Cheng Moyang and the other two lay on the ground, watching Jiang Man’s group go up.

It took them a long time to come to their senses.

It felt unbelievable.

"The top spot in the Six Pavilions has a new owner," Yang Ling said, struggling to his feet.

Cheng Moyang remained silent, lying quietly on the ground.

He found himself hoping Jiang Man would post an impressive record.

That way, no one would care about him losing the top spot in the Six Pavilions.

If Jiang Man could make it into the top five of the Yunqian Bureau, his defeat would be perfectly justified.

If Jiang Man could make it into the top three, his own defeat would be a point of pride.

"What do we do now?" Yang Feng asked, coughing.

It was hard to believe. The poor man they once mocked was now someone they had to look up to.

Defeated in a single move. The disparity was jarring.

And they were at a complete loss.

After a moment of silence, Cheng Moyang said, "Think about how many times we’ve offended him."

Yang Feng froze.

Only then did he understand.

Jiang Man was no longer someone they could afford to provoke.

He might be poor, but his rank was high.

He had surpassed them in just a few short months. Once they entered the Sect, he would undoubtedly keep them under his thumb.

’We really crossed the line before. What are we supposed to do now?’

Then Cheng Moyang added, sounding relieved, "It’s a good thing he’s poor."

Yang Ling and the others were confused. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Poor people lack Spiritual Sources," Cheng Moyang explained casually.

After a pause, he realized he needed to talk to Fang Yong again.

’It would probably be better to approach Jiang Man through him.’

"Let’s send someone up with a message," Yang Ling suddenly said.

The appearance of someone at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer had to be reported to the people above; otherwise, it would be a dereliction of their duty.

Cheng Moyang also had their last person go up.

Afterward, they began to wait for the results from above.

***

Meanwhile, as Jiang Man made his way up, he saw some woods.

He spotted the locations for the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal and the High-grade Qi Refining Technique.

’These locations are surprisingly conspicuous.’

It had taken them considerable effort to find these before.

Unfortunately, this time, his group didn’t spare them a second glance.

Of course, Jiang Man himself was actually a little tempted.

With a High-grade Qi Refining Technique, his ninth "Gourd" would fill up much faster.

Although he was now at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, the quality of his power had reached the Ninth Layer, but its quantity wasn’t as deep and abundant as it should be.

This was a comparison to his own potential, not to others.

As he walked, still lost in thought, Jiang Man noticed three people coming down from above.

’They must be on patrol.’

To Jiang Man’s surprise, he recognized one of them: Fang Yong.

He was beside another man, discussing something with him.

But they soon stopped.

Their gazes all fell upon Jiang Man.

"Gao Jin. Qi Refining Seventh Layer, third in the Cyan Cloud Pavilion," Li Yuan explained.

Jiang Man nodded. ’So Fang Yong is on their team.’

Gao Jin’s brow furrowed. He might not have seen Jiang Man before, but could he possibly not recognize Li Yuan?

So, he knew instantly who the three of them were.

The second-ranked team from the Six Pavilions.

"Have they started fighting up there?" Jiang Man asked.

"Not yet," Fang Yong answered proactively. After a pause, he asked, "What are you planning to do up there?"

"To make a name for myself, of course," Jiang Man said graciously. "You all should head down the mountain and grab what you need."

Fang Yong shook his head. "I’ve been entrusted with a task, and I must be loyal to my employer."

Hearing this, Jiang Man understood.

’He took their Spiritual Sources. He’d have to face the consequences if he didn’t do his part.’

Just as Gao Jin was about to speak, Jiang Man vanished into a wisp of green smoke and reappeared before him.

A golden dragon then bloomed into existence behind him.

Nine sigils appeared, circling his body.

The sigils then moved with the palm of Jiang Man’s hand.

He struck out at Gao Jin with his palm.

The man had no time to resist.

With a loud BANG, he was struck by the sigils and sent flying backward.

Jiang Man then kicked out at the other stranger to the side.

Bengliu Technique.

BOOM!

The woman’s face twisted in agony as she was sent flying.

Immediately after, Jiang Man’s palm landed on Fang Yong’s shoulder.

Six Palms Combined.

Six Harmonies Palm.

BANG!

Fang Yong felt immense power press down, and his entire body collapsed downward.

He sank until he was halfway buried in the earth.

Only then did Jiang Man withdraw his Magic Skill and say, "Your part in this fight is over. Go down the mountain."

The three were stunned.

He had been so nonchalant.

But after taking two steps, Jiang Man looked back at Fang Yong. "Young Master Fang, would you prefer the High-grade Qi Refining Technique or the Nine Clouds Dragon-Suppressing Seal?"

At his words, Fang Yong paused, then said, "The High-grade Qi Refining Technique."

Jiang Man nodded, then helpfully pointed out the location.

Only then did he leave.

This was how he treated his greatest enemies.

Even an enemy who was also a debtor could not be shown any mercy.

Fang Yong hesitated, then suddenly called out, "Up ahead..."

Jiang Man stopped and turned to look at the other’s conflicted expression. "Want to thank me?" he asked curiously.

Fang Yong fell silent.

Jiang Man said earnestly, "How about I knock twenty Spiritual Sources off the price of each elixir, then?"

Fang Yong stared, then immediately replied, "Absolutely not."

Jiang Man smiled faintly, turned, and headed up the mountain.

’As expected,’ he thought. ’Young Master Fang is poor too.’

’Just like me.’

’Unlike Chang Qiweng, who’s a wealthy poor person.’

’A traitor to the poor!’

Jiang Man suspected that if he just squeezed a little harder, he could probably wring some more Spiritual Sources out of Chang Qiweng.

Soon, Jiang Man reached the mountainside.

There was a small grove of trees here.

In the middle of the grove, nine puppets guarded a central, raised platform.

On it were three books, plus a strange iron token.

"You can see everything right out in the open. How messy is this fight going to get?" Jiang Man then looked to the edge of the woods.

Over a hundred people were surrounding it, both inside and out.

They were divided into three factions, and none were in a hurry to make a move.

The leaders of these three factions were a burly man, a young woman, and a man who looked slightly boyish.

"Fang Tiancheng of the Fang Family, Cheng Ning of the Cheng Family, and Li Yuan of the Li Family," Li Yuan said from the side.

Hearing this, Jiang Man paused. "Li Yuan? Isn’t that your name?"

"His ’Yuan’ is the same character as in ’True Essence’," Li Yuan explained. "I was called Li Yuan first. They insisted on giving him the same-sounding name and even told me to change mine."

"Anyway, everyone calls him Young Master Li. I just like it when people call me by my name."

"Because of our names, it’s destined that one of us won’t be presentable on the grand stage."

Jiang Man nodded, thinking, ’He’s older than him, but his Cultivation is two Realms lower.’

’The great families are complicated.’

’A situation like this isn’t uncommon.’

Still, as he watched them from afar, he grew rather curious.

’Why aren’t they making a move?’

"I think they’re all waiting for someone else to make the first move. That way, they can seize an advantage," Yan Huimin speculated.

After some thought, Li Yuan said, "Their strengths are evenly matched, so none of them dares to make a move rashly."

Jiang Man looked at the three leaders and asked, "Who is the strongest among them?"

"The highest-ranked is Fang Tiancheng of the Fang Family," Li Yuan said after some consideration. "Then it’s Li Yuan of the Li Family, and Cheng Ning of the Cheng Family."

"Cheng Ning most likely has the most combat experience. Her Defense is said to be incredibly strong, so she has the greatest need for tough battles to hone it."

"But Fang Tiancheng is still the strongest overall."

Hearing this, Jiang Man nodded. "I’m going to charge straight in. You two find a place to hide. The moment I create an opening in the woods, rush in."

"Just wait for me inside."

At his words, Li Yuan and Yan Huimin were somewhat shocked.

But he had said as much before, so this was more or less expected.

"Young Master Jiang, are you going to ambush Fang Tiancheng?" Yan Huimin asked.

Jiang Man shook his head. "No, I’m going to attack Li Yuan."

"Because he’s ranked second?"

"No. Because someone from the Li Family provoked me."

The two of them: "..."

Li Yuan felt a wave of relief. ’Good thing I gave him those Spiritual Sources.’