Watching the Heavenly Tome Again

The days that followed grew colder and colder. Autumn deepened, and save for the evergreen trees, all the yellow leaves had fallen.

Ji You began frequenting the Dao Comprehension Ground, sitting in contemplation of the Heavenly Dao.

And from time to time, the Fairy in the red dress appeared as well.

One above and one below, they did not disturb each other. Only during breaks in cultivation would their eyes occasionally meet by chance.

This went on for roughly half a month. Once they had both gradually grown accustomed to the other's presence, they exchanged a few more glances.

The Fairy's cultivation was clearly far higher than his. Whenever she watched him clumsily contemplate the heavens, she would make the Heavenly Dao in her hands evolve with overwhelming force, as though mocking him.

Yet whenever she saw Ji You lower his brows and meekly cast down his eyes, seeming somewhat dejected, she would disperse her dao arts again.

Until one particular time...

That day, the Fairy happened to discover that he was not lowering his brows and meekly casting down his eyes at all—he was looking at her feet...

And before he could react, his Divine Sense was swept flying once more.

Cao Jinsong had been urging him to cultivate every day recently. Seeing the expression on his face when he opened his eyes now, he could not help but feel puzzled.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm cultivating."

"Why does your cultivation look so soul-stirring?"

Ji You said nothing. Turning his head, he discovered that the Dao Comprehension Ground had grown increasingly deserted over the past few days.

Especially Chu He. After sensing the Heavenly Tome, he had never appeared again. It was said that his Dao Heart had been damaged, and he howled and cried in his room every day.

Yet while there were fewer people cultivating, there were more scenes of men and women wandering lakes together, strolling across bridges, and taking in the fallen leaves blanketing the mountains.

Of course, they were not merely strolling. Along the way, they would discuss the Dao, but as they discussed it, they would somehow wander deep into the sea of trees.

"Come stay in Shengjing tonight. I booked an inn where we can discuss the Dao all night. I want to see whether your Dao Heart is truly unobstructed, Junior Sister."

"?"

Watching this scene, Ji You thought, Well, damn. Physiologically unobstructed, is it?

Cao Jinsong, meanwhile, had long since grown used to such things. "Students entering the academy generally go through several stages. First, everyone studies diligently and cultivates bitterly, single-minded and free of distractions, because at that time they all believe themselves heaven's favored children, surely no weaker than anyone else."

"Afterward, some stand out from the crowd and leave the rest in the dust. More than half suffer damage to their Dao Hearts, while the rest begin to doubt whether effort is of any use."

"Then, some develop distracting thoughts, while others remain diligent—but their Dao Hearts are far inferior to before."

Cao Jinsong looked at Ji You. "At present, you are the one who has left everyone in the outer academy in the dust. You should also take first place in the inner academy selection. But do not grow arrogant. You must still cultivate diligently."

Listening to Instructor Cao's shameless words, Ji You said, "My Divine Sense is too weak. I can only contemplate the Heavenly Dao for three breaths, and I need a Spirit Replenishing Pill to recover. Instructor, how much money do you have?"

"It would bankrupt me."

"How did I end up following such a useless instructor? Don't you know how to work a little harder? Look at Instructor Ma—Aristocratic Clans in the capital send him gifts for every festival!"

"?"

Over the next few days, Ji You did not return to the Dao Comprehension Ground, nor did he sense the Heavenly Tome again.

With the strength of his Divine Sense, his time contemplating the Heavenly Dao was too brief. He spent all his remaining time in Foot Dao Observation.

If this continued, he would be ruined.

Divine Sense and the body were different in the end. If such frail Divine Sense were truly injured by the might of the Heavenly Dao, it could not be repaired.

So he planned to first train the strength of his Divine Sense and increase the time he could observe the Heavenly Dao.

Otherwise, if he could not even see it clearly, how could he speak of comprehending it?

At night, beneath a sky of glittering stars, Ji You lit the furnace in his meditation chamber. His Divine Sense flew into the heavens, probing the deeper, boundless expanse of the vast black night.

This was the method for strengthening Divine Sense. Compared to directly observing the Heavenly Dao, it was relatively gentle.

From half an hour on the first day of sending his Divine Sense into the heavens to more than an hour now, it was enough to show that this method truly worked.

"Half an hour was the limit for contemplating the heavens for three breaths. Now I should be able to reach six breaths. To be safe, six breaths..."

"No, that's too short."

"I'll try to endure for an hour and a half. Only when my safe time reaches nine breaths will I observe the Heavenly Tome again."

Ji You held his breath and focused his mind. His golden Divine Sense flew continuously through the radiant starry sky.

Half an hour was not actually very long, but the half hour after surpassing his limit was deadly. Every time he pushed past that limit, it left him in an extreme state of weakness.

So much so that whenever Cao Jinsong came to see him, he felt that Ji You must have been busy with something at night.

At the same time, upon a desolate mountain in a wilderness where all four directions were void and darkness, an incomparably beautiful barefoot girl sat atop a stone cliff, wholeheartedly comprehending the Dao.

Her vivid red skirt was caught by the wind, fluttering atop the cliff like a stirring splash of blood added to the blackness.

Like Ji You, she could not endure Heavenly Might for long and could only alternate between comprehension and rest.

At that moment, she opened her eyes, gently raised a hand to wipe away the beads of sweat, and placed her fragrant, snow-white jade foot upon the black stone. Rising to her feet, she looked idly around her.

As she looked, her gaze settled on the stone below that had been empty for several days, and she frowned slightly.

Then, with a sway, she vanished from atop the black mountain.

Her Divine Sense returned, and when she opened her eyes again, she was in a cloud-top palace above mountains and flowing waters.

Barefoot, she walked out of the hall, held the railing along the sheer cliff, and gazed into the distance. Before her stood a solitary peak like a sword.

Cultivation was an exceedingly boring thing, but the girl had not known that when she was young.

She had only thought the mountains of her Household were incomparably magnificent and had wanted to fly like those people.

Yet the Heavenly Dao had decreed that she would reach completion at the age of ten, becoming a so-called direct disciple and spending every day comprehending the Dao upon this mountain.

And so, after gazing at a mountain for too long, even the loveliest scenery became tiresome.

"I'm almost breaking through..."

"After I break through, I'll go down the mountain and take a look around..."

Resting her chin on her hand, the girl softly murmured to the solitary peak. Then she returned to the palace and entered beneath Void Mountain once more.

But just as she sat down, a hazy howling suddenly drifted through the pitch-black darkness.

After confirming that it was not an illusion, the girl looked toward the black stone below.

Sure enough, a figure gradually emerged atop the black stone.

Once she vaguely made out his features, the girl froze slightly. Then she straightened her back and pretended to be cultivating.

Ji You opened his eyes at that moment and discovered that he had returned beneath Void Mountain, where he saw the girl above him.

Previously, his time contemplating the Heavenly Dao had been too short, leaving him able only to look around in all directions.

But that would not happen now.

His Divine Sense was now powerful enough to endure for nine breaths.

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

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

Sure enough, after being tempered, his Divine Sense had grown considerably stronger. He began to see more details and also gained time to think about "comprehension" within the Profound Passage.

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

But in truth, it was the interweaving of laws. Though chaotic, every thread was complete. Yet with human ability, it was absolutely impossible to take it all in at a glance; one could only pull apart the strands and peel away the cocoon, searching for a central thread.

Previously, Ji You could only endure three breaths and could not even find a clue. But now, nine breaths were enough for him to roughly find the feeling.

Ji You gradually gained a hint of insight. He slowly closed his eyes and entered meditation, his Dao Heart gradually becoming clear and luminous.

"Six observations of the Dao, nine breaths each..."

"I've reached my limit..."

After a while, Ji You braced both hands against the boulder and panted for breath. Then his eyes flicked upward, and he suddenly froze.

He did not know whether it was an illusion, but he noticed that the other party's delicate jade foot seemed to have moved.

Looking at girls affected cultivation speed, but curiosity did not. Curiosity was the most important quality for an immortal cultivator pursuing the Heavenly Dao.

Ji You slowly rose and, as before, moved close to the girl.

She seemed to be in a meditative state, with no reaction whatsoever. Still as a mountain, she revealed no flaw at all. Ji You stared at her from close by for quite some time, deciding that he had probably seen wrong. Why would the Fairy need to pretend to meditate?

But just as he turned to leave, he discovered that a faint blush gradually rose upon that lovely face, fairer than frost and snow.

That man's breath was blowing onto her face...

Before Ji You could react, he suddenly saw a scarlet sleeve whip toward him...

Ji You's Divine Sense returned, and he could not help but sigh.

Beautiful girls really did hinder cultivation...

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