Looking at the relaxed and faintly smug little fatty, Jiang Man could tell this was a display of confidence.
The sudden self-satisfaction and the inquiry right before the assessment undoubtedly revealed one thing: the little fatty's cultivation had increased.
He had previously been at the first layer of Qi-Linking, but now he had most likely reached the Qi-Linking second layer.
Jiang Man himself had originally possessed no cultivation at all, so even if he advanced by a layer, he would still be far behind the little fatty.
He had studied the scoring system over the past few days.
Each layer of Qi-Linking awarded eight points, while the Qi Cultivation Method, the Qi and Blood Method, and the Visualization Method each yielded one point per layer gained.
In theory, if one reached the Qi-Linking ninth layer and raised the Qi-Linking Method, the Qi and Blood Method, and the Visualization Method to the ninth layer each, one could achieve ninety-nine points.
It was said that in the back courtyard, very few could attain such a high score of ninety-nine.
Right now, the little fatty would have at least sixteen points.
Having boosted his score by eight points in one go, how could he not feel confident?
Facing this version of the little fatty, Jiang Man merely smiled and said, "It really is quite tough."
"It's fine. Suffering a bit now is a good thing; after all, there'll be endless hardships ahead, so it's better to get used to it early." The little fatty patted Jiang Man on the shoulder and continued, "I'll walk slowly up ahead and wait for you to catch up."
Jiang Man munched on his dry rations and nodded in gratitude.
It was rare to see the little fatty in such high spirits, and he didn't have the heart to spoil his mood.
He might as well let him enjoy it for a few days.
Jiang Man had now completely filled his third "gourd." Though his pace was rapid, his body was indeed having a hard time bearing the strain.
He couldn't even mobilize his bodily strength at will.
Sometimes, this kind of rapid progress was a detriment.
The cultivation system constrained his talent.
Otherwise, he would have reached the Qi-Linking fourth layer long ago.
Furthermore, he had run out of Flawless Qi Gathering Pills, limiting his talent once again.
Fortunately, he possessed a good amount of spirit source.
He had a total of one thousand two hundred and thirty spirit source, and after tonight's labor at Luo Xuan's residence, he would have one thousand three hundred.
That was close to what one would earn through regular labor for the Yunqian Division.
This was his current foundation, enough to purchase four Spirit Gathering Pills—even if their quality was somewhat ordinary.
"Xiao Jiang, work hard over the next few days. When the rankings come out, don't be too disheartened," the little fatty consoled him kindly.
As he spoke, he even handed Jiang Man a piece of meat.
*What a good person.*
Jiang Man was genuinely touched, wondering if the little fatty would still treat him so warmly in a few days.
Afterward, Jiang Man continued practicing the Divine Travel Step.
The Divine Travel Step was the most fundamental of all spells, comprising six layers in total.
Under the influence of the spell innate qi:
One repetition brought him to basic mastery.
Two repetitions reached the second layer.
Four repetitions reached the third layer.
Before long, he had attained the peak sixth layer.
There was not the slightest strain.
Fortunately, the assessment was scheduled for tomorrow; otherwise, he would have had nothing left to practice.
***
The following day.
September 15.
Assessment day.
Today, the atmosphere in Qingyun Pavilion's back courtyard was solemn.
Ever since the structured cultivation program had begun the previous month, assessments were held every month.
It was the moment for many to verify the fruits of their cultivation.
It was also when those trailing behind saw the gulf separating them from first and second place.
Some fought desperately to catch up, while others accepted their mediocrity, content with the status quo.
Sometimes the path to immortality lay right before one's eyes, yet one could not bring oneself to take a single step forward.
For the vast majority of people, cultivation was far more difficult than imagined.
Today, Luo Xuan and Cheng Yu headed toward the Sixth Courtyard together.
On the way, Cheng Yu asked curiously, "Luo Xuan, that Jiang Man earned so much spirit source from you—did it actually do any good?"
"He cultivates very diligently, forcing me to cultivate alongside him. In that regard, it had some effect," Luo Xuan said after a moment's thought. "Though compared to its impact on Fang Yong, that's rather negligible."
"It does seem to have affected him somewhat. I observed him secretly, and the way Fang Yong looks at Jiang Man isn't quite right. He's also been more restless than usual, so it seems he truly was rattled," Cheng Yu said.
"If Jiang Man can make some progress this time, that would be even better," Luo Xuan said calmly. "It's a pity his background is so poor and his talent is only ordinary; otherwise, I could grant him the honor of becoming my guard.
To risk his life for me."
"What right does he have to be viewed so highly by you, Luo Xuan? If he knew, he'd probably be too thrilled to sleep." Cheng Yu asked out of curiosity, "He went over to your place to cultivate several times—did he harbor any improper notions?"
"Such things aren't worth my attention. As long as he takes the spirit source, does his job properly, and doesn't disrupt me, none of it deserves a second thought," Luo Xuan said, shaking her head lightly.
"True. I heard he came from a small village, and the village has already abandoned him. No matter how hard he works, there's no future for him anyway," Cheng Yu said with a shrug.
***
Elsewhere, Jiang Man had just stepped out of the stable when he ran into Fang Yong.
The other youth wore a sullen expression.
"Young Master Fang is looking for me?" Jiang Man asked.
Fang Yong was at the Qi-Linking sixth layer, while he was at the Qi-Linking third layer.
The disparity in cultivation forced Jiang Man to speak cautiously.
If the other youth became emotionally unstable and attacked him directly, Jiang Man would not be able to withstand the assault.
His peerless talent would suffer once more.
"Didn't you go crawling to Luo Xuan as well? What difference is there between us?" Fang Yong said.
Jiang Man was puzzled.
"Could you have made any progress without seeking her out?" Fang Yong added.
Jiang Man fell silent. That was true enough.
Without working for her, he really couldn't have earned so much spirit source.
"Even if you've improved a little, what's the use? You still won't get a spot." A trace of disdain surfaced in Fang Yong's eyes. "Without a spot, you're nothing.
When the rankings come out in two days, you'd better not be dead last, or you'll be heading back to sweep the old courtyard."
Having said that, he turned and walked away.
Jiang Man couldn't comprehend why Fang Yong had said so much.
Perhaps it was just to make himself feel better.
As Jiang Man drew close to the Sixth Courtyard, however, he spotted Fang Yong standing before Young Master Cheng and a few others.
He seemed to be explaining something.
They merely smiled, clapped Fang Yong on the shoulder, and walked off.
Catching the teasing smirks on their faces, Jiang Man sighed internally.
He only hoped these people wouldn't set their sights on him.
Before long, Jiang Man entered the Sixth Courtyard.
Desks had already been arranged in the courtyard, one for each person.
Seating was assigned according to rank.
Jiang Man naturally sat in the very last row.
"Xiao Jiang, why so late?" the little fatty greeted him with a smile.
Jiang Man smiled back.
The little fatty continued grinning. "Relax. My score may be at a height you can't reach, but I'll always be waiting for you. Just keep working hard next time."
Jiang Man looked at him and said earnestly, "I will definitely work hard."
Hearing this, the little fatty felt his vanity thoroughly satisfied.
Shortly after, Zhao Leming walked in.
He carried several brushes and books in hand.
Stepping inside, he looked over the twenty-six disciples of the Sixth Courtyard, feeling somewhat surprised.
He sensed that these students had made notable progress over this period.
And the root cause was actually the diligence of the dead-last student.
Zhao Leming wasn't surprised that Jiang Man had had an epiphany.
Everyone had a sudden breakthrough at some point in their lives.
Even fools were no exception.
In the world of immortal cultivation, such occurrences were commonplace.
Yet he hadn't anticipated that once Jiang Man had his epiphany, he would drive everyone else to be diligent alongside him.
Moreover, the feeding method Jiang Man provided was genuinely useful.
In this short month, Zhao Leming had earned a substantial amount of spirit source, and his status had risen accordingly.
It smoothed the path ahead of him.
This made him feel that the young man ought to remain under his watch.
It would prevent things he didn't want to see from happening.
At the very least, he needed to pay close attention over the coming year.
Besides, he also wanted to see what score Jiang Man would achieve this time.
If it was still zero, perhaps the method had truly been an accidental discovery.
If Jiang Man reached ten points, then his earlier suspicions might hold a shred of credibility.
Chapter 16