Chapter 214: Making Way
The impact of a Master's Courtyard Disciple's drunken slip of the tongue was immense, with discussions erupting at Bi Shui Lake, along the covered corridors, and within both male and female dormitories.
In truth, everyone was somewhat aware of the unfairness of Immortal Sect resources; it was nothing new.
The main topic of discussion was how terrifying Ji You's combat power truly was, with only a few passing remarks about the Elder Council paving the way for their worthy grandson.
However, as the number of people discussing it grew, the murmurs still caused embarrassment.
This was akin to the Elder Council shooting themselves in the foot; not only did they fail to stop Ji You, but they also lost face.
It was said that Elder Fang was completely broken that night, smashing many porcelain cups, his face as dark as water.
At this moment, a handsome young man from the Master's Courtyard, who had been awake all night, lay sprawled on his bed, hands clutching the quilt, eyes wide as brass bells, his heart pounding, filled with regret.
Alcohol truly was not a good thing.
He had long known about his habit of speaking the truth when drunk; he should have been more careful back then.
After a night of worry, he received a dismissal letter from the Master's Courtyard the next day, and his hanging heart finally died.
This was not due to pressure from the Elder Council, but mainly because the Master's Courtyard was responsible for many affairs, some of which required secrecy.
They dared not employ someone who couldn't keep their mouth shut.
Because the Master's Courtyard, as a sectarian affairs organization, was the least willing to see anyone cause trouble.
Subsequently, the matter spread to Shengjing City, with many people chatting about it in wine shops and tea houses, and even within the Immortal Supervisorate, the topic was widely discussed.
“The top spot in the Tong Xuan Realm, Tianshu Academy might have a chance to get one this year.”
“That Ji You, he's truly a bit too terrifying.”
Due to the change in the Spirit Stone route to the Feng Province route, the Immortal Supervisorate was quite familiar with Ji You and held a rather good impression of him.
The Great Xia Dynasty, as a tool used by the Seven Great Immortal Sects to govern the populace, had seen many cultivators among its court officials over the years.
But someone who could force an Immortal Sect Elder to bow their head, they had never seen before.
Ji You learned of it later than others, only understanding the full story by noon the next day.
“Brother Zhishen—”
“What a pity.”
He wasn't familiar with Lu Da, and upon hearing the name, his mind was filled with images of the Flower Monk uprooting a weeping willow.
However, he heard from others that this person had been a boy attendant to Elder Fang since childhood, serving tea and pouring water for over a decade,
He was undeniably obedient.
But even with such obedience, he still had to make way for the descendants of those Elders.
This was the rule of Qingyun World, not based on talent, not based on effort; the inner and outer circles were distinctly separated.
A grandson is always closer than an outsider; this is a truth known even by peddlers.
Therefore, in this world, one must never accept things given by strangers.
Because once you reach out, you will be controlled by others.
When Ji You went to Feng Province to establish a Worldly Family, before he even drew his sword, those external Immortal Villas generously offered two tenths,
Ji You refused, and this was his reason.
Receiving is meaningless; seizing is comfortable.
Because what is seized always carries less Karma than what is given.
Later, an Inner Courtyard Elder, due to his decisive actions, refused to allow him into the Five Great Halls, which was seen by others as a severe suppression, almost severing his future.
But it was precisely because of this that he avoided this Karma, allowing him to draw his sword decisively in the Heavenly Dao Conference pre-selection.
Otherwise, he might very well have had to make way for those grandsons as well.
If he didn't make way, he would become an ungrateful person, and would be asked if he had ever considered who gave him everything he had today, thus losing the freedom he now possessed to draw his sword whenever he pleased.
For thousands of years, Immortal Sects and Worldly Families had been accustomed to this style of conduct.
So, when an unexpected anomaly like himself appeared, they would fly into a rage.
“No wonder the money sent by Qionghua Pavilion today was significantly less—”
“A Dharma robe that can be cut through by the Tong Xuan Realm, it's probably considered to be unworthy of its name, but it's not the Dharma robe that's too weak—
Ji You counted the silver notes in the envelope, muttering to himself in the morning light, thinking that this 'merchandise sales' wasn't particularly successful.
When he cut through that sword Dharma robe, he controlled his strength, intending to give the Elder Council a headache; he originally thought that with the Elder Council's demeanor, they would certainly not spread this matter themselves.
Unexpectedly, a great Confucian scholar debated for him at this time, and the scorching sun blazed.
Without Ji You suppressing them in front, the Tong Xuan Realm's struggles continued.
The result was, as expected, the first spot was immediately secured by the Elder Council's worthy grandson, Wang Gaocen.
Having secured his spot, Ji You no longer paid excessive attention to the subsequent battles, instead acting like a leisurely person, going to the Sword Forest to watch Miss Lu Er, who was placed below him, practice her sword.
Lu Hanyan had already gathered her eighth Mystic Light, just a step away from the Tong Xuan Realm, with subtle Qi gradually emerging around her.
She herself had a graceful and delicate figure, and combined with the aura of the Upper Five Realms, she appeared even more charming.
Since entering the academy, Miss Lu Er had many male students wanting to invite her out, and recently, there were even more; some Inner Courtyard men even frequently spoke to her, but she ignored them all.
In contrast, when Ji You watched her practice her sword, Miss Lu Er's gaze clearly held a 'challenging her Instructor' meaning—
At this time, the Integration Dao Realm progressed to its third battle.
Chai Ze entered the arena and achieved three consecutive victories.
Ji You originally wanted to go watch this third battle, but right after washing up, he received a message from Wen Siyuan; Cao Instructor said that Zhengxin Fairy had broken through and exited seclusion, inviting him to her small courtyard for a chat.
Ji You dried his face, tied up his hair, and started walking down the mountain.
However, on his way down the mountain, he encountered a 'duangduang' figure.
He Lingxiu had also broken through and exited seclusion, her aura of the Integration Dao Upper Realm incredibly profound.
At that moment, she was descending from Zizai Hall and met Ji You at the intersection in front of the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest.
“Long time no see, Senior Sister He.”
“Long time no see. I really didn't expect the person I'd meet after exiting seclusion to be Junior Brother Ji. What a coincidence.”
He Lingxiu smiled faintly and said, “Oh, by the way, did you get the spot for the Dao Conference?”
She had been in seclusion for a long time, breaking through her Realm, and had spent an entire summer there, so she wasn't aware of the outside news.
However, in her opinion, with Ji You's strength, getting a spot in the academy wouldn't be difficult, as in her heart, Ji You was considered the strongest among all Tong Xuan Realm cultivators in Tianshu Academy.
Ji You nodded after hearing her question: “It was a bit of a scare, but I got it.”
“Indeed, with Junior Brother's talent, it's no surprise at all that you got a Heavenly Dao Conference spot. But this is just the beginning; the pre-selection is just an appetizer for the Heavenly Dao Conference. Junior Brother's goal should be to be the top scorer this year.”
“I'll do my best. For things that haven't started yet, I wouldn't dare to speak carelessly. It would be embarrassing if I lost.”
“It's good to have such a mindset, but in my opinion, Junior Brother will absolutely have no problem entering the top ten.”
1
“Then I thank Senior Sister for your auspicious words.”
He Lingxiu chatted with Ji You for a while, then bid him farewell and went to the tea pavilion in the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest.
Shi Junhao and Xiao Hanyan had already heard the news. Now, seeing He Lingxiu approaching, they immediately stood up to congratulate her. There were also several worthy grandsons of the Elder Council, Wang Gaocen, who had already secured his spot, Yu Shiliu, who was currently defending her position, and also Pan Bin and Gu Zetao.
He Lingxiu returned their greetings, then asked, “How far has the Integration Dao Realm spot battle progressed?”
“Junior Brother Chai Ze is currently defending his position. He has already fought three matches. He only needs two more matches to secure his spot, and then it will be your turn, Junior Sister.”
He Lingxiu nodded upon hearing this. She had calculated the time before going into seclusion, ensuring she could make it upon exiting. Now, it seemed she was even a bit early.
He Lingxiu picked up her teacup, pondered for a long time, then spoke again: “What about the Tong Xuan Realm? How is the progress?”
Xiao Hanyan looked at the Tong Xuan Realm Junior Brothers and Sisters next to her and said, “Ji You and Junior Brother Wang have already secured their spots. Currently, Junior Sister Yu is defending her position, and there shouldn't be too big of a problem. Perhaps it will be us fighting this year.”
“I met Junior Brother Ji on my way out of the hall just now. This result is exactly as I expected; indeed, no one can stop him. I even told him to secure the top spot for Tianshu Academy, and he was quite cautious, saying it was hard to say.”
Xiao Hanyan fell silent for a moment after hearing this: “This might be a bit different from what Junior Sister expected.”
He Lingxiu raised her eyes, a hint of doubt in her gaze: “How is it different? Didn't Ji You get the spot?”
“Ji You was the first to defend his position. The Elder Council demanded that he not use the Spiritual Sword Mountain Sword Dao, saying that Disciples participating in the Heavenly Dao Conference represent Tianshu Academy and cannot boost the prestige of other Sects.”
He Lingxiu opened her mouth: “He agreed?”
Xiao Hanyan nodded: “He agreed. And then everyone in the academy said he was a tiger without teeth.”
He Lingxiu pondered for a while before speaking: “But he still won five matches, right? He really can give surprises.”
Xiao Hanyan's gaze suddenly became much more complex: “He didn't fight five matches; he only fought two. In the next three matches, his opponents conceded as soon as they stepped onto the stage.”
“?””
“I don't know what to say either. In short, Senior Sister He understands that his combat power has always been higher than his current Realm, just like in the wilderness back then. But no one expected him to be so strong even without using the Spiritual Sword Mountain Sword Dao.
Qionghua Pavilion has a type of Dharma robe, does Senior Sister know? It can block an Integration Dao Realm attack. Ji You's opponent wore one, and it was cut through.”
He Lingxiu listened carefully at first, even nodding, but as she listened, she couldn't help but open her mouth, unable to speak for a long time, only remembering Ji You's humble expression.
Next to He Lingxiu, those worthy grandsons of the Elder Council fell silent, as if they disliked hearing that person's name and that person's affairs.
At this moment, Ji You had already descended the mountain. Halfway down, he heard a continuous roar of magical techniques from the Ascension White Jade Platform.
Wen Zhengxin had broken through her Realm that morning and had already heard about the past few days from Cao Instructor. Now, seeing Ji You walk in from outside the door, she couldn't help but look at him with eyes like he was a monster.
She had returned to her small courtyard after breaking through and exiting seclusion that morning, and then she saw a family letter.
The letter was from her family, asking about her relationship with Ji You and subtly mentioning whether the matter of his Physique being passed down was true, with a hint of impropriety in the words.
She didn't understand at the time, thinking, 'My parents really know how to play matchmaker. That's my Junior Brother.'
Besides, with the Dan Sect's daughter present, anyone else would have to be secondary, and she had aspired since childhood to never be secondary.
So she didn't take it seriously. Then she saw Cao Instructor's message saying that Pei Ruyi had arrived and invited her to meet at Bi Shui Lake. So she hurried there, and upon arriving, she learned from Cao Jinsong about Ji You getting the spot.
Without the Spiritual Sword Mountain Sword Dao, he defeated two opponents of the same Realm with four swords, forcing the Elder Council to be helpless and only able to send three useless Disciples to concede.
This news, heard but not seen, was actually very hard to believe.
This made Wen Zhengxin feel that when she changed clothes for Junior Brother Ji back then, she should have secretly left something in his stomach, after all, their Wen family's cultivation talent was also getting worse with each generation.
Ji You didn't know Zhengxin Fairy's inner desire to turn into a 'juice extractor' and looked at Wen Zhengxin, saying, “I met Senior Sister He on my way here. Is Senior Sister planning to challenge the arena?”
“I'm going to try, otherwise I won't be reconciled. However, the winning rate is probably not high; I'm aware of that.” “Why is Senior Sister afraid before even fighting?”
“After He Lingxiu became a direct Disciple, the resources we two could access became different. After so long, I'm afraid the gap in strength has also widened.”
Although Zhengxin Fairy came from a small Worldly Family in Zhongzhou, her talent had always been excellent; otherwise, she wouldn't have been qualified to compete with He Lingxiu for the position of Hall Master's direct Disciple.
And what she experienced back then was actually similar to Lu Da's withdrawal from the competition.
Therefore, Zhengxin Fairy had always wanted to truly fight He Lingxiu, regardless of winning or losing, to resolve the knot in her heart from back then.
Upon hearing this, Ji You began to carefully examine Zhengxin Fairy, sensing her aura, and then comparing it to the aura he had felt from He Lingxiu during their previous chance encounter.
Although he didn't want to admit it, he knew that what his Senior Sister said was true.
There was indeed a significant gap between the two of them, unrelated to talent, unrelated to diligence; some things were limited from the moment of birth.
“It's a pity there's not enough time, otherwise I could also learn Sword Dao from Junior Brother and increase my winning rate.”
》
Ji You pursed his lips: “Senior Sister is joking. Even if you dared to learn, I wouldn't dare to teach—””
Wen Zhengxin frowned upon hearing this: “Why wouldn't you dare to teach? Miss Lu Er wasn't taught quite well by you. Just treat me as her.”
“My teaching method, I'm afraid, would make Senior Sister fight me to the death—”
“?”
Ji You waved his hand: “Senior Sister, prepare well. Maybe you'll have a chance to win.”
Wen Zhengxin looked at Ji You at this moment: “Not everyone in this world is a monster like you. I really want to see the expression on your face when the Immortal Sects gather and the Worldly Families surge forward, and you draw your sword. It must be very interesting.”
“Senior Sister flatters me.”
“If you lose, will you treat me to a meal?”
Ji You looked at Cao Jinsong: “But Cao Instructor hasn't had any silver lately.”
Cao Jinsong glanced at him, his beard twitching twice: “Come on, why should you use my silver for your treat?”
“What about Senior Brother Ban?”
“Junior Brother, spend some of your own silver. You clearly sold so much of that Dharma robe before.”
