The End of the Immortal Path

Chapter 138 Getting second place is more impressive than getting first.

At noon that day.

Zhuo Bufan left the Foundation Building Academy.

He looked up at the bright sky and took a deep breath.

He then looked down at the paper, which began to tremble as his hand shook.

After a long while, the trembling in his hands gradually subsided, and then he gently folded the paper and put it away.

Only then did they continue walking forward, wanting to go back and get some rest.

Some things in this world cannot be forced or fought for.

What needs to be done is to learn how to accept it.

So what if you're a genius? So what if you're invincible?

However, they have not yet seen the true prodigy.

In an instant, Jiang Man's words echoed in his mind.

"This time it's not that you're weak, it's that I'm too strong."

Zhuo Bufan sighed and descended Yunxia Peak.

He looked at the reddish river ahead and then followed it upstream.

He had never paid attention to the Chishui River before.

Looking at the river above now, I always feel that I am nothing more than a fallen leaf on the water, unable to know the vastness and power of the river.

Finally, he arrived at Chishui Peak and entered a larger winery.

I went straight to the backyard and saw a middle-aged man.

The other person was sipping a spoonful of wine, intently savoring it.

After a long while, he looked at Zhuo Bufan, smiled, and put down the wine spoon in his hand, saying, "Young Master Zhuo, what brings you here? Did you bring the latest rankings?"

Zhuo Bufan shook his head and looked at the other party, calmly saying, "I came to tell you something: the Eight Academy's prodigy has returned. From now on, wherever he is, that's where the number one spot will be."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man looked at the young man in front of him with slight surprise and said, "The Eighth Academy's prodigy is back? How prodigy can he be? Can he compare to Wei Ran of Peach Blossom Peak?"

Zhuo Bufan recalled Jiang Man's score and a strange sense of confidence arose: "Wei Ran was lucky to have met that prodigy who didn't participate in last year's annual assessment."

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "So, Young Master Zhuo came in second?"

Zhuo Bufan had no psychological burden about this: "When facing a peerless genius, all you have to do is follow closely behind. Right now, I don't have enough resources, so I need more resources to get closer to him."

"Being able to remember someone, to gain their attention, is sometimes an opportunity."

"Now that I have this opportunity, whether the clan seizes it or not is up to you."

“I have already informed you of his appearance.”

"Finally, if I am unable to get close to him due to lack of resources, I will be unable to make him remember me."

"That is your fault."

"It's a loss for the family as well."

After saying that, Zhuo Bufan turned and left.

The middle-aged man watched the person disappear from sight and couldn't help but laugh, "You came in second, but you're talking more confidently than if you came in first. But who came in first?"

He had never even heard of the name.

"Should we report this?" someone asked from the corner.

"Report it. After all, this is Young Master Zhuo's way of protecting his resources. Whether he can protect them or not depends on him." The middle-aged man said with a smile. "If he fails, his resources will not be less than before. As long as his overall ranking does not drop, that's fine."

"Furthermore, the fact that we have the means to do things is not necessarily a bad thing."

"Should we take a look at this year's annual rankings?" a voice asked from the corner.

“Of course we should pay attention, but this year’s rankings aren’t as interesting as last year’s. Let’s focus more on the Ninth Hospital,” the middle-aged man said.

Because the Ninth Academy is the ranking for the first year when everyone is present.

The top students from the Eighth Academy are usually no longer there; instead, they go to the Fourth, Fifth, or Sixth Academies to experience the pressure there.

Having obtained the qualification, one naturally needs to find a way to achieve a sufficient ranking in the fourth, fifth, and sixth colleges.

The annual ranking of the Eighth Academy paled in comparison.

"Should we increase the resources for Young Master Zhuo?" a voice asked from the corner.

"It's good enough if they don't reduce it; if they really increase it, we won't be able to explain it to the clan," the middle-aged man said casually.

"Should we also report it truthfully?"

"Report truthfully."

After a moment of silence, someone in the corner said, "Is it possible that a true prodigy has appeared?"

"Do you believe it?" the middle-aged man asked, turning to look at the corner.

"Do not believe."

"Yes, what genius would wait until the second year? To miss such a great opportunity is just an excuse. We'll just keep an eye on it. Let's see how Young Master Zhuo handles things. It's already quite impressive that he could do something like this. At least his ranking dropping won't immediately reduce the clan's resources, leaving some suspense."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Jiang Man left the Eighth Hospital quite late.

Mainly, I was called in by Mr. Yan to explain things.

For example, this year's performance review.

They inquired about his team.

Jiang Man told the truth.

Fang Yong, Lin Qingshan, him.

Yan Yiqiu was slightly worried because there were no people from the Seventh Hospital.

It should be noted that the people of the Seventh Hospital are not weak.

Before the other person could finish speaking, Jiang Man asked a question.

Should we avoid their sharp edge?

Yan Yiqiu was speechless for a moment.

She felt that Jiang Man wasn't very good at conversation.

It was triggered automatically before she could even say those words.

Finally, Yan Yiqiu told him that excessive rigidity leads to breakage.

Jiang Man didn't pay any attention.

Too much rigidity leads to breakage; ultimately, it's because it's not rigid enough.

Furthermore, he wasn't reckless; he simply acted based on his strength.

If you're weak, you naturally won't speak up.

It will take several months.

Could a peerless genius be a fool?
Jiang Man paused for a moment.

I discovered that he really was a fool before.

Yan Yiqiu then told her that this time it was to obtain the qualification for the secret technique, which was very important.

Jiang Man took out his qualification token.

Yan Yiqiu was stunned.

However, the annual assessment will continue, because he must get into the top three at least once. Of course, once he gets it, he will get the first part.

This first part is of the highest quality.

Jiang Man was somewhat surprised. If he obtained all three, wouldn't that be roughly equivalent to the Heavenly Heart Seal?
It should be stronger.

We walked out of the Eighth Hospital.

Those who hadn't yet left their seats instinctively stood up the moment they saw him, while those who were originally standing took a step back, lowered their heads, and dared not look him in the eye.

We respectfully saw them off.

The glory of being number one was so dazzling that when the results were announced, everyone was stunned and breathless.

That was a majestic peak.

Even now, I haven't recovered.

But Jiang Man felt that the gap was getting smaller and smaller, and the second and third place winners were catching up.

He took out his paper and glanced at it.

June 3rd.

Mist Cloud Sect.

Outer Gate Cloud and Mist Peak.

The front courtyard of the Foundation Building Institute, the eighth small courtyard.

Name: Jiang Man.

Rank: 1 (out of 50)

Cultivation level: Late Foundation Establishment.

Physical body: Fourfold.

Spirit: Fivefold.

Minor studies: alchemy and talisman making.

Hidden Spirit: Superior.

Resources obtained: Simple Yuan Condensation Method, Seven Star Yuan Condensation Method, Simple Body Refining Method, Simple Visualization Method, Seven Star Visualization Method, Swimming Dragon, Shadowless Palm.

Score: 280.

Comment: His learning surpasses that of the 7th, 8th, and 9th colleges.

Jiang Man felt that Mr. Yan was being conservative in his assessment.

I can still hold my own against the fourth, fifth, and sixth hospitals to some extent.

However, it's still a long way from 400 points.

The main differences lie in the physical and mental aspects.

It seems that neither of the two subjects combined resulted in a perfect score of 100.

The physical body has nine layers, and so does the spirit.

The highest score is 10 points, and the lowest is 5 points.

That nine levels is ninety points.

Jiang Man still doesn't know how to get a perfect score.

As for minor courses
He hadn't expected that alchemy would be a minor subject.

He probably scored more than ten points in those two subjects.

Two hundred and eighty and one hundred and fifty-nine are only a little over one hundred apart.

Back then, I scored 98, while Zhuo Bufan only scored a little over 10.

The difference was several times, but now it's less than double.

It seems my score is still too low.

We need to improve both our mental and physical well-being.

Back at his lodgings, Jiang Man handed the paper to Old Huang Niu: "Old Huang, how did I do this time?" "Show it to your wife," Old Huang said without even glancing at him, then added, "Ask her how you did."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Man immediately looked around, becoming alert: "She's here?"

"It'll be here next month, the Magpie Bridge will open soon," the old ox said as it grazed.

Jiang Man breathed a sigh of relief. It was June 3rd now, which was indeed about right.

However, with the external factor of the Immortal Sect present, Meng Qiewei may not arrive on time.

After that, Jiang Man began to think about the annual performance review in August.

He will definitely participate in this assessment.

Unfortunately, the time was too short to improve his cultivation.

To ensure a safer outcome, one must also cultivate the Azure Smoke Melody.

The Green Smoke Dance is of the highest grade and has thirteen layers.

It takes a lot of time to achieve great success.

He also needs to set aside time to hone his skills.

There's even less time left.

Previously, practicing magic could cover the requirements of one's destiny, but that's no longer possible.

However, with further training, Jiang Man felt his spiritual energy become more substantial and his spirit more solid.

Among those of the same level, few can match his spiritual energy.

But the requirements for the physical body are also higher.

The inability to temper the physical body is indeed a problem.

The annual assessments for the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Academies should not include top-grade cultivation techniques; at most, they should only include top-grade spells.

So we'll have to wait until next year for the annual assessment at the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Hospitals.

It's a pity indeed.

After that, Jiang Man focused on honing his cultivation and then used the rest of his time to improve his physical body. He even bought thirty Qi-Nourishing Pills.

The spiritual source is reduced by 16,200.

A month later.

July 3rd.

The physical body gourd is full, and it can even break through to the next level.

Jiang Man bought ten more Peiyuan Pills.

We should be able to break through in ten days.

In the past, he could have focused all his efforts on improving.

Now we need to refine our cultivation first, and then improve our physical body.

It took a lot of time.

Fortunately, the cultivation gourd has already accumulated 80% of its power.

Taking some pills should be enough.

However, the further he progressed, the greater the bottleneck he felt.

It's probably not going to be easy to break through.

However, that's not something we need to think about right now. We should focus on improving both our physical and mental well-being first.

The bottlenecks will then be overcome on their own.

In order to experience the bottleneck first, Jiang Man bought ten more Fire Essence Pills.

5% off.

The 10% discount offered by my mentor was snapped up, so I can only use the discount offered by the investors.

Ten.

7,600.

Lingyuan has 22,000 left.

It's not enough to pay off the debt.

After that, Jiang Man took pills every day.

Ten days later.

The gourds in the late stage of Foundation Establishment have accumulated to 98%.

A dull thud emanated from the physical body, indicating that the fifth gourd had been activated.

The physical body has five layers.

However, the bottleneck he faced later on was exceptionally severe.

To break through to perfection, one needs to hone one's skills at this level for a period of time, or continue to improve one's spirit and body.

As Jiang Man was pondering, a muffled sound suddenly came from not far away.

It looked like something had fallen.

Jiang Man turned his head and saw that two books had fallen to the ground.

"Book?"

With a sense of doubt, I stepped over and picked it up.

There are no words on the surface.

He walked into the yard with his head down, looking at the books, and asked in confusion, "Old Huang, did you see who left these books?"

He then opened the first page.

They found several large characters above it—"The meaning behind the words of the Daoist companions."

Jiang Man was taken aback.

What book is this?

I flipped through the rest of the book.

'If your Daoist partner asks what you're doing, it's because she wants to know your situation and is also subtly hinting that she misses you.'

'If your Daoist partner says your speech is rigid, it means they want it to be gentler and more affectionate, like expressing longing for you day and night.'

Jiang Man frowned and closed the book.

I can understand it.

That would be a waste of time.

What he needs are books he can't understand.

Only in this way can progress be made.

Only then did he look up, intending to go inside and put the books away.

Just as I looked up, a graceful figure in light blue came into view.

The other party appeared extremely abruptly, without making a sound.

Jiang Man subconsciously tossed the book in his hand upwards.

Fortunately, it was caught in time.

"What are you looking at, my husband?" Meng Qie asked Jiang Man with a slight smile.

She was smiling, but Jiang Man felt as if the air itself had turned icy.

The other person is in a bad mood.

Could it be that her methods have already reached the point where she can interfere with herself?
"You mentioned the Immortal Sect, yet you came here so abruptly. Aren't you worried about the Immortal Sect's methods?" Jiang Man asked.

"Is my husband concerned about me?" Meng Qiewei opened the door and went inside.

Jiang Man looked at the old ox, his eyes darting around as if to say, "You didn't even tell me you were coming."

The old ox lowered its head to eat grass, without even raising it.

Jiang Man stepped into the room.

"Does my husband know why I came into the room?" Meng Qiewei asked as soon as she entered.

Jiang Man looked over and saw her standing by the table and chairs.

Then he shook his head.

“Because my husband doesn’t want me to wander around, for fear of revealing my location.” Meng Qie turned slightly to look at Jiang Man, her long hair moving with her movements, exuding a leisurely beauty.

At this moment, she parted her lips slightly and asked, "Is my husband so afraid that I will find you?"

“The fairy’s power is boundless; we had a misunderstanding before,” Jiang Man said.

Meng Qiewei's gaze remained fixed on Jiang Man: "Have you ever considered that I actually already knew where you were?"

Instantly, Jiang Man's heart tightened.

But he quickly returned to normal, realizing that the other party was bluffing him.

At this moment, Meng Qiewei had already looked away, and she gently wiped the table with her index finger.

Fingertips left marks on the table.

"Doesn't your husband rest in the room much?" Meng Qiewei raised her hand and looked at the dust on her fingers in surprise.

He then looked at Jiang Man.

"I need to cultivate; I don't have time to stay in my room to rest," Jiang Man thought to himself.

"Is my husband thinking about what I've discovered about you two?" Meng Qiewei asked.

Jiang Man shook his head.

“It seems my husband doesn’t believe me.” Meng Qiewei gently blew a breath.

In an instant, all the dust in the room condensed and finally fell in front of Jiang Man like a stone.

Jiang Man's heart tightened as he took the dusty stone.

The dream was slightly empowered.

However, he still didn't believe he had been discovered.

How much of what the other person says is true?

They said they would help build a better home, but now they're going to punish them.

I was too young and naive back then, I didn't understand anything at all.

I've been really hurt by Lao Huang.

Meng Qie sat upright in her chair and calmly said, "The palm print on the Five Elements Stone was left by my husband, wasn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Man was taken aback.

Discovered?

No, so far no one should know that they pressed it themselves.

All we know is that there is such a palm print.

Sure enough, since it involved a secret realm, it was difficult for him to avoid it.

Fame comes at a price.

(End of this chapter)