Chapter 208

"Lu Lu Hanyan defeated Fang Fang Jincheng in the Sword Forest?"

"Mm."

"This... how could it be? At the previous banquet, didn't the disciples of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan keep saying that the Fang family had deep roots in the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan and that Fang Fang Jincheng's own cultivation was very solid, making his entry into the Inner Court a certainty?"

"I didn't believe it at first when I heard it either, but later I found out that the sword Dao of that Second Miss Lu is actually full of Ji You's shape."

"?"

"I hope what you are talking about, brother, is truly sword Dao, and not something else."

Princess Princess Changle Zhao Zhao Yunyue was sitting in a teahouse at this time, having invited three or five good sisters to drink tea and chat about going to the villa outside the city to escape the summer heat in a few days. Sitting with them were also several princesses left behind by the previous emperor's concubines.

Women gathered together, mostly chatting about poetry, songs, and handsome suitors. Zhao Zhao Yunyue could not find much interest in this.

Just at this moment, she looked outside the pavilion and suddenly saw a group of Heavenly Tian Shuyuan disciples descending the mountain.

They came from the middle of the long street. There were a few familiar faces, but most were somewhat unfamiliar—disciples without much reputation—who walked together into the Shiweixian opposite.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Zhao Yunyue's brows furrowed slightly.

The Chong Wang Fu held a banquet yesterday, inviting many Heavenly Tian Shuyuan disciples, including the Lu sisters, Fang Fang Jincheng, and Fang Fang Zhiheng.

One reason was to build useful background connections before the Autumn Tournament, and the second was for the matter of Yunzhou spirit stones.

The Yunzhou Chamber of Commerce for spirit stones had Chong Wang as a shareholder, and as the transport route for the Snow Region demon stones changed to Fengzhou, the price of Yunzhou stones was falling again. Chong Wang intended to use the Lu sisters to probe the next plan of the spirit stone chamber of commerce.

In their view, Yunzhou, which used spirit stones as its cornerstone, would not just watch the Fengzhou stone transport route go so smoothly.

But when the banquet was prepared and the singing and dancing were ready, Princess Princess Changle and Chong Wang waited for a full two hours, only to find that neither the Lu sisters nor Fang Fang Jincheng had come.

Later, it was the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan disciples who arrived who told them that Lu Lu Hanyan and Fang Fang Jincheng had fought in the Outer Court's Sword Forest.

Fang Fang Jincheng, who had delayed his entry by a year to avoid Chu He's sharpness and had been arranged by Inner Court elders to have countless disciples protect his path after entering, was completely defeated and nearly had his throat slit by Lu Lu Hanyan's sword.

Afterward, Elder Fang of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan hurriedly sent disciples to pick him up from the Sword Forest.

And that Fang Fang Zhiheng, who claimed to be a sword Dao genius as soon as he entered the capital, was said to have left Shengjing early this morning.

Afterward, the Outer Court of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan was filled with voices saying Lu Lu Hanyan could enter the Inner Court.

In fact, when she first heard this news, Zhao Zhao Yunyue could not believe it.

She had seen all three of the Lower Three Realms perfection disciples of this cohort of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan: Fang Fang Jincheng, Lu Lu Hanyan, and Pu Pu Yangxing.

Lu Lu Hanyan was actually ranked last. Let alone Fang Fang Jincheng, who had the most solid foundation, she couldn't even compare to Pu Pu Yangxing, so how could such unbelievable news spread?

Zhao Zhao Yunyue later found someone to inquire about it and only then learned that Ji You had personally descended from the Inner Court to teach Lu Lu Hanyan sword Dao, leaving early and returning late.

This matter made her silent for a long time, and only today did she have the heart to come out for tea.

But as for what exactly she was annoyed about, she herself couldn't explain it clearly; she was just very annoyed by such things.

Princess Princess Changle's mood suddenly felt stifled again, so she bid farewell to the princesses and returned to the Chong Wang Fu by carriage.

Although Chong Wang was a representative of the pro-immortal faction and had been secretly meddling in spirit stones, spirit seedlings, and even tax offerings and elixirs, he had always presented himself as an idle prince, only enjoying flowers and writing poetry in the mansion on weekdays.

Seeing his daughter return from outside the gate, Chong Wang's right hand, which was about to scatter fish food, suddenly paused.

He had received a report from the agricultural official of Fengzhou today, learning the estimated amount of agricultural harvest in Fengzhou this year. That astonishing number made him silent for a long time.

And all of this could not bypass the name Ji You.

In the second year of Taiwu, at the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan's entrance ceremony, there were three Lower Three Realms perfection disciples. Two were children of immortal sect noble families, and the other was a rural private cultivator who entered by exception.

He was the only one he didn't choose, yet he walked step by step to where he was today, and now he could even influence the selection of students for the next cohort of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan's Inner Court.

Chong Wang had made many investments in his life; some were profitable, and some were losses.

And the only one that made him lose to the point of being unable to accept it was that banquet back then—a drop in the bucket that didn't even equal the money he spent feeding his fish—yet he had failed to invite Ji You to attend.

Besides Chong Wang and Princess Princess Changle, the Outer Court disciples of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan were also discussing the sword duel in the bamboo forest, so much so that this year's Outer Court Autumn Tournament had finally gained enough attention.

After all, unexpected things are the easiest to spark discussion.

But in fact, although everyone was discussing Lu Lu Hanyan and Fang Fang Jincheng, most of the content was actually discussing Ji You.

Inner Court disciples were also discussing him, but the content of their discussion was somewhat different from that of the Outer Court disciples.

They had all heard about that battle because it involved the Autumn Tournament entrance.

And Lu Lu Hanyan, who was in the midst of that storm, seemed not to have inherited the sword Dao of Lingjian Mountain from Ji You, but only inherited Ji You's own sword Dao. In the eyes of the Inner Court disciples, this was the most thought-provoking part...

After the bright spring day, the four seasons urged each other on, and a night breeze brought the heat of summer.

Afterward, the shadows of the day quietly lengthened. The sky faded from the spring's powder, leaving only a dome of clear, deep blue. Occasionally, flowing clouds broke through the stagnant clouds, and the mottled shadows of the trees shattered into spots of light dancing on the ground.

During this time, the first transport road in Fengzhou had been repaired, and Danxia County, as the first station, became the largest transfer point for Snow Region demon stones.

Afterward, a large batch of high-quality spirit stones was sent into the Central Plains, causing the prices of Yunzhou stones and Central Plains stones to fall again.

And Fengzhou this year had wind when it wanted wind and rain when it wanted rain.

Thus, looking around, everywhere was a vibrant new green.

On the other hand, the barbarian tribes had been accustomed to attacking the Northern Border at this time for many years, but this year they were late to arrive.

Regarding this phenomenon, the Great Xia imperial court couldn't help but discuss it heatedly. Some were on guard, but others felt that the barbarian tribes had lost their spirit after a thousand years of failing to capture it.

This view was not without basis, because according to the human political logic, the barbarian tribes seeking an alliance with the demon race last year was likely because they had lost their spirit within the tribe after years of failing to capture it, so they thought of seeking external help.

But the demon race did not fulfill the barbarian tribes' wishes, which caused that last bit of spirit to vanish completely.

To the human race, this seemed to be a good thing.

But the group of people centered on the Immortal Inspection Bureau, who held vigilance, believed that the obsession the barbarian tribes had maintained for a thousand years could not possibly vanish in such a short time.

However, stability was indeed extremely stable.

At this time, Lu Lu Hanyan had already gathered the sixth profound light. Compared to Fang Fang Jincheng, who had not made an inch of progress, her winning percentage increased again, and she had never neglected her sword Dao cultivation, always being very diligent.

At this time, in the Outer Court's Sword Forest, Lu Lu Hanyan held her Dao sword, dancing until the bamboo leaves in the Sword Forest rustled.

After that battle, Fang Fang Jincheng felt insulted and had not come to the Sword Forest since, so it had been a bit quieter here.

Ji You was standing at the entrance of the Sword Forest at this time, looking at Lu Lu Hanyan dancing with her sword with longing eyes.

There was no aftermath to the private fight in the Inner Court. Neither Lu Lu Hanyan nor Fang Fang Jincheng received substantial punishment, but more and more people in the academy wanted to find him to learn swordplay, yet he refused them one by one.

He originally agreed to come and teach Lu Lu Hanyan swordplay to resist the influence of his deep questioning of the Dao heart. Continuing now was just because he felt that since some things were done, he should see them through to the end.

Moreover, Lu Lu Hanyan's figure—she had breasts where she should have breasts, buttocks where she should have buttocks, a slender waist, and long legs—was quite pleasing to the eye when she danced with the sword.

There is no man who does not love a woman's beauty. A more decent one like him, even without evil lust, would still have an appreciation for it.

Ji You felt that the kind of person who could truly be like a gentleman and not look sideways at a woman would only appear in gutter literature.

"Does Young Master Ji feel that the chances of my younger sister entering the Inner Court are high?"

"Fang Fang Jincheng's level is just that—strong on the outside but weak on the inside. If she can't even enter the Inner Court with this, then my sword Dao is too trashy."

Ji You yawned, speaking as if he hadn't slept for many days: "Rest assured, the things accumulated through desperate effort will not deceive people."

Hearing this, Lu Lu Qingqiu couldn't help but gently set her heart at ease.

She didn't know why, but so many people in the academy said her sister could enter the Inner Court, yet she still felt there was some suspense. Only until she got Ji You's affirmation could she seem to believe it.

Just at this moment, Lu Lu Hanyan's sword Dao suddenly paused.

Afterward, she turned to look at Ji You, called out "Senior Brother" in a pinched voice, reached out to pick up the wooden sword beside her, and solemnly handed it to Ji You's hand, then danced with sword flowers again.

Seeing this scene, Lu Lu Qingqiu couldn't help but blush and spit.

Her sister's buttocks had been much smaller these days, far from as plump and perky as when she was sparring with her that day.

Seeing the wooden sword handed over just now, she could determine that the perky buttocks that day must have been beaten out by Young Master Ji...

Lu Lu Qingqiu had never seen Lu Lu Hanyan get beaten, but she couldn't help but have a brain, so the image of her sister perking up her buttocks waiting to be beaten naturally appeared in her mind...

At this moment, she couldn't help but recall the way her sister looked every day after learning swordplay—unsatisfied, her eyes flashing with moisture.

The two sisters grew up together and understood each other extremely well. Because her sister was the youngest daughter in the family, she was deeply loved by her parents, to the point that her cold arrogance surpassed her own.

When at home, even her parents didn't dare to speak harshly to her, let alone anyone daring to hit her.

As a result, this time learning swordplay from Ji You, she seemed to be looking forward to having her buttocks beaten, which truly made her, the elder sister, somewhat unable to handle it.

Because of that time she sent the undergarments, if Ji You had accepted them, her sister would have had to call him brother-in-law. Wouldn't that have been a direct mess...

At this time, Ji You was also looking at the wooden sword in his hand, weighing it a few times, thinking to himself that he didn't know if Yan Yan Shuyi would like it...

Try it next time, if he has a life.

Lu Lu Hanyan's sword Dao cultivation lasted until the afternoon. Ji You left first and stopped by Cao Cao Jingsong's courtyard on the way.

Old Cao knew that Ji You's state had been resolved. Now, let alone silver, he didn't even dare to show any good tea leaves.

When Ji You came last time, he wouldn't believe that he only drank low-grade tea no matter what, and finally dug out a bag of spirit tea from the cabinet.

Cao Cao Jingsong thought to himself, if this is the case, you damn brat, you might as well have fallen into the demonic path.

Others who take the wrong path fall into the demonic path, but you, taking the wrong path, seem to have fallen into the righteous path.

"That matter in the Sword Forest still has an extremely far-reaching influence. It is said that Elder Fang said in the Inner Court yesterday that the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan has walked the path of pure Dao cultivation since ancient times and should follow tradition, not deciding the results of the Autumn Tournament by sword Dao, otherwise it would be no different from Lingjian Mountain."

"But there were not many echoes to Elder Fang's proposal."

"Although the Yunzhou Lu family doesn't have high cultivation talent, they started with spirit stones and have deep roots, so they are not easy to provoke. Many noble forces in the academy have been on good terms with the Lu family for a hundred years."

"If this were changed to you, I guess the rules of the Autumn Tournament would really have to be changed. So this is why people always say that having good talent is not as good as having a good background."

"However, did Elder Fang make things difficult for you in the Inner Court?"

Ji You picked up the teacup and put it to his mouth, saying: "I don't rely on the Inner Court for elixirs, I don't accept immortal sect tax offerings, and I don't even go to the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest to seek enlightenment. What can he make difficult for me? Steal the bricks on my wall?"

Cao Cao Jingsong was pruning the osmanthus tree in the courtyard and couldn't help but turn his head to look at him after hearing this.

From the time he paid back the money until now, when the summer heat had arrived, it had been nearly a month and a half, and Ji You truly had not gone to seek enlightenment again.

He thought Ji You had walked out, but now it seemed he had encountered an even bigger problem.

But his previous attempts at probing had all been covered up by him changing the subject, and Cao Cao Jingsong didn't want to force him to speak again.

Ji You naturally knew what Cao Cao Jingsong was thinking. His abnormality a few days ago was indeed very obvious now that he looked back. Old Cao Jiaoxi must have had many things he wanted to ask, but he held back and didn't speak.

He was grateful for Old Cao's concern for him. After all, in this world, there weren't too many people who could treat him like this, so he took away his tea leaves, overflowing with gratitude.

"Wicked disciple!"

"Drinking too much tea is not good."

"???"

Ji You carried the tea leaves and walked along the mountain. After returning to the Inner Court, he walked straight toward Zhengxin Xianzi Zhengxin's courtyard.

He He Lingxiu announced her seclusion a few days ago, intending to fully charge toward the Upper Realm of Merging with the Dao.

Thus, Wen Zhengxin also began her seclusion and had not returned for seven days.

Everyone in the Inner Court knew they were competing, and they also knew that when they were fighting for the personal disciple quota back then, Wen Zhengxin was actually unconvinced.

Before her seclusion, Wen Zhengxin told Ji You not to go back for now and to help her watch the courtyard, so Ji You did not return to his own small courtyard.

Brewing tea and sitting idly for a long time, until the sun sank and the night fell like a tide, beginning to roll in continuously along the rolling mountain ridges, revealing a few twinkling stars.

Ji You put down the teacup, blew on the evening breeze, then walked into the Zen room, picked up the meditation cushion, and threw it on the bed.

Afterward, he untied his outer garment, sat cross-legged in the room, and held his hands in his embrace.

In an instant, the spiritual energy of the whole mountain seemed to find its destination, crazily gathering and surging toward him with him as the center.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is originally formless and qualityless, but when it becomes dense to a certain degree, it transforms into a deep indigo blue.

At this moment, Ji You's whole body was surrounded by countless indigo-blue air currents, like agile snakes, crazily surging into his body with his breathing and then overflowing from his broken spiritual essence.

At first, it was like a murmuring stream, subtle yet tough, then gradually gathered to form a galloping river, surging toward his limbs and bones.

When his body was completely filled with spiritual energy, Ji You's spiritual sense moved, using the spiritual energy as fuel for a raging fire, and a layer of fierce fire instantly ignited within his body, with tongues of fire uncontrollably shooting out crazily from his body.

This was the twenty-first time of Dim Illumination.

That deepest obsession in the depths of his heart was like a stubborn stone rooted extremely deep. He could neither untie it nor easily forget it.

So he could not fix his Dao, nor did he dare to question his heart again. The path of Dao cultivation had reached its end.

As a practitioner, reaching this step was already a dead end.

But if, according to the previous judgment, body refinement also had realm improvements, then Ji You still had one path he could try to walk.

So he had been refining his body these past few days—the nineteenth time, the twentieth time...

Unable to question his heart and unable to merge with the Dao, this was his only way out.

Just at this moment, a piercing, sour pain surged from his limbs and bones, as if countless steel needles were stabbing him at the same time.

This severe pain caused Ji You's forehead to be instantly covered with fine beads of sweat, his lips also suddenly turned pale as paper, his shoulders uncontrollably trembled violently, and he couldn't help but let out light, pained gasps.

The feeling of restraint he had broken free from during the Realm of Profound Understanding was now like a lingering ghost, wrapping around him once again.

However, Ji You, who had already experienced such a situation once, not only had no panic but was even faintly happy.

Because feeling this suffocating sensation again precisely proved that his previous judgment was correct.

The path of body refinement is the same as the path of Dao cultivation; it must have its own realm divisions.

He was almost at the threshold of the next realm at this time, which was why this feeling of restraint appeared so strongly, as if there were a pushing force preventing him from moving forward.

Ji You endured the severe pain all over his body, held his breath, and tried his best to break free from that feeling of restraint.

Thus, the muscles all over his body subconsciously tightened, like a bowstring pulled to the limit, and a rapidly swirling air force gradually formed around his body, whistling endlessly.

And through his breath-holding and exertion, the spiritual fire raging within his body began to surge even more, starting to calcine from the inside out.

Thus, an even more intense pain appeared, as if his bones were being drilled and shattered.

This was not an illusion, because when the physical body is strong to a certain degree, it must be equipped with harder bones.

Ji You was already experiencing tinnitus at this time, but that sound was not just a buzzing sound; there was also the sound of bones constantly rubbing against each other. The intense pain caused his teeth to clench tightly.

Within just a few breaths, Ji You was already sweating like rain, and the inner garment on his body was instantly soaked with sweat.

And the spiritual fire darting within his body seemed to want to refine him, still constantly swaying.

"Ji Shidi?"

"?"

Wen Zhengxin returned home along the night, and seeing that there was no one in the courtyard, she couldn't help but call out, only to find no response.

Thus, she gently stepped into the house and instantly heard bursts of soft, pained gasps.

What is Ji Shidi doing in my house...

Wen Zhengxin moved her feet, looked into the door silently, and then was slightly stunned.

There was only Ji Shidi Ji in the room; there was no Second Miss Lu as she had imagined.

After a long while, the whistling sound gradually stopped, and Ji You held onto the door frame, coming out of the room weakly.

His whole body was soaked, obviously exhausted, and even his lips were pale and bloodless.

He gasped slightly for a long time, and as soon as he looked up, he saw Wen Zhengxin walking out of the room, holding several dresses in her hands.

"Why did Senior Sister come back?"

"To change clothes. You... what are you doing?"

Ji You picked up the cold tea he had placed in advance and drank it painfully: "Cultivating."

Wen Zhengxin had not seen him refining his body before, so she stared at him for a long time: "Are you refining your body?"

"Mm."

"Cao Jiaoxi told you before that you shouldn't refine your body anymore. It was already very difficult for you to break into the Upper Realm of Profound Understanding, not to mention that the next step is the crossing of a major realm."

Wen Zhengxin knew he had never been to the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest again, but she didn't understand why he suddenly gave up fixing his Dao and instead began to urgently refine his body. She was completely puzzled.

Zhengxin Xianzi Zhengxin did not stay long. She took the dresses and left the small courtyard. Before leaving, she looked worried and told him he must be cautious.

Ji You agreed and watched her leave, then rested for a long time, sitting until his sweat dried before returning to the room. After entering meditation, he began to let his spiritual sense fly into the sky.

With the continuous acceleration of body refinement progress, the restraint of the physical body on his spiritual sense also became greater and greater.

If he couldn't add flour when there was too much water, or add water when there was too much flour in time, his spiritual sense might not be able to leave his body.

Although Ji You would no longer seek enlightenment with his spiritual sense, his sword-controlling method still relied on his spiritual sense.

At this moment, his golden spiritual sense struggled constantly, then laboriously floated out from between his brows, climbing toward the endless void, feeling a heavy sensation as if pressed by a mountain, making his speed toward the sky incomparably slow.

Half an hour later, Ji You was completely limp.

The consumption of body refinement just now was only strength, but at this moment, his spirit was also squeezed to the limit.

Ji You felt as if his whole person had been squeezed dry. Before he could break free from the state of meditation, he began to fall into a deep sleep.

In the following days, the temperature in Shengjing began to rise, and the taste of summer had already slightly emerged, only cooling down slightly until the evening.

Zhengxin Xianzi Zhengxin's courtyard would have spiritual energy surging and circling every night, rolling endlessly in mid-air, lasting for seven full days.

Each time was more intense than the last, and each time lasted longer than the last.

Once it rained, and even the raindrops flying all over the sky were beaten into a mess.

On the evening seven days later, with the last ray of sunset falling, the night surged in silently.

There had been rain vapor these past few days, so the night was not clear, and even the stars were a blurry mass.

Zhengxin Xianzi Zhengxin stepped through the night and returned to the entrance of her own small courtyard as the last ray of sunset vanished.

She would return every seven days to change clothes, and sometimes she would make up for sleep.

At this moment, just as she stopped in front of the door, her hand was already raised. Before she could push the door, she saw the bird on the tree flap its wings with a flutter, flying into the night as if startled.

Wen Zhengxin was slightly stunned, then felt a surging heat wave surging out from the courtyard, far hotter than the heat of midsummer.

Ji You was sitting in the courtyard at this time, his forehead covered in sweat, while a touch of profound light surged on his skin, golden light faintly visible in his eyes, and his full chest heaving with his panting.

The twenty-third Dim Illumination. He once again broke through the restrictions he had encountered before, and the intense feeling of restraint disappeared.

At this moment, he clenched his fists, feeling air force constantly bursting out from the cells all over his body, making him unable to control his desire to punch and crush the evening breeze directly in his hand.

A more obvious feeling was that he felt his spiritual sense trembling along with his hot physical body, as if they were stuck together, and then a feeling of heaven and earth opening up echoed constantly in his mind.

(End of chapter)