Cao Cheng stood beside Wei Beichuan, a smile on his face. "Don’t be discouraged. At least you improved, unlike me, who’s stuck in the same place."

"That’s right. Sixteenth is really good. Two spots better than eighteenth," An Rong sighed from the side. "Unlike me, I still can’t break into the top five."

Wei Beichuan sat in his seat, his face flushing red, then turning deathly pale.

He felt as if he had suffered the greatest humiliation of his life.

Xie Wen didn’t quite understand what was going on, but he went to look at the rankings anyway.

He already knew his own rank, so he looked at first place first.

And that one glance left him completely stunned.

A tremor of dread coursed through his entire body.

That terrifying score etched an indelible fear into his heart.

It made him realize just how insignificant he was.

Meanwhile, Wei Beichuan rose from his seat and left.

His brows were furrowed, his eyes filled with unwillingness and confusion.

He had spent a long time building his strength, and his foundation was far superior to anyone else’s here.

Setting aside the person in first place, how could anyone else possibly compare to him?

’Is it because they pull all-nighters?’

He didn’t understand. They all looked so listless, so why were their assessment scores so high?

He pondered this deep into the night.

Even when he tried to rest, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

He closed his eyes, trying to get some sleep.

But as soon as he did, he saw Cao Cheng cultivating and An Rong mocking him.

When he opened his eyes, they vanished.

When he closed them again, he saw An Rong cultivating, Cao Cheng cultivating.

He was furious. Those two were haunting him like ghosts. But all he could do was be angry; there was nothing else he could do.

’They’re fifth and sixth, and I’m sixteenth. What does that make me?’

He couldn’t fall asleep, even by midnight. For the first time in his life, he had insomnia.

Because he couldn’t stop thinking about the people from the Ninth Courtyard, it felt like trying to sleep was just watching them get further ahead.

He sat up, saw the moonlight outside, and walked out.

He had long known that Cloud Mist Peak had the most beautiful night scenery.

But this was the first time he had ever seen it.

He gazed at the star-filled sky and felt the gentle breeze.

A frightening thought surfaced in his mind: ’Maybe I should try cultivating?’

He quickly shook his head, but a voice in his heart urged him to give cultivation a try.

’I can’t just let those two mock me every day.’

After a long hesitation, he told himself he would only cultivate for one night.

It was mainly because he had insomnia tonight and couldn’t sleep anyway.

Then, he began to cultivate.

And as he cultivated through the night, that feeling of others surpassing him vanished.

It was as if his own strides had become larger, and he would soon be able to catch up to them.

The feeling of comfort was intoxicating.

It felt like he could overtake those ahead of him at any moment.

The gloom in his heart began to dissipate, bit by bit.

He was shocked. ’Who on earth said that cultivating all night harms the Heart Spirit?’

He only felt that he had stepped onto a brand new path, a path filled almost entirely with people from the Ninth Courtyard.

He journeyed forward, only to discover a figure far ahead of everyone else.

Everyone was following him, as if he were a beacon of light in the darkness.

That figure moved too fast and too far, heading straight for the end of the night.

Yet his footsteps were like stars, illuminating the way forward.

It wasn’t until dawn that Wei Beichuan finally came to his senses.

He felt he had been too impulsive. His family elders had strictly forbidden him from cultivating at night.

He vowed to never do it again.

「That night.」

He still couldn’t sleep.

’Maybe I should cultivate just a little more?’

For several days in a row, he didn’t rest at all.

By now, his body felt exhausted, but he didn’t want to stop.

Because his Heart Spirit had never felt better. As long as he continued, he was certain he could soar to the heavens and shock the world with his success.

The feeling of progress was so intoxicating he couldn’t pull himself away.

During the day, he found Zhuo Bufan.

He humbly asked for advice on how to maintain his condition while pulling all-nighters.

Of course, he paid five hundred Spiritual Source for it.

Zhuo Bufan didn’t hesitate to give him advice.

It wasn’t that he was generous, but mainly because he knew that if Wei Beichuan took those five hundred Spiritual Source to Jiang Man, he would certainly get an answer.

He might as well earn the Spiritual Source himself.

It would also show his magnanimity and that he wasn’t one to hoard secrets.

The magnanimity befitting the second-ranked disciple would be on full display.

Having gotten his method, Wei Beichuan began to cultivate diligently. He knew he couldn’t beat these all-nighter enthusiasts while they were being led by the Legendary First.

But his foundation was far superior to theirs. If he joined them, second place would be within his grasp.

And once he reached fourth place, it would be time for Cao Cheng and An Rong to pay the price.

—

Jiang Man only paid occasional attention to the turmoil in the courtyard.

Especially Cao Cheng and An Rong.

Those two were just too restless.

Over the past few days, he had given the Spirit Medicine Identification Record to the Old Yellow Ox.

He then learned that the ox knew about many of the Spirit Medicines.

But he wasn’t sure which Spirit Medicines he shouldn’t write about.

So, Jiang Man borrowed some more books related to Spirit Medicine.

He sorted out which of the Spirit Medicines the ox knew about were safe to include in the record.

Then, he would write down their medicinal properties and go find Xiaopang.

Xiaopang just so happened to have the Spirit Medicines he needed.

He would draw an illustration, then buy a stalk.

He made sure to pick out the cheap ones, and Xiaopang’s Spirit Medicines were particularly inexpensive.

————

「Inner Sect.」

In front of a bamboo house, Yu Wanyi approached her master and said respectfully, "Master, you were looking for me?"

"Mm," the woman said, looking at Yu Wanyi. "How has that person you invested in been doing lately?"

"He’s been holding first place this whole time," Yu Wanyi replied.

"It’s June, and the selection is about to begin. Do you think his Cultivation is high enough?" the woman asked, staring at Yu Wanyi.

"Of course it is," Yu Wanyi said with certainty.

"Is it because he’s living off a woman?" The woman looked at Yu Wanyi, shaking her head and sighing. "You are being too foolish, to believe something like that."

Yu Wanyi lowered her head and didn’t argue. ’The score speaks for itself. Besides, he himself admitted it was because he married a Fairy. It’s not like I was the one who said it.’

"What have you been up to recently?" the woman asked.

"Last month, I went to find my martial uncle and burned his house down," Yu Wanyi replied.

The woman stared at Yu Wanyi in silence for a long time before saying, "Nonsense. Go collect three thousand Spiritual Source, then go receive your punishment."

Yu Wanyi just said, "Oh," and quickly left.

Only after she had gone did the woman rub her forehead in exasperation. "I forgot to discuss the important matter. There are many rules for this assessment; I have to inform that person."

After a pause, she had another thought.

He might not even meet the requirements.

After all, he was only at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

To reach such a level of Cultivation within a year of joining the sect would be extremely difficult.

However, he could also rely on his annual ranking.

As long as his annual ranking was outstanding enough, he would also be qualified to enter.

She wrote a letter and summoned someone.

She had them deliver the envelope to the person Yu Wanyi had invested in.

Once the envelope was sent, the woman paid the matter no more attention.

She had done her part. The outcome now depended on the person himself.

In truth, she was giving him a bigger boost than he deserved.

But the investor was her own disciple, and if this was what she wanted, there was nothing the master could do.

—

Jiang Man received the envelope that same day.

He was quite curious. ’Does the Sect have mail delivery jobs too?’

He waited until the messenger left before he began to examine it.

Written on it were the words: "For Yu Wanyi’s Investment. Strictly Personal."

"That’s a bit of a mouthful."

But speaking of envelopes, he remembered that Cheng Yu had once given him a letter.

At the time, he had even thought of giving it to Xiaopang.

But the contents weren’t suitable, so he decided against it.

’Where did that letter go?’ Jiang Man wondered.

He seemed to recall using it to start a fire for cooking one day.

Jiang Man shook his head and didn’t dwell on it.

But as he looked at the envelope in his hand, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. Had he seen it somewhere before?

After thinking for a long time, he remembered the envelope he had picked up in the Qi Refining Secret Realm.

He searched for a while but couldn’t find it.

In the end, it was Old Huang who found it for him.

Jiang Man placed the two envelopes side-by-side, then stared at the two words: "Strictly Personal."

"It’s exactly the same?" Jiang Man said in surprise. "Old Huang, do you think these two letters came from the same person?"

The Old Yellow Ox kept eating its grass and didn’t respond.

Jiang Man put away the old letter. "Forget it. I’ve never heard of this Xiang Tianlin person. I’ll deliver the letter whenever I hear his name."

"What if he doesn’t offer any Spiritual Source for it?" the Old Yellow Ox suddenly asked.

Jiang Man ignored Old Huang.

He refused to believe the man wouldn’t be curious about what was written inside.

If it were a letter addressed to him, Jiang Man, and from Meng Qiewei, he’d have to take a look no matter what.

Unless it was too expensive, of course.

After that, he read the contents of the letter and found out that he also had a chance to get into the Secret Realm through the annual rankings.

But it was only a chance.

The rest of the letter detailed the rules of the Secret Realm.

Jiang Man didn’t hesitate. He was determined to go to the Secret Realm selection.

Because a Top-grade Yuan Condensation Technique was available there.

The annual ranking path apparently didn’t offer one.

「Early August.」

Today was the start of the final push.

Whether he could participate in the Secret Realm selection all depended on this month.

But before he could even begin, the Old Yellow Ox walked over.

It reminded him, "The Magpie Bridge is open again."

Jiang Man froze.