Chapter 61: What Does

On the eve of Lichun, the springtime of Qingyun Realm had not arrived as expected.

Instead, a sudden heavy snow fell, turning a thousand li into white emptiness.

In Youzhou, the northern reaches of Yunzhou, and throughout Fengzhou, starving corpses froze to death in roadside ditches, later hastily collected by officials and dumped into mass graves.

Meanwhile, the disciples of the Heavenly Book Academy lived in unusually tranquil ease.

This ease stemmed partly from Ji You’s departure—finally, the immortal sect, composed entirely of aristocratic youths, was rid of Ji You, that outsider from the countryside who shone so brilliantly.

Another reason was that Chu He had entered the Tongxuan Realm and had visited the Inner Academy the day before.

Among the academy’s students, this sparked widespread discussion: Could the Inner Academy slots have already been decided?

But the autumn contest hadn’t even begun—this violated protocol.

Yet as Chu He drifted into the Enlightenment Ground, such murmurs vanished instantly, as if they had never existed.

Having been in the academy half a year, they knew each other’s temperaments well; they knew Chu He held grudges fiercely and that certain topics must never be mentioned.

For instance, sensing the Heavenly Book, and the name Ji You.

But when news arrived from the ruins, the Outer Academy erupted in a storm of debate.

“Have you heard? Conflict broke out in the ruins—Spirit Sword Mountain allied with the Dao Inquiry Sect to attack our Heavenly Book Academy.”

“Huh? Our academy has never had a feud with Spirit Sword Mountain—why would they do this?”

“Reportedly, Sister Pei and the others brought many spirit stones into the mountains, but the spiritual energy in the ruins flowed unevenly, drawing greed toward them at the central immortal mountain.”

“What was the outcome?”

“Naturally, we won.”

“Damn, no wonder our academy is so formidable!”

“Reportedly, one of our own, a fully cultivated Lower Realm cultivator, arrived on the scene and, with seven swords, reversed the battle—and nearly killed a Spirit Sword Mountain cultivator in the Rongdao Realm!”

“?”

The immortal fortune within the ruins, especially the divine light from the central immortal mountain, had always tugged at the nerves of the Seven Immortal Sects and countless aristocratic clans.

Clans like the Lu family of Yunzhou, the Du family of Liangzhou, and the Bai family of Youzhou had all sent elite members and hired retainers to sneak into the mountains.

These aristocratic scions of the Heavenly Book Academy didn’t need to risk entering the ruins themselves, yet their intelligence was exceptionally sharp.

At this moment, in the Enlightenment Ground, upon hearing “fully cultivated Lower Realm,” “seven swords,” and “nearly killed a Rongdao cultivator,” everyone fell silent.

Coincidentally, they all recalled a name they had nearly forgotten.

But after careful thought, they smiled faintly and shook their heads.

Yet the news that followed confirmed their thoughts—and ignited a massive uproar.

Ji You intervened in the ruins, wielded seven swords, and nearly beheaded a Spirit Sword Mountain Rongdao Realm swordsman…

In that moment, all disciples meditating in the Enlightenment Ground turned their gaze forward—to Chu He, clad in purple brocade robes, who had just returned from the Inner Academy the day before.

“Nearly killed a Rongdao cultivator? Hmph.”

“Don’t you think the word ‘nearly’ here is laced with so much exaggeration it’s as vast as the Mystic Sea?”

Chu He spoke coldly, instantly silencing everyone.

Indeed, it wasn’t that he had truly killed a Rongdao cultivator—it was merely “nearly,” and that made all the difference.

The term “nearly” is akin to “almost,” but how far short of success was “almost”? No one knew.

“Perhaps Inner Academy’s Master Wen and Senior Ban nearly killed the man and assigned him to clean up—but he couldn’t finish the job, yet the story twisted into ‘nearly killed.’”

“Our academy must preserve its prestige; having been besieged already cost us face, so inflating his feat a little is only natural.”

“So that’s how it is…”

In the Outer Academy’s Enlightenment Ground, as Chu He seized upon the word “nearly” and spun it into a major point, the aristocratic youths began nodding in agreement.

Lu Qingqiu sat nearby; after listening, she exchanged glances with Lou Siyi and Sun Zhi, both agreeing Chu He had a point.

Though the ruins were filled with malevolent energy that suppressed spiritual essence, Ji You was equally suppressed.

Killing across two realms was simply too absurd—never before had such a thing occurred in all of Qingyun Realm.

Yet as the murmurs began to fade, two figures appeared on the White Jade Bridge over Bi Shui Lake, one following the other.

The crowd looked closer and recognized them: Ding Ang, Chu He’s instructor, and Wu Kai, Du Zhu’s instructor.

They moved hurriedly, faces grim, each approaching the Enlightenment Ground to whisper urgently with Chu He and Du Zhu.

Soon, Chu He’s expression turned extremely grim, his eyes filled with disbelief, then he followed Instructor Ding toward the Sword Trial Grove.

Seeing this, all disciples in the Enlightenment Ground were bewildered, unsure what had happened.

The Sword Trial Grove was a place for martial cultivation—everyone knew that.

Yet among so many Outer Academy students, only Ji You had ever gone there.

Lu Qingqiu also felt puzzled, but before she could ponder further, she saw her own instructor, Ma Zhiyuan, arrive on the grounds—his expression, though less severe than Ding’s and Wu’s, was still deeply grave.

“Instructor, why are you here?”

Ma Zhiyuan replied: “Qingqiu, do you still wish to compete for an Inner Academy slot?”

Lu Qingqiu was stunned, fell silent for a long while, then shook her head.

She had indeed aimed for the Inner Academy upon entering, but after Ji You sensed the Heavenly Book, Chu He broke into Tongxuan, and Du Zhu surged ahead, she had accepted reality.

Talent, after all, never follows reason.

Though she now possessed four dark lights, she was still far from Tongxuan—she no longer entertained delusions.

Ma Zhiyuan nodded: “Then you need not go to the Sword Trial Grove.”

“Instructor, what’s happened? Why must anyone go to the Sword Trial Grove?”

Ma Zhiyuan stood with his hands behind his back: “I intended to tell you—if you still harbor ambition for the Inner Academy, you should now pursue both martial and spiritual cultivation, for the final selection still depends on the contest results.”

Lu Qingqiu and the surrounding disciples all looked confused: “Even if one wishes to compete for an Inner Academy slot, why must one necessarily train in martial cultivation?”

“Haven’t you heard? Ji You in the ruins nearly killed a Spirit Sword Mountain Rongdao cultivator?”

“But the Rongdao cultivator didn’t die—‘nearly’ is too vague, can’t we just say whatever we like?”

Ma Zhiyuan fell silent for a long while: “He didn’t die not because Ji You couldn’t kill him, but because Ji You, for reasons unknown, held back and spared the Rongdao cultivator’s life.”

As his words ended, the Outer Academy disciples froze, then erupted in uproar.

True, “nearly” always implies falling short—its meaning can be stretched.

But after debating so long, none of them had ever considered that “nearly” meant deliberate mercy.

A fully cultivated Lower Realm cultivator showing mercy to a Rongdao Realm master—this sense of supreme superiority sent chills through countless hearts.

At this moment, Lu Qingqiu and the others gazed toward the Sword Trial Grove and suddenly understood why Chu He and Du Zhu had been taken there.

When Ji You was first listed among the mountain explorers, many had assumed he would miss the Inner Academy slot entirely, fade into obscurity, or worse, die in the ruins.

But only when he spared the Rongdao cultivator’s life did they realize things had never been that simple.

The final selection for the Inner Academy still required a contest; even though Chu He had entered Tongxuan first, everyone still believed he would be crushed if he faced Ji You.

(End of Chapter)