Chapter 191: Unknown Strength
On the snow-white peak of Ni Mountain in winter, snow covered the fallen leaves, and a rustling sound would come from underfoot when one stepped on it, one of the most subtle sounds of collapse in the world.
The Disciples of the Inner Courtyard, who were constantly moving between the five peaks, couldn't help but step out of the main hall at this moment, looking towards the mountain path.
They saw a long trail of footprints starting from the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest and extending all the way to the Immortal Residence of the Inner Courtyard.
Beneath the footprints, the melted snow turned into clear spring water with a sizzling sound, covering the withered yellow grass leaves, like unsolidified amber.
Tianshu Academy has Five Great Immortal Halls, among which the Disciples of Wuchen Hall primarily Cultivate the Dao of Originlessness.
There is a theory in the Dao of Qi Origin, proposed by Elder Jiao, that energy never generates itself, but is obtained through the conversion of work.
And what accompanies the conversion process of certain energies is an unquenchable heat. After the twelfth month's winter snow, it was a sunny day with slightly warm sunlight. Although the brilliant sunlight was not enough to drive away the cold,
it still shone so brightly that one could not look directly at it.
At this moment, Outer Courtyard Instructors Ma Zhiyuan and Ding Ang arrived, treading on the snow, and came to the Wudao Field, gently exhaling a puff of white smoke.
Although it was not yet New Year, and the Autumn Tournament of the Outer Courtyard next year was even further away, they still had to come once every five days to check on the Disciples' Cultivation progress.
At this time, there were not as many Disciples in the Wudao Field.
Only Fang Jincheng, Lu Hanyan (Lu Qingqiu’s younger sister), and Puyang Xing, along with five scattered Disciples, were sitting in meditation to comprehend the Dao.
This phenomenon was just as Cao Jinsong had told Ji You back then: when they first entered the academy, everyone thought they would become a Prodigy of their generation.
But as the gap gradually widened, the Dao Heart of many who lagged behind would also gradually extinguish.
In the end, only those few who were far ahead remained, along with some who were unwilling to give up.
Lu Hanyan, Lu Qingqiu’s younger sister, had already been the first to gather the third Mystic Light, a step faster than Puyang Xing, and Instructor Ma was very pleased.
Puyang Xing was Instructor Ding's Disciple, and he was currently making a strong pursuit.
As for Fang Jincheng, he was personally recruited by an Inner Courtyard Elder, and he still only had five Mystic Lights.
“Fang Jincheng’s speed seems to have slowed down?” Ding Ang spoke softly from the edge of the Wudao Field.
Ma Zhiyuan nodded: “He delayed his admission by a year, yet he only has five Mystic Lights, and his speed is getting slower and slower, far worse than the two from last year—”
“The Lower Three Realms and the Upper Five Realms, one Cultivates the self, and the other comprehends the Heavenly Dao. There is a world of difference between them.
It's not uncommon for some people with good bone structure to progress quickly in the Lower Three Realms but have extremely poor Comprehension Ability, making progress difficult in the Upper Five Realms.”
Ding Ang stroked his long beard: “It seems that Ah Xing and the Lu family's Second Miss still have a great chance.”
Ma Zhiyuan nodded, then fell into silence, his thoughts somewhat hazy.
Although they, like in previous years, focused all their energy on the competition of their Disciples' Cultivation progress, they didn't seem to have the same fierce enthusiasm as before.
Even when discussing whose Disciple was doing well, who had superior skills, or whose Aptitude was clearly high, their tone was indifferent and weak, as if they couldn't muster any spirit.
After much thought, there were two reasons.
Firstly, there was no such fierce competitive atmosphere among the Outer Courtyard Disciples themselves.
At this time last year, the Outer Courtyard Disciples were all focused on those few who were far ahead, those who were chasing each other, constantly clashing, and even the Inner Courtyard was subtly paying attention.
But this year, the focus of both Outer Courtyard and Inner Courtyard Disciples was on the Inner Courtyard.
Coincidentally, no matter how the focus of the Inner Courtyard and Outer Courtyard shifted, it ultimately fell on the same person.
The second reason came from themselves; to put it bluntly, the rivalry between them as Instructors also lacked any real intensity.
Because in previous years, among their Outer Courtyard Instructors, there was a fat man whose Disciples would become the object of everyone's ridicule every year due to his extremely poor background.
But starting last year, this object of ridicule disappeared, replaced by a chest so swollen it looked like it would burst.
“I heard from some Disciples in the Inner Courtyard that Ji You had another Breakthrough.”
Ding Ang nodded: “Yes, I heard. This Breakthrough to the Profound Connection Realm took him half a month,
which surprised many people.”
Ma Zhiyuan pursed his lips: “I really don't know if that's fast or slow.”
Fast and slow are not absolute concepts in the Cultivation Domain, but rather relative.
Ji You reaching the Profound Connection Realm in just one year is actually considered remarkably fast.
One must know that Pan Bin, who was a year ahead of him, and Liu Qichen, who was two years ahead of him, are still only at the same Profound Connection Realm.
And slow refers to the process of his Breakthrough.
To Breakthrough a minor Realm, it took him a full half month. This speed is almost incomparable even to Outer Courtyard Disciples, otherwise, it wouldn't have caused such widespread discussion about “not needing Body Refining.”
A few days ago, both the Inner and Outer Courtyard held a lecture hall because of this, and they, as Outer Courtyard Instructors, also attended.
What was discussed in the lecture hall was the matter of not allowing highly talented students to undergo Body Refining.
But today, the discussion about “not needing Body Refining” suddenly decreased. The reason, it seems, was the evaluation of Ji You's Breakthrough by those Hall Master candidate direct Disciples.
Ma Zhiyuan looked at Lu Qingqiu, who was currently protecting her younger sister's Dao. She was talking with a few of her sisters, Lou Siyi, Sun Qiaozhi, and others, occasionally glancing towards the Outer Courtyard.
“They say Ji You's Qi after his Breakthrough is very strong.”
“Yes, and they also said he melted the snow, I wonder if it’s true.”
“But combat power cannot be judged by Qi alone, can it? Like the Five Hall Masters of the Inner Courtyard, they hardly have any Qi around them.”
“Qi indeed cannot be considered a standard for combat power. If he doesn't make a move, perhaps no one will know what level he has reached—”
Ma Zhiyuan and Ding Ang exchanged words, then looked up at the vast, white sky.
At this time, others also frequently brought up a few words about this protracted Breakthrough.
Some Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters in the academy even greatly desired to experience this heat.
A minor Realm Breakthrough is not a big deal. Not to mention in the Seven Great Immortal Sects, even in those minor mountain villages, it wouldn't attract so much attention.
Ultimately, it's because everyone found it difficult to judge Ji You's combat power at this moment.
In the past Cultivation World, everyone's judgment of combat power was basically based on the level of one's Realm. But no one could say for sure what level Ji You, who could repel a Soldier King and kill a Mystic Demon while in the Tongxuan Middle Stage, truly was.
At this moment, Ji You, after his Breakthrough, was in a deep, dark slumber.
This minor Realm Breakthrough was indeed not easy, especially when pushing to the very end. That strong sense of restraint,
it was as if his entire being was enveloped by a viscous substance, bringing an inescapable feeling of suffocation.
Although that feeling was merely an illusion and not true suffocation, the panic it brought was the same.
And at the moment of Breakthrough, exhaustion surged like a tide, making his five senses less acute.
During this time, a loosely dressed figure drifted in, stood in his room for a long time, fiddling with this and that, then restoring everything to its original state, not even a speck of dust was moved.
Finally, he calculated with his fingers and threw three pieces of charcoal, allowed by fate, into the almost burnt-out brazier.
Then, with a gentle flick of his finger, flames surged.
Ji You slept as if dead, completely unaware, only kicking off his quilt as the temperature in his room gradually rose.
Then the loosely dressed figure quietly disappeared from the room, causing no disturbance and leaving no tracks on the snow.
His deep slumber continued until noon the next day. By then, the winter snow of the twelfth month had stopped. The melted snow water, illuminated by the midday sun, dripped from the eaves, but in the afternoon, it gradually froze into hanging icicles.
“It's done?”
“Yes, it's done.”
The awakened Ji You arrived at Cao Jinsong's courtyard, facing the midday sun.
Because he had sweated profusely during his Breakthrough, his immortal robe was already soaked. At this moment, Ji You had changed into a scholar's robe, with a scholar's Young Master cloak draped over it. His aura was contained, revealing no depth.
Cao Jinsong brewed tea while observing Ji You, then settled onto the soft cushion of the stone stool, his expression slightly bewildered.
During the days Ji You was in a coma, there were many rumors in the Outer Courtyard.
Some said he melted the snow in the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest after his Breakthrough, others said he made the Inner Courtyard female Disciples' eyes filled with spring water and unable to sleep at night, and some even claimed his clothes were directly burned through and he returned naked.
Of course, whether he was naked because his clothes were burned through or because he was too 'sao' (flamboyant/flirty) was still questionable.
After all, accents vary across the Nine Provinces.
The most exaggerated rumor almost described him as someone who could Ascend to the Immortal Realm with a single stomp of his foot.
But looking at him now, Cao Jinsong felt that Ji You's current presence was not as exaggerated as the rumors suggested.
“Try releasing your Qi.”
Ji You looked at him, speaking with a slight weariness: “Release what? It's tiring.”
Cao Jinsong immediately put on a serious expression: “Just release it when I tell you to!”
“How much money will I get for releasing my Qi?”
“I've really brought a Rebellious Disciple upon myself!”
Cao Jinsong's beard trembled with anger, then he pulled out his money pouch and took out a roughly equivalent piece of silver.
Ban Yangshu and Wen Zhengxin pushed the door open and entered. They had actually visited Ji You's courtyard last night to check on him, but Ji You was sleeping then, so they didn't disturb him. They rushed over now after receiving the news.
As soon as they pushed the door open, they saw Cao Jinsong taking out silver and handing it to Ji You, and couldn't help but gasp.
Did he just Breakthrough and start robbing people because his strength increased? How filial!
Ji You took the silver at this moment, and upon looking up, he saw Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu: “Senior Brother, Senior Sister?”
Cao Jinsong looked at them: “You've come at the right time, sit.”
Ban Yangshu waved his hand: “No, I just remembered I have some things—”
Wen Zhengxin also smiled faintly in response: “It seems my tea is still brewing in my room—”
“?”
Cao Jinsong then realized they had misunderstood, and quickly explained that he wasn't robbing, but that it cost money for Ji You to release his Qi.
Ban Yangshu and Wen Zhengxin sat on the stone stools, thinking to themselves, what's the difference between this and robbing?
Then Ji You began to open the Qi apertures throughout his body, guiding the omnipresent Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into his body.
Once the Spiritual Qi was abundant, Ji You gently clenched his fist and began to release his Qi, which gradually climbed.
Before long, a whistling wind had gathered around him, carrying a scorching aura that instantly spread throughout the courtyard, rattling the sweet osmanthus tree in the monastic cell.
At this moment, Ru Long could feel a more surging Qi flowing through his body. Especially after his essence, Qi, and spirit were fully nourished, he felt a heroic pride, as if the heavens had no handle and the earth no ring.
However, the Meridians in his arm were not yet fully unblocked, and the Qi flowing through them would cause a sharp pain.
He also discovered that the improvement of his Realm had another effect on him, one that came from his Physical Body.
Because just now, as the Spiritual Qi in Ru Long's body continuously filled up, the Spiritual Qi brought out by the shattered Spirit Origin ignited a spiritual fire under the slight movement of his Divine Thought.
At this point, the powerful sense of calm brought by the sixteenth micro-illumination seemed to disappear—
Another thing he noticed when he used his Divine Thought to look inward was that his Spirit Origin was even more shattered.
Cao Jinsong stopped him at this point.
The crossing of a minor Realm would not actually give a Cultivator more divine abilities; the changes it caused were only the enhancement of Spiritual Qi and Divine Thought, ultimately transforming into a leap in combat power.
Therefore, simply observing him circulating his Qi still made it impossible to determine Ru Long's current combat power.
"Half a month, Ru Long, do you know that even students with less Aptitude than you haven't taken this long?"
Cao Jinsong couldn't help but sigh.
Although Ru Long was his Rebellious Disciple, he had never worried about his Cultivation. Aside from guiding this Rebellious Disciple when he first comprehended the Heavenly Dao, he had never inquired about anything related to comprehending the Dao and breaking through Realms.
This wasn't because Cao Jinsong didn't care about him, but because the gap in talent between them was evident.
Cao Jinsong didn't want to lead him astray with his own shallow understanding of the Heavenly Dao.
It was precisely because of this that he had never inquired about Ru Long's indulgence in Body Refining.
It wasn't until this Breakthrough to the Tong Xuan Realm that Ru Long took more time than others, which finally caused him concern.
Body Refining was truly a waste of Cultivation talent and would indeed counteract a Cultivator's closeness to the Heavenly Dao.
Ru Long picked up his teacup after hearing this: "I understand what Instructor means. Physical Body strength did indeed hinder my Breakthrough speed, but combat power has always been my pursuit, so I might continue Body Refining."
Cao Jinsong pursed his lips: "This was just a minor Realm Breakthrough, and it was already so difficult. Are you really not afraid that you will ultimately fail to achieve Integration Realm?"
"Things depend on human effort. Anyway, I've already Cultivated to this point. It's just adding flour when there's too much water, and adding water when there's too much flour. Moreover, I've always believed that as long as I can master the balance between the Physical Body and Divine Thought, my Cultivation method might not be wrong."
"My talent is not as good as yours, Rebellious Disciple, so I can't give you too much advice. However, you still need to be cautious about Cultivating the Physical Body."
"Don't worry, I'll stop when I realize something is wrong."
Ru Long put down his teacup and murmured softly.
After breaking through two Realms in one night in Yuyang County, his Spirit Origin shattered. Logically, he should not have been able to continue Cultivating.
But now that he could Cultivate to this extent, it felt like a windfall to Ru Long.
Cultivation emphasizes following nature. Since things were already this way, he felt that continuing to Cultivate in this manner was also a form of following nature.
However, just as Cao Jinsong said, Tong Xuan Realm was only the first step. He would then face the challenge of breaking through to the Rongdao Realm.
Ban Yangshu and Wen Zhengxin were both Cultivators in the Rongdao Realm. Seeing that Ru Long had reached this point, they shared their own experiences of achieving Integration Realm.
The Tong Xuan Realm emphasizes observing the Heavenly Dao, while the Rongdao Realm involves integrating the observed Dao into oneself.
For example, among the Five Halls of the Inner Courtyard, some focus on the Dao of strength, striking like mountains, with unparalleled Qi.
Some focus on the Dao of the Four Symbols, with surging thunder techniques and wind as a shield. There are also the Dao of light and darkness, the Dao of blooming flowers, and the Dao of flowing water, each distinct, corresponding to the myriad Great Daos.
And the opportunity for the Rongdao Realm lies in establishing one's Dao.
Some Cultivators establish their Dao in mountains and rivers, some in the Xuán Hǎi, and some in stars.
It is said that the broader the established Dao, the immeasurable the Cultivation.
However, the established Dao is not a subjective choice, but rather a visualization that emerges from the depths of a Cultivator's heart when breaking through from the Tong Xuan Realm to the Rongdao Realm, originating from their destiny or an unforgettable resonance.
And when a Cultivator finds the opportunity to establish their Dao, they can enter the Rongdao Realm.
Subsequently, one can primarily Cultivate the Dao of strength, the Dao of light and darkness, or the Dao of heavenly secrets, relying on the various techniques of Tianshu Academy to enhance combat power and gradually raise their Realm.
In this Realm, as Cultivators deepen their understanding of the Heavenly Dao, the feedback they receive from the Heavenly Dao will become increasingly strong.
So what Ru Long needs to do now is first stabilize his current Realm, continue to observe the Dao, and then comprehend the heavenly secrets, questioning his Dao Heart and destiny.
Wen Zhengxin stated directly that her established Dao was the Free Mountain of the Inner Courtyard.
When she achieved Integration Realm, it was during her competition with He Lingxiu, and that Free Mountain in the Inner Courtyard was her mental visualization.
Ru Long looked up at this moment, thinking, "Oh no, it won't be set on white feet, will it?" After a long period of thought, he looked at Ban Yangshu: "Senior Brother Ban, what is your established Dao?"
Ban Yangshu gently put down his teacup: "A wall."
"Didn't you say the bigger, the better?"
"Actually, in my opinion, the matter of establishing the Dao may not have any impact on your future Cultivation path. At least, I don't feel that way. So I think the Rongdao Realm still depends on the comprehension of the Heavenly Dao. Establishing the Dao is just a process, and no one usually talks about such things."
Cao Jinsong couldn't help but speak at this moment: "Not necessarily."
Ban Yangshu looked up upon hearing this: "?"
"What you students see is different from what we Instructors see. To my knowledge, there are indeed people in the Inner Courtyard whose Cultivation has advanced rapidly due to establishing their Dao. That Chai Ze is one of them."
Cao Jinsong placed his hands on his knees: "For thousands of years, the Seven Great Immortal Sects and the Millennium Worldly Sect have been deeply researching the path to Immortality. The matter of establishing the Dao may seem insignificant to us, but they might have already discovered its mysteries, they just don't tell others."
Ru Long clicked his tongue twice after hearing this: "Another bloodline monopoly?"
"That's not wrong to say, because besides Chai Ze, He Lingxiu and You Buyu are actually the same."
"The Chai family—?"
Cao Jinsong nodded: "The Worldly Family where Chang Sheng Dian Master Chai Hu belongs. Chai Ze is the The legitimate son of the Chai family's main lineage."
Ban Yangshu and Wen Zhengxin frowned: "So there's such a thing—"
"The resources of the Immortal Realm are like the taxes of Qingyun World; they are never equal. Even if you enter an Immortal Sect, the difference brought by your background and connections is huge. Some things are not just things you can't reach even if you risk your life, but things you might not even know about even if you risk your life. This is reality."
Ru Long remained silent for a while before speaking: "Then what is the best thing to establish one's Dao in? Does Instructor have any information to reveal?"
Cao Jinsong shook his head: "I don't know, but as long as you don't establish your Dao in silver, I think it's all pretty good."
Wen Zhengxin turned her head at this moment: "Don't say that, I think Junior Brother is very likely to establish his Dao in silver."
Ban Yangshu strongly agreed: "Achieving the Dao by asking one's Dao Heart, sometimes a person's visualization represents what they desire in their heart—"
Ru Long smiled upon hearing this: "Then it seems if Rulong Immortal Emperor were to achieve Integration Realm, he would probably establish it on a buttock."
"Junior Brother is absolutely right."
"By the way, speaking of Ru Long, why isn't he here? I haven't seen his money pouch in so long, I really miss it."
Ru Long's lips curved into a smile: "Could it be that he couldn't break through and is painstakingly in seclusion?"
Ban Yangshu looked at him sideways: "He seems to have found a Dao Companion recently."
Wen Zhengxin nodded: "He went into seclusion for three days after he returned, saying that Cultivation was too tiring, and there was no point in looking at round buttocks with tails anyway, so he spent all his time wandering in the Outer Courtyard."
"?"
Just as they were speaking, Cao Jinsong's courtyard gate was suddenly pushed open.
Rulong Immortal Emperor entered gracefully, his face beaming, as if bathed in a spring breeze: "Brother Ji, you've finally broken through!"
Ru Long couldn't help but narrow his eyes, extremely displeased with his frivolous behavior while he himself was painstakingly breaking through. He decided to punish his money pouch, so his expression was quite unfriendly.
Rulong Immortal Emperor was also somewhat astute. Feeling a sudden chill two inches below his heart, where his money pouch was kept, he immediately changed the subject, talking about the woman he had met today.
He boasted to everyone about how they composed poems and music together, and strolled arm in arm.
Rulong Immortal Emperor finished speaking and looked at Ru Long: "Brother Ji, it's New Year in half a month. There will definitely be a lantern festival in Shengjing City then. Do you want to invite a few of your fiancées to stroll arm in arm with us?"
Ru Long: "Hehe."
Rulong Immortal Emperor restrained his smile, realizing that the chill two inches below his heart had not diminished at all, and had even subtly worsened. He immediately became vigilant, wondering what had provoked the formidable bandit in front of him.
In fact, Cultivators of the same age as Ru Long, especially those who had no hope of breaking through, had recently found Dao Companions.
When he came down from the Inner Courtyard earlier, he saw someone going into the small forest.
They all said he had many fiancées, but he was still a lone wolf.
Ru Long patted his robes and stood up, looking at the snow-covered ground reflecting the sunlight: "Let's go, I'm going down the mountain."
Cao Jinsong stood up at this moment, his chest rapidly puffing out as if inflated: "I'll go with you."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm not going down the mountain. I'm just going to the Wudao Field for a stroll. I haven't been there for several days. I wonder if Instructor Ma and Instructor Ding miss me, hahaha."
Ru Long couldn't help but grin, thinking to himself that Instructor Ma and Instructor Ding were truly destined for bad luck—
He murmured to himself and walked out of the courtyard gate towards the foot of the mountain.
At this moment, the Disciples on the Wudao Field, the two Instructors Ma and Ding, and countless gazes from the Outer Courtyard turned towards Ru Long, who was making his first appearance after a long period of seclusion.
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