Chapter 261: Chapter 172: Now I’m Number 1
Then, the figure struck the iron chains with its palm.
BOOM!
CRACK!
Countless iron chains shattered instantly.
A red sun shot into the sky, piercing the heavy darkness.
A special mist followed close behind.
At that moment, the vitality of plants and trees burst from Jiang Man’s body. As he practiced the skill, this vitality began to transform, coalescing into the Vajra Body.
Finally, the Vajra Body faded, transforming into a translucent Glazed Body.
His silhouette was even imprinted within the mist.
It radiated a brilliant glow.
"The Third Skill, the Glazed Body?"
Watching all this, Chen Shi felt troubled again.
’He actually succeeded.’
’People are so complicated.’
At this point, everything beneath his feet began to dissipate. Jiang Man had succeeded, and the connection belonging to the Immortal Spirit had also dispersed.
Soon, he vanished from the spot.
He finally woke up back on the boat.
He sat there in silence for a long time.
It was as if he was reminiscing about the past, hating the past.
Finally, he closed his eyes once more and arrived in the dilapidated temple.
When he entered, he found a new sentence on the message stele.
"Are you looking back to blame the you who once fell into despair? In truth, you were still young that year."
Looking at this sentence, Chen Shi was silent for a long time.
In the end, he wiped the words away.
He maintained his original opinion: Jiang Man was most likely a member of the Law Enforcement Hall.
But he dared to expose himself so recklessly. He would need to be handled with caution in the future.
He somewhat regretted leaving the statue with him.
It was like bringing a wolf into the house.
Afterwards, he left a message: "Everything went smoothly."
He had intended to subjugate Jiang Man and then help him comprehend the Promotion Skill.
But...
The man was not subjugated, and their help had been completely useless.
But others didn’t know that.
So, it was enough to just tell them it went smoothly.
After that, he returned to the boat.
The chubby man came over quickly.
"Did you subjugate him?" he asked immediately.
Chen Shi shook his head. "No. We need to be more careful in the future. Don’t let him discover our identities, or it will be very dangerous."
"We need to find a way to drive him out."
————
Jiang Man had never taken the iron chains seriously, but that didn’t mean he underestimated them.
He wasn’t worried when he was surrounded.
Because the mist had already arrived and begun to demonstrate the Promotion Skill for him.
Everything went very smoothly.
He felt it was only natural to break through all the way to the Third Skill.
When he saw that person disappear, he took the opportunity to enter the dilapidated temple.
Because looking back reminded him of himself.
After all, provoking Meng Qiewei had been a mistake.
But back then, he was young and ignorant, a fool.
So, he should probably make peace with himself.
However, he also saw the "special mist" Mr. Ji had mentioned.
While he was practicing the Promotion Skill, he had left his silhouette within it.
After everything was over, Jiang Man reappeared at the three-way intersection.
At this moment, he held a book in his hand.
Not long after he appeared...
Shangguan Liuyun also appeared.
One after the other.
The two locked eyes.
After a moment, Shangguan Liuyun finally broke the silence. "I thought your foundation was a bit weaker and that you’d be hindered along the way."
"There were indeed some obstacles," Jiang Man answered truthfully.
As they spoke, Gu Yuexi appeared as well.
She had also obtained the Third Skill.
"You were hindered and still finished before me?" Gu Yuexi said, surprised.
Jiang Man nodded. "Maybe I’m just stronger than you."
Gu Yuexi was taken aback for a second. "Stronger in actual combat?"
"Do you want to fight me?" Jiang Man asked.
"Sure," Gu Yuexi said without the slightest hesitation.
Jiang Man held up two fingers. "Two thousand Spiritual Source."
Gu Yuexi looked at Jiang Man, stunned. "You’re eighth and I’m second. Why would I give you Spiritual Source to fight me?"
"Now I’m first," Jiang Man said, shaking the book in his hand. "You’re third."
Gu Yuexi was silent for a moment, then said, "I’m not fighting."
Jiang Man didn’t mind.
Then he looked at Shangguan Liuyun. "Do you want to fight?"
Shangguan Liuyun shook his head and then asked, "Around when will you undergo Core Formation?"
The first to achieve Core Formation would be the true number one of the Outer Sect.
Jiang Man shook his head; he wasn’t sure either.
’But it should be soon.’
Shangguan Liuyun didn’t say much more. He turned, vanished from the spot, and left the Secret Realm.
He was probably going back to focus on his cultivation.
Jiang Man left as well. He couldn’t waste any more time.
He had to achieve Core Formation before everyone else.
Only then could his light shine upon the entire Outer Sect.
If he lost to Shangguan Liuyun, his light would no longer be dazzling.
After that, he left the small mountain peak.
He returned to his residence.
He had entered on the fifteenth of the tenth month, but when he came out, it was already the twentieth.
He hadn’t expected it to take so long.
"The Third Skill?" the Old Yellow Ox asked.
Jiang Man nodded and then recounted what had happened inside.
"There were indeed quite a few blockades, but they still couldn’t hold me." Jiang Man looked at the Old Yellow Ox and said, "Old Huang, if you had encountered those chains when you were young, could you have broken them?"
The Old Yellow Ox, chewing on some grass, looked at Jiang Man and continued to chew unhurriedly.
"But the Evil God’s influence is still significant. To think she could actually appear while I was comprehending the Promotion Skill. This time the Evil God herself wasn’t present. If she were, would the influence on me be even greater?" Jiang Man asked.
The Old Yellow Ox said casually, "As long as you have the Immortal Sect backing you, this Evil God is nothing to fear. Any more than that, and it’s hard to say."
"Unless you’re not afraid of being exposed and let me act."
"Or if you’re not afraid of your wife being exposed and let her act."
One is an Evil God, a great enemy of the Immortal Sect.
The other is a special existence, not permitted to come over by the Immortal Sect.
Neither of them could expose their power.
Otherwise, things would become complicated.
Of course, the only one who could probably act on his behalf was Old Huang.
Afterwards, Jiang Man took out the Promotion Skill. Although it was the one that had been demonstrated for him, there were some things he didn’t understand himself.
He naturally needed an explanation.
Besides, he was very curious about how long it would take to condense a Golden Core.
"Do I need to take Elixirs?" Jiang Man asked again.
"Not anymore, but you will need Arrays and Spirit Medicine." The Old Yellow Ox described the Arrays and Spirit Medicine needed to condense Spiritual Qi and Heart Spirit.
Jiang Man found that the price was quite steep, but the Sixth Courtyard seemed to have them.
Although he was short on Spirit Medicine, he could definitely apply to Mr. Yan for them.
As the somewhat hollow number one of the Outer Sect...
’Applying for some Spirit Medicine to keep in the courtyard isn’t too much to ask, right?’
’This is the number one of the Outer Sect, after all.’
The next day, Jiang Man found time to go to the courtyard to submit his application.
Then he returned to continue listening to Old Huang’s explanations.
Once he understood everything, Jiang Man asked approximately how long it would take to condense a Golden Core.
"Ask your Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart," the Old Yellow Ox said.
It refused to guess because it had never been correct.
Besides, Jiang Man always managed to shatter the ox’s established perceptions.
The Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart probably thought eight hundred and fifty days was short enough.
But the truth was, even the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart hadn’t expected times to have changed.
The speed of an Unparalleled Celestial Pride was twice as fast as the Fate Chart had predicted.
Jiang Man shrugged.
He strode towards the Sixth Courtyard.
Because his application for the Spirit Medicine had been approved, everything was ready.
He had only taken a few steps when he turned back to look at the Old Yellow Ox. "Old Huang, watch closely. My light is about to shine upon the entire Outer Sect."
"Also, when I return, I’ll be a Golden Core Ancestor."
After saying that, Jiang Man departed, full of vigor, only to turn back midway.
He left behind a letter.
"If they come asking for the rent, have Old Chang cover for me. I’ll pay him back when I return."
After settling this, Jiang Man once again departed, full of vigor.
The Old Yellow Ox munched on Spirit Grass as it watched Jiang Man.
If one were to ignore the little interlude about the rent, Jiang Man was getting far too arrogant.
’For such an arrogant person to not have a Heart Demon...’
’Is it because the arrogant people of the past just weren’t arrogant enough?’
——
Outside the Sect, among the overlapping mountain ranges.
The Female Pill Master breathed a sigh of relief.
’I’ve been away for over a month. Pill Master He’s grandstanding should have died down quite a bit. It shouldn’t be too unbearable to go back now.’
’But he really is lucky. To have inexplicably picked up such a treasure.’
’I’m afraid he’ll be bragging about it for the next few years.’
’But I’ve avoided the worst of it. The rest should be manageable. It won’t be too unbearable.’
Just then, she saw another person returning on a flying sword.
It was Mo Zainian.
Mo Zainian’s expression was calm at the moment.
But it would be a lie to say he wasn’t upset. After more than a month, though, he had come to terms with it.
’It’s just one first-place disciple, right?’
’If I just endure it, it’ll pass.’
After more than a month, He Huai’an’s smugness should have mostly dissipated.
’When I go back this time, I’ll just avoid him.’
’Saves me the grief.’
Of course, if the man were to ask if he had any regrets...
...then he definitely didn’t regret it.
Jiang Man is strong in combat, not in the Alchemy Dao.
A Pill Master naturally wants a disciple with strong Talent in the Alchemy Dao.
’So what if his Cultivation is strong?’
’How strong can he possibly get?’
’It’s just Foundation Establishment.’
Thinking like this made him feel much better.
He would never admit that he had missed out on a good disciple back then.
Never!
————
