Jiang Man paid them no mind.
He walked straight out of the Sixth Courtyard.
He had seen the look on Xiaopang's face and thought that next time, he shouldn't tell him about his secret Cultivation.
Then he would go back and cultivate in secret.
That way, his rival would let his guard down.
It would be much easier to surpass him.
Following the same method, he could soon surpass the top three and become one of them.
After that, he would aim to surpass the first and second ranks.
First, he went to the administration office to collect his other payment for the month from the stables: ten catties of coarse rice. The original pay was five catties a month, so this was triple the amount, making it fifteen catties a month.
It was more or less enough to get by and keep his belly full.
Cultivation consumed a lot of energy, so it still wasn't really enough, but it was much better than before.
After dropping off his things, he headed for the Guard Department.
The Guard Department was under the jurisdiction of the Yunqian Bureau.
It was located inside the Yunqian Bureau's compound.
'Not too dangerous.'
In front of the Guard Department's main gate, Jiang Man observed his surroundings carefully.
The grayish-cyan walls seemed to gleam coldly in the twilight. Bronze wind chimes hung from the eaves of the thirty-foot-tall archery tower, letting out a dull sound as they swayed in the evening breeze.
Two dilapidated stone suanni statues stood on either side of the Guard Department's main entrance.
Upon entering, he could see two guards sitting at a table to the side.
They were looking right at him.
"Which courtyard are you from, Student Cultivator?" the middle-aged guard asked.
Jiang Man walked over and said politely, "From the Cyan Cloud Pavilion."
"What are you doing here?" the man asked again.
"I'm here to find work. This is my letter of recommendation." As he spoke, Jiang Man handed the envelope to the man.
The middle-aged man glanced at it and said, "Do you know who you're supposed to see?"
Jiang Man shook his head.
The man then looked at Jiang Man and fell silent.
Jiang Man immediately said, "My family has run into some trouble, so I'm a bit tight on funds. But I'm first in my courtyard's scoring, so there will be more opportunities for me in the future. If you two seniors could offer some guidance today, I'll be sure to repay you generously in the future."
'Last place is still a kind of first place.'
The two guards exchanged a look, then pointed inside, telling him the specific location and a few simple things to be aware of.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Man thanked them and immediately headed inside.
As the two guards watched him leave, the younger one spoke up. "First place? You believe that?"
"I don't. Do you?" the middle-aged man retorted.
"I don't either. So why did you help him?"
"He's thick-skinned. People like him who take unconventional paths often succeed. They also tend to be petty. I'm afraid he'll succeed and hold a grudge against me."
"..."
Soon, Jiang Man found the place, stated his purpose, and presented his letter of recommendation.
The Steward was a middle-aged woman.
She looked at the letter and said, "So you're Jiang Man? Mr. Zhao already spoke to me. You can do anything?"
Jiang Man nodded. "What is it you need me to do?"
"Do you have any requests?" the Steward asked, looking at Jiang Man.
Jiang Man thought for a moment. "A job where I can cultivate would be best."
"Here, our only fear is that you *won't* cultivate," the Steward said with a smile. "What's your score?"
Jiang Man was silent for a moment before replying, "Zero."
The Steward, who had been about to write something down, froze. She raised her eyebrows in disbelief.
She couldn't seem to believe it.
'No wonder Zhao Leming wasn't clear about the details.'
'So this is the surprise he had waiting for me.'
"Do you know the Qi Refining Skill?" Steward Miao asked.
Jiang Man nodded. "Yes, I do."
Hearing this, Steward Miao nodded and then said, "You'll do, I suppose."
She then looked at Jiang Man and said, "In that case, the pay is thirty Spiritual Essence a day. As for the time, you'll start in the evening. One shichen will be enough."
Spiritual Essence was a simple form of currency used for Cultivation.
Spirit Stones varied in size and hadn't been suitable as currency for many years.
After the great reforms of the Immortal Sects, this was changed.
Using a special method, they extracted Spiritual Essence from Spirit Stones. This new substance was harder to absorb and more durable, serving only as currency for ordinary people.
Jiang Man had no idea if thirty Spiritual Essence a day was a lot or a little.
But thinking of his score, he understood it was definitely very little.
"So, what will I be doing?" Jiang Man asked.
'Only one shichen... that's actually great for me.'
'It will leave me with plenty of time to cultivate.'
"Take this token and go to the back," Steward Miao instructed, having someone lead Jiang Man away.
Afterwards, a Maid led Jiang Man to a room with a sign that read "Spirit Gathering Hall."
The Maid then brought Jiang Man into a large hall where eighty-one statues stood.
About half of the statues were glowing.
The Maid then led Jiang Man behind one of the statues on the side and opened a door on it.
Inside was a small room.
"What's this?" Jiang Man asked, confused.
"Go on in," the Maid explained. "All you need to do is continuously circulate your Qi Refining Skill inside. The Array will light up to show you're working. If the light stays off for too long, you won't get today's Spiritual Essence."
"In one shichen, you must light up at least three of the pearls inside. For every extra one you light up, you'll get an additional five Spiritual Essence.
Any other questions?"
"So I just sit inside and cultivate? I don't have to do anything else?" Jiang Man asked, looking at the Maid, who appeared to be in her mid-twenties.
She nodded. "If you don't complete the task, you most likely won't receive the thirty Spiritual Essence. Also, once you begin, you cannot make a sound.
We will monitor your safety."
Jiang Man nodded readily, but he was thinking, 'If there's danger, I won't be able to circulate the Qi Refining Skill. Wouldn't they come check on me immediately then?'
After the Maid left, the door was closed. She had said it would be opened in one shichen.
Once inside, Jiang Man found that the space was quite large, with many white pearls embedded in the surrounding walls.
Currently, only one pearl was lit. His job was to circulate his Qi Refining Skill.
Before he began, he touched his chest to communicate with the Celestial Mirror Hundred Books.
The book immediately began flipping through its pages. Jiang Man had expected it to stop on the final page.
To give him the line, 'Not worth mentioning.'
However, something unexpected happened. The book stopped on page thirty-six.
This left Jiang Man a bit stunned.
'Such a high page number?'
Immediately, text appeared.
[Nine Paths Primordial Spirit Array (Fragment): The Nine Paths Primordial Spirit Array uses an Array to reverse the natural order, gather the fortune of the Great Dao, convert Spiritual Essence, and sprinkle Spiritual Qi to nourish barren lands and withered mountains. This is a simplified, incomplete version that can absorb Spiritual Qi from the human body and convert it into pure Spiritual Qi for others to cultivate.]
[Record the Nine Paths Primordial Spirit Array (1/4) to obtain a wisp of Magic Skill Innate Qi (Acquirable)]
What an unexpected surprise. Jiang Man hadn't thought this Array would have such a grand origin.
'This Magic Skill Innate Qi is probably similar to the Cultivation Purple Qi.'
'But this one is used for cultivating Magic Skills.'
'It seems my progress in Magic Skills won't be too slow either.'
Without further hesitation, Jiang Man began to circulate his Qi Refining Skill. He didn't dare to use his full strength on the first try.
He circulated it slowly. After one full Circulation, the Spiritual Qi that was supposed to settle in his Dantian was absorbed by the Array.
He felt as if it was being forcibly ripped from his body.
There was a slight pain. The Array must have been too crude. Over time, it would cause some damage to his body.
'No wonder the work is only for one shichen. The body might not be able to handle more.'
'I wonder if the complete version has such side effects.'
Jiang Man then began to circulate the Qi Refining Skill at full power. At the last moment, he diverted a portion of the Spiritual Qi to the Array, while the rest settled into his Dantian.
'It works.'
Because his score was low, the Array's absorption from him was also weak.
It was only drawing power equivalent to about the Third Layer of the Qi Refining Skill.
The rest was his to keep.
And since the amount was large, the damage to his body was negligible.
Still, he wasn't sure if exchanging slower Cultivation progress for Spiritual Essence was a net loss or gain.
But getting the Magic Skill Innate Qi was definitely a gain.
「One shichen later.」
Jiang Man had circulated his Qi Refining Skill several dozen times, and now, his first Gourd was completely full.
CLICK!
The door was slowly opened.
It was the same Maid as before.
She glanced at the white pearls and saw that three were indeed lit.
"You stopped six times in the middle. Be more careful next time," the Maid said.
Jiang Man was a little surprised. 'They can monitor it that precisely?'
"Come on. The Steward has a few words for everyone before the Spiritual Essence is distributed," said the Maid.
Just as Jiang Man walked out, he heard Steward Miao's voice. "Today, I'd like to introduce a newcomer. His score in the rear courtyards is zero. The fact that someone like him has come here to work fully demonstrates his refusal to accept his fate."
"If he can work this hard, do you all still want to keep slacking off?"
"I dare say, if anyone among you is to succeed in the future..."
"...it will be this newcomer."
"Zero points! Have you ever seen such a score?"
"A person like that is practically crippled, yet his will is strong despite his handicap!"
"Why shouldn't success be his?"
Jiang Man: "..."
————
Author's Note: Wishing all students success in their exams!