novelraw Chapter 173 - 131: Say Something
Chapter 173 - 131: Say Something
Jiang Man left with his group.
Number 66 and his two companions sat on the ground, silent for a long time.
Finally, Number 66 broke the silence. "What are the rumors about Number 210 outside?"
The two beside him spoke one after the other.
"A grandstanding clown."
"Nothing special."
Number 66 was silent for a moment before saying, "Why did it turn out like this?"
"Because you were the one spreading it," the woman, Number 82, said softly. After a pause, she added, "I didn’t say a single word."
Although she had thought the same, and her expression had shown it when people asked, she had never actually said it out loud.
"I said before that he was nothing special, just a grandstanding clown. Now that I’ve lost to him, they should understand when we get out, right? People misjudge things sometimes, don’t they?" Number 66 asked, looking at the two beside him.
However, both of them remained silent.
"Say something, will you?" Number 66’s voice grew louder, tinged with a hint of helplessness.
"Actually, you might not be weaker than him. This Secret Realm heavily favors the Five Elements Technique. The fact that he could obtain a Top-grade Observation Method proves his mastery of the Five Elements Technique is far beyond ours," the male Body Cultivator began slowly. "If we were outside the Secret Realm, without the boost from the Five Elements Technique, he might not be your match. The buffs from your Magic Skills and Combat Skills are something no ordinary genius can compare to.
"Not only that, but you didn’t even get to use your Combat Skills just now. You clearly underestimated your opponent.
"Besides, he looks like he’s also from the Fourth, Fifth, or Sixth Courtyards.
"You’ll likely have a chance to meet him again during the annual assessment.
"What you need to do now is get more combat experience, and then you can redeem yourself.
"That way, it’ll just be a matter of having been at a disadvantage with the Five Elements Technique.
"It’s nothing to worry about.
"And taking a step back, you entered the Foundation Establishment Courtyard within a year. You’re just a Student Cultivator from the Fifth Courtyard right now; you’re still very young.
"No matter how young he is, could he be any younger than you?"
Number 66 fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "You sure know how to comfort someone. There’s some truth to what you’re saying."
’The other eighty percent is full of holes, though.’
After a pause, he continued, "Right now, I just hope his ranking is high. That way, my loss will at least be excusable."
On another note, he still couldn’t figure out who his opponent was.
And to make matters worse, the bounty had been canceled.
He had the strange feeling that he had just shot himself in the foot.
The three of them fell silent again for a while before finally deciding to look for other Cultivation Skills.
They couldn’t just leave empty-handed.
Missing out on the Top-grade Skill this time would have major repercussions down the line.
————
On the way to the peripheral region, Jiang Man looked at the Top-grade Observation Method in his hands and flipped through it.
Unsurprisingly, he couldn’t understand it.
It would be exceptionally difficult to learn.
Among all the different types of Cultivation Skills, Visualization Skills were likely the most difficult.
However, this Visualization Skill had some similarities to the Nascent Condensation Skill. It was called the *Seven Stars Observation Method*.
Number 99 and Number 98 were both in shock.
He had obtained a Top-grade Observation Method just like that.
This was something they wouldn’t have even dared to dream of before entering.
All because they had met the person standing before them.
It was as if Top-grade Observation Methods could just be picked up off the side of the road.
It was frighteningly easy.
Sometimes, luck was indeed a form of strength, especially for those who knew how to seize it.
"We can’t get anything else from the outer region anymore. Now we can only head to the periphery.
"Likewise, the people from the periphery will also come to the outer region," Number 99 explained. "So, theoretically, our competitors are the same."
"I heard the difficulty in the periphery is higher, but there are also relatively more good things to find. However, they’ve most likely all been discovered by now," Number 98 added.
"Is it possible to find a Top-grade Body Refining Technique?" Jiang Man asked.
They both shook their heads. "There definitely were some before, but now it would be very difficult."
Jiang Man nodded. ’Then a Top-grade Technique it is.’
’If I can’t find either, I’ll just look for a Mid-grade Body Refining Technique.’
’It would be barely usable, but it’ll have to do.’
’Besides, the annual assessments for the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Courtyards basically don’t have any Top-grade Cultivation Methods.’
’It’s quite a hassle.’
’If I don’t get a Top-grade Body Refining Technique this time, I’ll have to wait until I enter the Sixth Courtyard for another chance.’
’That would delay my progress.’
Even a prodigy had his troubles.
「The Peripheral Region」
When Jiang Man and his two companions arrived, they found four identical stone tablets.
The first thing they did was check the rankings.
Jiang Man saw his own name near the bottom.
Forty-second place, Number 210.
’I only ranked forty-second even after getting a Top-grade Observation Method?’ Jiang Man was surprised.
’So how did Number 66 manage to rank forty-sixth?’
He took another look and saw that Number 66 had already dropped out of the top fifty.
’Well, in that case, I have nothing to complain about,’ he thought.
’But the ranking is too low. The amount of Spiritual Source I’ll win from the bet is a bit small.’
"Let’s go. We can’t waste any more time," Jiang Man said.
’Time to start climbing the ranks.’
This time, Jiang Man would fight any Demon Beast he encountered and investigate any Array he found.
He would even go as far as to directly defeat the Puppets inside them.
And then he would simply leave.
Most of what he found were Mid Grade Techniques and Cultivation Skills, which weren’t worth acquiring.
Occasionally, he would also come across a Spirit Sword.
Once, he even found an entry qualification for a Spiritual Energy Secret Realm.
None of the three had any interest in it.
「Day Twelve」
Jiang Man returned to the ranking tablets.
He had now risen to thirty-sixth place.
"Why is it so slow?" Jiang Man was perplexed.
"Perhaps it’s because you haven’t obtained a second item yet," said Number 99.
Jiang Man frowned. It wasn’t that he was incapable of obtaining a second item.
It was just that he hadn’t come across anything suitable.
"Let’s keep looking," Jiang Man said, deciding he could only search methodically.
He would also have to search in uninhabited areas.
The original group of people in the peripheral region was stronger; they not only explored faster but also obtained items more quickly.
By the time people from the outer region arrived, all that was left were scraps.
Now, his only option was to expand his search area.
Only then could he defeat more Demon Beasts and Puppets to raise his ranking.
This time, Jiang Man traveled to a very distant place where there were indeed fewer people.
「Day Thirteen」
They unexpectedly discovered an Array.
After breaking it open, they found two items inside.