Jiang Man found the Old Yellow Ox's attitude strange.
From the very beginning, the Old Yellow Ox had been pessimistic about his ability to complete the requirements for the second stage of his Fate Chart.
Even his rapid improvement hadn't been enough to change its mind.
'It seems the problem lies with this Visualization Skill.'
'Such a riddler.'
'It'll get what's coming to it sooner or later.'
'There's still half a month until the assessment. I should be able to raise my Cultivation to the Peak of the Third Level of Qi Refining by then.'
'Once I get the Qi Blood Technique, I can continue to improve.'
'But with an additional Cultivation Skill, the cost will be even greater.'
'I'll probably need a lot of Spiritual Source.'
'The income from the Spirit Gathering Hall alone won't be enough, it seems.'
「Three days later.」
Jiang Man was still practicing his Cultivation in the courtyard.
Everyone else had already grown accustomed to the routine, all waiting for the top-ranked Luo Xuan to break the silence.
So they could leave the courtyard.
It had been this way for half a month.
No one broke the unspoken rule.
As evening fell, everyone sighed in relief at the time.
Luo Xuan had also just finished her Cultivation.
However, she didn't leave immediately.
Instead, she turned to look at Jiang Man.
Jiang Man had also been waiting for her to leave.
'It's about that time. Time to go earn some Spiritual Source.'
After the past few days of Cultivation, he had discovered that filling the third "Gourd" required nearly two thousand cycles.
'It's really increased several times over.'
But he was a bit surprised that Luo Xuan hadn't left after finishing, and was instead looking at him.
He was especially surprised when she started walking toward him.
"Looking for me, Miss Luo?" Jiang Man asked politely as she stopped in front of him.
"Do you want to practice your Cultivation with me? I don't care about scores or Cultivation levels—you just have to be more diligent than me," Luo Xuan asked Jiang Man, ignoring the stares from those around them.
Xiaopang and the others looked on in astonishment.
Luo Xuan had asked this same question before, and Jiang Man had rejected her.
They couldn't believe she was asking again.
'Does she think Jiang Man is worth training?'
Xiaopang sensed a threat. He had to work harder now, too.
'Otherwise, Jiang Man will really surpass me.'
'My Cultivation is about to advance. I'll have to spend some Spiritual Source in the next half-month.'
'I need to widen the gap between us.'
'I absolutely cannot end up in last place.'
Jiang Man replied politely, "Thank you for the kind offer, Miss Luo, but I have to earn Spiritual Source in the evenings."
Luo Xuan looked at Jiang Man. "At night? How much can you earn?"
"Sixty Spiritual Source an hour," Jiang Man said without batting an eye.
"And you can't practice your Cultivation during that time, right?" Luo Xuan said, looking at him. "I'll give you seventy. You just have to be more diligent than me for two hours."
Hearing this, Jiang Man hesitated for a moment before reluctantly agreeing, "When do we start?"
'For seventy Spiritual Source, not even a dog would take that crappy job at the Spirit Gathering Hall.'
"Tomorrow," Luo Xuan said before turning and walking away.
As Luo Xuan left, a young woman immediately fell in step behind her.
Only after they had left the Sixth Courtyard did the woman speak. "Luo Xuan, why are you giving him so much Spiritual Source? Are you trying to train a guard? And a zero-pointer at that. Are you trying to train a Death Warrior?"
The woman's name was Cheng Yu, from a Side Branch of the Cheng Family.
With fifty-one points, she was ranked fourth in the Sixth Courtyard.
"Neither," Luo Xuan said, shaking her head. "Fang Yong seems to be targeting this Jiang Man lately."
"Why? There's a world of difference between them. Is there any need for him to target Jiang Man?" Cheng Yu asked curiously.
"I don't know. Perhaps it's a personal grudge," Luo Xuan said calmly. "But by befriending Jiang Man, I'll definitely draw Fang Yong's attention and distract his Heart Spirit. Using seventy Spiritual Source to slow his progress isn't a bad trade."
He's already at the Eighth Layer of his Qi Cultivation Skill, and his Qi Blood Technique has improved as well.
His score is about to catch up to mine."
"But that still makes you two first and second," Cheng Yu said.
"The number of available slots is highly variable. For the past two years, the Sixth Courtyard had three slots. Then, just when everyone assumed there would be three, it suddenly changed to two.
What if this year it suddenly drops to one?
Slowing down others while improving yourself is a good strategy.
You have to make the most of your Spiritual Source."
"What if Jiang Man still has zero points when the mid-month rankings come out?" Cheng Yu asked.
"Half a month should still be effective enough. After that, I won't need him anymore," Luo Xuan replied softly.
"I just hope he doesn't get any funny ideas."
"Poor people are prone to delusions."
"That Jiang Man must be over the moon right now."
The two chatted as they walked.
They soon left Cyan Cloud Pavilion.
Meanwhile, Jiang Man was indeed quite excited.
His daily earnings had gone from thirty to seventy. Even Xiaopang was jealous.
Of course, what he was truly jealous of was the chance to spend time with Luo Xuan.
Before he left, however, Xiaopang offered a well-intentioned warning.
He said that a rich young lady from a family like the Luo Family would never be interested in a poor boy.
Some people just enjoyed toying with the poor, so he had to know his place.
He shouldn't get any other ideas.
Jiang Man thanked him for the advice.
'Still, he was sure Luo Xuan had some ulterior motive.'
'But that didn't matter.'
'As long as I surpass them all, everything will fall into place.'
'Time to cultivate!'
Jiang Man went to the Spirit Gathering Hall again that night.
After collecting his Spiritual Source, he informed Steward Miao that he wouldn't be coming back tomorrow.
The steward didn't seem to mind.
He merely said it was a shame to lose such a promising young man. He added that if Jiang Man continued down this path, he would surely achieve great things. The initial physical discomfort was just a necessary hardship on the road to success, and enduring hardship was the true shortcut to achievement.
If the physical damage weren't so tangible, Jiang Man might have actually been moved by his words.
For the next few days, Jiang Man would practice his Cultivation at the Sixth Courtyard until evening, then he would follow Luo Xuan to her personal courtyard at the Cyan Cloud Pavilion to continue.
He had some concerns at first, but after realizing they didn't even have to speak to each other, he was able to focus on his Cultivation in peace.
His progress was much faster than before.
This was especially true because the Spiritual Qi in Luo Xuan's courtyard was much richer.
He felt a fleeting sense of guilt for earning seventy Spiritual Source a day, but the feeling passed in an instant.
His only headache was Fang Yong, whose glares grew more and more sinister.
This was particularly true since Young Master Cheng and his cronies had recently started associating with the third-ranked person from the Sixth Courtyard, which likely made Fang Yong feel that his own worsening predicament was Jiang Man's fault.
Fortunately, Fang Yong was also wary of the rules. If he made a move, he would easily forfeit his eligibility to compete for a slot.
'Young Master Cheng and his group are probably doing this on purpose, just to watch Fang Yong lose his cool and act like a clown.'
'They're just waiting for him to attack me.'
'And the fact that Luo Xuan hired me has provoked Fang Yong even more.'
'The person he despises most has now hooked up with the precious young miss.'
'That's probably even more galling to him than being ignored by Young Master Cheng's group.'
At this thought, Jiang Man had a sudden realization.
'Could it be that Luo Xuan is using me to provoke Fang Yong?'
'The competition for the top spot has always been ruthless.'
'After all, only the first-place slot is truly secure.'
'When the mid-month rankings are updated, Fang Yong will be provoked even further.'
'If he can't take the pressure, who knows if he'll lash out.'
'And I'll be the one to suffer for it.'
'Unfortunately, the Qi Blood Technique requires points to redeem.'
'I can't afford to hold back.'
'Besides, there was nothing in Luo Xuan's residence for me to touch, which is a shame.'
After that, Jiang Man fell into a routine. In the morning, he would clean the stables, then listen to the masters lecture on Cultivation and Magic Skills.
In the afternoon, he would complete his Cultivation plan.
In the evening, he would go to Luo Xuan's place to practice and collect his daily Spiritual Source.
This continued until September fourteenth.
The assessment would begin tomorrow, the fifteenth.
The rankings would be released on the seventeenth.
That afternoon, Jiang Man had already begun using his Magic Skill Innate Qi to practice the Divine Step.
However, Xiaopang gave Jiang Man a mysterious smile and said confidently, "Xiaojiang, you've been working hard lately. It must have been tough trying to catch up to me, right?"
Jiang Man was taken aback. 'Yesterday it was Brother Jiang, but today it's Xiaojiang?'