Chapter 27: This boy's vision is still too narrow.

As night fell, Jiang Man finished cleaning the stable and prepared to begin his cultivation.Currently at the Fourth Level of Qi Refinement, his main task was to improve his cultivation base.

When he had time later, he would also need to practice techniques.

After all, the final assessment wasn't just about high scores—he needed to be capable in combat too.

Jiang Man pondered briefly.

If the assessment was in mid-December...

Then he should be at the Sixth Level of Qi Refinement, with the Qi Refinement Method at the ninth level, the Blood Energy Method at the ninth level, and the Visualization Method at the thirteenth level.

His total score would be seventy-nine.

How would those people view him then?

Even if he suppressed the Visualization Method to the ninth or sixth level, he would still have over seventy points.

That would be about ten points higher than Fang Yong and the others.

But he still needed to take some precautions.

If they suddenly advanced or were hiding their true strength, then securing first place wouldn't be easy.

"Where did you get so many pills?" Old Yellow Ox came over and asked.

"Borrowed them," Jiang Man replied casually.

"Why would someone lend them to you?"

"Talent."

Old Yellow Ox was momentarily at a loss for words.

Reaching the Fourth Level of Qi Refinement in two months was indeed unusual.

He could be considered a genius.

If he revealed his levels in the Qi Refinement Method and Blood Energy Method, he would be a one-in-ten-thousand genius.

That certainly made him worthy of someone lending him pills.

"Has there been any movement with your Mortal-grade Superior Visualization Method?" Old Yellow Ox asked.

Jiang Man shook his head: "No movement at all. It's already October, and the trial is next month, but I still haven't received any news."

"You weren't scammed, were you?" Old Yellow Ox questioned.

Jiang Man glanced at the other and shook his head: "Not sure."

It wasn't that he wasn't cautious, but he simply had no other options.

Here, only Zhao Leming had engaged in transactions with him.

He could be considered the most reliable person Jiang Man had contact with.

Although there was an element of gambling involved, he truly had no one else to choose from.

October passed quickly.

Jiang Man had thought Luo Xuan or Fang Yong might try something.

But there were no unexpected incidents.

His cultivation successfully reached the Fifth Level of Qi Refinement by late October.

With the help of pills, opening the fifth gourd went smoothly.

Now he just needed to continue cultivating constantly and use the Spirit Source he earned to buy more pills.

Keep cultivating and open the sixth gourd as soon as possible.

That would allow him to smoothly advance to the Sixth Level of Qi Refinement.

After that, to reach the Seventh Level of Qi Refinement, he would need the Blood Energy Method at the fourth level and the Visualization Method at the first level.

The difficulty would be quite substantial.

But those were still distant goals.

Early November.

Jiang Man spent all the 1,100 Spirit Source he had earned on food and pills.

Completely squandered everything.

Looking at his remaining twenty Spirit Source, Jiang Man couldn't help but sigh—cultivation consumed too many resources.

If his cultivation level hadn't increased his score, he wouldn't even have this much Spirit Source.

That day, after finishing his cultivation session, Zhao Leming found him.

Jiang Man felt a surge of joy—it seemed there was progress.

But the other's expression didn't look quite right.

Soon, Zhao Leming's voice reached him: "This matter turned out to be more difficult than I anticipated. The behind-the-scenes competition is too intense. But since I promised you, I'll naturally do my utmost to fulfill it."

Jiang Man initially thought it was bad news, until the other took out a token.

"This is the token." Zhao Leming handed the item to Jiang Man. "On the seventeenth of this month, you need to go to the Technique Transmission Area. Show this token, and someone will take you to where you need to go."

"After that, you'll undergo an assessment. If you fail the assessment, then there's nothing that can be done."

"Before the assessment, they will clearly inform you of the assessment conditions. If you think you can handle it, then proceed."

"Similarly, they will check your strength as of the fifteenth in advance. It can't be too low, otherwise accidents might happen."

"People from the sect are unpredictable. If they think you're unqualified, they might directly cancel your eligibility."

"That's not impossible."

Receiving the token, Jiang Man breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

After obtaining the token, Zhao Leming's part in this was pretty much complete.

If he failed, it would be his own lack of capability.

The trial on the seventeenth would also reference his score from the fifteenth.

To be safer, he still needed to reach the Sixth Level of Qi Refinement by the fifteenth.

Even with the Qi Refinement Method at the ninth level, there was still considerable pressure.

After some thought, Jiang Man asked curiously: "How many spots are there in total?"

"Six." Zhao Leming explained: "There are six for each type, and you only have one day of cultivation time. If you learn it, you learn it; if you don't, then you don't."

One day?

Just understanding it might not be enough.

Fortunately, Zhao Leming informed him that someone would teach him, but only for one morning—the rest would depend entirely on himself.

Jiang Man was puzzled—was this really a technique trial?

It seemed more like testing cultivation difficulty.

But he couldn't voice his doubts.

If he truly failed to learn it, then only one path would remain.

Jiang Man didn't dwell on it further.

He would focus on walking this path first.

"By the way, once the spots are decided, they won't change. If you encounter any problems during this period, you can also use this token—it has certain authority to help resolve troubles." Zhao Leming weighed his words, then added, "But it's better not to use it if possible. Once used, if your results on the fifteenth are mediocre, you might be disqualified."

Jiang Man nodded, feeling somewhat surprised—he hadn't expected the token could also resolve troubles.

But the scope of what constituted "trouble" wasn't clear.

After asking a few more ordinary questions, Jiang Man turned and left.

Zhao Leming watched Jiang Man's retreating back and shook his head with a sigh: "Still too impatient. With someone's support, his steps should be more solid."

"Now his strides are too large."

He didn't doubt whether the other could obtain qualification for the December assessment.

But he felt that even if he obtained qualification, it would be the result of forced improvement.

This would cause significant damage to his body.

Even if he obtained a spot, he would basically have no hope in the subsequent sect assessment.

"His vision is still too narrow."

After that, he stopped thinking too much about it.

The transaction was already concluded.

Whether the other obtained the technique or not had nothing to do with him.

But he would still keep an eye on the other's situation.

To see what outcome such urgency would ultimately bring.

On the small path at Cloud Front Division.

Young Master Yang approached Cheng Moyang and said: "Fang Yong really is useless—he didn't even get into a dog-eat-dog fight with that poor kid from the same courtyard."

Hearing this, Cheng Moyang became quite curious: "Which person?"

"That guy who couldn't pay his Cultivation Fee, named Jiang Man, I think." Young Master Yang said with a laugh. "Back then he couldn't pay his Cultivation Fee, but now it seems his cultivation has improved somewhat—he's no longer someone at the end of his rope."

"Jiang Man?" Cheng Moyang expressed surprise: "The one Luo Xuan wanted to take as a guard?"

"There is indeed such talk, but I don't know if it's true or not," Young Master Yang said.

"False." Cheng Moyang shook his head with a smile, then explained the general situation.

"He refused? Then where did he get the Spirit Source to cultivate?" Young Master Yang asked curiously.

"Wouldn't checking tell us?" Cheng Moyang said.

The next day.

At the same spot, Young Master Yang got his answer: "Spirit Gathering Hall. It seems no one took him in secretly."

If someone was cultivating him, he definitely wouldn't go to that place.

"Such an ambitious poor kid," Cheng Moyang remarked with feeling. "I wonder what he would do if he encountered another situation like last time that required compensation?"