Recaps

Jiang Man reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining and rose to fourteenth in the Cloudfront Office rankings, while Little Fatty improved only slightly and received a harsh assessment. Cheng Yu decided to exploit Jiang Man’s pride and the grudge between him, Luo Xuan, and Fang Yong to recruit him, and planted an idea with Cheng Moyang.

• Little Fatty explained that his father expected him to improve faster than Jiang Man and urged Jiang Man to aim for the top ten.
• Jiang Man broke through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining, and Old Yellow Ox warned him that he had only one month left.
• Jiang Man’s ranking rose from eighteenth to fourteenth, while Little Fatty advanced one place but was criticized for wasting resources.
• Luo Xuan decided to stop pursuing Jiang Man and focus on competing for a spot, while Cheng Yu resolved to recruit him by crushing his hopes.
• Cheng Yu told Cheng Moyang that Luo Xuan had suffered a setback, hoping to stir resentment against Jiang Man.

Jiang Man received a token for a November trial to learn a cultivation method, while racing to raise his cultivation before the assessment. Cheng Moyang and Young Master Yang investigated how Jiang Man was funding his progress and began wondering how he would handle another crisis.

• Jiang Man planned to reach Qi Refining Sixth Layer before the December assessment and discussed his borrowed pills and missing Visualization Method with Old Yellow Ox.
• Jiang Man advanced to Qi Refining Fifth Layer in late October, then spent almost all his Spirit Sources on food and pills in early November.
• Zhao Leming gave Jiang Man a token for a trial at the Dharma Transmission Office on November seventeenth and warned him that his strength would be checked on the fifteenth.
• Zhao Leming worried that Jiang Man was advancing too quickly and would harm his body, while Jiang Man left determined to pursue the opportunity.
• Young Master Yang told Cheng Moyang that Jiang Man had refused Luo Xuan's offer to become a guard, and Cheng Moyang learned that Jiang Man had been earning Spirit Sources at the Spirit-Gathering Hall.
• Cheng Moyang called Jiang Man ambitious and wondered how he would respond if he faced another demand for compensation.

Jiang Man cultivated and prepared to reach the Qi Refining Sixth Layer while Old Yellow Ox promised to find him another wife after recovering. On November 14, Fang Yong arrived at Jiang Man’s Stable with an Illusory Moon Silver Mane, whose sudden illness made Jiang Man suspect he had come to target him.

• Cheng Moyang and Young Master Yang lured Fang Yong into claiming he cultivated at the Spirit-Gathering Hall, then mocked him after he left.
• Jiang Man kept his trial token secret, cultivated toward the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, and heard his wife accuse Old Yellow Ox of lying about the Magpie Bridge.
• Old Yellow Ox warned Jiang Man that his wariness could help his wife locate them and said he would find him another wife once he recovered.
• Jiang Man spent the following weeks cultivating and earning Spirit Sources, reaching ninety percent of the way toward filling his gourd by November 13.
• On November 14, Fang Yong brought an Illusory Moon Silver Mane to Jiang Man’s Stable, where the horse developed spots and cried out as Fang Yong turned toward Jiang Man.

Jiang Man was accused of poisoning Cheng Moyang’s spirit steed and fought Chang Qiwen before fleeing into the Guard Office, where all three men were arrested. The Law Enforcement Office said Jiang Man would remain detained for up to three months while it investigated.

• Jiang Man examined the sick spirit steed and suspected it had been poisoned, but Fang Yong accused him of contaminating the fodder.
• Young Master Yang confirmed the fodder was poisoned, and Chang Qiwen blamed Jiang Man and Fang Yong, then attacked Jiang Man after Young Master Yang encouraged him.
• Jiang Man fought back with Six Harmonies Palm, tricked Chang Qiwen by calling out for Mr. Zhao, and fled using Spirit Travel Step.
• Chang Qiwen chased Jiang Man, while Fang Yong followed them; Jiang Man ran into the Guard Office, and all three were arrested.
• An interrogator questioned Jiang Man, who denied poisoning the steed and learned that he could be held for up to three months during the investigation.

Jiang Man was released from the Law Enforcement Office after using his Token, then suspected Cheng Yu had benefited from the plot that got three Sixth Courtyard contenders arrested. After opening his sixth Gourd, he returned to the Sixth Courtyard determined to claim first place, while the rankings were still approaching.

• The Interrogator returned Jiang Man's Spirit Sources, released him, and told him the case could remain unresolved for up to three months; Fang Yong had left, but Chang Qiwen was detained.
• Old Yellow Ox said the poisoned fodder smelled like poison used by one of Young Master Yang's people, and Jiang Man suspected Cheng Yu had benefited from the contenders' arrests.
• Jiang Man cultivated through the night, opened his sixth Gourd, and realized Chang Qiwen had slowed down to help get them all arrested.
• Jiang Man went to the Sixth Courtyard and told Little Fatty he would rise higher than tenth place when the rankings came out on the seventeenth.
• Little Fatty explained that the courtyard now believed Fang Yong was a rich young master and Jiang Man was being groomed by Luo Xuan, while Chang Qiwen was the only genuinely poor one.

As the trainees prepared for next month’s combat assessment, Cheng Yu arranged for Chang Qiwen to injure Luo Xuan or Fang Yong, while Jiang Man prepared to learn a visualization method. The rankings revealed unexpected changes at the top, leaving Luo Xuan second, Fang Yong third, and Cheng Yu surprised that someone else had surpassed her.

• Cheng Yu told Chang Qiwen he had failed, then assigned him to injure Luo Xuan or Fang Yong on the fifteenth of next month.
• Jiang Man decided to seek combat practice through the Guard Office and went to the Dharma Transmission Office to learn the Visualization Method.
• Luo Xuan received her ranking sheet and discovered she had fallen to second place with a score of 63.
• Fang Yong saw that he had dropped to third place and realized Cheng Yu had surpassed him.
• Cheng Yu found herself in fourth place and wondered who the new expert above her was.

Little Fatty and the others were stunned when Jiang Man took first place in the rankings, while Luo Xuan left amid rumors that he had surpassed her. Jiang Man then entered a cultivation courtyard, where he began studying the difficult Water-Wood Visualization Method under a powerful instructor.

• Little Fatty waited with Song Qing for the rankings and expected Jiang Man to place eleventh or twelfth.
• Little Fatty discovered Jiang Man had taken first place with sixty-four points, shocking the crowd and prompting Luo Xuan to leave in silence.
• Jiang Man entered a courtyard compound and paid a guard ten Spirit Sources before waiting with the other candidates.
• A burly man mocked Jiang Man's coarse clothes and guessed he was a death-sworn retainer of the Luo Lineage.
• A powerful man instructed the candidates to study the Water-Wood Visualization Method, and Jiang Man found its text too obscure to understand without guidance.

Jiang Man failed to cultivate the Water-Wood Visualization Method because it had been deliberately altered, but Old Yellow Ox corrected it and helped him begin advancing rapidly. By daybreak, Jiang Man had reached the eighth layer and planned to keep cultivating until he reached the thirteenth layer before his week was up.

• Senior Brother Lu explained the Water-Wood Visualization Method, but Jiang Man and the other candidates failed to complete it before time ran out.
• Senior Brother Lu judged Jiang Man’s performance mediocre, while he and Junior Sister Xia discussed the candidates and the sect’s hidden recruitment plans.
• Jiang Man returned to the Stable and told Old Yellow Ox about the method, and Old Yellow Ox determined that it had been deliberately made incorrect.
• Old Yellow Ox amended the method, allowing Jiang Man to form a Water Cauldron and reach the first layer of the Visualization Method.
• Jiang Man advanced to the seventh layer before dawn and reached the eighth layer after waking, then decided to keep cultivating toward the thirteenth layer.

Jiang Man completed the thirteenth layer of the Visualization Method and entered the Visualization Realm, First Layer, astonishing Old Yellow Ox. After visiting the Sixth Courtyard, he faced a private challenge from Chang Qiwen, who doubted that Jiang Man had earned his first-place standing.

• Jiang Man advanced through the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth layers before reaching the Visualization Method’s thirteenth layer and entering the Visualization Realm, First Layer.
• Jiang Man joked with Old Yellow Ox about his talent, then received a message from his wife and replied that she knew nothing about a peerless heaven’s chosen.
• Jiang Man realized the Peerless Heaven’s Chosen Destiny had not yet reacted because one day remained in its hundred-day goal.
• Jiang Man arrived at the Sixth Courtyard and found its students, including Luo Xuan and Fang Yong, diligently cultivating and wary of him.
• Little Fatty told Jiang Man that his parents wanted to support him and warned that someone might challenge his claim to first place.
• Chang Qiwen confronted Jiang Man and demanded a private fight, saying he did not believe Jiang Man had truly earned the title.

Jiang Man accepted Chang Qiwen’s private challenge and trained under Luo Xuan while continuing to cultivate as the Sixth Courtyard’s new first-place student. He left his classmates stunned when he said he practiced until dawn and asked whether they needed rest.

• Jiang Man accepted Chang Qiwen’s private challenge, and Chang Qiwen paid him one thousand Spirit Sources before arranging to find him that night.
• Fu Yidan told Jiang Man to study more spell arts, then taught the students the Three Talents Force and paired him with Luo Xuan for sparring.
• Luo Xuan agreed to match Jiang Man’s level, and their sparring helped him improve without her resorting to underhanded attacks.
• Jiang Man cultivated at the front of the courtyard until everyone else had to keep practicing alongside him.
• Luo Xuan asked how late Jiang Man practiced at night, and he replied that he continued until dawn before leaving the courtyard.

Jiang Man learned that his Peerless Heaven's Chosen Destiny had produced two pills and awaited its next requirement. Meanwhile, Cheng Yu devised a scheme to manipulate him through a forged admiration letter from Luo Xuan, hoping to disrupt the rivals and claim second place.

• Jiang Man told curious passersby that the Sixth Courtyard was cultivating, then discussed his destiny with Old Yellow Ox, who asked whether others might copy his sleepless training.
• Luo Xuan told Cheng Yu that Jiang Man had rapidly become first despite lacking spell-arts knowledge and combat experience, and she resolved to train harder to challenge him.
• Cheng Yu decided to forge an admiration letter from Luo Xuan to make Jiang Man try to defeat Fang Yong, setting up injuries that could help her claim second place.
• Jiang Man's Peerless Heaven's Chosen Destiny produced two high-quality pills in his Dantian, and he waited to learn its third requirement.

Jiang Man learned that his Peerless Heaven's Chosen Destiny required him to cultivate 150 times a day and reach the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment method within 300 days, so he resolved to enter a sect and obtain the method. He then faced Chang Qiwen in a duel and drove him back with powerful palm strikes.

• Jiang Man discovered his new destiny demands and learned from Old Yellow Ox that the Origin Condensation Method was the Foundation Establishment method, which he had to master to the ninth layer within 300 days.
• Jiang Man decided he needed to enter a sect to obtain the method and continued preparing to earn Spirit Sources.
• Chang Qiwen arrived at the Stable and said he resented Jiang Man for ruining his chance to compete for a slot.
• Jiang Man asked who Chang Qiwen worked for, but Chang Qiwen denied any motive beyond resentment and attacked with the Dragon-Suppressing Method.
• Jiang Man countered with Six Harmonies Palm and Three Talents Force, repeatedly forcing Chang Qiwen back.

Jiang Man defeated Chang Qiwen, learned that poverty and a payment of Spirit Source had motivated Chang Qiwen to test him, and accepted compensation before returning to cultivation. Just as he planned how to secure first place, Cheng Yu arrived at his courtyard.

• Jiang Man overwhelmed Chang Qiwen with repeated Six Palms United strikes reinforced by Three Talents Force, and Chang Qiwen admitted defeat.
• Jiang Man asked why Chang Qiwen had attacked him, and Chang Qiwen explained that he had taken the job for Spirit Source because his family was poor.
• Chang Qiwen revealed that he had received ten thousand Spirit Source, but most had been reclaimed or sent home, and he offered Jiang Man six hundred more before leaving.
• Old Yellow Ox warned Jiang Man that his actual combat skills needed improvement, and Jiang Man returned to cultivating so he could raise his qi and blood and secure first place.
• Old Yellow Ox sensed someone approaching, and Jiang Man saw Cheng Yu, ranked fourth in the Sixth Courtyard, coming toward his courtyard.

Cheng Yu delivered Jiang Man a secret letter from Luo Xuan, which she interpreted as an indirect confession and promise of a future marriage if they both secured spots. Jiang Man doubted the letter was sincere and resumed cultivating, focused on getting stronger and finding work.

• Cheng Yu arrived at Jiang Man’s courtyard late at night and gave him a sealed letter from Luo Xuan.
• Jiang Man opened the letter and read Luo Xuan’s account of their history and her hope that they would obtain spots and pledge themselves to each other.
• Cheng Yu explained that Luo Xuan admired Jiang Man and urged him to seriously injure Fang Yong so Luo Xuan’s spot would be secure.
• Cheng Yu offered to help Jiang Man find resources or work, then left, privately viewing him as someone she could shape into a useful blade.
• Jiang Man asked Old Yellow Ox why anyone would admire him, but Old Yellow Ox told him to cultivate before his remaining three hundred days ran out.
• Jiang Man dismissed the letter as unconvincing because it offered no Spirit Sources and began cultivating while planning to claim Spell Arts and seek sparring work at the Guard Office.

Jiang Man learned the Dragon-Suppressing Method, sparred with Luo Xuan, and continued enforcing his cultivation schedule as the courtyard’s top-ranked student. He then went to the Guard Office to begin covering shifts, where Steward Miao was surprised to see that his ranking really was first place.

• Fu Yidan gave Jiang Man the spell arts manuals for thirty, forty, fifty, and sixty points, and he learned the Dragon-Suppressing Method before improving it to the fifth layer.
• Jiang Man sparred with Luo Xuan, realized he was behind her in technique, and decided he should learn basic fist, palm, and movement techniques.
• Jiang Man made the courtyard students cultivate until he left, then joked with Little Fatty about marrying Luo Xuan to gain talent.
• Jiang Man told two guards that he remained first place and agreed to start covering shifts at the main gate.
• Steward Miao saw Jiang Man’s first-place ranking on the sheet and wondered whether she had treated him badly before.

After taking first place in his courtyard, Jiang Man received a thousand Spirit Sources from Steward Miao and continued working at the Spirit-Gathering Hall. Back at his lodgings, Old Yellow Ox warned him that his cultivation of the Simple Visualization Method could attract scrutiny, while Cheng Yu planned to approach Jiang Man about replying to her letter.

• Steward Miao awarded Jiang Man a thousand Spirit Sources and arranged four guard shifts for him in December.
• Jiang Man asked about sparring work and learned he could earn ninety Spirit Sources a day by lighting eight lamps, so he returned to the Spirit-Gathering Hall to work.
• Steward Miao told the woman beside her that Jiang Man had risen from last place to first in his courtyard.
• Old Yellow Ox reminded Jiang Man that he had not collected the Simple Visualization Method, and Jiang Man worried the sect might discover his success and investigate.
• Jiang Man counted his wealth and realized he had 2,580 Spirit Sources before subtracting his debt to Little Fatty for six Spirit-Gathering Pills.
• Cheng Yu reflected on Jiang Man's influence on her cultivation and planned to visit him soon to ask for a reply to her letter.

Jiang Man improved his Spell Arts while guarding a side gate, then let Fang Yong’s injured household steward enter to deliver overdue cultivation fees. He ended the chapter waiting for Fang Yong to arrive, certain that no one in the Sixth Courtyard could sleep while he kept practicing.

• Jiang Man collected the Simple Visualization Method and continued practicing his Spell Arts and cultivation, though his cultivation made little progress.
• Jiang Man began a night-shift gate guard post and practiced the Collapsing Flow Technique until he raised it from the fifth to the ninth layer.
• Jiang Man resolved to focus on the Azure Smoke Prelude and reach Qi Refining, Seventh Layer, and considered borrowing Spirit Sources from Little Fatty.
• An injured steward arrived looking for Fang Yong and said he had come to deliver the cultivation fees.
• Jiang Man confirmed that Fang Yong was still in time to pay, sent word for him, and remarked that he could not sleep.

Jiang Man helped Steward Fang while he waited for Fang Yong, then spent the remaining days cultivating and preparing for the Brand-New Assessment. On the eve of the Qualification Competition, Jiang Man considered who might secure the second spot and worried that schemes could affect his own chances.

• Jiang Man watched Fang Yong reprimand Steward Fang, who handed Fang Yong Spirit Source before leaving with an injured foot.
• Jiang Man let Steward Fang rest in the pavilion and gave him medicinal plaster when he departed at daybreak.
• Jiang Man cultivated at the Azure Cloud Pavilion, using fifteen Spirit-Gathering Pills until his sixth gourd reached ninety-nine percent and his physical body reached the fourth stage.
• Jiang Man raised all his acquired Spell Arts to the ninth layer but found that he still lacked practical combat experience.
• Little Fatty told Jiang Man he was nervous because the next day's Qualification Competition would decide whether he could secure a sect spot.
• Jiang Man judged Luo Xuan and Cheng Yu likely contenders for the second spot, considered Fang Yong and Chang Qiwen less likely, and worried that outside schemes might affect the assessment.

Jiang Man prepared for the practical combat assessment and learned about Fang Yong’s extensive arsenal of Spell Arts. On assessment day, Mr. Zhao posted the overall rankings before the combat tests began.

• Jiang Man sought Old Yellow Ox’s advice and decided to rely on repeated, powerful attacks to end fights quickly.
• Cheng Yu asked Jiang Man for a reply to Luo Xuan, and Jiang Man claimed he was already married before Cheng Yu gave him information about Fang Yong’s Spell Arts.
• Jiang Man studied Fang Yong’s many mastered techniques and detailed habits, then resolved to secure first place in the assessment.
• On December 17, Jiang Man arrived at the Sixth Courtyard with the other candidates, and Mr. Zhao posted the overall rankings before announcing the practical combat assessment.

Jiang Man ranked first in the Sixth Courtyard assessment and faced Fang Yong in the opening match of the combat assessment. He kept attacking with his strongest Spell Arts longer than the observers expected, and the fight remained unresolved.

• The rankings showed Jiang Man in first place with sixty-seven points, while four others also qualified for the combat assessment.
• Mr. Zhao explained the tournament rules, and the five competitors drew lots; Cheng Yu received a bye, while Jiang Man and Fang Yong drew the first match.
• Zhao Leming prohibited pills, Law Treasures, and talismans above the qi refining sixth layer before starting the fight.
• Jiang Man and Fang Yong traded powerful Spell Arts, with Fang Yong using his experience and Jiang Man evading through Azure Smoke Prelude.
• Teacher Fu and Mr. Zhao expected Jiang Man to tire quickly, but he continued launching his strongest attacks through two incense sticks, leaving Zhao Leming surprised.

Jiang Man advanced after outlasting Fang Yong, while Luo Xuan defeated Chang Qiwen despite his surprise attack and learned that Cheng Yu had exposed her habits. The next matches were drawn, and Cheng Yu hinted to Fang Yong that he knew about the supposed Fang Household steward.

• Jiang Man kept attacking Fang Yong with his strongest Spell Arts until Fang Yong backed out of the formation, securing Jiang Man's advancement.
• Luo Xuan fought Chang Qiwen, who used a Blood Demon Pill and the Cheng Household Blood Battle Method to exploit her habits and injure her.
• Luo Xuan recovered and defeated Chang Qiwen, then realized Cheng Yu had likely revealed her openings; Zhao Leming declared her and Cheng Yu advanced.
• The next matches were drawn: Jiang Man against Luo Xuan and Fang Yong against Cheng Yu, with Fang Yong and Cheng Yu set to fight first.
• Cheng Yu told Fang Yong about meeting a supposed Fang Household steward in a village, making Fang Yong's pupils contract.

Fang Yong defeated Cheng Yu in a brutal match and advanced, despite suffering serious injuries. As Luo Xuan stood pale and weakened, Jiang Man asked whether she wanted to fight.

• Cheng Yu taunted Fang Yong about his background and tried to secure her place by defeating him.
• Fang Yong and Cheng Yu exchanged close-range attacks, and he refused to yield despite her warnings and talisman strikes.
• Fang Yong advanced through Cheng Yu’s attacks with his final Spell Art, Ascending Straight to the Azure Clouds, and knocked her out of the formation.
• Fang Yong took a pill and returned to await Luo Xuan’s challenge while Zhao Leming and Fu Yidan discussed his strength and resolve.
• Jiang Man recognized Fang Yong’s final Spell Art and asked the weakened Luo Xuan whether she wanted to fight.

Jiang Man became the sole uninjured contestant after Fang Yong defeated Luo Xuan, securing first place in the Sixth Courtyard. Zhao Leming told Jiang Man he ranked fourteenth among the Azure Cloud Pavilion’s nineteen places and would compete with Fang Yong for cultivation methods, while Luo Xuan left to report her failure to her parents.

• Luo Xuan conceded to Jiang Man and challenged the badly injured Fang Yong for the final qualifying place.
• Fang Yong and Luo Xuan fought by trading injuries until Luo Xuan fell first, and Fang Yong collapsed soon after winning.
• Zhao Leming confirmed Jiang Man and Fang Yong as the qualifiers, then told Jiang Man that he ranked fourteenth among the Azure Cloud Pavilion’s nineteen places.
• Zhao Leming ordered Jiang Man and Fang Yong to compete for cultivation methods at the Cloudfront Office during the others’ break.
• Two days later, Luo Xuan left the Cloudfront Office to tell her parents she had failed to qualify.

After Luo Xuan failed to secure a place in the contest, Luo Huaili offered her two ways to protect the declining Luo Lineage. Meanwhile, Jiang Man strengthened himself, rejected the Gao Lineage’s binding terms and the prospect of marrying into the Luo Lineage, then received a message from his wife demanding the Evil God in exchange for leaving him an heir.

• Luo Xuan returned to the Luo residence, where Luo Huaili told her that her second uncle had gone missing and explained the Luo Lineage’s precarious position.
• Luo Huaili offered Luo Xuan a choice between finding a common-born prodigy to marry into the Luo Lineage and forming a marriage alliance with another Lineage.
• Jiang Man advanced his physical body to the fourth stage while continuing to cultivate in the Stable courtyard.
• Little Fatty warned Jiang Man that the Gao Lineage’s resources came with terms requiring recipients to serve its direct descendants, and said Luo Xuan might be made to take a husband who would marry into her family.
• Jiang Man told Little Fatty he would do neither because he was already married.
• Jiang Man used the Light Orb to hear his wife offer to leave him an heir if he handed over the Evil God, and she said she would come when the Magpie Bridge opened.

Jiang Man learned that he would join a three-person team seeking a mid-grade Visualization Method and focused on raising his strength before the transmission. Meanwhile, Cheng Yu visited Luo Xuan and revealed that she had written an Admiration Letter in Luo Xuan’s name.

• Jiang Man told Old Yellow Ox about his conversation with the fairy, and Old Yellow Ox warned that she was curious about his origins but could not harm him while opening the Magpie Bridge.
• A woman recruited Jiang Man for a three-person transmission team, explained that they aimed to obtain a mid-grade Visualization Method, and gave him a team token for a trial in about three days.
• Jiang Man asked Old Yellow Ox whether his wife would agree to being touched, then cultivated until he formed a third Water Cauldron and cleared his bottleneck to Qi Refining, Seventh Layer.
• Jiang Man went to the Spirit-Gathering Hall to seek an advance of Spirit Sources from Steward Miao before the team transmission.
• Cheng Yu visited Luo Xuan and told her she had written someone an Admiration Letter in Luo Xuan’s name.