Chapter 287 154: The 9th Layer

The moment Man Shengming opened his mouth, everyone present was stunned.

The waiter and the others wanted to laugh but quickly held it in.

Even Luo Qingyi, who had just lost face herself, was utterly astonished.

'So he's a…'

She ultimately managed to stop herself from saying the word 'stutterer'.

She merely turned her head aside.

Man Shengming knew he had lost his nerve, and his face flushed red. He glanced around and saw the onlookers pointing and whispering about him.

After a moment of silence, he clasped his fist to Jiang Ran.

Then, he turned and left.

"This…"

Jiang Ran hadn't expected this outcome either.

But he didn't call out to stop him.

Whether to issue the challenge was Man Shengming's decision, but whether to accept it was up to Jiang Ran.

He had no intention of dueling anyone over this.

Especially with the Tea Tasting and Zither Appreciation Convention on the horizon. Accepting a random challenge now, while not something he feared losing, would set a precedent and attract a great deal of trouble.

So he let Man Shengming leave.

Tang Huayi pouted.

"Why didn't you accept? I bet he's no match for you anyway."

"None of your damn business."

Jiang Ran glanced at her. "Just eat your food."

Ruan Yuqing, however, said with a smile:

"I, for one, feel that Hero Man won't give up so easily. I wonder what he'll do?"

"That man has a heroic reputation and is of upstanding character. I reckon that even if he is unwilling to give up, he won't resort to any sneaky tricks."

The senior from the Ink Pavilion put away his booklet, tucked the brush into his sleeve, and looked somewhat disappointed.

"I thought I'd get to see a grand battle between Young Hero Jiang and the man they call 'Cherishes Words Like Gold'."

"A pity, what a pity..."

Jiang Ran glanced at the senior.

"You're unusually talkative today, senior."

"Oh dear, the more you talk, the more you slip up! The more you talk, the more you slip up!"

The senior quickly raised his wine cup. "I'll punish myself with a cup. This old man will try not to speak from now on."

No one paid him any mind.

This old man was actually a bit shameless. After all, someone who couldn't stomach losing face would find it hard to do the work of the Ink Pavilion.

They had to stop their subjects, ask all sorts of questions, endure cold shoulders, and withstand ridicule.

As long as no one got physical, they had to treat whatever was said to them like a gentle breeze, right up until they achieved their goal.

It was a tough line of work.

Jiang Ran shook his head. After finishing his meal, he didn't call everyone to get back on the road, but instead returned to his inn room first.

He needed to sort through the rewards for the three heads he'd collected on this trip.

...

...

Inside the room, Jiang Ran sat cross-legged.

He casually opened the reward list.

[Reward Acquired: Six Years of Inner Strength]

[Reward Acquired: Autumn Water Ice Condensation Skill (Thirty Years)]

[Reward Acquired: Book of Righteous Aura (Twenty-Nine Years)]

Jiang Ran's gaze first fell upon the [Book of Righteous Aura].

If he wasn't mistaken, this must be Zhuge Mingyu's foundational martial art.

However, after having witnessed Zhuge Mingyu's skills, what Jiang Ran really wanted was his Three Nines Calculation Classic.

The Three Nines Calculation Classic was said to be able to analyze every unique skill under the heavens.

Although by now, Jiang Ran knew this was mostly an exaggeration. At the very least, it couldn't analyze his Nine Shocking God Sabers.

But even so, the wonders of this martial art were still enough to make one gasp in admiration.

But Jiang Ran's luck wasn't good enough; he hadn't obtained this divine skill, getting the Book of Righteous Aura instead.

Jiang Ran possessed the Creation and True Heart Sutra, and he had already reached the eighth level.

To bring this level to perfection, he needed three unique Inner Energy skills as a foundation.

Only then could he break through to the ninth level.

Jiang Ran had been waiting for just such a unique skill.

From any angle, the Book of Righteous Aura now fulfilled this requirement.

After pondering for a long while, Jiang Ran let out a soft breath.

He chose to claim the Book of Righteous Aura.

At the same time, Jiang Ran used the four buffs he had saved up, applying all of them to the Book of Righteous Aura without hesitation.

Boosting the original twenty-nine years of the Book of Righteous Aura to sixty-nine years!

Only then did he choose to claim it.

From his past few experiences, Jiang Ran knew he needed to be extremely careful when absorbing this Inner Energy.

He had to allow for an integration period between the Creation and True Heart Sutra and the new unique Inner Energy skill.

As he claimed the reward, wisps of Inner Strength immediately began to rise from his Dantian.

The Inner Strength from the Book of Righteous Aura was different from both the Great Brahman Vajra Skill and the Cold Moon Skill.

As soon as this energy was born, it was direct and unyielding, seeking to take control.

But in an instant, the Creation and True Heart Sutra began to operate on its own. Like a great yin-yang millstone, it took all the Inner Strength that was produced, no matter how it tried to assert itself, and absorbed it completely.

The Book of Righteous Aura was naturally unwilling to become fuel for another.

However, with Jiang Ran fanning the flames and aiding the tyrant, the Book of Righteous Aura stood no chance alone and could only submit.

At the same time, the Heart Method mantras of the Book of Righteous Aura, along with the various divine mysteries contained within, surfaced in Jiang Ran's mind.

Strictly speaking, this martial art was rather conventional.

It was like a unique skill from an orthodox Taoist sect—balanced and temperate, its power growing with the depth of one's cultivation.

The Book of Righteous Aura was the same.

Confucian martial arts were also ever-changing, producing different branches based on an individual's understanding.

And this manual was one of the foundational texts.

Although it had no particularly special qualities on its own, it seemed unremarkable, especially when compared to an Inner Energy skill like the Cold Moon Skill, which had distinct characteristics.

However, many of the world's unique Confucian skills were derived from this method as their foundation.

It was the core Inner Power Heart Method of the entire Qianjun Academy.

And after being enhanced by the four buffs, this martial art had already been pushed to the Great Success Realm.