Revisiting the Heavenly Tome

The days grew colder, autumn deepened, and the leaves of the Very Green Wood all fell.

Ji You began frequenting the Dao Comprehension Ground, observing the Heavenly Dao.

And that Fairy in the red dress would also appear from time to time.

The two, one above and one below, did not interfere with each other, only occasionally exchanging a glance during breaks in their cultivation.

This continued for about half a month. After they both slowly grew accustomed to each other's presence, they began to exchange more glances.

The Fairy's cultivation was clearly much higher than his. Every time she watched him clumsily observe the heavens, she would make the Heavenly Dao she was evolving surge like a tide, as if in mockery.

However, each time she saw Ji You looking downcast and somewhat dejected, she would dissipate her Dao techniques.

Until one time...

That day, the Fairy accidentally discovered that he wasn't looking downcast, but was looking at her feet...

Before he could react, his spiritual sense was once again swept away.

Cao Jinsong had been urging him to cultivate daily. Seeing his expression when he opened his eyes, he couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm cultivating."

"Why is your cultivation so… intoxicating?"

Ji You didn't speak. He turned to look and noticed that the number of people in the Dao Comprehension Ground had been decreasing over the past few days.

Chu He, in particular, had not appeared since sensing the Heavenly Tome. It was said his Dao Heart was damaged, and he cried out in his room daily.

However, with fewer people cultivating, there were more scenes of men and women boating together, strolling across bridges, and admiring the falling leaves all over the mountain.

Of course, they weren't just strolling. They would discuss the Dao as they walked, but their discussions often led them deep into the forest.

"Let's stay in Shengjing tonight. I've booked an inn where we can discuss the Dao all night. I want to test if my junior sister's Dao Heart is clear."

"?"

Ji You watched this scene and thought, Good heavens, is it 'physiologically clear' you mean?

As for Cao Jinsong, he was long accustomed to this: "Students entering the academy usually go through several stages. First, everyone studies diligently and practices hard, with undivided attention, because at that time, everyone thinks they are a chosen one, destined to be no weaker than anyone else."

"Then, some will stand out, leaving the rest far behind. Most will suffer damage to their Dao Hearts, while the remaining will begin to doubt if their efforts are worthwhile."

"After that, some will develop distracting thoughts, while others will continue to work hard, but their Dao Hearts will be far from what they were."

Cao Jinsong looked at Ji You: "Currently, in the Outer Court, you are the one who has left everyone else behind. You should also take the lead in the Inner Court selections, but do not become arrogant. Continue to cultivate diligently."

Ji You listened to Instructor Cao's boastful speech and said, "My spiritual sense is too weak. I can only observe the Heavenly Dao for three breaths. I need a Spirit Replenishing Pill to fix it. How much money do you have, Instructor?"

"It would bankrupt me."

"How did I end up with such a useless instructor? Don't you know how to work harder? Look at Instructor Ma, he receives gifts from noble families in the capital on all sorts of holidays!"

"?"

In the following days, Ji You did not return to the Dao Comprehension Ground, nor did he attempt to sense the Heavenly Tome again.

Given the strength of his spiritual sense, the time he could spend observing the Heavenly Dao was too short. The remaining time was spent observing the Foot Dao.

If this continued, he would be ruined.

Spiritual sense and the physical body were ultimately different. Such a weak spiritual sense, if truly injured by the might of the Heavenly Dao, would be irreparable.

So, he decided to first strengthen his spiritual sense, increasing the time he could observe the Heavenly Dao.

Otherwise, if he couldn't even see clearly, how could he comprehend it?

At night, under the starry sky, Ji You ignited the furnace fire in his room. His spiritual sense soared into the sky, probing into the even deeper and boundless expanse of the night.

This was a method to strengthen his spiritual sense, relatively gentler compared to directly facing the Heavenly Dao.

From the initial half an hour of his spiritual sense flying into the sky on the first day to now exceeding an hour, it was evident that this method was indeed effective.

"The limit for half an hour was three breaths of observing the heavens. I should be able to reach six breaths now. To be safe, it should be six breaths..."

"No, that's too short."

"I'll try to push for an hour and a half, reaching nine breaths of safe time before I can observe the Heavenly Tome again."

Ji You held his breath and concentrated. His golden spiritual sense flew continuously through the brilliant starry sky.

Half an hour wasn't actually long, but half an hour beyond one's limit was grueling. Each time he pushed his limits, it was an extreme weakness for him.

So much so that whenever Cao Jinsong came to see him, he felt as if Ji You had been up to something all night.

Meanwhile, on a high mountain in a barren land where everything was void and dark, a beautiful barefooted girl sat on a cliff, engrossed in comprehending the Dao.

The vibrant red dress was lifted by the wind, fluttering on the cliff, like a touch of moving crimson added to the blackness.

Similar to Ji You's situation, she couldn't withstand the Heavenly might for extended periods, so she could only cultivate intermittently.

At this moment, she opened her eyes, gently raised her hand to wipe away a bead of sweat, and her fragrant, snow-white jade feet lightly stepped onto the black stone as she stood up, looking around aimlessly.

As she looked, she began to gaze at the empty stone below, which had been vacant for several days, and frowned slightly.

Then, she vanished from the black mountain in a flash.

Her spiritual sense returned, and when she opened her eyes again, she was in a cloud-top palace above a high mountain and flowing water.

She walked out of the palace barefoot, leaning on the railing of the cliff and gazing into the distance. Before her stood a lone peak, like a sword.

Cultivating the Dao was an extremely boring affair, but the young girl didn't know that when she was little.

She only felt that the mountain at home was incredibly magnificent, and she wanted to fly like those people.

But the Heavenly Dao insisted that she reach perfection at the age of ten, thus becoming a so-called direct disciple, spending her days comprehending the Dao on this mountain.

As a result, after looking at the mountain for too long, even the most beautiful scenery would become tiresome.

"I'm about to break through..."

"After breaking through, I'll go down the mountain and look around..."

The woman rested her chin in her hand and whispered to the lone peak, then returned to her palace and entered the Void Mountain again.

However, just as she sat down, a hazy howling sound came from the deep and unfathomable darkness.

After confirming it wasn't an illusion, the young girl looked at the black stone below.

As expected, a figure gradually emerged on the black stone.

After vaguely discerning the other party's facial features, the young girl was slightly taken aback, then sat up straight and pretended to be cultivating.

At this moment, Ji You opened his eyes and found himself back at the foot of Void Mountain, seeing the young girl above.

He had observed the Heavenly Dao for too short a time before, so he could only look around.

But not anymore.

His spiritual sense was too powerful now; he could definitely last for nine breaths.

And the more he saw, the more he could think.

Ji You took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and began to observe the Heavenly Dao.

As expected, his spiritual sense, after being tempered, had become much stronger. He began to see more details and also had time to contemplate the "comprehension" aspect of Profound Comprehension.

The evolution of the Heavenly Dao was chaotic, like a tangled ball of yarn.

But in reality, it was the intertwining of laws. Although chaotic, each law was complete. It was simply impossible for a person to grasp it all at once; one could only meticulously unravel it, searching for a main thread.

Previously, Ji You could only last three breaths and couldn't even find a clue. Now, nine breaths allowed him to get a general feel for it.

Ji You gradually gained some enlightenment, so he slowly closed his eyes and entered a state of meditation, his Dao Heart gradually becoming clear.

"Six times observing the Dao, each time for nine breaths..."

"Reached the limit..."

After a while, Ji You placed his hands on the giant stone, panting, then glanced upwards and was suddenly stunned.

Whether it was an illusion or not, he thought he saw that delicate, jade-like foot move slightly.

Looking at the girl would affect his cultivation speed, but curiosity wouldn't. Curiosity was the most important quality for a cultivator pursuing the Heavenly Dao.

Ji You slowly stood up and, like last time, approached the young girl.

She seemed to be in a meditative state, showing no reaction, as unmoving as a mountain, with no flaws visible. Ji You leaned close and watched for a long time, thinking he must have been mistaken. Why would a Fairy pretend to be meditating?

However, just as he was about to turn and leave, he noticed a faint blush gradually appearing on that fair and beautiful face.

The person's breath was blowing onto his face...

Before Ji You could react, he suddenly saw a bright red sleeve whip towards him...

Ji You's spiritual sense returned, and he couldn't help but sigh.

Beautiful girls really do hinder cultivation