「Half an hour later.」
The man appeared again, looked at everyone, and said, "Now, I will explain the Water Wood Observation Method to you all."
Jiang Man didn't dare to hesitate and listened quietly.
'As long as I can roughly understand how it works, I should be able to learn it quickly.'
'The Cultivation Purple Qi will be my safety net.'
The Visualization Skill was different from the previous Qi Cultivation Skill or Qi Blood Technique.
It required no physical movements for support.
Instead, it used the circulation of Spiritual Qi to condense a visualized image, which would then further temper one's Spirit.
Jiang Man listened intently, not daring to miss a single detail.
But the man spoke quickly, and it was too difficult to understand everything completely.
'I can only do my best to memorize it.'
'Then I'll try out each part.'
「An hour later.」
"That is the gist of it. The rest is up to you to practice on your own. We will observe your Cultivation to see the desired results," the man said as he looked at the crowd.
Someone wanted to ask a question, but the man shook his head. "Find the answers to any questions you have through your Cultivation."
"True understanding comes from practice."
After that, no one dared to speak up again.
Jiang Man found that this Mortal Level Top-grade Visualization Method was incredibly difficult to learn.
Even after the man's explanation, the information was difficult to digest.
'I just have too little foundational knowledge.'
But even the young masters and ladies from wealthy families were sweating profusely, their eyes full of doubt. It was the first time they had heard many of the terms.
But they couldn't ask, so they could only bite the bullet and try to cultivate.
Jiang Man increasingly felt, 'This isn't a test of the Cultivation Skill, but a test of its difficulty.'
However, this was the only way to learn a Top-grade Observation Method, so he had no choice but to begin his attempt.
As he began the circulation, the Purple Qi moved along with it.
But halfway through, the Purple Qi receded.
His body shuddered.
The clash of Spiritual Qi forced him to stop his Cultivation.
After a moment of thought, Jiang Man tried to use the Purple Qi to find the correct cultivation method.
Unfortunately, no matter how many times he tried, the Purple Qi would always recede just as he was about to condense the visualized object.
He couldn't figure out why for the life of him.
Seeing that time was running out, Jiang Man focused on memorizing everything.
'As long as I can remember it, I'll find a solution once I get back.'
Just then, the woman standing to the side looked at the man. "Senior Brother Lu, have you reviewed the files on these six people?"
Senior Brother Lu nodded. "I have. The most interesting one is that Jiang Man. Reaching the Qi Refining Sixth Layer in three months is decent, I suppose, but he must have secret support."
"Besides, his Talent isn't as high as I expected. He didn't even notice the specific problem with this Visualization Skill."
"Does Junior Sister Xia have any thoughts?"
Junior Sister Xia shook her head slightly. "What thoughts could I have? I'm just here to accompany you this time. Still, shouldn't you place a bet, Senior Brother?"
"This Jiang Man is pretty good. It would be a shame to pass him up."
"What would I have to regret?" Senior Brother Lu said with a smile. "He's the one who should be regretful. He's still lacking."
"They probably never dreamed that both the Qi Blood Technique and the Visualization Technique are just bait."
"What we truly intend to teach is the Qi Refining Method."
"Naturally, the bet is on that side. Betting here would be a waste."
"His performance was mediocre, so he's the one missing out on a huge opportunity like me."
Junior Sister Xia sighed as well. "That genius has already caught the Sect's attention. He'll likely be given sufficient resources and will probably take the assessment with the people from the back courtyard next year. We should be seeing him in the Sect by the second half of next year."
"I wonder if he'll be able to cause a stir in the Sect."
They said no more after that.
Instead, they observed everyone's Cultivation progress.
This continued until midnight.
The pitch-black sky brought not the slightest chill.
Jiang Man and the others were all drenched in sweat.
They were all trying nonstop.
But in the end, they all failed.
Two of them even collapsed from exhaustion and fainted.
"All right, time is up," Senior Brother Lu announced, looking at the group. "Report your progress one by one. You may also memorize the Cultivation Skill and practice it when you return."
"However, you must not pass it on to outsiders. Doing so would be considered unauthorized transmission of a Sect Cultivation Skill."
"If that happens, someone will come looking for you."
As his voice fell, the two who had fainted woke up.
Although they could go back and practice, they felt no joy.
Without any explanation or guidance, learning the Cultivation Skill would be nearly impossible.
Relying on guidance from their family's elders wouldn't be easy either.
Showing the Cultivation Skill to an elder was a rash move; if they were discovered, the trouble would be immense.
The first to step forward was the tall man from before.
He reported his progress with great frustration, having only managed to circulate one-quarter of the Cultivation Skill.
The others had made similar progress.
After the others had left, Jiang Man, the last one remaining, reported his progress.
Almost one-half.
Senior Brother Lu wasn't surprised and simply dismissed him.
Jiang Man walked out of the room to find that everyone else was already gone.
He walked back alone, bathed in the moonlight.
Along the way, he kept trying to figure out why he had failed.
He went straight back to the stables and sat down in front of the Old Yellow Ox.
"You failed?" the Old Yellow Ox asked.
Jiang Man nodded. "I failed, but I don't understand where I went wrong."
"Tell me about the Cultivation Skill," the Old Yellow Ox said.
"Will that cause any problems?" Jiang Man asked.
"I'm not going to cultivate it, so there won't be any problem," the Old Yellow Ox replied.
With that, Jiang Man recounted the Cultivation Skill in detail.
The Old Yellow Ox quickly reached a conclusion. "Your failure lies in your inability to read people's intentions. The Cultivation Skill is flawed, or rather, the one who taught it to you made it flawed on purpose."
Jiang Man was incredulous. "Flawed? Why?"
"It's just a pretext. Of the Qi Cultivation Skill, the Qi Blood Technique, and the Visualization Skill, it's possible only one of them is the real deal. They wanted to teach a specific person a specific technique, and to avoid being too obvious, they roped all of you into it."
"But they didn't give *you* the correct Cultivation Skill."
"Whoever taught the skill this time was a bit petty, leaving behind such an obvious flaw," the Old Yellow Ox said casually. "I'll fix it for you. Then you can try again."
"Also..."
The Old Yellow Ox looked at Jiang Man and said, "You only have about a week left. Can you master all Thirteen Layers of the Visualization Method?"
Jiang Man lowered his gaze. "It will be quite difficult."
'Quite difficult?' The Old Yellow Ox didn't press the joke, and instead modified the Cultivation Skill.
This time, when Jiang Man resumed his Cultivation, he still stumbled at first.
But he finally managed to form the image of a water cauldron in his mind.
Then, he used the cauldron to temper his Heart Spirit a single time.
With that, he completed a single Visualization, and the cauldron remained within his Heart Spirit.
The Visualization had formed an image. Water Wood Observation Method, First Layer.
He had reached the Entry Level.
'The Visualization Skill really was flawed.'
'Brother Niu is truly a master!'
Afterward, Jiang Man continued his Visualization.
Practicing the Visualization Skill was much faster than practicing the Qi Cultivation Skill.
After two repetitions.
Visualization Skill, Second Layer.
After four repetitions.
Visualization Skill, Third Layer.
After eight repetitions.
Visualization Skill, Fourth Layer.
Sixteen repetitions...
Thirty-two repetitions...
Sixty-four repetitions...
Visualization Skill, Seventh Layer.
At that moment, the faint image of a water cauldron flickered around Jiang Man.
The Old Yellow Ox standing beside him was stunned frozen.
'The sun isn't even up, and he's already at the Seventh Layer of the Visualization Skill?'
'For a moment, Jiang Man's words—"quite difficult"—echoed in its mind. It felt like the boy was messing with it.'
「At dawn.」
Jiang Man finally opened his eyes.
He was now at the Eighth Layer of the Visualization Skill.
He remarked with a sigh, "This progress isn't half bad."
Saying this, Jiang Man turned to the Old Yellow Ox. "I have you to thank for being able to progress this quickly, Senior."
The Old Yellow Ox: "..."
'Thank me for getting you a wife?'
After tidying up the stables, Jiang Man continued his Cultivation.
He planned to ask for a few days off.
He wouldn't stop until he had cultivated the Visualization Skill to the Thirteenth Layer.
He wasn't sure how many repetitions would be needed to advance to the next Realm.
If he ran out of time, the consequences would be unthinkable.
The closer he got to the end, the more careful he had to be.