Chapter 40: My Fate Is Mine by Coin, Not Heaven

Beneath the winter wind, Cao Jinsong looked up and sighed, then went to the Outer Courtyard’s Sect Affairs Pavilion, exchanged his token for his monthly stipend, and stuffed it into a money pouch, tying it tight.

Though this was a sect mission, whenever traveling outside, one always carried some silver.

His monthly stipend was modest, but it was at least a teacher’s gesture.

The setting sun blazed like blood, staining the clouds.

After leaving the Sect Affairs Pavilion, Cao Jinsong walked near the White Jade Terrace and saw a circle of students whispering near the sect gate.

“Why aren’t you cultivating? What are you blocking the path for?”

Cao Jinsong grew angry whenever he saw students who took their place at the Heavenly Book Academy for granted, and couldn’t help asserting his teacher’s authority.

The nearby students turned at the sound, recognized him, and immediately bowed: “We pay our respects to the Instructor.”

“Stand. What’s happened?”

“There’s a girl at the gate—she’s made my spiritual heart suddenly clear…”

“?”

Through the gap as students stepped aside, Cao Jinsong saw the scene below the gate.

A woman of celestial beauty stood there, clad in a cloud-silk long robe that accentuated her graceful, full figure. She tilted her chin slightly, her eyes cold and piercing, gazing at the towering characters of the sect gate beneath the crimson sunset.

The Heavenly Book Academy’s protective sect array was active; non-students required permission to enter.

Yet the woman showed no concern. As she approached, her aura surged outward, directly opposing the barrier—she didn’t retreat an inch.

Ordinary students might not grasp the significance, but Cao Jinsong frowned slightly.

He sensed she was saturated with sword qi—razor-sharp, so intense it unsettled even him.

At that moment, wind and sword qi surged violently, growing stronger.

When setting up the array, the Heavenly Book Academy designed the first layer to merely block, not harm.

Ordinary students, unable to pass, would stop.

But the woman did not halt.

The second layer, the killing array, began to glow faintly; behind her, a dark arc lit up, as if something was coalescing.

Cao Jinsong rubbed his eyes, about to be stunned—then the array and the dark arc vanished, as if an illusion.

The woman stepped into the Heavenly Book Academy, looked up toward the white sleeve fluttering atop Nishan, and frowned in confusion.

The Seven Immortal Sects had secretly vied for dominance for years, each refusing to yield.

She’d merely wanted to test the strength of this Sacred Sect’s array, never expecting to be invited in—or that her manifestation would be dispelled and the heavenly omens here obscured.

After a long pause, she raised her hand slightly in a bow toward the mountain, then ascended the White Jade Steps.

At that moment, students along the outer corridors and arched bridges paused, gazing this way.

The woman’s celestial beauty was otherworldly; even her furrowed brows were exquisite, standing gracefully upon the White Jade Terrace, a scene unto herself.

But what drew more attention was her attire and adornments.

The cloud-silk robe was of extraordinary material, seemingly a priceless artifact.

The two spirit swords at her waist were no ordinary weapons; the three spirit hairpins casually pinned in her hair were top-grade.

“Which ancient noble family’s daughter is this?”

“I don’t know—I’ve never seen her in the Outer Courtyard…”

“She’s not wearing an immortal robe—maybe she’s an Inner Courtyard senior sister?”

“How can you tell?”

“Such celestial beauty—our Outer Courtyard isn’t worthy.”

“This is a true immortal maiden. Compared to her, even Miss Lu seems vulgar…”

Lu Qingqiu, the eldest daughter of Yunzhou, happened to be in the Enlightenment Field. Hearing this, she frowned—but even she had to admit the woman radiated true immortality.

Yet what drew Lu Qingqiu’s gaze most was the three spirit hairpins on the woman’s head.

Years ago, the Lu family’s first mine reached its deepest layer and uncovered a complete, massive spirit core, brimming with the most vast essence of spiritual energy.

Lu Qingqiu’s father had it forged into four spirit hairpins; three were sold for astronomical prices, and the last was kept for her.

Precisely because she knew the price of those hairpins, she found this impossible.

Only an immortal sect’s blood relative or a millennia-old clan like the Chu family could afford three such hairpins.

Seeing the students’ reactions, Cao Jinsong spat.

Times have truly declined—Ji You would never act like this!

At that moment, the woman frowned slightly, her cold gaze sweeping the crowd.

She was clearly used to being stared at; she showed no alarm—yet that single glance made many onlookers avert their eyes, unwilling to look again.

Cao Jinsong, seeing this, swept his sleeve and left, hurrying to the elegant garden across Green Water Lake.

Ji You, returned from Wanzhuo Mountain, now had bandages on his shoulders, sitting on a stone bench beneath a cassia tree, before him a bundle of chopsticks borrowed from the Immortal Kitchen hovering in midair.

The chopsticks brimmed with spiritual energy, darting wildly through the air—thrusting, stabbing, slicing the sky.

Though small, their flight seemed chaotic—but upon closer look, their paths were unmistakably sword techniques.

“What are you doing?”

“Controlling swords.”

Ji You shifted his spiritual sense—the hovering chopsticks “hummed” and flew back into the chopstick holder.

After two battles, he realized multitasking with his spiritual sense was a major hurdle to overcome.

If he didn’t solve this, his combat duration would shrink drastically.

In team battles, others could cover for him—but alone, this would be his greatest weakness.

The solution was simple: only two options.

One: constantly train his spiritual sense to extend its endurance and make splitting attention more natural.

He had been doing this without pause.

The other method: turn sword techniques like thrusting, slashing, and flicking into habits.

Habit is terrifying—the deeper the imprint, the less spiritual sense it consumes, effectively turning sword techniques into instant-trigger shortcuts.

So far, the results were promising—at least the chopsticks could now draw a square and a circle.

After hearing his explanation, Cao Jinsong didn’t fully understand, but still exclaimed: “This boy is extraordinary!”—yet his enthusiasm quickly faded.

Ji You sensed it and asked: “What’s wrong?”

“The Evil Seeds are wreaking havoc, devouring many sect disciples and attacking Yu Danzong. The Management Office has dispatched many students to investigate and has narrowed it down to three ruins: Qiling Town, Yuh River Town, and Beisha Town. Now someone must enter them.”

Ji You recalled the figures flying over the Inner Courtyard these past days—he understood: “Me?”

Cao Jinsong nodded: “Yes. The Management Office believes you are fearless, your sword art peerless, unmatched…”

“If they truly thought that, I wouldn’t be sent.”

Cao Jinsong rolled up his wide sleeves: “Those words are true—but they also hope you’ll make way for noble scions. Your entrance performance has indeed threatened some people.”

Ji You tapped his knuckles lightly on the table, lips curling: “Have you ever heard this saying: ‘My fate is mine, not heaven’s’…”

“Never heard it. But this investigation has a reward: one hundred taels of silver.”

“Huh? Money? Then my fate is mine by coin, not heaven.”

Cao Jinsong’s lip twitched—he thought this boy truly worshipped wealth.

He sighed, pulling out a money pouch: “Knew you’d like this. Here—your travel expenses.”

Ji You glanced at it: “No, keep it for me for now.”

“Hah? Strange—got rich?”

“Money only matters if you live to spend it.”

Cao Jinsong’s expression turned serious: “Don’t rush into danger. Others from the Inner Courtyard are going with you. If the sky falls, the tallest will hold it up—you don’t need to risk yourself.”

Ji You nodded: “When do we leave?”

“Probably in three days. But we don’t know how long the journey will take—if the Inner Courtyard selection…”

“I’ll return before the Inner Courtyard selection.”

Hearing this, Cao Jinsong felt none of his usual optimism.

Chu He is now one step away from the Upper Five Realms; after entering Tongxuan, with elixirs, his Tongxuan realm may advance rapidly.

But Ji You is still far behind, without Heavenly Book assistance, and even his cultivation time isn’t guaranteed.

Most importantly, the orchestrators of the Evil Seeds incident clearly include more than one Upper Five Realm cultivator—if they meet, his safety is uncertain.

“You should tell Kuangcheng about this…”

Ji You didn’t notice Cao Jinsong’s worry—he was planning his schedule.

He decided to go to Shengjing tomorrow and inform the scholar.

Also…

He needed to visit Xuwu Mountain, to let that easily angered immortal maiden know—otherwise she’d throw a tantrum again.

Ji You wasn’t very close to her, but not distant either; yet speaking to her about important matters had become a habit.

“Instructor Cao, I’m going to the Enlightenment Field.”

“Still going to the Enlightenment Field, like this?”

Cao Jinsong’s lips trembled, touched by the teacher’s sentiment.

He’s about to be reassigned from the Heavenly Book Academy, yet still doesn’t forget to cultivate—Ji You is truly different from those noble scions.

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(End of chapter)