The End of the Immortal Path-Chapter 52 - 51: The Number One, More Dangerous Than You Think
A letter of admiration.
These few words left Luo Xuan, who was normally so composed, utterly stunned.
She could hardly believe it.
She didn’t know what Cheng Yu had done.
But whatever it was, it must have been for one of the qualification spots.
But why would she resort to writing a letter just for a spot?
"Haven’t you heard of a honey trap?" Cheng Yu chuckled, looking at Luo Xuan. "If you use it well, these men are easy to control. And when that time comes, do you think it’ll be hard for me to get a spot?
"A pity it failed, and in a way I can’t even comprehend."
Luo Xuan didn’t care whether it had failed or not. She just wanted to know who the letter was for and what it said.
Cheng Yu gestured toward the top of the rankings. "The number one in our courtyard, of course."
"Jiang Man?" Luo Xuan asked immediately. "What did it say?"
Cheng Yu could only begin reciting it, word by word, "To see these words is to see my face..."
"Stop reciting. Write it down," Luo Xuan said at once.
Just hearing it made her skin crawl.
But the moment she read the contents, Luo Xuan’s expression turned serious. "Go and clarify this. Tell him you were the one who wrote it."
"Look at you, getting all worked up," Cheng Yu said nonchalantly. "What’s so bad about him misunderstanding? He’s number one—number one after just a few months of cultivation. Is he not worthy of you?"
Luo Xuan shook her head. "Those are two different things. A misunderstanding is a misunderstanding. Everything else is separate."
"You’re still so naive. You should just go along with the ’mistake.’ If he’s interested, it could benefit you immensely." Cheng Yu sighed, shaking her head. "There’s no need to clarify, anyway. He’ll soon discover that I was the one who wrote it. I’m not actually trying to do all the work just for you to reap the rewards.
"Ultimately, I want to win him over, to have him go through hell and high water for me.
"To become a sharp blade in my hand."
Luo Xuan frowned. "That’s ridiculous. He’s number one. He’s more dangerous than you think."
Cheng Yu gave a dry laugh. "You’re exaggerating. Theoretically, I should have succeeded. What young man doesn’t harbor beautiful dreams? And you are the beautiful dream in everyone’s eyes.
"Especially someone like Jiang Man, from a poor background. They’re the most sensitive.
"He’s bound to have a passionate admiration for you. Even if he suspects it’s fake, he’ll still want to believe part of it.
"After all, what if it’s real?"
After a pause, Cheng Yu continued, "So even if he has his doubts, he’ll do something.
"Like severely injuring your nemesis, Fang Yong.
"Then Chang Qiweng would have severely injured you, and I would have become the final winner.
"In the end, I’d let him know the letter was from me.
"Claiming a maiden’s shyness forced me to borrow another’s name.
"A perfect, closed loop.
"I get the spot, and the man falls at my feet."
Luo Xuan looked her in the eye and twisted the knife without hesitation. "And in the end, you were the one severely injured by Fang Yong, left defeated on the ground with no one to care."
Cheng Yu looked regretful. "Yes, I lost. My resources were cut drastically. I can’t even afford a personal guard anymore."
After a moment, she asked, "What about you?"
"My fate was sealed long ago." Luo Xuan lowered her gaze and sighed softly. "It’s one of two things: recruiting a husband for the family, or being married off in an alliance."
Cheng Yu’s eyes lit up. "Recruiting a husband? In that case, two people from our courtyard fit the bill: Jiang Man and Fang Yong."
Luo Xuan’s gaze fell. A moment later, as a breeze rustled the ends of her hair, she looked up in the direction it came from.
It was impossible to know what she was thinking.
’Perhaps none of this was what she wanted.’
「Meanwhile.」
Luo Huaili had also obtained some information.
Many people had come from the various villages, but few had been able to secure a qualification spot.
Among them, those who had succeeded without any clear financial backing were rarer still.
But as it happened, there were two such individuals in Luo Xuan’s very own courtyard.
And these two were the very ones who had pushed his daughter out of the running.
"Heroes do rise from humble beginnings."
He remarked with a sigh.
But he also felt a sense of resignation.
Nevertheless, he would have to make contact with them.
「Spirit Gathering Hall.」
Steward Miao was extremely enthusiastic. Before, she had only sensed that Jiang Man had the potential to rise.
Now, he had successfully obtained a qualification for the Sect assessment.
If his progress continued to be this smooth, entering the Sect would be just a matter of time.
So, regarding his request to take an advance on his Spiritual Source earnings, she resolutely chose to...
"I can’t allow it." Before Jiang Man could react, Steward Miao quickly added, "Doing that would obligate you to work here, and delaying your cultivation would be terrible.
"I’ll lend you these two hundred Spiritual Source out of my own pocket. You don’t have to pay me back.
"Just focus on using it."
Jiang Man was deeply moved.
He decided he would still pay her back as soon as possible.
He also still owed Xiaopang a dozen or so Spirit Gathering Pills.
That would be harder to repay, but he still had eight months.
He could surely find the time to earn enough Spiritual Source to pay his debts.
Afterward, Jiang Man asked about the Dharma Transmission Department.
It was indeed a three-person team.
When the time came, they would head to the Dharma Transmission Land in the back mountains, which was divided into a Spiritual Energy Region, a Qi Blood Region, a Spiritual Region, and a Magic Technique Region.
They would have to fight for whatever they wanted.
Whoever claimed something, kept it.
The only restriction was that all three members had to be present.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to obtain anything.
This meant their objective had to be aligned.
Having his questions answered, Jiang Man was stunned.
’That’s going to be a real problem.’
The others didn’t need a Qi Refining Skill, while he had no need for a Visualization Skill.
Jiang Man asked if it was possible to grab two items.
Unfortunately, it was not.
Furthermore, once an item was taken, no other team could get it.
So, among the nineteen people from Cyan Cloud Pavilion, there were a total of seven teams.
Only three of those teams would be able to obtain a Cultivation Method; the rest could only compete for Magic Skills.
As for the two missing people, Steward Miao said the spots would be filled.
After thanking her, Jiang Man returned to his residence.
’Well, this is just great,’ he thought. ’Now I have no choice but to get stronger.’
「The next day.」
「In front of the back mountains.」
The woman who had given Jiang Man the token stood respectfully beside a man. "That Jiang Man doesn’t seem satisfied with our choice," she said. "He’s from a village outside the city and is fixated on getting a Qi Refining Skill."
The woman’s name was Yan Huimin, ranked third in the Second Courtyard of Cyan Cloud Pavilion.
The man beside her was seven feet tall, with abundant Qi and Blood. His bronze skin looked as tough as iron.
He glanced at the woman beside him and spoke slowly, "What’s his rank?"
’He didn’t care what people like that thought; he heard the same thing every year.’
’It was nothing new.’
’All they could see was the Qi Refining Method. Their perspective was severely limited.’
’One couldn’t hold it against them.’
’People were just different.’
’It wasn’t their fault.’
’The key was to understand them, then make them follow his lead. That way, they would realize the error of their ways.’
’Then they would know the correct path.’
"Qi Refining Sixth Layer. His rank is two places below mine," Yan Huimin said, pausing before adding, "Fourteenth in Cyan Cloud Pavilion."
"Then he’s still a ways off from the Qi Refining Seventh Layer." The man shook his head. "Don’t worry about it. We’ll explain it to him properly later, and he’ll understand why we need to compete for the Visualization Skill."
He paused, then asked curiously, "He’s from the Sixth Courtyard?"
"He is," Yan Huimin confirmed with a nod.
"Isn’t that the same courtyard as Miss Luo of the Luo Family?" The man seemed puzzled. "What was her rank?"
"She didn’t make the cut," Yan Huimin said.
The man was surprised. "Was there some young master or miss in the Sixth Courtyard even richer than her?"
Yan Huimin thought for a moment. "The other one’s name is Fang Yong."
"Is there someone like that in the Fang Family?" The man considered it, then realization dawned. "Ah, I remember who that is. The fake young master who’s always trailing after Young Master Cheng."
He stopped thinking about it and said, "It’s about time. Is he still not here?"
