The End of the Immortal Path

"Miss, do you think he’s planning something?" Qing Dai asked.

"Has something happened at the Immortal Sect?" Ji Meng asked.

Qing Dai shook her head. "Not at the moment."

"Then he won’t dare." Ji Meng took a sip of tea and changed the subject. "Have the details of the Ji Family’s test for the marriage candidate arrived?"

Qing Dai was also quite confident in the Immortal Sect.

The Immortal Sect might seem too preoccupied right now.

But if anyone on that list dared to make a move, the Immortal Sect would make time for them instantly.

’That person’ might be warring in the depths of the void, but he would return the moment they dared to rear their heads.

No one knew what terrible things might happen.

"They’ve arrived. During the Immortal Sect’s grand tournament, someone will make a move on the Young Master. Should we call it off beforehand? I’m afraid the Young Master still has to deal with the Peak Master’s people," Qing Dai asked.

"I’ll write to him and ask." Ji Meng took out a brush and paper and began to write.

Qing Dai: "..."

’Could it be that the Miss was just waiting for me to say that?’

Ever since they started corresponding, she’d had no way of knowing how things were progressing between the Young Master and the Miss.

Judging by her miss’s mood, things seemed to be going well.

Still, she was genuinely concerned about the Young Master’s predicament.

In the past, has anyone with an Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart ever had it this difficult?

But they were both at the Primordial Spirit level, so they couldn’t truly interfere.

Even the new Celestial Prides couldn’t help. They were outsiders, and the Ji Family’s influence didn’t extend here.

The Peak Master, on the other hand, had been entrenched here for hundreds of years.

His influence was far beyond what a new Celestial Pride could match.

But if the Young Master’s life were ever truly in danger, she would have to intervene.

At that point, she and the Miss would have no choice but to return.

’Would the Miss bring the Young Master back with them?’

She had no way of knowing.

She decided not to overthink it. She would just have to act according to the situation.

After a pause, Qing Dai remembered something. "Miss, there’s a rumor going around that the Young Master tasted cow dung. Is that true?"

"It’s false," Ji Meng replied casually, her head still bowed.

"Then what about the rumors that the Young Master used to be a fool? Are those false too?" Qing Dai asked.

At her words, Ji Meng’s hand, which had been writing, paused.

For a moment, she was lost in memories of the past.

But she quickly recovered, resumed writing, and added, "Half true, half false."

Qing Dai was confused. ’So is it true or not?’

---

「The next day.」

In his prison cell, Jiang Man finished digesting the second elixir.

He felt his body and Spirit become much more invigorated.

Then, he resumed his Cultivation.

「On the third day.」

After he finished digesting the fifth elixir, he found that his Spirit Gourd had accumulated ten percent of its capacity.

Jiang Man did a quick calculation, then looked at Old Huang. "Old Huang, I’ve done the math. It’ll take me about a month to advance.

"That means breaking through to Golden Core Perfection will take at least three months.

"Factoring in the difficulty of the Cultivation breakthrough, it’ll probably be four months.

"It’s mid-June now. I might not even break through by October.

"That’s cutting it close. Is there any way for me to speed things up?"

Old Huang answered casually while chewing on grass, "You’re out of Spiritual Source. You won’t be able to break through in four months."

Jiang Man was taken aback. ’I’m out of Chao Yuan Shaoyin Pills.’

’But I still have some Mind Stabilizing Pills, and I can buy more.’

’It’s not impossible.’

’But July is just around the corner, which means Ting Fengyin is coming.’

Pushing the thought aside, Jiang Man refocused his efforts.

As for Miss Ji Meng’s offer to cancel the Ji Family’s test, that was of course unnecessary.

It was all just something he could handle along the way.

Resuming his Cultivation, Jiang Man no longer let his mind wander.

On July first, the Spirit Gourd reached seventy percent full.

On July seventh, the Spirit Gourd was one hundred percent full.

Jiang Man decided to begin his breakthrough.

Including the elixirs used on the Golden Stone, he had already gone through eighty Chao Yuan Dingshen Pills.

Twenty-four remained.

It was more than enough, with some to spare.

But just as he was about to begin his Cultivation, he suddenly detected a change in his surroundings.

"Old Huang," Jiang Man said, immediately looking over at the ox.

He found Old Huang already huddled in a corner, looking for all the world like an ordinary yellow ox.

’He’s that scared?’ Jiang Man thought with a sigh.

It was the first time he’d ever seen Old Huang act this way.

Then, Jiang Man turned and walked toward the direction of the greatest change.

The environment under his feet began to transform. The floor turned into a grassy field, the prison cell became an open forest, and a stream flowed from the distance.

A path stretched out before him.

A stone monument appeared in the distance and drew near, stopping before him.

The Magpie Bridge had opened.

Jiang Man felt little surprise, instead wondering what kind of fruit would appear this time.

He hadn’t finished the fruits from last time; he was waiting to eat them after he ran out of elixirs.

They could further increase his Cultivation.

That would save him a lot of Spiritual Source.

Soon, Jiang Man saw the tree again. Naturally, it was a different one this time.

Its fruits were black.

Ting Fengyin sat beneath the tree, clad in silver armor. He held a fishing rod in one hand and ate a fruit with the other.

This time, his armor was not stained with blood.

As Jiang Man approached, Ting Fengyin turned his head. "Pick the fruit yourself. I chose this kind specially. They’re useless for your Cultivation."

"Why not get something useful?" Jiang Man asked, curious.

"Because you’d pick the tree clean," Ting Fengyin said.

Jiang Man sighed. "Next time, I’ll only pick half."

"That will depend on my mood," Ting Fengyin said, eating a fruit. "Do you think there are any fish in here?"

"I doubt it." Jiang Man recalled what Meng Qiewei was like in here.

’Wouldn’t the fish have swarmed her?’

’Surely even fish can appreciate such a feast for the eyes.’

Ting Fengyin shook his head. "No wonder your Cultivation is so low and you advance so slowly."

Jiang Man was silent.

’What does that have to do with my slow progress?’

"Although your Cultivation progresses a bit slowly, it’s surprising that you’ve already completed the fusion of your Golden Core, Physical Body, and Spirit." Ting Fengyin remarked with some feeling. "It’s rare to see it done so quickly."

"When did you complete it, Senior?" Jiang Man asked, slightly curious.

"I finished it three days after I reached the Golden Core realm," Ting Fengyin replied. After a pause, he added, "But our techniques are different, so I had a bit of an unfair advantage."

Jiang Man fell silent.

’I shouldn’t have asked.’

"How are you coming along with the Evil God’s Technique?" Ting Fengyin asked.

Jiang Man told him the truth.

"You’ve finished the first volume already? That’s quite fast." Ting Fengyin nodded. "You can begin the process of awakening the Evil God. It will help you comprehend the third volume.

"You can start gathering power now to pave the way for Zui Fusheng."

Jiang Man nodded.

Ting Fengyin offered a few more pointers, and Jiang Man felt his understanding of the Evil God’s Technique deepen.

This would allow his strength to take a massive leap forward.

But...

His stamina with it was poor.

And he could only use it under the guise of Zui Fusheng, or he’d be easily caught.

After that, Ting Fengyin asked about Jiang Man’s mission.

"I’m locked in a cell right now, so I haven’t made much progress," Jiang Man said.

Ting Fengyin gave Jiang Man a surprised look. "Don’t you have your Zui Fusheng identity? Couldn’t that get you out? Not only is your Cultivation slow, but your brain is too."

Jiang Man explained the situation truthfully.

"Bai Wanli? That’s his name?" Ting Fengyin asked.

"You know him, Senior?" Jiang Man was a little surprised.

"I’ve come across the Peak Master’s name, but I’ve never met the man himself." Ting Fengyin mused for a moment. "He’s actually giving a Golden Core cultivator like you a hard time? Your performance has been decent, but it’s strange for him to target you from the very beginning. Shouldn’t he try to win you over first?"

"Isn’t that the standard procedure?" Jiang Man asked curiously, sitting down beside Ting Fengyin.

"Definitely not. When people like that value you and want to recruit you, they’ll always play the emotional card or the Spiritual Source Card first. They’d only resort to this if they were certain those avenues were closed." Ting Fengyin picked a fruit and handed it to Jiang Man. "Here, have one. Tell me about your situation. I think something is fishy.

"Have any major families approached you? Ones you have a good relationship with?"

Jiang Man thought for a moment. "The Ji Family. A Celestial Pride from the Ji Family thinks highly of me."

"A Celestial Pride from the Ji Family?" Ting Fengyin asked, intrigued. "Which one?"

"Ji Hao," Jiang Man replied.

Hearing this, Ting Fengyin was rather surprised. "Ji Hao? Then you’re probably just collateral damage. Their real target is Meng Qiewei."

Ting Fengyin smiled. "Your allies have arrived. The Bai Family is likely trying to kill Meng Qiewei. The Bai Family Ancestor has some unique, unknown abilities. He probably knows that Meng Qiewei snuck out.

"He’s preparing to lock onto her location and then kill her.

"Their main bodies can’t make a move, but an avatar with Primordial Spirit Level power certainly can.

"The Immortal Sect might even be hoping the Bai Family Ancestor succeeds in killing Meng Qiewei."

Jiang Man was a bit surprised. ’So, I’m just an innocent bystander in all of this?’