Chapter 80: Chapter 79: Does Your Fairy Wife Allow You to Take a Concubine?

Fang Yong had mentioned ending early.

Naturally, that meant he, the one ranked first, had to be the one to stop cultivating.

Otherwise, no one else could end their session.

"Brother Jiang, have you heard? The price of Elixirs has gone up recently," Xiaopang asked.

"Does it affect you?" Jiang Man asked curiously.

"Not really. My personal supply hasn’t changed." Xiaopang shook his head, then whispered, "The rumor is, this is meant to target people like you, Brother Jiang."

"They’re deliberately trying to force you to sign a contract."

"Actually, Brother Jiang, you could consider marrying into a family. I heard the Luo Family is planning to recruit a live-in son-in-law for Luo Xuan."

Hearing this, Jiang Man grew curious. "Then isn’t the Cheng Family looking for a husband for Cheng Yu? This is your chance."

"No way." Xiaopang immediately shook his head. "I liked the way Cheng Yu acted before. She’s already shattered that beautiful image I had of her."

"And even if, hypothetically, nothing had changed..."

"I still wouldn’t marry someone as outstanding as Luo Xuan or Cheng Yu."

"I’d definitely be the one suffering down the line."

"That’s what you call asking for trouble."

"Wouldn’t it be better for me to marry someone with slightly lower Cultivation and a little less Talent than me?"

"Someone young, pretty, and obedient."

"Especially someone who would let me take concubines."

"By the way, Brother Jiang, would your Fairy wife allow you to take concubines?"

Jiang Man kept his smile, patting Xiaopang on the shoulder. "Your dark circles aren’t heavy enough. You need to work even harder."

He felt upset that he couldn’t see Xiaopang suffering.

After that, Mr. Zhao came in to lecture on Cultivation.

Jiang Man didn’t listen, cultivating in secret instead.

Now that Elixir prices had risen, he needed to work even harder.

If it weren’t for the fact that some of the instructors’ teachings were genuinely useful, he would have wanted to start cultivating the moment he arrived.

He wouldn’t listen to a thing.

He might not even have come at all.

Now, the need to work hard was even greater. A sense of crisis was setting in.

If he couldn’t buy Elixirs at their original price, he would be in real danger.

Even borrowing Spiritual Source would mean borrowing at double the rate.

The difficulty of paying it back was one thing, but more importantly, there might not be much Spiritual Source available to borrow in the first place.

’I’m being pushed this far myself.’

’The other poor students will probably have to bow their heads.’

If the person Fang Yong was taking him to see this time couldn’t help either...

...then Fang Yong himself might have to marry into a family.

Because he was still at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, and it was extremely difficult to enter a Sect before reaching the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

Only a few people from the entire Cyan Cloud Pavilion would make it in.

Being in the top five was a relatively safe bet.

But many would fight for the top three, just in case there were specific ranking requirements.

In the afternoon, Jiang Man finished his practice early.

When the others saw this, they all frowned.

’What’s with today?’

’The number one isn’t cultivating?’

Xiaopang spoke up. "Brother Jiang, are you done cultivating?"

Jiang Man glanced at him and said seriously, "I’m going back to cultivate in secret."

With that, he walked out.

Xiaopang: "..."

Everyone: "..."

’The Cyan Cloud First is truly inhuman.’

Luo Xuan and Cheng Yu both let out a helpless sigh of relief.

It was a rare chance for them to leave early today.

"I really don’t understand what kind of constitution he has, to feel no fatigue even after cultivating nonstop without sleep," Cheng Yu lamented on the way.

She had recently heard that many people had gone to verify whether Jiang Man truly never slept and just cultivated constantly.

But the truth was extremely harsh.

Jiang Man really didn’t sleep.

He cultivated without rest, without sleep.

His nighttime Cultivation almost never stopped.

Now, the Six Pavilions were filled with moans and groans.

They had never met anyone like this; it was like he was forcing everyone else to cultivate.

If the second-ranked student is cultivating, even if the first isn’t, the third has to. And if the third is cultivating, doesn’t the fourth have to keep up?

Who doesn’t want to climb higher?

And who could stand to let the gap between them and others widen?

When all the top students were cultivating, how could those ranked lower have the nerve to leave early?

A vicious cycle had taken hold.

"His rank is right there. As long as the number one of the Six Pavilions says nothing, no one else has the right to object," Luo Xuan said.

Back then, she had been able to break Jiang Man’s cultivation atmosphere.

But as it turned out, those were just unpleasant memories.

’At that time, I never thought he would become the new number one.’

’And now, the current number one of the Six Pavilions must feel that same sense of crisis.’

’He broke the cultivation atmosphere today, but he definitely doesn’t dare to slack off.’

’Once he’s surpassed, he’ll be seen as a joke.’

"Luckily, I’ve never been number one, or I’d be the one getting laughed at behind my back," Cheng Yu said, then asked, "Did your attempt to recruit a husband fail?"

Luo Xuan nodded. "It was never going to succeed."

Her father choosing Jiang Man had doomed it to failure from the start.

The only saving grace was that he hadn’t explicitly stated it was to recruit a husband for her.

Otherwise...

...she really would have become a joke.

But being unable to recruit a son-in-law probably meant trouble for her family as well.

"Is Jiang Man actually married or not?" Cheng Yu asked curiously.

The reports said he wasn’t, but Jiang Man insisted he was.

It was impossible to be sure.

Hearing this, Luo Xuan asked curiously, "Are you thinking of trying?"

"Me?" Cheng Yu pointed to herself and said with a smile, "Seeing how dazzling he is, I’ll admit I’m tempted, but I can’t."

"Why not?" Luo Xuan said calmly. "Aren’t you quite cunning?"

"I’ve already used my tricks on him. They didn’t work," Cheng Yu said, sounding rather helpless.

After a pause, she continued, "Actually, there’s another reason. I can’t keep up with him. Don’t just look at the two-Realm gap in our Cultivation; in reality, we’re worlds apart."

"Like you said, there’s nothing else in his eyes. It’s just Cultivation and more Cultivation."

"How could someone like that ever turn his gaze toward us?"

"Even if I really did succeed with some clever tricks."

"By the time he snapped out of his Cultivation trance..."

"...we’d already be a pile of old bones."

"If I really had to consider someone, Fang Yong would be a better choice."

"He’s a bit vain and can be a little shameless."

"But he’s actually loyal and values relationships."

"And his conviction is extremely firm."

"If I make a move on him now and succeed..."

"...when he achieves fame and success in the future, I’d also have a good end."

With that, she looked at Luo Xuan. "Why doesn’t the Luo Family consider him?"

Luo Xuan fell silent.

She had only recently learned that Fang Yong was not from the Fang Family. She didn’t know his specific background, but her father certainly did.

There was only one reason they hadn’t approached him.

Fang Yong didn’t seem as promising as Jiang Man.

What the Luo Family wanted was a live-in son-in-law who looked extremely promising.

Someone who could intimidate the other families.

If he were just an ordinary Student Cultivator, even one who could successfully enter a Sect, he wouldn’t have that kind of deterrent power.

That’s why in her father’s eyes, Jiang Man, formerly the second-ranked in the Six Pavilions, was the most suitable candidate.

His reputation was big enough.

Unfortunately, it failed.

But her father hadn’t given up. The increase in Elixir prices had given him new hope.

After a pause, Luo Xuan looked at the person beside her. "What about you? August is almost here."

Hearing this, Cheng Yu smiled. "Me? I’m not in a hurry."

Luo Xuan said softly, "Not in a hurry, huh."

She suddenly recalled her father saying that the news about her second uncle would soon get out.

’The Luo Family...’

’...doesn’t have much time left.’

The situation was more urgent than she had anticipated.

Therefore, she also had far fewer choices than she had expected.

But even so, it seemed she couldn’t alleviate her family’s situation.

For her, the two words "not in a hurry" were truly a luxury.

—

「On the other side.」

Jiang Man and Fang Yong were walking on a small path.

The two of them were heading toward the third floor.

Jiang Man was quite curious. "Young Master Fang, where did you find this connection?"

The prices just went up today, and you already have a way in.

It was truly surprising.

"She actually approached me before. She even informed me about the price increase in advance," Fang Yong said.

Hearing this, Jiang Man froze.

He looked at Fang Yong in disbelief.

’So...’

’...have you been secretly scalping?’