It was already evening when Jiang Man returned to his residence.
He was a bit tired from the journey back and simply refined his Cultivation a few dozen times.
Only then did he start making dinner while chatting with Old Huang.
The first thing he mentioned, naturally, was how he had broken through the limits of his Talent. He had achieved Great Success with the Top-grade Skill in just twenty-two days and two hours, and it had even spurred on his Physical Bodyās Cultivation.
The Old Yellow Ox just kept munching on grass, showing no desire to speak.
No matter what Jiang Man said, it acted as if it hadnāt heard a thing.
That is, until he mentioned the Demon Race, the Spirit Beast Eggs, and that rock.
The Old Yellow Ox finally seemed to snap out of its trance.
It looked at the Spirit Beast Egg and said, "The Immortal Sects rule this era. Good Cultivation Methods allow you to progress faster, making you stronger than the average member of the Demon Race."
"But not by that much."
"After all, the Demon Race has its own advantages."
"Logically speaking, the Demon Race should be a bit stronger than Ancient Method Cultivators."
"They shouldnāt be getting defeated by those of you at a lower rank."
"So thereās something wrong with this Demon Race?" Jiang Man asked, pointing at the Spirit Beast Egg.
The Old Yellow Ox shook its head. "Thereās nothing wrong with the Spirit Beast Egg at the moment, but itās hard to say if there will be problems after it hatches."
"Besides, if theyāve just emerged from a seal, it would be understandable for them to be weak."
"But if something went wrong with the seal, thereās no reason the Wuyun Sect wouldnāt know."
"Does that mean the Sect is deliberately waiting for someone to discover this and report it?" Jiang Man asked.
This made him curious. Was he the first one?
A few members of the Demon Race had gone missing along the way, which meant he definitely wasnāt the only one who knew about this beforehand.
āWill the other person report it?ā
Jiang Man didnāt know, but for now, there was no news of a reward for reporting it.
"What do you plan to do with these eggs?" the Old Yellow Ox asked.
"Sell them," Jiang Man replied honestly.
"Not going to raise a Spirit Pet?" the Old Yellow Ox asked, curious.
"I got a preview of what they look like. I donāt want to raise one," Jiang Man said with a look of disgust.
āBetter to sell them for Spiritual Source.ā
āThey can become a stepping stone on my path of Cultivation.ā
Finally, Jiang Man asked about the rock.
"It has the aura of an Evil God. Do you plan to keep provoking it?" the Old Yellow Ox asked.
Jiang Man shook his head. "No. Tomorrow, Iāll go find Mr. Yan and hand over the rock."
"An Unparalleled Celestial Pride is afraid of an Evil God?" the Old Yellow Ox asked.
"Give me a few years, and the tables will turn," Jiang Man said confidently.
The Old Yellow Ox fell silent for a moment, then went back to eating grass.
Jiang Man now had a general understanding of the items he had obtained.
After that, it was time for Cultivation.
āOnce my powers have fully merged, I can make it into the top three of the Outer Sect.ā
āAnd once I cultivate the subsequent Secret Skill...ā
ā...Iāll be able to secure first place.ā
āThe number one person in the Outer Sect.ā
His light would shine over the entire Sect the moment he reached Core Formation.
The rankings werenāt released quickly this time; they would have to wait until the next day.
ćSeptember 16th.ć
Before heading to the small courtyard, Jiang Man took a detour to check the rankings.
At the same time, Zhuo Bufan and the others also arrived at the place where the rankings were announced. They all wanted to see if Jiang Man could break into the top fifteen.
Su Qinya and Gao Rong came as well.
Gao Rong felt like he had never looked forward to the rankings so much in his life.
As for Su Qinya, she had long since given up on capturing Jiang Manās heart. She just wanted to see if she could qualify.
Qualifying meant having more opportunities for the future.
Besides, since no one else could complete the mission, it meant she hadnāt failed either.
All in all, this venture had been a huge gain for her.
Soon, a large crowd gathered.
People from the First, Second, and Third Courtyards all wanted to know their rankings.
Zhuo Bufan, Zhao Yaoyao, and the others were squeezed by the stronger Cultivators and couldnāt get through.
However, they could still just barely see.
At that moment, numerous names began to appear on the ranking stone tablet.
Almost all the rankings appeared in an instant.
Zhuo Bufan said, "Letās check the individual rankings first. Donāt rush to see the team rankings."
"Iām looking at the top ten," Lin Qingshan said immediately.
"You really have faith in Jiang Man," An Rong remarked.
"You shut up," Cao Cheng said seriously. "Itās all your fault I suffered such heavy losses."
"For someone like you who canāt appreciate beauty, isnāt it normal to lose out?" An Rong retorted bluntly.
"Stop arguing, you two. Iāve finished reading," Lin Qingshan said seriously, looking at the tablet. "Just look at the top ten. You donāt need to look at anything else."
At once, the others immediately looked toward the top ten spots.
First Place: Shangguan Liuyun, First Courtyard, Celestial Phenomenon Peak.
Second Place: Gu Yuexi, First Courtyard, North Plate Peak.
Third Place: Zhao Tianhe, First Courtyard, Cloud Mist Peak.
...
Eighth Place: Jiang Man, Seventh Courtyard, Cloud Mist Peak.
Ninth Place: Qiu Li, Second Courtyard, South Pan Peak.
"Eighth place in the Outer Sect?" Zhuo Bufan exclaimed in shock. "Doesnāt that basically make him number one in the Outer Sect?"
This was because after the grand competition, the members of the First Courtyard would no longer be part of the Outer Sect rankings.
They would soon be preparing to compete for the Promotion Skill and enter the Inner Sect.
So, in effect, Jiang Man was number one in the Outer Sect.
"Only eighth?" Cao Cheng said slowly. "He couldnāt even make it into the top five."
Hearing this, everyone instinctively glanced over at him.
An Rong nodded in agreement. "Even Iām seventh. The gap isnāt that big."
Zhuo Bufan and the others were silent for a moment before turning to leave.
Meanwhile, Gao Rong was still scanning the team rankings.
He felt a thrill of anticipation.
But he was also nervous.
Finally, he saw his name.
Thirteenth Place: Jiang Man, Su Qinya, Gao Rong.
The moment he saw their rank, Gao Rong froze on the spot.
An indescribable joy surged through him.
āTo think that I, Gao Rong, would see such a day.ā
This meant his hopes of reaching Golden Core were within reach.
How lucky he was that the family had produced Xiaogao.
āHis foresight is far beyond what I can compare to.ā
ćElsewhere.ć
A young man stared at the rankings, silent for a moment.
"What are you thinking about, Fellow Daoist Shangguan?" a woman asked as she walked up from behind.
"The one in eighth place is from the Seventh Courtyard," Shangguan Liuyun said calmly.
"Oh?" The woman looked at the rankings and smiled. "It really is him. Iāve heard some things. They say heās the all-nighter prodigy. With his kind of Talent, whether he stays up all night or not doesnāt really matter. Heās bound to reach the top."