Early morning.
Jiang Man, who was cleaning the stables, rubbed his stomach, feeling a bit hungry.
'I have to solve my money and food problem today, or I'll really have to resort to eating tree bark.'
Not only that, but it would also be difficult to continue his Cultivation.
Without replenishing the physical energy he consumed, he couldn't advance his Cultivation.
The only comforting thought was that after cultivating about ten more times, the "Gourd" would be full.
Then he could try to open the second gourd.
And advance to the Qi Refining Second Layer.
With the help of the Flawless Spirit Gathering Pill, it would be very fast.
Unfortunately, the Spirit Gathering Pill could probably only get him to the Qi Refining Third Layer.
And he had already used up a small portion of it.
Meanwhile, Fang Yong and the others were mostly at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.
'Reaching the Qi Refining Sixth Layer before the twelfth month... the pressure is immense.'
But the most urgent matter was still finding a job to support himself.
First thing in the morning, Jiang Man headed for the Sixth Courtyard in the rear of the Cyan Cloud Pavilion.
He needed to find Mr. Zhao ahead of time.
For a moment, he wasn't sure how to bring it up.
But he could only brace himself and first explain his current situation.
'This meeting is somewhat dangerous. What if he doesn't want anyone else to know about the rearing method?'
'Although I transcribed it in a special script, which should make him guess that I can't understand the real content...'
'...you can never predict a person's greed.'
'Fortunately, we're inside the Yunqian Bureau, so he wouldn't dare do anything too reckless.'
'But if he arranges a job for me outside the Yunqian Bureau...'
'...then I'll have to be careful.'
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Man felt that life was just too hard.
It forced a man to take risks just to survive.
However, before he even reached the Sixth Courtyard, Jiang Man saw Zhao Leming approaching.
This came as a surprise.
It looked like he was coming for him.
"Greetings, Mr. Zhao." Jiang Man offered a polite bow.
"You were looking for me?" Zhao Leming asked.
Jiang Man fell silent for a moment, suddenly feeling like he'd lost the initiative.
'It was obvious he was looking for me, too.'
"Yes." Jiang Man nodded, then quickly explained his current predicament.
When you're under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head.
'My peerless Talent is really suffering by following me.'
'But no rush. I should start to distinguish myself next month.'
'By this time next year, I'll definitely shock everyone.'
"The pay for the stables is a bit tricky. It's determined by the administration here, based on each person's score.
Your score is too low, so getting better pay is quite difficult. However..." Zhao Leming's tone shifted as he continued,
"...you are indeed in a difficult situation, and the Sixth Courtyard is not an unreasonable place.
I can vouch for you for two months. If, after two months, your rank or score remains the same...
...then it will be difficult to adjust your pay."
Hearing this, Jiang Man naturally bowed his head in thanks.
As for whether it was truly difficult to adjust his pay, he didn't give it much thought.
Regardless, he could now at least make ends meet.
As long as he could continue his Cultivation, that was enough.
Seeing this, Zhao Leming suddenly asked, "The book you gave me, do you have any more?"
Jiang Man shook his head. "No, that was the last one."
Zhao Leming didn't press the matter, instead asking, "Have you shown it to anyone else?"
Jiang Man shook his head again. "No."
At this, Zhao Leming finally nodded. "Cultivating in the Three Floors and Six Pavilions, having someone to help you and having no one to look after you are two completely different things.
For example, the person in last place was previously not eligible to compete for a spot.
You should understand that now, right?"
"I understand." Jiang Man nodded heavily.
"Then, about that book..."
Zhao Leming had just started to speak when Jiang Man cut him off. "What book?"
Seeing this, Zhao Leming paused, then smiled. "Nothing."
Then he continued, "Cultivation requires a certain amount of resources. So you're thinking of finding another job to do in your spare time?"
Jiang Man nodded. "Yes."
Without resources, advancing later on wouldn't be easy.
"There are jobs, but I must remind you that the pay for any of them is based on your score." Zhao Leming thought for a moment before continuing, "You also have no foundation to speak of right now, so it won't be easy to find a well-resourced job.
But I can vouch for you for this as well.
What do you want to do?"
Jiang Man hesitated slightly before saying, "Something easy, with free time, and decent resources."
"Anything else?" Zhao Leming asked with a smile.
Jiang Man shook his head. "No, that's all."
"Even when making a wish, you're this cautious?" Zhao Leming said.
Jiang Man: "..."
"There's nothing easy, nothing with free time, and the ones with decent resources aren't for you." Zhao Leming looked at Jiang Man and said, "Right now, the only jobs you can do are those that consume Spiritual Qi and Qi and Blood.
If you want to give it a try, you can take this to the Yunqian Bureau's guard post."
As he spoke, a common letter of recommendation landed in Jiang Man's hand.
Tucking the envelope away, Jiang Man asked, quite confused, "Is it to become a guard?"
Zhao Leming smiled faintly. "You'll know when you get there."
After that, he told Jiang Man to leave.
Watching the man walk away, Zhao Leming let out a soft sigh.
He originally had many ideas.
But he had a doubt.
'Where did he get that book?'
'Was it a fortunate coincidence, or did someone give it to him?'
'If it's the latter, why was it given to him?'
'And when it was given, will the giver be watching him?'
'Although that possibility is extremely low...'
'...but... he was only in this for money. It wasn't worth putting himself in a life-or-death crisis.'
'Leaving a path for the other party was also leaving a path for myself.'
Afterward, he wrote a letter, informing the people over at the guard post that Jiang Man might be heading their way.
He had to ask for a referral fee.
The profit from someone with a score of zero was small, but even a mosquito has meat on its bones.
He naturally couldn't let it go.
Jiang Man continued cleaning the old courtyard.
This time, his sweeping led him to a rather remote area.
It was the old Cultivation Field.
It was mostly filled with stone blocks.
What surprised him was that these stone blocks weren't rough; they seemed to be in constant use.
'Looks like someone has been secretly coming here to cultivate.'
'They're probably practicing Magic Skills.'
Jiang Man knew nothing about Magic Skills.
He was still focused on raising his Cultivation level.
And the Cyan Cloud Pavilion didn't grant Magic Skills to those with low Cultivation.
So there was no need to think about it too much. He had to raise his Cultivation first; that was the foundation.
After spending the morning cleaning, Jiang Man finished and returned to the Sixth Courtyard.
He still needed to cultivate. At the very least, he had to complete the plan listed on his personal profile.
Seeing Jiang Man return, Xiaopang looked a little melancholy.
"Brother Jiang, you're back again?" Xiaopang said, rubbing his belly. "I feel like I'm getting thinner."
As he spoke, he took out some jerky and started eating.
Jiang Man's eyes practically bulged out of his head.
'Damned rich kids.'
"Brother Jiang, here, have a piece." Xiaopang secretly handed Jiang Man a piece of meat.
Taking the meat, Jiang Man mentally apologized for his earlier harsh thoughts.
He had been judging a gentleman by his own petty standards.
After eating the meat, Jiang Man cultivated with even more vigor.
His energy felt terrifyingly strong.
This time, Jiang Man only cultivated fifty times before preparing to leave.
Xiaopang was a bit surprised. "Xiaojiang, are you finally giving up?"
'Just fifty repetitions and now I'm Xiaojiang?'
Jiang Man shook his head. "I'm going to find another place to work hard in secret."
Xiaopang: "???"
'Is that something a human being would even do?'
'Cultivating in secret is one thing, but why say it out loud?'
'Are you trying to make us lose our appetite for food and tea?'
'Aren't you going to pay your cultivation fees?'
'You've already been abandoned by your village.'
'Shouldn't you be weeping bitter tears, then earning your fees, finishing your studies, and going back home to be a high-paid farmer?'