“Divine General? Which Divine General?”
“Returning to the capital after a victorious campaign, it must be the Town Protector Divine General.”
As the soldier’s voice echoed on the Baiyu Platform, the lively chatter around them suddenly turned into whispers.
At this moment, Young Master Chu River of the Chu Family and Lu Qingqiu of the Yunzhou Lu Family stopped, and even Chong Wang couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
Town Protector Divine General Ye Sheng, it was rumored, had achieved Upper Five Realms Perfection on the battlefield a few days prior, placing him in the same Realm as the five great Hall Masters of Tianshu Academy.
At this moment, everyone turned to look at Ji You, their eyes filled with a hint of astonishment.
Under everyone's gaze, Ji You reached out and took the invitation, nodding expressionlessly, then calmly left the Baiyu Platform as if everything was within his expectations.
“Who is the Town Protector Divine General?”
“You don’t know? If you don’t know, why did you dare to accept it?”
In the elegant garden by Bi Shui Lake, Cao Jinsong’s eyes widened.
Ji You shook the invitation in his hand: “Being stared at by the other Disciples on the platform, it wasn’t good to just turn and leave. What else could I do but take it?”
“This Young Master is extraordinary!”
Cao Jinsong raised his hands, pulling his wide robe up to his elbows, and began to explain the Town Protector Divine General to Ji You.
The Great Xia Dynasty has four great Divine Generals, among whom the Town Protector Divine General is the strongest and most famous. He entered the Dao through Martial Skill, and his presence in the Northern Plains makes him an anomaly in the Qingyun World.
Because he is not a Disciple of the Seven Great Immortal Sects and has no Legacy, he is destined not to reach the final Linxian Realm, much less hope for Ascension.
However, he has fought against the Barbarians for many years, emerging from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. His killing Qi has made him invincible within the Upper Five Realms.
At the same time, he is also part of the pro-Imperial faction within the Great Xia Dynasty. It is said that he was personally supported by the former Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty when he was still unknown, placing him in an opposing camp to the pro-Immortal factions like Chong Wang and Wei Xiang.
“Why would he invite me?”
“Some time ago, there was a rumor in Shengjing City that the Emperor intended to implement new policies, aiming to reclaim control of the Qingyun World from our Immortal Sects. Ye Sheng rushed back to take charge.”
Cao Jinsong pointed to the invitation in his hand: “He didn’t take a fancy to you. He is using this method to inform Chong Wang and Wei Xiang that he has returned from his campaign, which can be seen as a deterrent.”
Ji You chuckled upon hearing this: “So I’m just a little loudspeaker.”
“Since you’ve accepted the invitation, you should go later, but remember, you are a person of the Immortal Dao, seeking the Supreme Dao and pursuing Immortal Ascension. Do not get too close to the Imperial Court.”
After Cao Instructor finished speaking, he turned and left the Bi Shui Lake elegant garden, while Ji You looked at the invitation, gradually falling into contemplation.
The phrase “entering the Dao through Martial Skill” is very interesting, because in the current Qingyun World, Martial Skills are considered a minor Dao.
Within the same Realm, those who are skilled in Martial Arts might have extraordinary combat power, but no matter how refined, they cannot achieve the level of defeating enemies beyond their Realm. Moreover, honing Martial Skills requires a lot of time.
Therefore, most people within the Seven Great Immortal Sects do not cultivate Martial Skills, choosing to be pure Dao cultivators. They use the Heavenly Dao Laws and compete with the vastness of their Spiritual Qi.
For example, even if your Martial Skills reach the pinnacle, if your opponent is one Realm higher than you, they can make you somersault with just a wave of their hand.
Only a very small number of people, due to certain needs, choose Dual Cultivation of Martial and Dao.
For instance, Bao Yongsheng, the guard of Fengxian Mountain Manor. When Ji You fought him, he found his own Spiritual Qi was like a sea, yet the opponent only needed to use half of his strength. This was because being a guard required cultivating Martial Skills.
Therefore, when Ji You arrived, he decided that he would pursue the path of Dual Cultivation of Martial and Dao for three reasons.
First, his Spiritual Spring was currently abnormal, and ordinary cultivation methods might not be effective, making pure Dao cultivation risky.
Second, his cultivation of the Dao was actually very fast, so he had enough time.
On the way here, Pei Ruyi had motivated them with her own experience, saying that Tianshu Academy Disciples generally cultivated for six hours, while she cultivated for nine hours daily, which was why she became the Outer Courtyard’s chief Disciple.
She also told Fang Ruoyao that talent wasn't that important, and sometimes human effort could overcome Heaven, which made Fang Ruoyao's blood boil with excitement.
At that time, Ji You was silent for a long time, not daring to say that he had already achieved Junior Third Realm Completion by cultivating only two hours a day.
As for the third and most important point, if he couldn't continue to break through after his Spiritual Spring exploded, and was found out and expelled from Tianshu Academy, he would still enter the Dao as a bandit to protect the children who had recognized him as their foster father.
Besides Dual Cultivation of Martial and Dao, he also needed to find opportunities to research some information.
Regarding the two statues from before his Transmigration, the meaning of 'Heaven's Calamity,' and the light cluster within his body, most importantly, his exploded Spiritual Spring.
These things were all mysteries in his heart that needed to be solved.
After clarifying these matters, Ji You rose and left the courtyard, deciding to attend the banquet at the Town Protector Divine General's Mansion.
It was nearing dusk, and the lights were already coming on in Shengjing City. The majestic Imperial Palace, with its flying eaves and upturned corners, appeared desolate yet grand under the setting sun, reflecting the huge sunset and a long, blood-red streak, a breathtaking sight.
Turning from Yong’an Street into Chunhua Alley, the bustling main street that was lively when he arrived had fallen silent, but a previously quiet small alley was exceptionally lively.
Chunhua Tower was filled with women who were not properly dressed, waving embroidered handkerchiefs at the people below.
Passing men, especially those in luxurious attire, entered, becoming debauched Young Masters.
“?”
“Truly, people’s hearts are fickle.”
Ji You admired the scene for a long time, letting one of the girls wave an embroidered handkerchief in front of him against the wind, the strong scent of cosmetics not moving him.
Poverty makes me noble.
Ji You lingered for a long time, finally passing through the alley and arriving at the Town Protector Divine General's Mansion after taking strides of ten zhang each.
Town Protector Divine General Ye Sheng, whose birth year is unknown, had a face in his forties.
He was not as burly as Ji You had imagined, but rather had a scholarly air. However, the surging Qi and blood radiating from his unmoving posture indicated that he was indeed an unparalleled fierce general, with killing Qi exuding from his every move.
But Ji You was not intimidated, because although the other party was an unparalleled fierce general, he was also an unparalleled fierce bandit.
“This Ye has just returned to the capital from the Northern Plains and has only prepared some simple fare. Young Master Ji, please don’t mind it.”
“General, you exaggerate. Thank you for your hospitality.”
Ji You took his seat, picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and looked at the table.
“Simple fare” was indeed just a humble statement; the table was laden with all five kinds of livestock, almost too much for two people.
However, Cao Jinsong’s prediction was not wrong; the Town Protector Divine General indeed had little interest in him. He was merely using this method to announce his triumphant return and vex Chong Wang and Wei Xiang.
Thus, throughout the entire banquet, Ye Sheng only chatted with him about the local customs of Shengjing City.
In fact, Divine General Ye didn't really understand Ji You. He had rushed back from the Northern Plains battlefield and didn't have time to investigate thoroughly. He happened to catch the selection of new Disciples for Tianshu Academy and simply went with the flow.
His view was actually the same as most people's: it would be very difficult for a commoner Disciple to break into the Upper Five Realms without the accumulation of Immortal Elixirs and Spirit Pills.
Therefore, he didn't need to win over Ji You. After all, a Junior Third Realm Completion Disciple was useless to him. The truly useful ones were Chu River and Lu Qingqiu, but they were both descendants of Immortal Sects and had no loyalty to the country or its people.
In stark contrast to the quietness of the Divine General's Mansion was the lively and boisterous banquet at Prince Chong's Mansion.
Chu River, Lu Qingqiu, and three other Disciples who had already reached the Ninghua Upper Realm were all present. To entertain them, Chong Wang even invited five Inner Courtyard Disciples from the Inner Courtyard.
According to him, these five Inner Courtyard Disciples were all supported by him, and he would guide them in their cultivation in the future, clearly behaving like a powerful academic patron.
“The Inner Courtyard spot for next year should be between Young Master Chu and Young Miss Lu, right?”
Chu River cupped his hands at the table and said, “Reporting to Your Highness, the one who can enter the Inner Courtyard next year will be none other than me.”
Lu Qingqiu sneered upon hearing this: “Brother Chu, the wind is too strong, don't bite your tongue.”
“Since I dare to speak, it is naturally because I have this confidence. If Young Miss Lu has any objections, why not try it out at the Wudao Field?”
Listening to the two of them clashing, an Inner Courtyard Disciple named Ban Yangshu was surprised: “Your Highness Chong Wang, I heard that the Outer Courtyard recruited a Junior Third Realm Completion Disciple this year who is not yet twenty? Is that just a rumor?”
Chong Wang raised his wine cup: “I didn’t invite him, so General Ye invited him instead.”
“He was snatched away, so why is Your Highness still so happy?”
“A talented private cultivator from the countryside, with no family background. Although it’s a bit regrettable that he was snatched away, such a person, even if he luckily enters the Upper Five Realms, will find it difficult to advance any further.”
“So that’s how it is…”
“Come, tonight, this King commands that all present shall not return until they are drunk!”