[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-watching-the-immortals-fall":3,"chapter-watching-the-immortals-fall-watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-34":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},2259907,4410,"Chapter 34: The Immortal Maiden","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-34",34,"\u003Cp>Because a disciple was brutally murdered in Shengjing, and the corpse bore a horrifying appearance, most outer-disciple students of the Heavenly Book Academy felt uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since the Administration Hall had yet to uncover any results, all kinds of monstrous rumors spread wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Ji You, the most urgent matter now was to elevate his realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The realm had already begun to exude an invisible aura of turmoil; these attacks might merely be the beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At present, strength alone was the best means of self-preservation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, that fool Kuangcheng was growing increasingly reckless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was now deep winter; all things withered, and occasional shards of snow drifted down from the sky, swirling gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You arrived at the Enlightenment Ground and found several students still unaffected by the unrest, having devoted themselves to cultivation for days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, Du Zhu of the Condensation Peak Upper Stage, Yue Ze of the Condensation Peak Middle Stage, Zeng Pan’er, and others—all had once been close to Chu He.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To them, the Heavenly Book Academy was still the sacred sect of Daya; even if some petty villains caused trouble, they would inevitably be crushed to ashes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when Ji You arrived did these students immersed in enlightenment finally react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He really came out unscathed…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Some say he struck three swords alone and saved seven people, including two inner-disciple seniors—is that true?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It must be true; people saw those two inner-disciple seniors bowing to him in thanks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The news of the battle on the western city’s front street had leaked out through underground channels and was now widely known, with a relatively complete account.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s said the Sword Trial Grove is now bustling beyond measure; students seeking martial cultivation now outnumber the bamboo in the Grove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some two-and-a-half-year trainees’ dormitories are closer to the Sword Trial Grove; it’s said that every evening, instructors on the mountain curse Ji You.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Fang Ruoyao was also at the Enlightenment Ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She remained at the Awakening Initiation Stage, still struggling to harmonize with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, she trained harder than most, and finally began to grasp a glimmer of understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this very diligence made her acutely aware that the gap between people could not be bridged by mere effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Ji You sit cross-legged on the ground, adjusting his robes, she felt momentarily dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She shared a dormitory with Lou Siyi and Sun Zhi, had heard the most detailed version of the tale, and even dreamed several times of the white-robed swordmaster switching swords with both hands and sweeping his sleeve to summon blades that saved the two inner-disciple seniors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This morning, she accidentally overheard Lou Siyi secretly dispatching a maid into the city to search for a sword, intending to gift it to Ji You.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, her heart was heavy with disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, many in the academy had already spread rumors that her status as his fiancée was false, since they had never spoken to each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ji You, could you take a walk with me before the hour of Hai?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Ruoyao summoned her courage and called out to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just then, heavenly light descended; above the layered clouds, tiger roars and dragon roars echoed, and the light then sank into his crown, clearly entering the Heavenly Book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Fang Ruoyao lowered her eyelids, while the others in the Enlightenment Ground wore complex expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Entering the Enlightenment Ground and immediately drawing a response from the Heavenly Book—this was truly showy; each time it happened, it bred fresh envy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Ji You’s spiritual sense soared into the heavens, gradually entering the Void Mist as he followed the boundless starlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before he could steady himself, a snow-white jade foot came flying toward him, “Pam!”—kicking him out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a blur, Ji You saw nothing clearly, only a woman in a red dress, coldly turned to the side, her face like frozen frost, clearly furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Reward me right away? What’s going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You was forcibly ejected from his enlightenment state, bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried again, and again the delicate jade foot came flying at him, refusing to let him enter the Void Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning his spiritual sense, Ji You sat on the Enlightenment Ground, counted the days with his fingers, and thought: This isn’t one of those days!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why is she so angry she won’t even let him return to his room?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around him, the students stared blankly at the intermittent heavenly light in the sky, expressionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only on the third attempt did Ji You enter the Void Mist again—this time, no jade foot met him; he succeeded in entering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Void Mountain and the chaotic heavenly Dao became clear before him, he saw the red-dressed immortal maiden back on her black stone, her expression still icy, forbidding all approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most striking was the deep purple, nearly black aura surrounding her, like flame, flickering constantly around her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You… what is that on you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The immortal maiden’s resentment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman gritted her teeth, her voice freezing to the bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had assumed that though they had rarely spoken, their daily afternoon cultivation sessions were an unspoken agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But who knew he vanished without a word for several days last time—and now again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, she hadn’t cared, thinking: I’ve lived on this mountain for over a decade, cultivating alone—what difference could it make?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then she noticed a pale purple mist gathering around her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first she thought she was suffering qi deviation, but later realized: since her spiritual sense entered the Void Mountain, certain emotional disturbances manifested as such auras around her spiritual perception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the first day, the color was faint; on the second, it deepened; finally, it began turning black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, she seemed to understand: when that man stared at her feet, what were those drifting, golden-yellow wisps around him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Ji You noticed the aura around her suddenly shifted into a deeply sorrowful gray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared for a long while, and faintly sensed what she resented: “On the day of Winter Solstice, I dined with fellow disciples; on the way back, I was ambushed. The battle drained too much of my spiritual sense—I slept for two days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you get injured?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No injury.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You thought a moment and said: “The academy has been investigating this matter these past days; I’ve just returned from being questioned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re a disciple of the Heavenly Book Academy,” the woman suddenly pointed at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was indeed sharp-witted; she knew that among the Seven Immortal Sects, only the Heavenly Book Academy referred to itself as “the Academy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You smiled slightly, looking at the haughty immortal maiden: “Then what’s your name, Immortal Maiden?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The immortal maiden studied him for a long while: “Yan Shuyi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll begin cultivating—no more kicking me. Though foot Dao is still Dao…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what’s your name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ji… Bochang, meaning ‘gathering many strengths.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Shuyi lifted her head, gazing at the yellow smoke billowing from his head, and narrowed her eyes slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You recognized the pre-kick expression and held his breath: “Yan Shuyi, you just promised not to kick me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rogue!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after being kicked out of the “chat group” by the snow-white jade foot, Ji You remained puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She shouldn’t know the meaning of that word—until he noticed the thick yellow smoke rising from his own head…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1240,"2026-06-19T15:28:39.995Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ba14cea0ab7b82d09b8c9d50d7c11ac6690e452a7ce052ee8a8736573b1f6c80","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-35","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-33",430,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwatching-the-immortals-fall-cover.jpg"]