Li Yuan and Yan Huimin followed behind Jiang Man.

They were going to compete for access to the Secret Realm.

The idea sounded preposterous.

As things stood, only three parties were truly qualified to compete.

They were the top-ranked members from each of the third floor’s divisions.

Moreover, each of these three top-ranked members was at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

The strength on the third floor was extraordinary.

Someone at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer could make the top five in the Six Pavilions, but on the third floor, that was nowhere near enough.

And now here they were: one at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, one at the Seventh, and their strongest at the Eighth Layer.

It was essentially a suicide mission.

The gap in their cultivation levels couldn’t be bridged by sheer passion alone.

Worse, the three competing teams each likely consisted of one disciple at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer paired with two at the Eighth, and they had already roped in most of the people from the Yunqian Bureau.

The Six Pavilions had around a hundred and forty people, and the third floor had around eighty.

Over two hundred people in total.

Of those, over a hundred had probably already been recruited to their side.

The fight was going to be more intense than they had anticipated.

It couldn’t be compared to any of the previous contests.

"Do you have a plan?" Li Yuan asked cautiously.

’Jiang Man was leading the charge this time, and he seemed so sure of himself. He must have a strategy.’

’He couldn’t just be planning to charge in recklessly and try to grab it, could he?’

Hearing this, Jiang Man shook his head. "No plan. We’ll improvise as we go."

Li Yuan and Yan Huimin were both stunned.

They opened their mouths but were at a loss for words.

Jiang Man didn’t elaborate.

’From the very beginning, he’d only intended to do one thing. There was no need for a strategy.’

After a moment’s thought, he added, "When we get there, you two find a way into the woods. I’ll go in through the front. The plan is to get the item as fast as possible so we can get back to our cultivation."

’Speed was all that mattered.’

’No need to overthink it—just strike directly at the core.’

’If this dragged on, he’d never be able to defeat that many people, no matter how abundant his Spiritual Qi was.’

At his words, Li Yuan and Yan Huimin’s hopes plummeted.

’But they were too weak.’

’Getting close to the woods was indeed the most important task for them.’

’Only if they got close would Jiang Man have a chance of winning.’

’But could he actually win?’

Li Yuan didn’t dare to ask.

’What if Jiang Man said they couldn’t? What would they do then?’

With heavy hearts, the three of them started up the mountain.

There were only a few paths up the mountain, so they were bound to run into someone.

Sure enough, at a fork in the road halfway up the mountain, Jiang Man saw two groups ahead, staring warily at each other.

"Yang Ling, ranked third in the Six Pavilions," Li Yuan said immediately.

As for the people facing Yang Ling, Jiang Man recognized them.

Cheng Moyang, ranked first in the Six Pavilions.

And beside him were the short Young Master Yang and a woman.

Jiang Man didn’t recognize the woman.

"Cheng Moyang should be from the Cheng Family, and Yang Ling should be from the Li Family," Li Yuan said.

The two groups were staring at each other, and it seemed neither intended to let anyone up the mountain.

"They’re most likely here to stop people from going up the mountain," Yan Huimin whispered.

Hearing that, Jiang Man understood.

They were working for the three top-ranked disciples on the third floor, stationed here to prevent any rabble from going up.

"So they’re here to stop us?" Jiang Man asked.

Yan Huimin nodded. "It would seem so."

Jiang Man nodded. ’So I’ve had the honor of being labeled as rabble, too.’

Cheng Moyang and his group had also noticed the arrival of Jiang Man’s trio.

They were particularly surprised to see Li Yuan was also there.

But they quickly figured it out.

’So the second-ranked disciple of the Six Pavilions was working for the Li Family now.’

"Young Master Jiang, Li Yuan, we should be on the same side," Yang Ling said.

Cheng Moyang frowned. If the second and third-ranked disciples of the Six Pavilions joined forces, he might not be able to hold them back.

However, he had the fourth-ranked disciple on his side.

Even if a fight broke out, they would likely be evenly matched.

Hearing this, Li Yuan was a bit surprised, but he quickly understood as well.

’They’ve misunderstood the situation.’

"Then can we go up?" Jiang Man asked.

He wouldn’t bother explaining the misunderstanding. One less fight was a good thing, especially since a much harder battle awaited them further up.

"No." Yang Ling shook his head and answered frankly, "The people who were supposed to go up have already gone. The rest of us don’t need to. You can just join us and help intercept the others."

"Of course, we’ll defer to you."

Since they were all working for Li Yuan, Yang Ling wasn’t overly respectful, even when facing the second-ranked disciple of the Six Pavilions.

He wouldn’t dare to take the lead himself, however.

After all, he knew he was no match for Jiang Man.

Jiang Man turned to Cheng Moyang. "What if I help you deal with Yang Ling? Will you let me pass then?"

His words stunned everyone present.

Cheng Moyang was working for the Cheng Family, and in truth, he also wanted to join the competition. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

But even as the top disciple of the Six Pavilions, he was still a cut below the people from the third floor.

That was why he planned to aim for some other prize instead.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be down here.

He didn’t want to get involved in the large-scale battle farther up.

If he got injured, it would make things difficult for him later.

But even though he was mentally prepared for a variety of situations, Jiang Man’s attitude still baffled him.

Yang Ling immediately looked toward Li Yuan.

However, Li Yuan remained silent, his gaze fixed on Jiang Man as if awaiting his command.

In that instant, an absurd theory surfaced in Yang Ling’s mind: this group wasn’t here for the Li Family—they were here for a spot in the Secret Realm themselves.

Cheng Moyang, of course, realized it too.

’But what right did a mere Qi Refining Eighth Layer disciple have to go up and compete?’

He and Yang Ling exchanged a look, then stood shoulder to shoulder, glaring at Jiang Man, ready to strike at any moment.

Now it was two against one. The advantage was theirs.

The first, third, and fourth-ranked disciples of the Six Pavilions were all present.

’How could they let the second-ranked disciple get past them?’

This was the perfect chance to test the mettle of the Six Pavilions’ second-ranked disciple, the very man who had forced them all to stay up all night cultivating.

Seeing this, Jiang Man said no more.

’More words would just be a waste of time.’

He took a step forward.

He became a wisp of green smoke.

Seeing this, Cheng Moyang and the others no longer hesitated, and the roar of a dragon erupted from within them.

They intended to seize the initiative with the Dragon Suppression Skill.

However, Jiang Man’s speed was beyond their expectations. Just as they were about to release the Nine Dragons, he was already in front of them.

Then, a hand landed on each of their shoulders.

In that instant, an impossibly heavy Spiritual Qi pressed down.

It instantly crushed their Golden Dragons. Then, the pressure fell upon their bodies, forcing them to sink involuntarily. Their backs and necks bent, and they had no choice but to bow their heads.

In that moment, a great terror took root in their hearts.

With that, Jiang Man slightly withdrew his power and patted both of their shoulders. "My apologies. Your ranks are high, so for safety’s sake, I’ll have to ask you to lie down."

In an instant, a Golden Dragon materialized behind Jiang Man, its light so dazzling that no one could keep their eyes open. Then, the Nine Seals appeared.

The Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal.

Three Seals Combined.

BOOM!

BAM!

Before Cheng Moyang, Yang Ling, and Yang Feng—all three at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer—could even react, an immense force slammed into their chests. Each of them coughed up a mouthful of blood as they were sent flying backward, crashing hard onto the ground.

Then, Jiang Man calmly strode past them and continued up the mountain.

"Keep up," Jiang Man’s voice rang out.

The two behind him immediately hurried to catch up.

As Li Yuan walked past Cheng Moyang and Yang Ling, he said slowly, "Don’t be surprised, and don’t feel bad. An even more astonishing event is about to take place. Today, you will witness the birth of a miracle."

Then, Li Yuan strode past them.

’All the frustration in his heart was gone.’

’He had bet on the right person this time.’

’Jiang Man had reached the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.’

’In the future, people would only say that he had a keen eye for talent, and that he had made a decision that would change the course of his entire life.’