The End of the Immortal Path

So he needed to be prepared.

They had handed over the Spiritual Source so readily; in return, he would naturally have to let them awaken Ling Hua.

He had to admit, there was too much he needed to cultivate, and nowhere near enough time.

It was now October, and he was already a Student Cultivator of the Second Courtyard.

He hadn’t even had time to go back and visit.

Soon, Ye Jingtian and the others returned.

They brought back 120,000 Spiritual Source.

Jiang Man was quite impressed. It was 20,000 more than he had expected.

That meant thirty-eight Taiyin Pills.

It was still a long way from what he needed to advance, but if forced, it would help him break through more effectively.

"Their conditions are that you must learn the Secret Skill yourself and continuously send out intel. Also, you are not to know the true purpose of the Secret Technique," Ye Jingtian said.

What they were doing now was essentially making enemies.

Jiang Man knew that once an ambush was set, the other side would surely find out after they were ambushed. The moment they emerged, his group might not be able to get away.

This kind of work was far more dangerous than anticipated.

Furthermore, if Jiang Man needed time to prepare, his allies would have to keep revealing his position.

If they interrupted his preparations, he would probably take action against them as well.

So, it was all a race against time.

If they could escape the moment the Immortal Sect Grand Competition ended, everything would be fine.

"Wait for me." Jiang Man immediately went to the Law Enforcement Hall to purchase Elixirs.

Afterward, he found Ye Jingtian and the others. "I’m ready."

Ye Jingtian didn’t press for details. Instead, he said, "The Immortal Sect Grand Competition has a Golden Core Region and a Primordial Spirit Region.

"When you first enter, you’ll be automatically separated. Our first task is to see if we can get what we want.

"After that, we’ll meet at the border between the regions to compete for the rankings.

"The current intel says the lowest cultivation is Late Stage of Golden Core and the highest is Late Stage of Primordial Spirit. It’s a huge range."

As he spoke, he looked at Jiang Man and continued, "The one I’m in contact with, Qin Wen, is at the Early Stage of Primordial Spirit. Additionally, there’s someone at the Late Stage of Primordial Spirit on his team."

Jiang Man was taken aback. ’Someone at the Late Stage?’

’There’s no way I can fight that.’

’No matter how fast I advance, I can’t possibly reach the Late Stage.’

’Looks like this is going to be a huge problem.’

’I can only take it one step at a time.’

"Can we go in now?" Jiang Man didn’t ask anything else.

Ye Jingtian checked the time and figured it was about right.

"Yes, it’s time," he said. "Take out your Tokens and activate them to enter. The three of you should be a team, so be extremely careful."

Jiang Man glanced at the Monk and the young woman beside him.

The two of them were at Golden Core Perfection.

They were originally supposed to be eliminated, but thanks to Jiang Man, they were given the chance to enter the Grand Competition.

"They’ve already learned the Secret Skill. Once inside, they will start sending out intel," Ye Jingtian reminded him.

Jiang Man nodded, then said, "Once we’re inside, they have to listen to me."

The Monk frowned but didn’t say anything.

’If Jiang Man ran off as soon as they got in, they’d be in even more trouble.’

’Splitting up would be even less practical.’

’Since they couldn’t report his position without him, they had no choice but to follow.’

Finally, he gave a slight nod. "Fine. I’ll listen to you."

The young woman followed, "I’ll listen to the Master."

Ye Jingtian nodded.

Then, a resonant power from the Tokens enveloped them, and their figures began to disappear.

It was a Teleportation Array that would send them directly inside.

Even if they didn’t enter voluntarily, the Tokens would force them in at the last moment.

「Elsewhere.」

Qin Wen looked at a man holding a long saber and said, "Yin Qin will coordinate with you. Go test the mettle of the Outer Sect’s number one."

The saber-wielding man replied with a cold expression, "I’m afraid I’ll kill him."

"Hold back a little. As long as he doesn’t die, it’s fine," Qin Wen said calmly. "Then I’ll go over. He should understand that, as someone still in the Outer Sect, he has no idea that the Inner Sect isn’t as peaceful as his old stomping grounds."

The woman holding the Jade Flute asked softly, "Can I make a move?"

Qin Wen looked at her and said, "Do as you please. Messing with his Heart Spirit is fine, too. In short, keep him alive until I get there.

"I’m sure Ye Jingtian and his people won’t fail to provide his location.

"If they want to leave peacefully, they can’t just take the Spiritual Source and not do the work."

"What if Ye Jingtian’s people interfere?" the saber-wielding man asked.

"Handle it as you see fit. If they don’t make a move, don’t worry about them. If they do, it’s your call," Qin Wen said.

Hearing this, the saber-w wielding man nodded slightly. "Alright. I’ll go teach the Outer Sect’s number one a lesson first."

Qin Wen reminded him, "Don’t go into this with a playful attitude, or you might be the one to suffer. Anyone who can secure a spot in this competition is never simple.

"You’re banking on his youth.

"People like him tend to have explosive bursts of power in desperate situations."

The saber-wielding man nodded. "I understand."

Then Qin Wen turned to the woman with the Jade Flute. "Junior Sister Yin, keep an eye on things. We can’t have any accidents."

Once the decision was made, the group entered the Immortal Sect Grand Competition.

—

「The Ji Family Estate.」

Ji Wuye had personally summoned the three junior members of the family who were participating in the Immortal Sect Grand Competition.

Two men and one woman.

Their leader was a sword-wielding man at Primordial Spirit Perfection.

"This time, you are to find a man named Jiang Man, a disciple of the Wuyun Sect. His cultivation should be at the Golden Core Realm." Ji Wuye looked at them and continued, "You don’t need to fight him at first. Just use your understanding of Arrays and various Magic Skills to trap him.

"If it comes to a fight, only you are to engage."

Saying this, Ji Wuye pointed to the only woman in the group. "You are at the Early Stage of Primordial Spirit. You can test his strength.

"Control your power. He’s said to be only at the Late Stage of Golden Core."

The woman replied respectfully, "Rest assured, Elder. I will fight him at the level of a Late Stage Golden Core cultivator. If he can last thirty moves against me, I’ll consider it his win."

The male leader of the Ji Family group asked, "Can’t we fight him first and then trap him?"

"Either way is fine. Use whichever method you feel is most suitable," Ji Wuye nodded.

After giving a few more instructions, he said, "You may depart. While you’re testing him, don’t forget about your own opportunities."

The three of them nodded.

Then they vanished on the spot.

They didn’t pay much mind to someone from a Sect.

As prodigies cultivated by the Ji Family,

their strength far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators their age.

Even the prodigies from the various Sects couldn’t compare to them.

Whether in Arrays or in direct combat,

they didn’t see this Jiang Man as a threat.

It was merely a side task for them.

They really only had one thing to do: seize opportunities inside.

The Grand Competition was filled with valuable items.

Especially the special Magic Skills.

They were appallingly powerful.

People could be at the same Realm, yet display completely different levels of combat strength.

Only those who reached such a level could be called true prodigies.

Watching the three depart,

Ji Wuye heaved a heavy sigh. "There have been so many things to deal with lately."

Just then, two people, a man and a woman, walked in from outside.

The man appeared to be in his forties, while the woman looked a bit younger, perhaps in her thirties.

"What has the Bai Family been up to?" Ji Wuye asked slowly as he sat down.

Instantly, his majestic aura descended like a mountain.

"The Bai Family Ancestor has come out of seclusion, but strangely, it seems he used some method to send an avatar out," the middle-aged man said with a frown. "We don’t know his objective yet, but the main branch of the Bai Family is already putting pressure on us.

"It seems they’re trying to force us into a confrontation.

"Or, they might be trying to provoke the Young Mistress into action."

"But his actions are rather perplexing," the woman said with a frown. "His avatar has gone out, yet they are here trying to force the Young Mistress’s hand. Why?"

The middle-aged man ventured a guess, "Could he be deliberately letting the Young Mistress know that his avatar is out and about, while she remains locked up here?"

Hearing this, the other two were startled.

That was indeed a venomous thought.

"Additionally, the Bai Family is also targeting the new prodigy. The marriage candidate he favors is bearing the brunt of it and has been affected.

"Now that he has entered the Immortal Sect Grand Competition, I’m afraid the Bai Family will make a move as well," the middle-aged man said.

Ji Wuye’s brow furrowed.

The Ji Family’s situation was complex; he really didn’t want to clash with the Bai Family.

The situation with the Young Mistress was also very dangerous.

If she were to lose her temper and act rashly,

the heavens themselves would collapse.

The Ji Family would be doomed.

"This Jiang Man is certainly unlucky. What was the name of the one he’s being matched with for marriage?" Ji Wuye asked.

"Ji Meng, from a remote Side Branch. However, they’ve only just made contact. It’s not a formal marriage arrangement yet," the middle-aged man said.

"In such a complicated situation, are there still people trying to take her place in the marriage arrangement?" Ji Wuye asked.

"There are. They feel the new prodigy’s judgment can’t be too far off. However, the new prodigy’s recent actions have displeased many. They’re questioning where on earth she went to find such a prospective son-in-law," the middle-aged man said.

Hearing this, Ji Wuye fell silent for a moment before saying, "Let’s set these matters aside for now. If the Bai Family Ancestor is truly trying to provoke the Young Mistress, we must find a way to keep her from being provoked."

After a pause, he suddenly added, "I have an idea. It’s not fully formed, but it is rather bold."

The other two were quite curious as to what it could be.

"I can’t say for now. I need to consider it for a few days, then discuss it with Miss Qing Dai, and after that, get the Young Mistress’s approval," Ji Wuye said. "You two continue to observe. Let the Bai Family be for now; do not start a fight.

"We need to see what the Young Mistress’s intentions are."