"If you aren't born with it, you'll basically never have it in this life."
After Jiang Man returned, he brought up the issue of the Visualization Skill.
And that sentence was the Old Yellow Ox's answer.
"It's just a Mortal Level Upper Grade technique. It can't be that hard to get, can it?" Jiang Man asked.
"You said it yourself. In all of Luoyun City, the Yunqian Bureau basically has the only copy of a Mortal Level Top-grade Visualization Method. With so many people, how would it ever be your turn? You say you have good Talent, so why would anyone give it to you? Are you going to sell your Talent, or sell your life?" the Old Yellow Ox asked.
'Neither is for sale.' Jiang Man thought for a moment, then said, "That Fairy never said there weren't any in other places."
The Old Yellow Ox looked at Jiang Man calmly, not saying a word.
Finally, Jiang Man sighed. "Senior, don't you have a Visualization Skill?"
'So it's back from 'Brother Niu' to 'Senior'?'
The Old Yellow Ox wasn't sensitive about what it was called.
It pondered for a moment before saying, "I do. Although our systems are different, our Visualization Skills are quite similar. Theoretically, you could cultivate it, and you could even reach the Thirteenth Layer."
"But this is the Yunqian Bureau. It's directly under the Wuyun Sect, and even more so, under the rule of an Immortal Sect."
"If a Visualization Technique that isn't one of the officially sanctioned and distributed versions appears, it won't take long to be discovered."
"Unless you leave this place, stay far away from Luoyun City, and don't join the Wuyun Sect."
"Otherwise, there's no escaping it."
Jiang Man was silent for a moment. 'That's just courting death.'
Because the requirements for the next Fate Chart would surely be even more demanding.
Without the Sect's resources to fall back on...
...he was afraid he wouldn't be able to complete it.
'I absolutely have to go to the Wuyun Sect.'
Then he couldn't learn the Old Yellow Ox's Visualization Skill.
Or rather, he couldn't learn it until the last possible moment.
"Brother Niu, do you have any ideas?" Jiang Man asked curiously. "How can I get the Yunqian Bureau's Visualization Skill?"
'When begging for help, it's 'Brother Niu' again.'
The Old Yellow Ox simply told Jiang Man to go find someone with influence.
Jiang Man thought for a moment. 'I'll have to find Mr. Zhao tomorrow.'
Among the people he knew, he was the most likely to have some information.
With a plan in mind, Jiang Man stopped dwelling on it and began to cultivate the Qi Blood Technique.
Over the past month, the Qi Blood Technique had been explained many times.
So, Jiang Man could begin cultivating it directly.
Following the instructions of the Cultivation Skill, Jiang Man began to circulate the Qi Blood Technique.
What he drew upon was still Spiritual Qi, and the Cultivation Purple Qi stirred along with it.
He still used the Active Skill to assist, making the Spiritual Qi resonate with his flesh and blood.
「A long time later.」
Jiang Man finished a complete set of movements.
Instantly, he could feel the Qi Blood Technique drawing in Spiritual Qi to nourish his flesh and blood.
Qi Blood Technique: Entry Level.
After that, Jiang Man continued to cultivate, allowing even more Spiritual Qi to resonate with his flesh and blood. The Qi Blood Technique was about establishing a channel for nourishment.
This was the Inner Cultivation aspect of the Qi Blood Technique; the Outer Cultivation was nourishing the body and strengthening the Physical Body.
The degree of nourishment was like collecting Gourds.
The more he collected, the stronger his Physical Body would become.
Only a stronger Physical Body could bear more Spiritual Qi and allow him to raise his Cultivation.
After another two repetitions.
Qi Blood Technique: Second Layer.
After another four repetitions.
Qi Blood Technique: Third Layer.
After another eight repetitions.
Qi Blood Technique: Fourth Layer.
After sixteen more repetitions.
Qi Blood Technique: Fifth Layer.
For a moment, he felt his Qi and Blood tremble, stirring his very bones.
The Old Yellow Ox watched, baffled.
It saw Jiang Man breaking through the layers of the Qi Blood Technique as if it were child's play.
In less than half a day, he had reached the Fifth Layer of the Qi Blood Technique.
'Is he really an Unparalleled Celestial Pride or not?'
The Old Yellow Ox was starting to feel unsure.
But...
'Does an Unparalleled Celestial Pride even progress this quickly?'
'Could it really be because he got married?'
'If this is what getting married does, then it's an option I wouldn't rule out.'
"What are you thinking about, Brother Niu?" Jiang Man asked as he walked over.
He didn't stop, however, instead heading inside to make something to eat.
Hungry.
So hungry.
He discovered that after cultivating the Qi Blood Technique, his body was even more famished than before.
Soon, Jiang Man realized he had finished this month's food rations.
If he wanted more food, he would have to spend Spiritual Source to buy it.
Of his original 1,300 Spiritual Source, he now only had 1,290 left.
'At my current appetite, I'm afraid I'll need around 300 Spiritual Source for food.'
'On top of that, I still need to buy Spirit Gathering Pills to raise my Cultivation.'
'My Spiritual Source will hit bottom soon. Looks like I'll have to keep working part-time at the Spirit Gathering Hall.'
"Is the reason you cultivate so fast really because you got married?" the Old Yellow Ox suddenly asked.
Jiang Man froze for a second, then said, "Brother Niu, you want to get married too?"
The Old Yellow Ox shook its head. "Helping you get married already consumed all my strength."
"Well, Brother Niu, you can save up again. You'll be the next Unparalleled Celestial Pride," Jiang Man said with a smile.
In truth, he wasn't sure what was going on either.
There were no clues as to where this Celestial Mirror Hundred Books came from.
But this thing wasn't very useful in Luoyun City.
He would need to go to a place with a deeper foundation for it to show its true potential.
'The Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart is ranked ninth... so what are the top eight?'
'And what kind of benefits would they bring?'
Unfortunately, there were no answers.
'No point in overthinking it.'
'First, improve my Qi Blood Technique. Then, strengthen my Physical Body. After that, raise my Cultivation.'
「The next morning.」
Jiang Man left the stables and went to the Sixth Courtyard.
They were teaching the Six Harmonies Palm this morning, and sparring was about to begin.
'Perfect timing for me to learn it.'
Unlike the Divine Step, the Six Harmonies Palm could be cultivated up to the Ninth Layer.
It was considered a relatively powerful Magic Skill.
As soon as he arrived at the Sixth Courtyard, Jiang Man felt that some people were looking at him strangely.
It seemed...
...they were looking at him with a mix of mockery and envy.
It left Jiang Man completely baffled.
'Shouldn't it just be simple envy or jealousy?'
'After all, I shot up to the Qi Refining Third Layer in just one month.'
'I'm about to break into the top ten.'
Envy, jealousy, and hate were all normal reactions.
'But what's with the mockery?'
Just then, Xiaopang came over and said, "Brother Jiang, I heard you're going to be Miss Luo's close bodyguard?"
"A close bodyguard?" Jiang Man was taken aback.
The so-called "close bodyguard" was just a nice-sounding title.
To put it bluntly, it meant being a Household Slave.
You had to lay down your life for them, swearing undying loyalty.
'What gives her, Luo Xuan, the right?'
"Yeah, why else would you have improved so fast?" Xiaopang explained. "Everyone's saying that you were groomed by Miss Luo."
"The whole point was to groom you into her close bodyguard."
"All of my achievements are due to my own Talent and hard work. What does that have to do with Miss Luo?" Jiang Man declared righteously.
"Nobody believes that! They all think you've been chosen as a candidate to be a guard, and they're not happy about it. They think they're better suited," Xiaopang said, looking seriously at Jiang Man. "Aren't we learning the Six Harmonies Palm today? The sparring is about to start too. Some people are definitely going to try and make you look bad during the sparring to show off what they can do."
"They're hoping Miss Luo will change her mind and choose them to be her guards instead."
Jiang Man sighed. 'People are actually eager to become Household Slaves.'
But it made sense. Miss Luo came from an extraordinary family. Becoming her guard could save someone decades of struggle.
It was much better than going home to be a farmer.
Although your status would be slightly better after returning from the Yunqian Bureau...
...your Cultivation wouldn't necessarily be stronger than the people in your village.
'Who doesn't cultivate these days?'
While Jiang Man was still lost in his thoughts, someone suddenly bumped his shoulder.
The person turned to look at Jiang Man and said calmly, "You're Jiang Man?"
Jiang Man brushed off his shoulder and looked at the other person. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, and his clothes were decent.
His skin was a bit dark, but in much better condition than his own.
"I am," Jiang Man nodded.
"My name is Song Qing, ranked seventeenth. I should be your sparring partner for the Six Harmonies Palm. My control isn't very good, so please bear with me if I happen to hurt you," Song Qing said with a smile.
'He sounds like he's already won.'
Jiang Man lowered his gaze.
'I haven't even started cultivating the Six Harmonies Palm yet.'
'Although the Magic Skill Innate Qi gives me a bonus, time is tight. I don't know if I can make it.'
'I don't know how high his level is, either.'
'Can I handle it?'
'This is the side effect of not improving by a large enough margin.'
'If I were number one, would anyone still dare to provoke me?'
————
Recommending a friend's new book: *The Whole World is Ignorant of Mythology, Only I Contract the King of Gods*.