Chapter 216

He Lingxiu had been busy defending the arena for several days; only after securing his position did he finally have time to relax, but he'd also heard plenty of gossip within the academy, all confirming what Xiao Hanyan had said.

Forbidden Sword, Drawing Sword, Law Robe…

Those who had seen that scene couldn't fully understand it, but they had witnessed it with their own eyes; compared to He Lingxiu, who had only heard rumors, his curiosity ran even deeper.

As Ji You stepped forward in his white robes, his aura contained and calm, He Lingxiu couldn't help but observe closely—and realized he was still at the upper peak of the Tongxuan Realm.

Yet for some reason, despite being one major realm lower, He Lingxiu felt a surging, overwhelming energy radiating from Ji You's approach, making his heart tremble.

The other six, like He Lingxiu, felt an unusual aura up close—not from a realm gap, but from something else entirely.

It originated from within, spreading outward through spiritual sense, not from outside in, and could not be clarified.

After the preliminary round ended, all of them had encountered Liu Qichen during the second round of challenges and, out of curiosity, asked him about that day.

The Elders had warned him then: when facing Ji You, never defend—only offense offers a chance. Yet Liu Qichen ultimately switched from slash to block; everyone wondered why he made such a sudden move.

Liu Qichen said it wasn't a block.

A block is a deliberate choice, a shift between attack and defense rooted in intent.

But when Ji You raised his sword, he felt as if a colossal beast had locked onto him—his entire body trembled, and the only thought left was self-preservation.

So calling it a block was wrong; it was merely an instinctive act of self-preservation.

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

The Dao cultivation path follows clear markers; realm levels are most direct. But body refinement is a minor path with more drawbacks than benefits, and in Qingyun Realm, there's virtually no record of it.

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

He didn't know most of the people here, but he had a certain rapport with He Lingxiu, the sister who carried the world on her shoulders.

Seeing him sit, He Lingxiu couldn't help speaking: "That day, when I emerged from my seclusion and met you on the mountain path, you said winning this spot was nerve-wracking but safe. But later I heard you only drew your sword four times—is that really 'nerve-wracking but safe'?"

"It truly was nerve-wracking but safe."

He Lingxiu glanced at him: "What was nerve-wracking?"

Ji You replied: "Naturally, it was others who were startled—I was never in danger."

"Can you… explain it like that?"

It was really a matter of taking advantage—the others probably assumed I couldn't use sword Dao, so they let their guard down, giving me a few openings. If they'd fought with full strength, the outcome might not have been this way. Too bad no one came to test me—otherwise, I'd have been exposed.

Ji You attributed that day's overwhelming victory to clever trickery, making himself seem less terrifying.

It was like a smart bandit who, when first ambushing travelers, pretended to be unarmed, to better cultivate future clients.

What he most hoped for now was someone suddenly leaping out, shouting, "Stop pretending!" then cackling and running him through with a sword, solving his post-body-refinement pig-like appetite and empty purse.

But his reputation in the Heavenly Book Academy was too great; the chance of encountering such a stubborn person was slim.

By the time of the Dao Assembly, in an environment where most didn't know him, he might finally meet such passionate clients.

Unsurprisingly, the four Realm of Fusion cultivators naturally didn't believe it.

As for Wu Zhen, he might indeed have let his guard down, thus being knocked out by a single sword strike.

After all, everyone back then thought Ji You, without the Sword Mountain's sword art, was a toothless tiger—but later, Liu Qichen, who nearly maxed out his defense, still couldn't survive the fourth strike.

But the few Realm of Penetration cultivators, like Wang Gaocen and Gu Ze Tao, looked thoughtful.

"How is Wen Zhengxin now?"

"Fine. She tricked me into treating her to a meal the other day. She's still steadily progressing in her earth-continuation Dao cultivation. But He Sister, my sister Wen hasn't lost."

He Lingxiu glanced at him: "When we entered the academy, we were nearly the same age, both female cultivators of the same hall—we could even be called friends. But Wen Zhengxin didn't understand then: being a direct disciple isn't just about cultivation base. That's not something I could choose."

Ji You heard this but gave no reply.

In his view, Qingyun's structure had been rigid for so long that fairness was impossible in such an environment.

Yet whenever he encountered such things, he still felt internally uneasy.

It was like watching common folk toil desperately, only to surrender most of their labor to the immortals on the mountains, letting them retreat undisturbed into these deep forests to cultivate.

In the past, he'd heard people say oppression always breeds resistance.

But among cultivators, there were insurmountable gaps in strength—how much more so between immortals and mortals? Still, he couldn't stand it.

He Lingxiu, seeing his silence, shifted her posture; her waist twisted with a soft duang.

Seeing this, Ji You cast a sidelong glance, thinking: my stubborn sister Wen still lost a little.

At least she lost a C.

In the following hour, the three directors of the Administration Hall arrived and spoke to everyone about the Dao Assembly.

The Dao Assembly would be held west of Shengjing, within Zhongzhou, in a major northern prefecture called Zhongxing.

Since ancient times, that land had belonged to humanity.

Thus, Zhongxing Prefecture housed an ancient Dao hall—the venue for this Dao Assembly.

But the actual Dao Assembly differed somewhat from what ordinary people imagined: it wasn't merely pure martial competition; it also included Dao-discussion assemblies.

The Dao-discussion assembly involved only the Elders, unrelated to disciples; disciples primarily participated in the martial contests.

Qingyun had nearly a hundred families older than a hundred years, plus immortal sects; roughly two hundred Realm of Penetration cultivators and one hundred Realm of Fusion cultivators would attend, so the format would be group defense arenas.

The number of arenas and specific rules had not yet been announced, but they'd likely resemble previous group-match formats.

Contestants would be randomly assigned to different arenas, and the final top ten would be determined through successive arena challenges—a high-intensity contest lasting longer than anyone anticipated.

Someone breaking through during the competition wasn't unheard of.

According to Dao Assembly rules, even if a Realm of Penetration contestant broke through to early or mid Realm of Fusion during the event, they'd still compete as a Realm of Penetration cultivator.

Thus, in recent years, to gain entry to the ancestral Dao sites, many sect disciples deliberately suppressed their cultivation before the event, then broke through on stage to boost their win rate.

The Administration Hall emphasized this precisely to give them more preparation.

Unsurprisingly, among the four Realm of Penetration contestants, everyone except Ji You's expression grew increasingly grave.

Some hundred-year-family Realm of Penetration cultivators had average combat strength—likely inferior to those from immortal sects.

Random assignment meant opponents weren't necessarily evenly matched, and someone might even face an opponent breaking through to the next major realm right before the match.

After Director Qin finished speaking, murmurs arose about whether this system was fair.

Ji You listened to the whispers and found them amusing.

The sect's internal pre-selection was also unfair, but they were the beneficiaries—perhaps they'd never cared before.

Now the tables had turned, and suddenly they demanded fairness.

It was just like He Lingxiu's earlier words: in an unfair system, those who benefit most calmly say, "I couldn't choose either."

But once disadvantaged, they cry, "Why can't I choose?"

But one good thing: Ji You felt he'd encounter many promising clients at the Dao Assembly…

Besides the competition format, the directors also analyzed, based on the circulating list, some formidable opponents they might face, and those likely to break through mid-match, urging everyone to stay alert.

He Lingxiu now looked at Ji You: "Regarding the possibility of mid-match breakthroughs, what do you think, Young Brother?"

Ji You snapped back to attention: "I only handle the sword. Victory or defeat is the Dao's affair."

"There's a touch of natural Dao in that."

He Lingxiu rose from her seat: "The senior brothers and sisters are going for tea afterward. Join us, Young Brother Ji."

Ji You looked up: "I have some matters in the outer courtyard—I need to go down the mountain."

"It's spirit tea, sent by several Zhongzhou families. It's been stored a while—if you like it, you can take some back."

"?"

After leaving Qingfeng Hall, everyone gathered at the tea pavilion in the Purple Bamboo Meditation Grove.

Everyone chattered endlessly about the Dao Assembly rules just announced, saying all sorts of things.

Ji You wasn't interested—he cared more about the tea before him.

The tea leaves came from Spirit Tea Mountain, cultivated for years; one cup sent a clear, circulating energy through his body.

This was what immortal sect disciples drank daily—ordinary to others, but to Ji You, it was a corner of heaven, something a pauper could never afford.

He Lingxiu leaned close: "In the Free Will Hall, there's an Elder named Qiu—unrelated to the Elder Pavilion. This tea is supplied by the Qiu family's mountain estate. Elder Qiu has a granddaughter, still unmarried."

Ji You held his teacup: "Sister He, are you matchmaking for me?"

"Just wondering if you'd be interested in getting to know her."

"I already have several complicated women around me. Forget it."

He Lingxiu glanced at him: "If you're capable, your principal wife can still be a Yu Danzong daughter—no conflict."

As the saying goes: what's honey to one is poison to another.

Some had real conflicts of interest with Ji You and naturally disliked him.

Others saw his boundless potential and viewed him as a worthwhile investment.

He Lingxiu spoke very subtly, but her meaning was clear: Ji You should sit with them.

This spirit tea, these spirit fruits—rare to commoners, but to them, mere mundane things.

Now that Ji You had gained entry to the Dao Assembly, he was seeing the olive branches from the Free Will Hall's allied families: the He family, the Zuqiu family, the Qiu family, and other clustered factions.

After all, in He Lingxiu's view, Ji You had a strong chance of entering the ancestral Dao site—and emerging, perhaps even touching the threshold of Yingtian Realm.

A single Realm of Penetration cultivator wasn't worth alienating elders who disliked him.

But a Yingtian cultivator? Entirely different.

More crucially, if he truly married a Yu Danzong daughter, the sisters would naturally become kin.

Ji You listened to her and thought: if an arrogant immortal maiden guards his harem, Yuan Caiwei's claim to be principal wife won't depend on whether he's capable—but on whether she is.

"Young Brother Ji, you're different from other disciples. With your talent, you shouldn't be just an ordinary disciple who can't even enter the Five Halls. The Night City Mountain incident in Fengzhou? Few care anymore. You should plan for yourself."

Ji You yawned: "Clinging to a powerful leg is excellent—joining the pre-selection won't stop me from using my sword. But the problem is, once I cling, I'll have to follow wherever that leg goes."

He Lingxiu raised her teacup to her lips: "I know you care for mortals, but marriage won't make things hard for you."

"But sometimes you'll be powerless—so it's better to be a wild cultivator, free to do whatever you want."

"My junior brother is a strange one."

"Not strange—just afraid that if I ask my conscience again, I'll still feel guilt."

In fact, over these past few days, Ji You had received many letters proposing marriage alliances.

Some were written by senior sisters from the academy, others by daughters of noble families from the capital—each letter contained all manner of things, more sensational than those he'd received when first entering the inner academy.

Some letters were even penned by his parents, mentioning that their family had a daughter, well-educated and virtuous, now of marriageable age, and so on.

Among them were even princesses of the Great Xia Empire and daughters of noble families around Shengjing.

Some letters even listed dowries in detail: how much gold, how much silver, how many acres of fertile land, how many piles of spirit stones.

His weakness had long ceased to be a secret; nearly everyone wanted to land a direct punch to his heart with this.

But in this world, there is no such thing as remaining untainted while rising from the mud.

Ji You has a slender, long, fair thigh to hold, one that doesn't bind him—why would he bother choosing lesser legs?

He drank a few cups of tea, listened to the others chatter, then rose and left the Purple Bamboo Meditation Grove.

Seeing him drift away in a white robe, the teahouse fell suddenly silent, then all eyes turned to He Lingxiu.

Though unwilling to admit it, Ji You now had ample reason to be courted—what He Lingxiu contemplated, other noble factions were contemplating too.

Unfortunately, this man refused to be controlled.

To others, his temperament was called lofty self-regard if spoken kindly, or arrogant self-importance if spoken harshly.

Without a sect lineage, without transmission, unmoved by persuasion—in their eyes, he was merely untested, able to remain so carefree because he had yet to face anything beyond his power.

At this moment, Ji You had arrived at Cao Jingsong's courtyard and explained the rules of the Heavenly Dao Society to them, sparking murmurs among the group.

Yet their emotions were clearly not as intense as those of the competitors.

On one hand, they didn't need to compete; on the other, they were already somewhat numb to such injustice.

Ji You now pulled out the tea leaves He Lingxiu had given him, placed them in the teapot, poured hot water over them, and mentioned He Lingxiu's intention to arrange a match for him.

Cao Jingsong stroked his long beard and spoke: "I've heard of this Qiu family—they're few in number, but their overall strength is decent, a mid-tier century-old clan. Given your current talent, if some envy you, others will naturally court you—it's no surprise."

Ban Yangshu chimed in: "They're vastly underestimating my junior brother. The Lu family, another century-old clan, has two sisters—and they're both available."

Ji You glanced at him: "Don't speak recklessly. It's merely the result of a strict master producing outstanding disciples—how did you get the same flaw as Lord Rulong Xiandi?"

"Uh, just a joke."

"Then have you noticed your money pouch feels unusually cold?"

Ban Yangshu smirked: "Every time I come to Master Cao's courtyard, I leave my money pouch in the inner academy."

Wen Zhengxin spoke up: "Junior brother's refusal is correct. Most noble families in Qingyun Realm are like this—they promise everything when courting you, but once the marriage is sealed, all bets are off. At that point, even Fengzhou might be affected. Their Yu Danzong is different, though—after all, Yu Danzong has no combat strength. Junior Brother Ji You won't be dragged into their schemes."

Cao Jingsong agreed with Lady Zhengxin's words: "The world holds too many temptations; one misstep and you're trapped. Lu Da and Liu Qichen both fell that way. It's good you've maintained your purity, just as I have."

As Cao Jingsong finished saying "maintained your purity," he suddenly sniffed—the rich, righteous aroma of tea surged into his nostrils, sending a shiver of clarity through his entire body.

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

"Hmm, just smelling it makes my Dao heart feel clearer—truly mysterious."

"Has Master Cao received another gift recently?"

"No, I've never seen this tea packet before."

Ji You lifted the teapot and poured tea into each of their cups: "These leaves were given to Zizai Hall by the Qiu family. He Lingxiu brought me some, calling it spirit tea—something a pauper could never afford."

The three men raised their cups, swallowed the hot tea, and instantly felt a spiritual current unfurl within them, surging through every qi orifice. Their vision cleared instantly, and their Dao hearts grew noticeably calmer.

They exchanged glances, their gazes toward Ji You now strange.

"Actually, thinking differently, taking a concubine from the Qiu family wouldn't be bad. The Lu family has two sisters, but perhaps the Qiu daughter is even more beautiful."

"Master Cao speaks wisely. Though all noble families are the same, isn't there a saying: you can rise from the mud untainted?"

"Daughters of Yu Danzong seem gentle and well-educated—they'd surely allow you to take concubines. Didn't New Yuan Day prove that? You kept a woman in your courtyard, and she said nothing, even lived with you for days, didn't she?"

"?"

Ji You watched their attitudes shift as if they'd changed faces, then turned his critical gaze squarely on Cao Jingsong: "Master, you truly lack ambition—can't you even withstand such a minor test?"

Cao Jingsong narrowed his eyes: "What use is ambition? Do you think I'm truly pure of heart? No—I'm pure because no one has tested me..."

(End of Chapter)