Chapter 214: Make Way

A drunken slip by a disciple of the Office of Affairs caused immense repercussions; by the shores of Green Water Lake, along the covered walkways, and in both male and female dormitories, everyone was buzzing with gossip.

In truth, everyone had some awareness of the unfair distribution of resources within the Immortal Sect—it wasn't anything new.

The main topic of discussion was just how terrifying Ji You's combat power truly was, though people would occasionally mention how the Elders' Pavilion had been paving the way for their favored grandson.

But as the number of people talking grew, the whispers still became embarrassing to endure.

It was as if the Elders' Pavilion had picked up a stone only to drop it on their own feet—instead of stopping Ji You, they had lost face.

It was said that Elder Fang had completely broken down that night, smashing numerous porcelain cups, his face as dark as stormwater.

At this moment, a handsome disciple from the Office of Affairs had stayed awake all night, lying flat on his bed in a "big" shape, gripping the quilt with both hands, eyes bulging like copper bells, heart pounding wildly with regret.

Alcohol truly isn't a good thing.

He had long known he had this habit of blurting out truths after drinking—he should have been more careful.

After a night of anxiety, he received a dismissal notice from the Office of Affairs the next day, and the knot in his chest finally died.

This wasn't due to pressure from the Elders' Pavilion; rather, the Office of Affairs handled many matters, some requiring secrecy.

Someone who couldn't keep their mouth shut couldn't be trusted anymore.

As the Sect's administrative body, the Office of Affairs most dreaded anyone causing trouble.

Soon, news of the incident spread to Shengjing City, where people in taverns and teahouses began talking about it—even the Imperial Immortal Supervisory Office was abuzz with discussion.

"The top-ranked candidate in the Tongxuan Realm might finally be claimed by the Heavenly Book Academy this year."

"That Ji You really is terrifying."

Because the spirit stone route had been rerouted through Fengzhou, the Imperial Immortal Supervisory Office was quite familiar with Ji You and held him in high regard.

As a tool used by the Seven Immortal Sects to govern the masses, the imperial court had seen many cultivators over the years.

But they had never before seen someone force an Immortal Sect Elder to bow their head.

Ji You learned of the matter later than others—he didn't grasp the full story until noon the next day.

"Brother Zhi Shen…"

"What a pity."

He didn't know Lu Da well; upon hearing the name, all he could picture was the monk uprooting a willow tree.

But others said this man had been a servant at Elder Fang's side since childhood, serving tea and water for over a decade—undoubtedly obedient.

Yet even such obedience still had to make way for the elders' descendants.

This was the rule of Qingyun's world: not talent, not effort—clearly divided between insiders and outsiders.

Grandsons are always closer than outsiders—that's a truth even common merchants and porters know.

So in this world, never accept gifts from strangers.

Because once you reach out, you become their pawn.

When Ji You first went to Fengzhou to establish a clan, before he even drew his sword, those outside clans generously offered him two-tenths of their holdings—he refused, citing precisely this reason.

Accepting is meaningless; taking by force is satisfying.

Because what you seize carries less karmic debt than what is given.

Later, the Inner Court Elder had rejected his admission into the Five Halls due to his overly ruthless conduct; to others, this was severe suppression, effectively ending his prospects.

Yet precisely because of this, he avoided that karmic entanglement—and when the Heavenly Dao Preliminary arrived, he could draw his sword without hesitation.

Otherwise, he might have had to make way for those grandsons too.

If he refused, he'd be branded ungrateful, questioned: "Don't you realize who gave you everything today?"—far from the freedom he now enjoyed, where a sword drawn meant action.

For centuries, Immortal Sects and clans had grown accustomed to this way of doing things.

So when someone like himself appeared as an anomaly, they flew into a rage.

"No wonder the money sent by Qionghua Pavilion was clearly less today…"

"A robe shattered by a Tongxuan cultivator must be seen as unworthy of its reputation—but it's not the robe's fault for being weak…"

Ji You counted the silver notes in the envelope, murmuring under the morning light: this delivery hadn't been particularly successful.

He had controlled his force when shattering the sword robe, aiming to make the Elders' Pavilion suffer—he'd assumed they'd never admit to it themselves.

Yet a great Confucian scholar had taken up his defense…

At this moment, the sun blazed fiercely.

With Ji You no longer suppressing them, the Tongxuan Realm battles resumed.

As expected, the first slot was immediately claimed by Wang Gaocen, the favored grandson of the old Elders' Pavilion.

Having secured his slot, Ji You paid little further attention to the subsequent matches, instead strolling like a leisurely man to the Sword Grove to watch Lu Er's training.

Lu Hanyan had already gathered her eighth mysterious light, just one step from the Tongxuan Realm; her aura of mystery was gradually emerging.

Her slender, graceful figure, combined with the aura of the fifth realm, made her even more delicate and charming.

Since entering the Academy, many male students had tried to invite her out; lately, even more had approached her, including some from the Inner Court—but she ignored them all.

In contrast, when being watched by Ji You while practicing swordplay, Lu Er's gaze clearly carried a "pursuing the master" tone…

At this moment, the Rongdao Realm's third match began.

Chai Ze stepped forward and won three consecutive victories.

Ji You had intended to watch this third match, but after washing up, he received a message from Wen Siyuan: Instructor Cao had informed him that Zhenxin Immortal had broken through and emerged from seclusion, inviting him to her small courtyard for a chat.

Ji You dried his face, tied his hair crown, and descended the mountain.

Yet on his way down, he encountered a duangduang figure.

He Lingxiu had also broken through and emerged from seclusion, her Rongdao Upper Realm aura exquisitely profound.

She had just descended from Zizai Hall and met Ji You at the intersection before the Purple Bamboo Meditation Grove.

"Long time no see, Sister He."

"Long time no see—I never expected to meet you after emerging from seclusion, Ji Brother. What a coincidence."

He Lingxiu smiled lightly: "By the way, did you secure a slot for the Dao Assembly?"

She had entered seclusion long ago to break through, spending the entire summer in isolation, unaware of outside events.

But in her view, with Ji You's strength, securing a slot in the Academy was no challenge—after all, in her mind, Ji You was the strongest among all Tongxuan cultivators in the Heavenly Book Academy.

Ji You nodded upon hearing her question: "Narrowly, but I got it."

"Of course—I never doubted you'd secure a Heavenly Dao Assembly slot, given your talent. But this is only the beginning—the preliminary is merely the appetizer; your true goal should be this year's top rank."

"I'll do my best. I won't make bold claims about things that haven't happened yet—if I lose, I'll be humiliated."

"That mindset is good. But in my view, you'll definitely make the top ten."

"Then thank you, Sister, for your good wishes."

He Lingxiu chatted with Ji You for a while, then bid him farewell and headed toward the teahouse within the Purple Bamboo Meditation Grove.

Shi Junhao and Xiao Hanyan had already heard the news; seeing He Lingxiu approach, they immediately rose to offer congratulations.

Also present were several favored grandchildren of the Elders' Pavilion: Wang Gaocen, who had already secured his slot; Yu Shiliu, currently defending the platform; and Pan Bin and Gu Zetao.

He Lingxiu bowed to them in return, then asked: "How far along are the Rongdao Realm slot battles?"

"Brother Chai Ze is currently defending the platform—he's already fought three matches; two more will secure his slot, then it'll be your turn, Sister."

He Lingxiu nodded after hearing this; she had calculated the timing before entering seclusion and knew she'd arrive just in time—apparently, she'd arrived even sooner than expected.

He Lingxiu lifted her teacup, pondered for a long while, then spoke: "What about the Tongxuan Realm? How's it progressing?"

Xiao Hanyan glanced at the nearby Tongxuan Realm junior disciples: "Ji You and Brother Wang have already secured their slots. Currently, Sister Yu is defending the platform—there shouldn't be much trouble. This year's participants might just be us."

"I met Ji Brother just now on my way out of the hall—this outcome matches my expectations. No one could stand against him. I even told him to aim for the top rank for the Heavenly Book Academy—he was cautious, saying it was hard to say."

Xiao Hanyan fell silent for a moment: "That might not quite match your expectations."

He Lingxiu raised her eyes, a flicker of confusion in them: "How so? Ji You got his slot, didn't he?"

"Ji You was the first to defend the platform, but the Elders' Pavilion forbade him from using the Spirit Sword Mountain's sword arts, claiming that disciples representing the Heavenly Book Academy at the Heavenly Dao Assembly must not enhance another sect's prestige."

He Lingxiu opened her mouth: "He agreed?"

Xiao Hanyan nodded: "He agreed. Then everyone in the Academy said he was a tiger without teeth."

He Lingxiu thought for a long while, then spoke: "Still, he won five matches, didn't he? He really knows how to surprise people."

Xiao Hanyan's gaze suddenly grew complex: "He didn't fight five matches—he only fought two. The next three opponents surrendered immediately upon stepping onto the platform."

"?"

"I don't even know how to explain it—but you understand, Sister He. His combat power has always exceeded his current realm. He was like that in the Wilds too, but no one expected he'd still be so strong without using Spirit Sword Mountain's sword arts. Do you know the robe from Qionghua Pavilion? It can withstand a single Rongdao Realm strike. His opponent wore one—and Ji You cut it apart."

He Lingxiu listened carefully at first, nodding along, but as she continued, her mouth slowly fell open, unable to speak—only remembering Ji You's humble expression.

Beside He Lingxiu, the Elders' favored grandchildren fell silent, as if they disliked hearing this man's name or anything about him.

At this moment, Ji You had already descended the mountain and, halfway down, heard a continuous burst of magical thunder from the Ascension Jade Terrace.

Wen Zhengxin had broken through that morning and had already heard from Instructor Cao about recent events; seeing Ji You walk in from the doorway, she stared at him as if he were a monster.

She had returned to her small courtyard after emerging from seclusion that morning and found a letter from home.

The letter asked about her relationship with Ji You and subtly inquired whether rumors about his body's hereditary traits were true, with a tone bordering on lewdness.

At first, she didn't understand, thinking her parents were wildly mismatching couples—after all, he's my junior brother.

Besides, with a daughter of the Yu Danzong around, anyone else would have to be the lesser one—she'd vowed since childhood never to be anyone's concubine.

So she dismissed it, then saw Instructor Cao's message saying Pei Ruyi had arrived and invited her to meet by Green Water Lake—she hurried over, only to learn from Cao Jingsong that Ji You had secured his slot.

Without using Spirit Sword Mountain's sword arts, he defeated two opponents of his own realm, leaving the Elders' Pavilion helpless—forced to send three useless disciples to surrender.

Hearing this without seeing it was hard to believe.

This made Wen Zhengxin regret that when she'd changed Ji You's clothes back then, she should've slipped something into his belly—after all, the Wen family's cultivation talent had been declining generation after generation.

Ji You didn't know the inner thoughts of Zhenxin Immortal turning into a juicer; he looked at Wen Zhengxin and said: "I met Sister He on my way here. Are you planning to challenge the platform?"

"I'll try—I won't be content otherwise. But my chances of winning are slim; I know that well."

"Sister, why are you backing down before the battle has even begun?"

"Since He Lingxiu became a direct disciple, the resources available to the two of us have diverged. After all this time, our cultivation levels must have widened significantly."

Lady Zhengxin, though born into a minor family from Zhongzhou, has always possessed exceptional talent; otherwise, she would never have had the qualification to compete with He Lingxiu for the position of the Hall Master's direct disciple.

And the incident she experienced back then was much like Lu Da's withdrawal from the contest.

Thus, Lady Zhengxin has always wanted to truly fight He Lingxiu—win or lose—to resolve the emotional knot left from that time.

After hearing this, Ji You carefully observed Lady Zhengxin, sensing her aura and comparing it to the aura he had felt on He Lingxiu during their previous encounter.

Though he hated to admit it, he knew his sister was right.

There truly was a considerable gap between them—not due to talent, not due to diligence, but because some things were restricted from the moment of birth.

"It's a pity there isn't enough time; otherwise, I could have learned swordcraft from you and improved my chances of victory."

Ji You pursed his lips: "Sister, you're joking—I dare not teach, and you dare not learn…"

Wen Zhengxin frowned at the remark: "Why not teach? Isn't Lu Er doing well under your guidance? Just treat me like her."

"My teaching method… would probably make you fight me to the death."

"?"

Ji You waved his hand: "Sister, just prepare well—you might still have a chance."

Wen Zhengxin now looked at Ji You: "Not everyone in this world is like you—a monster. I'd very much like to see the expression on the faces of the Immortal Sects and noble families when they witness your sword strike, as they gather here. I imagine it would be quite entertaining."

"Sister, you flatter me too much."

"If you lose, you treat me to a meal?"

Ji You glanced at Cao Jingsong: "But Teacher Cao hasn't had any silver lately."

Cao Jingsong shot him a look, his beard trembling slightly: "Don't give me that. Why are you using my silver to pay for your meal?"

"What about Brother Ban?"

"Just use your own silver—you sold those magic robes for a fortune not long ago."

(End of Chapter)