Chapter 207 - Locking On to the Son-in-law Candidate (Part 2)

"For someone like that to still be criticized only shows how short-sighted people are."Jiang Man looked at the man before him and thought, ’He’s truly worthy of being called a Celestial Pride.’

’All I did was pull an all-nighter, and I get praised like this.’

’If he weren’t from Meng Qiewei’s family, I’d definitely want to be his friend.’

’Also, he didn’t have to specifically point out that I’m poor.’

Just then, Ji Hao changed the subject. "So, I’d like to ask you... would you be willing to marry into our family?"

Jiang Man was stunned.

’Marrying into another family again.’

"Can’t I be the one to marry her?" he asked.

"It’s not entirely out of the question. How about this: would you be willing to change your surname to Ji and marry a woman from a side branch of our clan?" Ji Hao asked.

Jiang Man stared blankly at him. "Change my surname to marry someone from your side branch?"

"That’s right. The children will take your surname," Ji Hao said.

Jiang Man was silent for a long time. ’This guy really knows how to talk.’

’The Luo Family Patriarch wouldn’t have put it like that when he came.’

’He was so rigid.’

’No wonder this guy is a Celestial Pride while the Luo Family Patriarch is just an ordinary expert.’

’But why a side branch?’

Jiang Man asked out of curiosity.

’He was an Unparalleled Celestial Pride, after all.’

Ji Hao explained, "It’s because you’re only at Foundation Establishment. Accomplishments at the Foundation Establishment stage don’t really mean much, so while many people are interested in you, they won’t go too over the top."

"The world of the Immortal Sects is vast. No matter how fast you reach Foundation Establishment, it’s still just Foundation Establishment. The journey has only just begun."

"This path is far too long."

"Early achievements only prove that you’ve performed well at this stage."

"It’s hard to say what will happen later."

"There are far too many people like that."

"You can consider this me making an early move to win you over."

"I can’t agree to that," Jiang Man said.

"Why? Is it because it’s a side branch?" Ji Hao asked.

Jiang Man answered honestly, "It’s because I already have a partner."

Ji Hao wasn’t surprised, as he had clearly heard such rumors. He continued, "That makes sense. But who is this partner of yours? Is she that important? Is she beautiful?"

"Beautiful?" Jiang Man said with a smile. "She’s more than beautiful. She has a grace that’s matched only by her wisdom, an elegance that is peerless. Her brows are like distant, ink-washed mountains; her eyes, like the captured light of autumn waters. Her lips are as if touched with crimson, and she shines with a natural radiance even without a trace of makeup."

"Her skin is fairer than snow, her dark hair a cascading waterfall. When she walks, the hem of her dress sways gently, ethereal as smoke and mist, as if she’s completely untouched by the mortal world."

"Her disposition is gentle, yet she is not weak. She treats others like a soft spring breeze, and there’s always a hint of a smile in her voice when she speaks."

’Every time I think about her, I feel a chill down my spine, like I could be targeted for revenge at any moment,’ Jiang Man thought to himself.

Ji Hao was a little surprised. She sounded extraordinary. He asked, "So you two are mutually in love?"

"Mutually in love? It’s not something that can be explained in a sentence or two." Jiang Man feigned a reminiscent look. "To me, she is like pear blossoms reflected on a spring river—silent, yet deeply moving."

"She is not like a scorching fire, but like a gentle rain that nurtures all things, silently seeping into the very fabric of time."

"A single, casual word of concern, or the softness in her eyes as she glances back. There’s no need for vows, for our bond is stronger than Golden Stone."

"Even as the world changes, she remains true to her original heart."

’Her questioning me once every few months, visiting in person every year, single-mindedly plotting her revenge... I guess that counts as ’nurturing all things’ and ’remaining true to her original heart,’’ he mused.

Ji Hao’s brow furrowed. "Are you sure you’re not just making all this up?"

Jiang Man shrugged and smiled. "In any case, I’m already married."

"So no changing your name, no marrying into a family?" Ji Hao asked.

Jiang Man nodded. "Have you ever seen an Unparalleled Celestial Pride marry into another family and change their name?"

Ji Hao shook his head, but added that he had never seen an Unparalleled Celestial Pride to begin with.

Jiang Man waved and walked away. "You will."

He didn’t tell Ji Hao that he was looking at one right now.

Time would prove everything.

Watching Jiang Man leave, Ji Hao sighed. ’So it really isn’t him. Could my senses have been wrong?’

In truth, he hadn’t left his family to find the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart. That was just an excuse to get away; he had other things to do.

It was only by chance that he’d come here and genuinely sensed the Fate Chart’s presence.

It was a feeling he had never experienced before.

But he was certain it had to be the Fate Chart.

He had never heard of anyone in his clan having such a sensation.

As for why, he had no idea.

Perhaps he truly had a unique affinity with the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart.

So, he began to investigate.

At first, he zeroed in on Wei Ran.

Later, Jiang Man’s fame began to skyrocket.

He investigated him and then locked onto Jiang Man as well.

Between the two, he could only test one of them for now.

He was leaning toward Jiang Man.

That was why he had come here to make contact.

Unfortunately...

It wasn’t him.

The item he carried was a special tool his clan used to find the bearers of the Fate Chart through the generations.

It had never been wrong.

Therefore, he ruled Jiang Man out.

That only left Wei Ran.

Still, he wanted to win Jiang Man over. Proposing he marry into the family was just one method.

Since he refused, he would have to wait for a future opportunity.

Finally, Ji Hao breathed another sigh of relief. ’Good thing it wasn’t him.’

In truth, even if he had confirmed it was Jiang Man, he wouldn’t have known what to do.

Send a message back to the clan?

What if the Young Mistress was displeased?

He would be finished.

So, confirming it *wasn’t* him was actually the risk-free outcome.

He just needed to send a message back saying he was making progress.

Back at his residence, Jiang Man gnawed on a steamed bun while listening to the Old Yellow Ox’s explanation.

The Purple Mist Divine Light was incredibly complex. Even with the Old Yellow Ox’s guidance, a single day was not nearly enough time.

"You need to bring the relevant books. At the very least, you need to understand the concepts I’m talking about. I’ll help you mark the key points."

"We don’t have enough time for me to explain everything in detail."

The Old Yellow Ox then mentioned three books.

The first was *An Overview of Resonating Thin Spiritual Qi into Light*, the second was *Stabilizing Spiritual Qi Vibration Frequencies*, and the third was *An Introduction to Spiritually Connecting with Thin Spiritual Qi*.

In short, systematic study was extremely complicated.

"This is supposed to take two days, but how long will I have to spend reading?" Jiang Man lamented.

Reading was such a waste of time.

After a moment of thought, Jiang Man asked, "Can I just ask that Ji Hao directly?"

"You can. He should be able to explain it clearly, but you’ll still need to study it systematically," the Old Yellow Ox replied.

Jiang Man had no choice but to memorize the relevant content from the books and then slowly deduce the rest from what Old Huang said.

"You need to be careful now," the Old Yellow Ox warned. "That item in his hand is extremely powerful. The protections I spent over a decade placing on you were almost completely broken without a trace. One more time, and he’ll really discover the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart."

Hearing this, Jiang Man froze.

’Protections that took over a decade to build were nearly breached?’

’I never expected it to be so dangerous.’

’The people from Meng Qiewei’s family are really not to be trifled with.’

After that, Jiang Man continued to read.

After one night, Jiang Man returned the books. "I’m done. It took me all night, and my head is killing me."

"I’ve gotten past these parts. I just need to fill in the rest."

The Old Yellow Ox, munching on grass, began to explain the subsequent steps.

「The next day.」

Jiang Man absorbed it all.

"I get it now. All that’s left is for me to try it out. It won’t take up too much time. Good thing there was only a little I had to memorize myself. Any more and it really would have wasted ten-odd days."

After bidding farewell to Old Huang, Jiang Man went to the small courtyard to assemble.

Whether he could obtain a Spirit Sword would all depend on this.

He had indeed seen a group of people enter the Sect via Sword Control yesterday.

It was quite a grand display.

But they had no interaction with the Outer Sect.

Watching Jiang Man leave, the Old Yellow Ox sighed to itself.

Other than being poor, it had yet to see any shortcomings in Jiang Man.

However, aside from Cultivation and improving his Magic Skills, Jiang Man wouldn’t learn anything else.

It was such a shame.

He even felt that systematic study was a waste of time.

Jiang Man’s answer to it had been: "An Unparalleled Celestial Pride doesn’t have to be omnipotent. They have to know how to make trade-offs, to let some things go."

"Wanting to grasp everything doesn’t make you an Unparalleled Celestial Pride. It just makes you greedy."

"Once you have enough Cultivation, you can turn back and have everything you wanted."

「A quaint courtyard.」

Meng Qiewei was strolling by the pond in the backyard.

Wherever she went, the fish followed, as if waiting to be fed.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside.

As they drew near, the footsteps slowed to a graceful, measured pace.

"Young Mistress, I have returned." Qing Dai’s voice sounded from outside.

Meng Qiewei sprinkled some fish food into the water, not even lifting her head. "Have you brought more interesting news?"

"As brilliant as ever, Young Mistress." Qing Dai approached with a smile.

Meng Qiewei glanced at her. "What is this interesting news?"

"News came from the new-generation Celestial Pride. He said he has locked onto two individuals who might be the Young Master-in-law." Qing Dai watched her mistress’s expression, and seeing no issue, continued, "He said two people are the most likely candidates. One is the young prodigy, Wei Ran."

"The other is the ’All-Nighter Celestial Pride,’ Jiang Man."

"After weighing his options, he felt Jiang Man was a better fit."

"So he used the clan’s secret detection treasure to test him."