The End of the Immortal Path

Ye Jingtian stared at him for a long time before politely saying, "We’re not fond of forming alliances with others."

Qin Wen simply said calmly, "You’ll grow to like it."

He then left.

Without another word.

「Three days later.」

A small faction from the Celestial Water Sect came to persuade him.

They had all been targeted to varying degrees. Although nothing serious happened, it was still unpleasant.

Especially since it had nothing to do with them.

Ye Jingtian became the source of it all.

On the fourth day, Ye Xiaoshuang was framed and taken into temporary custody by the Law Enforcement Hall.

It was only a minor issue, and she was expected to be released the same day.

But Ye Jingtian gave in.

When Qin Wen arrived, he simply smiled. "I told you you’d grow to like it."

————

After a month, with the help of thirty Mind Stabilizing Pills,

Jiang Man finally refined the Primordial Gold Stone.

This was all because he lacked a Top-grade Skill.

Otherwise, with his Late Stage Cultivation, he could have been even faster.

But even so, it was much faster than with the bead from before.

This was a sign of his foundation deepening.

At that moment, Jiang Man felt countless fine threads of his Spirit extending from his mind, present in every part of his body.

The threads now made contact with his Golden Core.

And they linked together.

Instantly, Jiang Man felt his Spirit could reach every part of his body.

His flesh, blood, and Spiritual Qi became much clearer.

Every change in his body, every circulation of his power, was now within his perception.

Mobilizing his power felt as natural as moving a limb, his body following his will.

This feeling of absolute clarity filled Jiang Man with joy.

It was as if only now did his body truly belong to him.

An unprecedented sense of clarity.

His power had increased significantly.

Even without using All Rivers Flow into the Sea, he could now fight an entire group of cultivators at the Same Tier.

He even dared to charge in and fight someone at Golden Core Perfection.

Sensing all this, Jiang Man couldn’t help but open his eyes and look at the Old Yellow Ox. "Old Huang, I feel I’ve gotten so much stronger. I’m feeling incredibly cocky right now, like I could take on a hundred oxen."

"I even feel like rushing out to let Peak Master Bai know what an Unparalleled Celestial Pride truly is."

"Now you’re just getting carried away. You wouldn’t be able to hurt him in the slightest, even if he just stood there and let you hit him," the Old Yellow Ox said as it chewed its fodder.

"Let him be arrogant for a while longer. His day will come," Jiang Man said nonchalantly.

’It’s not like he’s the only one with backing. All he can do is resort to these petty tricks.’

’And I’m not afraid of tactics like these.’

’The only trouble is that if I do something, it’s easy to drag others into it.’

’My businesses and assets would be more vulnerable.’

’The Sect gives out shops and qualifications to give people something to lose, to make them hesitant.’

’That way, ordinary prodigies can’t just abandon everything and act recklessly.’

’But if a prodigy has something to lose, doesn’t a Peak Master?’

"Old Huang, when the time comes, let’s find out how many of Peak Master Bai’s people are in the Immortal Sect’s grand competition. We’ll beat up every one we see."

"Most of them are at the Primordial Spirit realm."

"You’ve changed, Old Huang. You’re just being a downer."

Just as Jiang Man was about to say something more, Ren Qian walked in.

"Are you settling in alright?" he asked.

Jiang Man looked at him and nodded. "It’s fine. It’d be even better if there were four meals a day."

Ren Qian smiled faintly. "If you’re willing to hand over your Spiritual Source, four meals a day can certainly be arranged."

Hearing this, Jiang Man changed the subject. "Did you need something, Senior Brother?"

He was rather worried that Ren Qian would cave to the pressure and let him go.

’Where else would I get to eat so well?’

’Especially since it’s so quiet here.’

"Your team has emerged, and the rewards have been distributed. This is your reward from the grand competition," Ren Qian said, handing some items to Jiang Man.

A book, thirty thousand Spiritual Source, and a Silver Token.

The book was the Top-grade Observation Method that Jiang Man had wanted from the start.

The Hundred Rivers Observation Method.

The Token was a qualification token; when the time came, it would teleport its holder into the Immortal Sect’s grand competition.

"Entering the Immortal Sect’s grand competition with your Cultivation is indeed a bit dangerous," Ren Qian reminded him. "Currently, among those who have qualified, the lowest is at the Late Stage of Golden Core—and there’s only one of them."

Jiang Man understood what he meant. ’I’m at the very bottom of the barrel.’

’And here I was, thinking about fighting ten Late Stage cultivators, only to find out there aren’t any Late Stage cultivators for me to fight.’

’Life really is strange sometimes.’

’I’m invincible among Late Stage cultivators, but I can’t even find one to fight.’

"By the way, it seems Junior Sister Yu went to see her master, but her master didn’t provide a solution, so you’ll have to stay here for now. After all, you are now the representative of the Evil God. Within the jurisdiction of the Zhenyue Bureau, no one will trouble you," Ren Qian said.

Jiang Man nodded. ’If they try to meddle here, I have my own ways of dealing with it,’ he thought.

’Still, if even Senior Sister Yu couldn’t do anything, then there’s probably no easy way out of this.’

After that, Jiang Man asked if his shop had closed down.

"No, but it’s not getting any business," Ren Qian replied.

Jiang Man nodded.

’Looks like Song Qing will have to bear the hardship for now.’

’Otherwise, the subordinates of the Ling Hua Immortal Spirit would have had to suffer.’

’After all, they were supposed to be funneling Spiritual Source to me. How long would it take them to eat all those flatbreads?’

’Now, there’s no way to funnel it over.’

—

After Ren Qian left,

Jiang Man began to examine the Top-grade Observation Method.

He had to admit, none of the Cultivation Skills in the Hundred Rivers series were anything but complex.

Although Jiang Man could understand most of it, he still lacked some of the requisite knowledge.

He could only turn to the Old Yellow Ox. "Senior, bringing you along was truly the right decision."

Then he handed the book over.

Late that night, the Old Yellow Ox began to explain the skill to Jiang Man.

Seven days later, Jiang Man began to organize all the knowledge he had absorbed.

A day later, he opened his eyes.

He then deactivated the array’s soundproofing and looked over at Old Meng.

"Old Meng, is that all you’re eating?" Jiang Man remarked as he watched Old Meng chewing on a steamed bun. "Here, have some jerky. It’s pretty good."

Old Meng stared at Jiang Man scornfully. "A mighty Golden Core expert, and you’re this excited over a piece of meat?"

Jiang Man paused, just then remembering that Old Meng had once been wealthy himself.

Since the other man wasn’t eating, he could only stuff the jerky into his own mouth.

After taking a bite, he said, "Old Meng, I recently got a Top-grade Observation Method, the Hundred Rivers Observation Method. You know of it?"

"I saw it, so what? Do you have any idea how difficult the Hundred Rivers Observation Method is to cultivate?" Old Meng sneered.

Jiang Man smiled at Old Meng. "I know you’re not convinced by me. This time, I’ll make you eat your words. Do you know what the manifestations are when one succeeds in cultivating the Hundred Rivers Observation Method?"

"At Entry Level, a faint stream appears. At the Second Layer, there are seven. At the Tenth Layer, sixty-three. It is said that at Great Success, there are one hundred and eight," Old Meng said.

Hearing this, Jiang Man looked at him and asked, "One hundred and eight streams? Have you ever seen that before, Old Meng?"

"As if," Old Meng said dismissively.

Jiang Man nodded. "Then you’re in for a treat, Old Meng."

Old Meng looked at him dubiously.

The Old Yellow Ox munched on its fodder, watching the scene with great interest.

Jiang Man took a deep breath. "Watch closely, Old Meng. Don’t blink."

Then, Jiang Man began his Cultivation.

Because of the perfect clarity between his Spirit, Physical Body, and Golden Core,

Jiang Man’s Cultivation was much smoother than before.

He completed one cycle very quickly.

The moment he concluded the cycle, a faint, shimmering stream appeared beside him.

First Layer of the Hundred Rivers Observation Method.

Old Meng, in the middle of chewing his bun, froze.

He instinctively rubbed his eyes. The stream was still there.

Then he saw Jiang Man begin to cultivate once more.

Another cycle.

The streams around his body increased from one to seven.

Second Layer of the Hundred Rivers Observation Method.

Another cycle, and the streams became fourteen.

Third Layer of the Hundred Rivers Observation Method.

And another cycle.

Fourth Layer of the Hundred Rivers Observation Method.

After two more cycles.

Fifth Layer of the Hundred Rivers Observation Method.

By now, the bun in Old Meng’s hand had long since fallen to the ground, his eyes filled with utter shock.

Four cycles later.

Sixth Layer.

Eight cycles later.

Seventh Layer.

Sixteen cycles later.

Eighth Layer.

Thirty-two cycles later.

Ninth Layer.

Sixty-four cycles later.

Tenth Layer.

Old Meng’s mind went completely blank. His legs could no longer support him in the face of what he was witnessing, and he collapsed to his knees.

「The next day.」

Twelfth Layer.

「Two days later.」

Old Meng stared at the one hundred and eight streams flowing around Jiang Man, his eyes filled with nothing but numbness. His entire worldview had shattered.

Three days...

Three days...

The Golden Core Top Grade Skill, the Hundred Rivers Observation Method.

Great Success!

Forget Old Meng; even the Old Yellow Ox had stopped chewing its fodder.

The shock in its eyes was beyond words.

No one understood Jiang Man better than it did. Two years ago, it had taken him nearly a year to reach Great Success in All Rivers Flow into the Sea.

Now...

Three days.

It had taken Jiang Man seven days just to understand it, but he had achieved Great Success in a mere three.

For a moment, the Old Yellow Ox was reminded of Jiang Man’s time in the Qi Refining stage.

It had been the same then, too.

Simply inconceivable.

’Perhaps he truly is an Unparalleled Celestial Pride with world-shaping talent.’

’That Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart really has it good.’