This was the first time Jiang Man had heard about a "qualification."
Previously, he hadn't been qualified for anything. He couldn't even manage Introducing Qi into the Body, so there was no need to ask about such matters.
But things were different now.
'I have to get this qualification.'
'Otherwise, I won't be able to fulfill the requirements of the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart later on.'
According to the Old Yellow Ox, Luoyun City's resources weren't enough to support the later requirements of a Celestial Pride Fate Chart.
Curious, Jiang Man looked at Fang Yong and asked, "What kind of strength does it take to be qualified?"
Fang Yong stared at Jiang Man with a sneer.
He didn't answer the question.
Jiang Man wasn't discouraged and asked another question. "Young Master Fang, you're so formidable. What layer has your Qi Refining Skill reached?"
This time, the other man answered readily. "The Seventh Layer. Before the twelfth month, I'll reach the Eighth Layer. You think you have a chance?"
Jiang Man said he wanted to try.
Fang Yong didn't seem to care, merely telling him to watch what he said.
The implication was clear: don't tell anyone what he saw in the stables.
It would ruin his image in the eyes of everyone in the Sixth Courtyard.
After that, Jiang Man quickly left.
Back at his thatched hut, he still had to feed the horses in the stables.
He also needed to take them for a run and brush their coats.
Only after finishing all this did Jiang Man prepare lunch for himself.
As far as he could remember, he had spent the last two years in almost this exact way.
He hadn't gone anywhere else.
After eating, Jiang Man found the Old Yellow Ox grazing. "Senior, did that Fairy do anything to you?"
"You should worry about whether you've finished your hundred repetitions for the day," the old ox said grumpily, not looking up from its grass.
Jiang Man smiled. "A hundred repetitions is easy enough, but there is something I need your help with, Senior."
Hearing this, the Old Yellow Ox raised its head slightly to look at Jiang Man. "You want me to teach you how to cultivate? That's not going to work. The rules within the Three Floors and Six Pavilions are extremely strict."
"No," Jiang Man said honestly. "I want to ask how to raise a Flame-Stepping Spiritual Steed and cure its Weakness Stage."
Seeing the Old Yellow Ox's confusion, Jiang Man recounted the day's events truthfully.
"You're trading this method for a year's cultivation stipend?" the Old Yellow Ox asked, sounding surprised.
Jiang Man nodded.
The Old Yellow Ox chuckled. "Do you have any idea how bad a deal that is for you?"
Jiang Man shook his head. "I don't, but if it lets me stay, at least I can save my own skin for now."
If he left Cyan Cloud Pavilion, he would certainly meet a bad end.
Outside, even finding food and shelter would be a struggle, to say nothing of continuing his Cultivation.
Getting Cultivation resources would be nigh impossible.
Furthermore, everyone in the Yunqian Bureau's Three Floors and Six Pavilions was under its protection.
Those who made it inside were given a certain degree of security.
The people here were treated better than those outside. After all, the future was not yet set in stone, and a dark horse could emerge from their ranks.
But for those outside, their futures were all but sealed. It was nearly impossible to escape poverty, and with no protection, they had to face the brutal reality of life.
So, while the breeding method might be priceless, its greatest value right now was buying him a period of peace and security.
He might have gotten more resources by trading with someone else.
But compared to Zhao Leming, these others were even less trustworthy.
'The main issue is that I don't have the standing to make a fair trade.'
The weak were destined to lose out.
The Old Yellow Ox didn't press the point; its comment about him getting a bad deal had just been a casual remark.
It then told Jiang Man the method.
The method was divided into two parts.
The first part could resolve a single bout of weakness.
The second part could resolve any subsequent weakness.
Some Spiritual Steeds experience two periods of weakness.
That was what the second part was for.
Jiang Man only transcribed the first part. Moreover, he had the Old Yellow Ox deliberately obfuscate the latter half.
This ensured that an ordinary person wouldn't be able to understand it without consulting scholarly texts.
Only then did Jiang Man breathe a sigh of relief.
Looking at the breeding method, Jiang Man grew curious. 'I wonder if this method is worthy of being recorded.'
He immediately communed with the Celestial Mirror Hundred Books.
The book's pages flipped rapidly before stopping on the final page.
[What garbage.]
Jiang Man was speechless.
'Just what on earth is this book willing to record?'
'I need to find some ancient artifacts, or maybe a worshipped Divine Object,' Jiang Man thought.
But Luoyun City wasn't known for anything particularly special.
'I should probably join a Sect, get to a better environment, and meet more powerful people.'
'Otherwise...'
'I won't be able to obtain what my Fate Chart requires, and the Celestial Mirror Hundred Books will be completely useless.'
Just as Jiang Man was about to start his Cultivation, he looked at the Old Yellow Ox with sudden curiosity. "Senior, what is an Unparalleled Celestial Pride supposed to be like?"
"Never seen one." After a pause, the Old Yellow Ox looked at Jiang Man. "You're not about to tell me they're supposed to be like you, are you?"
"It seems you never learn, Senior," Jiang Man replied with a smile.
He then began cultivating the Qi Refining Skill.
He continued raising the level of his Qi Refining Skill.
For the rest of the afternoon, Jiang Man did nothing else.
He focused single-mindedly on his Cultivation.
After thirty-two repetitions.
He reached the Sixth Layer of the Qi Refining Skill.
「Late that night.」
After sixty-four repetitions.
He reached the Seventh Layer of the Qi Refining Skill.
In a single day, he had caught up to Fang Yong.
However, he had only caught up in terms of the Qi Refining Skill; his actual Cultivation was still worlds away.
After reaching the Seventh Layer of the Qi Refining Skill, a faint halo of light would appear around one's body.
This was the faint glow of Spiritual Qi.
With a bit of practice, it could be concealed.
But the Old Yellow Ox still saw it.
In just a few short days, the boy had made it question its own existence several times.
"You've reached the Seventh Layer of the Simple Qi Refining Skill?" the Old Yellow Ox asked, staring at Jiang Man.
Jiang Man didn't hide it, nodding. "Yes, the Seventh Layer."
"Were you secretly cultivating before?" The Old Yellow Ox tried to read something in Jiang Man's expression.
Jiang Man just looked at it and smiled without a word.
"How did you do it?" The Old Yellow Ox couldn't comprehend.
"Maybe it was getting married," Jiang Man replied casually.
The Old Yellow Ox was speechless.
Suddenly, Jiang Man thought of something and asked curiously, "Senior, back on the mountain, what do you think would have happened if I'd taken all the clothes I saw?"
The Old Yellow Ox froze, looking at Jiang Man in surprise. "You... you're quite greedy."
Jiang Man gave an awkward laugh and changed the subject. "Didn't you say you'd never seen an Unparalleled Celestial Pride before, Senior? Well, now you have. It's all thanks to my Talent."
The Old Yellow Ox was speechless.
Although it was still skeptical, the ox was truly shocked.
"I hope your Talent is enough to successfully fulfill the requirements of the Celestial Pride Fate Chart," the Old Yellow Ox said glumly.
"This isn't enough?" Jiang Man asked, confused.
Hearing this, the Old Yellow Ox just smiled cryptically. "You'll find out later."
'So we're both speaking in riddles now,' Jiang Man thought.
Jiang Man didn't mind and went to get some rest.
He had already finished his hundred repetitions for the day.
His body was still frail, so he needed to rest at night.
「The next day.」
Jiang Man arrived at the Sixth Courtyard of Cyan Cloud Pavilion.
This time, he once again saw Fang Yong with that group from before.
"What Weakness Stage? Last time, we let the matter slide out of respect for Young Master Fang," the short man said, shaking his head with a sigh. "But Young Master Fang seems to have quite a close relationship with that fellow. A rift has formed between us. So as not to put Young Master Fang in a difficult position, it's best we don't see each other as much."
With that, the short man led his group away.
No matter how Fang Yong tried to explain, it was no use.
Even his claims of having no connection to Jiang Man had no effect.
As the short man passed by Jiang Man on his way out, he shot him a glance, the corners of his mouth hinting at a mocking smile.
He was clearly waiting to watch the show.
But he didn't show it openly; to any onlookers, it would have looked like a polite smile.
Once the group had gone, Fang Yong turned to glare at Jiang Man with resentful eyes.
He blamed Jiang Man for not admitting his mistake at the time.
Just then, a man walked over and said with a hint of envy, "Young Master Fang, was that Young Master Yang coming to see you again?"
Hearing this, Fang Yong retracted his resentful gaze from Jiang Man and put on a smile for the newcomer. "It was nothing much. We were just discussing some private matters."
The man was filled with admiration and envy.
A person of that stature was in a completely different class from them; there was simply no basis for them to interact.
Jiang Man was speechless.
'Looks like Fang Yong is going to target me now.'
'But the real instigator is that Young Master Yang.'
'I don't know if he's doing this on a whim or deliberately targeting me.'
'The former would be fine, but the latter would be a real problem.'
'I haven't even officially started to improve my Cultivation yet. Being targeted now will slow my progress.'
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