Chapter 413

Ji You’s situation differs from Chen Fuzi’s; Chen Fuzi had truly ascended after nearing Immortality, and before that, his physical body had already decayed, so to return to this world, he could only use a clay body.

But Ji You’s physical body still exists; he can return to Qingyun and reunite his spiritual soul with it.

The problem is, he was bound by soul chains and fell into a scattered soul state precisely because his body and soul were mismatched.

If he tried again, the situation would not improve.

Thus, Ji You could only walk with a clay body unless his Dao comprehension reached the same level as his physical body, achieving balance between the two, so that body and soul could reunite.

But the issue is, Dao Integration is a unique foundational realm among the Upper Five Realms.

Cultivators in this stage must clarify their own Dao, sort out their thoughts—whether good or evil—retaining what is necessary and discarding the chaotic, truly achieving inner-outer unity.

This process is called Dao Fixation.

But if a person clings to obsession, this trial becomes extremely difficult; if that obsession transforms into a heart demon, the risk of qi deviation and losing one’s true self grows.

After a long silence, Ji You spoke: “I doubt I’ll ever have the chance for Dao Comprehension and Spiritual Travel—I carry a demon in my heart, and I cannot pass the Heart-Questioning trial. That’s why I originally chose to train only my physical body.”

“Then forget it.”

“?”

The Headmaster of the Heavenly Book Academy looked at him: “That memory has become your shackle; no matter how important, it no longer needs to exist. But humans find it hard to forget on their own, which is why they suffer. Yet I have a way—I can permanently seal it during your Dao Fixation, making you forget that past forever.”

After hearing this, Ji You lifted his head: “Will I still remember my younger brother and sister?”

“One must look forward, not linger endlessly in the past.”

The old Headmaster turned his back: “I refrained from teaching you Celestial Mechanics to avoid disturbing your karmic threads. But had you seen through the Celestial Threads, you’d know—whether it’s me, you, or someone else’s fate, a single life or death isn’t truly significant. Yet if you make no choice, you’ll remain bound to this world as a clay body. But what can a Tongxuan Realm cultivator accomplish? In this age of Clan Revival, returning with this level of cultivation, you won’t even reach the person you wish to see before dying on the road.”

After hearing this, Ji You lowered his head, staring for a long while at the rolling darkness beneath his feet.

He knew the old doctor was right—he needed higher cultivation, and he needed to reclaim his physical body.

Otherwise, even if he returned, it would mean nothing.

And this choice before him was his first great trial.

After long thought, Ji You sat cross-legged, slowly lowering his hands onto his knees.

Seeing this, Chen Fuzi, who had remained silent until now, closed his eyes slightly.

He knew Ji You had accepted the old man’s advice—but he did not agree with the views just expressed.

Some experiences and thoughts, whether good or bad, are part of what makes me who I am today.

Because of them, I became who I am now; thus, they should not be forgotten.

Perhaps this is what the old man meant—that people like us cannot see through the Celestial Threads, and that’s why we suffer and are lost. But Chen Fuzi did not think this was wrong.

Yet though he disagreed, he said nothing to stop him, for he knew Ji You must pass this trial.

“Still your breath, calm your qi, seek your thoughts.”

“When your obsession appears, I will sense it and immediately seal the memory. Remember—at that moment, do not resist.”

Seeing Ji You make his choice, the Headmaster of the Heavenly Book Academy also sat cross-legged, his aura surging forth.

At the very moment Ji You closed his eyes, the Headmaster thrust his arms and raised his palms—a divine light surged from his palms and crashed down upon Ji You’s crown.

In an instant, Ji You entered a meditative state.

At that moment, endless white light flashed through his mind, dragging him deep into the abyss of his thoughts.

After an unknown length of time, a riverbank appeared before him.

The riverbank flowed gently, green willows fluttered on both shores, blue sky and white clouds, spring brimming with life.

Before him, a group of small children laughed and chattered as they walked toward the riverbank.

The one leading the group was slightly older than the others—he was delicate, with red lips and white teeth, bearing endless resemblance to Ji You.

“Brother, I’m going to catch little fish.”

“Don’t go where the water’s deep.”

“We’ll stay right by the shore!”

“Brother, I’m coming too—I had a pet crab that stopped moving, I need to catch another.”

Amid laughter and joy, Ji You stood beside them, watching his younger siblings step across the green grass and race toward the river to play, his eyes filled with boundless longing.

His parents died in a car accident, after which he was sent to an orphanage.

Had no further events occurred, that time would have been the most beautiful memory of his darkest days.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but look toward the hill nearby, upstream along the riverbank.

Soon, a roaring flood surged down from there, rushing downstream.

“The sluice gate is open!”

“The Hongxing Reservoir has opened the sluice gate!”

The torrent came with terrifying speed, instantly filling the entire riverbed, surging forward, reflected in Ji You’s trembling eyes.

Dozens of small figures, panicked and unable to escape, were swept into the river.

At that moment, a divine light suddenly fell from above, freezing the scene instantly.

Then, the scene ignited, beginning to fade in color as if a memory were being forgotten—starting with the loss of hue.

Ji You’s gaze remained fixed on this scene, then suddenly lifted his head to the sky.

BOOM!!!!!

In the white expanse, the Headmaster of the Heavenly Book Academy was sealing Ji You’s memory—when suddenly he opened his eyes wide, trembling, the divine light between his palms collapsing.

Chen Fuzi, watching beside him, widened his eyes: “What happened?”

“He stopped me.”

Chen Fuzi froze, then turned his gaze to Ji You.

At that moment, Ji You was surrounded by swirling dark light, the sound of Dao resonating endlessly around him—he had already begun Dao Fixation.

Both men froze, watching as Ji You’s aura surged upward, charging toward the light of the Dao ahead.

But his spiritual soul was unstable, his entire body trembling, his muscles tightening violently.

The Headmaster of the Heavenly Book Academy had entered his Dao with divine light; though rejected as a participant, a fragment of his thought remained within.

Now he was deeply puzzled why Ji You refused to have his memory sealed, so he swept his sleeve within the white expanse.

A sudden breeze blew, and Ji You’s Dao-heart image unfurled like a scroll before their eyes.

In the river, the current roared wildly, yet Ji You charged into it without hesitation.

Some memories must not be forgotten, even if they carry endless pain.

Because if even I forget them, no one else in this world will remember them.

So his greatest pain and terror over the years has been dreaming of them again, being asked: “Brother, have you forgotten us?”

He never accepted the Headmaster’s advice—but this time, he intended to truly confront his own demon.

The icy river surged violently as Ji You fought to swim.

At this moment, Qiqi was swept near the shore, caught on a tree branch—exactly as he had heard from the bank before.

Ignoring the burning pain of water flooding his throat, ignoring the suffocating terror, he strained toward his sister—but before he reached her, he was swallowed by the raging current.

CRACK—the branch snapped, and the screaming girl was swept away by the flood.

Then the scene replayed—before the sluice gate opened: the same laughter, the same cries, the same plunge into the water, the same drowning.

Once, twice, three times.