"We meet again," a calm voice rang out.
It put Jiang Man on his guard.
Not long after dusk had fallen, he ran into a familiar face on the road.
Someone from the Li family had come.
The man stood directly along the route Jiang Man had to take back, leaving him nowhere to dodge.
Yet just like last time, he was lacking in manners.
He had not even bothered to state how he should be addressed.
"The Li family is looking for me?" Jiang Man asked.
Old Jin showed not the slightest shift in emotion as he spoke calmly, "I heard you haven't handed over your cultivation fee. Do you intend to let a middle-grade cultivation technique slip through your fingers just like that?"
"Is the Li family going to lend me spirit sources?" Jiang Man asked curiously.
"Sign a contract with the Li family, and the Li family can cover the ten thousand spirit sources for you," Old Jin said.
Jiang Man shook his head and explained, "Your terms are far too poor. Ten thousand spirit sources a month? The Fang family offered thirty thousand a month, and I turned them down just the same. Not only that, the Gao family even said that if I fail to enter the sect, I won't have to repay the resources, and the contract will be void.
"The Li family truly lacks vision. It isn't that I fail to recognize the situation."
In any case, the man didn't know what terms the other families had offered, so there was no harm in claiming whatever he liked.
Hearing this, Old Jin knitted his brows.
He clearly had not expected the Fang family to offer such a high price.
Immediately regaining his composure, he said, "For you, ten thousand spirit sources is enough to enter the sect. Prodigies have rules meant for prodigies. Once you join the Li family, a meager amount of spirit sources like this has never been the point.
"Can a few months' worth of spirit sources compare to the long years ahead after you enter the sect?
"And as for whether you can stand out after entering the sect, only the Li family dares to guarantee it.
"They possess no such capability.
"You need to broaden your horizon and look to the future.
"Spirit sources are merely a distraction meant to confuse you. Your future accomplishments are what you should be focusing on."
Jiang Man replied helplessly, "The Cheng family also said they could help me secure better training opportunities. The Luo family has important figures within the sect who can lend me a helping hand, with everything centered around me.
"The Li family's terms truly are rather ordinary."
Old Jin fell silent for a moment.
It seemed he had not anticipated this state of affairs.
"Then how do you plan to pay your ten-thousand cultivation fee? Without this middle-grade cultivation technique, in the August sect assessment you might only be lumped together with the very bottom group.
"If you obtain it, however, you could enter with middle-tier qualifications," Old Jin said.
Hearing that, Jiang Man blinked. Mid-August? Middle-tier?
*How can common sparrows understand the ambitions of a swan?*
This was a man who knew nothing about him.
"Even if you don't sleep, it won't change anything." Old Jin looked at Jiang Man and continued, "Besides, you might not know what kind of influence the Li family wields. Go take a look at the Spirit Gathering Hall today, and you will understand."
Jiang Man frowned. Were they trying to get him kicked out of his job?
It was indeed a tactic.
Still, the Spirit Gathering Hall fell under the jurisdiction of the Yunqian Division.
He wondered whether Teacher Zhao could hold them off.
Even so, it was no big deal. He happened to have a stash of spirit sources on him right now, so losing his job wasn't that terrifying.
This was the confidence that came with having savings.
If he didn't have this money and lost his work on top of it, putting food on the table would become an issue.
Only then would one truly be driven to a dead end.
Seeing Jiang Man remain silent, Old Jin continued, "Losing your income should be troublesome for you. Furthermore, even if you can endure missing out on the middle-grade cultivation technique this time, what will you do if you come away empty-handed in the next competition?
"Without any resources whatsoever, can you make any progress?
"Standing still is the most terrifying form of regression.
"You had better think this through.
"Three people are required to compete for spells or cultivation techniques.
"What if one of them chooses to forfeit on the day of the trial?
"I trust you will figure things out. I'll await your choice.
"When the time comes, simply find your supervising teacher and sign the contract."
With that, Old Jin departed without another word.
Jiang Man watched him leave, offering no further response.
Teacher Zhao had already briefed him on these matters.
A team of three had to enter the woods together to vie for the spells.
Otherwise, the spells could not be obtained.
Back then, precisely because of this, Li Yuan had not made a move on him ahead of time, choosing instead to surround him only when the time came.
The original intent had been to keep him from fleeing.
Now, the tables had turned.
He had become the one who needed the others to participate.
Instead, they held the leverage over him.
"Even a peerless prodigy can be dragged down by his teammates."
Jiang Man shrugged, pushing the thought aside.
Instead, he headed for the Spirit Gathering Hall.
Things had reached this point, so the competition could only be left to fate.
Whether he could obtain spells depended entirely on Li Yuan and his cohort.
There was only one thing he could do.
Raise his cultivation and keep putting in the work.
Any so-called underhanded tricks were only effective when one's cultivation was not high enough.
With such talent sitting right here, breaking through them was simple.
Manager Miao, Li Yuan, Fang Tianyi—all of them had yielded before his talent.
Arriving at the Guard Post, Jiang Man headed straight for Manager Miao's quarters.
Seeing Jiang Man walk in, the two guards were filled with shock and awe.
The older of the two could not help but remark, "What did I say back then? Someone like him is the most likely to succeed. If we had mocked him back then, we wouldn't be sitting here in peace right now."
The younger guard nodded heavily. "I still have a lot to learn."
Both wore expressions of relief.
Manager Miao, however, was in a rather difficult spot.
Jiang Man could not be allowed inside for the time being.
"This came from the higher-ups. Some families are likely trying to target you. You should find a patron for yourself," Manager Miao cautioned.
Jiang Man nodded. "Understood."
Jiang Man didn't linger. Now that this matter was confirmed, it all came down to Teacher Zhao.
He would see if the teacher could withstand the pressure.
Fearing that Jiang Man might be displeased, Manager Miao handed over a Spirit Gathering Pill.
He told him to use it for now, promising that someone would notify him the moment the issue here was resolved.
Jiang Man was somewhat surprised to gain something out of this.
However, he felt embarrassed to take it directly this time, so he said he would treat it as a debt and repay it once he was better off.
Right now, having one more pill was wonderful.
The following day.
Jiang Man informed Teacher Zhao about what had happened at the Spirit Gathering Hall.
"A minor matter. Cultivate properly; after noon, you can go whenever you like," Teacher Zhao remarked offhandedly.
Sure enough.
Right around noon.
Word arrived from the Spirit Gathering Hall that the issue with the higher-ups had been resolved.
He could go over at any time.
Unfortunately, he had no way of delivering the news in person to that Li family fellow right now.
Still, it didn't matter.
The third competition wasn't far off.
Soon enough, the other party would realize that while underhanded tricks might work on ordinary geniuses, trying them on a peerless prodigy was simply making an enemy.
Sixth Courtyard.
The little fatty walked up to Jiang Man and asked, "Brother Jiang, isn't this second cultivation method a bit too extreme?"
Jiang Man looked at the little fatty beside him and noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes had deepened considerably, leaving the boy looking listless all over.
What had he been doing?
Could cultivation really make someone look like this?
"Did you practice it wrong?" he asked directly.
The little fatty shook his head.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Man asked, "What about your cultivation?"
The little fatty pondered before answering, "It really has improved, but I'm still a long way from the Qi-Linking fourth layer."
"Then keep at it. As long as you continue, you will definitely reach the Qi-Linking fourth layer before August. If you don't continue, I can make no guarantees," Jiang Man said.
This was what the old yellow ox had told him, having nothing to do with him.
Since the old yellow ox had said so, it shouldn't be wrong.
Even so, Jiang Man was curious: why hadn't the little fatty lost any weight despite staying up all night cultivating like this?
"Because I've been eating more. There's plenty of meat at home," the little fatty explained.
Jiang Man's gaze turned cold as he cheered the boy on.
He should cultivate diligently, strive for the Qi-Linking fourth layer, and go out into the world to endure hardships.
Better not go home to inherit the family estate.
That night, Jiang Man returned home.
Once again, he received an envelope.
It was a notice urging him to hand over the cultivation fee.
Failing to submit the fee before dawn would be equivalent to forfeiting this technique transmission.
Jiang Man paid it no mind, and Chang Qiwen asked no questions either.
He hurried off with brisk steps.
He was afraid his remaining spirit sources might be borrowed away.
Jiang Man shook his head, puzzled as to why Chang Qiwen was running so fast.
He had wanted to spar for a while.
Then again, the sparring Li Yuan had promised had never materialized.
Completely unreliable.
As for the middle-grade cultivation technique?
Passing on it was fine too.
Spirit sources had to be spent where they mattered most.
Chapter 77