The End of the Immortal Path

In the courtyard, Fang Yong stood frozen, finding it hard to believe.

Why would a Peak Master, a figure of such immense power, go out of their way to make trouble for a single Golden Core cultivator?

When facing such a behemoth, was there truly no other option but to compromise?

He wanted to ask the person before him.

Moreover, it seemed he would have to change his subsequent plans.

"The power of a Peak Master is not something an Outer Disciple can even fathom. His attitude alone can decide the fate of a person, or even an entire family. This has always been the way of the strong," Wei Ran said calmly, looking at Fang Yong.

"So, I should avoid Jiang Man, too?" Fang Yong asked.

"What do you think?" Wei Ran countered.

"I don’t have a family backing me, so I doubt a powerful figure like the Peak Master would target me specifically, but..." Fang Yong looked at the man before him and trailed off.

Wei Ran smiled. "But I will be implicated because of it?"

Fang Yong said nothing.

That was indeed the case.

Wei Ran chuckled. "This is no small change. Many people’s backers won’t be able to withstand the consequences. Plenty of people want to be on good terms with a prodigy, but they have to be fated to survive it.

"Every backer has a limit to the pressure they can endure. I am no exception.

"So, the more you do to help Jiang Man, the greater the impact on me.

"But if you do something that harms Jiang Man, then there will be no impact at all."

Having said this, Wei Ran dismissed Fang Yong.

Leaving Wei Ran’s residence, Fang Yong’s brow furrowed slightly.

Wei Ran’s meaning was clear: Jiang Man was now being targeted by the Peak Master, and even someone like Wei Ran had to keep his distance.

This was to avoid being swept up in the eye of the storm.

But as long as he acted against Jiang Man’s interests, he wouldn’t be used by others and become a target himself.

Besides, every backer had a limit to the pressure they could endure.

’How many times can Wei Ran step in before he hits his limit?’

He walked back to his residence, calculating something in his mind.

His brow remained furrowed the entire time.

Before long, he was back in his own courtyard.

He found Cheng Yu waiting for him; she had arrived at some point while he was out.

She looked at Fang Yong and asked softly, "Young Master Fang, has something terrible happened?"

"Halt operations at the shop for now. Then go find Xiaopang and the others. Tell all of them that I’m going to attempt Core Formation, and I need to borrow as much Spiritual Source as they can give me. Remember, the more, the better," Fang Yong said.

After a pause, Fang Yong continued, "Xiaopang and the others have probably been called in for a ’talk’ as well. Tell them not to overthink it, not to do anything rash, and not to worry. For now, just have them lend me their Spiritual Source. The sooner, the better."

Cheng Yu hesitated for a moment. "But didn’t you say you had enough Spiritual Source for Core Formation, Young Master Fang?"

Young Master Fang looked at her and replied calmly, "There’s been a change of plans. It’s not enough anymore."

Afterward, Cheng Yu left. She truly didn’t understand the sudden change and could only go discuss it with Luo Xuan and the others.

She would, of course, ask to borrow the Spiritual Source, but there was no telling how much they would be willing to lend.

Watching Cheng Yu leave, Fang Yong thought for a moment before starting to contact a few people.

He planned to sell some embarrassing stories and weaknesses about Jiang Man.

「That afternoon.」

News began to spread across Cloud Mist Peak that Jiang Man used to be a simpleton.

The great number one had even tasted ox dung.

From the very ox he was raising.

When Jiang Man heard this news, he was completely stunned.

He couldn’t believe it.

’This is just a personal attack! When did I ever eat ox dung?’

"Old Huang, did you make this story up and feed it to Zhao Tiankuo?" Jiang Man demanded.

The Old Yellow Ox said placidly, "You should be thinking about how to earn Spiritual Source to buy resources. If this continues, I’ll have to start planning your funeral."

"First, I’m going to find out who’s slandering me like this," Jiang Man said, his curiosity piqued as he went to investigate.

Of course, he had to disguise himself first.

Otherwise, everyone would avoid him like the plague.

With a rumor like this, it should be easy to track down the source.

By evening, he had his answer.

It was actually Fang Yong who sold the story.

In an instant, Jiang Man calmed down. He asked Old Huang curiously, "How much do you think Young Master Fang sold it for?"

"Does it matter how much he sold it for? This is about your dignity," the Old Yellow Ox said while chewing on grass.

Jiang Man disagreed. "Even dignity has a price. If the price is right, it’s for sale."

The Old Yellow Ox fell silent.

"Still, for Young Master Fang to do something like this is pretty shameless. We both came from the Yunqian Bureau, yet he slanders me like this." Jiang Man sighed wistfully. "I guess he’ll just have to suffer a bit tonight. I’m going to go beat him up."

「Outer Sect.」

Cheng Yu gathered everyone from their small courtyard.

They all sensed that Jiang Man was in trouble, but they didn’t quite understand the situation.

As Qi Refining cultivators, they were always the last to get news.

But Xiaopang had connections, so he knew more of the details.

"It seems Brother Jiang has provoked a major figure. My uncle even told me to close my shop and lie low for a while. He said not to do anything or meet with anyone—especially not Brother Jiang," Xiaopang said.

Luo Xuan added, "They said it’s extremely serious. If we don’t listen, our entire families could be implicated. The Gao Family could face annihilation just because Young Master Gao had a single meeting."

Hearing this, Chang Qiweng and Song Qing were both stunned.

Chang Qiweng was at the Foundation Establishment realm, but even he didn’t know much.

He only knew that it was serious.

Cheng Yu recalled her earlier conversation and realized that even Young Master Fang and his backer had to tread carefully.

Their shop was closed, too.

"What do we do now?" Song Qing asked.

Cheng Yu looked at the group. "I have something to tell you. Young Master Fang sent me to find you all, but not to ask about the situation. He said he’s going to attempt Core Formation, but he’s short on Spiritual Source.

"He wants to borrow Spiritual Source.

"Also, there’s something else I need to tell you. Young Master Fang mentioned he was going into Core Formation before, and I specifically asked him—he wasn’t short on Spiritual Source then.

"But today, he suddenly told me he was short and needed to borrow yours. The more, the better, and the sooner, the better."