When it was time for cultivation, everyone was focused.
It was a rare opportunity, so no one would stop their pace of improvement.
Even Xiaopang didn't dare to slack off.
He felt that while his own talent might be lacking, he absolutely had to complete the plan Mr. Zhao had arranged.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to answer for it when he returned.
Jiang Man found it quite remarkable.
'In an environment like this, how could Xiaopang maintain the mindset of a slacker?'
Improving one's cultivation and entering the Sect was the only good way out.
'With resources available, shouldn't one work even harder?'
Jiang Man didn't try to persuade him, simply burying his head in his own arduous cultivation.
He practiced the Qi Refining Skill over and over again.
After ten repetitions, Xiaopang wanted to rest, but when he saw the person in last place still cultivating, what was he, the person in second-to-last place, supposed to do?
After twenty repetitions.
Xiaopang was drenched in sweat. He looked at Jiang Man, who was still going, and said, "Xiaojiang, take a break. It's important to balance work and rest."
Jiang Man glanced at him but paid him no mind.
Xiaopang gritted his teeth and carried on.
After thirty repetitions.
Xiaopang was panting heavily. "Xiaojiang, it's over. Can we rest now?"
Jiang Man scoffed.
He continued to cultivate.
Furious, Xiaopang continued as well.
After forty repetitions.
Xiaopang's face was streaked with tears. "Brother Jiang, we're done now, right?"
Jiang Man didn't even give him a second glance.
By this time, the other people's training plans were also gradually coming to an end.
But those who had finished were stunned to see that the last- and second-to-last-place cultivators, who should have left long ago, were still cultivating.
'Did we miscount?'
'Is the plan not over yet?'
However, after watching them go on and on, they finally realized what was happening.
The bottom two were going all out.
Eventually, even Fang Yong noticed.
He was a bit confused.
'What on earth are the bottom two doing?'
The others started to grumble as well. 'What's with you two?'
'Who are you trying to impress, being so diligent at a time like this?'
But none of them could bring themselves to be the first to leave.
Fang Yong said nothing. He could accept losing, but he couldn't possibly lose to these people.
It wasn't until dusk that Luo Xuan, who had been cultivating the whole time, finally stopped and walked out of the courtyard on her own.
It was getting dark, and it was time to go back.
At this, the others breathed a sigh of relief.
The atmosphere was finally broken, and everyone left on their own.
Someone said, "Their foundations are too poor, so they have to resort to desperate measures. We have our own plans; it's not good to have them disrupted."
Hearing this, the others nodded in agreement. "That's right. There's no need to be led by the nose. They're different from us. We're not on the same level."
"We should stick to our original plans."
"They've wasted two years. This is just a sudden whim."
The others nodded in agreement.
They resolved not to be like that again.
「The next day, in the afternoon.」
Seeing the bottom two cultivators refusing to leave again, they were furious.
'Again?'
They waited for a long time, but once again, not a single person left.
'Where are all the people who swore yesterday that they wouldn't be affected and would stick to their own plans?'
It went on until dusk.
Luo Xuan once again broke the stalemate, taking the lead and leaving.
Only then did the second day of cultivation come to an end.
Before leaving, some people curiously asked Fang Yong, "Young Master Fang, didn't you go out with Young Master Yang and the others today? I heard they organized a group of fellow cultivators to go to Jianyue Tower to spar."
"Did you go too, Young Master Fang?"
The others immediately gathered around. "Really? Young Master Fang went too? What's Jianyue Tower like?"
"I heard it's filled with countless prodigies, and the Spiritual Qi is so dense that one day there is like ten days for us," another person chimed in.
Faced with their questions, Fang Yong maintained his smile and said, "I don't think I'll go. I happened to have an appointment with a certain famous master."
The others were both disappointed and envious.
Fang Yong only left after everyone else was gone. As he passed Jiang Man, a hostile glint appeared in his eyes.
He must have been blaming him for not admitting his mistake back then.
It had made Young Master Cheng and the others mistakenly think the two of them were close, making them hesitant to associate with him.
Because of that, he had missed the opportunity to go to Jianyue Tower and witness the cultivation there.
Jiang Man merely glanced over, unconcerned. His mind was entirely focused on cultivation.
He was feeling the changes brought about by the past two days of cultivation.
Tonight, he wanted to break through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.
Ever since reaching the Eighth Layer yesterday, he had been constantly thinking about advancing to the final layer.
After cultivation in the courtyard ended, he returned, finished his work in the stables, and then continued to cultivate.
He went on until late into the night.
Jiang Man let out a sigh.
'Still can't break through to the Ninth Layer.'
'But I feel like I'm close.'
'It's too late now. I need to rest.'
He greeted the Old Yellow Ox at the entrance, then went inside and lay down.
But he hadn't been lying down for long before his mind was once again preoccupied with thoughts of the Ninth Layer.
'I'm still young! How can I possibly sleep when I'm on the verge of mastering the highest level of this cultivation skill?'
SWISH!
Jiang Man leaped to his feet.
Time to keep cultivating.
Seeing Jiang Man come back out, the Old Yellow Ox was a bit surprised. "What are you doing?"
"Cultivating," Jiang Man replied.
"It's the middle of the night. What kind of cultivating are you doing?" the Old Yellow Ox asked.
"Never seen it before? Well, now you have," Jiang Man said casually.
Then he immediately resumed his cultivation.
The Old Yellow Ox furrowed its brow but didn't give it much thought.
It wasn't until a faint light began to appear around Jiang Man's body that it realized what the person before it was doing.
'This promotion speed... it's a bit too fast.'
「Dawn was breaking.」
A faint ray of light landed on Jiang Man.
At that moment, his Qi Refining Skill was circulating frantically.
The speed wasn't fast, as it was operating automatically.
This was a sign of having reached the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.
'Qi Refining Ninth Layer in just over three days?'
The Old Yellow Ox felt as if its understanding of the world was being washed away, bit by bit.
"Senior, do you still think I can't fulfill the second requirement of the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart?" Jiang Man asked as he concluded his practice.
The Old Yellow Ox simply smiled without a word.
Jiang Man frowned. 'Even this isn't enough to make it change its mind?'
Afterward, Jiang Man took the time to circulate his cultivation skill with all his might and began to absorb Spiritual Qi.
As the Outer Cultivation Method circulated, the surrounding Spiritual Qi began to be absorbed by him.
At the same time, the elixir within his Dantian was also enveloped by the cultivation skill.
After one full circulation of the cultivation skill, a large amount of Spiritual Qi had gathered in his Dantian, and some of the elixir's medicinal power had been consumed.
If the Qi Refining First Layer was like a gourd being filled with water, then the Spiritual Qi had now opened this gourd and begun to fill it. A thin layer of water had even appeared at the bottom.
The moment the "gourd" opened, Jiang Man felt as if a spring of life had been injected into his body, filling him with vitality and infusing his limbs with strength.
His fatigue also began to recede rapidly.
He felt the changes in his body; it was completely different from before.
He had entered the Qi Refining First Layer.
But it was only the very lowest stage of the Qi Refining First Layer.
He estimated that even with the help of the elixir, he would need to circulate the cultivation skill another two hundred times to fill this "gourd."
Once he did that, perhaps he could try to open the second gourd.
'I'm at the same level as Xiaopang now. It won't be long before I surpass him.'
'I wonder what cultivation level the people ahead of me have reached.'
'I need to find out what layer of Qi Refining Fang Yong is at. If I surpass him, I can get the qualification.'
As things stood, he still had about a hundred days.
Time was still relatively plentiful.
But when he went to the Sixth Courtyard in the rear garden today...
Fang Yong blocked his path.
"Is something the matter, Young Master Fang?" Jiang Man asked.
Fang Yong looked at him and spoke calmly, "Today is the day to clean the old courtyard. You need to go."
Jiang Man's brows furrowed. "How come I've never heard of this before?"
"Before, we took turns. This time, it's the turn of the person in last place. Coincidentally, you're the one in last place," Fang Yong said, looking at Jiang Man.
After a pause, he continued, "Next month, the one cleaning the courtyard will be last place again. I wonder if that will still be you."
Jiang Man: "..."
'You'll find out next month.'