Chapter 205: Asking the Heart
Under the intense clamor of the gloomy sky, Cao Jinsong couldn't help but look up and stare for a long time, his eyes subtly changing.
When Ji You broke into the Profound Connection Realm, his physical body restricted his Heaven-Human Induction, causing him to take longer than others and barely reach the other shore in the end.
Because of this incident, the academy even held a special discussion on the topic of “physical restriction.”
The reason Cao Jinsong was so worried about his unrestrained Body Refining behavior stemmed from this concern.
Although those Elders in the academy were often disliked, their insights into cultivation were still convincing enough.
Especially since Tongxuan was only the first Realm of the Upper Five Realms, if even a small Realm of Cultivation was incredibly difficult, then other future Realms would be even more self-evident.
The Human Race's cultivation history spans thousands of years, giving birth to countless astonishingly talented individuals, but none who attempted to challenge common consensus succeeded. After all, how could one person's whim compare to the experience summarized by countless Prodigies of previous generations? But at this moment, Cao Jinsong looked at the powerful Sword Qi under the rolling dark clouds, feeling the tearing heaviness, and suddenly gained a clearer understanding of Ji You's current combat power.
He felt that Ji You's current combat power was truly beyond the scope of his understanding of Realms and Daoist Magic. This intuitive feeling was actually clearer than the message from the Immortal Supervisor saying that Ji You had blocked a punch from Soldier King.
Clang!
A simple Daoist Sword suddenly flew from the Instructor's Courtyard building and landed steadily in Cao Jinsong's hand with a “thwack.”
In an instant, vast Spiritual Qi surged in, and the sword body shimmered with ripples, like clear water after washing away impurities.
“Come, Old Man, I will take one of your swords.”
“?”
Ji You held his Sword Qi high in the sky, his eyes slightly raised: “Really?”
Cao Jinsong rose from the stone stool while looking at Ji You: “I, as an Instructor, am not very promising. This life, I'm afraid, will stop at the Rongdao Realm. If I don't spar with you one more time, I'm afraid I won't be qualified anymore in the future.”
“Then I'm coming?”
“Come on.”
Under the gloomy sky, the spring breeze was slightly cool. Cao Jinsong held his sword horizontally, and a ripple-like Dao rhyme flowed from the sword light.
The path he took was different from Ji You's; he was a pure, orthodox Dao Cultivator. Although he didn't have the exquisite Daoist Magic of the Five Great Saint Palaces, his comprehension of the Heavenly Dao was still not weak.
In the Outer Courtyard of Tianshu Academy, some said he was poor, some said he was big-chested, but no one ever said he was weak.
After all, on that night on Night City Mountain, he had single-handedly blocked the combined encirclement of three Integration Realm experts.
Seeing this, Ji You couldn't help but speak: “Does holding a long sword always make you want to ask who else in the world is a hero? Honestly, I feel like I could even turn the Master Immortal Master into a client.”
“Rebellious Disciple, you should try to live a few more days!”
Cao Jinsong roared, and instantly saw a blindingly bright light descend fiercely before his eyes.
The Sword Qi, as heavy as a mountain, pressed down, scattering the rain that had yet to fall in all directions. The powerful aura now fiercely slashed towards the lower part of the Instructor's Courtyard, actually cutting out a magnificent sweep that made people unable to raise their heads.
At this moment, Ji You's sword strike was boiling Sword Intent.
Cao Jinsong's hair and beard flew in the wind and waves. He looked up and saw even more brilliant golden eyes before him, so he roared and bravely struck with his sword, his own Qi also erupting, and with a whoosh, he swung his sword away.
Within that sword, there was thunder, strong wind, the smoothness of falling rain, and the elegance of clouds unfurling and gathering, fiercely clashing with the mountain-like Sword Qi.
The clanging sound of metal striking metal was deafening, and in an instant, sparks flew everywhere.
At the same time, bursts of explosions followed one after another.
The stone table in the Instructor's Courtyard was at the core of the clash between the two Sword Qi, and it was instantly shattered into pieces by the overflowing aftermath. One of the fragments, like an arrow released from a bow, pierced directly through the wall of the Instructor's Courtyard with a “boom.”
With a dull thud, Cao Jinsong's boots heavily crushed the bluestone tiles beneath his feet.
In contrast, after Ji You's Daoist Sword struck, its scorching aura directly caused the raindrops on his body to sizzle, and his chest rose and fell slightly.
“Are you alright?”
“Of course, I'm fine. This Instructor is a master of the Rongdao Upper Realm, and your guiding teacher. My cultivation is profound, how could I be harmed by taking one of your sword strikes?”
Cao Jinsong rested his long sword on the ground, and with a calm expression, he opened his mouth to comment: “That sword strike just now was very good.”
Ji You weighed the sword in his hand at this moment, feeling the power he had wielded just now, and thought to himself, my feeling was indeed correct.
He had completed his sixteenth minor observation before breaking into the Tongxuan Realm, and the feeling at the time was incredibly difficult, as if he had reached the end.
So, when he broke into the Tongxuan Realm, his physical body was indeed restricting his Heaven-Human Induction, preventing him from successfully harmonizing his Divine Thought with the Heavenly Dao, and also preventing him from receiving feedback from the Heavenly Dao Mystic Light, thus hindering his Realm advancement.
At that time, he felt a suffocating sense of restraint, so most of his time spent breaking through the Realm was dedicated to breaking free from that restraint, struggling until he was almost exhausted, before finally feeling a sense of clarity.
At that moment, he felt as if something had been pushed forward.
He hadn't thought deeply about it at the time, but he had a vague feeling until his seventeenth minor observation a few days ago, when he found the process much smoother and the tearing pain during Body Refining had also disappeared.
Now, in his sword exchange with Cao Jinsong, he also felt a clear increase in his Qi.
Therefore, Human Race Cultivators are not unable to Body Refining.
Ji You silently recited, looking at the bulging veins that had appeared from using his sword just now.
The so-called weakening of Heaven-Human Induction cannot simply be attributed to physical restriction; part of the reason is the current lack of Luck in the Heavenly Dao, and another part is that the Physique is approaching a critical threshold.
A body that is too strong can indeed restrict Divine Thought, but that is not a dead end.
Because Body Refining—it seems—also has Realm divisions.
The improvement of a Realm will enhance strength, which is something even a three-year-old child knows.
The Realm advancement of a pure Dao Cultivator is closer to the Heavenly Dao, and at the same time, they can receive feedback from the Heavenly Dao, greatly increasing their strength, belonging to the external pursuit of the Dao.
Body Refining, on the other hand, is an internal pursuit, seeking not the Heavenly Dao, but the self.
After the great snow before the New Year, he not only broke through his Dao Cultivation Realm but also broke through the Body Refining Realm in order to break free from restraints.
Thus, his body itself gave him positive feedback, which was an increase in strength.
In short, his strength became even greater.
The little Master Jian often sweated lightly when he held her during the winter, saying his body was hot like a furnace, and this was not without reason.
Because that was also a positive feedback of increased Physique strength, as only sufficient heat can maintain the proper vitality of a stronger Physique.
Back in the Snow Region, it took all his might to lift the Forty-Nine Mountain Layers; now it shouldn't be so difficult.
I'm a little worried for the little Master Jian, I wonder if she can handle it...
Yan Shuyi's high Realm is good, but the Human Race's Physique is ultimately weak, and she can't take many hits.
But thankfully, she has sisters.
Shocking! Behind the scumbag's behavior, there's actually such a heartwarming reason, over one hundred thousand people burst into tears after hearing it.
Ji You quietly returned to his senses, sheathed his sword, and bowed: “Thank you, Instructor, for your guidance.”
Cao Jinsong said indifferently: “It's just the Dao of a teacher, no need for formalities.”
“Regarding some matters of cultivation, I still need to go back and ponder them carefully.”
“Go. You just sparred with your teacher, which must have consumed a lot of your energy. You should go back and rest.”
Cao Jinsong watched him leave the courtyard, his long sword clanged to the ground, and then he collapsed onto the ground, taking a deep breath with cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
His Rebellious Disciple was truly strong.
While it wouldn't take his old life, it wasn't far off.
At this moment, Ji You strode towards the Inner Courtyard.
After that sword strike just now, the Sword Qi around him had not yet dissipated. As the Qi waves enveloped him, the falling raindrops were flung far away.
He was subtly pondering at this moment, thinking that if Body Refining and Realm advancement occurred simultaneously, it would definitely be very strong, but he wondered what the final outcome of cultivation would be.
Currently, the most important thing is to maintain the balance between the body and Divine Thought.
One must neither let the physical body completely restrict Divine Thought, severing the Heaven-Human Induction, nor neglect the progress of Body Refining.
Walking with two equally long legs is always much faster than walking with one long and one short, decaying leg.
“I remember when Ji You cut off the lion's head on the street last time, his sword was similar to Fang Jincheng's older cousin's, nowhere near this strong.”
“Brother Ji's hands were crippled then. You might think he was fine, but during that time, his hands were always controlled by Spiritual Qi; he couldn't wield a sword with his own hands at all.”
Bai Rulong, munching on an apple, couldn't help but reply when he heard Lu Qingqiu muttering to herself: “That was Sword Control, this is Sword Wielding; naturally, they're different.”
He, too, had been drawn by Ji You's Sword Qi, but he didn't dare to show himself.
He was currently seducing Dao Companions everywhere, spending a huge amount of silver, fearing that Brother Ji would develop an occupational hazard and drain him dry.
Lu Qingqiu looked at the broken wall pierced by the stone, feeling that the sword hum from before still lingered endlessly.
They had already felt boundless pressure when that sword was initially suspended in the Void Realm, but they hadn't expected to see its true power only after it descended; the hairs that had stood on end had not yet softened.
It turned out that the strength of Fang Jincheng's sword strike just now was only comparable to Ji You's Sword Control, and he had once controlled up to fifty swords.
The next day, the wind and rain ceased.
The red sun rose in the east, and then brilliant morning light began to pour forth across the sky, gradually illuminating Shengjing.
Ji You had just gotten out of bed when he heard a knock at the door. He opened it to find a Disciple from the Master's Courtyard.
“Ji Junior Brother, your letter.”
“Thank you.”
Ji You opened the letter and saw that the first one was signed by Kuang Cheng, informing him about the progress of the official road construction in Feng Province. The second letter was from Yuan Caiwei; she had received the seeds Ji You sent and immediately planted them.
Actually, this gift was indeed suitable for the daughter of the Dan Sect, because the Dan Master lineage not only deals with Medicinal Pills but also with medicinal herbs, so cultivating a seedling from Feng Province was naturally no problem.
Yuan Caiwei wrote to thank him, saying she really liked his gift and would take good care of it, quietly awaiting its growth.
Yuan Chen also enclosed a letter, asking his brother-in-law what he meant by only giving him a flowerpot.
Ji You recalled and realized he had forgotten to send Yuan Chen the seeds and soil at the time.
Alas, that’s nothing.
When he was preparing the gift, he almost couldn't remember Yuan Chen’s name.
Zhuo Wanqiu also sent a letter, saying that her little Master Jian was at a critical point in her Breakthrough, and after returning, she ordered the entire mountain not to disturb her.
But a few days ago, she received the gift and temporarily came out of seclusion. After reading it, her cold face turned red, and she cursed him as a lecher.
However, after cursing him, she still carefully planted the wheat seeds and carried the flowerpot into her seclusion room.
That girl Yan Shuyi is almost becoming a professional at coming out of seclusion temporarily.
The little Master Jian, whose Dao Heart was just awakening, really couldn't resist the temptation of beauty.
Actually, Ji You also didn't want her to delay her Cultivation because of him and regret it in the future, so he decided not to disturb her recently.
Lecher?
Ji You frowned slightly, thinking, why did she curse me as a lecher after seeing my gift?
After pondering for a long time, he suddenly remembered the word “seeds” and couldn't help but widen his eyes.
When he sent this gift, he never thought that sending her seeds would have any other ambiguous meaning. This woman, Yan Shuyi, was actually thinking about this herself.
It seems that when he asked her how many children she wanted last time, she probably really considered it seriously, otherwise her reaction wouldn't have been so direct and swift.
“Miss Caiwei, it’s been a while. What I sent to Yuan Chen was just a flowerpot.”
“Little Master Jian, when you opened the letter and smiled, I didn’t think about what you were thinking when I sent you seeds.”
Ji You wrote a few lines of simple replies, then packed the two letters, and looked up towards the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest.
The seventeenth Body Refining session was over. For the balance between body and spirit, it was time to comprehend the Dao.
After washing up, Ji You went to the Master's Courtyard to mail the two letters, then proceeded to the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest, found a secluded spot, and sat down cross-legged.
There were many people in Tianshu Academy preparing to attend the Tiandao Conference, some of whom had already reached the Upper Realm years ago and had been suppressing their Realm recently for stability.
It was safest for Ji You to participate in the Tiandao Conference as a Profound Connection Realm cultivator, but there was no need to suppress himself for finding the opportunity to establish his Dao.
Everyone's personality, background, and experiences in the Human Race are different, so the amount of distracting thoughts is uncertain. It's best to be well-prepared at this stage.
The foreign Immortal Villa in Feng Province wouldn't be stable for long, and Ji You felt that time was very valuable now.
Of course, not the kind where he calls his brothers to chop him down.
Ji You sat idly on the mountain peak at this time, his eyes closed, and began to introspect.
This step of establishing the Dao is somewhat similar to Body Refining; it's not seeking outwards for a connection between heaven and man, but seeking inwards, eliminating distracting thoughts, and deeply questioning the Dao Heart.
It took him almost a whole day to see a hazy expanse, and then images of distracting thoughts began to constantly surface before his eyes.
At first, it was pure white feet, round and tender toes as lovely and slender as jade beads.
Then the scene shifted to a room, and Ji You's Dao Heart was filled with the glistening eyes, soft hums, and pink cheeks of Yan Shuyi after their verbal sparring.
At the same time, there was the jade-like roundness he had seen many times from her collar when holding her by the stove, but never dared to touch.
There were also some scenes, appearing in the Dan Sect's Medicinal Pill pool, where Yuan Caiwei, wearing only a bellyband and underpants, sat delicately and snow-white in his arms, and another pair of feet after being drenched.
In addition, there were some ownerless great freedoms.
For example, some magnificent roundnesses and plump buttocks, he had already forgotten where he had seen them.
This was not Ji You's fault; it was mainly because it was rumored in Tianshu Academy that his Physique could be inherited, and then a large number of Senior Sisters kept swaying in front of him, some without inner linings. Apart from those that were too big or too small, there were basically no unique memory points, making it really hard to distinguish.
These are distracting thoughts from lust, the most primitive impulse of males.
A slight thought can lead to deep entanglement, making it impossible to extricate oneself.
A slight touch can cause an uncontrollable gush.
In the haze, Ji You put on a nonchalant expression, continuously browsing in a state of Divine Thought, then reached out to wipe away these images.
But those feet, roundnesses, and plump legs before his eyes did not dissipate; instead, they intensified, even giving rise to more peripheral stories that had not actually happened. Well, a person really cannot deceive himself.
Cultivating the Dao is truly good, let's look at it a billion more times.
After the rain in Shengjing, there were many days of clear skies. Ji You came with the morning glow every day and returned under the stars and moon, his eyes gradually becoming abnormal.
This is a negative effect of deeply questioning the Dao Heart. Cultivators at this stage cannot break free in a short time, and at the same time, their state of mind will be greatly affected, and their Dao Heart will experience a temporary imbalance.
Ji You was somewhat glad that he didn't try to deeply question his Dao Heart around the New Year, otherwise his boldness towards Yan Shuyi would have been much greater.
If that were truly the case, his grave's grass would probably sprout new shoots like the wheat seedlings in Feng Province.
“Ji Junior Brother, your letter.”
“Another letter?”
“It's from Junior Sister Lu of the Outer Courtyard, but she should be younger, right? After all, no matter how big a Worldly Family is, it can't compare to an Immortal Sect.”
As dusk fell, a Disciple from the Master's Courtyard found him on the west side of the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest and handed Lu Qingqiu's letter to him.
This Master's Courtyard Disciple was named Wen Siyuan, and he had delivered letters to Ji You many times, so Ji You had already remembered his name.
People are like this; once they become a little familiar, they talk more.
Ji You glanced at him at this moment, thinking, just keep guessing, then took the letter and opened it to read.
The letter was written by Lu Qingqiu, concerning her younger sister's entry into the Inner Courtyard.
The Autumn Tournament of Tianshu Academy ultimately looked at combat power. Lu Qingqiu had seen Ji You's Sword Dao at Bi Shui Lake that day, so she wanted her sister to learn swordsmanship from him.
Ji You thought to himself, that won't do.
In my current state, your sister might not learn swordsmanship, but she'll probably learn quite a few postures.
He wrote back to Lu Qingqiu, stating that it was well-known throughout the world that Lingjian Mountain's Sword Dao could not be taught externally. Lingjian Mountain, in order to demonstrate the profundity of its Sword Dao, had never said that cultivators outside the sect could not trespass, which was how he had legitimately learned swordsmanship.
But if he were to transmit it to others, it would ultimately not be very good.
However, Ji You still wrote down some insights on martial arts, methods of controlling swords, how to better use Spiritual Qi to cooperate with Sword Dao, and the process of training Divine Thought. He handed it to the Master's Courtyard Disciple for transfer and said that if there were any problems in a few days, he could provide guidance.
These things were originally his, so it wasn't like he was betraying his own.
Ji You saw off the Master's Courtyard Disciple and looked out, gazing at the rolling clouds in the sky.
Actually, he knew how to temporarily discard these distracting thoughts with simple and clever operations, but he always felt that it wasn't his own ability.
He always had extremely high demands on himself, otherwise, being a person would lose many bottom lines.
Such days continued until a clear and bright night when Ji You's Divine Thought once again questioned his Dao Heart. Before long, a radiance burst forth, and he, in the posture of a Saint, wiped away all these images.
Short-lived is short-lived, one cannot demand too much of oneself.
After all, he had no intention of Ascension, nor did he need to so strongly resist his nature.
The only thing that felt a bit painful was that the little Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain and Yuan Caiwei were somewhat miserable in his mind.”
Ji You muttered to himself, and a golden light appeared before his eyes, with yellow and white Qi constantly surging.
After lust, is it professionalism?
Ji You sat still on the mountain peak for a long time, until dawn broke, then walked down the mountain with a fierce look in his eyes.
“Cao Instructor.”
“Why are you here again? How is your search for the opportunity?”
“Just to extort some money to spend.”
“?”
“Rebellious Disciple, do you have some kind of regional accent?”
Ji You quickly made him realize that it wasn't an accent problem, but a comprehension problem. Then, holding a money bag, he strolled around the Outer Courtyard, seemingly looking for something.
Bai Rulong was in the male dormitory, about to go out, when he suddenly felt a chill in his heart and couldn't help but flip through the almanac.
In the afternoon, Ji You floated down the mountain and went to Kuang Cheng's residence.
Lust, professionalism.
After this, vanity, desire for victory, and arrogance all surfaced.
But compared to the former, these distracting thoughts were much easier to suppress. The most dangerous moment was when arrogance surfaced, and he went alone to the Celestial Book Palace, intending to develop the Sect Master into a client.
The Celestial Book Palace was empty, the old man was not there, and in the clear breeze surrounding the grand hall, only a soft whisper left by Ji You remained.
“Luckily you ran fast.”
Then he also saw the Nursing Home in Feng Province, the ancient locust tree where many old farmers had hanged themselves on a bright autumn day, and the skeletons who had starved and frozen to death under heavy snow, as well as emaciated children.
This was the reason he chose to Cultivate in the first place, his original intention.
Can original intention be considered Dao Heart?
Ji You mumbled, but soon felt a surge of anger affecting his emotions, so he hastily wiped it away.
Just then, a river bend appeared in the haze of his Dao Heart.
Green willows, white embankment, river surface.
Within his sight, countless splashes of water continuously erupted, with plopping sounds rising and falling, here and there.
A boy, somewhat resembling him, fell onto the road, then got up with a pale face and ran frantically along the riverbank.
After a long silence, Ji You opened his eyes, sat still on the cliff for a long time, then got up, walked through the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest, and headed out.
After the Dan Sect's Medicinal Pills were distributed, more people came to the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest to comprehend the Dao, most of whom were refining the Medicinal Pills.
Seeing Ji You come and go, many people couldn't help but open their eyes.
This attention stemmed from that moment, when they discovered that the Qi Ji You emitted was incredibly powerful and full of murderous intent.
(The previously deleted and modified paragraphs have been reordered in the story, placed after the spring plowing, mainly to avoid scene jumps being too fast. Regarding the matter of establishing the Dao, it would be more interesting to write it together with the Tiandao Conference plot.)
