The Mind Realm of Self Alone!

Buzzz—!

At the instant his acupoints completely solidified into form, an indescribable sense of fullness surged from Jiang Xuan's chest and flowed along his meridians, spreading through his limbs and bones.

"My body has been made a little more whole."

Thus, time quietly slipped away as Jiang Xuan cultivated through breathing exercises. Before long, he completed his second round of cultivation, and the incantation enhancements surrounding him quietly faded with the passage of time.

Sensing the enhancements vanish, Jiang Xuan did not hesitate in the slightest. He immediately rose to his feet, preparing to cast the incantations for a third time.

"Splash..."

After rising, he followed the ritual procedures to worship the earth, straighten his robes, wash his hands, and rinse his mouth... But this time, someone noticed what he was doing.

"Hm?!"

"What is he doing?"

Previously, everyone had been immersed in cultivation. Jiang Xuan also knew that this set of actions was far too conspicuous, so he had deliberately chosen a spot in the very last row, tucked into the corner. As a result, no one had noticed his rituals the first two times.

But now, nearly the time it took an incense stick to burn had passed in high-intensity cultivation, and many had already been worn down until their minds began to wander.

At this moment, some on the plaza were resting and regulating their breathing, some were looking around, and others were swallowing pills to steady their minds. With so many eyes about, even though Jiang Xuan was in a remote corner, these actions of his—which stood utterly at odds with the atmosphere of everyone around him burying their heads in bitter cultivation—were still noticed by quite a few people, leaving them puzzled.

However, because Jiang Xuan silently recited all his incantations in his heart, no one realized that he was casting enhancement spells on himself.

Those who noticed Jiang Xuan's actions merely felt that... he was deliberately putting on airs.

It was no wonder they thought so. The Eight Great Divine Incantations and the series of fasting and offering rituals associated with them were all ceremonies for revering heaven, earth, and the gods.

Anyone performing such rites had to wear a solemn expression and carry themselves with utmost dignity, without the slightest hint of slackness.

After all, the essence of Daoist fasting and offering rituals was "using my sincerity to commune with heaven and earth." Thus, the ritual forms, words and actions, and state of mind all had to revolve around reverence for the Great Dao of heaven and earth and veneration for immortal masters and ancestral patriarchs. There could be no worldly clamor or irreverence.

It was a solemn pilgrimage in which body, speech, and intent were all brought into perfect order.

Ordinary fasting and offering rituals, however, came with accompanying sacrificial vessels, fellow Daoists assisting one another, magnificent halls, and solemn divine statues. It was easy for such things to bring out that sacred, grave atmosphere.

But Jiang Xuan was alone. And as a mere young Daoist attendant, neither his cultivation nor his prestige was enough for him to create that sacred aura by himself.

Under such circumstances, his meticulous actions appeared to others as nothing but strange and out of place.

Being different naturally invited whispers.

"Washing his hands and rinsing his mouth? He's only cultivating. What's with all this pomp? Is he copying those Aristocratic Clan disciples, trying to make himself look different?"

"Heh, he's just an ugly woman trying to imitate a beauty. Those Aristocratic Clan disciples really do have rules about cleansing themselves before cultivation, but they have maidservants attending them. That's what you call an Aristocratic Clan's bearing. What is this? A grotesque imitation, neither fish nor fowl."

"He really is acting like a clown hopping on a stage. Does he think putting on a show will let him squeeze into the circle of Lineage disciples?"

When the granaries were full, people came to know propriety.

Those elaborate rituals, unhurried refinement, and noble bearing were things that could only be cultivated by wealthy households free from worries over food and clothing, with ample leisure to polish themselves.

For Jiang Xuan, who came from a poor household, to behave this way appeared to many as learning to walk in Handan—forgetting even his own gait in the attempt. It earned nothing but their utter contempt.

Of course, though many were watching Jiang Xuan, very few truly spoke up to mock him. Most merely wanted to watch the excitement, coldly observing this joke unfold.

Yet if an ordinary person were watched by so many eyes, they would certainly feel embarrassed and stop out of awkwardness.

Jiang Xuan did not. This was partly due to the effects of Clarity of the Spirit Platform, but more importantly, Jiang Xuan knew what mattered more to him at this moment.

"Mockery and misunderstanding? There's no need to pay them any mind. Strength is the root of everything."

"Since these rituals can improve my cultivation efficiency, then I will simply do them. If I give up halfway because of a few idle remarks and strange looks from others, that would be true weakness of will—a waste of cultivation!"

Those students who had spoken mockingly never imagined that their words would not disrupt Jiang Xuan in the least. Instead, they made his resolve even firmer.

Moreover, since he had decided that if he was going to do this beneath everyone's gaze, he should do it as well as possible, Jiang Xuan no longer went through the motions. He carried out the entire ritual procedure with meticulous precision, complete and harmonious in every detail.

And an unexpected change quietly occurred at that very moment.

At the instant the entire ritual concluded, the familiar game notification sounded beside his ear as expected. But this time, the increase in the incantations' experience far exceeded his expectations. It was no longer the previous +1:

[You cast the Body-Purification Divine Incantation once. You gained the "Untouched by Dust" effect. Body-Purification Divine Incantation experience +3]

[You cast the Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation once. You gained the "Purification of Verbal Karma" effect. Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation experience +3]

[You cast the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation once. You gained the "Clarity of the Spirit Platform" effect. Heart-Purification Divine Incantation experience +12]

"Hm?!"

This time, it was Jiang Xuan's turn to be stunned.

"How did it increase by so much..."

Before he could finish, Jiang Xuan understood.

"It was my state of mind! When I performed the ritual and recited the incantations just now, my heart was free of distractions. I was not swept along by others' words, and I held fast to my true self. That happened to align with the true meaning of these three great divine incantations, which is why I received such extraordinary enhancements!"

"Persisting in myself, unaffected by other people's words or attitudes... That suits me perfectly."

Jiang Xuan had never allowed idle gossip to throw him off balance in the first place. Now that he knew holding fast to his heart could instead align with Daoist intent and grant him enhancements, he cast all those discussions beyond the nine heavens.

Thus, wholly disregarding the lingering gazes around him, Jiang Xuan cleansed himself, applied the incantation effects, then sat cross-legged once more and refined his mana through breathing exercises.

"..."

Seeing that Jiang Xuan paid absolutely no attention to the outside world's words, those cultivators who had been watching him in hopes of seeing a good show gradually found it dull. One by one, they withdrew their gazes and stopped staring at him.

Thus, the students who had rested also entered meditation once more, immersing themselves in their own cultivation.

And time gradually passed along with everyone's cultivation.

One incense stick, two incense sticks, three incense sticks... Before long, it was the Hour of the Snake in the morning—nine o'clock. After two or three hours of continuous high-intensity cultivation, the students on the plaza were already exhausted in both body and mind.

Under such circumstances, eighty percent of those on the plaza had stopped. Some regulated their breathing and rested, some chatted quietly, while even more stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with envy as they watched those who still remained in meditation.

There was no doubt about it. Being able to cultivate longer than others and refine more mana was absolutely an advantage—one enough to make everyone green with envy.

At the same time, most of the youths who had stopped cultivating were looking toward the front.

Those who still had the energy to remain in meditation at this point were either geniuses with exceptional spiritual root grades or disciples of cultivation Aristocratic Clans who relied on pills to sustain themselves. They were already the finest group in Star Daoist Academy, and they occupied the frontmost positions.

And at present, beyond envy and jealousy, the gazes of the ordinary students held an even more difficult-to-conceal fervor.

Especially among the female cultivators of outstanding beauty, beneath their envious gazes toward the front rows lay hints of worry and complicated emotions.

—Although this group of students had only entered the academy three or four days ago, everyone had already understood the atmosphere of the Divine Firmament Sect. They knew that clear hierarchies existed here, and they understood that only geniuses and the strong would be respected.

Having seen this clearly, some fought with all their strength to cross the Sea of Suffering, swearing to push their way into the front ranks. Others knew their own limits. Knowing that their aptitude could never possibly knock open the gates of the inner sect, they began to think of finding a patron early, someone to rely upon, and securing a stable path forward.

And because women were naturally drawn to strength and more accustomed to relying on others, quite a few young women had already begun secretly choosing their targets.

Just as everyone harbored their own thoughts—some envious, some unwilling, some calculating their future path—a sudden cry rang out:

"Jiang Xuan! Why is he still cultivating?!"