Xia Jin nodded.

That was true.

It seemed that for now, only the somewhat famous disciples were being discussed.

No one was talking about anyone else.

After the sun was high in the sky, Yu Wanyi bid farewell to Xia Jin and headed for Jiang Man’s residence.

Now that the annual rankings were out, she didn’t dare show her face, as Jiang Man hadn’t been ranked.

So after seeing Jiang Man, she would have to go back and hide.

To avoid running into anyone.

The Secret Realm assessment wasn’t recorded, and its details couldn’t be shared freely.

Otherwise, identities could easily be exposed.

Therefore, no matter how skilled the person she invested in was, he had no fame to show for it.

And she would have to endure the ridicule.

A short while later.

「Cloud Mist Peak.」

Gazing at the wide-open Cloud Mist Peak, Yu Wanyi thought the scenery here was quite nice during the day.

Other places were shrouded in clouds and mist, making them hard to see clearly.

When she arrived, she saw that Jiang Man was still in the middle of his Cultivation.

Seeing this made Yu Wanyi feel a bit uncomfortable.

She couldn’t stand seeing someone so diligent.

Jiang Man sensed her arrival, stopped his Cultivation, and asked curiously, "Senior Sister, what brings you here?"

"I’ve come to bring you your reward. Did you secure a spot?" Yu Wanyi asked.

Jiang Man was a little surprised. "What’s the reward?"

Yu Wanyi didn’t elaborate, instead handing him five thousand Spiritual Source and an envelope.

"This is your reward for securing a spot. If you hadn’t gotten it, I wouldn’t have given it to you. And if it were already in your hands, I’d snatch it back," said Yu Wanyi.

Jiang Man nodded. "Yes, I got it."

Although Yu Wanyi had suspected as much, she said with a smile, "Your fairy companion must have worked hard."

Jiang Man fell silent for a moment before saying, "It was all the result of my own efforts."

Yu Wanyi said dismissively, "I understand. By the way, what was your number? I need to go check your ranking, and then I can tell you which people are dangerous and how to deal with them."

Jiang Man put away the Spiritual Source and examined the envelope, casually replying, "Number 210."

Yu Wanyi nodded, intending to write it down to check the rankings later.

But a moment later, she froze and asked, "What was that number?"

Jiang Man repeated it.

Yu Wanyi stared at Jiang Man, stunned. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you cultivating the Celestial Heart Seal?"

Jiang Man looked at her and gave a slight nod. "I am."

"What layer are you on?"

"The Eighth Layer."

"Did you use it in the Secret Realm?"

"Basically, no."

"Then did anything strange happen in the Secret Realm?"

"Does suddenly gaining fifteen thousand Spiritual Source count?"

Yu Wanyi was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "No, that doesn’t count. You must have earned that extra Spiritual Source for some reason."

Jiang Man was baffled. ’How could I have earned that much?’

He had worked himself to the bone encouraging people to challenge him and had only earned three thousand.

"What’s this?" Jiang Man asked casually, picking up the envelope.

Yu Wanyi was still a bit dazed. She glanced at the envelope and said, "A part-time job. It’s for a position as a Sect messenger."

Jiang Man was surprised. "How much Spiritual Source a month?"

"Three thousand," Yu Wanyi explained. "The work is relatively easy, leaving you time for Cultivation."

Jiang Man thought for a moment. "Can I give it to someone else?"

Yu Wanyi considered it. "You should be able to, but there’s a strict requirement for the position. They must be at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer."

Jiang Man paused. "Is it okay if they’re not a Sect Disciple?"

Yu Wanyi nodded.

Jiang Man put the envelope away. He then remembered his debt and made a request to Yu Wanyi.

He wanted to get an advance on his investment funds for the next three months.

It was currently September, and he wanted to get the Spiritual Source for October, November, and December in advance.

That would be twenty-four thousand in total.

Adding his own twenty-one thousand and the five thousand he had just received...

...would bring the total to fifty thousand.

Although it wasn’t enough to repay his debt, it didn’t mean he couldn’t borrow more.

It was a rather excessive request, and Jiang Man had expected Yu Wanyi to refuse.

His worst-case scenario was getting an advance for just one month.

However, he didn’t know what was wrong with Senior Sister Yu today. She was absent-minded and agreed immediately.

With the voucher, he successfully collected the twenty-four thousand.

’As for the rent, I’ll worry about that in a couple of days.’

With the Spiritual Source in hand, Jiang Man let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Now he could head over to Xiaopang’s place.

—

「Red Water Peak.」

Xiaopang was still tending to the Spirit Medicine, looking puzzled. "Brother Jiang isn’t on the rankings. How is that possible?"

Today was September third.

Most of the rankings were already out.

In any case, no one had seen Jiang Man’s ranking.

And the rankings had been out for a while, so there definitely wasn’t a mistake.

The information wasn’t misreported either.

But Xiaopang just couldn’t figure it out.

"The news I got is that Jiang Man’s ranking really isn’t showing up. The rumors are flying on Cloud Mist Peak right now, and a lot of people are paying close attention to the annual rankings," said Cheng Yu.

Luo Xuan pondered for a moment. "We can ask Jiang Man about it when he gets here."

She had a feeling he would be here soon.

Because his creditor had arrived.

Her gaze fell on Chang Qiweng, who was standing to the side.

She figured he must be under a lot of pressure. Her older cousin, Luo Lu, had come looking for her earlier.

She had asked if Luo Xuan had lent any Spiritual Source to Jiang Man.

She’d said that since his ranking hadn’t appeared, he was likely just a flash in the pan.

She’d warned her not to lend him any more Spiritual Source in the future.

Because he most likely wouldn’t be able to pay it back.

People like him think that Spiritual Source is all they’re missing, but it’s a hole they can never fill.

And that she should be extremely careful.

Those were her cousin’s exact words.

If even she was being pressured, how much worse must it be for Chang Qiweng, who was owed tens of thousands?

She shook her head and started recording the Spirit Medicine. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her, and she looked at Cheng Yu. "They were saying recently that they’re making a trip back to Luoyun City. Do you want to go?

"Gao Yao’s older brother is leading the group."

"I actually need to go back too. I’ll ask how much Spiritual Source it’ll cost," Cheng Yu said, pleasantly surprised.

’There’s no way it’ll be a free trip.’

The leader was Xiaopang’s older brother, someone on a completely different level from her.

"What kind of mood do you think Jiang Man is in right now?" Song Qing asked curiously.

Xiaopang shook his head. "I don’t know. But I don’t think Brother Jiang would just fade into obscurity like this. There must be a reason."

"What reason?" Song Qing asked curiously. "Does the Young Master know something?"

"It feels so weird when you call me ’Young Master’," Xiaopang said helplessly. "You should go find a job somewhere else. Then you’ll have stories, and I’ll have the meat."

"I’ll look for a part-time job as soon as I get back," Song Qing said earnestly.

"You should focus on improving your Cultivation first," a sudden voice interjected.

Song Qing turned his head and saw that it was Jiang Man who had arrived.

He immediately stood up. "My Cultivation is decent enough."

He was at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer now, after all.

"I can tell you’re not working hard enough just by looking at you," Jiang Man said, shaking his head with a sigh.

"Exactly. You have to be like me if you want a future," Xiaopang said, sporting dark circles under his eyes. "I’m already at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. I’ll reach the Qi Refining Ninth Layer in two years at most."

After a brief greeting, Jiang Man turned his gaze to Chang Qiweng.

Chang Qiweng had lost a lot of weight. He stood there, his brow unconsciously furrowed.

He seemed to be under immense pressure.

"Old Chang, you’ve gotten thinner. Even Song Qing is much chubbier than you now," Jiang Man said with a smile.

Hearing the words "you’ve gotten thinner," Chang Qiweng froze, standing stunned on the spot.

His eyes even began to turn a little red.

No one had ever said that to him before.

Lately, people had indeed been pressuring him.

They had found out about Jiang Man’s ranking—or lack thereof—and many of them wanted to pull out. Not only that, but they were also demanding he repay his debts.

They insisted that he had to pay them back in full this time.

They all said his Spiritual Source was about to go down the drain—that if he didn’t get it back now, he never would.

As for his weight loss, that was because he had been overworking himself to earn more Spiritual Source.

He had just barely managed to enter the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, a result of cultivating late into the night.

Jiang Man took out forty-eight thousand Spiritual Source and handed it to him. "With interest, it comes to forty-eight thousand. Not a single bit more, not a single bit less."

Taking the Spiritual Source, Chang Qiweng let out a sigh of relief.

He could finally pay those people back.

"On another note, have you thought about improving your Cultivation?" Jiang Man asked with a gentle smile. "For instance, to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer."

Chang Qiweng looked troubled; he didn’t have that much time.

Jiang Man took out the envelope. "Take a look."

Chang Qiweng was confused.

Then he opened the envelope and looked inside.

A recommendation for a position as a Sect messenger.

"It’s only valid for two years," Jiang Man explained. "If you want the job, you’ll have to reach the Qi Refining Ninth Layer within two years."

Looking at the contents of the envelope, Chang Qiweng’s hand trembled as he held it.

He looked at Jiang Man in disbelief. "You’re giving it to me?"

"How could that be possible?" Jiang Man said seriously. "This job pays three thousand a month. I’ll take three months of your income as payment—nine thousand Spiritual Source."