Fang Yong calmly looked at him.

Jiang Man: "..."

’So he really did get on his knees and beg to rent that small courtyard for cheap?’

’Young Master Fang is such a big shot.’

Afterward, Fang Yong praised Jiang Man’s understanding of the Cultivation Skill and asked for more details.

Jiang Man naturally answered his questions one by one.

A long while later, Fang Yong finally took his leave.

Jiang Man was stunned for a moment before it dawned on him. "Old Huang, did Young Master Fang just leech off me for free?"

"You looked quite happy about it," the Old Yellow Ox said.

"No wonder Young Master Fang always hangs out with those other young masters. You can really get benefits from it. Now he’s starting to mooch off me," Jiang Man said.

Of course, it wasn’t anything to be concerned about.

It was a trivial effort.

"This person’s Talent is decent. He comprehends things quickly. His resources can’t compare to yours, or else he’d be even faster," the Old Yellow Ox said.

"Young Master Fang has investors behind him, but the Spiritual Source they provide is limited. He has to earn some himself. He’s not as well-off as me—I borrow more," Jiang Man said.

"You could try investing a little in him to help him advance faster," the Old Yellow Ox said.

Jiang Man nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. That way, Young Master Fang can get close to me, and then others will know that he and I are from the same hometown. Then they’ll also know that Young Master Fang will sell me out.

"One thing will lead to another, and it’ll all turn into Spiritual Source.

"It’s much more convenient than Alchemy, Forging, or anything like that."

"Crooked paths," the Old Yellow Ox said.

Jiang Man smiled and patted the Old Yellow Ox’s head. "Old Huang, you’re an Evil God. The pot shouldn’t call the kettle black."

Besides, he earned his Spiritual Source purely through his own abilities.

It was all open and aboveboard.

How could that be considered a crooked path?

Others couldn’t learn to do it anyway.

「The next day.」

Jiang Man headed to Red Water Peak.

He was going to see Xiaopang and the others.

He would also settle his Spiritual Source accounts and sell some items.

He wanted to see how much his savings would amount to in the end.

He hadn’t come to see them since his Core Formation, and he was getting antsy.

Additionally, he had to tell Song Qing that he was going to Luoyun City in the eighth month and ask him to free up some time to show him around.

He had a mission to do, after all. Having Song Qing scout things out first would be helpful.

It’s always easier to get things done when you have connections.

Hearing Jiang Man’s words, Song Qing was stunned. "You want me to be your guide?"

A Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivator leading a Golden Core expert?

The very idea was preposterous.

"I’ll give you a cut of five hundred Spiritual Source when the time comes," Jiang Man said.

Song Qing was thrilled.

Jiang Man had given him opportunities before, but he had been too incompetent to seize them.

And now, another great opportunity had fallen into his lap.

He certainly couldn’t miss this one.

"Leave it to me," Song Qing declared with confidence.

"I’ll write you a letter to get my dad to give you time off," Xiaopang said.

Song Qing felt that he was a lucky man.

A common person like him, from a poor village deep in the mountains, had only gotten this far because of the people around him.

Because of them, his life story was already so eventful.

He was also living a better life than countless others.

Of course, a person’s luck can’t last forever.

So he would cherish this.

"Are you borrowing Spiritual Source this time?" Song Qing asked.

Jiang Man refused.

’A Golden Core Ancestor is rich now.’

’I can’t be bothered with such a small amount of Spiritual Source.’

Of course, he wasn’t in a hurry to pay back his debts.

There was too much.

He’d pay it back slowly.

Chang Qiweng arrived late.

As soon as he arrived, he asked Song Qing about his sister, who was far away in Luoyun City.

He received good news.

His sister had made him proud and secured a qualification spot.

However, her ranking was low, so getting into the Sect wouldn’t be easy.

Chang Qiweng gave all ten thousand Spiritual Source he had saved over six months to Song Qing, asking him to take it to his sister.

Jiang Man returned eight thousand to Chang Qiweng, which, with interest, also came to ten thousand.

That was twenty thousand Spiritual Source in total.

For someone competing for a ranking, this was already a huge sum.

She wasn’t lacking in Spiritual Source. If her Talent was comparable to Chang Qiweng’s, she had a decent chance.

Afterward, Jiang Man started teaching them how to pull all-nighters and also gave Xiaopang some guidance on Spirit Medicine. However, Xiaopang’s Talent was average and he didn’t understand much. Luo Xuan, on the other hand, understood it very well.

As for Chang Qiweng, Jiang Man taught him the Promotion Skill.

Compared to Xiaopang, Chang Qiweng’s progress was faster.

There wasn’t much to teach Song Qing.

For Qi Refining, he just taught him how to pull all-nighters. For everything else, he just needed to follow the steps, as Old Huang had already given them secret manuals.

After that, it was time to sell some items.

Finally, Jiang Man checked his total Spiritual Source.

He had a total of 143,000 Spiritual Source.

Plus thirty-three Chao Yuan Shaoyang Pills, worth nearly 60,000.

He had sold pretty much everything that needed to be sold.

He had never been this wealthy.

Jiang Man had no plans to spend it. He was still practicing his Golden Core Skill, so it wasn’t time to raise his Cultivation level.

In the days that followed, he focused on practicing his Golden Core Skill.

「The twentieth of the third month.」

All Rivers Flow into the Sea, Ninth Layer.

「The twentieth of the fourth month.」

All Rivers Flow into the Sea, Tenth Layer.

「The twenty-fifth of the sixth month.」

All Rivers Flow into the Sea, Eleventh Layer.

It was almost the seventh month, and Jiang Man felt rather emotional.

’As expected, my speed isn’t that fast.’

’I still haven’t activated enough of my Talent. I need to find a way to activate more.’

’Taking a whole year to master a Cultivation Skill isn’t something an Unparalleled Celestial Pride like me should be doing.’

There were still Magic Skills to learn later, which would take even more time.

That would require even more Talent.

And while he was practicing his Golden Core Skill, he also took the time to learn the Wind-Collecting Technique.

A few days of study was enough. He didn’t need a high level of mastery because his Spirit Sword wasn’t good enough, which meant he couldn’t fully utilize the Sword Control Technique.

The same was true for the accompanying Wind-Collecting Technique.

"Speaking of which, it’s almost the seventh month. Old Huang, when do you think the Magpie Bridge will open?" Jiang Man asked.

He had lived quite peacefully during this time, though a number of women had indeed come looking for him.

They were either asking for directions or asking about Cultivation problems.

Jiang Man could only inform them that he already had a dao companion.

Some said they were just asking for directions, not about a dao companion.

Others said he was being ridiculous.

Jiang Man paid them no mind.

’Asking for directions?’

’Who runs into someone’s courtyard to ask for directions?’

He lived on the edge of a cliff.

’For years, not a single person came by. But as soon as I became number one in the Outer Sect, people started showing up to ask for directions.’

No matter how you looked at it, they had ulterior motives.

’Besides, this is the Foundation Establishment Courtyard. You think you can get directions without offering some Spiritual Source?’

"Late in the seventh month or early in the eighth," the Old Yellow Ox said.

Jiang Man was a bit surprised. "The eighth month? That’s when I have to leave for Luoyun City. Will it overlap with my departure?"

"You can just leave two days later," the Old Yellow Ox said.

Jiang Man sighed. It seemed he could only cultivate for now and wait for his wife to come find him.

————

「An ancient courtyard.」

Meng Qiewei stood at the edge of a pond, sprinkling some fish food.

But today, the cold aura radiating from Meng Qiewei was particularly intense, and the fish in the water didn’t dare approach.

It was as if they were afraid of being crushed.

Soon, the sound of footsteps came from outside.

Qing Dai ran in, a smile on her face.

But seeing the cold qi in the courtyard, she was a bit puzzled. ’Why is the young miss unhappy again?’

’Who provoked her?’

’I haven’t heard about anything happening.’

"Young Miss," Qing Dai said with a respectful bow.

"Good news?" Meng Qiewei put down the fish food and looked at Qing Dai.

For a moment, Qing Dai felt that if she didn’t have good news to report, she was probably doomed.

"Yes." Qing Dai nodded emphatically. "The clan has come up with a plan. There are two options: one is for him to marry into our family, and the other is for one of ours to marry out.

"So they’ve sent out two groups of people.

"Three young women from the Side Branches and two from the Direct Lineage.

"All five have Talent requirements, with the Direct Lineage having higher Talent.

"If he is willing to marry into our family, then the women from the Direct Lineage will be allowed to choose him.

"If he only wishes for a marriage alliance, then the women from the Side Branches will be presented for him to choose from."

After saying this, Qing Dai asked curiously, "Whose identity will you be borrowing, Young Miss?"

"What do you think?" Meng Qiewei looked at Qing Dai.

"Theoretically, it would be best to use a Side Branch identity. Fewer people pay attention to them, so it’s less likely you’ll be discovered." Qing Dai considered for a moment before continuing, "But it would be a bit unfair to you, Young Miss. Because the Side Branches don’t get much attention, it means they might be overlooked, and the conditions along the journey will surely be subpar."

"The Side Branch, then," Meng Qiewei chose.

Qing Dai nodded, then asked with lingering curiosity, "Then, are you going to the Wuyun Sect? The Side Branch candidates are there for him to choose from. They’re all going with the intention of marrying Jiang Man."

She was afraid something unexpected might happen.

Meng Qiewei said calmly, "First, I need to get out."

Qing Dai understood. It was very difficult for someone like her young miss to leave, so there was no use overthinking it now.

Because besides the substitution, there was another problem.

The Immortal Sect had not yet given its approval.

"By the way, it seems the Immortal Sect is making some moves regarding the Magpie Bridge. Some powerful experts have entered it." Qing Dai paused. "They should be trying to trace the previous path."

——

「Meanwhile.」

Jiang Man cultivated until the end of the seventh month.

On the day the Magpie Bridge opened, he thought Meng Qiewei would return.

But...

She didn’t come.

It was the first time in all these years.

Jiang Man asked the Old Yellow Ox.

The ox calmly chewed its grass and said, "She’s your wife. Why are you asking me?"