Making a Name in the Outer Court

The Celestial Academy has been passed down since ancient times, its foundation almost equivalent to human history.

Every generation, astonishingly talented individuals come here to seek the Dao, only to be defeated by even more astonishingly talented individuals on their path.

Some might be like cranes in the clouds within the prefectures and counties, standing proudly alone.

But the Celestial Academy is different.

As the Great Xia Sacred Sect, the foremost of the Seven Great Immortal Sects, geniuses here are practically a dime a dozen.

You strive desperately, day and night without rest, only to discover in the end that your efforts were a lie.

Just like now, everyone had already given up on sensing the Heavenly Tome, looking up and waiting for Chu He to tell them what was in the book.

But as that sudden burst of heavenly light erupted, waves of energy surged, and the quiet Dao Comprehension Ground was instantly filled with panicked shouts and countless figures leaping to their feet.

Inside and outside the grounds, the crowd descended into chaos, like cold water splashing into hot oil!

"He... what's happening to him?"

"Is he going to explode?"

"Explode what, he's sensing the Heavenly Tome! Ji You is sensing the Heavenly Tome!"

Hearing the commotion throughout the grounds and the roars of dragons and tigers in the sky, Chu He and Lu Qingqiu, who were meditating, were also startled awake. They were first dazed, then turned their heads in disbelief.

At this moment, Ji You was enveloped in mystic light, his body surging with an inexplicable aura.

Freedom, auspiciousness, peace, and stability.

Winds and waves swirled around him, but they couldn't penetrate the mystic light, only ruffling his long hair.

He himself had his eyes closed, with not much expression. The only strangeness was the occasional flash of spiritual light from his brow.

Seeing this, Chu He and Lu Qingqiu were dumbfounded.

For countless days and nights, they had sat here from morning till night, using countless spirit pills and consuming countless spirit stones.

Chu He was wary of Lu Qingqiu, and Lu Qingqiu was wary of Chu He.

As for that rogue cultivator from the countryside, he only spent half the day meditating, and still hadn't condensed even a single strand of mystic light.

Even the instructors said that among those who had reached Perfection of the Lower Three Realms vying for Inner Court spots this year, it was only the two of them, and Ji You was merely an accidental footnote.

Yet today, heavenly light roared for him, and he sensed the Heavenly Tome.

Chu He's face was pale as he stared for a long time, then turned to Ban Yangshu, "Senior Brother Ban, isn't his sensing of the Heavenly Tome a bit off? I feel like something's wrong?"

"No, sensing the Heavenly Tome is just like this."

"?"

Hearing this, Chu He's face grew even paler.

As someone who had been raised as a prodigy, a direct disciple of an immortal sect, he had always believed in one principle.

If ten people are chosen, I will be among them. If five are chosen, I will be among them. If one is chosen, it will be me.

And now that this person wasn't him, he immediately felt that the Heavenly Tome was without Dao.

After a moment of daze, some people saw Chu He's inability to accept it and suddenly remembered what had been said earlier.

This is the Celestial Academy. As the Great Xia Sacred Sect, you can always find someone more talented than you, someone you'll never be able to catch up to in your lifetime.

But this time, the roles had reversed...

Ban Yangshu was also filled with emotion at this moment. After watching for a long time, he suddenly remembered something and was slightly taken aback.

He knew that sensing the Heavenly Tome would cause such an anomaly, but one thing was strange.

Anyone who had sensed the Heavenly Tome knew that you would first see a faint light, then follow it, and only if you obtained a fortuitous encounter would you sense the Heavenly Tome.

But he had clearly seen Ji You not in a meditative state just now, he was even with his eyes open, so how did he suddenly sense it?

Ban Yangshu couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried. His gaze drifted and he saw a large number of Outer Court disciples rushing over upon hearing the news.

A quarter past the hour of the Dog, the Celestial Academy's women's dormitory.

Fang Ruoyao was sitting on her mat, continuously circulating her spiritual energy, when she was suddenly awakened by the noise outside her window, her eyes a little dazed.

This morning, she had finally sensed the True Spirit within her body. She had spent the entire night, and with Pei Ruyi's guidance, had finally successfully entered the initial stage of Spirit Awakening.

It took her ten days from learning the Grand Principle of the Origin of the Dao to finally sensing the Heavenly Spirit.

Although it was only the most basic state of the lower three realms, she was still greatly encouraged.

Because she knew that Ji You was still stuck at Perfection of the Lower Three Realms, making no progress.

This made her feel that what she had said in Yuyang County, "I might not be worse than him, I just started later," was not just an empty boast.

She couldn't keep using the pretense of being Ji You's fiancée anymore; that would eventually be exposed.

Therefore, she wanted to surpass Ji You.

Just then, she suddenly saw a senior sister rush past her window, then a second, a third, a fourth...

Finally, a disheveled, unkempt senior sister also ran out of the dormitory.

This senior sister seemed to be called Qiao Rong. She had been admitted for four years, but her spiritual sense was not strong, and she couldn't afford the cost of consuming pills for extended periods. Ultimately, she was stuck at the step of sensing the Heavenly Dao and couldn't advance.

For the past two years, she had abandoned direct observation of the Heavenly Dao and begun researching sensing the Heavenly Tome.

The last lingering worry in her heart finally died, and she had been in a slump ever since.

In another six months, she might be expelled from the Celestial Academy, but even if expelled, it wasn't as though she would have nowhere to go.

The Celestial Academy also had affiliated small sects and villas, much like the relationship between Fengxian Mountain Villa and Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion, scattered across the land. They would return once a year for the sect's ancestral worship.

And this Senior Sister Qiao Rong had shown no interest in anything in recent years. The only thing that interested her was something she couldn't obtain: sensing the Heavenly Tome.

"Is it Chu He or Lu Qingqiu?"

Upon careful consideration, Fang Ruoyao felt it should be Chu He.

Young Master Chu was the descendant of a prestigious immortal sect family, possessing the demeanor of a noble young master. He usually maintained a stern expression, but in the Outer Court, he was quite popular among the female cultivators.

Especially for someone like her, who came from a small place, she had never seen such a person. They would always discuss him at length at night.

"Young Master Chu is truly an immortal figure..."

"It seems Lu Qingqiu won't be getting a spot in the Inner Court this year."

Fang Ruoyao pondered for a long time, never once recalling her former fiancé. She then immediately got out of bed and followed the crowd towards the Dao Comprehension Ground.

Under the night sky, the Dao Comprehension Ground was packed. It was the first time Miss Fang realized just how many disciples there were in the Outer Court.

At this moment, some people were even standing on spiritual light, hovering over the lake, craning their necks to look towards the center of the Dao Comprehension Ground.

It seemed that every generation had exceptionally gifted individuals who had once outshone everyone, shattering the Dao Hearts of many disciples of their time, leaving so many others unable to progress.

Fang Ruoyao also stood on tiptoe to look forward, only to find her gaze couldn't get past the crowd.

But just then, someone saw her, paused slightly, and remembering the rumors she had personally confirmed, pulled the surrounding fellow cultivators and retreated to the sides.

"?"

"What's going on..."

Ever since Fang Ruoyao entered the Celestial Academy, she had become almost invisible.

After all, this was a place where cultivation and family background determined status. Her cultivation was the lowest, and her background was humble, so it was natural for it to be this way.

But now, seeing everyone making way for her made her feel a little overwhelmed.

However, some who were confused and unaware remained in their spots. But after a few whispered words from a fellow Daoist, they suddenly understood and moved aside.

With a mix of confusion and bewilderment, Fang Ruoyao walked in somewhat nervously.