The End of the Immortal Path

Is this really how the world works?

The Spiritual Tablet remained silent for a long time, unsure how to respond.

The world has always been this way. It’s just that after the Immortal Sects established order, too many people were given opportunities.

It gave them more choices.

Of course, when these people gained choices, those above them lost theirs.

Things can’t be good for everyone.

Giving away precious Spiritual Source to those poor people with no future is simply a waste.

They have no idea how to properly use the Spiritual Source.

They only use it for crude and meaningless things.

"I feel like everything I did before was a waste of effort. For the first time, I feel like a complete fool," the woman in the black Immortal Skirt lamented.

"It’s fine. Now that you understand the essence of human nature, it will only help our plans, not hurt them," the Spiritual Tablet said in a low voice. "Did the other party set a time to meet?"

"He said two months at most. We’ll just have to wait," the woman in the black Immortal Skirt said.

"Two months is a bit long. See if offering forty thousand can move it up," the voice from the Spiritual Tablet came again.

The woman in the black Immortal Skirt was stunned, seemingly just now realizing how effective Spiritual Source could be.

So she tried.

And the result was...

Unsurprisingly, she succeeded again.

This felt like a constant invalidation of her previous efforts.

She had spent so long reporting him, using every method the three Sects had at their disposal.

She couldn’t even begin to calculate the amount of effort and Spiritual Source she had already spent.

In the end, twenty thousand Spiritual Source secured the meeting, and another twenty thousand moved the date forward.

At first, he had been so unyielding, as unflappable as if Mount Tai were collapsing before him.

She had thought she was dealing with an expert, but it turned out to be just a poor wretch.

He wouldn’t talk unless he saw money.

She took a deep breath. "Although we took the long way around, the outcome is good. Now we can think carefully about how to handle him. As long as he agrees to cooperate, his exit is guaranteed. This is probably his proudest moment."

————

「The Law Enforcement Hall.」

The moment Jiang Man came in, he had a feeling the person in the black robe was looking for him.

He managed to find a spot to lie down.

And sure enough, he saw the black-robed person, who told him a subordinate of the mysterious Immortal Spirit was offering twenty thousand for a meeting.

Jiang Man sighed to himself. ’They’ve found my weakness.’

So he agreed.

He told them they’d have to wait two months, though, so he could properly cultivate his Evil God’s Technique.

But not long after, they came to him again.

They offered to double the price, hoping to move the date forward.

It was currently the first of February.

So Jiang Man set the date for early March.

Sometime before March 5th.

One month would be enough time to cultivate the Evil God’s Technique to a certain Realm.

After all, now that he had unlocked his Talent, his subsequent Cultivation wouldn’t be too slow.

The Evil God’s Technique had only nine layers in total; it wouldn’t take up too much of his time.

Once he had settled these matters, Jiang Man went to find Yu Wanyi.

Watching her eat an extremely sumptuous lunch, Jiang Man couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.

’She eats better in jail than I do outside.’

He turned to Ren Qian with curiosity. "Senior Brother Ren, I’ll be coming in tomorrow too. Can my meals be like hers?"

"It is, if you pay with Spiritual Source. If not, it’ll be a bit worse," Ren Qian explained.

However, he felt the attitude of these two was all wrong.

’Who worries about food when they’re in jail?’

’They should be thinking about how to get out as soon as possible.’

"So, Junior Brother, you’ve come? I heard that your relationship with your partner is getting better and better?" Yu Wanyi said in a low voice. "I know all about it. Your relationship was an accident, and you were forced to be tied together.

"Before, you were passively living off her, but now that you’re cultivating your relationship, you can do so actively.

"I imagine your partner has given you even more support, hasn’t she?

"You should sit a little farther away. Let’s keep our distance.

"Although I haven’t really met your partner, I’m sure she cares about the women around you.

"Keeping our distance will make her happier.

"That way, you can continue to live off her."

Jiang Man was silent for a moment, then explained, "My success in Cultivation is entirely my own doing."

"Oh, I get it. Your Cultivation was earned through your ’sweat and effort’," Yu Wanyi said, nodding in agreement.

Jiang Man: "..."

For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

He then mentioned the invitation from the Inner Sect.

"I know about that. This is actually a competition for a spot. I was originally going to send you somewhere else, but when I saw this invitation, I thought you should choose to enter the competition.

"The number of spots is very limited, so you’re not guaranteed to get one. But as long as you perform well, there’s a chance to get a Top-grade Observation Method," Yu Wanyi said seriously. "Failure just means delaying things a bit longer, but if you succeed, you’ll secure a spot to participate in the real Inner Sect Grand Tournament. If you miss this one, who knows how long you’ll have to wait for the next."

"The real Inner Sect Grand Tournament?" Jiang Man asked, surprised.

’There’s a "real" version of the Inner Sect Grand Tournament?’

’So the previous tournaments weren’t the real deal?’

"The old ones were just minor affairs, internal tournaments held within the Sect where all the opponents were from our own Sect," Yu Wanyi said, putting down her food and adopting a serious tone. "But this time, it isn’t just for our Sect. When we fight for spots, we’ll first compete internally, and then the Three Major Sects will compete against each other.

"In the end, a group of Golden Core and a group of Primordial Spirit cultivators will be selected to participate in the grand tournament of the Four Major Immortal Sects and twelve Major Sects.

"Not everyone from the Immortal Sects will participate, but some definitely will be there.

"Furthermore, all the rewards are things provided by the Immortal Sects—things a normal Sect could never offer.

"Take Spiritual Source, for example. Just by participating in this tournament,

"the minimum reward is one hundred thousand Spiritual Source.

"A tournament of this scale only happens once every thirty to fifty years.

"The position you’ve been invited to is that of a sacrificial pawn, meant to boost your fellow Student Cultivators on the team.

"But within our Inner Sect, a position like this would never have gone to you.

"By the time I heard about the tournament, it was too late to secure a proper spot for you, and you were still in the Outer Sect besides."