Chapter 73: Chapter 72: The Patriarch Personally Invites Me to Marry Into His Family

Life is unpredictable.

Some things, and some people, will always defy expectations.

They walk a path that is completely beyond comprehension.

Jiang Man was just such a person.

Cheng Moyang recalled the first time he’d ever heard of this person. It was because he’d wanted to mess with Fang Yong.

Jiang Man had just been accidentally caught in the middle.

Back then, the guy was on the verge of being unable to pay his cultivation fees.

Cheng Moyang had thought he was just some desperate soul with nowhere to turn.

There was no need to push him too far.

Who would have thought that he would rise so quickly after that?

He became an... interesting poor man.

So they had taken the opportunity to toy with him, just as they toyed with Fang Yong.

They wanted to make him feel a bit of helplessness, despair, and melancholy.

More importantly, they wanted him to understand that he was nothing like them.

Just because they studied in the same place and did the same things didn’t make them equals.

As for their ultimate fate, he didn’t really care much.

If they could stay, they stayed. If not, it just meant he’d have to find a new lackey, a new person to ridicule.

It had no effect on his life whatsoever.

But now, this insignificant person had become a threat to him.

"The Li Family even went out of their way to send me a message. They informed me of the results of their recent investigation, confirming he has no one backing him," Cheng Moyang said with a smile. "The Li Family wants me to deal with Jiang Man so they can conveniently recruit him afterward."

"Second in the Six Pavilions... he’s worth roping in."

"I just don’t know what they want him for."

"Whether it’s to use him as a stepping stone in this competition, or after entering the Sect."

Either way, once he signs a contract, he’s bound to be used as a stepping stone.

And people like him almost always have to agree to such contracts.

Because the higher one’s cultivation, the more Spiritual Source one needs.

Talent isn’t eternal. Spiritual Source is.

With Spiritual Source, you have prodigies, you have a future.

Having Talent doesn’t guarantee a future.

Especially Talent without backing and without Spiritual Source.

Crushing a poor man with no background is still simple, even if he has some Talent.

"He really has become a threat to Young Master Cheng. We should have pushed harder back then and gotten him disqualified," the short Young Master Yang said.

"You sound quite resentful," Cheng Moyang said with a chuckle. "I suppose that’s fair. Because of him, your third-place spot vanished, and you dropped to fourth."

"But do you really think he’s the same person he was back then?"

"Trying to suppress him now, especially within the Yunqian Bureau, is basically impossible."

"Otherwise, the other families would have made their move long ago."

With that, Cheng Moyang walked over to a chair and sat down. "He’s first in the Cyan Cloud Pavilion and second in the Six Pavilions."

"How many years has it been since the Cyan Cloud Pavilion has taken first among the Six Pavilions?"

"Suppress him with power?"

"The Cyan Cloud Pavilion would have to agree to that."

"His supervising mentor would have to nod his approval as well."

"He’s a poor man, yes, but he’s no longer a poor man with no backing."

Young Master Yang said, somewhat surprised, "That’s true. If we clashed with him directly, we’d be the ones getting tied down."

The Jiang Man of today was second in the Six Pavilions, at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.

Without using their family’s power, they could no longer suppress him.

Unless they resorted to some underhanded methods.

Cheng Moyang said with a calm expression, "It’s like I said. We’re too close to him, our Cultivation Realms are too close. If we block his path, our own paths will be more or less blocked as well."

"We toyed with him back then because he was an interesting poor man."

"Now... he’s a poor man valued by the Cyan Cloud Pavilion."

"There’s no need to provoke him."

"The Li Family will definitely do something. We won’t be their pawns."

After a pause, Cheng Moyang continued, "We’d be better off messing with Fang Yong. He still wants to come find us to cultivate together."

"To maintain his ’Young Master Fang’ image."

"Me, the young master who’s first in the Six Pavilions, hanging out with him."

"How many people must envy him."

"They all have to call him ’Young Master Fang.’"

"He probably still has no idea what we really think of him," Young Master Yang added with a laugh.

Cheng Moyang thought for a moment, then said, "Still, we should keep an eye on the Sixth Courtyard during the monthly assessments from now on."

"If the Cyan Cloud Pavilion hadn’t kept the rankings private, those people wouldn’t have been caught so off guard."

Young Master Yang nodded. "I wonder if he can still improve. With only three months left, there shouldn’t be much room for progress."

"The Qi Refining Eighth Layer is probably his limit."

They all knew just how difficult it was to advance again.

After all, they were at this Realm themselves.

In the evening, Jiang Man went to the Spirit Gathering Hall once again.

He was discovering that relying solely on the Spirit Gathering Hall might not be enough.

The gap between the Qi Refining Eighth Layer and the Qi Refining Ninth Layer was quite large.

Trying to advance in the time remaining would be exceptionally difficult.

’Being poor really is a hindrance to my Talent,’ he thought.

Even if he absorbed energy quickly, it would be impossible to advance to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer in three months without enough Spiritual Source.

That was something even the Eleventh Layer of the Qi Cultivation Skill couldn’t accomplish.

Moreover, his advantage was dwindling. After all, the other experts had likely also reached the highest level of their Qi Cultivation Skills.

And they had far more Spiritual Source.

Forget about catching up to them...

He’d be lucky not to fall behind.

"Why doesn’t someone just sponsor me with a large amount of Spiritual Source for free?" Jiang Man asked, looking at the Old Yellow Ox after returning from the Spirit Gathering Hall.

The ox replied calmly, "Didn’t I get you a wife for free? Though she did run away."

"Old Huang, did you stick with me because you saw from the start that I was destined for greatness?" Jiang Man asked.

The Old Yellow Ox paused, then raised a brow slightly to glance at Jiang Man.

Then it lowered its head and went back to eating grass.

Jiang Man felt it was a shame. He was truly desperate for Spiritual Source.

’I’m at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer now. There should be other avenues available to me.’

’For example, I could borrow from Xiaopang and Chang Qiweng.’

Unfortunately, in most people’s eyes, the Qi Refining Eighth Layer was his limit.

The Qi Refining Ninth Layer was simply too far away.

And the bottleneck was much more substantial.

Breaking through required a massive amount of resources.

Just as Jiang Man was preparing to cultivate, he suddenly saw someone approaching in the distance, one step at a time.

It was a middle-aged man.

"Someone from one of the families has come looking for you," the Old Yellow Ox said.

Jiang Man grew vigilant. "Old Huang, is he going to attack me?"

"He won’t. Not unless he’s given up on his family," the Old Yellow Ox said.

"If he really has given up on his family, Senior, you have to protect me," Jiang Man pleaded.

So now he was calling him ’Senior’.

The Old Yellow Ox was used to being called ’Old Huang’; this sudden switch to ’Senior’ was a bit jarring.

At that moment, power circulated within Jiang Man’s body. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

’Qi Refining Eighth Layer... I should be able to at least try to escape.’

’If I can make it to the guard post, I’ll be safe.’

"Are you nervous?" Luo Huaili asked, looking at Jiang Man.

The visitor was, of course, the Patriarch of the Luo Family, Luo Huaili, who was intent on finding a son-in-law.

’Next time I’m stronger than you, I’ll pay you a late-night visit too. I hope you won’t be nervous then,’ Jiang Man thought to himself, but his words were respectful. "Senior, you were looking for me?"

"Let me introduce myself. My surname is Luo, and I am the Patriarch of the Luo Family," Luo Huaili said earnestly. "You should know why I’ve come to find you."

’Recruiting a son-in-law?’ The answer immediately surfaced in Jiang Man’s mind.

But he was still puzzled. "Is this something that requires you to come personally, Senior? And so late at night?"

"My visit is a bit rushed, but I truly couldn’t wait any longer. I’ve come to invite you to join the Luo Family. You can name any other conditions you want," Luo Huaili said with sincerity, looking at Jiang Man.

"I will not marry into your family."

"That’s not an option."

"..."