord and Meng Qiewei, and showed him the Broken Sword, Iron Sword, Fishing Compass, Immortal Dao Coordinates, and Evil God Token.
• Ting Fengyin took the Fishing Compass and told Jiang Man to give the two swords to Ji Meng as gifts before finding a chance to kill her; Jiang Man instead asked for spell arts that would conceal Drunken Floating Life’s identity.

Jiang Man learned the Evil God Method from Ting Fengyin, then left the Sword Mound after finding out where its source of sword intent lay. Meanwhile, Zhuo Qingcheng and the others were released by the Wuyun Sect’s Sect Master, who said Jiang Man had already settled matters inside.

• Jiang Man asked Ting Fengyin to teach him a difficult technique, and Ting Fengyin chose the Evil God Method, which concealed his appearance and aura and let him draw on Evil God traits.
• Ting Fengyin warned Jiang Man about two escaped Evil Gods, including one with a descendant surnamed Tantai, and told him he could summon Ting Fengyin if their auras appeared.
• Jiang Man learned the Evil God Method over five days, then returned to the Sword Mound, where Lin Fei and Manager Luo found him; Ting Fengyin had left him a note about Fire Spirit Lake and Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
• Jiang Man learned the route to the source of the sword intent, accepted Spirit Stones from Manager Luo, and left with Lin Fei, promising to help Manager Luo if the Wuyun Sect caused trouble.
• Zhuo Qingcheng, Long Yangxia, Jiang Wen, and Han Meixue were summoned to the Wuyun Sect’s gate, where the Sect Master returned four undercover agents and said Jiang Man would leave after looking around.
• The Sect Master told Zhuo Qingcheng that Jiang Man had beaten two agents and reported another, leaving her group baffled by how he had turned the situation around.

Jiang Man found the First Sword Intent in the Sword Mound, recorded it, and fought off three cultivators who accused him of taking it. After leaving with Lin Fei, he sensed that Ji Meng had sent him a letter.

• Jiang Man used the broken sword and Formation Runes to uncover a hidden passage leading to the First Sword Intent and a skeleton’s belongings.
• The Heavenly Mirror of a Hundred Books identified the Sword Intent and offered Cultivation Method purple qi for recording it, but Jiang Man could not take it because he was a Spell Cultivator.
• The three disheveled cultivators arrived and demanded that Jiang Man hand over the Sword Intent, so he defeated two and accepted forty thousand Spirit Sources from the third.
• Elder Luo’s group entered the cavern and found two of the three cultivators down, while Manager Luo guessed that they had crossed Jiang Man.
• Jiang Man and Lin Fei left the Sword Mound, and Jiang Man sensed that Ji Meng had sent a letter.

Jiang Man returned from the Moonlit Sect after reporting that its sword intent was unrelated to the Evil God, then wrote to Ji Meng and completed his study of the Thirty-Six Books of Mastery. As he reached sect territory, the Enforcement Hall met him and escorted him away for an examination related to his role as the Evil God's spokesman.

• Jiang Man told Zhuo Qingcheng and the others that the Moonlit Sect's divine object was an untouchable strand of sword intent and that he had found no connection to the Evil God; the scrawny undercover agent was left behind after questioning him.
• Han Meixue learned that the missing undercover agent was named Luo Jian, while Jiang Man read Ji Meng's letter and sent her a reply describing his journey and promising to bring her a gift.
• Qing Dai agreed to consult World-Shaking Wisdom about a return gift for Jiang Man, while the Rounded Man asked Chen Yu to raise the Immortal Spirit's worsening dormancy and a mysterious group's offer with the Envoy.
• Jiang Man ignored the Evil God Token's tremors, finished and absorbed the Thirty-Six Books of Mastery, and reached the sect's territory with Zhuo Qingcheng's party.
• Ren Qian met Jiang Man and escorted him to the Enforcement Hall for an examination, while Zhuo Qingcheng and the others were told to report there with the people they had rescued.

Jiang Man completed his examination at the Enforcement Hall and was assigned to investigate the Sun-Moon Immortal Journey, then returned to Ji Meng and Old Huang with gifts and news from his undercover mission. In the ruined temple, he learned that the Spirit Blossom Immortal Spirit’s followers faced problems and a mysterious faction wanted to meet him, while its backer planned to uncover his secrets.

• Ren Qian cleared Jiang Man’s examination, gave him ten thousand Spirit Sources, and tasked him with investigating the Sun-Moon Immortal Journey through the Spirit Blossom Immortal Spirit’s followers.
• Jiang Man visited Ji Meng, returned the Thirty-Six Hall-Entry Books of Formation Runes, and gave her two swords connected to her father; Ji Meng and Qing Dai reacted with shock to the broken sword.
• Jiang Man read Chang Qiwen’s letter, discussed his mission and discoveries with Old Huang, and learned that Ji Hao might be able to open the Storage Law Treasure.
• Jiang Man entered the ruined temple, where Chen Yu asked him to address the followers’ worsening mental restraints and a mysterious Immortal Spirit’s offer to help awaken the Spirit Blossom Immortal Spirit.
• Jiang Man told Chen Yu to provide a Visualization Method later and make the mysterious faction wait; the faction’s woman agreed to wait, confident she could expose Jiang Man when they met.

Jiang Man cultivated, received Spirit Sources from reports arranged by the Spirit Blossom faction, and used a Visualization Method to strengthen its members’ faith in him. Meanwhile, Wei Ran tasked Fang Yong with forming his core in the Second Institute and entering the Inner Sect.

• A woman in a black Immortal Skirt and Tantai Xiaotian discussed winning the Spirit Blossom Immortal Spirit’s cooperation and locating the Immortal Dao Coordinates, while planning reports to pressure Jiang Man.
• Jiang Man examined Ji Meng’s formation furnace, used the Heavenly Mirror of a Hundred Books to appraise it, and sent Ji Meng a grateful letter.
• Jiang Man advanced to the middle mental stage, then learned that the first reported people were undercover agents in the Evergreen Sect rather than members of the Wuyun Sect.
• After two Wuyun Sect Student Cultivators were reported and arrested, Jiang Man received thirty thousand Spirit Sources and gave them a Visualization Method that eased their heart demons and inspired devotion to him.
• Jiang Man continued cultivating toward the Golden Core late stage while calculating his Spirit Sources and pill expenses.
• Wei Ran told Fang Yong to work with Wang Yan to compete for a top-fifty place, form his core in the Second Institute, and enter the Inner Sect.

Wei Ran arranged for Fang Yong to join Jiang Man’s future courtyard and gave him an entry qualification for the Qi Refining Secret Realm. Fang Yong gave Cheng Yu an envelope related to the Advancement Method, then left her with a warning; meanwhile, a rival sect’s students prepared to challenge the Wuyun Sect’s Third Courtyard.

• Wei Ran told Fang Yong to join Jiang Man’s planned Inner Sect courtyard and handed him an entry qualification for the Qi Refining Secret Realm.
• Fang Yong met Chang Qiwen, who explained that he delivered food part-time to earn extra Spirit Sources despite having reached Foundation Establishment.
• Cheng Yu told Fang Yong she felt uneasy about returning home, and Fang Yong asked about her practice of the Advancement Method.
• Cheng Yu tried to give Fang Yong back the envelope he had brought, but he kept it and told her to find him after mastering the method because carrying it was dangerous.
• A middle-aged man led three Sixth Courtyard students toward the Wuyun Sect and urged them to challenge the Third Courtyard’s students.

Jiang Man received his mission rewards and learned that the Sixth Courtyard planned to challenge him during a sect exchange in December. He visited Ji Hao to examine ancient objects, discovered the extraordinary history behind Ji Hao’s brush, and entered the Treasure Pavilion before the chapter ended with a list of the Third Courtyard’s top three Outer Sect rankings.

• Chang Qiwen delivered Jiang Man a mission reward containing an Upper Grade Method, thirty thousand spirit sources, and a recommendation letter.
• Yan Yiqiu told Jiang Man that the Sixth Courtyard’s exchange would begin the following month and warned that its cultivators might challenge him.
• Jiang Man visited Ji Hao, described the special sword intent, and urged him to investigate it after arranging the Immortal Dao Coordinates.
• Jiang Man used the Heavenly Mirror of a Hundred Books on Ji Hao’s brush and learned it had been made to write cultivation methods and blaze a path into the future.
• Ji Hao took Jiang Man into the Treasure Pavilion, where Jiang Man touched an Immortal-Suppressing Statue and found it unremarkable.
• A middle-aged man presented three Student Cultivators with rankings naming Meng Xiaoxiao, Ji He, and Zhuo Bufan as the Outer Sect’s top three.

Jiang Man explored ancient treasures in the Wuyun Sect, gaining cultivation and spell arts purple qi while advancing his cultivation, and Ji Hao gave him the real Immortal Dao Coordinates and the Storage Law Treasure. As the Outer Sect exchange approached, Jiang Man returned to the Third Courtyard, while Ji Hao went to the Moonlit Sect to investigate its hidden sword intent.

• Ji Hao showed Jiang Man the Heavenly Monitoring Compass, the Last Throne, and the Ninefold Origin Spirit Formation, which helped Jiang Man gain purple qi and unlock more of his talent.
• Jiang Man spent weeks examining treasures and cultivating, raising his cultivation Gourd to seventy percent before leaving the treasure pavilion.
• Ji Hao gave Jiang Man the genuine Immortal Dao Coordinates and the Storage Law Treasure, then Jiang Man headed back to the Third Courtyard ahead of the exchange.
• Jiang Man found Yan Yiqiu, Cao Cheng, and An Rong preparing to meet the Heavenly Water Sect's contestants, including a Sixth Courtyard disciple at Foundation Establishment Perfection.
• Ji Hao entered the Moonlit Sect and asked the Young Sect Master to bring him the Sect Master after hearing about A Niu.

Ji Hao visited the Moonlit Sect, freed its captives, and took the Sword Mound’s ancient sword intent, prompting the sect to spread news of his claim. Meanwhile, Jiang Man’s Cloud Glow Peak group met the Heavenly Water Sect for an exchange, and the chapter ended as Li Changcheng prepared to challenge Jiang Man after learning he had previously won a Third Courtyard challenge while in the Sixth Courtyard.

• The Moonlit Sect’s Sect Master and Elder Luo met Ji Hao, who released the sect’s captives and took the Sword Mound’s sword intent, telling them to announce that Ji Hao of the Wuyun Sect had claimed it.
• The Sect Master followed Elder Luo’s advice and ordered the news spread so the Moonlit Sect would not be blamed for hiding the sword intent.
• Yan Yiqiu led Jiang Man and Cloud Glow Peak’s other top students to meet the Heavenly Water Sect’s group, where Jiang Man recognized Wei Ran as a Golden Core cultivator.
• Li Changcheng challenged Jiang Man before the exchange and agreed to pay four thousand Spirit Sources; Jiang Man accepted after receiving the payment.
• A fellow Heavenly Water Sect student told Li Changcheng that Jiang Man was the one who had previously challenged and defeated a Third Courtyard opponent from the Sixth Courtyard, but Li Changcheng remained confident and asked to attack first.

Jiang Man defeated Li Changcheng and revealed that he had been the Outer Sect’s top-ranked cultivator before reaching Golden Core, prompting the Heavenly Water Sect to invite him to its Golden Core Division. After advancing to the Golden Core late stage, he received the invitation and an Enforcement Hall summons, then learned that his wife had repeatedly sent for him.

• Jiang Man defeated Li Changcheng, evaluated his cultivation, and told Teacher Ye to look beyond the latest rankings; Ye Xiaoshuang’s group discovered Jiang Man had ranked first three years earlier and formed his core that December.
• A man traveling above the Endless Mountain Range ordered a targeted invitation for Jiang Man to join the Heavenly Water Sect’s Golden Core Division, offering him twenty thousand Spirit Sources.
• Jiang Man cultivated through January and successfully broke through to the Golden Core late stage, then learned from Old Yellow Ox that two letters had arrived.
• Jiang Man read the Heavenly Water Sect’s invitation and an Enforcement Hall letter asking him to rein in his Divine Ability and visit the hall after cultivating.
• Old Yellow Ox told Jiang Man that his wife’s maid had invited him three times while he was cultivating.

Jiang Man advanced his Formation Arts understanding while visiting Ji Meng, who asked him to find an Evil God skilled in formations in exchange for a touch. Meanwhile, a woman in a black Immortal Skirt discovered that the Envoy agreed to her proposal when she offered twenty thousand Spirit Sources, leaving her shocked by his priorities.

• Ji Meng welcomed Jiang Man, gave him pastries, explained Formation Arts, and learned that he had advanced to the Golden Core Late Stage.
• Jiang Man refined his understanding of formations and used it to open a box in six breaths, then recovered his exhausted mind and spirit by eating a qi-rich pastry.
• Ji Meng told Jiang Man that she planned to join his Inner Sect courtyard and asked him to find an Evil God skilled in Formation Arts; he requested a touch of her arm or shoulder as payment.
• Qing Dai told Jiang Man that she had been visiting Yu Wanyi and setting fires at Xiang Tianlin's residence, while Ji Meng mentioned that Ji Meng's brother had obtained a strand of Sword Intent.
• The woman in the black Immortal Skirt offered the Envoy twenty thousand Spirit Sources, and he agreed to her proposal, surprising her.

Jiang Man agreed to join a major Inner Sect tournament after learning about its stakes, while Luo Xuan learned that her missing Second Uncle, Luo Jian, had defected to the Moonlit Sect. The chapter left Luo Xuan fearing the consequences if the news spread, as Little Fatty urged Jiang Man to keep it quiet.

• The Woman in the Black Immortal Skirt paid more Spirit Source to bring forward her meeting with Jiang Man, and Jiang Man agreed to meet before March 5.
• Yu Wanyi explained that the Inner Sect invitation offered Jiang Man a chance to compete for a place in a major tournament, and Jiang Man accepted it.
• Luo Lu told Luo Xuan that her Second Uncle had not returned and was officially missing, while Luo Xuan reassured her about her own circumstances.
• Jiang Man learned that Luo Xuan's Second Uncle was Luo Jian and revealed that he was at the Moonlit Sect, where he had likely defected.
• Luo Xuan feared the news could destroy the Luo Lineage, while Little Fatty asked Jiang Man not to spread it because his father could be implicated.

Jiang Man advanced rapidly through the Evil God Method and entered the Broken Temple wearing a robe woven from the statue’s power. Chen Yu arrived to guide him to a meeting with the mysterious Immortal Spirit’s subordinate, and Jiang Man set off with a stone that would lead the way.

• Jiang Man learned that the Sect did not consider Luo Jian’s departure a serious betrayal, though Luo Xuan feared the danger it posed to the Luo Lineage.
• Song Qing told Jiang Man that his flatbread shop was profitable, and Jiang Man gave him an appointment letter to recruit the Cloudfront Office Guard who had developed the recipe.
• Jiang Man taught Little Fatty and Song Qing how to cultivate, then moved into the Enforcement Hall prison and was released three days later.
• Old Yellow Ox reported Jiang Man’s astonishing cultivation progress to Zhao Tiankuo, who dismissed the reports as nonsense, while Jiang Man continued advancing through the Evil God Method.
• Jiang Man reached the Evil God Method’s Eighth Layer, entered the Broken Temple without an external medium, and wove the statue’s power into a glowing outer garment.
• Chen Yu arrived on March 5 with a guiding stone and word that forty thousand Spirit Sources would be delivered to Jiang Man’s shop; Jiang Man followed the stone into the Mist to meet the mysterious subordinate.

Chen Yu painted Jiang Man’s current form, allowing the Rounded Man to use it in the Visualization Method without the usual spiritual disturbance. In the Mist, Jiang Man met Tantai Xue and challenged her to verify that True Person Taihua was the strongest, leaving her shaken when the Spirit Tablet identified him as a powerful figure she dared not investigate.

• Chen Yu painted Jiang Man’s figure and gave the Rounded Man the image to use for visualization.
• The Rounded Man successfully visualized Jiang Man and agreed with Chen Yu to share the painting only with trusted subordinates.
• Jiang Man entered the Mist wearing the Evil God Power Garment and found Tantai Xue in a ruined palace.
• Tantai Xue offered to help awaken the Spirit Blossom Immortal Spirit in exchange for Immortal Spirit Power or information about the strongest person in the Three Great Sects.
• Jiang Man named True Person Taihua and left after telling Tantai Xue to verify his strength before they cooperated.
• The Spirit Tablet identified True Person Taihua as a powerful figure from the Dao One Immortal Gate, and Tantai Xue admitted she did not dare investigate.

Jiang Man opened the Box Third Layer, endured the origin goldstone’s pain, and trained Immovable as a Mountain to Great Accomplishment before setting out to practice against his wife. Meanwhile, Ye Jingtian and Ye Xiaoshuang planned to torment Jiang Man during the May contest by dangling a chance at a slot before him.

• Tantai Xue learned that the Spirit Blossom Envoy had again told her to wait, and the Spirit Tablet advised her to use Spirit Sources.
• Old Yellow Ox explained that Tantai Xue wanted access to the Broken Temple’s Evil God and might be pursuing the Immortal Dao Coordinates.
• Jiang Man opened the Box Third Layer, and the origin goldstone embedded itself in his mind and spirit, causing stabbing pain.
• Jiang Man chose to cultivate Immovable as a Mountain, reached Great Accomplishment by April 28, and decided to find his wife for combat practice.
• Ye Jingtian told Ye Xiaoshuang he would put Jiang Man in the sacrificial position for the May contest, while Senior Sister Mo suggested encouraging him to increase his pressure.

Xia Jin questioned Yu Wanyi’s decision to push Jiang Man into the Immortal Gate Grand Competition, while Jiang Man trained with Ji Meng and learned to use Immovable as a Mountain properly. Ji Meng later told him the Ji Family planned to test him over their marriage alliance, and he replied that he would meet the highest standards.

• Xia Jin warned Yu Wanyi that Jiang Man might be far more powerful than she expected, prompting Yu Wanyi to consider advancing her cultivation.
• Senior Brother Lu told Xia Jin that Jiang Man’s competition for a spot could prove a dangerous hurdle, and Xia Jin hoped Yu Wanyi’s confidence in him was justified.
• Jiang Man sparred with Ji Meng, learned to combine his qi and blood with spiritual qi and mental power, and improved his use of Immovable as a Mountain.
• Ji Meng told Jiang Man that the Ji Family was considering tests for their marriage alliance, and Jiang Man wrote back that he would sweep through even the highest-standard test.
• Qing Dai told Ji Wuye that the family should use the highest standards to test Jiang Man, while ensuring the direct line fulfilled the marriage alliance if he proved sincere.

Jiang Man entered the Immortal Gate Grand Competition’s dangerous assessment as the Heavenly Water Sect team’s sacrifice, only to be separated from them after touching the water. On Heart Demon Lake, he learned that enduring the trial did not guarantee a spot, but insisted the assessment had been waiting for a Peerless Heavenly Prodigy like him.

• Ji Wuye chose entry into the Immortal Gate Grand Competition as Jiang Man’s first test and proposed assessing his understanding of Upper Grade Methods if he qualified.
• Jiang Man revealed that he had reached Golden Core Late Stage before joining Ye Jingtian’s team for the contest, where Teacher Yan warned him that no one in a sacrificial position had ever earned a spot.
• The teams entered a vast sea without spiritual qi, and Jiang Man touched the water before Ye Jingtian could stop him, transporting him to an island while the rest of his team continued onward with his Spirit Sword.
• Jiang Man used Heavenly Appraisal of a Hundred Books on the island’s stele and water, then met an old fisherman who identified the place as Heart Demon Lake and explained its dangers.
• Jiang Man declared that the assessment had awaited him, rejected the fisherman’s offer to teach him fishing until after he won a spot, and asked if he could touch the old man.

Jiang Man turned Heart Demon Lake’s trial into a battle, defeating its Demon Beasts as he crossed the water, while the old fisherman realized Jiang Man had deliberately provoked the lake to show off. Later, the fisherman explained the trial’s true challenge to the others, and at the Quota Contest, the stele suddenly shone with seven-colored light as Xia Jin and Senior Brother Lu watched.

• Jiang Man used the Heavenly Mirror of a Hundred Books to discover that the old fisherman was a spirit formed from Heart Demon Lake’s negative spiritual thoughts, then stepped onto the lake despite the fisherman’s warnings.
• Jiang Man kept his mind calm through the lake’s flames and negative emotions, then deliberately let the lake’s dangers surge so he could fight through its waves and Demon Beasts.
• The old fisherman realized Jiang Man had baited him into witnessing a display of strength, while Shangguan Liuyun, Ji Yifei, Qin Yihan, and the others arrived too late to see Jiang Man cross.
• The old fisherman told the newcomers that Heart Demon Lake selected Peerless Heavenly Prodigies, who had to fight across it rather than simply walk across; Shangguan Liuyun negotiated the price of the information down to three thousand five hundred Spirit Sources each.
• At Hillside Plaza, Xia Jin and Senior Brother Lu waited to see whether Jiang Man would rank in the Quota Contest, when the stele abruptly shone with brilliant seven-colored light.

Jiang Man cleared Heart Demon Lake in half a day, took first place, and drew the attention of Peak Master Bai Wanli, who pressured him to sign a master-disciple contract. After returning to Cloud Glow Peak, Jiang Man told Old Yellow Ox about the threat, leaving his decision unresolved.

• The Stone Stele ranked Jiang Man first and evaluated him as having broken through Heart Demon Lake single-handedly to earn a place, astonishing Xia Jin, Senior Brother Lu, and Ye Xiaoshuang.
• Bai Wanli met Jiang Man after the assessment and offered him resources in exchange for a contract, threatening to make sect life difficult if Jiang Man refused.
• Jiang Man returned to the Plaza, where Ye Xiaoshuang congratulated him, gave him three thousand Spirit Sources, and lent him a better Spirit Sword.
• Zhao Tiankuo saw Jiang Man's result and wondered whether Old Yellow Ox's earlier report about Jiang Man had been accurate, then considered using Old Yellow Ox to manipulate him.
• Jiang Man returned to Cloud Glow Peak, told Old Yellow Ox about Bai Wanli's threat, and heard him ask whether Jiang Man planned to sign the contract.

Jiang Man refused Peak Master Bai’s contract despite warnings about the power and influence arrayed against him. He discovered that people around him were already distancing themselves, while Fang Yong learned that even an unspoken threat from a peak lord could put Jiang Man’s associates and their businesses at risk.

• Old Yellow Ox warned Jiang Man that the peak master was powerful and that the peak master’s disciples and allied families might target him, but Jiang Man planned to borrow Spirit Sources and build up resources.
• A man representing Peak Master Bai offered Jiang Man a contract and explained that refusing could leave him isolated and vulnerable; Jiang Man read the terms and refused to sign.
• Jiang Man found that people he hoped to borrow from were avoiding him, Little Fatty’s shop was closed, and his own shop had lost business, so he told Song Qing to keep the shop running or close if necessary.
• Jiang Man found Fang Yong’s shop closed and realized the people connected to him were being recalled or warned away because of their backers’ fear of the peak lord.
• At Wei Ran’s residence, Fang Yong learned that the peak lord had not directly threatened Jiang Man’s associates, but his stance could prompt others to target anyone who helped Jiang Man.

Fang Yong spread rumors about Jiang Man to profit from his trouble with a Peak Master, but Jiang Man tracked him down, beat him, and took the Spirit Sources. Jiang Man bought pills and entered the Enforcement Hall’s prison to cultivate in seclusion, where he learned that others might target him before the Immortal Gate Grand Competition.

• Wei Ran warned Fang Yong that helping Jiang Man could bring pressure down on his backing, so Fang Yong asked Cheng Yu to borrow Spirit Sources from their companions.
• Fang Yong sold rumors that Jiang Man had once been a fool who ate cow dung, and Jiang Man discovered he was the source.
• Little Fatty, Luo Xuan, Chang Qiwen, Song Qing, and Cheng Yu gathered 148,000 Spirit Sources for Fang Yong, but Jiang Man broke into Fang Yong’s residence, beat him, and took the money.
• Jiang Man used the Spirit Sources to buy pills and formation materials, then went to the Enforcement Hall and arranged to stay in prison with Old Yellow Ox.
• Ren Qian warned Jiang Man that enemies besides the Peak Master might target him, and Jiang Man found Old Meng in the neighboring cell.
• After daybreak, Fang Yong denied that Jiang Man had beaten him, claiming instead that he had fallen while cultivating.

Ye Jingtian’s team withdrew from the Secret Realm with unusually good luck, then learned that Jiang Man had taken first place and become the focus of a dangerous feud. While confined in the Mountain-Suppressing Office, Jiang Man dissolved the Origin Goldstone and mastered the Hundred Rivers Visualization Method at great accomplishment in three days, leaving Old Meng and Old Yellow Ox stunned.

• Ye Jingtian’s team withdrew from the Grand Competition after reaching a strong position, then discovered that Jiang Man had taken first place for Wuyun Sect and that their success had drawn unwanted attention.
• Qin Wen pressured Ye Jingtian to cooperate, and after Ye Xiaoshuang was framed and temporarily supervised, Ye Jingtian agreed to help him locate their team during the Immortal Gate Grand Competition.
• Jiang Man dissolved the Origin Goldstone with the help of thirty Spirit-Stabilizing Pills, gaining precise control of his body and a substantial increase in strength.
• Ren Qian delivered Jiang Man’s rewards, including the Hundred Rivers Visualization Method, thirty thousand Spirit Sources, and a qualification Token, and warned him that the competition’s weakest qualified cultivator was at Golden Core Late Stage.
• Old Yellow Ox explained the Hundred Rivers Visualization Method to Jiang Man, who then reached its great accomplishment in three days and shocked Old Meng and Old Yellow Ox.