Jiang Man didn’t give it much thought.

Because as mentioned before, with the opening of the Magpie Bridge this time, she would be coming over using some special means.

Not her real body.

’A divorce is actually on the table.’

After that, Jiang Man began his Cultivation.

He had to master the Magic Skill, the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal, as quickly as possible.

Only then could he leverage the advantage of being at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.

Otherwise, he would only be evenly matched when fighting an ordinary Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivator.

All because he lacked a sufficiently powerful Magic Skill.

He could learn the same Magic Skill faster than others, and its power would be greater too.

But besides Magic Skills, there was also his Cultivation level.

In three months, he needed to find a way to earn Spiritual Source and advance further.

After all, the next competition would involve the third floor of the Moon Tower.

Although the top ranker of the Six Pavilions was a threat, he wasn’t dangerous to a Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivator.

Jiang Man had already successfully executed the Magic Skill once, so subsequent attempts were naturally easier than before.

He pondered for a good while before succeeding in channeling it again.

This time, he still hadn’t reached the First Layer of the Magic Skill.

But he was close.

When he succeeded for the third time, Jiang Man felt the power of the Magic Skill, and it even resonated with his Dragon Suppression Skill.

A huge, golden, symbol-like seal slowly materialized.

The First Layer of the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal.

The seal emerged and descended with his palm.

BOOM!

It smashed a crater into the ground.

Its power was greater than the Dragon Suppression Skill, comparable to three of its palm strikes combined.

’There’s a reason it’s so hard to learn,’ he mused.

It was getting late, but Jiang Man didn’t dare to stop.

Dawn would break soon; he could only continue his Cultivation.

After another six successful channelings.

The Second Layer of the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal.

After twelve more.

The Third Layer of the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal.

After twenty-four more.

The Fourth Layer of the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal.

The sky had already brightened.

But Jiang Man didn’t pause in the slightest.

He had to successfully cultivate the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal to the Twelfth Layer before April 1st.

Theoretically, there was enough time.

He could even spare a couple of hours to go light the lamps at the Spirit Gathering Hall.

Right now, he could earn one hundred Spiritual Source a day.

That was three thousand a month.

Compared to the average pay of six hundred outside, this was a high income.

Unfortunately, even three thousand wasn’t enough for his Cultivation.

The higher one’s Cultivation, the higher the consumption.

Thinking back to Fang Yong’s situation, Jiang Man was quite curious how he had managed to progress this far.

’What is Fang Yong relying on?’

The resources from his family were clearly insufficient.

He’d never seen him at the Spirit Gathering Hall either.

’Where is he earning Spirit Stones?’

It had to be said, for Fang Yong to reach the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, he must also have exceptional Talent.

However, if he wanted to enter the Sect, he probably needed to advance to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

And from the Sixth to the Seventh Layer, there was a huge bottleneck that wasn’t easy to break through.

But...

Jiang Man recalled the envelope he had received.

’Logically, Fang Yong should have received one too.’

’If he chose to marry into a family, then it wouldn’t be a problem.’

For a moment, Jiang Man was very curious whether Fang Yong would marry into the Luo Family.

From the current look of things, for poor people like them...

...marrying into a wealthy family was the best option.

’Too bad I’m already married.’

’Of course, even if I weren’t, I wouldn’t have to resort to that.’

’As for why?’

’My Talent, of course.’

Pushing the thoughts aside, Jiang Man continued his Cultivation.

After forty-eight more successful channelings.

The Fifth Layer of the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal.

After ninety-six more.

The Sixth Layer of the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal.

Another day passed.

The Seventh Layer of the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal.

Two days later.

The Eighth Layer of the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal.

Four days later.

The Ninth Layer of the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal.

At the end of March.

Jiang Man was in his courtyard, cultivating relentlessly.

He didn’t slack off for even a single moment.

A golden light flickered around his body, the nine cloud-seals faintly visible.

It was not until the sun began to set.

Jiang Man withdrew his power, formed a hand seal, and—BOOM!

A dragon’s roar echoed as golden light erupted.

A colossal Golden Dragon materialized behind Jiang Man, and nine of the cloud-seals spun frantically around him.

The Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal had reached Great Success.

The Old Yellow Ox watched Jiang Man, chewing on a mouthful of grass.

’Jiang Man’s rate of improvement is truly absurd,’ it thought.

’In Qi Refining, he’s truly without equal.’

It was very curious about what was really going on.

But it wouldn’t ask again.

’If I ask, the answer will just be "because of my Talent."’

’Or "because I got married."’

It didn’t believe either excuse, but...

’...are there any other reasons?’

After all, it knew better than anyone what he had been up to all these years.

But there was no rush. It would wait until he reached Foundation Establishment. Then it would be clear whether this was a flash in the pan or the rise of a prodigy.

"Old Huang, what do you think of my Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal?" Jiang Man’s voice came from a distance.

The Old Yellow Ox lowered its head to eat grass, ignoring him.

Jiang Man walked over and said, "Old Huang, you’re not as fun as you used to be. You used to mock me a bit."

The Old Yellow Ox chuckled dryly.

’The despicable nature of humanity is on full display in you.’

Jiang Man watched the setting sun, feeling rather emotional.

’My Cultivation speed was a bit slow this time.’

’The pace of my Magic Skill improvement isn’t quite keeping up.’

’I still need to go and touch some treasures. That can stimulate my Talent.’

Afterward, Jiang Man swept the stables and then started making dinner.

He still had to go to the Spirit Gathering Hall tonight.

He had saved up two thousand Spiritual Source so far.

Tomorrow was April 1st.

Xiaopang’s Spiritual Source and Spirit Gathering Pills would arrive.

’Then I can further consider how to improve.’

’I can also ask if Fang Yong decided to marry into that family.’

——

「Elsewhere.」

Jianyue Tower.

A young man was cultivating the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal. Four cloud-like, rune-like seals were already circling around him.

When he withdrew his power, a fifth seal appeared.

Only then did the young man let out a breath of relief.

A middle-aged man stood beside him.

It was the same man who had gone to see Jiang Man on behalf of the Li Family.

"Young Master," the middle-aged man said, bowing respectfully.

"Old Jin, how are things proceeding?" the young man asked.

"There were still a few who refused us for the second competition, but most of them can be ignored. There’s just one, a man named Jiang Man, who we need to contact again," Old Jin said.

"Jiang Man? The one who’s second in the Six Pavilions?" the young man asked curiously.

"Yes. His perspective is too narrow. We still need to find a way to make him understand that not all people are the same," Old Jin said.

"The number one of the Six Pavilions is Cheng Moyang, right?" the young man said softly. "He should be the one feeling the most pressure right now. There’s no need for us to act if we don’t have to.

"Cheng Moyang will probably play the villain.

"He’ll make Jiang Man understand that people are different.

"The poor are, in the end, just poor.

"No matter how great their Talent, they’re still poor.

"With no one backing them, they can never make it to the big stage.

"Besides, my request is simple: I want him to pave the way for me in the next competition.

"So I can reach the next level."

The best reward in the third competition would be anything but simple.

Therefore, everyone who accepted the Li Family’s sponsorship had to become his stepping stone.

The point of the sponsorship wasn’t for them to win, but to make it easier for a member of the Li Family to win.

After a pause, the young man continued, "If necessary, have Li Yuan cooperate with you to secure Jiang Man. The second-ranked of the Six Pavilions can indeed be put to good use."

For those on the third floor of the Moon Tower, the second-ranked of the Six Pavilions wasn’t a particularly strong competitor.

One could only say he had a little bit of a competitive edge.

But only a little.

The best way to use him was to block the progress of others.

It had been this way for years.

Hearing this, Old Jin nodded.

Then he left to prepare to contact Jiang Man.

Back at the Six Pavilions’ residence.

Cheng Moyang was silent. Beside him, Young Master Yang said, his brow furrowed, "I never thought some poor guy we casually messed with back then could actually become a threat."