Jiang Man returned from his cleaning duties quietly. Only a few people noticed, but thanks to the events of the last two days, a portion of them were paying close attention to where he was.
And among this group, some had already left the small courtyard right after the lecture ended, hoping to avoid being affected.
They wanted to avoid being dragged into cultivating against their will.
But some others were unwilling to give up.
For example, the one ranked third from the bottom.
Because neither the last-ranked nor the second-to-last-ranked person had left.
If those two worked hard this month, their rankings would rise by the middle of next month.
Wouldn't that make him the new bottom-ranked disciple?
The person ranked last didn't even have the right to compete for a spot.
Although he was granted an exception this time, it wasn't impossible for that privilege to be revoked next month.
So, he couldn't let those two surpass him.
They were already at the bottom; the score difference between them shouldn't be that large.
However, he also hoped that today would be different from yesterday.
After all, many people tended to work by fits and starts.
It would be perfectly reasonable for the last-ranked disciple to be lazy.
However...
After thirty Circulations...
The young man ranked third from the bottom looked at Jiang Man and sighed. 'Looks like it's going to be another grueling day.'
Little Fatty Gao Yao also gritted his teeth and said, "Brother Jiang, can I ask you a question?"
Jiang Man took a deep breath and then said, "Go ahead."
"How many times a day do you practice the Simple Qi Refining Skill?" the Little Fatty asked.
Jiang Man glanced at him and said, "Cultivation is like drinking water. About one hundred and fifty times."
The Little Fatty was silent for a moment before asking, "Don't you sleep?"
'One hundred and fifty times... even if he's fast, that would take until the middle of the night, right? And it consumes so much physical energy. He has to eat, too.'
Hearing this, Jiang Man replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "You're so young. How can you sleep at night when you're not cultivating?"
Little Fatty: "..."
'Brother Jiang, you've changed. You never used to be like this.'
'Back then, you were still Xiaojiang.'
The man ranked third from the bottom, who was listening on the side, sucked in a sharp breath.
'One hundred and fifty Circulations?'
'Is he trying to kill himself?'
'It's not like he can actually secure a spot, so why is he pushing himself so hard?'
Jiang Man paid no mind to anyone.
He had a general understanding of the situation. The vast majority of people in the small courtyard came from poor backgrounds.
They had finally managed to enter the Yunqian Bureau and were given a chance to change their destinies.
But...
'How can they bring themselves to stop and rest?'
'How can they possibly sleep at night?'
'They only have two or three years in total. Shouldn't they be racing against time?'
Jiang Man didn't understand.
After forty Circulations.
Jiang Man saw Xiaopang collapsed on the ground and felt a wave of exhaustion himself.
The strain on his body was immense as well.
But he had to keep going. There wasn't much time left for him.
Taking a moment to catch his breath was still acceptable, though.
Out of curiosity, Jiang Man voiced the question that was on his mind.
"The opportunity to cultivate is rare. Why would you waste it like this?"
Xiaopang took a deep breath and said with feigned profundity, "It's not that I'm wasting it. I've probably just accepted my own mediocrity."
Hearing this, Jiang Man was taken aback. 'Xiaopang can say something like that?'
But then he understood.
'Right.'
'I was lucky. My Talent dictates that I must work hard.'
Looking at the Spiritual Qi that had filled nearly half of the "Gourd," Jiang Man took a deep breath. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he could break through to the Qi Refining Second Layer.
'Such a great Talent lies before me. I absolutely cannot let it go to waste.'
Then he began to cultivate again.
Seeing Jiang Man like this, Xiaopang gritted his teeth and continued to follow his lead.
Although he felt it wouldn't be easy for Jiang Man to catch up to him in a month, seeing his progress made him worry.
What if the gap between them closed?
He would be surpassed eventually.
He had to widen the gap again now.
He had the advantage.
It wasn't until night fell and Luo Xuan took the lead in leaving that the others followed suit.
Many of them walked with their heads bowed in exhaustion as they headed back.
Xiaopang nibbled on his dry rations, feeling as if he had lost some weight.
As soon as Jiang Man got back, he made himself a meal and began to wolf it down.
"You're out of rice," the Old Yellow Ox suddenly reminded him.
Only then did Jiang Man realize he had eaten through half a month's worth of rations in just three to five days.
Cultivation consumed an enormous amount of energy. If he didn't eat a lot of plain, coarse rice, he couldn't possibly sate his hunger.
But now, it was all gone.
"Now even eating is a problem."
Jiang Man lamented as he ate, then turned to the Old Yellow Ox beside him. "Senior, has the retaliation not come yet?"
Meeting Jiang Man's gaze, the Old Yellow Ox narrowed its eyes. "Are you thinking of eating me?"
"Of course not. You're still alive, Senior," Jiang Man said, shaking his head. He quickly continued, "I was wondering if you had the energy to teach me the way to make money."
"You don't know how yourself?"
"It's embarrassing to say, but all my Talent lies in Cultivation."
"..."
The Old Yellow Ox said calmly, "Under the rule of the Immortal Sect, your Cultivation is too weak. There's nothing I can do."
Jiang Man wasn't surprised. His only option was to try asking Mr. Zhao tomorrow.
He wondered if Mr. Zhao had finished his research on the method of rearing.
Logically, three to five days should have been enough.
If he had finished, it shouldn't be difficult to get a raise for his duties in the stables.
Then, he could ask him to find a mission that would allow him to make a living. That should also be possible.
Otherwise, the food he had would definitely not be enough.
His future Cultivation would also cost money.
He didn't need to spend any now because he still had a Flawless Spirit Gathering Pill inside his body.
Once it was used up, he would need sufficient resources to maintain his speed of advancement.
After eating, Jiang Man took care of his duties in the stables.
Then, he immediately began to cultivate.
"You're not sleeping tonight either?" the Old Yellow Ox asked curiously.
Jiang Man nodded. "I'm at an age where I must strive. I can't let my Talent go to waste."
After a pause, Jiang Man asked curiously, "If my Talent is too high, will I encounter danger later on? If I do, can you help fend it off, Senior?"
This matter was extremely important.
He couldn't possibly hide his Talent.
Because when the rankings were revised next month, he would have to reveal a portion of his strength.
Then he could obtain more Cultivation Skills and continue to cultivate.
Secondly, he had to compete for a spot in December. He absolutely couldn't hide and wait for the final selection by the Sect.
"What kind of genius can there be at the Qi Refining stage?" the Old Yellow Ox said dismissively. "No matter how fast your Cultivation improves, it could just be the result of being showered with resources.
"As long as you don't expose the level of your Qi Refining Skill, it won't be a big problem."
"But I don't have any resources," Jiang Man replied.
"Can't you just make something up?" The Old Yellow Ox pondered for a moment before saying, "You're married. Your wife has an extraordinary background. Just say her family is sponsoring you."
Jiang Man: "..."
'But I don't even know my wife's name.'
'And we only performed the wedding ceremony...'
'If she doesn't acknowledge it, then...'
Suddenly, Jiang Man thought of the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart he possessed.
It seemed the wedding ceremony was more serious than he had anticipated.
Glancing at the time, Jiang Man stopped mulling over these things.
He had to raise his Cultivation first.
The "Gourd" was almost full.
It was time to enter the Qi Refining Second Layer.
「The next day.」
In the lounge for the instructors of Cyan Cloud Pavilion.
In a brightly lit room, Zhao Leming closed his book.
A trace of delight appeared in his eyes.
"It's done. I've translated it. That really wasn't easy."
He then looked at the book on his desk.
The book was now priceless.
But it couldn't be used carelessly.
Also...
The matter with Jiang Man also needed to be taken seriously.
Of course, it would be best if he was the only one who knew about this.
Zhao Leming furrowed his brow, contemplating how to handle Jiang Man.