The Old Yellow Ox hadn't yet recovered from its shock when it heard Jiang Man's nonsensical words.
It made the ox quite puzzled.
But it wasn't a difficult request, so it subconsciously agreed.
He really did just give it a pat and did nothing more.
At that moment, Jiang Man sighed inwardly.
Because just now, when he touched the Old Yellow Ox, he had also activated the Celestial Mirror Hundred Books.
The book was still on its final page.
And there was only a single line of text.
[Beasts are unworthy.]
'Even an Evil God is unworthy?'
For a moment, Jiang Man felt a bit awkward.
Fortunately, the Old Yellow Ox couldn't see it.
Otherwise, he would have been the one at a disadvantage.
However, it seemed the Celestial Mirror Hundred Books didn't record humans and beasts.
Or rather, they were all too ordinary.
As he was pondering, a set of footsteps approached the thatched hut, followed by a shout. "Jiang Man, remember to pay your cultivation fee before the ninth month! Your village didn't pay for you this year. If you don't hand it over in the next half-month, you'll be kicked out."
After saying his piece, the person left in a hurry, leaving only a parting shot: "I've notified you. Whether you understood or not is your own problem."
Jiang Man froze.
When one came to the Yunqian Bureau for Cultivation, the fee was usually covered by their village.
Now that the village had cut off his cultivation fee, it must be because a new, suitably-aged candidate had entered the Yunqian Bureau.
The places for Cultivation in the city were collectively known as the Yunqian Bureau, which was divided into the Three Floors and Six Pavilions.
Jiang Man was in one of the Six Pavilions, the Cyan Cloud Pavilion.
Normal villages were all poor and couldn't afford to support multiple people.
They had supported him initially because he was the only one of a suitable age.
They had to take a chance.
Sometimes, being a fool didn't mean one had poor cultivation Talent.
Now that two years had passed, it was understandable that he'd been abandoned.
Bei Village couldn't afford to support two people.
He just didn't know which place the village's newcomer would go to.
But that wasn't what he needed to think about. For now, he had to find a way to earn the cultivation fee.
Otherwise, he'd really be expelled from the Cyan Cloud Pavilion.
"How did you do that?" At this moment, the Old Yellow Ox finally came back to its senses.
Jiang Man glanced at it and said with a straight face, "Natural Talent."
Old Yellow Ox: "..."
'You think I believe you?'
'Even a good-luck marriage can't cause *this*.'
"You didn't have this kind of Talent before," the Old Yellow Ox said with certainty.
Jiang Man shrugged, thought for a moment, and said, "Maybe it's because I got married? Senior, why don't you try getting married? You might awaken the same kind of Talent I have."
Old Yellow Ox: "..."
Speaking of which, Jiang Man asked curiously, "Senior, you still haven't told me about that Fairy's background. Is there a chance she could find us at any moment?"
Jiang Man had a feeling she was not to be trifled with, and secondly, he felt rather guilty.
After all, he was the one who had brought her back.
If she sent people to deal with him, his life would finally have some excitement.
Hearing this, the Old Yellow Ox fell silent for a moment before saying, "Her origins are hard to say, but it's highly likely she's from an Immortal Sect. If you get a chance to join an Immortal Sect, you can try using your Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart to ask around. Then you'll be able to confirm who she is. After all, being bound to a Fate Chart through marriage is no ordinary matter. It should be easy to find information about it. As for whether she'll appear at any moment, that's unlikely."
Jiang Man was puzzled. "Why?"
The Old Yellow Ox began to explain, "Because as long as the Magpie Bridge doesn't open, the river can't flow out. She was originally flowing down that river, so she can't pinpoint her previous location."
"Magpie Bridge? How often does the Magpie Bridge open?" Jiang Man asked.
Hearing this, the Old Yellow Ox was silent for a moment. "It opens about once a year. But even then, it won't be that easy for her to pinpoint our location. Even with clues, she wouldn't be able to have her main body descend here easily. Don't worry too much. I should be the one worrying. It's truly possible she could retaliate against me from a distance."
Jiang Man was silent for a moment.
Although she wouldn't be coming for now, she was still someone from an Immortal Sect.
Immortal Sects held a lofty status; the very source of everyone's survival was the Four Major Immortal Sects.
He never expected that the person the Old Yellow Ox had casually found would come from such a place.
'Having provoked someone like that, my future is probably not going to be easy.'
Suddenly, he felt a tremor from his Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart.
And with that, he came to a realization.
It wasn't just his future.
His present was already difficult.
At this moment, he discovered a flawless elixir appearing within the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart.
The elixir descended, landing in his Dantian.
It lay there quietly, waiting to be absorbed.
Although he didn't know what kind of elixir it was, Jiang Man could feel that it contained a great deal of Spiritual Qi, which could allow a Cultivator to achieve twice the results with half the effort in their Cultivation.
Seeing this, Jiang Man finally recalled the description in the Celestial Mirror Hundred Books: "It can be unlocked layer by layer to obtain inheritances." 'Does this mean that as long as I complete the requirements, I can receive an inheritance?'
Jiang Man was overjoyed. 'This is good stuff!'
After the elixir landed in his Dantian, the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart changed once again.
Just as Jiang Man was trying to understand, the profound and mysterious change was once again analyzed and read.
[Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart]
[As an Unparalleled Celestial Pride, Cultivation is as easy as drinking water for you. Provided your body can handle it, you must be able to cultivate one hundred times a day and raise your Visualization Skill to the Thirteenth Layer within one hundred days.]
[Failure will result in a backlash from the Fate Chart.]
[All Cultivation will be lost.]
'I celebrated too soon.'
'This requirement seems a bit unreasonable.'
'The only good news is that the Fate Chart's backlash won't kill me.'
After learning all this, Jiang Man didn't hide it and told the Old Yellow Ox.
When it heard about the elixir, it asked for more details, and was immediately shocked. "A Flawless Spirit Gathering Pill! This Fate Chart really is something good."
A Flawless Spirit Gathering Pill contained powerful Spiritual Qi and could remain in the body for a long time, waiting to be absorbed, unlike an ordinary Spirit Gathering Pill which would dissipate on its own.
Then, Jiang Man told it about the new requirement.
After hearing it, the Old Yellow Ox's shock froze on its face.
Looking at Jiang Man, it sighed. "It's the same advice as before: eat what you want, do what you want, and don't leave any regrets. It'll be a bit tough, but at least you'll live for a hundred days. That's countless times better than the three days you had before."
Jiang Man: "..."
'Isn't that a bit pessimistic?'
Not until the Old Yellow Ox told him that one needed to be at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer to practice the Visualization Skill.
He was stunned.
At the very beginning, one practices a Qi Refining Skill to absorb Spiritual Qi.
At the Qi Refining Third Layer, one must cultivate Qi and Blood to strengthen the Physical Body's capacity to hold Spiritual Qi.
At the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, one must practice the Visualization Skill to enhance Spiritual Power and stably control Spiritual Qi.
Otherwise, it would be easy to be unable to withstand the Spiritual Qi or fail to control it, leading to cultivation deviation.
Understanding this, Jiang Man felt that the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart truly wasn't treating him like a human.
Jiang Man asked the Old Yellow Ox if reaching the Qi Refining Sixth Layer in a hundred days was possible.
It said it was, but it required unparalleled talent and massive resources.
And some of those resources were not available in Luoyun City.
If he managed to pass this time, the subsequent requirements would surely be even greater.
Luoyun City's foundation probably wouldn't be enough.
He had to find a way to join a Sect.
Jiang Man fell silent.
One moment he was about to be expelled from the Cyan Cloud Pavilion, and the next he had to pass an assessment to join a Sect.
The ups and downs in his life today were happening a little too frequently.
The Old Yellow Ox looked at him, feeling that this one day of his was more eventful than his entire previous decade and more.
Leaving him with a "you're on your own," the Old Yellow Ox went out to eat grass.
By now, it was night.
Jiang Man was in no mood to rest.
First, he would see what he had stashed in his room over the years.
「A moment later.」
Jiang Man looked at the three books, a wooden sword, and three catties of coarse rice on the table and let out a long sigh.
This was everything he owned.
The room was frighteningly clean; he had tidied it up quite well for the wedding ceremony.
The three books were "Simple Qi Cultivation Method," "Divine Step," and "Beginner's Guide."
There wasn't a single coin.
'Besides, what use is a Wooden Sword?'
Jiang Man examined it closely. It was crudely made, a toy he had brought from the village.
Afterward, Jiang Man found a river to wash himself and his clothes.
By the time he finished and put his clothes back on, it was already the next day.
Starting today, he had to cultivate a hundred times.
But he had to get up early to feed the horses.
His cultivation fee was paid by the village, but he had to earn his own living expenses.
So, he had settled down next to the Cyan Cloud Pavilion's stables, taking care of the horses every day.
After a month's work, he could at least afford to eat.
"Is anyone there? Come and help!"
Just as he stepped out, Jiang Man heard an anxious voice coming from the stables.