The name "Yang Ling" caught the twelve of them by surprise.

Ten of them immediately whirled around, wary of an attack from the rear.

Only the remaining two, whose Cultivation was too low, were half a beat too slow to react.

But that half a beat was all it took. To their horror, they discovered the man who had spoken was already upon them, launching his attack.

The two were aghast. ’How dare he charge us? There are so many of us!’

Still, they immediately shouted a warning, "Watch out!"

However, the words had barely left their lips when a massive Palm Seal was already descending upon the leading woman.

She had already reacted, but...

Her body couldn’t keep up with her mind.

BANG!

A single palm struck her squarely, sending her flying.

Jiang Man then dissolved into a wisp of cyan smoke, reappearing in the center of the crowd and stomping his foot down.

BOOM!

Nine-Layered Collapse Technique.

An immense force erupted, the ground quaked, and people were thrown into the air.

Just as some of them were about to regain their footing, Jiang Man materialized before them as cyan smoke.

Nine Dragons Emerge.

BOOM!

In the next instant, he vanished again, reappearing before another opponent.

Six Harmonies Palm.

Six Palms Combined.

His figure flickered past everyone, unleashing a torrent of Magic Skills.

Full-powered Three Talents Force.

Nine Dragons Emerge.

Six Palms Combined.

The very ground surged.

Then, Jiang Man dissolved into cyan smoke and emerged from the crowd.

He returned to Li Yuan’s side.

The moment he turned to look back at the group...

BANG!

...every single one of them was sent flying backward, landing on the ground with heavy thuds.

The defeated cultivators stared forward in horror.

They were all aghast at the man’s assault.

’In the span of just a few breaths, just how many times did that man use Six Palms Combined? How many times did he use Nine Dragons Emerge?’

’Isn’t he afraid of exhausting his power?’

Li Yuan and his companions looked like they wanted to say something, but ultimately chose to remain silent.

Jiang Man was number one now. They weren’t qualified to comment on his performance.

The title of "Number One" spoke for itself.

All they could do was look up to him.

Jiang Man, however, let out a sigh of relief.

’I went all out just now, using my top speed to crush them.’

’My Spiritual Qi and Spirit could keep up, but my body is a little weak.’

’It almost couldn’t handle it.’

’The sheer density of my Spiritual Qi and the execution of the Magic Skills put a heavy strain on my body.’

’It seems I need to keep strengthening my Physical Body.’

’Otherwise, it won’t be able to withstand my immense Spiritual Qi.’

At that moment, the woman in the lead struggled to her feet. "Who are you?" she asked, looking at Jiang Man. "Why have we never heard of you?"

’To defeat us so quickly...’

’He must be at least at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.’

’And there’s no way I would have overlooked someone at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.’

’Cyan Cloud Pavilion doesn’t have anyone at the Eighth Layer. The only one at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer is Yang Ling of Ye Ming Pavilion.’

And she had, of course, seen him before.

’We came here specifically to deal with him.’

’I never expected to be ambushed by another cultivator at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.’

It cost them their chance to compete for the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal.

"The number one of Cyan Cloud Pavilion," Li Yuan said calmly. "It’s fine that you didn’t know him before. After today, you’ll never forget him."

"Because he’s about to become a legend that will resound throughout your entire life."

Jiang Man: "..."

’Aren’t those my lines?’

’It’s too flashy, though. Doesn’t really suit me.’

’Talent and effort—that’s what I prefer to talk about.’

"A commoner?" Gao Nian frowned at Jiang Man. "Judging by your clothes, you’re clearly not from a prominent family. How did someone like you reach the Qi Refining Eighth Layer?"

Jiang Man gazed at her calmly. "Why should I tell you?"

’The loser dares to question me?’

’And she hasn’t even offered a single Spiritual Source.’

Gao Nian paused, then took out a hundred Spiritual Sources and tossed them over. "Can you tell me now?"

Jiang Man glanced at the Spiritual Sources in his hand, then fixed his gaze on Gao Nian.

Muttering "greedy" under her breath, she tossed out another hundred Spiritual Sources.

’She’s really rich,’ Jiang Man thought with some emotion, then said, "Because I work hard."

"Work hard?" Gao Nian looked puzzled. "How hard?"

Jiang Man explained, "I cultivate every day."

Gao Nian scoffed. ’Every day? Who doesn’t cultivate every day?’

Looking at her, Jiang Man continued, "Do you sleep?"

Seeing her confusion, Jiang Man added, "I don’t."

Everyone was stunned into silence.

Li Yuan asked curiously, "You don’t sleep? Can your body handle that?"

Jiang Man looked at him, astonished. "No wonder you’re so weak. You’re so young, how can you bear to sleep? How do you even manage to fall asleep? In our Sixth Courtyard, we don’t sleep."

Li Yuan was dumbfounded.

’Something about that doesn’t feel right,’ he thought.

Even Gao Nian and her group were baffled.

Without sleep, the body can’t rest, which should make Cultivation twice as difficult for half the reward.

Logically, that should be a counterproductive approach.

However, Jiang Man said no more.

’Regardless, it’s true that I don’t sleep.’

’I’m in the prime of my youth, the perfect time for a breakthrough in Cultivation. How could I possibly sleep?’

Just then, the Array began to vibrate.

"It’s open!" Yan Huimin said excitedly. "We just have to defeat the Puppets inside to get the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal!"

Jiang Man didn’t hesitate, heading inside immediately.

Li Yuan and the others quickly followed him.

The fact that Yang Ling hadn’t shown up was a good thing for them.

Gao Nian remained where she was, not moving.

’We were defeated in a single exchange. There’s no point going in.’

’If he attacks us like that again, we won’t be able to take it.’

She stayed behind to see if Yang Ling would ever make an appearance.

However, to Gao Nian’s surprise, Yang Ling never showed up.

’Logically, Yang Ling should have been able to make it here.’

’But he just... didn’t.’

Afterward, she debriefed with her companions.

They confirmed one thing.

The man from before was truly a commoner.

He had used the Dragon Suppression Skill, Six Harmonies Palm, Three Talents Force, and Cyan Smoke Prelude over and over again.

They were all free Magic Skills provided by the Yunqian Bureau.

She immediately led her people away to contend for other Magic Skills and Cultivation Skills.

’Then we have to get back quickly.’

’This commoner’s potential is too immense.’

’I have to get the Patriarch to recruit him.’

’It would be a huge boon for the Gao Family.’

Meanwhile, Jiang Man and his two companions successfully obtained the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal.

Li Yuan felt like he was in a dream. To think he’d actually managed to get his hands on this.

Yan Huimin was even more ecstatic.

With her ranking, she wouldn’t have dared to even dream of it.

"In the next contest, will there be more powerful Magic Skills?" Jiang Man asked.

"There definitely will be. Cultivation Skills are usually of limited use, but everyone wants Magic Skills, especially with the assessment approaching."

"Actual combat prowess is a major component," Li Yuan said earnestly.

Jiang Man hesitated for a moment. "If I enter the Sect as the number one from the Yunqian Bureau, will there be any extra resources?"

Li Yuan was taken aback. "There definitely will be, but... no one from the Six Pavilions has ever taken first place in the Yunqian Bureau."

Jiang Man looked at him and said calmly, "Starting this year, there will be."

With that, he strode away.

The other two watched him leave, standing rooted to the spot in a daze.

Yan Huimin couldn’t help but ask, "Young Master Li, what kind of person do you think he is?"

Li Yuan sighed. "What a show-off."

"Huh?" Yan Huimin was surprised.

Li Yuan shook his head. "It’s nothing. I was just... shaken by it all."

"So, what do we do next?" Yan Huimin asked.

"Improve our Cultivation. Next time, we’ll compete with the third floor. Jiang Man will definitely be competing, anyway." After a pause, Li Yuan added, "The rankings for Cyan Cloud Pavilion and the Six Pavilions are about to be released. We need to keep an eye on that."

"Also... we need to find out if he really works so hard that he doesn’t sleep."

’If he really does cultivate without sleeping, then...’

’...how could we possibly bring ourselves to sleep?’