Chapter 205: Inquiry of the Heart

Beneath the stormy sky's fierce resonance, Cao Jinsong could not help but gaze upward for a long while, his eyes subtly shifting.

When Ji You broke through into the Upper Realm of Tongxuan, his physical form restricted his heavenly perception, forcing him to spend far longer than others before finally reaching the other shore.

Precisely because of this, the academy had specifically held discussions on "physical limitation."

This was precisely why Cao Jinsong worried so deeply about his uncontrolled body cultivation.

Though the elders of the academy were often disliked, their insights into the Dao were still deeply convincing.

Especially since Tongxuan was merely the first realm of the Upper Five Realms, and even cultivating a single minor realm was immensely difficult—how much harder would the future realms be?

Human cultivation history spanned centuries, producing countless brilliant talents, yet none who dared challenge the consensus ever succeeded.

After all, how could one man's sudden whim compare to the accumulated wisdom of countless past prodigies?

But now, as Cao Jinsong gazed at the powerful sword qi beneath the dark clouds, feeling the crushing weight that tore at the air, he suddenly gained a clearer understanding of Ji You's current combat power.

He felt Ji You's current combat power had truly surpassed the boundaries of his understanding of realms and techniques…

This direct sensation was far clearer than the official message from the Imperial Spirit Surveillance Bureau stating Ji You had blocked the Soldier King's punch.

With a clang, the iron sword trembled sharply.

A simple Dao sword suddenly flew from the instructor's quarters, landing firmly in Cao Jinsong's hand with a soft "thud."

In an instant, vast spiritual energy surged in, the blade shimmering with rippling light, as clear as water washed clean of filth.

"Come, let me take your sword."

"?"

Ji You raised his sword qi high into the heavens, lifting his eyes slightly: "Really?"

Cao Jinsong rose from the stone bench as he watched Ji You: "I, your instructor, am not much of a fighter—this lifetime, I'll likely never advance beyond the Realm of Rongdao. If I don't spar with you once more, I may never earn the right again."

"Then I'm coming?"

"Come."

Beneath the gloomy sky, the spring breeze was cool; Cao Jinsong held his sword across his body, a subtle Daoic resonance rippling through the blade's light.

His path differed from Ji You's—he was a pure, orthodox Dao cultivator. Though he lacked the refined Dao arts of the Five Sacred Halls, his understanding of the Heavenly Dao remained formidable.

Outside the Tian Shu Academy, some said he was poor, others said he had a big chest, but no one ever said he was weak.

After all, on that night at Ye City Mountain, he had single-handedly held off three Rongdao cultivators in a combined encirclement.

Seeing this, Ji You couldn't help but speak: "Does holding a long sword always make you feel like asking the world, 'Who else is a hero?' Honestly, I feel I could turn the Patriarch into a customer."

"Rebellious disciple, just live a few more days!"

Cao Jinsong roared, and instantly a blinding flash of light plunged before his eyes.

The mountain-like sword qi crushed the falling rain, flinging it in all directions; the fierce aura slashed downward toward the instructor's quarters, carving out an overwhelming grandeur that made one dare not lift their head.

In that moment, Ji You's sword strike carried a boiling sword intent.

Amid the storm, Cao Jinsong's hair and beard whipped wildly; he raised his head and saw Ji You's brilliant golden eyes—then roared, thrusting his sword forward with all his might, his own qi surging forth with a resonant hum.

His sword carried thunder, wind, the silken glide of falling rain, and the drifting grace of clouds—colliding violently with the mountainous sword qi.

The clash of metal rang deafeningly; in an instant, sparks flew everywhere.

Simultaneously, a series of explosions followed one after another.

The stone table in the instructor's quarters stood at the epicenter of the clashing sword qi and was instantly shattered by the residual waves; one shard shot like an arrow, smashing through the wall with a thunderous "boom."

With a heavy "thud," Cao Jinsong's boot crushed the blue stone tiles beneath his feet.

In contrast, Ji You, after bringing his Dao sword down, radiated such intense heat that the raindrops on his skin sizzled and evaporated; his chest rose and fell slightly.

"Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm fine. I'm a Senior Rongdao cultivator, your guiding master—my cultivation is profound. How could I be hurt by one of your sword strikes?"

Cao Jinsong planted his sword into the ground and spoke with calm detachment: "That last strike was quite good."

Ji You weighed the sword in his hand, feeling the force from his previous strike—he knew his intuition had been right.

Before breaking through to Tongxuan, he had completed his sixteenth Wei Zhao, and the sensation had been excruciating, as if he had reached his absolute limit.

So when he broke through to Tongxuan, his physical form truly restricted his heavenly perception—he could not harmonize his spiritual sense with the Heavenly Dao, nor receive its divine light in return, and thus could not ascend.

At that time, he felt a suffocating constraint, so most of his breakthrough effort went into breaking free from that constraint, struggling until he nearly collapsed, until finally a sense of clarity pierced through.

In that moment, he felt something had been pushed forward.

He hadn't thought deeply about it then, only vaguely sensing something—until his seventeenth Wei Zhao a few days ago, when he found the process much smoother, and the tearing pain during body cultivation vanished entirely.

Now, sparring with Cao Jinsong, he felt a clear increase in his qi strength.

So human cultivators can indeed cultivate the body.

Ji You murmured silently, staring at the bulging veins on his hands from wielding the sword.

The weakening of heavenly perception cannot be simply called "physical limitation"—part of it stems from the Heavenly Dao's current lack of fortune, and part from the body approaching its critical threshold.

A body too strong does indeed bind the spiritual sense, but it is not a dead end.

Because body cultivation… seems to have its own realms.

Advancing in realm increases power—that's something even a three-year-old knows.

Pure Dao cultivators ascend by drawing closer to the Heavenly Dao, receiving its feedback, and gaining immense power—this is the path of external seeking.

Body cultivation, however, seeks inward—not the Heavenly Dao, but the self.

After the great snowfall before the New Era, he hadn't merely broken through his Dao realm—he had also broken through his body cultivation realm to escape that constraint.

And his body gave him direct feedback: increased strength.

In plain terms—he was simply stronger.

Xiao Jianzhu often sweated when he carried her out during winter hibernation, saying his body was hot as a furnace—this wasn't without reason.

That too was a positive feedback from his strengthened physique—only sufficient heat could maintain the necessary vitality of a stronger body.

Back in the snowlands, he had barely managed to lift forty-nine mountain layers; now, it wouldn't be so difficult.

He felt a little worried for Xiao Jianzhu—wondering if she could even bear it…

Yan Shuyi's realm was high, true, but humans were physically frail—they couldn't take many blows.

But luckily, she had sisters.

Shocking! The scoundrel's actions hid such a heartwarming reason—over a hundred thousand listeners wept upon hearing it.

Ji You snapped back to reality, sheathed his sword, and bowed: "Thank you, Instructor, for your guidance."

Cao Jinsong spoke calmly: "It's merely the duty of a teacher—no need for such formalities."

"I need to return and reflect deeply on some matters of cultivation."

"Go. Your sparring with me must have drained you—rest now."

Cao Jinsong watched him leave the courtyard; his long sword clattered to the ground, and then he collapsed onto the floor, breathing deeply, sweat beading on his forehead.

His rebellious disciple was truly strong.

It hadn't nearly killed him—but it had come close.

At this moment, Ji You stepped toward the inner courtyard.

After that sword strike, the sword qi around him had not yet dissipated; the airwaves rippling about him flung the falling rain far away.

He pondered silently: if body cultivation and realm advancement progressed together, the result must be formidable—but he didn't yet know what the final outcome would be.

For now, the most important thing was maintaining balance between his physique and spiritual sense.

He must not let his body completely restrict his spiritual sense and sever heavenly perception, yet he must still advance his body cultivation.

Walking with two legs of equal length is far faster than limping with one long and one short.

"I remember when Ji You cut off the lion's head on the street, his sword was about the same as Fang Jincheng's elder brother—nowhere near this strong."

"Ji Brother's hands were ruined back then. You think they look fine now, but for a long time, he controlled his sword with spiritual energy—he couldn't even hold it directly."

Bai Ru, chewing an apple, overheard Lu Qingqiu's muttering and replied: "That was sword invocation; this is direct sword control—naturally different."

He had been drawn by Ji You's sword qi, but dared not show himself.

He was currently chasing Dao companions everywhere, spending vast sums of silver, terrified Ji Brother would develop a professional habit and drain him dry.

Lu Qingqiu glanced at the shattered wall pierced by the stone fragment, feeling the lingering echo of that sword song.

When the sword first hovered in the air, they had already felt overwhelming pressure—but they hadn't imagined the true power would reveal itself only after it descended; their raised hairs had not yet settled.

So Fang Jincheng's earlier sword strike had been no stronger than Ji You's sword invocation—and Ji You's maximum invocation had once reached fiftyfold.

The next day, the wind and rain ceased.

A red sun rose in the east, then brilliant dawn light burst across the horizon, gradually spilling over Shengjing.

Ji You had just risen from his quarters when he heard a knock; opening the door, he found a disciple from the Administration Office.

"Brother Ji, your letter."

"Thank you."

Ji You opened the letter—the first was signed by Kuangcheng, updating him on the repair progress of the Fengzhou official road.

The second letter came from Yuan Caimei; she had received the seeds Ji You sent and planted them immediately.

Indeed, this gift was perfectly suited for the daughter of the Dan Sect—Dan masters dealt not only with elixirs but also with medicinal herbs; cultivating a single Fengzhou wheat seedling was no challenge.

Yuan Caimei wrote to thank him, saying she loved the gift and would nurture it carefully, waiting for it to grow.

Yuan Chen also attached a letter: "Brother-in-law, why did you only send me a flowerpot?"

Ji You recalled—he had forgotten to send Yuan Chen the seeds and soil.

Ah, that's no big deal.

When preparing the gifts, he'd almost forgotten Yuan Chen's name.

Zhuo Wanqiu also sent a letter: Xiao Jianzhu was in a critical breakthrough phase, so she had ordered the entire mountain not to disturb her—but a few days ago, upon receiving the gift, she temporarily broke her seclusion, read it, blushed furiously, and called him a lecher.

But after cursing, she carefully planted the wheat seeds, cradled the flowerpot, and carried it into her meditation chamber.

Yan Shuyi is practically becoming a professional at temporary breakthroughs.

The young master, just awakening to love, truly can't withstand the temptation of beauty…

Ji You didn't want her to delay her cultivation because of him and regret it later, so he planned to stop disturbing her soon.

A lecher?

Ji You frowned slightly, wondering why she called him a lecher after seeing his gift.

After pondering for a while, he suddenly remembered the word "seed," and his eyes widened in shock.

He hadn't intended any double meaning when giving her the gift—this woman had already started thinking about it herself.

It seems the last time he asked how many children she wanted, she really had taken it seriously—otherwise her reaction wouldn't have been so direct and swift.

"Miss Caiwei, long time no see—I gave Yuanchen just a flowerpot."

"Young Master, I hope this letter brings you joy. When I gave you the seed, I never imagined you'd be thinking about that."

Ji You wrote a few simple lines in reply, sealed both letters, then looked toward the direction of the Purple Bamboo Meditation Grove.

The seventeenth round of body refinement was complete; to maintain balance between body and spirit, it was time to seek the Dao.

After washing up, Ji You visited the Administration Hall to mail the two letters, then headed to the Purple Bamboo Meditation Grove and found a quiet spot to sit cross-legged.

Many in the Heavenly Book Academy were preparing for the Heavenly Dao Assembly; some had long since reached the Upper Realm and were suppressing their cultivation to ensure stability.

Ji You's best path was to enter the Heavenly Dao Assembly as a Tongxuan Upper Realm cultivator, but there was no need to suppress his cultivation while seeking the Dao-anchoring opportunity.

Each person's temperament, origin, and life experiences differ, so the volume of distractions varies—this stage demands thorough preparation.

The foreign immortal villas in Fengzhou won't remain stable for long; Ji You felt time was now extremely precious.

Of course, not the kind where brothers come to chop me up.

Ji You sat idly atop the mountain peak, eyes closed, beginning inner observation.

Seeking the Dao-anchoring moment resembles body refinement—it's not about seeking external resonance with heaven and earth, but turning inward, eliminating distractions, and probing the heart of the Dao.

It took nearly a full day to glimpse a haze, then images of distractions began flooding his vision.

First came snow-white feet, plump, pink toes like glistening jade beads, lovely and slender.

Then the scene shifted to the boudoir—his Dao heart filled with Yan Shuyi's luminous eyes, the soft hum of her voice, and her flushed cheeks after their verbal sparring.

Also the memory of holding her by the fire, having glimpsed many times but never dared touch the smooth, round curves beneath her collar.

Other scenes appeared in the Yu Danzong herbal pool—Yuan Caiwei sat in his lap wearing only a belly band and undergarments, delicate and snow-white, and another pair of feet after bathing.

Beyond that, some unowned, boundless freedoms.

For instance, grand, plump curves, full buttocks—he'd forgotten where he'd seen them.

It wasn't Ji You's fault; the Heavenly Book Academy had spread rumors that his body could pass on lineage, and countless senior sisters had paraded before him, some without undergarments—except for those too large or too small, none stood out distinctly; they were nearly impossible to tell apart.

These were distractions from lust—the most primal male impulse.

A single fleeting thought could trap him, making escape impossible.

A single accidental touch would trigger an uncontrollable surge.

Amid the haze, Ji You feigned calm, observing the images with his spiritual sense, then reached out to erase them.

But the feet, curves, and plump thighs didn't vanish—they intensified, even spawning new, unrealized side stories.

Well, one truly cannot deceive oneself.

Cultivation is wonderful—let me watch them again, a billion times.

After the rain in Shengjing came days of clear skies; Ji You greeted the dawn each day and returned under starlight, his gaze growing increasingly distorted.

This was the negative effect of probing the Dao heart—cultivators in this stage couldn't escape it quickly, and their mental state suffered greatly, causing temporary Dao heart imbalance.

Ji You was glad he hadn't attempted probing the Dao heart around the New Yuan—he'd have grown bolder toward Yan Shuyi.

If that were truly the case, I'd expect the grass growing on my grave to sprout new shoots like the wheat in Fengzhou.

"Ji brother, your letter."

"Another letter?"

"Still from Lu Shimei of the Outer Court, though she's probably just a minor—no matter how big a clan is, it can't compare to an immortal sect, right?"

As evening darkened, a steward's disciple found him west of the Purple Bamboo Meditation Grove and handed him Lu Qingqiu's letter.

This steward's disciple was named Wen Siyuan; he had delivered letters to Ji You many times, and Ji You had already memorized his name.

People are like that—once they grow slightly familiar, they talk more.

Ji You glanced at him, thinking, Go ahead and guess, then took the letter and unfolded it.

The letter was from Lu Qingqiu, regarding her sister's entry into the Inner Court.

The Autumn Contest of the Heavenly Book Academy ultimately judged combat prowess; Lu Qingqiu had seen Ji You's sword art at Green Water Lake and wanted her sister to learn swordsmanship from him.

Ji You thought, No way.

With my current state, your sister won't learn swordsmanship—she might just pick up a few postures.

He replied to Lu Qingqiu, explaining that the Sword Mountain's sword techniques were universally known to be non-transferable; originally, the Sword Mountain had never forbidden outsiders from intruding, precisely to showcase the brilliance of their sword art, which was why he had legitimately learned the sword.

But if he were to teach them to others, it would still be improper at heart.

Still, Ji You wrote down his understanding of martial ways, methods of sword control, how to better use spiritual energy in tandem with sword art, and a regimen for cultivating spiritual sense, and gave it to the steward's disciple to deliver, adding that he could offer guidance in a few days if questions arose.

These were originally his own insights—hardly betraying his sect.

After seeing off the steward's disciple, Ji You gazed outward, watching the clouds roll and drift across the horizon.

He actually knew how to briefly dismiss these distractions with simple, skillful maneuvers, but always felt such methods weren't truly his own.

He held himself to an extremely high standard; otherwise, he'd lose too many moral boundaries.

This continued until a clear, bright night, when Ji You's spiritual sense again turned inward—and soon, a radiant light bloomed, a sage-like presence erasing all those images.

Brief is brief—no one should demand too much of themselves.

After all, he had no intention of ascending, nor needed to so fiercely resist his nature.

The only thing he felt a pang for was how pitiful the Sword Mountain's Junior Keeper and Yuan Caimei looked in his mind…

Ji You murmured silently, and before him appeared a golden glow, yellow and white qi surging continuously.

After lust came professional ambition, then?

Ji You sat motionless atop the peak for a long time, until dawn rose, then descended the mountain with a fierce glint in his eyes.

"Master Cao."

"Why are you back again? How's your breakthrough going?"

"To borrow some cash."

"?"

"Disciple, do you have some regional accent?"

Ji You soon made it clear this wasn't an accent issue—it was a comprehension problem. He then wandered the Outer Court with a money pouch, as if searching for something.

Bai Ru was about to leave his dormitory when suddenly his chest turned cold; he couldn't help but flip open the almanac.

In the afternoon, Ji You descended the mountain and went to Kuangcheng's residence…

Lust. Professional ambition.

Afterward came vanity, the desire to win, arrogance… one by one, they surfaced.

But compared to the former, these distractions were easier to suppress; the most dangerous was only when arrogance surfaced—that time he went alone to the Heavenly Book Hall, intending to turn the Sect Master into a client.

The Heavenly Book Hall was empty; the old man was gone. Only Ji You's faint whisper lingered in the breeze circling the hall.

"Lucky you ran fast."

Then he saw the Fengzhou Elderly Retreat, the ancient locust tree where many old farmers had hanged themselves on bright autumn days, the skeletons frozen to death under heavy snow, and the yellow-skinned, emaciated children.

This was why he had chosen cultivation—his original intention.

Could original intention be called the Dao heart?

Ji You muttered the word, but immediately felt anger stirring his emotions, and swiftly erased it.

At that moment, a river bend appeared within the haze of his Dao heart.

Green willows, a white embankment, the river surface.

Seeing this, Ji You's smile froze; his face slowly turned pale.

Then his vision filled with countless splashes, water bursting from the lake's surface, plop after plop, scattered everywhere.

A boy resembling him sat down on the path, then rose with a pale face and fled frantically along the riverbank.

Turning inward was a form of introspection—more vivid than memory.

He could see the boy's terror and helplessness; his fists slowly clenched into balls.

After the Yu Danzong's elixirs were distributed, more people came to the Purple Bamboo Meditation Grove to seek the Dao; most were refining the pills, but now many opened their eyes.

This attention stemmed from that moment—they sensed a thick, oppressive aura emanating from deep within the bamboo grove.

(End of Chapter)