[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-watching-the-immortals-fall":3,"chapter-watching-the-immortals-fall-watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-24":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Watching the Immortals Fall",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2259897,4410,"Chapter 24: Re-Observing the Heavenly Book","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-24",24,"\u003Cp>The days grew colder, autumn deepening, the once-green trees stripped bare of yellow leaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You began frequenting the Awakening Ground, sitting to observe the Dao of Heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crimson-robed immortal maiden occasionally appeared as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two sat above and below, undisturbed by each other, only occasionally meeting eyes during breaks in cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This routine lasted about half a month; as both grew accustomed to each other’s presence, their glances grew more frequent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The immortal maiden’s cultivation base was clearly far higher than his; each time she saw him clumsily observing Heaven’s Dao, she would intensify the Dao’s manifestation before her, as if mocking him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet whenever she noticed Ji You lowering his head in quiet dejection, she would dissolve her Dao art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until one day…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, the immortal maiden accidentally realized he wasn’t lowering his eyes in humility—he was staring at her feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could react, her spiritual sense swept him away once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Jinsong had been urging him daily to cultivate; now, seeing his expression upon opening his eyes, he was taken aback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What were you doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was cultivating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why does your cultivation look so… intoxicating?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You said nothing, turning to look—recently, fewer people had been coming to the Awakening Ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In particular, Chu He, after sensing the Heavenly Book, had vanished entirely; rumors said his Dao heart was shattered, and he wept daily in his room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet with fewer cultivators around, scenes of men and women strolling together by the lake, crossing bridges, and admiring the fallen leaves across the mountains grew more common.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, they weren’t merely wandering; along the way, they discussed Dao—but often, the discussants drifted deep into Lin Hai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s stay overnight in Shengjing tonight—I’ve booked an inn. We can discuss Dao all night. I’d like to test whether your Dao heart is truly unobstructed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You watched this scene and thought: Damn, so that’s what “physiological unobstructed” means.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Jinsong, however, was long accustomed to it: “New students typically pass through these stages. First, everyone studies hard, cultivates diligently, and focuses entirely, because at first, all believe themselves to be children of Heaven, superior to others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then some break ahead, leaving the rest far behind. Most suffer Dao heart damage; the rest begin doubting whether effort even matters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then some develop distractions, while others still strive—but their Dao hearts are no longer what they were.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Jinsong looked at Ji You: “Right now, among the outer court, you are the one who has broken ahead. You’ll likely top the inner court selection—but don’t grow arrogant. Keep cultivating diligently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You listened to Cao’s boastful words and said: “My spiritual sense is too weak—I can only observe Heaven’s Dao for three breaths. I need a Spirit-Replenishing Pill to improve. How much silver do you have on you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It would bankrupt me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did I end up with such a useless teacher? Can’t you work harder? Look at Ma Jiaxi—every festival, families from the capital send him gifts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the following days, Ji You stopped going to the Awakening Ground and ceased sensing the Heavenly Book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his current spiritual sense strength, his observation time was too short—he spent the rest of his time observing foot Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he kept this up, he’d be ruined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spiritual sense and the physical body are fundamentally different. If his frail spiritual sense were truly damaged by Heaven’s might, it could never be repaired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he decided to first strengthen his spiritual sense, extending the time he could perceive Heaven’s Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, if he couldn’t even see clearly, how could he ever comprehend?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At night, stars glittered brilliantly. In his dormitory, Ji You lit the incense burner, sent his spiritual sense soaring, probing the deeper, vaster darkness of the night sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the method to strengthen spiritual sense—gentler than directly observing Heaven’s Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From half an hour on the first day to now exceeding an hour, it was clear this method worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The limit of half an hour was three breaths of observation. Now I should reach six. Six is safe…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, too short.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Try holding for an hour and a half—then my safe observation window will be nine breaths before I dare observe the Heavenly Book again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You held his breath, focused his mind, and his golden spiritual sense flew endlessly through the glittering starry sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour wasn’t long—but the second half, beyond his limit, was excruciating. Each time he pushed past his limit, he felt utterly drained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So every time Cao Jinsong came to check on him, he thought Ji You had been doing something exhausting at night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, on a high, desolate mountain where darkness stretched in all directions, a barefoot, exquisitely beautiful girl sat upon a cliff, deeply absorbed in cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her vivid crimson robe fluttered in the wind, like a streak of striking blood against the blackness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Ji You, she could not endure Heaven’s might for long, so she cultivated intermittently, resting between sessions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, she opened her eyes, gently wiped away sweat, and stepped barefoot onto the black rock, her fragrant, snow-white feet touching stone as she rose and looked around aimlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she gazed, her eyes settled on the stone below—empty for several days—and she frowned slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, with a flicker, she vanished from the black mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her spiritual sense returned, and when she opened her eyes again, she stood atop a cloud-piercing palace above mountains and flowing water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barefoot, she stepped out of the hall, gripping the railing along the cliffside, gazing far ahead—at a lone peak shaped like a sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cultivation was an exceedingly dull pursuit, but the girl hadn’t known that as a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d only thought her family’s mountain was breathtakingly beautiful, and she’d wanted to fly like those others did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Heaven’s Dao demanded she reach perfection at ten, making her a direct disciple, forcing her to cultivate here on this mountain every day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So after staring too long, even the most beautiful mountain became tiresome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m about to break through…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After breaking through, I’ll descend the mountain for a while…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl rested her chin in her hand, murmured softly to the lone peak, then returned to the palace and re-entered the void beneath the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment she sat down, a faint, hazy howling echoed through the boundless darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After confirming it wasn’t an illusion, the girl looked down at the black stone below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, a shadow slowly emerged upon it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she faintly made out his features, she froze, then sat up straight, pretending to be in meditation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You opened his eyes and found himself back beneath the Void Mountain, seeing the girl above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, his observation time had been too short—he could only glance around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, no longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His spiritual sense was now strong enough to hold for nine breaths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more he saw, the more he could think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and began observing Heaven’s Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, his tempered spiritual sense had grown far stronger—he now perceived finer details and had time to contemplate the “understanding” within the Dao of Comprehension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heaven’s Dao unfolded chaotically, like a tangled ball of yarn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in truth, it was the entanglement of laws—messy, yet each thread complete. Human capacity could never grasp it all at once; one could only unravel it, seeking a single main thread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, Ji You could only hold three breaths—unable to find even a clue. Now, nine breaths allowed him to sense the general direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You gradually gained insight, slowly closed his eyes, entered meditation, and his Dao heart grew increasingly clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Six observations, each nine breaths…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Reached the limit…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, Ji You propped himself up on the massive stone, panting, then glanced upward—and suddenly froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it his imagination? He thought the girl’s delicate, snow-white foot had twitched slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching a beautiful girl slows cultivation—but curiosity doesn’t. Curiosity is the most vital quality for a cultivator pursuing Heaven’s Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You rose slowly, approaching the girl as he had before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She seemed in deep meditation, utterly still, showing no sign of deception. He leaned close, stared for a long while, and decided he must have imagined it—why would the immortal maiden pretend to meditate?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as he turned to leave, he noticed her frost-white, flawless face slowly flushing pink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her breath brushed against his face…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Ji You could react, a crimson sleeve suddenly whipped toward him…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You’s spiritual sense returned, and he sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beautiful girls truly hinder cultivation…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Please vote for monthly tickets, follow, and bow to my benefactor… or2)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1446,"2026-06-19T15:28:39.995Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2968d06b8ec964eb6b1228ef761f5d587212cf4d29363db78e422109dec27193","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-25","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-23",430,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwatching-the-immortals-fall-cover.jpg"]