Chapter 223 - Meng Qiewei: I Am Also of the Direct Lineage

’Thirty-seven thousand left.’Late at night, Jiang Man gazed at the view from his window. He lay on a bed he had never used before, preparing to sleep.

He hadn’t slept in a very long time, so it felt a bit strange.

Subconsciously, his mind began reviewing everything he had learned.

’Going to sleep at my age feels like such a waste of time.’

’My Cultivation is already so high. How can I possibly fall asleep?’

But the thought of getting five thousand Spiritual Source just for sleeping made Jiang Man feel he could manage it.

He was also holding the statue.

Naturally, he had also dripped a drop of his blood onto it.

Old Huang was with him the entire time. If any problems arose, it would react.

Then, Old Huang watched as Jiang Man fell asleep.

Immediately after, something within the statue seemed to disintegrate and shatter.

Wisps of mist also began to emerge from Jiang Man’s body.

Old Huang, who was eating grass, looked a little surprised.

"A very exquisite technique. It seems this isn’t an extension of the Evil God itself. I fear it was intercepted from some Divine Object."

Old Huang watched, but didn’t seem too concerned.

So far, it was confident it could pull Jiang Man back.

But that would expose its own identity.

The moment it acted, they would no longer be able to remain in the Sect.

Previously, Jiang Man had been fine when he came into contact with an Evil God because that one was already dead.

A dead Evil God posed little threat. It could even be controlled, studied, and potentially utilized.

But it was very much alive.

The Immortal Sect would not tolerate it.

By now, Jiang Man was asleep, but he soon woke up.

However, he was not in his own residence but in a pitch-black mist.

He peered around and saw a light ahead.

With a hint of curiosity, he strode forward.

’To think that falling asleep could cause such a change. It’s unexpected.’

Soon, he passed through the mist and saw a dilapidated temple.

It was simple and unremarkable.

But inside, a single candle flame flickered.

It looked as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

After entering, Jiang Man saw a statue enshrined on an altar in the center.

It was identical to the small statue he had received.

’So this is the Evil God?’

Jiang Man wasn’t particularly surprised. He looked around and found a few words written beneath the statue—Ling Hua Immortal Spirit.

"Is that the Evil God’s name?"

It was the first time Jiang Man had ever heard it.

He was, however, a little curious about what Old Huang’s name was.

He then observed his surroundings again.

The place wasn’t large, and Jiang Man soon discovered a stone tablet.

A few words were written on it: "Messages may be left here."

Jiang Man was slightly surprised. ’I didn’t expect it to have this function.’

After a moment of thought, he decided to leave his own message.

’Concealing my identity should be extremely important here.’

But Jiang Man didn’t have time to mess around with them.

So he left a single line of text: "Wuyun Sect, Cloud Mist Peak’s Seventh Courtyard, Jiang Man. Find me if you need something."

Clear and direct.

’So, anyone who comes looking for me will definitely be a subordinate of the Evil God.’

’What I need to do will be simple then.’

’As for how much I can earn, that’s hard to say.’

’If they discover my betrayal, even better.’

’They’ll either stay away from me or come to teach me a lesson.’

’Both are beneficial.’

Of course, he had discussed this with Old Huang.

Since Old Huang hadn’t objected, it meant his safety was guaranteed.

If Old Huang had objected, he would have actually listened.

The Unparalleled Celestial Pride was still too young.

Before, he was fearless because he hadn’t joined the Evil God Organization, so the impact was minimal.

But now, not only had he come to this place, he had also written down his name.

The nature of the situation had changed.

After writing the words, Jiang Man decided to wait and see if anyone would enter.

’Of course, I still need to focus on my Cultivation.’

And so, Jiang Man cultivated while he waited.

He wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t started, but the moment he began to cultivate, he was stunned.

He felt the surrounding aura merge into his body, just as if he had consumed an Elixir.

Although he felt his Heart Spirit being shrouded in mist, his progress was visible to the naked eye.

Jiang Man couldn’t help but exclaim, "What a great place."

Not daring to hesitate, he began to circulate his Visualization Skill to temper his Spirit.

Over and over again.

As time passed, Jiang Man felt that even the mist outside the temple had thinned slightly.

The candle flame grew brighter.

Two hours later, Jiang Man finished his Cultivation. He could feel that he was about to leave this place.

’What a pity.’

Then, he vanished from the spot.

He soon opened his eyes.

The sky was unchanged, filled with stars.

Old Huang spoke up, "What did you see?"

"You don’t know, Old Huang?" Jiang Man sat up and looked at the Old Yellow Ox.

"This isn’t a technique of the Evil God. The other party likely obtained it from some Divine Object. They have some skill," Old Huang said while chewing on grass.

So, Jiang Man told it the details.

"A dilapidated temple in a dark mist? And a candle flame?" Old Huang pondered for a moment. "Was there anyone else?"

"No, but there was a stone tablet for leaving messages," Jiang Man reported, holding nothing back.

Then he asked, "What kind of place was that?"

"A special space, probably from before the Great Rectification of the Immortal Sects. And it must be one of those hard-to-enter types, otherwise the Great Rectification would have extended into it long ago," Old Huang said casually.

It lowered its head to take a bite of grass and continued, "So, you left your name?"

Jiang Man nodded.

The Old Yellow Ox said calmly, "You’re really not afraid of someone coming to find you."

Jiang Man was surprised. "Didn’t we discuss this before I went to sleep? You didn’t object."

"Didn’t you say that serving an Evil God was beneath an Unparalleled Celestial Pride like yourself?"

"Wasn’t I just assuming you could handle it?"

The Old Yellow Ox chewed its grass and looked at Jiang Man in silence.

Jiang Man looked at the grass-chewing Old Huang, also silent.

In the end, Jiang Man gritted his teeth and cultivated even more diligently.

He decided to buy Elixirs the next day to advance to Foundation Establishment Perfection as soon as possible.

At daybreak, Jiang Man wrote a letter and left it in his room. Ren Qian and the others would come to pick it up themselves.

He wrote down everything he had seen the previous day.

Of course, he didn’t mention that he had cultivated inside.

’If they find out that I can cultivate even while sleeping, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold onto my five thousand Spiritual Source.’

’Of course, I have to mention the misty feeling in my Heart Spirit, the darkness, the horror.’

’I need to emphasize the downsides of going in.’

’That way, I’ll get more than five thousand next time.’

As for going in again, he didn’t know when that would be. The statue seemed to have run out of energy.

He would have to continue accumulating it, but he didn’t know how long that would take.

When Ren Qian and the others saw the contents of the letter, they were startled.

Jiang Man was number one in the Third Courtyard, after all.

If the number one disciple was ruined because of this, it would be a huge problem for them too.

It was one thing for them to handle the Evil God matter poorly, but dragging down the strongest number one disciple in years was another matter entirely.

Whether he got first place by pulling all-nighters or by consuming Elixirs, he was still the legitimate number one.

The glory of being number one was dazzling no matter what.

’Cloud Mist Peak can’t protect its own number one disciple?’

’The Sect is harming the number one disciple of the Outer Sect?’

That would cause a major incident.

Ren Qian sighed with emotion. "It seems we can’t rush this matter; we have to take it slow. However, this is indeed the first time that temple in the dark land has been discovered."

"I’ll write the report. You take five thousand from the remaining forty-five thousand Spiritual Source, buy some Elixirs, and send them over."

"Tell him that the effect on his Heart Spirit is a serious matter, so we’ll put the sleep missions on hold for now."

By evening, Jiang Man was delighted to receive ten God Strengthening Pills. However, he was also told that the effect on his Heart Spirit was a serious matter, and they probably wouldn’t have him enter that place by sleeping again anytime soon.

Jiang Man felt a lump in his throat.

’I overdid it with the ’effects.’’

’I should have said the effect on my Heart Spirit was severe, but I managed to endure it with my strong willpower and by taking a lot of Elixirs.’

But what was written could not be changed.

He could only swallow this bitter pill himself.

After that, Jiang Man didn’t dwell on it.

It was currently early January, which meant the annual assessment was just over half a year away.

His annual assessment for the First, Second, and Third Courtyards hadn’t been decided yet.

If he could only enter the one for the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Courtyards, it would be a bit of a waste of time.

’It’s all up to Mr. Yan now.’

Elsewhere on Cloud Mist Peak, Bai Fan arranged to meet with Duan Wu and Jiang Yingcai.

"What’s wrong? Is there new information on Jiang Man?" Jiang Yingcai asked.

Because Jiang Man was number one in the Third Courtyard, they were now completely certain that he was Number 210.

Moreover, no one dared to dispute the information they had sold.

Because Jiang Man’s performance was just that breathtaking.

Even though he pulled all-nighters.

But first place was first place. Who cares if he pulled all-nighters or not?

In any case, before he advanced to the Golden Core realm, he was number one.

Even if he failed to advance, he was still number one now and still suppressed everyone else.

"They’ve started arranging the annual assessment recently," Bai Fan said.

Hearing this, Duan Wu offered some comfort, "Don’t worry. You’ve accumulated a lot, and your Magic Skills are all Refined and Masterful. Although your Cultivation levels are similar, you have a huge advantage."

"If you face him, you won’t necessarily be without a fighting chance."

Jiang Yingcai nodded. "We’re in the Third Courtyard, so it’s a pity we won’t run into him."

Bai Fan looked at them and said, "Is it really a pity?"

The two of them nodded.

"So you want to run into Jiang Man?" Bai Fan asked again.

They nodded again.

Finally, Bai Fan said with a smile, "Well then, your wish is about to come true. I heard Jiang Man’s Instructor has already applied for him to participate in the annual assessment for the First, Second, and Third Courtyards."

"It’s just waiting for approval from above."

In an instant, the two of them were stunned.