The End of the Immortal Path-Chapter 41 - 40: I’d Even Marry Luo Xuan to Be Number 1

Chapter 41: Chapter 40: I’d Even Marry Luo Xuan to Be Number 1

Jiang Man cultivated all night.

He only took a short break in the early hours of the morning.

From today on, he would focus on two main things.

First, he would fill his sixth Gourd. Second, he would improve his Magic Skills.

At the very least, he had to master all the available Magic Skills: the ones for thirty, forty, fifty, and sixty points.

That way, even if Luo Xuan and the others were empowered by other powerful Magic Skills, he would still stand a fighting chance.

He had just arrived at the small courtyard.

Mr. Fu arrived just then.

"It’s already late November." Fu Yidan looked at Jiang Man. "The time you have left is extremely limited. I’ve brought the Magic Skill manuals for you. Tell me which one you want to learn, and I can still teach you."

As she spoke, she handed four Magic Skill manuals to Jiang Man.

They were the Magic Skills available for thirty to sixty points.

The thirty-point one was the Dragon Suppression Skill.

It involved nourishing dragons with qi, culminating in Nine Dragons at the Ninth Layer—a purely offensive technique.

The forty-point one was the Bengliu Technique.

One would condense qi in their feet, using the weight of Spiritual Qi to make a single kick feel as heavy as a thousand pounds. Its power was greatest in a downward strike.

The fifty-point one was the Cyan Smoke Prelude.

It allowed one to transform their body into smoke—an evasive, close-quarters Magic Skill. It provided a powerful burst but couldn’t be sustained. Rumor had it there was a second half to the skill, which could be used even beyond the Qi Refining Stage.

The sixty-point one was the Basic Sword Skill.

A truly basic Sword Skill. It had no power of its own but was the prerequisite for the Sword Control Technique.

The most useful, and yet the most useless.

Jiang Man looked at the Magic Skills, pondered for a moment, and decided to learn them in order.

He would learn the Dragon Suppression Skill first.

So, he had Mr. Fu teach him the Dragon Suppression Skill that morning.

The others had no objections.

Those at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer could learn it, and even those who couldn’t were able to practice the theory.

This would save them a lot of time when they were able to learn it for real later on.

Learning the theory would also help them counter it if they ever faced it in a fight.

After Mr. Fu’s lesson, Jiang Man began to level up the skill.

But he could still only raise it to the Fifth Layer.

After that, it was time to spar with Luo Xuan.

Because of the letter from last night, he was curious to see her expression.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t read any expression on her face at all.

She was as graceful and poised as ever.

It was as if she were completely unaware of the letter’s existence.

This made him glance over at Cheng Yu, but he found she was just like Luo Xuan—there was no change in her demeanor, and she wasn’t paying him any attention at all.

It made him feel as if last night had been just a dream.

After that, Jiang Man stopped thinking about it.

Sparring was a rare opportunity, so of course he was going to use it to gain some experience.

Luo Xuan, too, was doing her utmost to figure out Jiang Man’s fighting style.

For her, sparring with Jiang Man wasn’t about improving her own experience or technique.

It was about figuring out his patterns.

Sparring like this had immense benefits.

After all, her greatest rival right now was Jiang Man.

Golden Dragons appeared one after another and crashed together. Jiang Man stumbled back several steps before regaining his footing.

"I was fortunate," Luo Xuan said softly.

Jiang Man nodded slightly. He realized there was a huge gap between him and Luo Xuan.

At the same Realm, he was no match for her at all unless he mobilized a sufficient amount of Spiritual Qi.

’It’s the difference in our skill proficiency...’

’Qi Refining still involves close combat. I should learn Basic Fist Skill and Basic Palm Skill, and I should dabble in a Basic Body Skill as well.’

After the sparring session ended, it was time for Cultivation.

This was Jiang Man’s home turf.

Everyone had to cultivate along with him. As long as he didn’t leave, no one else could even think about it.

The person in first place had to lead by example.

The rest could only follow the leader’s pace.

Before, some people would complain or mutter their dissatisfaction under their breath.

Now...

They had to wait until the one in first place left before they dared to complain.

Life was getting harder day by day.

Luo Xuan, Fang Yong, and the others all cultivated in silence, following Jiang Man’s lead.

Previously, they would have had the standing to break this kind of atmosphere.

Now, they had lost that right.

This was especially true after seeing Chang Qiweng’s bruised and swollen face today.

The authority of first place was unshakable.

Jiang Man didn’t leave until after the sky had darkened.

However, he hadn’t gone far before Xiaopang caught up to him.

"Brother Jiang, can we finish a little earlier next time?" Xiaopang was drenched in sweat, completely exhausted from the Cultivation session.

"So you can go back and cultivate in secret?" Jiang Man asked.

Xiaopang: "..."

After a pause, he asked curiously, "So Chang Qiweng lost? But didn’t everyone say you haven’t cultivated any Magic Skills?"

Jiang Man thought for a moment and said, "It’s just natural Talent."

Xiaopang was silent for a moment. "Where does this ’Talent’ come from?"

Jiang Man mulled it over for a moment. "Why don’t you try getting a wife?"

Hearing this, Xiaopang sighed and whispered, "If it meant I could have that kind of Talent and become number one, I’d be willing to get married early. I’d even be willing to marry Luo Xuan."

Jiang Man was taken aback by his words. "And that would be a hardship for you?"

"Of course it would be," Xiaopang said with a serious expression. "Her Talent is exceptional, and she has high aspirations. She’s destined to marry a true prodigy."

"If I were to marry a woman like that, wouldn’t it be an insult to her?"

"It wouldn’t take long for her to kill me."

"Marrying her would be no different from a death sentence."

"I prefer someone like Cheng Yu. Gentle, considerate, not pushy or competitive. Her smile feels like a refreshing spring breeze."

"It’s so relaxing and pleasant to be around her."

"Especially since she has such a pleasant way of speaking and doesn’t look down on those of us with low scores."

"Of course, I’m not worthy of her, so I don’t dare to dream about it."

"If someone like that suddenly tried to get close to me, there would definitely be some kind of scheme involved."

"I, for one, would keep a respectful distance."

"Besides, if I marry someone else, I can have several wives who are both beautiful and gentle."

Jiang Man looked at Xiaopang and was silent for a long time.

Especially when he heard the part about marrying several wives.

’Sigh, the evils of being a rich kid.’

Furthermore, in Xiaopang’s eyes, Luo Xuan was basically a walking catastrophe.

But Cheng Yu was a very good person in his eyes.

’But is that really the truth?’

Jiang Man didn’t know.

But he had to be on his guard.

’Too bad the letter from last night was addressed to me,’ he thought, ’or else I’d give it to Xiaopang.’

’It would have made him anxious for days.’

After saying goodbye to Xiaopang, Jiang Man went to the guard post again, this time looking for two specific guards.

They were the ones who had suggested he cover their shifts.

The middle-aged guard looked at Jiang Man. "Got some free time now?"

"Mhm," Jiang Man nodded. "I’ll be free for the foreseeable future."

He had already accepted the Spiritual Source for the job, so he had no choice but to do it.

Although it meant guarding the main gate, it wasn’t a difficult task. Plus, he could cultivate while he was there.

It wasn’t a bad deal.

The only thing was that he would occasionally be seen by people passing by.

The only drawback was that the post offered far fewer Spiritual Sources compared to the Spirit Gathering Hall.

At this point, the other guard asked curiously, "So, has your ranking in the courtyard changed?"

"It hasn’t changed," Jiang Man said with a smile. "Still first place."

Last time, he was first from the bottom. Today, he was first from the top.

Both were first place.

The two of them: "..."

They knew all about how Jiang Man had made himself a prime example on his very first day.

By scoring zero points.

A score of zero was so remarkable that it was impossible not to hear about it.

News like that traveled even faster than the arrival of a genius.

At least, that was how it was at the guard post.

But for a zero-pointer to dare claim he was in first place... that earned the two guards’ admiration.

They didn’t dare provoke him. What if he actually succeeded?

There was no harm in showing a little respect to such an extreme character.

Afterward, Jiang Man headed inside to find Steward Miao.

The specific arrangements were still up to Steward Miao.

"This is you?" Steward Miao looked from the paper in her hand to Jiang Man.

"It is," Jiang Man nodded.

"This is really you?" Steward Miao asked again.

"It really is me," Jiang Man answered once more.

Steward Miao fell silent.

She stared at the large word "First" on the paper, somewhat at a loss for words.

’He actually succeeded. This isn’t good.’

’Was my attitude toward him before not friendly enough?’