The End of the Immortal Path
Chapter 300 - 190: Xiaohuang, the Day I Become a Great Power Is Just Around the Corner
The moment Jiang Man started to suspect that woman was Meng Qiewei, he had already decided in his heart that she was.
He believed his feeling couldn’t be wrong.
When he looked at her, he felt a sense of beauty.
It was a feeling he had only ever experienced with Meng Qiewei.
It was most likely the feeling one has for their destined partner.
Regardless, Jiang Man couldn’t see her as just an ordinary person.
He couldn’t even ignore her.
This caused him to be unfocused for the time it takes an incense stick to burn during his Cultivation.
With no other choice, he could only go to the Fifth Courtyard to attend a lecture and calm his Heart Spirit.
But as soon as he arrived, he heard news about Zhao Tiankuo.
’He’s already reached Foundation Establishment?’ Jiang Man was surprised.
He couldn’t figure out how the man had succeeded.
’Could he be an Unparalleled Celestial Pride, just like me?’
After a moment of thought, Jiang Man didn’t get the impression that he was an Unparalleled Celestial Pride.
’Was he hiding it?’
’That’s possible. In that case, could the strange aura on my body be related to him?’
He still couldn’t be sure.
But something was definitely off about the man.
After he asked for the details, Wei Beichuan said, "I heard there’s a clear path to his success.
"First, he obtained the qualification to enter the Qi Refining Secret Realm from the Yunqian Bureau. Second, he gave up his ranking in the Yunqian Bureau for an early Reincarnation, and then minored in a Promotion Skill. This also required someone in the Sect to buy a training qualification for him.
"Once he had those qualifications, the rest was just hard work.
"When entering the Sect, it’s best to be at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer to enter the Qi Refining Secret Realm.
"If you can’t break through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer by the end, then it becomes a pretty big problem.
"I heard that Zhao Tiankuo managed to advance to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer right after he got in.
"He barely managed to reach Foundation Establishment."
"That’s not what people outside are saying. They’re saying Zhao Tiankuo is the real prodigy," Lin Qingshan said with a bit of resignation. "They even claim that Jiang Man is the one who followed a path like that, which is why his foundation is unstable. They say it’s why he’s a Golden Core expert who’s still in the Outer Sect and doesn’t dare enter the Inner Sect.
"They also say he has to pull all-nighters to advance so quickly.
"But this Zhao Tiankuo guy doesn’t pull all-nighters."
Cao Cheng thought for a moment and said, "But I did some digging, and this Zhao Tiankuo has a timid and cowardly personality. All his achievements are just from following his family’s arrangements.
"But even if it was all arranged, being able to follow the path of our number one is no simple feat."
Everyone had a lot to discuss regarding Zhao Tiankuo’s strength.
Was it Talent or resources? Could it be replicated?
How did he compare to Jiang Man?
What was his personality like? Could he go far in the future?
But no matter how much they discussed it, Zhao Tiankuo had indeed become the Outer Sect’s new rising star.
Especially with Jiang Man paving the way, many people were bound to make comparisons.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be getting so much attention and discussion.
Although Jiang Man found the man a bit strange, he never thought he would become such a prominent figure right after arriving.
As for whether it was due to Talent, he didn’t care.
No one could have more Talent than him.
Besides, there are no true prodigies at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Only after reaching Golden Core did he understand how vast the gap between the two stages was.
The difference was like night and day.
To say nothing of the Primordial Spirit realm.
The path ahead was long, and the rate at which the difficulty increased was not something that could be overcome just by cultivating quickly during Foundation Establishment.
His main concern was still the aura on his body—where exactly did it come from?
Soon, Mr. Yan arrived. When she saw Jiang Man, she froze for a moment. "You’re not here for me, are you?"
Jiang Man shook his head.
She let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed the matter with the Evil God was robbing her of a good night’s sleep.
After the lecture ended, Jiang Man returned to his residence.
Ji Hao was already there waiting for him.
Now, upon seeing him, Jiang Man felt a surge of resentment, hating himself for being blinded by the Spiritual Source.
’If it weren’t for that fifteen thousand, would I be in this miserable situation?’
"You’re back, Junior Brother?" Ji Hao said with a smile. "Shall we sit inside?"
Jiang Man nodded, not knowing what the man wanted to talk about this time.
Before, he could have just ignored him, but not anymore.
However, he was a little curious if Ji Hao knew that Meng Qiewei had arrived.
He just had to listen to what Ji Hao had to say about her.
After they went inside, Jiang Man brought a chair for Ji Hao.
After sitting down, Ji Hao looked at the Old Yellow Ox and said, "You raise an ox, Junior Brother?"
"Mhm," Jiang Man nodded, not saying much else.
Old Huang’s origins were strange and wouldn’t stand up to a thorough investigation, so it was best not to draw attention to him.
Then, Jiang Man took the initiative to bring up what happened yesterday.
"Mr. Ji, are you here today because of yesterday?"
At his words, Ji Hao nodded. "Indeed. Junior Brother, what do you think of Ji Meng?"
’Meng?’ Jiang Man felt he hadn’t been mistaken.
She had to be Meng Qiewei.
’So, what do I think of her?’
’How am I supposed to answer that?’
Seeing Jiang Man’s silence, Ji Hao continued, "Here’s the thing. My younger sister is quite good with Arrays. Would you like her to teach you a thing or two about them?
"I checked, and it seems you haven’t even started learning a Minor yet."
’Younger sister? It seems Ji Hao doesn’t know her true identity.’
’But Arrays?’ Jiang Man thought for a moment before asking, "How much Spiritual Source?"
Learning a Minor always required paying Spiritual Source, after all.
"Let’s say three thousand," Ji Hao said.
"For a month?" Jiang Man thought that was quite cheap.
"For one lesson," Ji Hao said.
Jiang Man was taken aback.
’Three thousand for a single lesson?’
’That’s too expensive.’
But the person in question was Meng Qiewei, so for a moment, he found it hard to refuse.
"Is three thousand too little?" Ji Hao asked.
"No, no, it’s not," Jiang Man immediately shook his head.
"Alright then. You take one lesson, and I’ll give you three thousand," Ji Hao said.
Jiang Man froze, then declared with righteous conviction, "I have a deep passion for learning."
’Calling Ji Hao a mere prodigy is an understatement.’
’I became an Unparalleled Celestial Pride of world-altering ability; Ji Hao deserves to be promoted to one too.’
’It would be unreasonable for a man like him not to be an Unparalleled Celestial Pride.’
After that, Jiang Man asked about Zhao Tiankuo.
"Him?" Ji Hao mused for a moment. "His path to power is public knowledge, and it can even be replicated. But it’s not easy. Every single step has to be timed perfectly, or it won’t work.