Even a tied score still did not make Cheng Moyang cultivate in the courtyard.
He left early just the same.
Yet once he returned, he never stepped outside again.
In the past, he would go out to clear his head and make sport of the poor. But ever since the rumor spread that Jiang Man never slept, he had not gone out a single day.
Tying for second place hung over the Six Pavilions like a dark cloud, weighing down on everyone.
It made them feel the pressure.
This was the first time the Six Pavilions had ever felt such pressure.
However, the surge in pill prices allowed the wealthy geniuses to breathe a sigh of relief. Under these circumstances, no matter how hard Jiang Man tried, he could not advance too quickly.
Jiang Man paid none of this any mind.
He had already devoted himself entirely to cultivation, putting spells on hold for now.
Teacher Fu had tried to persuade him, but Jiang Man merely nodded and did not continue to improve his spells.
Zhao Leming watched this unfold without saying anything more.
During this period, the various families had indeed taken a few actions against Jiang Man. In particular, they seized upon his staying up late to cultivate, attempting to make an issue of it and have him rest properly.
If it had been a demand for solitary confinement, Qingyun Pavilion could have easily repelled it. Yet over this call for balancing work and rest, Qingyun Pavilion wavered, even leaning toward accepting it and advising him accordingly.
However, Teacher Zhao had blocked it.
Besides that, there were a few petty tricks meant to frame him—claiming he had bought two jin of coarse rice but only paid for one. With the backing of those families, the fuss had blown up swiftly. Yet before it could even reach Jiang Man, Teacher Zhao had intercepted and dismissed it.
One matter after another; it was truly exhausting.
Yet none of it had actually affected Jiang Man.
Jiang Man had not known any of this at first. It was only after the assessment ended, when he went to see Teacher Zhao, that the man spoke of it, letting him know how difficult it had been.
Jiang Man understood: this was a hint to remember what the man had done for him and provide adequate compensation. Jiang Man had no objection whatsoever, for if they had truly come knocking on his door, he would be the one in the greatest trouble.
Cultivation required a good environment. Who could bear relentless harassment from those people?
As time slipped by, Jiang Man's pills grew increasingly scarce. He had even bought pills at steep prices.
By late May, all of Jiang Man's pills were exhausted, and even his spirit source was nearly depleted.
Looking at his eighth gourd, he saw it was already at ninety-eight percent. Taking one more pill would just about fill it.
But a single pill was now six hundred and forty. He couldn't afford it.
Then he had to find a way to deal with it.
And there were still fifteen days until mid-June.
"Defeated?" the old yellow ox walked over and asked.
Jiang Man shook his head. "With my talent, how could I be defeated?"
"Then you're broke," the old yellow ox said, keeping its head down as it munched grass.
Jiang Man truly was broke.
Now, even if he lit the lanterns in the Spirit Gathering Hall, it would take seven days just to afford one pill. Facing the bottleneck, he also needed to raise his spirit to facilitate breaking through. He didn't just need one or two pills, either.
He was short on them, and the other poor students were even more so.
According to Fang Yong, many had already signed contracts. Of the five people who had gone to Wang Yan's place before, only the two of them had yet to sign a contract with a family.
On June first, the rankings for the Sixth Courtyard were released.
First place: Jiang Man, ninety points.
Second place: Fang Yong, seventy-five points.
Seventy-five points meant the Qi-Linking seventh layer.
Advancing to the seventh layer without a family's help made Jiang Man think of Wang Yan. Judging by this, Fang Yong had received her backing. He wondered what kind of contract it was.
By now, Jiang Man was likely the only poor student who had not joined a family or some clandestine faction.
"Ninety points... I wouldn't even dare dream of it." Looking at the score, the little fatty remarked with deep emotion.
At this moment, the little fatty had dark circles around his eyes, and his overall state was terrible, looking as though he might collapse at any second. Yet his cultivation had improved considerably. Although his score hadn't changed much, he was finally no longer fifth from the bottom. Once he advanced to the Qi-Linking fourth layer, making the top fifteen was not out of the question.
After all, he pulled more all-nighters than anyone else.
Yet whenever others asked if he was staying up late to cultivate back in his quarters, the little fatty swore up and down that he wasn't.
Song Qing looked at the little fatty's dark circles, his mouth moving as if to speak, but in the end he said nothing.
"Brother Jiang, here are your spirit stones and pills for this month." The little fatty handed Jiang Man the guidance fee for the new month.
Jiang Man actually felt some regret. Why had he asked for spirit source in the first place? He should have directly asked for Spirit Gathering Pills. Now, spirit source could hardly buy any pills.
Afterward, Jiang Man handed the third book to the little fatty. It was about time.
"Cultivate diligently; you'll make a name for yourself eventually," Jiang Man encouraged.
If this guy gave up, he would have to go home and inherit the family estate. Jiang Man couldn't bear to let his good friend become so decadent. Burning the midnight oil and fighting on was the true path.
The little fatty accepted the book with immense joy, then said, "Brother Jiang, I heard that the genius from your village finished Yunqian Division's coursework last month and was brought to the sect ahead of schedule.
"I heard they even took someone along to the sect.
"That person who was brought along is so lucky. Without taking the assessment, they get to go to the sect several months early to cultivate."
Hearing this, Jiang Man was quite surprised. "Finished Yunqian Division's coursework early?"
It was the first time he had ever heard of such a thing.
The little fatty nodded and said earnestly, "Right. Word is, within a single year: Qi-Linking Method layer nine, Qi-Blood Method layer nine, Visualization Method layer nine."
*At least Qi-Linking sixth layer,* Jiang Man thought to himself.
Truly impressive.
To think Bei Village had such an extraordinary genius. Jiang Man was somewhat astonished.
Thinking back to the past, he couldn't figure out who it was. Back then he had been foolish and simple-minded; if someone bullied him occasionally, he couldn't even remember it. He truly had no impression of his peers.
Still, several years had passed. Even if they had met as children, he probably wouldn't recognize them now. After all, everyone in the village had been dark and scrawny, but after coming out, their skin turned fair and their vitality and spirit became completely different. Trying to recognize someone would be far too difficult. Going back would make one feel utterly out of place. Life in the village was too harsh to nurture people.
"If Brother Jiang had been this amazing back in the front courtyard, you could have gone to the sect early too," the little fatty said regretfully.
"Could I have taken you along?" Jiang Man asked.
"No way. Even though you can bring someone, they still have to meet the requirements—at least the Qi-Linking seventh layer." The little fatty pondered for a moment and added, "I heard the one who followed this time is from a minor branch of the Wang family."
"Surname Wang?" Jiang Man asked with slight curiosity. "What's the name?"
"No idea." The little fatty shook his head.
Jiang Man naturally thought of Wang Yan. She had also said she would be leaving in late April or early May. It lined up.
So...
Fang Yong had caught the eye of that genius?
He had backing now too—no wonder he could advance to the seventh layer so quickly. And this was only the beginning; once in the sect, someone would likely pave the way for him as well.
Yet it was all temporary. Soon he would surpass them; what remained would be just like the peerless prodigy fate—first catching sight of his back, until he vanished from view.
Right then, Zhao Leming suddenly walked in.
The Sixth Courtyard immediately fell silent.
As soon as he entered, his gaze fell upon Jiang Man and Fang Yong. "There is a new development regarding this competition. The roster of spells and cultivation techniques is out. Take a look."
With that, he handed over two envelopes.
Jiang Man was stunned. So soon?
In the past, the envelopes were only delivered around the sixteenth or seventeenth.
Today was only the first.
Chapter 82