He really had reached Foundation Establishment.

"You really reached Foundation Establishment?" Ye Wenxiu asked, astonished. "How did you do it?"

Jiang Man looked at him and said calmly, "Is something right just because it’s always been done that way? A single day of my cultivation is equivalent to two of yours. Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to reach Foundation Establishment?"

As soon as he spoke, Jiang Man vanished from where he stood.

Leaving Ye Wenxiu standing there, stunned.

He felt as if he had just heard something utterly absurd.

’Just because it’s always been done that way... doesn’t that make it right?’

’This wasn’t just his conclusion. It was the conclusion of a Sect, an Immortal Sect, one reached over an immense span of time.’

’How could it be wrong?’

’He could be wrong, but could *they* be wrong?’

’He refused to believe it.’

Then, he steadied his Heart Spirit and pushed the thoughts from his mind.

He departed quickly.

He could only try to adjust his condition as he left.

Time was running out, and the people behind him wouldn’t be foolish enough to hound him relentlessly.

If they did, none of them would successfully reach Foundation Establishment.

They weren’t desperate paupers at the end of their rope; they had to consider their own gains and losses.

—

Jiang Man appeared in a plaza.

There was no one else around.

The guards were long gone, leaving it looking like any ordinary square.

With that, Jiang Man walked out.

’Now that I’ve reached Foundation Establishment, I wonder if I can still register.’

’In any case, I should go check it out first.’

’At the very least, I need to get my arrangements sorted. Otherwise, even finding a place to live will be an issue.’

’And I need to eat.’

If he hadn’t bought those Qi Blood Pills, he would have wasted a lot of time just looking for food in the Secret Realm.

Taking stock, Jiang Man realized that not only had he reached Foundation Establishment in the Secret Realm, but he had also earned 4,500 Spiritual Source.

’A Major Sect really is different. Earning Spiritual Source is much easier here than at the Yunqian Bureau.’

’But there are also more ways to spend it.’

When he reached the main road, Jiang Man saw that the once-deserted path to registration was now crowded with people.

’Has the next batch of people started to register?’

Jiang Man immediately thought of the second batch of new disciples coming to register.

The first batch from each location only had five people, while the rest numbered nearly a hundred.

That was twenty times as many.

So there would be a huge crowd this time.

Jiang Man blended into the crowd, heading toward Cloud Mist Peak with everyone else.

He kept an eye out for familiar faces.

And as it turned out, he did.

Li Yuan, Yan Huimin, and Fang Yong.

Yan Huimin was visibly excited. She had successfully joined the Sect.

At first, she hadn’t had any hope.

But then she met Jiang Man.

Thanks to him, she obtained a Top-grade Magic Skill and qualified for the Secret Realm.

This prompted her family to spare no expense in raising her cultivation level.

She smoothly advanced to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer and successfully entered the Sect.

She really was just lucky.

Now, as long as she cultivated diligently for the next three years...

...she had a better chance of reaching Foundation Establishment than anyone else.

That was because she could enter the Secret Realm without having to fight for a spot in the rankings.

"Where are you all headed?" Yan Huimin asked.

"I’m going to South Pan Peak," Li Yuan said.

Fang Yong, on the other hand, said, "I’m going to Cloud Mist Peak."

"I’m heading to Cloud Mist Peak, too," Yan Huimin said after a moment’s thought. "I wonder which peak Jiang Man is assigned to."

Jiang Man was a legend in the Yunqian Bureau; naturally, everyone was curious about where he would end up.

But the Sect was massive, so it was anyone’s guess if they would ever see each other again.

"I’m going to Cloud Mist Peak, too." A sudden voice came from behind them.

The three of them, somewhat surprised, immediately turned to look.

There stood Jiang Man, right behind them.

Fang Yong said, surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"Just on my way," Jiang Man said with a smile.

"This is for you." Fang Yong took out a letter. "It’s from Xiaopang. He’s also arrived at the Sect and should be selling things at the foot of Red Water Peak."

"Also, he brought someone with him."

Jiang Man asked nonchalantly, "A guard?"

"It’s Luo Xuan," Fang Yong said.

Jiang Man froze. "Luo Xuan? Why?"

’Those two have absolutely nothing to do with each other, do they?’

"Xiaopang is from the Gao Family’s Direct Lineage, and the Luo Family is looking to form a marriage alliance with another family," Fang Yong explained briefly.

Jiang Man: "..."

’So Xiaopang might end up in a marriage alliance with Luo Xuan?’

’What happened to his thing for chubby girls? Why the change of heart?’

’I wonder if Xiaopang will be snickering to himself under the covers at night. He swore up and down that he didn’t want this...’

’...but he’s always liked beautiful women.’

’And besides being a bit too strong, Luo Xuan fits the bill perfectly.’

Along the way, Li Yuan asked curiously about the situation at Cloud Mist Peak.

Jiang Man thought for a moment before answering, "It’s divided into the Qi Refining Courtyard and the Rehabilitation Courtyard. We should be assigned to the Rehabilitation Courtyard."

The number one disciple in the Rehabilitation Courtyard is highly regarded; youth is naturally a major factor.

"I heard the first batch of arrivals went to the Pioneer Courtyard," Yan Huimin said, looking at Jiang Man. "Is everyone in the Pioneer Courtyard strong?"

Jiang Man shook his head slightly. "Not as good as me."

Yan Huimin: "..."

Li Yuan patted Yan Huimin’s shoulder and said earnestly, "Just watch. A legend doesn’t fade just because he’s in a new place. He only shines brighter."

"Decades from now, when you look back on the past, you’ll realize that this is the closest you’ve ever been to a legend."

"Perhaps you’ll never have imagined back then that the light of that legend would shine upon you."

Yan Huimin was stunned.

Even Jiang Man was surprised.

’Li Yuan might be a cheapskate, but he sure knows how to talk.’

Soon, Jiang Man and the others said their goodbyes to Li Yuan and continued toward Cloud Mist Peak together.

After some time.

Cloud Mist Peak.

Here, the clouds and mist were sparse, allowing a direct view of the azure sky.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, Jiang Man noticed something special about the clouds and mist—they were formed from an abundance of Spiritual Qi.

In other words, the thicker the clouds and mist, the denser the Spiritual Qi.

And the mist on Cloud Mist Peak was a little thin.

’No wonder they say the night view here is the most beautiful. It’s because there are no clouds or mist to block the sky,’ Jiang Man thought.

"New disciples?" a young woman asked, looking around warily.

Jiang Man’s group nodded.

"Thirty Spiritual Source, and I’ll tell you how to get a good room," the young woman said cautiously. "Normally, you’ll be assigned to an eight-person room, but with my guidance, you can get a four-person room."

Fewer people meant a better environment, which would make cultivation much more efficient.

Jiang Man looked at Yan Huimin. "Are you going to pay?"

"Huh?" Yan Huimin asked curiously. "Aren’t you two?"

Jiang Man shook his head. "We don’t need to."

He then had Fang Yong reveal his Iron Token.

The young woman was surprised but quickly added, "For thirty Spiritual Source, I can tell you the cheapest way to get a two-person room."

In the end, they both paid up.

The answer they received was to mention their housing preference during registration and give the person in charge fifty Spiritual Source to make their request.

One was to say they liked peace and quiet, the other that they preferred simplicity.

After the girl left, Yan Huimin asked, "Did we just get scammed?"

Fang Yong asked Jiang Man if he had run into something like this when he first registered.

Jiang Man just gave a mysterious smile and said they should go register first.

’He’d never been here before, so how could he possibly know?’

The line was long, but it moved quickly, dwindling person by person.

Soon, it was Yan Huimin and Fang Yong’s turn.

They handed over the Spiritual Source and, sure enough, got the rooms they wanted.

Fang Yong and Yan Huimin were about to leave with Jiang Man, but then they saw him get in line to register as well.

’What’s going on?’

"Location, name," a young man at the registration desk asked.

Jiang Man answered truthfully, "Luoyun City, Jiang Man."

Here, you only needed to state your city, as everyone came from the Yunqian Bureau.

"Jiang Man?" The man checked the roster. "There’s no Jiang Man on this list. Are you sure you have the right name?"

Jiang Man nodded.

The man then looked behind him. "Senior Brother He, could you come take a look? I think this roster might be missing someone."

"Which location? What’s the name?" He Chenfeng asked from the back, still looking over some documents.

"Luoyun City, Jiang Man," the man replied immediately.

Hearing this, He Chenfeng froze.

He strode over, roster in hand.

He looked at Jiang Man and asked, "Luoyun City, first place from the Yunqian Bureau, Jiang Man?"

Jiang Man nodded.

The young man who had first taken his name was confused. ’The number one from the Yunqian Bureau? Why is he registering today?’

"You were supposed to enter the Pioneer Courtyard half a month ago. Now that you’ve missed the deadline, we can only place you in a regular courtyard. Do you have a problem with that?" He Chenfeng asked with a tone of frustrated disappointment.

Jiang Man looked at him and asked, "Senior Brother, I only have one question."

He Chenfeng said, "Go ahead and ask, but the Pioneer Courtyard has already started. You can’t get in."

"I just want to ask," Jiang Man began, "which courtyard do Foundation Establishment cultivators go to?"

Hearing this, He Chenfeng froze. Bai Danyan, who had just walked over, was also taken aback.

She couldn’t quite process what the person in front of them was saying.

Jiang Man continued, "It’s not that I didn’t want to register. The Secret Realm just happened to open on the night I arrived, so I had no choice but to go establish my foundation before coming here."

He Chenfeng and Bai Danyan’s brows remained furrowed.

’I had to go establish my foundation before I could register... How on earth did he come up with such an unusual excuse?’