Chapter 188 - Shielding the Two of Them

Refining his Spirit.His Cultivation had hit a bottleneck, and breaking through wouldn’t be easy.

The others were stunned to see Jiang Man cultivating.

Someone with high Talent was working even harder than they were.

They felt pressured to give up even the briefest moments of rest.

There was simply no time to rest.

After all, the moment they tried to relax, the image of Jiang Man cultivating would pop into their minds.

「Late that night.」

Yan Yiqiu announced the list of participants for the Third Courtyard’s assessment.

Jiang Man, Zhuo Bufan, Zhao Yaoyao, Lin Qingshan, and Wei Beichuan.

Cao Cheng had missed the cut by a single point.

An Rong breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close. I almost got left behind."

Cao Cheng glared daggers at An Rong.

He then took out a notebook and wrote down An Rong’s name.

Kicking him while he was down.

An Rong was speechless. "..."

"The assessment is the day after tomorrow. You’ll need to form your own teams and find people from the Seventh or Ninth Courtyards," Yan Yiqiu said, looking at the group. "Remember, when you’re competing for Cultivation Skills and Magic Skills, the difficulty is based on which courtyards your teammates are from.

"If everyone is from the Seventh Courtyard, that’s the highest difficulty.

"If everyone is from the Ninth Courtyard, that’s the lowest."

Back at his residence, the Old Yellow Ox asked Jiang Man if he had figured out how to stabilize his True Martial Skill.

"Yes. I can’t increase its speed, but I can make the True Martial Skill cast more stably," Jiang Man said with a smile. "I just need to add an extra layer of Spiritual Qi, like water in a bucket.

"If you pick it up and start walking, it’s easy to spill. But if you maintain the right rhythm, the water will stay inside no matter how much it’s shaken."

"You succeeded?" the Old Yellow Ox asked.

"I did. As long as my opponent isn’t overwhelmingly stronger than me, they shouldn’t be able to interrupt it. It’s a bit of a niche improvement, but it’s surprisingly effective against those with similar strength," Jiang Man said.

The Old Yellow Ox said no more and went back to eating grass.

Jiang Man didn’t think much of it.

He simply waited quietly for the assessment in two days.

「Meanwhile.」

Fang Yong also let out a heavy sigh of relief.

He had barely managed to make it into the top three.

By participating in the Third Courtyard’s assessment, things should go smoothly from here on out.

On the way, he ran into Zhang Bai.

"Junior Brother Fang, did you successfully qualify for the Third Courtyard’s assessment?"

"I did. Has Senior Brother Zhang found suitable teammates?"

Fang Yong asked with a smile.

"Yes. I need to give her something to help boost her strength," Zhang Bai said softly. "The people teaming up with you, Junior Brother Fang, will probably give you things too, right?"

"They will. It’s been mentioned," Fang Yong said with a nod.

"That’s good. I was worried you were getting the short end of the stick." With that, Zhang Bai smiled and left.

Fang Yong waved goodbye.

He then continued toward his residence.

He mulled over the matter of being given gifts.

’The only thing Jiang Man would give me is an IOU.’

Back at his residence, he planned to continue his Cultivation.

But before long, Cheng Yu appeared in front of his courtyard.

"Young Master Fang," Cheng Yu said with a smile. "Are you going back home this time?"

Hearing this, Fang Yong looked at her and said, "Do you want to go back?"

"That depends on where ’back’ is. I don’t want to go back to my home," Cheng Yu answered truthfully.

"You didn’t go back last time either?" Fang Yong asked.

"That’s right. I don’t dare go back. My mother is good to me, but she also hits me. If others think I’m not doing well, she hits me. If others praise me, she hits me too. The first is because she thinks I’m not working hard, and the second is because she thinks I’m not working hard *enough*." Cheng Yu gestured, grabbing a lock of her hair and making a slapping motion. "She loves to grab my hair and hit me. I don’t even dare to cry, so the mere thought of going back terrifies me."

Fang Yong looked at her calmly and said, "You don’t have to go back this year. Just focus on doing your current job well."

"Can Young Master Fang participate in the Third Courtyard’s competition?" Cheng Yu asked.

"I can," Fang Yong nodded.

Cheng Yu smiled. "Congratulations, Young Master Fang. I’ll be heading back then."

Fang Yong thought she would ask more, but their conversation ended just like that.

He didn’t mind, though. He returned to his Cultivation, deciding to rely on Jiang Man from now on.

Ever since he joined the Yunqian Bureau, he had been paying attention to Jiang Man.

He never imagined that Jiang Man, who had seemed so poor and foolish, would one day become such a figure.

「On the day of the Third Courtyard assessment.」

Jiang Man met up with Lin Qingshan first. Seeing the ever-darkening circles under his eyes, he couldn’t help but remark, "A genius’s brilliance simply can’t be hidden."

"We have one more person from the Ninth Courtyard on our team?" Lin Qingshan asked.

"Yes, someone from my hometown," Jiang Man replied.

"People from your hometown can be dangerous sometimes. You should be careful," Lin Qingshan kindly warned. "Especially when they’re the fellow townsman of a genius like you. That’s even more dangerous.

"Many people who can’t get to you directly will try to get to your friends instead.

"That’s how they achieve their goals."

Hearing this, Jiang Man was taken aback. "Things like that happen?"

’Looks like I need to let everyone know that Fang Yong is my good friend from back home.’

’Fang Yong had to kowtow and play poor just to get a courtyard to live in.’

’As his friend, if someone wants to ’buy’ him, they’ll have to pay a premium, right?’

"Yes, so you need to be careful," Lin Qingshan reminded him.

Jiang Man expressed his thanks.

’If he hadn’t reminded me, I would have nearly missed such a great opportunity.’

’Especially since it’s my time to shine in the Third Courtyard.’

’Many people will be trying to do something to me.’

’Fang Yong is a perfect opening for them.’

"It’s a good thing you reminded me," Jiang Man said earnestly.

Lin Qingshan was a little confused.

He felt that Jiang Man was genuinely thanking him, but there was something strange about the tone of his gratitude.

After that, the two of them found Fang Yong.

The moment he saw him, Lin Qingshan was stunned. "A rich guy?"

He looked at Jiang Man and said, "I take back what I said just now. He looks really rich. He probably won’t sell you out."

"How can you tell he’s rich?" Jiang Man asked curiously.

"He came from the direction of the private courtyards, he’s wearing expensive clothes, and his boots are engraved with runes. They’re a Magical Treasure that can enhance Wandering Dragon-type Magic Skills," Lin Qingshan said, staring at Fang Yong. "Not only that, look at his skin—it’s flawless. That comes from being pampered.

"And he has the air of a wealthy person about him.

"The only surprising thing is that his wealth is too obvious.

"Zhuo Bufan and the others are rich too, but they aren’t this conspicuous.

"It’s as if he’s telling everyone, ’I’m rich, so you’d better watch out.’

"I think he must have suddenly come into a great fortune.

"Of course, it’s also possible he’s just pretending to be rich, but since he can participate in the Third Courtyard’s assessment, he should be genuinely wealthy."

Jiang Man looked at Lin Qingshan, a little surprised.

He hadn’t noticed any of that.

In any case, ever since he saw Fang Yong being tricked by Cheng Moyang and his group, he knew Fang Yong was a fake rich kid.

He hadn’t expected there to be so many intricacies.

’What a waste of time.’

After the three of them grouped up, Fang Yong said, "I’ve already gathered some information. In this Third Courtyard competition, there’s a Mid-grade Cultivation Skill, a Mid Grade Technique, and a Spirit Sword worth fifteen thousand."

"Only fifteen thousand?" Jiang Man felt that was a bit low.

He recalled that when he went to the Secret Realm, he came out with not only fifteen thousand but also a Top-grade Yuan Condensation Technique.

The difference was huge.

No wonder all the geniuses went straight to compete in the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Courtyards.

There was absolutely no reason for them to stay here.

"Fifteen thousand is still decent. After all, for those who don’t get a Magic Skill or Cultivation Skill, they can at least get a Spirit Sword as a consolation prize," Fang Yong said.

"Middle Grade is already good enough," Lin Qingshan chimed in. "Buying a Mid-grade Cultivation Skill or a Mid Grade Technique isn’t cheap at all. A Spirit Sword can’t compare."

’I’m getting ahead of myself,’ Jiang Man thought. He’d seen so many Top-grade items that he was starting to look down on Middle Grade ones.

"What are the rewards for the Seven Peaks competition?" Jiang Man asked.

"It hasn’t been announced yet, but at most there will be a Top-grade Technique. Last year, though, there was a Spirit Sword worth thirty-five thousand," Fang Yong said.

Afterward, the three of them headed to the back mountain of Cloud Mist Peak.

There were not only Puppets here, but also Demon Beasts.

Just as they arrived, Jiang Man ran into a group of three.

Jiang Man recognized one of them, and Fang Yong recognized two.

"Zhao Yaoyao?" Lin Qingshan was a little surprised.

"Looks like we all know each other." Zhang Bai looked at Fang Yong and said, "Junior Brother Fang, you’re here too? These two look like they’re from the Eighth Courtyard. Why didn’t you find someone from the Seventh Courtyard?"

"Why else? Because he’s poor," another girl said coldly. "He was like this in the Ninth Courtyard—pretending to be a young master with no money, tricking a bunch of clueless people.

"I don’t know how he can be so shameless."

Jiang Man felt they were wasting time, so he asked, "Do you guys know where the Mid-grade Body Refining Technique is?"

"The former number one of the Ninth Courtyard?" Zhang Bai sighed as he looked at Jiang Man. "Did you only come this time because you heard those three aren’t participating?"

In an instant, Zhao Yaoyao’s face turned a shade paler.

She silently took a step back, positioning the other two in front of her.