Chapter 301: Chapter 190: Xiaohuang, Becoming a Great Power Is Within Sight

"You’re the one who brought him here. What do you think of him?"

Jiang Man recalled his previous impression of the man—an average personality and ordinary Talent.

He never would have thought the man could achieve Foundation Establishment right after arriving.

He didn’t have the same aura of an Unparalleled Celestial Pride that Jiang Man himself had possessed back then.

And yet, that was the path he had taken.

Jiang Man relayed his honest assessment.

"We can keep an eye on him for a while longer and see how things develop," Ji Hao said.

His investigation had revealed that everything about the man was arranged by his clan.

He had no mind of his own; he just followed orders.

Jiang Man found it strange, but for now, he had little to go on.

’I’ll just have to wait, then.’

For now, he still needed to focus on improving his Cultivation. Besides, the Immortal Mansion was about to open.

The Immortal Mansion was different from other Secret Realms.

It was uncharted territory; they would have to explore it to find out what was inside.

Additionally, it was unknown how long one would be inside before being able to emerge.

Only Inner Sect Disciples were allowed to enter such a Secret Realm.

In other words, the minimum requirement was the Golden Core realm.

Otherwise, one wouldn’t even be qualified to enter.

The Sect wouldn’t allow Outer Disciples to throw their lives away for nothing.

Thus, under the Immortal Sect’s governance, there was a ceiling on what Foundation Establishment cultivators could obtain.

Such were the limits of their opportunities.

After chatting a while longer, Ji Hao left.

"Old Huang, do you think this Zhao Tiankuo is a big problem?" Jiang Man asked.

"You’re an Unparalleled Celestial Pride of world-altering talent. Do you really need to pay attention to him?" Old Huang asked.

Jiang Man nodded slightly. "Normally, I wouldn’t have to. But my situation has grown more complex, so I can’t afford to underestimate him."

"Still, it’s not worth wasting too much of my Heart Spirit on. After all, getting stronger is what I really need to do."

Jiang Man had always understood that as long as he was strong enough, all problems would be solved with ease.

If a problem couldn’t be solved, it just meant he wasn’t strong enough.

He just had to keep getting stronger.

"You should be more worried about how to handle your wife, and then think about how to handle that other one’s mission," the Old Yellow Ox reminded him.

Jiang Man froze for a moment.

Suddenly, he felt that the trouble Zhao Tiankuo brought was truly insignificant.

Because the people he had to face now were Meng Qiewei and Ting Fengyin, who were in a league of their own compared to anyone in the Sect.

But he didn’t know what to do.

’At this point, all I can do is cultivate.’

’I hope the Immortal Mansion opens soon.’

—

「The Inner Sect.」

Zhao Tiankuo’s guard stood in a courtyard.

His head was bowed respectfully.

Before him stood a rather young man, who looked up at the fruit on a tree and said, "Old Meng, when do you think this fruit will ripen?"

Old Meng kept his head bowed and replied respectfully, "It should be very soon."

The man lamented, "It’s not easy. I just worry something unexpected might happen along the way. We have to be careful. If someone were to do something to this tree, the fruit could easily be damaged."

"Yes. We should eliminate any unnecessary threats," Old Meng said.

"What do you think is the most dangerous threat?" the man asked calmly.

"Jiang Man," Old Meng continued. "He’s the one who brought the person to the Sect, and he almost certainly never expected him to achieve Foundation Establishment immediately. He must be resentful and bitter now, realizing what kind of person he underestimated. And since he was already at odds with us, he naturally doesn’t want to see us do well."

"Right now, he’s probably kicking himself for missing out on the rise of a Celestial Pride. If he’d just mentored him a little back then, it would have become a fine tale."

Hearing this, the man withdrew his gaze from the tree and looked at Old Meng. "We were talking about the fruit. Why bring up Jiang Man? He’s not just some random nobody. His strength is there for all to see."

Old Meng said indignantly, "A man who doesn’t dare enter the Inner Sect can’t expect to be looked up to."

"He does have some ability, but this is more or less his limit."

"If the Young Master reached the Golden Core realm, I imagine he would step into the Inner Sect without hesitation, instead of loitering in the Outer Sect."

"What kind of behavior is that?"

"Is it a lack of self-confidence, or is he afraid of the other Golden Core cultivators?"

"Either way, it marks him as inferior."

"It’s too early to say for sure," the man said with a smile. "But since you see him as a threat, how do you think we should deal with him?"

"If this were a hypothetical situation, how would Third Master suggest dealing with it?" Old Meng suddenly asked.

The man known as Third Master seemed to ponder for a moment before saying, "Although he’s in the Outer Sect, the Immortal Mansion is about to open. I imagine some people will seek him out to discuss things."

"We can’t interfere with that, of course."

"However, I’ve heard he’s a sentimental person. He’s raised an ox since he was a child and started bringing it with him after he began his Cultivation."

"Such a bond is truly enviable."

"It’s just..."

He looked at Old Meng and asked curiously, "Tell me, what’s the lifespan of a normal ox?"

"Ten years?" Old Meng answered.

"Then how many years has this yellow ox been raised? At least a dozen, right? How is it still alive and well?" Third Master asked, looking at Old Meng with a curious expression.

At first, Old Meng wanted to say that perhaps this ox just had a long life, as such things weren’t unheard of.

But seeing the look in Third Master’s eyes, he suddenly understood and said, "Where there’s an anomaly, there must be a demon. This yellow ox is not normal."

Third Master acted as if he’d had an epiphany. "So it’s the yellow ox that’s not normal. No wonder a person with no family support could progress so quickly."

Old Meng’s mind raced, and he said, "The reason Jiang Man has advanced so rapidly is all because this ox is no ordinary yellow ox. It’s an injured, unhealed Evil God."

"It’s helping Jiang Man raise his Cultivation so that it can find a chance to recover."

Third Master pondered for a moment, then said with an enlightened expression, "So that’s how it is. Jiang Man is relying on an Evil God. That explains everything."

"Yes." Old Meng now understood completely. He continued, "I previously obtained an aura related to an Evil God. As long as I can merge it with the Old Yellow Ox, it will prove that it is the Evil God."

"And it would be best to wait until Jiang Man enters the Immortal Mansion to confirm this, when his guard is down."

"We’ll confirm his collusion with an Evil God."

Hearing this, Third Master chuckled lightly. "Don’t make baseless accusations without proof."

"I understand," Old Meng nodded.

’I’ll have my proof. As long as the Evil God’s aura merges with the Old Yellow Ox, then it will be an Evil God. Could the Old Yellow Ox possibly open its mouth and claim it was framed? If it did, that would only further prove it’s an Evil God. By the time Jiang Man gets out, he’ll have no chance to turn the tables. The man had some strength, but he’d actually dared to say he would have an Elder stripped of his position. For that alone, it was better to kill an innocent man than let the guilty go free. In any case, I have to throw some obstacles on his path forward. Besides, when people are weak, they must pay the price for their arrogance. Now, all I have to do is prepare everything and wait for Jiang Man to enter the Immortal Mansion.’

————

In November, Jiang Man didn’t go out, focusing instead on raising the level of his Golden Core Skill.

After a month, there was no substantial improvement.

However, he was only two months away from reaching Great Success.

He had no desire to do anything else and could only continue his training.

He even refused Ji Hao’s suggestion to go learn Arrays from Meng Qiewei.

’How could he miss such a critical moment?’

Ji Hao, for his part, wasn’t in a hurry and simply waited.

But two months was actually a very long time.

All sorts of small matters were bound to pop up.

For example, someone would ask for directions, or some senior disciples would want to see him.

Most of them asked if he was short on Spiritual Source, saying their families could provide him with ample support.

Of course, there would be some conditions attached.

To get some peace and quiet, he even went to Mr. Yan and Ji Hao for help.

Finally, things quieted down, at least for a while.

However, this month marked the end of the nine-hundred-day period for his Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart.

But it only trembled for a moment before it began to rotate.

No new trial appeared.

’It was probably so far behind schedule that it was trying to figure out how to catch up.’

At the end of December, Jiang Man felt he was only a single step away from Great Success.

At the end of January, Jiang Man felt as if he already had one foot in the door of Great Success.

「Early February.」

On the second day after receiving Meng Qiewei’s invitation, Jiang Man’s body began to radiate light as a hundred streams of Spiritual Qi merged into one.

His Golden Core began to spin, nourishing his Eight Extraordinary Meridians and his entire body.

It was a feeling of utter clarity, as if power could flow through his every fiber.

He was in complete control of the power bursting forth from his Golden Core.

All Rivers Flow into the Sea, Great Success.

A sense of heroic pride washed over Jiang Man.

’Finally, I can raise my Cultivation level. That Elder from the Zhao Family is still waiting for me to catch up.’

’But today, I have to go to my appointment.’

"You dared to delay your wife’s invitation just to cultivate. Aren’t you afraid anymore?" the Old Yellow Ox asked.

"Xiaohuang, I’ve achieved the Great Success of All Rivers Flow into the Sea. Becoming a Primordial Spirit Great Power is just around the corner," Jiang Man said with a smile.

The Old Yellow Ox was silent for a moment before saying, "Your wife planted a mark on you. She can make a move against you at any time."

Jiang Man froze, then immediately said, "Xiaohuang, I’ll let you feel my cultivation speed another day. I’m off to find my wife!"

Meanwhile, Qing Dai was extremely surprised.

’The invitation had been sent, yet the Young Master wasn’t coming.’

’He probably doesn’t realize who he’s keeping waiting.’

’She herself was worried her Young Lady would fly into a rage and go over there to kill him.’