Chapter 509 - 282: This is Too Bitter

Chapter 509: Chapter 282: This is Too Bitter

Jiang Man smiled faintly. "Lord Immortal Spirit, times have changed."

’I have the almighty Unparalleled Celestial Pride, Mr. Ji.’

’He’s already made a fake. It’ll definitely pass for the real one for a while.’

Afterward, Jiang Man left.

The Ling Hua Immortal Spirit remained hidden in the statue, not daring to come out.

Before, she could still move about in the designated area of the Sixth Secret Realm, but now she didn’t dare go out.

She was afraid she would be targeted the moment she went out.

She didn’t know what would happen then.

She had been fine before because they all knew she wouldn’t covet this thing, but now it was in her hands.

In that case, they couldn’t let her live any longer.

’An ambitious Evil God who can sense the Immortal Dao Coordinate has no reason to exist.’

That would mean more than just being silenced.

At this thought, the Ling Hua Immortal Spirit was scared to death.

She had thought that becoming an Immortal Spirit meant she would no longer have to live in fear or hide in the shadows, cowering in some small place. She thought she could go out openly to enjoy sunlight, food, and laughter.

But now, she once again felt fear and despair.

It was as if an endless darkness was swallowing her whole.

She trembled uncontrollably.

All she could do was continuously suppress the Immortal Dao Coordinate, terrified of being discovered.

——

A bustling city.

A top-grade guest room.

After contacting the Ling Hua Immortal Spirit’s people, Tantai Xue began to wait.

’In truth, I’d already given up hope.’

’Something like the Immortal Dao Coordinate isn’t something an ordinary person would ever tell someone else about.’

’Even if they did, the information would be fake.’

’Besides, that Messenger must have a purpose for controlling the Ling Hua Immortal Spirit.’

’The Evil God behind him probably wants the Immortal Dao Coordinate, too.’

’So it’s even more unlikely they’d tell me.’

’Otherwise, what could they possibly be after?’

’The Ling Hua Immortal Spirit’s uselessness?’

However, just as she was thinking this, she suddenly received a message from one of the Ling Hua Immortal Spirit’s subordinates.

She was a little stunned.

"Did they refuse?" a voice came from the Spiritual Tablet.

Tantai Xue frowned. "They agreed, and they gave me specific information right away."

"What information?" the voice from the Spiritual Tablet asked, low and deep.

He, too, was surprised.

’They’d be so forthcoming?’

"The Wuyun Sect," Tantai Xue said. "They say the item is currently in the Wuyun Sect. If we want to pinpoint an individual, they can provide that as well."

"And the conditions?" the Spiritual Tablet inquired.

Hearing this, Tantai Xue fell silent for a moment before saying uncertainly, "Just that the Spiritual Source needs to be paid, I think."

The Spiritual Tablet was silent for a long time before asking, "Doesn’t this feel like child’s play?"

Tantai Xue nodded. "It does."

’Information on the Immortal Dao Coordinate can be bought with just a bit of Spiritual Source?’

’That wasn’t how things worked in my experience. Obtaining such information was supposed to involve all kinds of struggles, followed by an exchange of rare resources to get any related information.’

’At the very least, there should have been a battle to determine a winner, followed by a payment of priceless treasures before the precise location was finally revealed.’

’This was the world as I knew it.’

’It shouldn’t be a world where you can learn the general location by paying one hundred thousand Spiritual Source, and then pinpoint the person by paying a few hundred thousand more.’

’The world shouldn’t be like this.’

’They’re most likely just trying to scam us out of our Spiritual Source.’

’So the question is, should we let ourselves be scammed?’

"Senior, what do you think?" Tantai Xue asked, looking at the Spiritual Tablet.

"What do you think?" the Spiritual Tablet asked.

"I think we can give it a try. Especially since they’ve given us a location, we can investigate it," Tantai Xue said, ultimately deciding to go along with the potential scam. She continued, "They’re a bit slow in collecting the Spiritual Source, so we can use that time to investigate further."

"Besides, we can also look into who this Messenger really is."

"That will help us confirm the situation."

"Furthermore, Senior, do you think this information came from the Ling Hua Immortal Spirit, or from that Messenger?"

"And not only that, what is their objective?"

"If they know where the Immortal Dao Coordinate is, why don’t they take it themselves?"

The Spiritual Tablet was silent for a long time.

’There are indeed many suspicious points. It also feels like the people behind this have other motives.’

’But with no other leads, we have no choice but to step into this trap.’

"Let’s take it one step at a time. Agree to their terms for now," the voice from the Spiritual Tablet said.

Then it spoke again: "I’ll see if it’s time for the Ling Hua Immortal Spirit to detect the Immortal Dao Coordinate yet."

If it was that time, then it was fine. But if it wasn’t...

...then the problem was far more complex.

’If they knew about the situation in advance, why did they take control of Ling Hua?’

’And why would they spread the information?’

’Their ambitions must be immense!’

——

At this moment, Jiang Man was oblivious to all of this.

He knew nothing of the Ling Hua Immortal Spirit’s thoughts, nor of Tantai Xue’s astonishment.

He was currently focused on consuming Elixirs for his Cultivation.

The days passed one by one, and he didn’t distract himself with other matters.

「Late November.」

His Spirit Gourd was half full.

「Late December.」

Jiang Man successfully digested sixty-seven Elixirs, and his second Spirit Gourd opened.

He had finished the previous fifty long ago.

Later, he went and bought another hundred from Miss Ji Meng.

It cost him five hundred and ten thousand.

He had spent almost all of it now.

Filling the second Spirit Gourd by ten percent required six Elixirs.

That is to say, he would need around eighty Elixirs to open the third Spirit Gourd.

「The following year.」

「February 20th.」

Jiang Man successfully opened his third Spirit Gourd.

By now, he had used up almost all of his Spiritual Source.

Fortunately, Song Qing brought him seventy thousand.

Adding that to what was left, he had about one hundred thousand.

He could buy another twenty Elixirs.

That would leave him with a total of about forty Elixirs.

He could continue his Cultivation for about another month.

Not thinking about it further, Jiang Man continued his Cultivation, deciding to worry about it when he completely ran out of Elixirs.

——

Cloud Mist Peak.

First Courtyard.

Yan Yiqiu looked down at everyone and said, "Time flies. Before you know it, we’re already in the final half-year."

"Some of you have already succeeded in your Core Formation and can prepare to enter the Inner Sect."

"The rest of you will have to rely on this upcoming competition."

"If you can succeed this time, don’t, by any means, wait for the next opportunity."

"This is your most competitive year. There is no one stronger above you, and those below you are not your match."

"If you have resources, don’t be reluctant to use them. Use everything you have."

"Whether or not you can achieve Core Formation will determine your future."

As she spoke, Yan Yiqiu glanced at the perpetually empty seat and said, "You are all lucky. Even if you stop here, you can’t be compared to the students from other courtyards."

"Our number one is famous throughout the Outer and Inner Sects. As his fellow disciples, you may face some brief difficulties, but in the future, you will find that having such a Student Cultivator among you can sometimes change your destiny."

"I won’t say more for now. We’ll have a proper talk on the last day."

"Also..."

Yan Yiqiu looked at Zhuo Bufan and the others. "You’ve already achieved Core Formation, but you can’t relax. You know your own situation best. Without resources, your future path will be very difficult."

"Find a way to earn Spiritual Source as soon as possible, or you won’t be able to keep up with the pace of the Inner Sect."

"The Inner Sect is not like the Outer Sect. The cruelty within far exceeds that of the Outer Sect."

"Once you’ve made your decision, don’t overthink it. Just give it your all."

Zhuo Bufan and the others nodded.

’We can no longer receive resources from our families. The road ahead is going to be so difficult.’

Yan Yiqiu then turned to the others. "These people can afford to take risks. They had a strong foundation and have already secured their place in the Inner Sect. You can’t. So, you should stick to the original plan: rely on your family’s resources and focus on achieving Core Formation first."

"Anything you do before Core Formation is meaningless."

"Entering the Inner Sect is what matters. Everything else has little to do with you."

"Don’t get distracted. You must recognize reality."

"What you’ve missed isn’t important. What’s important is what you grasp now."

The others all nodded.

No one objected.

’Right now, all we need to do is achieve Core Formation and enter the Inner Sect.’

’If we don’t enter the Inner Sect, everything else is just smoke and mirrors.’

This was especially true since they had pulled all-nighters from the very beginning, giving them an advantage others didn’t have.

After saying all this, Instructor Yan let out a sigh of relief.

She turned and left.

Leaving the First Courtyard, she understood that she was finally free.

From now on, she wouldn’t have to deal with these people anymore.

Besides, she would finally be free from the rollercoaster of anxiety caused by Jiang Man.

It had been too agonizing.

’One second he’s the center of attention, the next he’s despised by all.’

’He can’t even make a trip home without getting dragged back.’

’And news related to the Evil God is constantly finding its way to me.’

’What kind of life is this for an ordinary Instructor?’

’My whole life has never been as eventful as these past few years.’

’But I’m not suited for an eventful life. A simple, quiet one is enough.’

Just as she was thinking this, three people suddenly blocked her path.

The one in the lead was none other than Ren Qian.

"Instructor Yan, there are some matters I’d like to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?"

Instructor Yan was stunned.

’Do I have a choice?’