Here to Realize My Worth

When Jiang Man walked over, Manager Miao called out and stopped him. Only then did he notice several dozen people standing there. They stood in rows, both old and young, but without exception, their spirits were poor. Every one of them carried a faint air of weakness. This was the toll taken when spiritual qi was drawn away by the formation. In the short term it might not amount to much, but over time, it could become irreversible. Now, following Manager Miao's gaze, every eye turned toward him. Perhaps words of encouragement went in one ear and out the other, but curiosity remained—they wanted to see just what sort of person scored a flat zero. Seeing Jiang Man, most felt a twinge of disappointment. He looked proper enough, missing neither arm nor leg; why had he scored a zero? Stricken by chronic laziness? Yet what would a lazy person come here for? A prodigal turning over a new leaf, then? A pity it was too late. He was already in the back courtyards; there was no turning back. Manager Miao looked at Jiang Man and said, "Come, Jiang Man. Come over and tell everyone about your journey. Were you unwilling to accept your bleak prospects, and did you resolve to realize your own worth here in the Spirit Gathering Hall?" Jiang Man: "..." Manager Miao quickly beamed and said, "If so, our Spirit Gathering Hall cherishes talent—today your spirit source is doubled." "Yes." Jiang Man nodded firmly. "I came to the Spirit Gathering Hall precisely to realize my own worth." Hearing this, Manager Miao broke into a broad smile, then turned back to inspire the crowd: "Every one of you is better than Jiang Man! Your worth far exceeds his! "If he can succeed, are you fated to fail? "So many people succeed. With Jiang Man added to their number, could there not be room for one more—for each of you? "On the road to future success, you ought to be further ahead. "As long as you earn enough spirit source, sooner or later you will take the world by storm!" Under Manager Miao's rousing speech, some were indeed filled with drive. Yet Jiang Man could not for the life of him understand how, in her telling, he had already succeeded. Didn't they see him for who he was? Right now he was still the lowliest of cultivators. Could she have been paid spirit source too? Afterward, Jiang Man successfully collected sixty spirit source. Three jade-like coins. Carved on them was the character for twenty. On the reverse was a mountain gate, supposedly that of the Immortal Gate. This was Jiang Man's first time seeing spirit source, so he could not be sure if this was standard. Seeing that no one else objected, however, Jiang Man quietly tucked the spirit source away and headed back. Sixty spirit source. For someone with a score of zero, that had to be quite a handsome income. He wondered how much spirit source a single Spirit Gathering Pill cost. He would ask the little fatty tomorrow. At the thatched hut beside the stable, Jiang Man pushed open the door under the starlight. Beside him, the old yellow ox, whose eyes had already been closed, suddenly opened them and looked at Jiang Man. "Senior, how was your day?" Jiang Man greeted with a smile. "Thanks to your wife, not dead yet," the old yellow ox said indifferently. "You seem to be doing well enough for yourself, though I wonder if you'll still be in such good spirits after a hundred days." Jiang Man pointed at the sky and said, "The starlight never fails those who journey through the night, to say nothing of my talent." The old yellow ox rolled its eyes. As if I don't know your talent? After tidying up the stable, Jiang Man resumed his cultivation. He continued to "pour water" into the "gourd." Beneath the moonlight, as Jiang Man continuously circulated the Qi-Linking Method and absorbed spiritual qi, the "gourd" suddenly trembled. Then, with a snap, it broke through some barrier. Immediately following, a second gourd appeared. A portion of overflowing spiritual qi sank into this second "gourd." At that moment, Jiang Man slowly opened his eyes. His dantian felt heavy and solid. The Qi-Linking second layer truly was different from the first layer. Not only that, the strength in his limbs had grown substantially heavier. A single punch could deliver the power of four or five men from before. And that was only the crudest application. For now, he knew no spells at all; this was purely an increase in cultivation. His mental state was sharper as well. Ordinary people seemed rather frail before him now. For a moment, he felt a bit grateful to his courtyard peers. They had never made things difficult for him when he was just an ordinary person. Otherwise, with their cultivation being at the first layer of Qi-Linking at the very least, if they had truly made a move against him, it would have been child's play. The old yellow ox squinted at Jiang Man. It could not fathom why this person was advancing so rapidly. Drawing qi into the body in an instant, reaching the ninth layer of the Qi-Linking Method in three days, reaching the first layer of Qi-Linking in one day, and the Qi-Linking second layer in two. Even with the boost from the Flawless Spirit Gathering Pill, the time was undeniably short. Then again, it had never encountered anyone starting straight at the ninth layer of the Qi-Linking Method. It had no way to judge the situation. The next day. Jiang Man continued sweeping the old courtyard. He cleaned his way through the training grounds one by one, discovering that each area showed signs of different degrees of expenditure. And from not long ago, either. Presumably, someone had been cultivating here for long stretches. At noon, he returned once more to the Sixth Courtyard and asked the little fatty what had been taught that day. "The lecture was on the spell Three Powers Force," the little fatty said. They hadn't begun practicing it yet. Afterward, Jiang Man asked about spirit source. "Spirit source?" The little fatty pondered for a moment. "An ordinary Spirit Gathering Pill costs three hundred spirit source apiece." "Then how much spirit source is normal for an average cultivator to earn in a month?" Jiang Man asked. The little fatty seemed to have known the answer long ago and said casually, "Around fifteen hundred, but that's within the Yunqian Division. Outside the Yunqian Division, it's generally eight or nine hundred a month. Some villages are even lower—I hear they work themselves to the bone for just three hundred spirit source a month." Hearing that, Jiang Man was somewhat surprised. Thirty a day was actually considered a decent income? It was just that having spiritual qi forcibly drained away by the formation on an ongoing basis took a toll on the body. Perhaps one day the speed at which one absorbed spiritual qi would drastically decline. Which amounted to ruining one's future. Jiang Man dwelled on it no further. Cultivate first. Ten days later. Early September. Jiang Man drew a deep breath. His second "gourd" was full. There was still half a month until the next ranking update. Over these ten days, Fang Yong had not come looking for him. However, whenever someone asked him about Young Master Cheng or Young Master Yang, he would glare venomously at Jiang Man afterward. Had it not been such a critical juncture, Jiang Man truly would have worried the other might make a move. The gap in cultivation was simply too wide. If it really came to blows, he would definitely come out on the losing end. Luo Xuan, on the other hand, had sought him out once. She suggested cultivating together to keep each other motivated. The main reason was that he was focused in his cultivation, which would make him a good cultivation partner. Though his cultivation was weak, Luo Xuan said she could grudgingly accept it. Jiang Man refused. Without giving him any spirit source, how did she have the nerve to ask him to supervise her? It would only interfere with his earning spirit source.