Jiang Man was called over by Steward Miao as soon as he arrived.
It was only then that he realized dozens of people were standing there.
They were lined up in an orderly fashion, a mix of young and old, but without exception, all of them seemed to be in poor spirits.
A weak aura clung to each of them.
This was the damage caused by having their Spiritual Qi absorbed by the Array.
It might not be a big deal in the short term, but over a long period, the damage could become irreversible.
Now, following Steward Miao's gaze, all of them looked over.
They might not have been receptive to words of encouragement, but they were still curious. They wanted to see just what kind of person would score zero points.
When they saw Jiang Man, most of them were slightly disappointed.
He looked like a perfectly normal person, not missing any arms or legs. Why would he get zero points?
'Lazy to the bone?'
'But what would a lazy person be doing here?'
'Is he a prodigal son, then, trying to turn over a new leaf?'
'Too bad it's too late. He's already in the rear courtyard; there's no turning back.'
Steward Miao looked at Jiang Man and said, "Jiang Man, come over here and tell everyone about your journey. Tell them how you're filled with indignation about your future and want to realize your own worth here in the Spirit Gathering Hall, right?"
Jiang Man was speechless.
A smile spread across Steward Miao's face. "If that's the case, then we at the Spirit Gathering Hall cherish talent. Your Spiritual Source reward for today is doubled."
"Yes," Jiang Man nodded affirmatively. "I came to the Spirit Gathering Hall precisely to realize my own worth."
Hearing this, Steward Miao beamed and immediately continued to rally the crowd. "Every single one of you is stronger than Jiang Man! Your worth is far greater than his."
"If he can succeed, are you all destined to fail?"
"So many people have succeeded. If there's room for Jiang Man, isn't there room for all of you?"
"On the road to success, you should be far ahead of him."
"As long as you earn enough Spiritual Source, sooner or later, you will all make a name for yourselves!"
After Steward Miao's bout of encouragement, some people were indeed fired up.
But Jiang Man couldn't understand how, in the steward's words, he had apparently already succeeded.
'Shouldn't they take a look at me first?'
He was still the most humble of Cultivators.
'Did they get paid in Spiritual Source too?'
Afterward, Jiang Man smoothly collected sixty Spiritual Source.
It came in the form of three jade-like coins.
The word "Twenty" was carved on them.
On the back was a mountain gate, said to be the gate of the Immortal Sect.
This was Jiang Man's first time seeing Spiritual Source, so he wasn't sure if this was what it was supposed to look like.
But seeing that no one else had any objections, Jiang Man quietly put the Spiritual Source away and started walking back.
Sixty Spiritual Source.
For someone with zero points, this should be a decent income.
'I wonder how much Spiritual Source a Spirit Gathering Pill costs.'
'I'll ask Xiaopang tomorrow.'
Back at the thatched hut by the stables, Jiang Man pushed the door open under the starlight.
The Old Yellow Ox, who had already closed its eyes nearby, suddenly opened them and looked at Jiang Man.
"Are you doing all right today, Senior?" Jiang Man greeted with a smile.
"Thanks to your wife, I'm not dead yet," the Old Yellow Ox said coolly. "You, on the other hand, seem to be doing quite well. I just wonder if you'll still be in such a good mood after a hundred days."
Jiang Man pointed to the sky and said, "The starlight doesn't forsake a weary traveler, to say nothing of my Talent."
The Old Yellow Ox rolled its eyes.
'As if I don't know about your Talent.'
After cleaning the stables, Jiang Man resumed his Cultivation.
He continued to "pour water" into the "Gourd."
Under the moonlight, as Jiang Man continuously circulated his Qi Refining Skill and absorbed Spiritual Qi, the "Gourd" suddenly trembled.
Then, with a CRACK, it broke through something.
Immediately, a second "Gourd" appeared.
Some of the overflowing Spiritual Qi flowed into the second "Gourd."
At that moment, Jiang Man slowly opened his eyes.
His Dantian felt heavy and full.
The Qi Refining Second Layer was indeed different from the Qi Refining First Layer.
Not only that, but the strength in his arms and legs had also increased.
A single punch could now deliver the force of four or five men.
And this was just using his power in the crudest way.
Right now, he didn't know any Magic Skills; his Cultivation had simply advanced.
His mental state was better, too.
Ordinary people seemed somewhat unremarkable before him now.
For a moment, he felt a bit grateful to his fellow disciples in the courtyard.
They had never made things difficult for him when he was just an ordinary person.
Otherwise, with their Cultivation, even the weakest of whom were at the Qi Refining First Layer, if they had truly made a move against him, it probably would have been like child's play for them.
The Old Yellow Ox watched Jiang Man, its eyes narrowed.
It couldn't figure out why this person's advancement was so fast.
Introducing Qi into the Body in an instant, reaching the Qi Refining Ninth Layer in three days, the Qi Refining First Layer in one day, and the Qi Refining Second Layer in two days.
Although the Flawless Spirit Gathering Pill had helped, the time it took was still remarkably short.
Of course, reaching the Qi Refining Ninth Layer right at the Entry Level was something it had never encountered before.
It couldn't be sure of the situation.
「The next day.」
Jiang Man continued to sweep the old courtyards.
He swept one Cultivation Field after another.
He discovered that each place had a different level of consumption.
And it was all recent.
'It seems someone has been cultivating here for a long time.'
At noon, he returned to the Sixth Courtyard again and asked Xiaopang what was taught today.
"They talked about the Magic Skill, Three Talents Force," Xiaopang said.
'I haven't learned it yet.'
After that, Jiang Man asked about Spiritual Source.
"Spiritual Source?" The Little Fatty thought for a moment and said, "A regular Spirit Gathering Pill costs three hundred Spiritual Source."
"Then how much Spiritual Source does a normal Cultivator typically earn in a month?" Jiang Man asked.
Xiaopang seemed to know the answer already and said casually, "About fifteen hundred, but that's within the Yunqian Bureau. Outside the Yunqian Bureau, it's usually eight or nine hundred a month. Some villages are even lower. I've heard that some people work themselves to death just to earn three hundred Spiritual Source a month."
Hearing this, Jiang Man was a little surprised.
'So thirty a day is actually a decent income?'
The only drawback was that having Spiritual Qi constantly and forcibly drained by the Array caused a certain amount of damage to the body.
'One day, my speed of absorbing Spiritual Qi might slow down significantly.'
'That would be tantamount to ruining my future.'
Jiang Man didn't dwell on it.
'Cultivate first.'
「Ten days later.」
「Early in the ninth month.」
Jiang Man took a deep breath. The second "Gourd" was full.
There was still half a month until the next ranking update.
In these ten days, Fang Yong hadn't come looking for him.
However, every time someone asked Fang Yong about matters concerning Young Master Cheng and Young Master Yang, he would glare at Jiang Man afterward.
If it weren't for this being a critical time, Jiang Man would have been genuinely afraid that Fang Yong would attack him.
The gap in their Cultivation was too great.
'If he really attacks, I'll definitely be the one to lose out.'
Luo Xuan, on the other hand, had sought him out once.
She said they could cultivate together and motivate each other.
The main reason was that his Cultivation was focused, which would make him a good cultivation partner.
Although his Cultivation was weak, Luo Xuan said she could reluctantly accept it.
Jiang Man refused.
'How could she have the nerve to ask me to supervise her without offering me any Spiritual Source?'
'It would just get in the way of me earning my own Spiritual Source.'