Cultivation knew not the depth of autumn. Fallen leaves carpeted the mountains; like a white colt flashing past a crack, it was over in an instant.
The nine days and six nights of the Imperial Examination came to an end, yet it drew little notice.
After all, children of Aristocratic Clans sought the Immortal Dao. Only those from humble families would sit the Imperial Examination, become officials, rise through the ranks, and ultimately become no more than immortals' servants.
Ji You did not disturb Kuang Cheng. After enduring for so long, the fellow needed a deep sleep.
As Ji You put it, nine days and six nights of examinations—the Imperial Examination was more like cultivation than cultivation itself. Those who passed might not be the most talented, but they definitely had the strongest bodies.
As for him, every day he followed his routine: martial practice first, Dao comprehension afterward.
After he had thoroughly mastered swordsmanship, he went on to study spear techniques, saber techniques, and fist techniques.
During that time, many people had already given up on sensing the Celestial Tome and turned all their attention to Chu He and Lu Qingqiu.
Though neither of them had sensed the Celestial Tome yet, Chu He had already condensed a second strand of Mystic Light, while Lu Qingqiu had faintly begun to show traces of a second one as well.
Ji You alone had nothing.
Over these past days, everyone had learned that he could persist longer with each passing day—but that he was also suffering more with each passing day.
Such effort deserved praise, but his utter lack of progress caused many in the academy to lose interest in him.
As an independent cultivator, it was only natural that he would now fade into the common crowd.
"I'm not sleeping tonight."
"?"
"Hiss..."
"Another expert has emerged?"
Chu He suddenly opened his eyes at the Dao Comprehension Ground and ordered his book attendant to bring over more spiritual medicine, arranging it before himself. "Just now, I saw a trace of light."
At those words, everyone froze before erupting in shock. Even Ban Yangshu, who had come to visit, could not help widening his eyes.
Everyone present knew that the sign before sensing the Celestial Tome was seeing a trace of light.
Chu He had announced his abandonment a few days ago. Who could have expected the tide to turn so suddenly?
And if he truly sensed the Celestial Tome, his cultivation speed would far surpass Lu Qingqiu's. This year's inner academy slot would surely be his!
They all said the Chu family possessed extraordinary cultivation talent. Chu Xian had reached completion at fourteen and entered the upper five realms at fifteen, immediately becoming Sect Master Xuan Yuan's personal disciple. That had already proven it.
Though Chu He was several years later than his elder brother, he was still terrifyingly formidable.
"Since you saw the light trace, could you follow it?"
Seeing that Ban Yangshu had asked, Chu He shook his head. "By then, I had exhausted my strength and had none left to spare..."
Ban Yangshu patted his shoulder. "Do not be too harsh on yourself. You took only nine days; your talent is already exceptional."
"How many days did Senior Brother take back then?"
"More than five months."
Chu He was slightly stunned. "How could that be?"
Ban Yangshu smiled and shook his head. "I meant it took me more than five months to truly sense the Celestial Tome. But since you saw light after two days, two months should be enough. The Chu family's talent is truly frightening."
Hearing this, Chu He felt deeply satisfied. He then chose to take pills and continue, staying up day and night.
He did not believe anyone in the outer academy could surpass him. Even Ban Yangshu, who had patiently instructed him, did not merit his regard.
Ban Yangshu had spent six years in the inner academy, yet had only cultivated to the Profound Heaven Upper Realm. He had not even broken through to the Dao Integration Realm, the second realm of the upper five realms.
The world said that entering the upper five realms alone marked one as exceptionally gifted, but that was merely the world's opinion.
And his surname was Chu!
Since the Chu family's rise, every generation had entered the upper five realms—and each generation had done so faster than the last!
His elder brother was already a personal disciple of Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion. Naturally, the position he had his eyes on was that of a personal disciple of the Celestial Academy!
Lu Qingqiu began to feel faintly anxious and increased the number of spirit stones she used.
But someone was even more anxious than Lu Qingqiu: Cao Jinsong.
Near Shen Shi on the day of Cold Dew, an autumn rain swept in. It struck the academy-protecting spiritual radiance of the Celestial Academy, sending ripples across it, yet could not fall to the ground.
Ji You had just returned from martial practice when Instructor Cao caught him. "Ji You, Ji You, you wastrel—what exactly are you doing?"
"What is it, Instructor Cao?"
"What time is it already? You still spend four hours every day practicing martial techniques before going to comprehend the Dao. I can see your determination, but I told you before: martial techniques are ultimately a minor path!"
Ji You looked him up and down. "A few days ago, when I said I was hungry, you could barely be bothered with me. Why are you especially concerned about me today?"
Cao Jinsong choked, hemming and hawing for a long while. "This is the way of a teacher!"
"I don't believe you."
"Fine, I admit it. Instructor Ding, Instructor Ma, and I made a bet of one hundred spirit stones. We wagered that the student we each took in would be the first to enter the inner academy. But Chu He already has two strands of Mystic Light—why are you still so slack?"
Ji You's brows rose sharply. He had not expected Old Cao to be such a gambling addict. "Who exactly gave you this courage?"
Cao Jinsong straightened his back and gazed into the boundless night sky. "Naturally, it came from a peerless genius: one day, two realms; one night, completion! Like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, swallowing the world with his qi, unrivaled beneath heaven!"
Ji You grew serious after hearing that and, like him, looked toward the night sky. "Give me half the spirit stones."
"Are you a bandit?"
"A hardened bandit."
Cao Jinsong was about to haggle with him, but before he could speak, he froze slightly. After pondering for a moment, his eyes widened. "You want me to give you half... Could it be that you have already seen the faint glimmer within the primal darkness?"
Ji You sat on the stone bench in the courtyard. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "More or less..."
Hearing those words, more or less, Instructor Cao was delighted at first. Yet after the delight passed, he furrowed his brow tightly.
For some reason, he saw a trace of fear and hesitation in Ji You's expression.
Back in Yuyang County, Ji You had dared to risk his life to reach completion the moment he broke through. He had been utterly fearless. Instructor Cao had never imagined seeing fear on Ji You's face.
Yet he believed that although Ji You was somewhat bandit-like, he never boasted. Just as when he said he would reach completion in one night, he truly had reached completion in one night.
Everyone in the academy said Ji You was merely there to make up the numbers. Chu He even forbade anyone from mentioning Ji You in the same breath as him, as though it were an insult.
But Instructor Cao alone blindly believed in him.
His talent was not something Chu He could ever catch up to.
At dusk, urged by Instructor Cao, Ji You arrived at the Dao Comprehension Ground earlier than usual.
Those who had not cared lifted their heads to look at the sky, and could not help being slightly startled.
"Did he come early today?"
"Perhaps he heard that Chu He saw a light trace and finally started getting nervous."
"What use is nervousness? Chu He is already more than one step ahead of him."
People whispered among themselves, endlessly guessing why Ji You's unchanging hour for Dao comprehension had suddenly been moved up by two quarters of an hour.
But even more people did not so much as raise their eyelids, because all their expectations were now placed upon the Chu family's second young master.
At that moment, Ji You walked into the grounds. He first sat cross-legged on the floor, then straightened his robes. Afterward, he shut his eyes tightly and sent his Divine Sense soaring into the heavens, the crease between his brows gradually tightening and relaxing.
He saw them...
But they were not the faint glimmer Instructor Cao had described.
At this moment, Ji You's Divine Sense reached the heavens, and he saw countless brilliant meteors streaking through the primal darkness. A hundred after a hundred, they stretched endlessly across the sky, unceasing, their trails flashing.
Instructor Cao had asked whether he had seen a faint glimmer. He had said more or less.
It truly was more or less—only off by several hundred.
In truth, he had seen this sight on the sixth day.
But in that instant, he had suddenly become dazed and did not dare chase after the light.
Instructor Cao had once seen fear and hesitation in his heart. That fear and hesitation stemmed from this—or rather, from something he had never been able to understand.
That matter had brought his desire to chase the light to a screeching halt, even leaving a chill upon his back.
Ji You suddenly withdrew his Divine Sense, opened his eyes, and could not help looking with his naked eyes at the blood-red scar across the heavens.
"Have you heard of Heaven's Demise?"
"I always thought it meant that heaven had died."
"But if heaven is dead, then what exactly is this Celestial Tome of yours?"
Boom—!
The instant Ji You finished silently reciting that final sentence in his heart, a powerful wave of air suddenly erupted from around him before everyone's eyes, knocking several nearby people sprawling.
At the same time, the spiritual radiance above the Dao Comprehension Ground blazed brilliantly and shifted without end, like rivers and seas overturned, before finally plunging directly into the crown of his head.
A mysterious spectrum of light descended from above, enveloping his entire body. It surged continuously, glittering and shining.
This time, the Celestial Tome did not wait for him to sense it. It came to sense him of its own accord.
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