Chapter 165: The Lone Brave

Beneath the steady rain, the night's chill deepened.

Most taverns in Shengjing had disbanded; countless students either held umbrellas or shielded themselves with spiritual energy as they walked into the rain.

Soon the rain grew heavier, knocking loose the dead leaves across the mountain, filling the night with a constant rustling until dawn finally brought a slight pause.

At dawn, the sight before him was one of desolation—fresh rain after a barren mountain.

Ji You had not slept after returning from Hongding Tower to the inner courtyard, for sleep was not essential for cultivators.

He now sat cross-legged in his inner courtyard chamber, attempting his fifteenth micro-illumination, causing spiritual energy to howl through the night.

This was his daily practice, though not every attempt bore fruit.

For instance, his fourteenth micro-illumination had begun before Qiudou and only ended the night before the Battle of Yecheng Mountain—intermittent and drawn out, consuming over half a month of his time.

Now, having just begun his fifteenth, he already sensed it would take even longer…

At the third watch and three-quarters, Ji You opened his eyes; spiritual energy still surged through his meridians, his entire body blazing with heat.

"Even a Dao-Integration cultivator would find it difficult to break through my defenses now."

"It's even scared off the junior master of Lingjian Mountain…"

Ji You clenched his fist, feeling that with his physical strength alone—without relying on Dao techniques—he could already turn some of his inner courtyard senior brothers into clients.

But there were downsides too.

According to the universal consensus in the cultivation world, the goal of ascension was to shed the decaying mortal body and forge an immortal form, achieving eternal freedom.

In other words, the more robust the body, the harder it became to shed.

Ji You had never cared much for ascension, and he'd assumed it didn't matter—but recent micro-illuminations had made him feel a restriction.

It was the limitation imposed on his spiritual sense by his body's excessive solidity…

He still sought to break through his spiritual sense by "ascending higher," but after each successful micro-illumination, the flight process grew heavier.

This meant his body was too strong—his spiritual sense could no longer depart smoothly.

"It seems the body truly is a cage for the spiritual sense…"

"For the next few days, I'll focus on strengthening my spiritual sense…"

Ji You murmured to himself, thinking his cultivation was like kneading dumpling dough—add water when the flour's too dry, add flour when the water's too wet.

He wasn't sure what final form his cultivation would take, but in terms of combat power, the gains were undeniable.

He had told Kuangcheng during their Dao discussion that the top cultivators in the world disrespected this realm because they believed they could ascend, yearned for the Immortal Realm, and thus felt no belonging to Qingyun's world.

This mindset had corrupted the local customs, forming a stagnant tradition unchanged for a thousand years.

As a result, many cultivators—even in the lower three realms—dared not refine their bodies, fearing they'd be unable to shed their mortal shells during ascension.

But Ji You wasn't worried at all; he lived for the present.

Morning light gradually arrived, sunlight spilling across the land, yet the temperature rose little.

The red sun beneath the thin dawn hung like a salted egg yolk in the sky.

Ji You rose from his chamber, washed up, stepped outside, and walked toward a gray-tiled, red-walled pavilion halfway up the inner courtyard's slope, passing a path dusted with frost on grass and trees.

This was the Clear Wind Lecture Hall of the Heavenly Book Academy, where inner courtyard instructors came to teach the heavenly principles they had comprehended.

These instructors were mostly Elders from the major halls.

Today's instructor came from Budust Hall, surnamed Ning, teaching the heavenly phenomena arts—wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

This was Budust Hall's primary focus: comprehending heavenly phenomena principles to weave myriad arts into the body, achieving mysterious protective defense.

Yet inner courtyard disciples knew that while some heavenly phenomena techniques could aid realm advancement, they offered little to actual combat power.

These principles were called obscure arts; few cared to delve into them.

For instance, among the four elements of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, thunder and lightning were the most commonly cultivated.

Because thunder's force carried immense offensive power—Chu He's 【Heavenly Art】 the day before had indeed incorporated principles of thunder Dao.

This infusion gave Chu He's strength tremendous force, rivaling half of a 【Minor Heavy Mountain】 strike…

The reason for this phenomenon was the constant covert struggles between clans and between immortal sects—in such conflicts, combat power was always the key to victory.

Last year on the streets of Shengjing, Ji You, Ban Yangshu, and Lu Qingqiu had encountered an old man in black robes.

He used thunder arts—and the reason was simple: thunder arts were too common to reveal one's identity.

Thinking of this, Ji You couldn't help but frown slightly.

After the Qiling incident, all calamities were blamed on the Zheng family, yet the mysterious demonic seeds appearing in Shengjing and that Dao-Integration cultivator remained unidentified.

"Thunder is the latent power hidden within heavenly spiritual energy."

"Moved by principle, colliding to form momentum, accumulating before unleashing, until thunder's force takes shape."

"Yang gathers within Yin, inevitably pressured; when pressure reaches its peak, it surges forward."

"Softness pierces; hardness shatters."

The third Elder of Budust Hall chanted softly, his hair and beard fluttering; then he extended one palm forward, murmuring as thunder arts gathered, violet lightning flickering.

Ji You found a seat, leaned back against the wooden chair, and listened for a long while.

The principles taught at the Clear Wind Lecture Hall were based on humanity's understanding of heavenly Dao; instructors existed to guide, but how to evolve and apply them still required disciples to awaken to them.

To know the principle and penetrate its mystery, to transform it into art—that was Dao-Integration.

The Five Grand Ceremonies of the Heavenly Book Academy each had distinct arts, refined cultivation methods, and some only accessible to direct disciples.

An hour later, the lecture ended; Ji You rose and left.

To be honest, it was a bit dull…

But cultivation was like this; as Wen Zhengxin said, every inner courtyard disciple sitting alone in the deep mountains would say: endure the boredom, or you won't succeed.

Too much comfort made Ji You's palms itch—he felt his occupational disease coming on again.

Yesterday he snatched Long Xiandi; today he wanted another client.

As he walked toward the Purple Bamboo Meditation Grove, he saw He Lingxiu leading a group toward it; she paused slightly upon seeing him.

Among these people, Ji You recognized several.

Shi Junhao, Fang Licheng, Leng Yingying, Chai Ze, Xiao Hanyan—all were direct disciple candidates from the Longlife, Budust, and Desireless Halls.

He Lingxiu now saw him too, and walked gracefully toward him.

Every time Ji You saw this senior sister, he paused to admire her; now he felt she'd recently had some awakening—her aura was noticeably stronger.

"Younger brother, I heard you returned from Fengzhou days ago; I didn't expect this to be our first meeting."

"Thank you, senior sister, for your concern. I've been diligently cultivating and rarely left my chamber."

He Lingxiu raised an eyebrow: "But yesterday, there were rumors in the outer courtyard that a certain sister with a fine rear saw you and said you were very helpful."

Ji You's mouth twitched: "Really? That's wonderful…"

Damn Bai Ru, yesterday he'd been forced to pay him silver to keep quiet—now the rumor had spread to everyone's ears.

"Didn't know you liked this type. No wonder Lu Qingqiu and Zhao Yunyue couldn't catch your eye."

"Actually, theirs are pretty good too…"

Ji You had just eaten with them yesterday; he felt compelled to defend them—those rears were excellent too.

He Lingxiu chuckled lightly, said she was going to meditate, and left.

After Qiudou, this broad-minded senior sister had always tried to lure him into the inner courtyard, promising him direct disciple status—but now their meeting was just a few teasing words, with no mention of joining a hall.

It was as if it had never happened; even stranger, Ji You wasn't surprised.

"Ji You probably won't enter any inner courtyard immortal hall."

"What?"

In the meditation ground, Fang Jincheng had been in deep meditation for hours; now resting, he saw Ji You drift past the Bi Shui Lake and spoke softly, instantly drawing everyone's gaze.

Lu Hanyan turned her eyes as well: "Won't enter an immortal hall?"

Fang Jincheng smiled: "I don't need his guidance to comprehend the Heavenly Book, but if he'd openly shared his perception method last night, I might have gotten him into Longlife Hall as a direct disciple. Too bad—he lacks common sense."

That Fang family had an Elder in Longlife Hall wasn't secret, but Fang Jincheng's claim that he could make Ji You a direct disciple was pure bluff.

Yet hearing him mention last night's request for Ji You's insight into the Heavenly Book, Lu Hanyan's lips tightened slightly as she recalled his final words.

"Don't know. Can't teach. Not because he sensed the Heavenly Book—the Heavenly Book sensed him."

She looked up at her elder sister.

Lu Qingqiu had come today to meditate with her sister and remembered last night's events.

For a thousand years, the Heavenly Book Academy had always been about students sensing the Heavenly Book—never the other way around. She herself had never sensed it, so she didn't know what it meant.

But what troubled her was why Fang Jincheng said Ji You couldn't enter an immortal hall.

And equally concerned was Cao Jingsong.

"Why haven't you entered a hall yet?"

In the outer courtyard, in a pavilion beside the instructor's building, Cao Jingsong watched Ji You stroll lazily from the inner courtyard, his brow deeply furrowed.

Since returning from Fengzhou, he'd been busy encouraging Xiang Fu's disciples and hadn't seen Ji You much.

Now that they finally met, he couldn't help voicing his question.

"This hall entry thing… probably won't happen."

"?"

Ji You lifted his teacup, gazing calmly toward the mountain: "The Yecheng Mountain incident has made every clan faction in the inner courtyard deeply hostile toward me. They don't say it aloud, but I know."

Cao Jingsong frowned deeply: "Because of that?"

"Something like it. Since I returned, no hall seems to welcome me. I even wandered into Budust Hall once and got chased off by their disciples."

"These clans are truly petty. The ones sent to Fengzhou were the ones their clans didn't value—now they suddenly care."

"It's not about the people—it's about the humiliation of hanging heads as warnings. Apparently, even several hall masters think you're too trouble-prone."

When Ji You was in the outer courtyard, he'd been targeted by the Office of Affairs for blocking Chu He's path, and due to his rural self-cultivation background, he'd truly been ostracized.

But some people in the Inner Court still held a favorable view of him.

After all, over the many years of Qingyun Realm, those truly worthy of the title "extraordinary talent" were few, and taking one under your wing brought great prestige.

Especially when Ji You shattered the Sword Forest during his Dao Inquiry at Lingjian Mountain, even the Inner Court Elders envied Cao Jinsong's luck.

But after the Yechengshan incident, Ji You made countless enemies within the Inner Court.

Xianzhuang were backed by aristocratic clans, and those clans were backed by immortal sects; between them, ties were either blood-related or built through annual tributes, forming tangled, inextricable bonds.

Like Luo Pingshan of Po Yue Zhuang, and the elderly Luo who held great influence in Zizai Hall.

In their view, killing a few was acceptable, but wiping them out was unnecessary—and what they found utterly intolerable was decapitating them and displaying the heads.

To them, such behavior violated the rules.

What were the rules?

The rules meant that no matter how much dark current churned beneath the surface, on the surface everyone must at least maintain a facade of mutual civility.

Just as the Chen Clan and Shanhai Pavilion never came to blows, and Tian Shu Academy merely sent emissaries to Lingjian Mountain for Dao Inquiry.

Everyone looked out for each other's face, for one never knew who might be closely allied with whom.

Only Ji You, this rural self-cultivator with no ties to any aristocratic clan or xianzhuang, dared kill and display heads—thus breaking the rules.

But to Ji You, decapitation was unavoidable.

Fengzhou needed rest for its people, needed time to recover; he could only act to the extreme to deter those xianzhuang from stirring trouble in the short term.

Immortals stood high above, calling themselves "immortals," sharply distinguishing themselves from common folk.

Yet in the end, they feared death just like mortals.

The chain reaction was that after this incident, some grew to intensely despise Ji You's reckless ways.

And others, who had no connection to Fengzhou's xianzhuang, suddenly awoke through the Yechengshan affair, realizing that this rural self-cultivator had always stood apart from them.

"Those not of our kind must have different hearts"—this saying now applied perfectly to Ji You.

To aristocratic scions, a rural self-cultivator truly was not of the same kind.

"I, for my part, have absolutely no experience with this kind of thing…"

Cao Jinsong wanted to give Ji You advice, but he had no experience to draw from.

Fengzhou had few students; sometimes one or two a year, sometimes none at all—he'd never had a disciple enter the Inner Court.

In truth, upon reflection, few in the realm had ever seen a rural self-cultivator enter the Inner Court.

"So is this how it will be from now on?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'll be the first and only disciple in Tian Shu Academy's history to enter the Inner Court yet be rejected by all Five Immortal Halls—sounds pretty impressive, doesn't it?"

Cao Jinsong's lips twitched: "To be fair, you really are optimistic…"

Ji You set his teacup on the table, gazing deeply into the horizon: "I've always believed that beyond life and death, everything is trivial."

"What about money?"

Cao Jinsong thought: If life and death were the only major matters, then what kind of major matter could money be?

Ji the Bandit's eyes lit up: "Master, how did you know my purpose? So you've already prepared it—can I just follow the procedure?"

"Get out, you rebellious disciple!"

"Has Master ever considered that I need silver to bribe people in the Inner Court?"

Cao Jinsong couldn't help laughing: "I'd rather believe you're building yourself a nest with silver than believe you'd spend half a tael."

Ji You's smile faded. "What a bore," he muttered, then turned and left.

The moment he departed, someone stepped in from outside—it was Liu Jian'an, son of the Fengzhou Inspector Liu, who had brought a fine jar of wine from Shengjing to Master Cao.

Tian Shu's resonance didn't care about cultivation base; he brought the wine now to seek guidance on how to sense the Tian Shu.

Cao Jinsong stroked his long beard, half-closing his eyes, and glanced at the table, signaling him to set the wine down.

Liu Jian'an instantly understood, placed the spirit wine on the table, and pulled out half a roasted pigeon from his robe.

Master Cao now looked toward the direction Ji You had left: Look, look—this is true respect for one's teacher!

Tian Shu Academy has countless disciples—who goes around robbing their masters of silver?

It's only because that brat Ji You left early—if he'd stayed one step longer, I'd have shown him what a proper example looks like.

Thinking this, Cao Jinsong froze.

No, better not.

If he'd stayed one step longer, this spirit wine and roasted pigeon wouldn't have stayed either—he'd likely have stolen the teacup and chopsticks too…

In the following days, Ji You indeed did not enter any of the Halls. He himself didn't care, for before entering the Rong Dao realm, he wasn't yet desperate to enter deep cultivation. But the opposite was true of the rumors spreading outside.

Outer Court instructors and some Outer Court disciples who had long followed Ji You's case whispered among themselves.

"It seems Ji You truly won't be accepted into any Immortal Hall."

"Entered the Inner Court but not one of the Five Immortal Halls? I've never heard of such a thing…"

"In the past, those who entered the Inner Court were all aristocratic scions. He was always an anomaly. Before Yechengshan, I heard even a few Inner Court Elders admired him."

"Is this what happens when you act on momentary courage and sever your immortal path? I wonder if he regrets it."

Lu Qingqiu, who failed to enter the Inner Court, had now shifted her focus entirely to networking.

Others like Lou Siyi, Sun Qiaozhi, and other Outer Court disciples of Ninghua realm had also changed their mindset—no longer grinding day and night, but looking toward their families' futures.

As a result, many Inner Court disciples received invitations from Outer Court disciples—banquets were frequent, and information flowed swiftly.

And the claim that none of the Five Immortal Halls would accept Ji You was now confirmed.

Upon hearing this, reactions varied, but all assumed he must now regret it upon seeing the Inner Court's response.

The greatest of immortals serve life and the people.

After the Ancient War, humanity had not lacked such idealistic souls.

Yet in the end, they were all bound by the world's constraints.

Without tribute, one could not cultivate in peace; without strengthening the clan, one would be swallowed and vanish…

Precisely because of the uproar over Ji You's prolonged refusal to enter a Hall, rumors began to spread that Lu Hanyan and other students had asked Ji You how to sense the Tian Shu, only to be brushed off with lies that he didn't know how.

Many who heard this found it absurd, even mocking him in their words.

Some said Ji You, raised in the countryside, had always had narrow vision, only grasping petty gains before him, never planning for the future.

Thus in Shengjing, in teahouses and taverns, wherever cultivators gathered at banquets, such talk could be heard.

"If I were Ji You, I would've agreed to give up twenty percent of the tribute when those xianzhuang offered it, then allied with them to strengthen my own power, ensuring endless prosperity and family greatness."

"Exactly. If I were Ji You, I would've taught the method of sensing the Tian Shu that very night, befriending the Lu and Fang families. The Lu family had endless spirit stones; the Fang family was a great aristocratic clan, with relatives serving as Elders in the Inner Court—wouldn't the Elder's direct transmission have come naturally?"

"This Ji You, in the end, was fundamentally deficient—and now it's plain to see."

"Fundamentally deficient? What do you mean?"

"Those raised in the countryside all have narrow vision, fixated on petty gains, never planning for the future—that's the habit they formed in the wilds. It's no surprise he lacks such cunning."

"Actually, my view differs."

"How does Brother Wang see him?"

"I think Ji You's meteoric rise has made him arrogant—he likely believes deep down he doesn't need alliances, that he alone can build a clan in Qingyun Realm."

"But I heard Ji You wasn't unwilling to teach the method of sensing the Tian Shu."

"Then why?"

"He says he doesn't know how to sense the Tian Shu—because the Tian Shu sensed him."

"This man… Hahaha, he really loves boasting to his junior disciples."

Autumn deepened, and Ji You was cultivating in his Inner Court dormitory.

Following the principle of adding flour when too watery, water when too thick, he relentlessly pushed his spiritual sense to its limits and refined his body.

Besides this, he visited Qingfeng Lecture Hall daily to listen to teachings on the Dao's principles, then went to Zizhu Chan Forest to observe the Dao.

During this time, Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu had both visited.

Pei Ruyi remained in Fengzhou and frequently corresponded with Wen Zhengxin; in each letter, she usually included updates on Ji Zhai's situation and Qiu Ru's spirit awakening progress.

According to Sister Pei, Qiu Ru had decent talent, though she was overly fond of eating—nothing serious.

When Ban Yangshu came, he told Ji You he'd acquired a new title in Tian Shu Academy: "The Lone Hero."

It meant he neither sought a spiritual partner to ensure lineage, nor showed mercy in killing in Fengzhou, nor taught Outer Court disciples how to sense the Tian Shu—he seemed to wish to single-handedly uphold a clan, bold yet reckless.

Ji You didn't care much, merely saying, "Handsome men are always misunderstood," then headed to Zizhu Chan Forest.

In the forest, many disciples saw him approach and stared.

"Did you hear? Yesterday Ji You told the new disciples it wasn't him who sensed the Tian Shu—it was the Tian Shu that sensed him."

"Students and the Tian Shu mutually sense each other—we all know that. But to use this to deceive innocent juniors? That's going too far."

"He's always been this attention-seeking—first 'one man, seven swords,' then 'the human Dao in Qingyun Realm'—now he's twisting facts. I'm not surprised."

"Actually, his ability to sense the Tian Shu was just luck."

"Why?"

"I once heard the Hall Master say that the night Ji You sensed the Tian Shu, the Patriarch had just summoned it—he seized the opportunity."

"Is that true?"

At that moment, Ji You had entered the bamboo grove, found his cushion, and sat cross-legged.

He always ignored others' mockery, quietly planning to turn them into customers.

But the version about the Patriarch summoning the Tian Shu—he'd never heard that before.

Ji You murmured to himself—when suddenly, above the clouds, brilliant spiritual light erupted, shifting endlessly, howling, and swiftly surged into his crown.

In an instant, his spiritual sense pierced through the void and chaos, dancing wildly through the formless expanse, finally sinking into the Void Mountain.

The mountain was empty, no one there—only chaotic Dao principles endlessly evolving.

Ji You sat cross-legged at the foot of the mountain, began observing the heavens with his spiritual sense, then slowly closed his eyes and entered meditation, attempting sudden enlightenment.

At that moment, a faint, hazy wind stirred within the void, drawing nearer from afar; in no time, a fairy in a red skirt, barefoot, floated down onto the black cliff.

Her red skirt was extremely short, revealing long, slender legs, smooth as jade, whiter than snow.

The fairy's features were exquisitely delicate: her eyelashes long and curled, her eyes lively and deep, her lips naturally red.

Yet the fairy seemed deeply agitated; her beautiful brows lifted slightly, her pink toes tapped lightly, and in a flutter she appeared before Ji You, then raised her foot as if to step on him.

But that snow-white foot only hovered before him for a moment before gently retracting.

【Do not disturb my cultivation—I will not leave my meditation again.】

Yan Shuyi now walked to the black rock beside him, sat down obediently, and propped her chin as she stared at the meditating Ji You, her eyes blinking softly; without realizing it, a faint pink mist began to slowly rise around her.

(End of Chapter)