Chapter 216: Solicitation

He Lingxiu had been busy defending the ring for the past few days and only became idle after securing her spot, but she had heard quite a bit of discussion in the academy, consistent with what Xiao Hanyan had said.

Forbidden sword, drawing the sword, Dharma robe...

Although those who had seen that scene couldn't understand it, they had at least seen it with their own eyes; for someone like He Lingxiu who had only heard of it, her curiosity was even greater.

At this moment, seeing Ji Shidi Ji walk over, white clothes fluttering, aura restrained, He Lingxiu couldn't help but observe carefully, finding that he was indeed still at the Upper Realm of Profound Understanding.

Yet for some reason, despite being a major realm lower, He Lingxiu could feel a surging aura rushing toward her as he walked over, making her heart tremble.

The other six, like He Lingxiu, felt an unusual aura at close range, not caused by the gap in realms, but due to something else.

From the bottom of the heart, then radiating to the spiritual sense, from the inside out, rather than from the outside in, impossible to sort out.

In fact, after the pre-selections ended, they had all encountered Liu Qichen, who had attacked the ring in the second battle, and out of curiosity, had asked him about what happened back then.

That day, the Elder Pavilion had reminded him not to defend against Ji You, saying only by attacking would he have a chance, but Liu Qichen had finally switched his slash to a block; what everyone was curious about was the reason for his sudden action.

Liu Qichen said it wasn't a block.

Blocking is a chosen action; offense and defense lie in the shift of thoughts.

But the moment Ji You raised his sword, he felt as if he had been locked onto by a colossal beast, his whole body trembling, and the only thought left was self-preservation.

So calling it a block was wrong; it was just an act of self-preservation from the heart.

Was it because of Ji You's body refinement? Or because of something else... He couldn't say clearly.

The path of Dao cultivation has traces to follow, and the level of realm is the most intuitive, but body refinement belongs to a minor path where the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, and there is no record of it at all in the Azure Cloud World.

At this moment, Ji You arrived at the seat beside He Lingxiu, lifted his robes, and sat down.

He didn't know most of the people here, but he did have some friendship with Ding Shijie He, who had the world in her heart.

Seeing him sit down, He Lingxiu couldn't help but say: "The day I came out of seclusion, I met Ji Shidi on the mountain road, and Ji Shidi said this spot was secured with a close call, but I heard later that Ji Shidi only used four sword strikes. Is this what you call a close call?"

"It was indeed a close call."

He Lingxiu looked at him: "Where was the surprise?"

Ji You replied: "Naturally, it was others who had the surprise, while I had no danger."

"Can it... be explained this way?"

"Actually, it was also taking advantage of a trick. Perhaps others felt I couldn't use sword arts and relaxed their vigilance toward me, which allowed me to take advantage of the situation. If they had fought with all their might, perhaps the result wouldn't have been like this. Unfortunately, no one came to try, otherwise, I would have been exposed."

Ji You attributed that overwhelming victory to taking advantage of a trick, making himself seem less terrifying.

It was as if clever mountain bandits would pretend to be unarmed when they first robbed a road, to facilitate the development of future clients.

He was now most hoping that someone would suddenly jump out, shout "What are you pretending for?", and then "hehehe" give him a sword strike, solving his problem of having the appetite of a pig after body refinement but an empty wallet.

However, his reputation in the Heavenly Academy was too great, and the chance of encountering such a stubborn person was very small.

By the time of the Heavenly Dao Assembly, in that environment where most people didn't know him, he might be able to encounter such passionate clients.

Sure enough, the four in the Merging with the Dao Realm naturally didn't believe it.

If one spoke of Wu Zhen, he indeed might have relaxed his vigilance, and thus was put to sleep with one sword strike.

After all, everyone at the time felt that Ji You was a toothless tiger without Spirit Sword Mountain sword arts, but Liu Qichen, who followed and had almost maxed out his defense, didn't last until the fourth sword strike either.

However, those in the Profound Understanding Realm, such as Wang Gaocen and Gu Zetao, were lost in thought.

"How is Wen Zhengxin now?"

"Not bad. She tricked me out of a meal the day before yesterday and is currently continuing to comprehend the Dao and cultivate step by step. However, Ding Shijie He, my Ding Shijie Wen doesn't count as having lost."

He Lingxiu looked at him sideways: "When we entered the academy, our ages were similar, and we were both female cultivators belonging to the same hall, so we could be considered friends. But Wen Zhengxin didn't understand at the time that being a direct disciple doesn't necessarily depend only on cultivation, and this wasn't something I could choose."

Ji You didn't respond after hearing this.

In his view, the pattern of the Azure Cloud World had been solidified for so many years, and in this environment, fairness could not be sought.

However, encountering such things, he still felt awkward from the bottom of his heart.

It was as if seeing the common people working themselves to death, only to have to offer the majority of their labor to the immortals on the mountain, allowing them to hide in these deep mountains and old forests to cultivate immortality without distraction.

In the past, he heard people say that where there is oppression, there must be resistance.

But there is still an insurmountable gap in strength between cultivators, let alone between immortals and mortals, but he still couldn't stand it.

Seeing him silent, He Lingxiu moved her body, and as her waist twisted, there was a "duang" sound.

Seeing this scene, Ji You looked sideways and pondered, thinking to himself that his stubborn Ding Shijie Wen had still lost a bit.

At the very least, she lost a "c".

In the following hour, the three managers of the Administrative Court arrived and spoke to everyone about the Heavenly Dao Assembly.

The Heavenly Dao Assembly was held west of Shengjing, within the Central Province, in a large northern prefecture called Zhongxing Commandery.

Since the Primordial Era, it had been the territory of the human race.

So Zhongxing Commandery had a Primordial Dao Arena, which was the location of this Heavenly Dao Assembly.

And in reality, the Heavenly Dao Assembly was not exactly the same as the concept ordinary people had of it; it was not just pure martial arts competition, but also a Dao discussion assembly.

The Dao discussion assembly was participated in by the Elders and had nothing to do with the disciples; the disciples mainly participated in the martial competition.

The Azure Cloud World had nearly a hundred noble families over a century old, plus the Immortal Sects. This time, there were about two hundred people in the Profound Understanding Realm participating, and one hundred in the Merging with the Dao Realm, so it would be conducted in a group ring-defense manner.

The number of competition arenas and specific rules had not yet been announced, but it was thought to be not much different from the previous group battle method.

Participants would be randomly assigned to different battlefields, and finally, the top ten would be determined by the ring masters of the sub-arenas. It was a high-intensity competition, and the duration would exceed imagination.

It was not unheard of for someone to break through their realm during the competition.

And according to the rules of the Heavenly Dao Assembly, participants in the Profound Understanding Realm, even if they broke through to the Initial Realm of Merging with the Dao or even the Middle Realm of Merging with the Dao on the spot, would still compete as Profound Understanding Realm participants.

Therefore, in recent years, for the sake of the entry qualification to the place where sages attained the Dao, many disciples of immortal sects would even try their best to suppress their realm before the competition, breaking through directly upon taking the stage to exchange for a winning percentage.

The reason the Administrative Court brought this matter up specifically was also to let them have more preparation.

Sure enough, among the four participating in the Profound Understanding Realm, except for Ji You, the expressions of the others gradually became somewhat solemn.

The combat prowess of some Profound Understanding Realm participants from century-old noble families was actually average, and they likely couldn't compare to the Profound Understanding Realm of the Immortal Sects.

Random assignment meant that everyone's opponents were not necessarily of the same level, and it was said that some might encounter those who broke through to the next major realm before the competition.

So after Wang Jiaoxi Qin finished speaking, discussions about whether the competition system was fair began to rise.

Ji You listened to the whispers and found it very interesting.

The pre-selections within the Immortal Sect were also unfair, but they were all vested interests and perhaps hadn't cared before.

Now that the situation was reversed, they began to pursue fairness and justice.

In fact, this was the same as He Lingxiu's words just now: in an unfair situation, those who have all the advantages will calmly say "I couldn't choose either."

And once they are at a disadvantage, these people will say "Why couldn't I choose?"

However, a very good point was that Ji You felt he would encounter many potential clients at the Heavenly Dao Assembly...

And besides the competition system, the several managers of the Administrative Hall also analyzed some of the powerful opponents they might encounter based on the list currently circulating, as well as some who might break through before the competition, letting everyone pay more attention.

He Lingxiu looked at Ji You: "Regarding the possibility of someone breaking through on the spot, what does Ji Shidi think?"

Ji You came back to his senses: "I am only responsible for drawing my sword; winning or losing is a matter for the Heavenly Dao."

"That has a bit of the flavor of 'Dao follows nature'."

He Lingxiu stood up from her seat: "Later, all the brothers and sisters are going to drink tea together. Ji Shidi Ji, come with us."

Ji You looked up upon hearing this: "There are still some things in the Outer Court; I have to go down the mountain in a while."

"It's spirit tea, sent by several noble families in the Central Province. It has been kept for a while. If Ji Shidi thinks it's good, you can take some back."

"?"

After leaving the Qingfeng Hall, everyone gathered at the tea pavilion in the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest.

Regarding the rules of the Heavenly Dao Assembly told by the Administrative Court, everyone discussed it, saying everything.

And Ji You was not interested in this, but more interested in the tea in front of him.

This tea leaves came from Spirit Tea Mountain, and after years of cultivation, one could feel a transparent air current constantly circling in the body after one cup.

This was what these Immortal Sect disciples drank every day, which was no longer strange to others, but to Ji You, it was a corner of the Heavenly Palace, something a poor person couldn't see.

He Lingxiu leaned over to his side: "There is an Elder in my Zizai Hall surnamed Qiu, who has nothing to do with the Elder Pavilion. This tea is offered by the manor under the Qiu family. Elder Qiu has a granddaughter who is not yet married."

Ji You held the teacup: "Is Ding Shijie He trying to play matchmaker for me?"

"Just want to ask if you are interested in getting to know her?"

"I still have several women around me who are entangled, so forget it."

He Lingxiu looked at him: "If you have the ability, the primary wife can still be the daughter of the Pill Sect; it doesn't conflict."

What is honey to one is arsenic to another; the principle is just like that.

Some people have actual conflicts of interest with Ji You, so naturally, they don't like him.

But there will also be people who can see his infinite talent and feel it is a good investment.

He Lingxiu expressed it extremely euphemistically, but the meaning expressed was probably that Ji You should sit with them.

This spirit tea and spirit fruit were rare in the eyes of those below, but in their eyes, they were just vulgar things.

Ji You had now received an entry invitation through the Heavenly Dao Assembly, so he saw the olive branches of the families united by the Zizai Hall, such as the He family, the Zuoqiu family, and this Qiu family, etc.

After all, in He Lingxiu's view, Ji You was extremely likely to enter the place where sages attained the Dao, and after coming out, he might be able to touch the threshold of the Responding to Heaven Realm.

A Profound Understanding Realm might not be worth offending some Elder forces who didn't like him.

But a Responding to Heaven Realm was completely different.

More importantly, if he really married the daughter of the Pill Sect, then the sisters would naturally become relatives.

Ji You listened to her words, thinking to himself that with a proud fairy suppressing his backyard, Yuan Caiwei wanting to be the primary wife was not about whether he had the ability, but whether she had the ability herself.

"Ji Shidi Ji, you are different from other disciples in the academy. In terms of your talent, you shouldn't just be an ordinary disciple who can't even enter the Five Great Halls. That matter of the Night City Mountain in Fengzhou, not many people care about it now. You should plan for yourself."

Ji You yawned: "Hugging a thigh is an extremely good thing, and participating in a pre-selection naturally wouldn't mean I couldn't use sword arts, but the problem is that after hugging, I can only follow wherever the thigh goes."

He Lingxiu raised the teacup to her mouth: "You care about mortals; I know this, but marriage won't make it difficult for you."

"But sometimes it will definitely be involuntary, so it is still freer to be a private cultivator from the countryside, doing whatever I want."

"Ji Shidi is a strange person."

"Not strange, just afraid of asking my heart again and still feeling ashamed."

In fact, Ji You had received many letters in these past few days, asking to become Dao companions.

Some were written by senior sisters in the academy, and some were written by daughters of noble families in the capital, containing everything, even more explosive than what he received when he entered the Inner Court.

Of course, there were also some letters written by parents on behalf of their daughters, saying that there was a daughter in the family who was knowledgeable and had reached the age of marriage, and so on.

Among them were princesses of the Great Xia Dynasty, as well as daughters of noble families around Shengjing.

In some letters, they even specifically wrote a dowry list, how much gold, how much silver, how many acres of good land, and how many piles of spirit stones.

This weakness of his had long been no secret, and almost everyone wanted to hit his heart with this.

But in this world, there is no such thing as being unsoiled by the mud.

Ji You had a slender, white, and tender thigh to hug, and he wouldn't be controlled, so naturally, he didn't want to choose some calves.

He drank a few cups of tea, listened to a few people chanting, and then stood up and left the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest.

Seeing him fluttering away in white clothes, the tea pavilion suddenly went quiet, and then everyone looked toward He Lingxiu.

Although they didn't want to admit this point, Ji You today indeed had enough reasons to be solicited, and what He Lingxiu thought about, other noble family forces were also thinking about.

Unfortunately, this person was not obedient.

In the eyes of everyone, this personality was called self-respecting if said nicely, and self-important if said not nicely.

No Dao lineage, no inheritance, not accepting solicitation; in the eyes of everyone, he just hadn't encountered things beyond his ability, so he could be so carefree.

At this time, Ji You had already arrived at Cao Jingsong's courtyard and told them about the rules of the Heavenly Dao Assembly, which also caused a lot of discussion among them.

However, their emotions were clearly not as intense as those participants.

On one hand, it was because they didn't need to take the stage, and on the other hand, it was because they were already somewhat numb to this kind of injustice.

Ji You took out the tea leaves given by He Lingxiu, put them into the teapot, and while pouring hot water, said again about He Lingxiu wanting to play matchmaker for him.

Cao Jingsong stroked his long beard and said: "I have heard of this Qiu family. There are not many people in the family, but the overall strength is okay; it is considered a mid-level century-old noble family. With your talent now, since some people are jealous, naturally some people will solicit you; this is not surprising."

Ban Yangshu said upon hearing this: "They also underestimate Ji Shidi too much. The same century-old noble family, the Lu family has two, and they are sisters."

Ji You glanced at him: "Don't talk nonsense. It's just a relationship between a strict master and a talented disciple. Why does Brother Ban have the same problem as Emperor Rulong?"

"Uh, just a joke."

"Then do you feel a chill in the place where you keep your money bag?"

Ban Yangshu raised the corners of his mouth: "Every time I come to Cao Jiaoxi's courtyard, I leave my money bag in the Inner Court first."

Wen Zhengxin said upon hearing this: "Ji Shidi is right not to pay attention. Most noble families in the Azure Cloud World are like this. When they solicit you, they say it very well, but it's hard to say when you really become relatives. By then, even Fengzhou might be affected. Their Pill Sect is different; after all, the Pill Sect has no combat power, and Ji Shidi Ji will not be coerced."

Cao Jingsong agreed with Zhengxin Xianzi Zhengxin's words: "There are too many temptations in this world. If you are not careful, you will be deeply trapped. Lu Da and Liu Qichen are both like this. It is good that you can be as clean and self-disciplined as your master."

After Cao Wang Jiaoxi finished the four words "clean and self-disciplined," he suddenly sniffed, and a burst of magnificent tea fragrance suddenly drilled into his nasal cavity, making him tremble with clarity.

"What tea is this? Why is it so fragrant?"

"Hey, just smelling it makes me feel that my Dao heart is much clearer; it is truly mystical."

"Did Cao Jiaoxi receive a gift again?"

"No, I haven't even seen this tea leaf bag."

Ji You lifted the teapot and poured the tea into the three people's teacups: "It was given to the Zizai Hall by the Qiu family. He Lingxiu brought me some, saying it was spirit tea, something a poor person couldn't drink."

The three of them picked up the teacups, and after a sip of hot tea, they instantly felt a spiritual flow melt in their bodies, instantly rushing through the air apertures in their bodies, their eyes instantly clear, and even their Dao hearts became much calmer.

The three looked at each other, and their eyes toward Ji You became strange.

"Actually, thinking about it, taking a concubine from the Qiu family is also not bad. Although the Lu family has two sisters, maybe the Qiu family lady is more beautiful."

"Cao Jiaoxi's words are very true. Although noble families are all the same, isn't there a saying that you can be unsoiled by the mud?"

"The daughter of the Pill Sect looks gentle and knowledgeable; she will definitely allow you to take a concubine. Didn't that happen on the day of the New Year? You raised a woman in the courtyard, and she didn't say anything, and they even stayed together for several days, didn't they?"

"?"

Ji You looked at their attitude changing as if they had changed their faces, and after looking around, he focused on criticizing Cao Jingsong: "Wang Jiaoxi is truly spineless. Can't even withstand such a small test?"

Cao Jingsong narrowed his eyes: "What is the use of having spine? Do you think I am truly clean and self-disciplined? No, I am clean and self-disciplined because no one tests me..."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 217 =====