Recaps

Cheng Yu revealed that she had written a letter of admiration in Luo Xuan’s name to manipulate Jiang Man, while Luo Xuan warned her that he was more dangerous than she realized. Jiang Man learned that his team would have to compete for a single cultivation method, and he headed toward the Back Mountain, where Yan Huimin and a powerful man discussed his dissatisfaction and awaited his arrival.

• Cheng Yu told Luo Xuan that she had written Jiang Man a letter of admiration to make him attack Fang Yong and help her secure a spot, but her plan had failed.
• Luo Xuan said her future depended on either taking a son-in-law into her family or entering a marriage alliance, and Cheng Yu suggested Jiang Man or Fang Yong as possible sons-in-law.
• Luo Huaili learned that two village-born contestants from Luo Xuan’s courtyard had secured spots and decided he needed to contact them.
• Steward Miao lent Jiang Man two hundred Spirit Sources and explained that groups of three could compete for only one shared prize at the Dharma Transmission Grounds.
• Yan Huimin told a tall, bronze-skinned man that Jiang Man ranked fourteenth in Azure Cloud Pavilion and wanted the Qi Refining Method; the man said he would explain why their group needed the Visualization Method.

Jiang Man joined Li Yuan and Yan Huimin for a competition, but refused to pursue a Visualization Method and instead followed Fang Tianyi’s offer to obtain a Qi Refining Method. He secured the method while Li Yuan blamed him for jeopardizing their team.

• Li Yuan and Yan Huimin introduced themselves and urged Jiang Man to compete for a Visualization Method, but he said he already had one above middle grade and wanted a Qi Refining Method.
• Fang Tianyi offered Jiang Man a thousand Spirit Sources and help obtaining a Qi Refining Method if he stayed out of the fight, then attacked Li Yuan and Yan Huimin with his companions.
• After Fang Tianyi’s group defeated Li Yuan and Yan Huimin, they tied the pair up, gave Jiang Man another thousand Spirit Sources, and told him to take them to the Qi Refining Method.
• Jiang Man dragged Li Yuan and Yan Huimin to the woods, where Fang Yuanyuan’s team had already defeated most of the puppets and let him enter the formation.
• Jiang Man obtained a Mortal Grade middle-grade Qi Refining Method, while Li Yuan angrily blamed him for undermining their team.

After the contest, Li Yuan tried to convince Fang Tianyi that Jiang Man had already possessed a superior Visualization Method, and Fang Tianyi began to suspect he had helped Jiang Man profit. Jiang Man returned to the Stable to cultivate his new Qi Refining Method, while Steward Fang and a woman arrived at the Cloudfront Office to see someone.

• Li Yuan and Yan Huimin remained tied up until Fang Tianyi and the others returned, and Li Yuan claimed Jiang Man had already possessed a middle-grade or better Visualization Method.
• Fang Yuanyuan dismissed Li Yuan’s claim, but Fang Tianyi knew Jiang Man had studied a Superior Visualization Method and worried that he had helped him obtain a Qi Refining Method.
• Jiang Man returned to the Stable, told Old Yellow Ox he planned to cultivate the Qi Refining Method, and said he expected to reach the eleventh level in about seven days.
• Steward Fang and a woman came to the Cloudfront Office’s side gate, where Steward Fang warned her not to ask anything she should not.

Fang Yong told Steward Fang and the woman that he had qualified for the Sect Examination, then questioned Jiang Man about marrying into the Luo Lineage and learned that Jiang Man was already married. At the Luo Residence, Cheng Yu told Luo Xuan that Jiang Man had given the same answer to an admiration letter, then went home after pausing outside the Cheng Residence.

• Steward Fang and the woman brought Fang Yong five hundred Spirit Sources, and he urged them to keep enough for themselves.
• Fang Yong told them he had qualified for the Sect Examination, and they congratulated him before leaving.
• Jiang Man began covering a guard shift for eighty Spirit Sources a night and told Fang Yong he was already married.
• Jiang Man checked his surroundings, cultivated the Qi Refining Method, and planned to prepare for the March Spell Arts contest.
• Cheng Yu told Luo Xuan that Jiang Man had refused to reply to an admiration letter because he was already married.
• Cheng Yu left the Luo Residence, paused outside the Cheng Residence, and went inside.

Cheng Yu’s mother beat and berated her for failing to secure a place, while Jiang Man spent the break cultivating and earning Spirit Sources. On January 1, Zhao Leming presented Jiang Man with offers from three lineages, each demanding service or marriage in exchange for support as he prepared for the Sect Examination.

• Cheng Yu’s mother struck her and blamed her for failing to secure a place despite years of support and training.
• Jiang Man advanced to the eleventh layer of the Dawn Qi Refining Method during the half-month break and continued earning Spirit Sources.
• On January 1, Zhao Leming told Jiang Man that three lineages wanted to support him because of his ranking and Sect Examination qualification.
• Jiang Man read the Li Lineage’s offer of monthly resources in exchange for ten years of service if he entered a sect, or repayment through labor if he failed.
• Jiang Man rejected the Cheng Lineage’s offer in his mind because it required fifteen years of protecting and obeying its disciples.
• Jiang Man read the Luo Lineage’s offer, which required him to take the examination in its name and marry into the lineage.

Jiang Man rejected offers from three Lineages and agreed to help Little Fatty cultivate in exchange for resources. After training and sparring at the Cloudfront Office, he was approached by a representative of the Li Lineage, who urged him to reconsider their offer.

• Jiang Man rejected the Li, Cheng, and Luo Lineages' offers, and Zhao Leming explained that their terms might improve as Jiang Man's ranking rose.
• Jiang Man asked Zhao Leming about new work, then returned to the Sixth Courtyard and sent Fang Yong to speak with him.
• Little Fatty told Jiang Man that his family had offered him a choice between marriage and cultivating toward a future in the family business, and he offered Jiang Man resources to teach him.
• Teacher Fu demonstrated defensive uses of the Collapsing Flow Technique, and Jiang Man later sparred with Luo Xuan.
• Cheng Yu wondered when Jiang Man would discover that she had written the letter, while Luo Xuan warned her not to tease the top-ranked student.
• A middle-aged man from the Li Lineage approached Jiang Man and argued that their offer gave him better prospects than the others.

Jiang Man rejected the Li Lineage’s offer for the time being, continued cultivating, and prepared to reveal his seventh-layer Qi Refining cultivation in the courtyard assessment. Meanwhile, Little Fatty followed Jiang Man’s demanding cultivation plan, but his father doubted Jiang Man’s ability to teach.

• A middle-aged man from the Li Lineage offered Jiang Man five thousand a month and argued that the lineage could help him establish himself in a sect, but Jiang Man said he would think it over.
• Old Yellow Ox gave Jiang Man a detailed cultivation plan for Little Fatty, which Jiang Man recorded and divided into three parts.
• Throughout January, Jiang Man cultivated and earned Spirit Sources, reaching the fifth stage of the physical body and filling his fifth qi and blood gourd to thirty percent.
• At the end of January, Jiang Man decided to reveal his seventh-layer Qi Refining cultivation at the courtyard assessment to secure first place and make it easier to speak with Li Yuan and the others.
• After the assessment, Little Fatty continued cultivating with Jiang Man’s guidance book, while his father considered replacing the plan because he thought Jiang Man lacked teaching experience.

Gao Cunfeng let Little Fatty pursue cultivation until August while Jiang Man led the Sixth Courtyard and continued improving. After the break began, Luo Xuan and Cheng Yu discussed their plans and Jiang Man’s unexpectedly high score.

• Gao Cunfeng agreed to let Little Fatty cultivate, but told him to reach Qi Refining Fourth Layer by August or accept a marriage arrangement.
• Jiang Man received a score of seventy-nine and first place in the Sixth Courtyard, and Little Fatty read his sheet and called him a genius.
• The courtyard rankings confirmed Jiang Man’s first place, but the Azure Cloud Pavilion postponed its broader rankings until April.
• The Sixth Courtyard cultivated throughout February, and at the next assessment Jiang Man scored eighty while the lowest-ranked students reached Qi Refining Third Layer.
• Mr. Zhao reminded the students about the coming contest and their future paths before the break began on March 15.
• Luo Xuan and Cheng Yu left the Sixth Courtyard together, and Cheng Yu said that her scheming nature would help her do better afterward.

Luo Xuan and Cheng Yu discussed the coming contest and the choice between taking a son-in-law and entering a marriage alliance. Jiang Man advanced his cultivation and learned from Old Yellow Ox how to maximize his strength, while Gao Cunfeng had Elder Chen examine the cultivation book Little Fatty had been using.

• Luo Xuan asked Cheng Yu when Jiang Man would discover she had written the letter, and Cheng Yu said it would be soon but had not changed him.
• Cheng Yu urged Luo Xuan to decide whether to take a son-in-law or enter a marriage alliance before August, while Luo Xuan doubted Jiang Man would submit to or marry into another family.
• Jiang Man completed the seventh gourd of Qi Refining, advanced his physical body and spirit cultivation, and planned to reach the eighth layer before the next contest.
• Old Yellow Ox told Jiang Man that the Cloudfront Office had ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivators and explained that cultivation levels in the body and spirit also distinguished them.
• Gao Cunfeng asked Elder Chen to assess Little Fatty's cultivation book, and Elder Chen found it advised only that the practitioner stay up.
• Gao Cunfeng told Elder Chen to revise the method for Gao Yao and planned to secretly replace the book before the next cultivation-method contest.

Jiang Man borrowed Spirit Sources from Chang Qiwen and cultivated toward the eighth level of Qi Refining while planning to claim first place at the Cloudfront Office. Three days later, he reached the eighth level and set his sights on the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal, while Li Yuan prepared to compete for a Visualization Method.

• Jiang Man borrowed three thousand Spirit Sources from Chang Qiwen, promising to repay three thousand five hundred in September, and Chang Qiwen warned him that Li Yuan might target him.
• Jiang Man told Old Yellow Ox he intended to contend for first place and bought Spirit-Gathering Pills to continue cultivating.
• Li Yuan told Yan Huimin he planned to compete for the Visualization Method rather than the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal and intended to persuade or force Jiang Man to join him.
• Three days later, Jiang Man reached the eighth level of Qi Refining and decided to compete for the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal.

Jiang Man joined Li Yuan and Yan Huimin for the second contest, but rejected Li Yuan’s plan to compete for a Middle-Grade Visualization Method and demonstrated his strength. He took charge of the team and led them toward the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal, where they encountered Fang Yuanyuan.

• Jiang Man left Old Yellow Ox and went to the Back Mountain to meet Li Yuan and Yan Huimin.
• Li Yuan urged Jiang Man to trust his judgment and said they should compete for the Middle-Grade Visualization Method.
• Jiang Man said he wanted the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal and proved his strength by pinning Li Yuan in place with his spiritual qi.
• Li Yuan accepted Jiang Man as the team’s leader, and Jiang Man led the group toward their contest while asking about their opponents.
• Fang Yuanyuan approached Li Yuan and asked what he planned to compete for.

Li Yuan’s team overwhelmed Fang Yuanyuan’s teammates while she tried to hold him back, then followed her through Back Mountain. Fang Yuanyuan reached her eldest brother, Fang Tianyi, and warned him with Li Yuan’s group approaching behind her.

• Fang Yuanyuan mocked Li Yuan and sent her teammates to attack Jiang Man and Yan Huimin while she held him back.
• Jiang Man and Yan Huimin quickly defeated Fang Yuanyuan’s two teammates, and Li Yuan joined them in surrounding her.
• Fang Yuanyuan escaped, and Jiang Man led the group in following her toward Fang Tianyi’s team.
• Li Yuan’s group alternated between speeding up and slowing down, keeping Fang Yuanyuan under pressure as she continued toward her brother.
• Fang Yuanyuan reached Fang Tianyi while he searched a grove for the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal, and he warned his teammates to stay alert.

Jiang Man defeated Fang Tianyi and revealed that his rapid advancement had made him a force the Fang family could not casually provoke. After Jiang Man left to pursue the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal, Fang Tianyi resolved to apologize and compensate him, while Gao Cunfeng sought a new cultivation plan.

• Fang Yuanyuan warned Fang Tianyi that Li Yuan’s group was approaching and that Jiang Man might be their second seventh-layer cultivator.
• Fang Tianyi recognized Jiang Man as the group’s leader and challenged him over the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal.
• Jiang Man defeated Fang Tianyi with Six Harmonies Palm and revealed that he belonged to the Jiang Household, not the Luo Lineage.
• Fang Tianyi realized Jiang Man had reached the eighth layer and decided the Fang family should apologize and offer compensation.
• At the Gao Lineage, Gao Cunfeng used Little Fatty’s absence to seek a replacement for his punishing cultivation plan.

Gao Cunfeng received Elder Chen’s replacement cultivation book and learned that the Cloudfront Office’s second contest would rank participants by strength. Meanwhile, Jiang Man’s group found the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal, where Jiang Man swiftly defeated the approaching contenders.

• Gao Cunfeng set aside Little Fatty’s cultivation book and accepted Elder Chen’s replacement, then discussed the contest rankings with him.
• Li Yuan explained that Fang Tianyi’s loss meant he was unlikely to warn others, while Jiang Man debated whether to suppress his cultivation for combat practice.
• Jiang Man, Li Yuan, and Yan Huimin found the grove containing the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal and waited for its formation to open.
• Li Yuan identified the approaching contenders as a Jade Water Pavilion team led by its top-ranked woman, who was likely targeting Nightglow Pavilion’s Yang Ling.
• Jiang Man called out Yang Ling to distract the contenders, then used Azure Smoke Prelude and Six Harmonies Palm to defeat them in one breath.

Jiang Man overwhelmed Gao Nian’s group, helped Li Yuan and Yan Huimin obtain the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal, and declared that he would become the Cloudfront Office’s first-place entrant. The others planned to track his progress and investigate his claim that he never slept.

• Jiang Man ambushed Gao Nian’s group and defeated them with a rapid barrage of Spell Arts.
• Gao Nian questioned Jiang Man’s origins, paid him Spirit Sources for an answer, and heard that he cultivated every day without sleeping.
• When the formation opened, Jiang Man, Li Yuan, and Yan Huimin entered and obtained the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal.
• Gao Nian concluded that Jiang Man was a talented pauper who used free Spell Arts, then left to urge her Lineage head to recruit him.
• Jiang Man told Li Yuan that he would take first place in the Cloudfront Office starting that year, while Li Yuan and Yan Huimin planned to improve their cultivation and investigate his sleepless routine.

Jiang Man ranked first in Azure Cloud Pavilion and second among the six pavilions, shocking his peers and Gao Cunfeng. After learning the results, Gao Cunfeng ordered Little Fatty’s cultivation books returned so he could keep practicing them.

• Little Fatty met Song Qing while waiting for Azure Cloud Pavilion’s rankings, and they discussed Jiang Man’s likely placement.
• The rankings named Jiang Man of the Sixth Courtyard first in Azure Cloud Pavilion, ahead of Fang Tianyi.
• Chang Qiwen checked the six pavilions’ rankings and found Jiang Man in second place, behind Cheng Moyang.
• Gao Cunfeng learned Jiang Man’s rankings and connected his rise to the cultivation books he had swapped with Little Fatty.
• Gao Cunfeng ordered his people to retrieve the books and return them to Little Fatty.

Jiang Man secured the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal and began studying its difficult text, while the rankings made him a target of growing attention. Unable to get guidance from Old Yellow Ox, he went to seek a teacher as Mr. Zhao considered the pressure gathering around them.

• Yang Ling recalled watching Jiang Man defeat Gao Nian and his group with ease, then gave up competing for the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal.
• Jiang Man saw that he ranked second in the Six Pavilions and wondered whether the rankings accurately reflected his strength compared with Cheng Moyang.
• Back at the Stable, Jiang Man showed Old Yellow Ox the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal, but Old Yellow Ox warned that his unfamiliarity with the Immortal Gate's theory could lead Jiang Man astray.
• Jiang Man decided to seek instruction from Mr. Zhao or Teacher Fu and considered the threats posed by Cheng Moyang and the lineages seeking to recruit him.
• Mr. Zhao reviewed six letters addressed to Jiang Man and worried that refusing the lineages could bring trouble, while Jiang Man's rise could also affect his own future.

After Jiang Man placed second among the Six Pavilions, several lineages offered him contracts, but he rejected them all rather than be bound to their service or marry into the Luo family. Zhao Leming deferred discussing the consequences while Teacher Fu arrived to teach Jiang Man the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal, and Luo Xuan returned home to find her father had summoned her.

• Zhao Leming showed Jiang Man improved contracts from six lineages, drawn by his strong contest ranking.
• Jiang Man read the offers, including the Fang Lineage’s long service obligations, the Li Lineage’s control over his future, and the Luo Lineage’s demand that he marry into their family and put their interests first.
• Jiang Man rejected every contract, explaining that the Luo Lineage’s marriage offer would bind him for life and noting that he was already married.
• Zhao Leming agreed to turn down the offers but postponed discussing whether the lineages might retaliate, and directed Jiang Man to learn the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal from Teacher Fu.
• Luo Xuan returned to the Luo Residence, where her father summoned her after she heard about Jiang Man’s remarkable ranking.

Luo Xuan agreed to let her father pursue a marriage arrangement with Jiang Man, despite knowing he was already married and unlikely to accept. After learning the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal, Jiang Man discovered that the Li and Luo Lineages might use his teammate’s participation to pressure him, while Zhao Leming promised to protect him as much as he could.

• Luo Huaili proposed that Luo Xuan marry Jiang Man and asked whether she would accept taking him as a son-in-law.
• Luo Xuan told Luo Huaili that Jiang Man was already married, but agreed to leave the matter to her father if he could resolve the situation.
• Jiang Man studied the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal with Teacher Fu and completed his first circulation, though he had not yet reached its first layer.
• Jiang Man asked Zhao Leming about rejecting the lineages, and Zhao explained that the Li and Luo Lineages might approach him because his Li-surnamed teammate could determine whether he obtained a spell art.
• Zhao Leming promised to shield Jiang Man from pressure within the Cloudfront Office and handle what he could, then suggested the Li Lineage might be pursuing him as an incidental move.

Jiang Man discussed the Li and Luo Lineages with Zhao Leming, then learned from the Immortal Maiden that the Magpie Bridge would open earlier than expected. The chapter left Jiang Man worried that she would soon come for him and that Old Yellow Ox could not help him escape.

• Jiang Man asked Zhao Leming how to escape the Li Lineage's harassment, and Zhao Leming said he needed enough Spirit Sources to raise his cultivation.
• Zhao Leming explained that the Luo Lineage might recruit Jiang Man as a son-in-law because its younger generation was dwindling, but Jiang Man rejected the idea of marrying into the lineage.
• Jiang Man returned to the Stable courtyard and told Old Yellow Ox about the Spell Arts and the six letters; Old Yellow Ox said escaping a contract's restrictions would require becoming stronger than the Immortal Gate.
• The Immortal Maiden sent Jiang Man a message saying people had mocked her for being married to a husband whose name she did not know, and asked when the Magpie Bridge would open.
• Old Yellow Ox said the Magpie Bridge opened about once a year and would open earlier this time, then warned Jiang Man that he could flee danger but could not take anyone with him.

Jiang Man mastered the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal Great Accomplishment by the end of March while planning his next cultivation steps. Elsewhere, the Li Lineage youth ordered Lao Jin to recruit Jiang Man as a tool for the next contest, while Cheng Moyang and Young Master Yang recognized him as a potential threat.

• Jiang Man cultivated the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal from its first layer to Great Accomplishment, manifesting a golden dragon and nine marks.
• Jiang Man spoke with Old Yellow Ox, then planned to attend the Spirit-Gathering Hall and use the Spirit Source and pills arriving from Little Fatty to improve his cultivation.
• At Moon-Viewing Tower, the Li Lineage youth told Lao Jin to approach Jiang Man again and use Li Yuan's help if needed.
• The Li Lineage youth intended for Cheng Moyang to pressure Jiang Man and for Jiang Man to serve as a stepping stone in the next contest.
• At the Six Pavilions residences, Young Master Yang told Cheng Moyang that the poor man they had once toyed with had become a threat.

Cheng Moyang decided not to provoke Jiang Man, while Jiang Man worried about finding enough Spirit Sources to advance beyond the qi refining eighth layer. Luo Huaili, head of the Luo Lineage, came in person to invite Jiang Man to join his lineage as a son-in-law, but Jiang Man refused.

• Cheng Moyang explained that Jiang Man had become too valued by the Azure Cloud Pavilion to suppress, and decided to target Fang Yong instead while keeping watch on the Sixth Courtyard.
• Jiang Man went to the Spirit-Gathering Hall and concluded that his limited Spirit Sources might prevent him from reaching the qi refining ninth layer within three months.
• Jiang Man asked Old Yellow Ox why nobody would give him Spirit Sources, and Old Yellow Ox reminded him that he had once gotten him a wife for free.
• Luo Huaili arrived and introduced himself as the head of the Luo Lineage, then invited Jiang Man to join the lineage on any terms he wanted.
• Jiang Man refused to marry into the Luo Lineage, but Luo Huaili insisted that he could not refuse.

Jiang Man rejected Luo Huaili’s offer to marry into the Luo Lineage, preferring to keep his freedom while accepting that cultivation would grow harder. Later, Fang Yong revealed he had also refused a lineage marriage, and Jiang Man learned that the Li Lineage might approach him next.

• Luo Huaili offered Jiang Man resources and support if he married into the Luo Lineage, but Jiang Man refused and said he would consider financial support without binding himself to them.
• Old Yellow Ox explained to Jiang Man why lineages were reluctant to offer help without securing loyalty in return.
• On April 1, Jiang Man went to the Sixth Courtyard and met Fang Yong, who said he had declined a lineage marriage because its conditions limited his freedom.
• Fang Yong told Jiang Man that the Li Lineage’s people would come looking for him.
• Little Fatty asked Jiang Man how he had risen among the Six Pavilions, and Jiang Man credited secret hard work at home.

Jiang Man guided Little Fatty, accepted an unexpected gift from Song Qing, and received special instruction from Teacher Fu on using the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal in combat. His intense cultivation set the pace for the Sixth Courtyard, prompting Li Yuan to discover that even the first-ranked student was still training after everyone else had left.

• Jiang Man gave Little Fatty another book to study, and Little Fatty asked whether Jiang Man and his wife were close; Jiang Man insisted that she longed to reunite with him.
• Song Qing thanked Jiang Man and gave him a Spirit-Gathering Pill, which Jiang Man happily accepted.
• Teacher Fu taught Jiang Man how to activate the Nine Clouds Town-Dragon Seal while moving or being attacked, then explained how to process spirit medicine.
• The Sixth Courtyard continued cultivating after Teacher Fu left, with Jiang Man working intently at its head.
• Li Yuan went to the Sixth Courtyard and found that no one had left, including Jiang Man, the First in Azure Cloud Pavilion.

Jiang Man’s all-night cultivation habit spread through Azure Cloud Pavilion, pressuring students across the Six Pavilions to work harder. The chapter ended with Li Yuan apologizing to Jiang Man and offering him two thousand Spirit Sources.

• Li Yuan returned to cultivating, and the students who saw the top-ranked students staying late began cultivating instead of going home.
• Azure Cloud Pavilion’s students stopped leaving at night, and the saying that nights were for cultivation spread to the other pavilions.
• Cheng Moyang felt pressured to protect his first-place rank, led the other pavilions out, then secretly cultivated all night at home.
• Yang Feng and Yang Ling denied staying up all night to cultivate, while Jiang Man explained that observers had watched him through the night.
• Li Yuan met Jiang Man, apologized for his earlier narrow-mindedness, and handed him two thousand Spirit Sources.