The End of the Immortal Path-Chapter 56 - 55: Marrying into the Spiritual Source
After entering the main gate, Cheng Yu made her way toward a side courtyard.
She finally stopped in front of a decent-looking courtyard and, under the moonlight, walked toward her room.
She pushed the door open gently and stepped inside, as if afraid of waking someone.
But the moment she closed the door and turned around, she saw a woman standing before her with a grim expression.
Cheng Yu’s pupils contracted the instant she saw who it was.
Before she could speak, the woman’s gaze turned vicious as she raised her hand and brought it down.
SLAP!
A crisp, loud sound echoed.
Cheng Yu stumbled sideways, nearly losing her footing.
Before she could right herself, the hand grabbed her by the hair, yanking her head up. A sharp voice screeched, "You useless thing! Why did you fail to win the qualification?
"What have you been doing all these years?
"I gave you so much Spiritual Source to train you, and for what?
"Why couldn’t you even secure a single spot?"
Her voice was vicious and enraged, as if she wanted to devour someone.
Forced to crane her neck, Cheng Yu looked up at the woman in a panic, speechless.
SLAP!
Another crisp, resounding slap landed.
Then she threw the girl to the floor.
Cheng Yu sat on the ground, head bowed, and didn’t get up.
"I worked so hard, sucking up to them, just to get you all that Spiritual Source! What were you doing? With all those resources poured into you, you can’t even beat some pauper?" the woman snarled, staring at Cheng Yu.
"Speak! I told you to speak!"
SLAP!
Yet another slap fell.
This time, blood trickled from the corner of Cheng Yu’s mouth.
But she kept her head down, still silent.
"Since you were little, I taught you to be cunning, how to exploit others’ weaknesses, how to disguise your true self, and how to seize opportunities.
"Not only did I teach you, I gave you Spiritual Source and found you more Magic Skills. Is this how you repay me?
"I could have raised a pig and gotten a better outcome." The woman’s eyes burned with fire as she glared at Cheng Yu. "What, you don’t like being a young mistress? Don’t like being a genius? Don’t like being respected?
"Do you prefer being a concubine like me, serving others just to grasp at a shred of dignity?
"If you don’t get a qualification, if you don’t enter the Sect, what are you?
"You’re just a maid! Those young masters and ladies would think it’s beneath them to even speak to you.
"Do you understand?
"Do you have any idea what you’ve missed?
"You’ve missed the chance to change your birthright.
"How did I give birth to a thing like you?
"I pinned all my hopes on you, and this is how you repay me?
"I never should have raised you. I shouldn’t have let my heart soften when I heard you wanted to cultivate, and then exhausted myself to support you."
As she spoke, the woman sank to the floor and even began to cry.
"Don’t you get it? Do you have any idea what our lives will be like once I fall out of favor? Only by you joining the Sect can we truly establish ourselves here.
"Only then can we truly be considered human," the woman said in despair. "I’m getting old. Once my looks fade, I won’t be able to protect you at all.
"Do you understand any of this?
"To fight for favor, I’ve already offended so many people.
"You don’t understand anything."
The sound of sobbing filled the room, heavy with pressure.
It was as if despair was endless.
—
For Jiang Man, the half-month break was nothing more than a time for Cultivation and earning Spiritual Source.
He could now earn ninety Spiritual Source a day.
After subtracting the time it took to earn Spiritual Source, all his remaining time was spent on Cultivation.
The new Qi Refining Skill was called the Morning Sun Qi Refining Method, and it was indeed harder to comprehend than the Simple Qi Refining Skill.
Fortunately, it wasn’t as esoteric as a Top-grade one. After pondering it for a day or two, he began his Cultivation.
In one day, he progressed from the First Layer of the Qi Refining Skill to the Sixth Layer.
Within three days, he successfully reached the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.
His progress slowed somewhat starting from the Tenth Layer.
On the fifth day, he reached the Tenth Layer of the Qi Refining Skill.
On the seventh day, he reached the Qi Refining Technique Eleventh Layer.
Having achieved this, Jiang Man breathed a sigh of relief.
From then on, lighting the lamps in the Spirit Gathering Hall became much easier.
It no longer put a strain on his body.
All these days, he had been waiting to see if anyone would come looking for him.
According to what Fang Yong had said, someone should have come to talk with him.
After all, he was first in his courtyard.
Unfortunately, up until the end of the twelfth month, no one had come to find him.
Not until the first day of the first month.
A new year began.
The Yunqian Bureau grew lively once more.
During the half-month break, many people had returned home.
Only those who lived in the villages remained at the Yunqian Bureau.
Going back was not only time-consuming and exhausting, but it also delayed their Cultivation and their earning of Spiritual Source.
Therefore, staying at the Yunqian Bureau was the most suitable choice.
However, Jiang Man couldn’t quite remember where his own village was located anymore.
They had probably forgotten about him as well.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Jiang Man cleaned the stables and headed for the Sixth Courtyard.
On the way, Jiang Man saw many people who were in low spirits, but the majority hadn’t been affected by the matter of the qualifications.
After all, many of them knew from the very beginning that they had no chance of securing a spot.
They were all focused on improving their Cultivation and finding other paths.
As soon as he arrived at the Sixth Courtyard, Jiang Man was called away by Zhao Leming.
This came as a bit of a surprise to him.
"You placed first in your courtyard, fourteenth in the Cyan Cloud Pavilion, and you obtained a qualification for the Sect assessment. On top of that, you’re from a village," Zhao Leming said, looking at Jiang Man. "So, some families see you as a promising prospect and will offer you some resources, but they have their own requirements."
As he spoke, he took out three sheets of paper and gave them to Jiang Man. "Take a look at these. They are the terms offered by the Li Family, the Cheng Family, and the Luo Family, respectively."
"If you agree, you can sign a contract with them.
"Also, any Student Cultivator from the Yunqian Bureau who has obtained a qualification must sign such formal contracts through the Bureau.
"It’s hard to say if there will be more offers later.
"Some people will rise straight to the top, while others fade into obscurity. You need to think this through carefully.
"Additionally, among these three families, the Li Family has the deepest foundation.
"So, your future with them would be better, but their initial offer isn’t high."
Jiang Man was quite surprised. He hadn’t expected anyone to actually come looking for him.
But it seemed the offers had all gone to Zhao Leming first.
He picked up the papers and read their contents.
Jiang Man found the Li Family’s demands to be quite simple: if he could enter the Sect, he would have to work for the Li Family for ten years and unconditionally help members of the Li Family three times, specifically within the Sect.
In return, starting now, they would provide him with five thousand Spiritual Source per month as support.
If he failed to enter the Sect, he would have to return all the Spiritual Source he had received.
If he couldn’t afford to pay it back, he would have to become a guard for the Li Family for thirty years to settle the debt.
After reading the Li Family’s offer, Jiang Man looked at the Cheng Family’s.
The Cheng Family’s condition was that if he managed to enter the Sect, they would marry a Cheng Family woman to him, but his first son would have to join the Cheng Family and take their name.
Furthermore, he would have to serve as a protector for the Cheng Family’s disciples in the Sect for fifteen years and obey their commands.
The resources they offered were five Spirit Gathering Pills, three Qi Blood Pills, and one Soul Condensing Pill per month, plus three thousand Spiritual Source.
If he couldn’t enter the Sect, he would have to join the Cheng Family and work for them for thirty years.
The Cheng Family’s terms were good—they offered a wife, Elixirs, and Spiritual Source.
It was worth a great deal.
But Jiang Man had no intention of considering it. After all, serving as a protector for fifteen years and obeying their commands sounded extremely dangerous, no matter how you looked at it.
Immediately, Jiang Man turned to the last sheet of paper.
The Luo Family’s terms.
He would need to take the Sect assessment under the Luo Family’s name. If he passed, he would have to marry into the Luo Family and would continue to receive their support.
If he failed the assessment, he could still marry in, but he would have to remain with the Luo Family for the rest of his life, working for them.
The offered compensation was: five Spirit Gathering Pills, five Qi Blood Pills, and five Soul Condensing Pills per month; access to the Luo Family’s Magic Skills, Qi Refining Skill, and Qi Blood Technique; guidance from the Luo Family’s experts; and one thousand Spiritual Source.
