My Fate Is Decided By Money, Not Heaven

Under the biting winter wind, Cao Jinsong looked up and sighed. He then went to the Sect Affairs Pavilion in the Outer Court, exchanged his monthly stipend with his waist token, and tied up his money pouch.

Even though it was a sect matter, when traveling, one always needed some money on hand.

His monthly stipend wasn't high, but it was still a gesture of his care as an elder.

At this moment, the setting sun was like blood, painting the clouds in fiery hues.

Cao Jinsong left the Sect Affairs Pavilion and walked near the White Jade Platform. He saw a circle of disciples whispering and looking towards the mountain gate.

"Why aren't you cultivating? What are you doing blocking here?"

Cao Jinsong felt angry whenever he saw disciples who were in the Celestial Academy but didn't cherish it, and couldn't help but want to assert his authority as a teacher.

The disciples closest to him turned their heads upon hearing his voice. Seeing that it was him, they immediately bowed. "We greet you, Instructor."

"Rise. What happened?"

"There's a young lady at the mountain gate. She made my Dao Heart feel somewhat enlightened..."

"?"

As the disciples moved aside, Cao Jinsong saw the scene below the mountain gate.

It was a woman of ethereal beauty, dressed in a cloud brocade long skirt that accentuated her graceful and full figure. Her chin was slightly raised, her eyes were clear and piercing, and she stood beneath the fiery sunset, gazing at the imposing characters of the mountain gate.

The Celestial Academy had a protective sect formation in operation. Those who were not disciples of the Celestial Academy needed permission to enter.

However, the woman seemed unconcerned. As she approached, her aura continuously emanated outwards, directly opposing the formation that blocked her, not yielding even an inch.

Ordinary disciples might not discern the deeper meaning, but Cao Jinsong frowned slightly.

He noticed the woman was covered in sword qi, incredibly sharp, making even him feel a sense of dread.

At this moment, the wind and sword qi surged, growing stronger and stronger.

When the Celestial Academy set up its formation, to avoid accidental injury, the first layer was merely an obstruction.

Ordinary disciples, seeing they couldn't pass, wouldn't press forward.

But the woman did not stop.

Thus, the second layer, a killing formation, began to glow, and behind the woman before the formation, a mysterious arc also lit up, as if something was condensing.

Cao Jinsong rubbed his eyes, about to be shocked, but then saw both the formation and the mysterious arc disappear, as if it had all been an illusion.

The woman suddenly walked into the Celestial Academy. She looked up, waving her white sleeve towards the peak of Mount Ni, a look of confusion on her face.

The Seven Great Immortal Sects had been in secret competition for years, each refusing to concede to the other.

She had only wanted to test the power of this sacred sect's formation, never expecting to be invited in, have her Dharma Idol dispersed, and the heavenly secrets of this place obscured simultaneously.

After pondering for a while, she slightly raised her hand and bowed towards the mountain, then walked onto the Ascending Immortal White Jade Platform.

At this moment, disciples on the corridors and arched bridges of the Outer Court began to stop, looking in this direction.

The woman's beauty was unparalleled, unlike anyone from the mortal world. Even her frown was breathtakingly beautiful. She stood gracefully on the White Jade Platform, a scene unto herself.

What drew even more attention were her attire and accessories.

The cloud brocade long skirt was made of extraordinary material, seemingly a very precious magical artifact.

The two spirit swords she wore at her waist were also no ordinary items, and the three spirit hairpins casually adorning her hair were top-grade.

"Which young lady from an ancient noble family is this?"

"I don't know. I've never seen her in the Outer Court..."

"She's not wearing an immortal robe, perhaps she's a senior disciple from the Inner Court?"

"What makes you say that?"

"With such beauty, how could our Outer Court be worthy?"

"This is a true Fairy. Compared to her, even Miss Lu seems a bit common..."

Lu Qingqiu, the eldest daughter of Yunzhou, happened to be at the Dao Comprehension Ground. She frowned upon hearing this, but even so, she had to admit that the other woman was indeed radiating an immortal aura.

What caught Miss Lu's attention the most were the three spirit hairpins on the woman's head.

Years ago, the Lu family's first managed mineral veins had been dug to the deepest point, where they found a complete and massive spirit core, containing the most vast and pure spiritual energy.

Lu Qingqiu's father then ordered four spirit hairpins to be made from it. Three were sold at exorbitant prices, and the last one was kept for her.

It was precisely because she knew the price of these spirit hairpins that she found it incredible.

Only someone with the bloodline of an Immortal Sect or a thousand-year-old noble family like the Chu family could afford these three spirit hairpins.

Seeing the reactions of the surrounding disciples, Cao Jinsong couldn't help but spit.

The world was really going downhill. Our Ji You was never like this!

Just then, the woman's brow furrowed, and she coldly scanned her surroundings.

She seemed accustomed to being the center of attention and showed no panic. Instead, her gaze caused many of the onlookers to avert their eyes, afraid to look directly at her.

Seeing this, Cao Jinsong flicked his sleeve and left, hurrying to the Elegant Garden across Bishui Lake.

Ji You, who had returned from Wanzhuo Mountain, had his shoulder bandaged and was sitting on a stone bench under a osmanthus tree, with a bundle of chopsticks borrowed from the Immortal Cuisine Hall floating in front of him.

The chopsticks were now filled with spiritual energy, dancing in the air, thrusting left and right, tearing through the sky.

Because of their small size, these chopsticks appeared to fly in a chaotic manner, but upon closer inspection, one could see that their flight paths were precisely sword moves.

"What are you doing?"

"Sword control."

Ji You moved his spiritual sense, and the chopsticks flying in the air returned to the chopstick holder with a hum.

After two battles, he realized that multitasking was a major hurdle to overcome.

If this wasn't resolved, his combat time would be significantly shortened.

In team battles, others could cover for him, but if he had to face enemies alone, this would become his greatest weakness.

The solution was simple, with only two options.

One was to continuously train his spiritual sense, allowing him to sustain it for longer and to divide his attention more adeptly.

He had been doing this all along, never slacking.

The other method was to make the sword moves used in sword control, such as flying thrusts, flying slashes, and flying parries, habitual.

Habit was a powerful thing. The deeper the imprinted memory, the less spiritual sense it would consume, essentially integrating sword moves into instant hotkeys.

As it stood, the effect was quite good; at the very least, the chopsticks in front of him could draw squares and circles.

Cao Jinsong listened to his explanation, somewhat confused, but still exclaimed that this child was extraordinary. However, after his exclamation, his mood quickly sank again.

Ji You saw through his expression and asked, "What happened?"

"Evil Seeds have thrown the world into chaos, devouring many disciples of the Immortal Sects and even attacking the Pill Sect. The Affairs Management Courtyard has assigned many disciples to investigate, and they have now identified three ruins in Qiling Town, Yuhe Town, and Beisha Town. We need to send people into them."

Ji You couldn't help but recall the figures constantly flying out of the Inner Court these past few days and understood, "Am I going?"

Cao Jinsong nodded, "That's right. The Affairs Management Courtyard believes you are peerlessly brave, with exceptional swordsmanship, one in a million..."

"If they truly thought that, they wouldn't be sending me."

Cao Jinsong rolled up his wide sleeves, "The first part is true, but it's also possible they want you to make way for the disciples of noble families, as your performance since entering the academy has indeed threatened some people."

Ji You tapped the table with his knuckles, a slight smile playing on his lips, "Have they ever heard the saying, 'My fate is mine to decide, not heaven's'..."

"No, but there's a reward for this investigation, a hundred taels of silver."

"Oh? Money? Then my fate is decided by money, not heaven."

Cao Jinsong's mouth twitched, thinking this child truly valued money above all else.

He sighed and took out a money pouch from his embrace, "I knew you liked these things. Here, I prepared some travel expenses for you."

Ji You glanced at it, "Forget it, you can hold onto it for me first."

"Heh, that's odd, you've come into money?"

"Money only has meaning if you stay alive."

Cao Jinsong's expression turned serious upon hearing this, "Don't rush into things when trouble arises. Inner Court disciples will accompany you. If the sky falls, the tallest will bear the brunt; you don't need to risk yourself."

Ji You nodded, "When do I leave?"

"It should be in about three days, but I don't know how long the entire trip will take. If the Inner Court selection..."

"I'll be back before the Inner Court selection."

Upon hearing this, Cao Jinsong lost his usual optimism.

Chu He was now only one step away from the upper five realms. After reaching the Profound Connection Realm and supplementing with pills, his Profound Connection Realm might improve very quickly.

Ji You, on the other hand, was still far behind, and without the Heavenly Tome's assistance, he couldn't even guarantee his cultivation time.

Most importantly, the planners of the Evil Seed incident clearly included more than one individual in the upper five realms. If they were encountered, even their safety wouldn't be guaranteed.

"This matter needs to be mentioned to Kuang Cheng..."

Ji You, unaware of Cao Jinsong's concerns, was contemplating his arrangements for the next few days.

He decided to go to Shengjing tomorrow to tell the scholar about the matter.

Also...

He needed to go to Void Mountain and inform that easily angered Fairy of this matter, otherwise, she would throw another tantrum.

Ji You wasn't exactly close to her, nor was he completely unfamiliar, but the habit of clearly stating things when necessary had formed.

"Instructor Cao, I need to go to the Dao Comprehension Ground."

"You're still going to the Dao Comprehension Ground even in this situation?"

Cao Jinsong's lips trembled slightly, as if filled with a teacher's emotion.

He was about to be transferred out of the Celestial Academy, yet he still remembered to diligently cultivate the Dao. Ji You was truly different from those disciples of noble families.