September 21st.

That evening.

Cloud Mist Peak.

Jiang Man stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing at the starry sky.

A gentle breeze rustled the corners of his robes.

"It’s about time."

Jiang Man spoke slowly.

He had already completed his Cultivation one hundred and fifty times today.

Not only that, but he had also had the Old Yellow Ox explain the Body Refining Skill to him.

To raise his Cultivation, he first had to improve his Physical Body’s strength and his Spirit’s strength—something Jiang Man hadn’t considered at the beginning.

He previously thought he could open and fill the first Gourd within three months.

Now, that seemed a bit difficult.

After all, the Cultivation Skill was the last priority.

Still, he was very curious about what this so-called "accumulating Magical Power" was like.

Just after midnight passed.

Jiang Man felt a stir from his Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart.

’It’s time to see the new challenge.’

’Let’s see what kind of challenge this measly Fate Chart has for me this time.’

At that moment, it was as if the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart had been opened.

Three Elixirs slowly descended.

They were a golden Elixir, a blood-red Elixir, and a water-blue Elixir.

He immediately informed the Old Yellow Ox.

And thus, he learned the names of the three Elixirs.

They were the Flawless Golden Yuan Pill, the Flawless Nourishing Essence Pill, and the Flawless God Firming Pill.

He wouldn’t need to buy any other Elixirs in the early stages; these three would be enough to get Jiang Man through the Foundation Establishment Introduction.

For a moment, Jiang Man even felt that his Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart was being quite generous.

He just wondered what it would send next time.

It had already sent three Elixirs.

’Will it be four next time?’

’Four Elixirs would be good, since nothing else is very useful anyway.’

Magical Treasures, Magic Skills, Cultivation Skills—they were all the same.

They all carried a certain degree of risk.

"Have the requirements appeared yet?" the Old Yellow Ox asked.

Jiang Man shook his head.

He was still waiting.

Soon, a profound aura emanated from the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart.

The moment Jiang Man tried to peer into it, the profound aura began to arrange itself, quickly forming into words.

[Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart]

[As an Unparalleled Celestial Pride, your Cultivation has reached a whole new Realm. For you, Cultivation is unimpeded by wind or rain, day or night. When conditions permit, you must cultivate 160 times per day. Furthermore, within 600 days, you must enter the Secret Realm and leave a handprint on the Five Elements Stone, laying the groundwork for your future fame. The teleportation will open on its own after 550 days.]

[Failure will result in a backlash from the Fate Chart.]

[Foundation Establishment Body Damage.]

There was a lot more text this time, and Jiang Man found it a bit difficult to understand.

When the old ox asked, he immediately relayed the information.

One hundred and sixty times, unimpeded by wind or rain, day or night.

’What does this mean?’

’The night is prime time. Not cultivating is a waste of time.’

’How can those people sleep at night?’

A kindred spirit.

Jiang Man exclaimed with feeling.

The Old Yellow Ox fell silent.

Then, Jiang Man asked curiously, "Old Huang, what is this Five Elements Stone?"

"A rock," the Old Yellow Ox said.

"Is the Five Elements Stone related to the Five Elements Spiritual Qi I use for my Foundation Establishment cultivation?" Jiang Man asked.

"The Five Elements Stone corresponds to the Five Elements Technique," the Old Yellow Ox said. "That type of Magic Skill can only be cultivated at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment."

Jiang Man breathed a sigh of relief. Mid-stage was acceptable.

He had been afraid it would require the Perfection realm.

He was worried he wouldn’t have enough time.

Advancing in Foundation Establishment was not that easy.

However, Jiang Man was puzzled by the Fate Chart’s mention of "laying the groundwork for future fame."

The Old Yellow Ox didn’t explain either.

As for the Secret Realm, Jiang Man didn’t give it much thought.

After all, the Teleportation Array would open on its own.

After a pause, something occurred to Jiang Man. "Senior," he said, "is it possible that I’ll be ambushed when I enter the Secret Realm?"

’If Meng Qiewei is waiting for me on the other side of the Secret Realm, then...’

’Wouldn’t my life be hanging by a thread?’

"Don’t overthink it," the Old Yellow Ox said.

Hearing this, hope flickered in Jiang Man’s eyes. "Is there a way to avoid it?"

"It’s just that you have no choice but to go. Whether you worry about it or not, you still have to go, so you might as well not think about it," the Old Yellow Ox said.

Jiang Man looked at the Old Yellow Ox and said with emotion, "You’re so philosophical, Old Huang. If you were the one about to die and could still be this detached, I would definitely take you as my role model."

The Old Yellow Ox ignored Jiang Man and continued to eat grass.

It had been eating the grass in the courtyard for over half a month and still wasn’t finished.

Jiang Man looked at the text and realized that the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart truly had no intention of letting him hide his abilities.

Fortunately, his Talent was such that he had no fear of these kinds of changes.

Also, the backlash from the Fate Chart this time wasn’t the complete loss of his Cultivation, but Foundation Establishment Body Damage.

That was truly a fatal blow.

"I wonder if Meng Qiewei’s ancestor had a grudge against their descendants, wanting their own kin to die an unnatural death."

However, he wasn’t sure if these things were part of the original design or caused by some unexpected event later on.

After that, Jiang Man stopped overthinking things.

He now had Elixirs and Cultivation Skills.

’In that case, I’ll start by improving my Body Refining Skill first.’

The Body Refining Skill was quite similar to the Nascent Condensation Skill.

He only managed to reach the Entry Level after two repetitions.

And he entered the Second Layer only after four more repetitions.

「On the fifth day.」

He smoothly entered the Seventh Layer.

「On the seventeenth day.」

He achieved Great Success in the Body Refining Skill.

「October 8th.」

Jiang Man began working on the Visualization Technique.

He started to improve once more.

During these days, he cultivated restlessly at the edge of the cliff, day and night.

More and more people saw him.

But no one imitated him. They even felt that sooner or later, he would become the very last ranked in the First Courtyard.

Staying up all night like that would damage one’s Heart Spirit.

His Cultivation would be twice the effort for half the results.

Zhao Yaoyao and the others tried to persuade him a few times, but then gave up.

’Kind words won’t persuade someone courting death.’

’The vile roots of the poor: stubborn and unreasonable.’

’What a waste of his Talent for absorbing Spiritual Qi.’

After all, they had never seen someone who successfully reached Foundation Establishment right after entering the Sect.

They had thought he would be a strong contender for the top three.

Yet he had chosen to fall into depravity.

"What a shame," Zhao Yaoyao said, shaking her head and sighing.

An Rong, the behemoths on her chest swaying as she walked, said curiously, "What’s there to be ashamed of? As long as he thinks he’s right, that’s all that matters. If he’s happy, we have one less competitor."