Now He Is the True First Place

"Broken in body, unyielding in will"—those words were still fresh in Manager Miao's memory. A student cultivator in the back courtyard who scored zero points—wasn't that practically half-crippled? Back then, she had held him up as a living example to motivate everyone else. When he reached the Qi-Linking third layer, it could still pass as motivation. After all, he really had made progress. Taking credit for the Spirit Gathering Hall's contribution had presented no problem at all. He was merely someone who scored twenty-some points; it was nothing noteworthy. As for how fast he had done it, that hardly mattered. Particularly in the early Qi-Linking stage, whether it took a month or a year was just ordinary. Sometimes it came down to luck; sometimes it came down to wealth. Either was possible. Yet... Yet now he was at the Qi-Linking sixth layer, ranked first in the courtyard. This could no longer be treated as mere motivation. Someone like this would receive qualification for the sect assessment. There was a real probability he would enter the Wuyun Sect. Once he was inside the sect and had time to look back... The fate awaiting a certain Manager Miao was not hard to foresee. "Does Manager Miao still need to motivate the people in the Spirit Gathering Hall?" Jiang Man suddenly asked. How much spirit source would doubling his earnings amount to this time? A guaranteed seventy or eighty spirit source? And ten spirit source for each additional lamp? Over the course of a single night, pulling in a hundred spirit source was entirely within reach. Doubled, that would be two hundred. One day's work would rival three days before. It would be even more than his initial seven days combined. Cold sweat had already broken out across Manager Miao's back. He was dropping a deliberate hint. Drawing a deep breath, Manager Miao kept her expression perfectly composed. "Taking first place is an honor for our Spirit Gathering Hall. I believe we can skip the motivation for today and focus on something more meaningful. On behalf of the Spirit Gathering Hall, I am granting you a cultivation subsidy of five hundred spirit source to express our recognition and support for a student cultivator who has achieved great things. "Since you work in our Spirit Gathering Hall, you are naturally one of our own. "Your success is the greatest possible validation for the Spirit Gathering Hall. "In addition, I personally offer another five hundred spirit source to support our hall's pride." Saying that, she brought out one thousand spirit source and placed it in Jiang Man's hands. "Here, take it. Put this spirit source to good use and keep striving. "I said long ago that if anyone were to succeed, it would surely be you. "It just proves my judgment was right all along." Accepting the thousand spirit source, Jiang Man could not help feeling deeply wistful. Was the effect of taking first place truly this dramatic? He felt a twinge of regret. Had he known, he should have met with more people back when he scored zero points, soaking in their biased gazes and cutting remarks. Visiting them now would surely yield a handsome return. What a shame that he had crossed paths with so few. He still lacked a broader network. Meanwhile, the guide woman who had entered behind him stared at the scene with a bewildered look. She had not caught every word, but she clearly saw Manager Miao handing spirit source to Jiang Man. Shock filled her, yet she dared not ask. Afterward, Manager Miao arranged his guard duties. He would formally cover the shifts in December. Four days in total. Once those details were settled, Jiang Man inquired about renting himself out. For instance, whether anyone needed a sparring partner. Manager Miao explained that such requests did come up, but they depended on demand. If a suitable match appeared, she would inform him. After thanking her, Jiang Man asked about his current rates. He wanted to continue lighting lamps in the Spirit Gathering Hall. Though she could not fathom why Jiang Man would wish to keep doing it, she answered truthfully. A baseline of eighty spirit source required seven lamps, with each extra lamp yielding ten spirit source. Jiang Man calculated: lighting eight lamps a day would earn him ninety. Twenty more than before. Adding it all together, that came to an income of two thousand seven hundred a month. He was already in the high-income bracket. Even so, normal cultivators at the Qi-Linking sixth layer would never come here, because it not only hindered cultivation but also damaged the body. With higher cultivation, maintaining oneself without suffering harm imposed far stricter requirements. Both one's Qi-Blood Method and Visualization Method had to be at a high stage. Even Jiang Man dared not light a ninth lamp to this day. Doing so would undoubtedly damage his body. That would be losing more than he gained. Afterward, Jiang Man headed into the Spirit Gathering Hall. He had no desire to pass up this chance to earn spirit source. Ninety a day. When else would such a golden opportunity present itself? Missing it would make him slap his thigh in regret even in his sleep. Once Jiang Man departed, Manager Miao finally turned toward the baffled guide woman at her side. The woman asked curiously, "What happened?" "Do you remember that man just now?" Manager Miao asked. The woman nodded. "He is ranked first in the courtyard," Manager Miao said. Hearing that, the guide woman was unfazed. "Ranked first from the bottom—we all know that." Manager Miao stepped over, patted her shoulder gently, and spoke with earnest gravity: "That was three months ago. Now he is the true first place." With that, Manager Miao walked outside. She left the guide woman standing frozen where she was. *** Late that night. Jiang Man returned to his residence and looked toward the old yellow ox grazing on grass. "Old Huang, did any letters arrive today?" The old yellow ox remained quiet for a brief moment before saying, "I am trying my best to recover, so you can write a reply." Hearing this, Jiang Man gave an embarrassed laugh. "You should still conserve your strength—better to save it so you can take a wife." The old yellow ox continued grazing, only to speak up suddenly: "How many spells did you collect?" Jiang Man told him truthfully. A moment later, the old yellow ox raised an eyebrow slightly. "You forgot something." Jiang Man looked puzzled. "You are at the Qi-Linking sixth layer," the old yellow ox said. Jiang Man remained confused. The old yellow ox lowered its head to chew grass, remarking casually, "The superior-grade Visualization Method is flawed." Jiang Man froze. He had forgotten. He had not collected the Simplified Visualization Method. Anyone with an inquisitive mind would only need to check to realize he had likely cultivated it successfully. Though he had been granted permission to practice it, having it known that he had succeeded was no small matter. There was no telling whether someone from the sect might investigate. It would be disastrous if they uncovered the evil god, the old yellow ox. Once the sect representatives left, it would no longer be much of an issue. "Old Huang, you can just tell me straight next time," Jiang Man said. The old yellow ox shot Jiang Man a sideways glance, then lowered its head to graze. Jiang Man sighed inwardly; speaking in riddles would surely bring retribution down on someone. After that, Jiang Man began taking stock of his personal wealth. He had received one thousand five hundred from Chang Qiwen, one thousand from the Spirit Gathering Hall, and earned ninety himself. He previously had twenty left. Deducting his recent food expenses... He had two thousand five hundred and eighty remaining. A true fortune, yet he still owed the little fatty six Spirit Gathering Pills. Deducting one thousand eight hundred left only seven hundred and eighty. Just two Spirit Gathering Pills, and that would be gone. It seemed there was no rush to repay it just yet. *** Elsewhere, moonlight by the window fell across the tabletop. Beside it, Cheng Yu opened her eyes slightly, a trace of weariness showing in them. "Can a Qi-Linking cultivator really cultivate endlessly without sleeping?" A single remark from Jiang Man had not only affected her— Even Luo Xuan and Fang Yong were attempting it. Namely, cultivating through the night. Cultivating without even sleeping. Yet she had never managed to overcome that barrier. She still required some time to rest; otherwise, her body grew far too exhausted. In fact, it harmed her cultivation the following day. Balancing labor and rest—she believed that was the proper way. Yet... When everyone else was striving, she was swept along with the tide. "I wonder how effective that letter was. In a few days, I'll go greet him and ask him to send a reply. "I wonder what kind of words he'll write back." Thinking of this, Cheng Yu felt a stir of anticipation. She wanted to see what kind of chivalrous, tender heart lay within this newly risen first-place cultivator. The better she understood him, the easier he would be to bring under control. Certain individuals of exceptional talent lacked experience and were utterly naive to the ways of the world. They appeared to be figures one could only look up to, but in truth, once one drew close, they would drop their guard. Only after gaining worldly experience did people become truly troublesome.