The End of the Immortal Path

Jiang Man silently looked at the person before him.

’Is he complaining?’

’In that case, I’ll just let him keep suffering with that Ancient Skill.’

Jiang Man didn’t waste any time. "You should have all learned the Promotion Skill," he said. "If you have any questions about your Cultivation, ask them now, and I’ll explain."

As he spoke, Jiang Man suddenly remembered something. "Has Young Master Fang formed his core yet?"

"He should be close," Chang Qiweng replied. "I heard he got a spot and is in a Secret Realm right now, comprehending the Core Formation Skill.

"Miss Cheng is waiting for him there."

Jiang Man sighed in admiration. ’Young Master Fang really is impressive.’

’Starting Core Formation so soon.’

After that, Jiang Man began his lecture on Cultivation.

But there wasn’t much to say about Qi Refining. It was more about explaining how to control Spiritual Qi to build a better foundation.

When he was finished, Chang Qiweng said he had to leave for work.

Jiang Man was surprised. ’Is he really that busy?’

’Other people stay up all night cultivating, but you stay up all night working?’

It was only when the man left behind 12,000 Spiritual Source that Jiang Man sighed in admiration. ’What a diligent person.’

’He really should be staying up all night to work.’

He decided he would go find Old Huang later and see if there was a way to work at night without it affecting one’s Cultivation.

’You can’t just not earn Spiritual Source at night for the sake of resting, can you?’

’Now that I’m at Foundation Establishment, not sleeping doesn’t affect my body at all.’

After the others had left, Xiaopang told him that Sister Chang had failed to qualify. She was now in the Qi Refining Courtyard and had to pay an annual tuition fee. If she didn’t, she would have to leave the Sect and would no longer be a Student Cultivator.

That was why Chang Qiweng was under even more pressure than before.

Jiang Man nodded.

Being a Student Cultivator meant you were still within the Sect’s education system.

You could continue to cultivate and compete for a spot, and as long as you succeeded, you could continue to receive instruction.

For example, after failing out of the Rehabilitation Courtyard after three years, you would enter the Qi Refining Courtyard. But if you managed to achieve Foundation Establishment in the next two or three years, you could still enter the Foundation Establishment Courtyard.

If you were in the Foundation Establishment Courtyard for nine years and failed to advance, you’d move to the Foundation Establishment Back Courtyard. From there, you’d have to start paying Spiritual Source to continue learning. If, after another ten or twenty years, you finally qualified for Core Formation, you could enter the Inner Sect.

The three years in the Rehabilitation Courtyard, nine years in the Foundation Establishment Courtyard, and fifty years in the Inner Sect were all free.

Exceeding those time limits meant you had to start paying tuition.

Before leaving, Song Qing suddenly brought something up. "A while ago, a senior sister came to buy a flatbread. She said she was a friend of Young Master Jiang. She was a bit strange... the really powerful kind."

"I don’t know who she was, and she’s hard to describe. The only thing I remember was a Ling Dang."

"Is she a friend of yours, Young Master Jiang?"

"Yes," Jiang Man said with a nod.

Hearing this, Xiaopang immediately grew curious. "Brother Jiang, don’t you already have a Dao-companion? Are you planning on taking a concubine?"

He didn’t know how Xiaopang’s mind had leaped to the idea of a concubine.

But in response to the question, Jiang Man just gave a mysterious smile.

He didn’t answer.

He had originally planned to maintain the mystery and leave, but after a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Man spoke up. "Why a concubine?"

"Otherwise, how could someone as poor as you get her to put it on a tab, Brother Jiang?" Xiaopang said.

Jiang Man nodded. "That’s a fair point, but... why a concubine?"

Seeing their confused expressions, Jiang Man continued, "Why couldn’t she be the wife I’ve told you about?"

After saying this, Jiang Man strode away, vanishing from their sight in an instant.

Only then did it dawn on them.

Xiaopang immediately pulled out some jerky and gave it to Song Qing. "Old Song, tell me everything you saw."

Song Qing looked dazed. "I don’t remember much. I just remember that I felt the urge to kneel before her."

"Was she really a Fairy?" Xiaopang asked, shocked.

Brother Jiang had always said he’d married a Fairy, but he had never believed him.

Even after he got married, Xiaopang still didn’t believe it.

And now, he was suddenly asking why that person couldn’t be his wife?

Didn’t that just reveal her identity?

Luo Xuan was also astonished, because everyone had said Jiang Man didn’t have a Dao-companion.

That everything before was just an excuse.

Now, it seemed his mysterious Dao-companion was finally coming to light.

And Song Qing had even met her.

"Miss Luo, maybe I’ll come over and sell flatbreads tomorrow," Xiaopang suddenly said.

Luo Xuan shook her head. "Young Master Gao, have you forgotten what your uncle said?"

Xiaopang froze. He remembered. This shop was too dangerous for them.

The slightest misstep could bring eternal ruin upon the Gao Family.

For a moment, Xiaopang felt completely crushed by his family’s expectations.

But Luo Xuan’s tone suddenly shifted. "Young Master Gao can only work secretly in the back kitchen. You can’t be seen out front selling flatbreads."

Tang Feng absorbed Jiang Man’s lecture, feeling shocked.

’Coming to the Sect was the right decision after all.’

’If I keep working hard, there will definitely be more opportunities in the future.’

’I just don’t know if this little shop can survive.’

When the shop had no business, he was more anxious than anyone.

「Ji Meng’s Residence.」

Moonlight fell like a layer of gauze.

Ji Meng raised her eyebrows slightly, gazing at the bright moon in the sky and feeling the gentle breeze.

The sound of water being poured echoed as Qing Dai spoke with concern. "The news is out. The Bai Family is sure to react quickly. I’m afraid they’ll try to test the Young Master-in-law."

"The other families will surely do the same, both openly and secretly."

"They’re probably trying to figure out if you’re the real deal, Miss, by going through the Young Master-in-law."

"However, some people won’t believe it. If it really were you, Miss, the Grand Elder and the others would never have had the chance to find out."

"But no matter what, they’ll still be curious."

"The Young Master-in-law is about to enter the Inner Sect, and the Sect’s protection will be much looser there."

Within the Outer Sect, it was rare for anyone to be gravely injured or killed.

If something like that happened, the Sect wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

But the Inner Sect was different.

As cultivators grew stronger, they pursued freedom and power more fiercely.

The Sect also granted them a certain degree of freedom.

After all, the Sect needed people with actual combat experience.

And once one’s Cultivation was high enough, killing was no longer a big deal.

For instance, if someone on the list wanted to kill a Golden Core cultivator with exceptional Talent, the Immortal Sect would turn a blind eye.

At most, they’d receive a verbal reprimand.

So what if their Talent was high?

It was just Talent, nothing more.

The people on that list, however, were already near the apex of Immortal Cultivation and were not to be provoked.

Their restraints were never about morality or character.

Stability was what mattered most.

"I’ll write him a letter to let him know," Ji Meng said.

"Aren’t we going to do anything?" Qing Dai asked.

"Do what?" Ji Meng said as she wrote. "We’ll act according to Young Master Jiang’s wishes."

Not long after the letter was sent, a reply came back.

The reply came back with just two words: "Beneath mention."

Qing Dai read the message and sighed with emotion. "The Young Master-in-law is truly confident."

But she didn’t say anything more. After marrying the Miss, the Young Master-in-law’s path would not be an easy one.

Just then, Ji Meng wrote another reply. The key point was just three words.

"Fifteen percent off."

After finishing, Ji Meng asked, "Any news of the Bai Family Ancestor?"

"Not yet, but since we’ve released the news, he will definitely come to the Wuyun Sect," Qing Dai said seriously. "Even if he does come, he’ll remain hidden. It will be difficult for us to find him."

They were all at the Primordial Spirit realm; it was incredibly difficult for cultivators at that level to detect one another. And their location had been made public. Relatively speaking, they were out in the open.

Ji Meng nodded. "It’s fine. He’ll come to confirm things. We’ll be able to find him eventually."

Qing Dai hesitated. "And after we find him?"

Ji Meng looked at Qing Dai calmly.

Qing Dai froze, having almost forgotten what kind of person her Miss was.

Once the Bai Family Ancestor was found, he had to be killed as quickly as possible. There was no question about it.

Otherwise, he would come to kill them.

The enmity between the Bai Family and the Ji Family was not insignificant.

The only concern now was whether he would make a move on the Young Master-in-law, striking a fatal blow before they could even notice.

「The Ji Family.」

Grand Elder Ji Wuye once again summoned the same three people as before.

The man holding the sword was still their leader.

The three of them bowed respectfully. "Grand Elder."

Ji Wuye nodded. "The matter of your test last time was indeed an accident. Since you didn’t succeed in testing him, you will simply say that he passed."

The three nodded, not daring to object.

"Furthermore, there is another task for you," Ji Wuye said, looking at the three. "You are all still weak, so there are matters that do not reach your ears, but I will inform you of some things."

"Not now, of course."

"Rather, you will learn of it from a letter on your way there."

The three were confused.

The leader asked, "Where are we being sent?"

"The Wuyun Sect," Ji Wuye said with a smile. "Someone is always making a move, and we, naturally, must make our position clear."

"Your objective this time is to enter the Wuyun Sect’s Inner Sect with them and protect two people."

Author’s Note: I forgot to mention something. Because the names of some side characters sounded too similar (like Cheng Yu and Chen Yu), I’ve changed Chen Yu’s name to Chen Shi. Li Yuan’s name might also be changed. I didn’t think it would be an issue, but I realized it would be confusing for the audiobook version.