Chapter 543 - 299: Nature’s Gift

Chapter 543: Chapter 299: Nature’s Gift

’I’ll have to go inside to be sure.’

For safety’s sake, Jiang Man tried circulating the Evil God’s Technique.

It could negate some of the effects.

Plus, he had no fear of the aura of an Ancient Well Type Evil God.

’As long as no one in there is stronger than me, I should be able to get back out.’

Jiang Man then took a step, attempting to enter the woods.

But the instant he stepped in, he was struck by a heart-pounding sense of dread.

The Divine Techniques within his Primordial Spirit nearly erupted, as if he had encountered a powerful foe.

Jiang Man immediately retreated, putting distance between himself and the woods.

’Something isn’t right.’

In the end, Jiang Man gave up.

’I can’t go in. At least, not with my current level of Cultivation.’

It was so dangerous he could have become trapped at any moment.

’Looks like I’ll just have to cultivate the Simple Skill for now.’

’It’s still usable, just less effective.’

’Plus, I won’t get the set bonus that would speed up my Cultivation.’

’It just means I’ll have to waste a few more Elixirs.’

’Tolerable.’

With that, Jiang Man decided to leave.

But just as he turned around, he suddenly sensed a powerful fluctuation of energy.

BOOM!

A powerful force erupted from within the woods, followed by a sword that slashed the forest open, as if tearing its way out of some unknown space inside.

Immediately after, six people burst out.

Every one of them was injured.

They collapsed heavily to the ground, five of the six fainting on the spot.

The last one, a middle-aged man, was also on the verge of losing consciousness.

He looked at Jiang Man and struggled to speak. "Quick... take... take us back to..."

Then he passed out.

Jiang Man stared silently at the six people.

’A gift from Mother Nature.’

—

「Zhenyue Bureau」

"You’re saying you rescued them?" Junior Sister Mo at the counter looked at Jiang Man in disbelief.

In response to her questioning, Jiang Man simply nodded calmly. "Does it not seem that way?"

’Before coming back, I checked them over. They carry the aura of an Ancient Well Type Evil God.’

’It’ll take them several days to wake up, at least.’

’Doesn’t that mean my word is law?’

"How did you manage to rescue them? Did you discover anything else?" Junior Sister Mo asked curiously.

Jiang Man shook his head. "Rescuing them took all my energy. All I know is that it’s a special space, not the woods it appears to be.

"I don’t know anything else, but I felt a sense of dread when I went in.

"The place is extraordinary. It has the aura of an Ancient Well Type Evil God, but it’s definitely not just a simple one—only something similar."

Hearing Jiang Man’s plausible explanation, Junior Sister Mo was almost convinced.

But...

’Even if he’s at the Early Stage of Primordial Spirit, he shouldn’t have been able to rescue them.’

"I’ve brought the people back. Can I claim my reward now?" Jiang Man asked.

Junior Sister Mo fell silent.

’I can’t just say no, can I?’

’I can’t just tell him to take them back so I can watch him rescue them all over again.’

"I’ll submit the application for you, but it will take some time," Junior Sister Mo said.

Jiang Man shook his head. "I want it now."

’If I don’t get it now, I won’t be able to get it in a few days.’

’Once they wake up, my credit will go from a rescue to a mere delivery service.’

’And there goes my gift from Mother Nature.’

"What’s the hurry? We still need to follow procedure," Junior Sister Mo said.

Jiang Man looked at her, thought for a moment, then asked, "Have you ever met a Celestial Pride?"

Junior Sister Mo was confused.

Jiang Man continued, "The fact that I could rescue people from those woods proves I’m strong. But the fact that I could only barely save them proves I’m still too weak. I need a Cultivation Skill to get stronger.

"Shouldn’t the Zhenyue Bureau seize this opportunity and make an exception for a special case?

"If you miss this window, you’ll be missing the chance to empower someone who can save lives.

"This rescue was a matter of luck. The next one will be impossible without real strength.

"An Unparalleled Celestial Pride seizes every moment."

Junior Sister Mo looked at Jiang Man, feeling that what he said made a little bit of sense.

But then again, it didn’t seem to make much sense either.

In the end, she chose to report it up the chain of command.

The higher-ups quickly approved it.

This surprised Jiang Man; he had been wondering if he should use his Zui Fusheng identity to approve it himself.

’He should have that much authority.’

"What reward do you want?" Junior Sister Mo asked.

"The Nine-star Body Refining Method," Jiang Man replied.

"We don’t have that here. You’ll have to go to the Sect’s administration office. Come with me to register. Also, the paperwork for your merits isn’t complete, and what you’ve earned isn’t quite enough, so you’ll probably have to make up the difference later. In other words, you might not get a reward for your next achievement," Junior Sister Mo reminded him.

Jiang Man nodded.

’As if I care about what happens later. The priority is to get the Cultivation Skill first.’

He then successfully obtained the Cultivation Skill and had the staff explain a few points to him.

And it really was just a few points.

Over the course of a day, Jiang Man quickly scanned the text and asked about all the fundamentals he didn’t understand.

After that, he was on his own.

’For now, I don’t have any knowledge gaps. I can try to figure it out myself.’

’It’ll definitely be much slower than when Old Huang was around.’

’But at least I can grasp the basics of Cultivation.’

’It’s just a matter of how long it will take.’

After getting what he wanted, Jiang Man also purchased the necessary Elixirs.

He managed to buy a sufficient amount of Elixirs with a twelve percent discount.

Then he left quickly.

Junior Sister Mo found it strange that he left in such a hurry.

「Three days later.」

Senior Brother He woke up.

He was immediately questioned about the situation.

And then, one thing became clear.

"So you’re saying that you, Senior Brother, escaped with your men on your own, and only met that Jiang Man in front of the woods?" Junior Sister Mo asked.

Senior Brother He nodded weakly. "What’s wrong?"

Junior Sister Mo shook her head. She just felt a knot in her stomach.

’He falsely claimed the credit. No wonder he was in such a hurry. He was afraid that once they woke up, his great deed would shrink into a minor one.’

’And all that talk about missing his chance to get stronger and not being able to save people in the future...’

’How much stronger could anyone get in three days?’

’I was so thoroughly deceived.’

’I wonder if the higher-ups will punish me. They probably won’t for now.’

’After all, the Zhenyue Bureau’s troubles haven’t gone away.’

’But I’ll probably have to face the consequences later.’

’I’d better perform some meritorious service, or else... ’

"How sinister," she couldn’t help but mutter.

Senior Brother He still didn’t understand what had happened.

But he immediately said, "I have something to report. There’s a problem with that place, and it’s going to affect the outside world soon."

He had discovered a strange altar inside, which was likely what had drawn the Evil God’s attention.

—

「The next day.」

Jiang Man frowned as he read the report.

"An Evil God altar? An Abyssal Evil God that can lock space?"

Jiang Man felt a pang of lingering fear.

’If it can lock space, then there’s really nothing I can do.’

’What I’m not afraid of is the Heart Locking Spirit.’

’I have to get the news out of here as soon as possible.’

’How can a mere Primordial Spirit like me possibly be a match for this kind of Evil God?’

He tried to find the Seven-Colored Bird, but it didn’t appear.

’Perhaps it’s not that the bird can’t get in, but that my voice can’t get out.’

"I wonder if I can communicate with the Ling Hua Immortal Spirit," Jiang Man muttered, trying to sense it.

He discovered he couldn’t connect.

’It’s not that the channel is gone, but that my Evil God’s Technique has grown weaker.’

’This Abyssal Evil God is affecting me, but not by much.’

’But even this "not much" is enough to crush someone at the Middle Stage of Primordial Spirit.’

’I wonder if I’ll be able to enter the ruined temple after I improve my Cultivation.’

After that, Jiang Man focused on his Cultivation.

He sent out the location, but no one came.

The people sent by the Bai Family didn’t seem very motivated.

「Late November.」

Jiang Man’s fourth Spirit Gourd was already sixty percent full.

If things went smoothly, he would be able to open the fifth Gourd next month.

After that, he would have to study the Nine-star Body Refining Method.

Time was indeed tight.

However, the most troublesome issue was still this place.

「End of November.」

Tao He and the others, who had just finished their work, suddenly received a message ordering them to tighten their patrols.

This year’s breakout attempts could be more intense than in previous years, and they couldn’t afford to be careless.

The three of them were astonished.

It seemed something was indeed brewing.

「Late December.」

Jiang Man’s Spiritual Power surged, then rushed forth like a bursting dam.

But it quickly dissipated without a trace.

The fifth Gourd opened.

"Slower than expected. The lockdown on this place seems to have intensified. Hasn’t the Sect noticed yet?" Jiang Man frowned.

’If this lockdown continues, I feel like my Cultivation will start being suppressed.’

Unfortunately, there was no more news.

The number of reports dwindled as well.

’Maybe they can’t report to the outside anymore, so the Zhenyue Bureau just stopped sending reports altogether.’

It was impossible to be certain of the situation.

—

「Zhenyue Bureau, Black Spirit Abyss」

Senior Brother He sat in the main hall.

At the head of the hall sat a man in his fifties or sixties.

"Still no news from that place?" the man inquired.

"It’s hard to get out once you’re in, and even approaching it is extremely dangerous. We don’t have anyone suitable for the task at the moment," Senior Brother He said.

The man at the head of the hall looked at Captain He and said, "Didn’t someone already claim credit for a rescue? Said he could go in and save people, and he already took the reward. Sounds pretty clever. Let him give it a try."

Senior Brother He was silent for a moment. ’If he weren’t clever, could he have scammed a reward out of us?’

They weren’t fixated on contacting the outside world.

That was a job for the people on the Sect’s side.

What they needed to do was figure out what was happening in that place as quickly as possible, and what these Evil Gods and Demon Beasts were planning.

Were they planning to break out, or to destroy this place?

Or perhaps they meant to take control of it.

With no information, they didn’t know where to focus their efforts.

Especially after all this time, they were running out of options.

It was simply wearing down their Heart Spirits.

—