The End of the Immortal Path-Chapter 45 - 44: Actually, I’m Married

「On the evening of December 14th.」

Jiang Man returned to the stable yard. The first thing he did was clean the stables.

He groomed the horses.

Some of the horses had been borrowed out lately, so he had a lot more free time.

When he was done, he approached the Old Yellow Ox. "Old Huang, keeping well lately?"

The Old Yellow Ox raised an eyebrow. "I’ll be around for a long while yet. You, on the other hand... If you fail the assessment tomorrow, you’re pretty much done for."

Jiang Man: "..."

’Fair enough.’

’My Cultivation is still a bit lacking. I need to get stronger as soon as possible.’

The combat assessment was on the seventeenth.

As long as your score reached sixty, you had a chance to participate in the combat portion.

Alternatively, you could rank in the top five.

Meeting either one of those conditions was enough.

Because the overall quality of the students in the courtyard was average, those from the Sixth Courtyard basically had to place in the top five.

The same couldn’t be said for the other courtyards. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Jiang Man asked for some advice on the combat assessment.

"The fact that all you know is how to unleash your strongest move already puts you ahead of many experienced fighters," the Old Yellow Ox said while chewing on some grass. "The strong ones have skills, but they also have Magic Skills you’ve never seen before.

"So, for you, the shorter the fight, the better."

Jiang Man understood. ’I have to use my strongest attacks relentlessly to break my opponent’s rhythm.’

’Lead with Nine Dragons Emerge, then follow up with Three Talents Force and Six Harmonies Palm.’

’Unleash them all at full power, without stopping.’

Thanks to his Magic Skill Innate Qi, he had an exceptionally deep familiarity with and control over Magic Skills. The interval between casting them also shortened as he grew more accustomed to them.

He could also adjust his Physical Body’s strength with extreme speed, which was partly thanks to the Visualization Skill.

’I have many advantages.’

But his disadvantages were just as stark: his understanding of Magic Skills wasn’t deep enough, he had no real combat experience, and he was completely ignorant of other people’s techniques.

Jiang Man let out a heavy sigh.

"Realizing how hard it is to qualify?" the Old Yellow Ox asked.

Jiang Man shook his head. "It’s just... I feel like my Cultivation speed is too fast. I’ve covered ground in three months that takes others several years, and now my foundational knowledge of Magic Skills can’t keep up."

The Old Yellow Ox was silent for a moment. "Do you still want a wife or not?"

Jiang Man looked at him in confusion.

"After I recover some of my strength, I’ll find another wife for you," the Old Yellow Ox said earnestly.

Jiang Man looked at the ox and shook his head. "I’ll pass. You should find one for yourself, Old Huang."

’I was a fool to agree last time, and I ended up with an Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart.’

’It’s too late for regrets now.’

The Old Yellow Ox silently lowered its head and went back to eating grass.

Jiang Man also prepared to focus on his Cultivation.

’I won’t be able to break through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer today, but with two days left, it’s not impossible.’

However, he hadn’t been cultivating for long when he saw a graceful figure approaching, bathed in the moonlight.

The visitor was none other than Cheng Yu, who had come by before.

Jiang Man looked at her, feeling a little puzzled.

’Is she here to deliver another letter?’

’And on the day before the assessment, no less. Is she trying to rattle me?’

’Maybe I should just give the unopened envelope to Xiaopang tomorrow morning. Let him get a taste of the cruelty of his own courtyard mate.’

’It would surely shake his resolve, and he’d end up dead last in the assessment.’

’Even if that happened, he might win the affection of the second-ranked girl. Then, in his old age, he could reminisce about this glorious moment.’

"I’m back," Cheng Yu said with a smile. "Am I interrupting your Cultivation?"

"Not if you leave quickly," Jiang Man replied honestly.

’Stopping for a bit isn’t a big deal.’

Cheng Yu paid his bluntness no mind. "I came to ask for a reply. You saw the last letter, and the assessment is almost here. Is there anything you want to say to Luo Xuan?

"I can take it to her right now."

Jiang Man shook his head. "I don’t have anything to say."

"How about just a few words?" Cheng Yu said, sounding rather helpless. "After all, someone is anxiously waiting for a reply."

’This is such a hassle,’ Jiang Man thought.

After a pause, he said, "I’m married."

Jiang Man figured no other words could be as impactful as these two. This way, he wouldn’t have to worry about writing a reply.

Cheng Yu froze, completely stunned. She was truly shocked.

She had not expected this answer at all.

After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, "Married? What do you mean?"

"It means someone already admired me, and I have already performed the wedding ceremony with her," Jiang Man said.

’The ceremony part was true. As for the admiration...’

’Well, she never said she didn’t.’

Cheng Yu looked at him in disbelief. "Who would have married the man you used to be?"

Jiang Man: "..."

He then told her it was a girl from his hometown.

Cheng Yu stood there in a daze. She sighed, then immediately said, "Actually, it’s not a big deal. It’s not like you’re out of chances.

"As long as you and Luo Xuan can qualify together, the past will be nothing but water under the bridge.

"The path of the Immortal Dao is long, and our lifespans are vast. It’s completely different from the lives of ordinary people who pursue Immortal Cultivation.

"A hundred years from now isn’t too late."

Cheng Yu took a breath and continued, "Enough about that. I won’t tell Luo Xuan about this for now. You should both focus on your Cultivation.

"Here, this is for you. It’s information I’ve gathered on Fang Yong’s Magic Skills.

"It might be useful to you."

Then, looking as if she had been terribly wronged, Cheng Yu quickly departed.

Jiang Man frowned. ’There’s definitely something off about Cheng Yu.’

But he didn’t have time to dwell on it.

He needed to focus all his energy on the upcoming assessment.

’Regardless of whether anyone else gets a spot, I have to take first place.’

’That’s the only way to guarantee I’ll qualify.’

After that, he focused on his Cultivation.

Jiang Man didn’t rest until dawn, and then only for a short while.

He also took the chance to look over the information on Fang Yong’s Magic Skills.

Divine Step, Sixth Layer.

Six Harmonies Palm, Ninth Layer.

Three Talents Force, Ninth Layer.

Dragon Suppression Skill, Ninth Layer.

Bengliu Technique, Ninth Layer.

Cyan Smoke Prelude, Ninth Layer.

Basic Sword Skill, Ninth Layer.

Without a single exception, Fang Yong had mastered all the Magic Skills provided by the Cyan Cloud Pavilion to the Ninth Layer.

’His Talent must be incredibly high.’

In addition, the notes also listed other Magic Skills that Fang Yong possessed.

The Yang Family’s Thousand Water Technique, Sixth Layer.

The Cheng Family’s Hundred Battles Skill, Sixth Layer.

The Luo Family’s Void Palm, Sixth Layer.

There were brief descriptions following these.

But Jiang Man was still extremely surprised. ’How could Fang Yong learn so many Magic Skills from other families?’

Even though they were only at the Sixth Layer, if used effectively, they would still grant a significant boost in strength.

’He’ll be tough to beat.’

And besides all these, Fang Yong surely had other Magic Skills he had yet to reveal.

Learning many Magic Skills doesn’t necessarily make one strong, but to learn so many and master them all to the highest Realm is no simple feat.

The reason the skills from the other families were only at the Sixth Layer wasn’t that Fang Yong couldn’t improve them further, but because the Cultivation Skills he was given were restricted.

Each family had only permitted him to learn up to the Sixth Layer.

Even if he learned more in secret, he couldn’t display it. Getting discovered would be a huge problem.

The notes also detailed some of Fang Yong’s habits.

Even his daily routines were included.

The information on his habits and openings in his daily life was so detailed it might as well have been telling him he could poison Fang Yong.

’She really has ill intentions. If I were caught, my qualification would be passed on to the next person in line.’

Soon, Jiang Man arrived at the courtyard, where everyone wore a serious expression.

This was especially true for those with scores close to sixty, all of whom wanted to fight for their future.

The two days of assessment passed without any surprises.

Everything proceeded as smoothly as ever.

The same was true for the entire Cyan Cloud Pavilion.

「Two days later, on December 17th.」

Jiang Man arrived at the Sixth Courtyard early in the morning.

He wasn’t the only one; the others had also arrived early.

Xiaopang looked nervous. "I wonder what my rank is."

Then he looked at Jiang Man. "Brother Jiang, what about you? How many points do you think you’ll have?"

Jiang Man didn’t answer, his gaze fixed on Mr. Zhao, who was just walking in.

Holding a sheet of paper, he walked straight to the wall and posted it. "I’m posting the overall rankings now. After that, the combat assessment will begin."