Jiang Man: Has My Wife Arrived?

Looking up at Zhao Leming, Jiang Man saw that the man's vigor and spirits had improved considerably. Radiant and beaming—ten to one, the feeding method had proved genuinely effective and brought him plenty of benefits. Fortunately, despite such gains, the man showed no sign of burning bridges after crossing. Even so, Jiang Man still had to be careful going forward. Zhao Leming would definitely keep an eye on him during this period to prevent the feeding method from leaking out. For now, Jiang Man would never dare do anything of the sort. When lacking sufficient strength, cutting off someone's wealth was no different from murdering their parents; it was sure to invite unwarranted calamity. If he possessed enough strength, then the one worrying would be Zhao Leming instead. "The first day will determine your Qi-Linking Method," Zhao Leming said, addressing everyone below. "Each of you will receive one book and one brush, and then transcribe according to the contents of the book. Come up one by one to collect them." As soon as his voice fell, Luo Xuan, ranked first, was the first to stand and step forward to collect her book and brush. Jiang Man was rather surprised. How was this an assessment? Weren't they supposed to just report their realms directly? Soon, it was Jiang Man's turn. After picking up his items and returning to his seat, he opened the book. For a moment, his vision blurred. He immediately circulated the Simple Qi-Linking Method, and only then could he smoothly make out the characters on the page. At this point, he discovered that as long as he kept reading, the blurry sensation lingered. Each character seemed slightly different. In an instant, his Qi-Linking Method surged to the seventh layer, then swiftly dropped back down to the third layer. Had his Qi-Linking Method not reached the ninth layer, he likely wouldn't even have noticed. So... Before the ninth layer of Qi-Linking, it was impossible to conceal one's level in the Qi-Linking Method before this book? In fact, even someone at the ninth layer might fall into the trap. Afterward, Jiang Man dipped his brush and began writing cautiously. Certain characters could only be seen at the sixth or seventh layer of the Qi-Linking Method. He had to make a conscious effort to skip them. Once written down, each character would expose another fraction of his true level. For now, he only intended to participate in the assessment using the fifth layer of the Qi-Linking Method. If he exposed the ninth layer outright, Luo Xuan would certainly stop giving him spirit source, and Fang Yong might easily become agitated and make a move. The fifth layer was not low, but it still left a considerable gap between him and them. Although only a month had passed, it could be explained as having hidden his abilities previously, or having received secret backing from someone. In short, the same principle applied: as long as personal grudges were kept in check, Qi-Linking talent was not something others cared much about. Throughout the entire morning, Jiang Man only transcribed half the book; it took an immense toll on his mental energy. After finishing, he even had to check over it once to ensure he hadn't accidentally included any characters belonging to the sixth layer of the Qi-Linking Method. "Put down your brushes, submit your books, and you may leave," Zhao Leming called out. Some people were still reluctant to put their brushes down, wanting to write a bit more. Jiang Man was somewhat curious. Wasn't it all the same whether they wrote more or not? The score difference would be one point at most. "It affects the written evaluation," the little fatty said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Sometimes evaluations are very important too. They pretty much show how well you've mastered things at the same stage. In some places, people judge you and dish out treatment based on those comments." Unorthodox trivialities—Jiang Man dismissed them. In any case, he had already given his gift. That was far more effective than scribbling a few extra characters. "Xiao Jiang, how do you feel you did today?" the little fatty walked over to Jiang Man and asked with a grin. "I gave it my all," Jiang Man said with feeling. "I gave it my all too! What an exhilarating assessment," the little fatty declared, brimming with confidence. After resting for a while, Jiang Man ate some dry rations and recovered his state. Soon, the second round of assessment began. This round tested the Qi and Blood Method. It was just like the Qi-Linking Method exam. The moment Jiang Man opened the book, the flesh and blood throughout his body began to wail. Already struggling to bear the weight of spiritual qi, he nearly fainted on the spot. In the end, he could only cultivate silently and hand in a blank paper. What was the point of this assessment? He glanced around briefly and saw that twenty people were actually writing. More than two years of accumulation really was nothing ordinary. People who indulged in petty pleasures and lost their ambition like the little fatty truly were the minority. Jiang Man glanced at the little fatty and discovered that he was actually gritting his teeth and writing. Had he studied a Qi and Blood Method before? So it turned out Jiang Man was the only useless one here. Not wanting to waste time, Jiang Man kept cultivating throughout. The day ended quickly. Because it was an assessment day, Luo Xuan had informed him beforehand that he didn't need to go over to her place. At the same time, she had asked how his exam had gone. Her question elicited gasps from some people nearby, who seemed thrilled for reasons unknown. Was a single casual inquiry from her worth getting so excited about? Couldn't they see that this young mistress had turned around and walked away before he could even answer? Jiang Man couldn't empathize with them in the slightest. Perhaps it was because he was already married. He couldn't care less. The next day. In the morning, they were assessed on the Visualization Method. This time, Jiang Man noticed that only four people took up their brushes to write: First place, Luo Xuan. Second place, Fang Yong. Third place, Chang Qiwen. Fourth place, Cheng Yu. Looking at these four, Jiang Man understood in his heart: if he wanted to secure a spot, he had to beat these people. And this was only the beginning. A spot merely granted entry to the sect's assessment. The road ahead remained long. He had to improve substantially before that immortal maiden appeared. Ideally, he needed to be capable of evading her probing. Today, Jiang Man discovered he wasn't the only one who felt assessing the Visualization Method was redundant. The little fatty was quite indignant as well, saying the Visualization Method test could be scrapped entirely. Jiang Man agreed. These two rounds were practically an insult. "Actually, the previous round wasn't bad; it wasn't really an insult. I could at least write a few characters back then," the little fatty said, looking at Jiang Man. "Xiao Jiang, how many characters did you write?" Hearing this, Jiang Man looked back at him, thinking, *Why does it feel like you're the one insulting me right now?* No rush, though—there was still the final round. In the afternoon came the final round: Assessing cultivation. It was the same sort of material. Continuing with written test questions. Holding the book, Jiang Man couldn't help sighing with feeling—this really was far too refined and scholarly. Moreover, regular assessments didn't involve martial combat; combat only took place during the spot-contention in December. If the score differences were small and one lost in combat, one would end up brushing past the spot in defeat. Everyone had to quietly accumulate combat experience in private. The cultivation assessment differed somewhat from the earlier ones. It involved spell diagrams. How well one drew them was said to affect the evaluation as well. A shichen and a half later, Jiang Man put down his brush. He looked at the crooked, squiggly marks in his book and let out a sigh. Then he closed it and turned it in. After collecting the books, Zhao Leming informed everyone that the rankings and scores would be announced tomorrow, and then departed. *** The stable. Upon returning and stepping into the courtyard, Jiang Man noticed the old yellow ox acting strangely. Curious, he asked, "Senior, what's wrong with you?" At this moment, the old yellow ox was curled up on the ground, its body trembling slightly. Its voice carried a tinge of agony: "It seems your wife really made a move." Hearing this, Jiang Man's heart tightened, but he remained calm as he scanned his surroundings and asked, "She came?" Even though they had performed the wedding bows, Jiang Man never truly believed she regarded him as her husband. A peaceful separation would be ideal; what he feared was that she preferred becoming a widow. Especially given her extraordinary background, all the initiative lay in her hands, and the slightest misstep would bring absolute catastrophe upon him. Regardless, he had to keep his composure. If he lost his head and his mindset collapsed, there would truly be no way out alive. After catching its breath for a moment, the old yellow ox looked up at Jiang Man and said: "She didn't come in person, but her methods certainly have."