It was almost midnight.

In the end, Jiang Man chose to circulate his Qi Blood Technique.

He was afraid that if he continued, he wouldn’t be able to complete the one hundred and fifty repetitions in a day.

He wouldn’t be able to finish even if he didn’t sleep.

This Promotion Skill was time-consuming; circulating it was much slower than a normal Cultivation Skill.

Fortunately, it was getting faster and faster. Otherwise, it would have been truly dangerous.

Besides, using the extra time for the Cultivation of his Qi Blood Technique was a good thing.

Perhaps he could reach the absolute peak at the same time.

「On the second day.」

The Promotion Skill reached the Seventh Layer.

「On the fourth day.」

The Promotion Skill reached the Eighth Layer.

「On the seventh day.」

The Promotion Skill reached the Ninth Layer.

「On the tenth day.」

Jiang Man had completely absorbed the Qi Blood Pill. At that moment, the ninth "Gourd" of his Physical Body was finally full.

Only then did he let out a breath.

He had come to understand something during this time.

The mist would dissipate.

The faster it dispersed, the more it proved that people were beginning their Foundation Establishment.

They would condense the mist into Foundation Establishment Qi and then use it to be promoted.

If they failed, the Foundation Establishment Qi would scatter and be fought over by others.

The person would also be teleported away.

If they succeeded, they would be teleported out within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

They would also be unable to participate in the remaining competition.

Furthermore, once someone began their Foundation Establishment, no one could disturb them.

So, under normal circumstances, there was no conflict.

A fight would only break out when someone was seen failing their Foundation Establishment.

"Visibility is about a hundred paces. It seems not many people have started their Foundation Establishment," Jiang Man guessed, looking around.

He then adjusted his condition and decided to head upstream.

He wanted to reach the summit, and the water flowed from above.

It should lead directly to the peak.

He activated Divine Step.

He wasn’t sure how long the path was, and walking slowly could cause him to run out of time.

Foundation Establishment itself would take a day or two, so he only had two or three days left.

As he moved upward, Jiang Man noticed the mist was dissipating faster than before.

’It seems the others don’t dare to waste any more time either.’

It was already the tenth day. Any further delay might lead to anxiety from a lack of time.

Worries in one’s Heart Spirit could lead to failure in Foundation Establishment.

But Jiang Man wouldn’t fail.

He had nearly reached the limit of what was possible for Foundation Establishment.

His Cultivation, Physical Body, and Spirit—he had only begun their Cultivation after mastering their respective foundational Cultivation Skills to their limits.

He was at Great Perfection in the truest sense of the word.

「On the eleventh day.」

Jiang Man saw a forest and felt the slope of a mountain.

At this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I’m almost there."

The mist’s visibility had now receded to between one hundred fifty and two hundred paces.

’By tomorrow, it should be beyond three hundred paces, and the day after, it’ll basically be gone.’

「Halfway up the mountain.」

Jiang Man suddenly felt an aura spread out from nearby.

It was heart-pounding for a moment, but it quickly became ordinary again.

"Foundation Establishment Qi?"

Driven by curiosity, Jiang Man activated his Divine Step and went over.

Sure enough, he saw a mass of qi floating in the air.

At the same time he arrived, another figure appeared.

It was a woman.

The instant she spotted the Foundation Establishment Qi, she also saw Jiang Man.

"Three thousand Spiritual Source," the other party spoke first. "How about you take three thousand Spiritual Source and give up competing with me for it?"

Jiang Man tore his gaze away from the Foundation Establishment Qi and looked at the person who had appeared with him.

She looked to be in her early twenties, dressed in a pale yellow Immortal Skirt. She held a Talisman in her left hand and gripped a Long Sword tightly in her right.

’She looks like she’s about to perform an exorcism.’

However, Jiang Man really didn’t want this Foundation Establishment Qi.

He felt it wasn’t pure enough, unworthy of a prodigy like him.

Getting some Spiritual Source would be an unexpected bonus.

Just as he was about to agree, the woman spoke again, "Which peak are you from? What’s your rank?"

Jiang Man thought for a moment and said, "Cloud Mist Peak, first place."

’Whenever someone asks for a rank, claiming first place is never wrong.’

"First at Cloud Mist Peak? First in the Qi Refining Courtyard or first in the Rehabilitation Courtyard?" she asked again.

Jiang Man had no idea what these were and asked curiously, "Is there a difference?"

"Four thousand for first in the Qi Refining Courtyard, five thousand for first in the Rehabilitation Courtyard," she explained.

Hearing this, Jiang Man said seriously, "I’m first in the Rehabilitation Courtyard."

The woman stared coldly at Jiang Man for a long time before finally saying, "Aren’t *I* first in the Rehabilitation Courtyard?"

Jiang Man froze. "..."

Not feeling awkward at all, he asked curiously, "Is the night view from Cloud Mist Peak really more beautiful than other places?"

Zhao Yaoyao’s brow furrowed. She was certain he was poor, and she was also certain he wasn’t a disciple of Cloud Mist Peak’s Rehabilitation Courtyard.

After all, the number of people who could enter was minuscule, and he wasn’t one of them.

But poor people were terrifying.

Especially when faced with Foundation Establishment Qi.

’Even though I can win, it will cost me a lot of energy.’

’It’s almost time for my Foundation Establishment. There’s no need to get tangled up with him.’

"I’ll give you five thousand." As she spoke, she tossed over five thousand Spiritual Source and moved toward the Foundation Establishment Qi.

As Jiang Man caught the Spiritual Source, the woman also obtained the Foundation Establishment Qi.

Looking at the five thousand Spiritual Source, Jiang Man kindly reminded her, "This Foundation Establishment Qi isn’t pure enough."

Zhao Yaoyao casually took out a bottle of Spiritual Liquid and poured it over the qi.

Instantly, the Foundation Establishment Qi became pure.

Jiang Man was a bit stunned. ’There’s something like that?’

Noticing Jiang Man’s gaze, Zhao Yaoyao said calmly, "One bottle costs ten thousand Spiritual Source."

Jiang Man fell silent.

’I really do hate the children of rich families.’

’What I hate most is that I’m not one of them.’

Putting away the Spiritual Source, Jiang Man asked, "Do you know the way to the summit?"

"You don’t have a map?" Zhao Yaoyao retorted, storing the Foundation Establishment Qi.

Jiang Man fell silent.

"You’re that poor?" Zhao Yaoyao asked again.

Jiang Man fell silent once more.

’I’m a newcomer. How can I act like I’ve been here many times before?’

"Five hundred Spiritual Source," Zhao Yaoyao said.

Jiang Man tossed out five hundred Spiritual Source and got the map as he wished.

The river ended halfway up the mountain; he still had to take a detour to ascend.

He hadn’t strayed from the main path yet, so he could still make it to the top today.

Afterward, Jiang Man bid her farewell.

As he was leaving, she asked him again which peak he was from.

Jiang Man told her the truth.

Unfortunately, she didn’t believe him.

Jiang Man figured there was no Spiritual Source to be gained from it, so he didn’t bother explaining.

The main reason was that if he explained, he was likely to hear something like, ’I know you’re poor, but I’m not looking down on you. You don’t need to tell such lies just to save a little face.’

That was something the stingy Li Yuan had once told him with a straight face.

Zhao Yaoyao didn’t pay it any mind either and chose to go in the complete opposite direction.

「By evening.」

As moonlight shone down, Jiang Man successfully arrived at the summit.

There was no mist here.

Looking down, one would see the mist lingering halfway up the mountain, as if one were standing above the clouds.

Averting his gaze, Jiang Man saw a giant boulder ahead.

The stone statue resembled a massive Four-sided Cauldron, bathed in moonlight, with a hazy aura rising from it.

It appeared mysterious.

The naked eye couldn’t really make out any details.

It looked like a structure, yet it felt far from simple.

As for whether it was truly simple...

...he would know once he touched it.

Jiang Man walked up to the Four-sided Cauldron and reached out to touch it.

A coarse texture met his hand.

At the same time, the Celestial Mirror Hundred Books was triggered.

The pages began to flip.

Finally, the pages stopped at page nineteen.

Text then appeared.

[Innate Profound Yellow Cauldron: In the Ancient Times, a tide of Profound Yellow Qi submerged an unnamed peak. From this, the Four-sided Cauldron was carved, gradually developing miraculous properties. It can condense Spiritual Qi to generate Innate Qi. After the world’s great calamity, it was left to guard this region. Fed by Spiritual Qi, it overflows with Innate Qi for cultivators to use for Foundation Establishment. Because it is difficult to enter after completing one’s Foundation Establishment, people have thrown items inside, including a sealed letter addressed personally to Xiang Tianlin.]

[Record the Innate Profound Yellow Cauldron to obtain a wisp of Magic Purple Qi (Acquirable)]

Pulling his hand back, Jiang Man was a bit surprised. ’It’s on page nineteen.’

Magic Purple Qi.

His Talent would be enhanced, and his Magic Skill Cultivation speed would rise to a new level.

He wouldn’t have to keep grinding away at the Celestial Heart Seal anymore.

Using Magic Skill Innate Qi to cultivate the Celestial Heart Seal was too slow.

Now, cultivating it should be as fast as any ordinary Magic Skill.

Besides that, Jiang Man examined the contents of the page again.

’A sealed letter addressed personally to Xiang Tianlin.’

’What’s this?’

Jiang Man looked up at the Four-sided Cauldron, hesitated for a moment, then expended a great deal of effort to finally reach the cauldron’s mouth.

Below was pitch black.

"It’s a bit deep. If I go down, can I get back out?" Jiang Man worried.

After a moment of thought, he decided to perform his Foundation Establishment first.

’Right after Foundation Establishment, I might be able to go down. And if I can’t get out, I can just wait to be teleported.’

If he couldn’t get in, then he would just forget about the letter.

It wasn’t important.

On the edge of the cliff, Jiang Man felt the mist below as he slowly sat down and began to circulate the Nine-layer Promotion Method.

Immediately, the mist swirled upward like a tornado, surging into Jiang Man’s body.

From a distance, it looked like a wondrous spectacle.

---

「Two days later.」

The Sect began to make arrangements once more.

He Chenfeng, who had been in charge of registration, once again opened the book he had previously closed.

The first thing he did was check on the person who had been absent.

"Still hasn’t shown up. I can’t believe we’re in charge of registration again," Bai Danyan said with a smile, leaning over for a look. "Where on earth did that guy from your hometown run off to?"

He Chenfeng shook his head slightly. "It’s a pity."

Bai Danyan shrugged. "It’s no big deal. If he couldn’t even walk a flat road, he won’t have much of a future. If he does show up this time, just randomly assign him to some small courtyard."

The Pioneer Courtyard was different from the other courtyards.

Instruction there had long since begun, and in cultivation, being a step ahead was crucial.

Missing out meant ending up on a completely different life path.