The End of the Immortal Path

Chapter 159 Is anyone looking for a husband to marry into their family?

Mid-January.

Jiang Man arrived at the Seventh Hospital and heard Mr. Yan's notification.

"The application for the annual competition has been approved."

She looked at Jiang Man and said, "The assessment will be held in late August this year. You can go to the First, Second and Third Hospitals. Also, the assessment for the First, Second and Third Hospitals is different from that for the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Hospitals. You will need to understand the First and Second Hospitals at that time."

"Furthermore, if you fail this time, it will likely affect your ability to obtain the remaining secret techniques."

"So you need to weigh it. If you feel it's too hasty, there's a chance to back out. You still have a chance before August."

Yan Yiqiu's words surprised Jiang Man; he was surprised that it took so long for her to change her mind.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "What ranking will allow me to obtain the remaining secret techniques?"

He participated in the annual assessment of the First, Second and Third Academies in order to obtain the Seven Star Body Refining Technique and the remaining secret techniques.

Although the fourth, fifth, and sixth academies went more smoothly, they took too much time. Although they were difficult, they were worthy of his unparalleled talent.

If everyone could do it, then what would differentiate me from other geniuses?
A success rate visible to the naked eye, coupled with unparalleled talent and tireless effort, as explained by Lao Huang.

There is absolutely no possibility of failure.

If you fail, it means you didn't try hard enough.

"It would be fine if we could get into the top fifty," Mr. Yan said.

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Bufan and the others were astonished.

First fifty?
In the first, second, and third academies, there are seven or eight hundred people who have just completed the Foundation Establishment stage.

The total number of people is over a thousand.

Making it into the top fifty in such an assessment is incredibly difficult.

Everyone has reached the Foundation Establishment stage, but there are significant differences between different Foundation Establishment stages.

Zhao Yaoyao kindly reminded, "The difference between Foundation Establishment Perfection and the resonance of cultivation techniques and the fusion of power is actually quite significant."

Lin Qingshan nodded in agreement: "Under normal circumstances, one can advance to the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage with the fifth level of physical and mental cultivation. There are four levels above that, and the ninth level is only worth ninety points. There are ten points above that, so the gap is huge."

"Furthermore, I heard that the assessments of the First, Second, and Third Academies use the most Hidden Spirits."

Hidden Spirit is the trump card of Foundation Establishment cultivators; a person can almost only use it once, and each use can directly affect the course of the battle.

Jiang Man also felt a lot of pressure listening to this.

It seems I need more elixirs to progress faster.

"By the way, I heard that people from the First, Second, and Third Academies look down on those who stay up all night to cultivate," Cao Cheng reminded him.

“I’ve heard that too. They think that everyone who gets first place does it by cheating,” An Rong added.

Although those people were unconvinced, there was nothing they could do; currently, no one who stayed up all night could beat them.

But there will come a day when they will be convinced.

“You have all received Mr. Ji’s guidance, and you should have made great progress. Those of you who are still in the seventh, eighth, and ninth colleges should try to come back with first place in this year’s assessment,” Yan Yiqiu said to Zhao Yaoyao.

Zhuo Bufan may not stay.

Zhao Yaoyao naturally understood as well.

The most regular annual competition of the 7th, 8th and 9th Institutes is coming soon.

With all the extraordinary geniuses absent, this is the only chance for ordinary geniuses to compete for first place.

Zhuo Bufan was also hesitant, wondering whether to go to the fourth, fifth, and sixth academies to compete for the middle part, or stay in the seventh, eighth, and ninth academies to take the first part.

This is the last year. If the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Academies don't get the middle section, then they won't be qualified to get the second part.

He failed to win the bid for the middle section, so the first section was also lost.

After that, we went to Chishui Peak again.

We arrived at the winery.

To his surprise, he actually ran into an acquaintance.

My cousin.

"I just happened to need to talk to you," Zhuo Qingcheng said, looking at Zhuo Bufan.

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Bufan asked rather helplessly, "In what capacity did my cousin ask me for help?"

Back then, when I was trying to find a bargain, I didn't even manage to pick up a spirit sword.

Cao Cheng mocked him.

Although the other party spent a thousand spirit resources to erase the name, they laughed very loudly.

He even said he found a bargain worth 30,000 and offered to share some with him.

Then Cao Cheng spent 10,000 on treatment.

With more spiritual energy available, Cao Cheng and An Rong began to speak without restraint.

Zhuo Qingcheng gave her 10,000 spirit resources and said, "As a simple clan elder sister, you'll receive spirit resources for doing things. This is yours."

"It's very simple that I need your help. I heard that Jiang Man from your courtyard is going to participate in the annual assessment of the first, second and third courtyards. Can you find a way to get him to join Zhuo Ling's team?"

Zhuo Bufan returned the spiritual source: "It's not quite right."

"Why?" Zhuo Qingcheng asked.

“Sister Zhuo Ling is not qualified,” Zhuo Bufan said bluntly.

For a moment, even the shopkeepers on the side were stunned.

Zhuo Ling, a genius who ranked among the top three in the first academy and the top twenty in the seven peaks of Chishui Peak, was actually said to be unworthy.

"Do you know what you're saying?" Zhuo Qingcheng looked at Zhuo Bufan.

Zhuo Bufan then said, "Haven't you met my cousin before?"

“He is extraordinary, but that doesn’t mean he’s powerful. He might not be able to get the better of the top three academies right now,” Zhuo Qingcheng said.

"I'm not going," Zhuo Bufan refused, then paused and added, "unless I join Jiang Man's team."

"I will not join his team." At this moment, Zhuo Ling walked in, her steps light and her demeanor elegant.

But her eyes held a pride that belonged to her: "A mere member of the Seventh Academy can only reach the late Foundation Establishment stage at most, and their future is yet to be seen. As one of the top three in the small academy and one of the top twenty in the entire outer sect, how can I lower myself?"

"I still hold my opinion. I'm already close enough to this peerless genius by my side. If we drift apart because of this deal, it would be a loss for the family." Zhuo Bufan looked at everyone and continued, "Of course, if my sister orders me to do this on behalf of the family, I will naturally inquire and try to find a solution, but I will not bear the consequences. In addition, I suggest that you spend spiritual resources to invite him to join the team. If the deal falls through, it won't hurt your feelings too much."

Zhuo Qingcheng looked at the two of them and found that these two Foundation Establishment cultivators were both incredibly tough.

She understood why one of the top twenty outer gates was so assertive, but another small courtyard, whose second outer gate didn't even rank, was even more assertive than the top ten.

Zhuo Qingcheng calmly said, "Then let's take Zhuo Ling as the fixed foundation, follow Bu Fan's ideas, and have Hua Lingyuan invite people to join as the main person in charge."

"Furthermore, this year's annual assessment will be exceptional enough to get you into the fourth, fifth, or sixth courtyards. I'll have the clansmen from the fourth, fifth, and sixth courtyards cooperate with you."

"You know the consequences if you fail."

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Ling glanced at Zhuo Bufan, and finally turned and left as if she had won a victory.

Zhuo Bufan took 50,000 spirit resources and decided to invite Jiang Man to join Zhuo Ling's team.

He failed that very day.

Zhuo Bufan was not surprised.

But Jiang was not satisfied.

He watched Zhuo Bufan leave and sighed heavily: "I was tricked by Young Master Fang and lost 10,000 spirit resources."

He truly hadn't expected that Zhuo Bufan would spend 30,000 to invite him to join the Zhuo family's team.

Only one person can join.

He had no choice but to refuse.

After all, this time I'll be teaming up with Gao Rong.

In fact, Zhuo Bufan wanted to make another offer, but he refused.

If he charges 30,000, he loses 10,000; if he charges 50,000, he loses 30,000.

Let's see them out.

He was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist agreeing.

"Old Huang, I lost 10,000 spirit resources. I won't be able to sleep tonight," Jiang Man said to Old Huang beside him.

The latter didn't even raise its head, quietly grazing.

Jiang Man didn't think much of it. Now, including Gao Rong's 20,000 spirit resources, he had 90,000 spirit resources, so it didn't matter if he had a little more.

First, buy the elixirs, then improve your cultivation level.

The gourd for the late-stage Foundation Establishment stage is now full; all that's left is to break through.

The gourd of the seventh level of physical body has just been opened and has not yet accumulated.

The eightfold constellations of the visualization method have just begun to connect; simply put, the eighth gourd has just been opened.

After trying it, Jiang Man found that the bottleneck in his cultivation had disappeared.

It is possible to break through.

There happened to be some Fire Essence Pills left.

But just to be on the safe side, Jiang Man bought five more.

Then came the journey, traveling day and night, accompanied by starlight.

Five days later, all the pills were consumed.

Seven days later, Jiang Man felt his body's power surge violently.

Eight days later.

The power returned to normal, and the fifth gourd was opened.

Only then did Jiang Man open his eyes and confirm the heavy spiritual energy in his body.

Every gesture they make leaves a mark on the ground.

Foundation Establishment Completed. The abundance of spiritual energy did not put pressure on Jiang Man.

He can withstand both mental and physical strain very well.

The benefits of having a high level of understanding.

Jiang Man then planned to continue improving.

There are currently 67,000 spiritual resources.

Since the physical body cannot be refined with Hundred Refinement Stones, more elixirs are needed.

Jiang Man decided to buy fifty pills first, which should be enough to advance to the eighth level. Then he would buy fifty spirit-strengthening pills, which might be enough to advance to the ninth level.

One hundred pieces would cost 60,000, but with a 10% discount, it would be 54,000.

There are still 13,000 left.

Then came the cultivation.

Ten days later, ten more Qi-Nourishing Pills were missing, and the seventh gourd in the physical body had accumulated thirty percent of its original amount.

Twenty days later.

Mid-February.

The number of Qi cultivation points has decreased by twenty, and the seventh physical body is only 60% complete.

Progress is not fast, because some time still needs to be spent refining the visualization method.

Late February.

The seventh gourd of the physical body has accumulated to 90%, and the eighth gourd of the spirit has also reached 90%.

In early March, the physical body began to break through.

On March 5th, after the elixir was completely used up, his physical body reached the eighth level.

On March 10th, after purchasing five more Spirit-Strengthening Pills, his spirit successfully entered the ninth level.

Jiang Man let out a heavy sigh of relief.

The later the breakthrough, the more troublesome it becomes, as it requires too much spiritual energy.

After only a brief adjustment to his strength, Jiang Man headed towards Little Fatty's shop.

I need to pay the interest.

Going there now will get you 20,000 spirit resources, plus the 10,000 you already have, making it 30,000.

I'm not worried about interest at all.

It all depends on whether we can borrow more spiritual energy.

There isn't enough spiritual energy.

Fang Yong has earned so much for him, but it's still not enough.

He needs to perfect all the techniques.

The ninth gourd of spirit has only been opened, not filled.

Without reaching a state of complete perfection, making it into the top fifty is practically a pipe dream.

When Jiang Man arrived at Chishui Peak, he saw Song Qing and Chang Qiwen chatting.

Song Qing had become much thinner at this time.

I don't know why she's so thin.

Jiang Man went over to inquire.

Song Qing was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Being a guard, how can it not be tiring?"

Jiang Man looked at him but didn't ask any more questions. She just told him to focus on improving his cultivation.

However, Song Qing was still working for the Gao family, so his life should be better than that of ordinary guards.

Then Little Fatty came over and told me about Gao Rong.

Jiang Man hesitated for a moment, then agreed.

Little Fatty immediately gave Jiang Man 20,000 spirit resources.

After that, Jiang Man settled the interest for Song Qing and the others.

However, just after the interest was paid out, Song Qing gave Jiang Man six thousand spirit resources.

"Isn't it usually three thousand?" Jiang Man was a little surprised, then added, "This time there's an urgent shortage, so this three thousand will be repaid as three thousand five in six months."

“Then I’ve made a profit. I’ll save more now so I can receive more each time I come. When the time comes, I can receive three thousand each time and just save more. With compound interest, I won’t have to work hard anymore,” Song Qing said with a smile.

"You've got a good idea," Jiang Man said, unconcerned.

He's about to reach the Golden Core stage, but at that time, the Golden Core Ancestor will still be lacking spiritual resources.

Impossible.

Chang Qiwen also received 6,000 yuan; he had just arrived and hadn't found any more part-time jobs yet.

This amount of six thousand can only be obtained with the interest given by Jiang Man.

After that, Little Fatty gave him twenty Qi and Blood Pills, and then another 12,000 Spirit Sources.

"The pills are mine, but the spiritual source belongs to Luo Xuan."

Jiang Man sighed with emotion, "My good friends have all gone to the young lady to borrow money."

Because they were pressed for time, Jiang Man only gave them a brief instruction on how to use magic.

He naturally didn't have much experience, so he simplified what Ji Hao had taught him and then told them.

With just a few casual words, they were enlightened and began to stay up all night to cultivate.

That's good.

Then Jiang Man left with 30,000 spirit resources.

Including my own, it comes to nearly 60,000.

Suddenly I felt confident again.

I'll try to contact my master again, hoping he can provide some more spiritual support, and then I'll try to contact Sister Yu, hoping she can provide me with a few more months' worth of spiritual resources in advance.

It's time to let the brilliance of this peerless genius shine throughout the entire outer sect.

After that, he was the only one speaking in the entire outer gate.

If he doesn't sleep, who will get rest?
Jiang Man, brimming with heroic spirit, returned to his residence.

Then, upon seeing the glowing old ox, he immediately wilted.

"Your wife wrote a letter," the old ox said calmly.

It's used to it.

Jiang Man asked with considerable emotion, "Senior, do you think something's wrong with her this time?"

"You two are asking me, an ox, about your marital affairs?" the old ox casually replied while eating the medicinal herbs.

Jiang Man took out the ball of light, and then heard Meng Qiewei's rather curious voice: "Husband, I recently heard that people in the clan are looking for geniuses to marry into their families. Would a peerless genius like you encounter such a thing?"
"If the person you're trying to win over offers you a stunningly beautiful woman, how should you, my husband, respond?"

After listening, Jiang Man pondered for a moment and still felt that Meng Qiewei was gentle and refined.

He then told the old ox what had happened.

The old ox lowered its head and ate grass, as if it hadn't heard anything.

Jiang Man pondered for a moment and said, "Old Huang, do you think she already knows who I am and is just teasing me?"

"Uncertain." The old ox raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Jiang Man. "However, what is certain is that her power cannot reach here for the time being, and it cannot be ruled out that she will be discovered."

"But Ji Hao tested you, so perhaps he has some doubts."

"Furthermore, she should not have any direct relationship with that Ji Hao."

She doesn't want people to know that you exist.

"Otherwise, as soon as we know you're here, a simple question about searching for the evil god would easily expose us."

"Could it be that she was won over by my talent?" Jiang Man asked.

The old ox fell silent for a moment.

"Think more rationally. Maybe she wants to kill you herself, or maybe she feels you've embarrassed her and would rather kill you secretly," the old ox said.

Jiang Man pretended not to hear and began cultivating.

I'm so busy that I don't even have time to practice sword control.

The next day.

Jiang Man bought three hundred spirit-sources worth of fine wine and went to find his master.

He Huai'an knew something was terribly wrong the moment he took a sip.

"Master, your disciple wants to compete for the title of number one in the outer sect."

He Huai'an: "..."

If you say you want to compete for the top spot in the outer sect, does that mean I have to support you a second time?

"Master, you are only one spiritual source away from becoming famous in the Alchemy Academy."

When I accepted you, I had already become famous and been ridiculed.

No need for fame.

In the end, He Huai'an donated twenty Gu Shen Dan pills.