“Has Ji You decided which Immortal Hall he wants to join?”
“He hasn’t made a decision yet. Perhaps he’s still considering it. A few Elders went to persuade him, but they didn’t get a definite answer.”
“I remember the Outer Courtyard once said that his Physique is as extraordinary as the Chu Family’s?”
“That has never been verified, but judging from his talent and the speed of his breakthrough, it seems to be true—”
Inside the Tianshu Academy’s Inner Courtyard, in front of the divine path under countless verdant ancient cypresses, the Disciples from various halls who had just gathered there were discussing animatedly.
Among them were more than a dozen direct Disciple candidates from Chang Sheng Dian, Desireless Hall, and Dustless Hall.
When Chu River returned to Tianshu Academy, there were rumors between the Inner Courtyard and Outer Courtyard that a Hall Master wanted to take him as a direct Disciple.
Now that Chu River was defeated by Ji You and could not enter the Inner Courtyard, it was certain that one of the three Hall Masters had already considered taking a direct Disciple.
So, the competition for the quota seemed imminent.
“From the Autumn Tournament in recent days, although Ji You’s talent is exceptional, he is still only in the Tong Xuan Realm, so we don’t need to pay too much attention to him.”
“The Upper Five Realms are different from the Lower Three Realms. Each Realm requires comprehending the Law to even touch the threshold, and from Tong Xuan to Rongdao Realm is the most difficult.”
“Although Hall Masters have never had a clear Realm distinction when choosing direct Disciples, there has never been a precedent of a Tianshu Academy Hall Master’s direct Disciple being below the Rongdao Realm.”
“Most importantly, when the Five Hall Masters choose direct Disciples, they also need to consider their Worldly Family background.”
As these Disciples said, Ji You indeed did not rush to choose an Immortal Hall.
Even Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu told him that there was no need to rush the matter of choosing a hall.
The path of cultivation is inherently long and arduous, and nothing should be rushed.
So, on the afternoon of his admission, Ji You took the Inner Courtyard map drawn for him by Ban Yangshu and wandered around the mountains.
Along the mountain road, the sea of clouds was above the forest, and the autumn sunlight streamed down, penetrating the layered clouds from top to bottom.
Ji You climbed Zizai Mountain, saw Zizai Hall, then went to Jixiang Mountain, saw Jixiang Hall, and then successively visited Chang Sheng Dian, Dustless Hall, and Desireless Hall, his gaze then turning towards the very center.
Looking out from the Sky Soaring Platform at the intersection of the six peaks, one could see the Holy Land of Tianshu Academy, the Celestial Book Palace, which was also the residence of the Celestial Book Institute Head Teacher.
It was a pure white building, with a complete carving of the Seven Sages’ Dao enlightenment, looking resplendent.
“I need to check if the Head Teacher, that old man, is doing well.”
Ji You suddenly muttered, then followed the mountain path upwards, his filial piety directed straight at the Immortal Master Head Teacher.
In reality, he wasn’t the only one with such filial piety.
Because ever since the Celestial Book Institute Head Teacher entered the Linxian Realm two hundred years ago, countless eyes across the entire Qingyun World had been waiting for his Ascension.
But in the blink of an eye, two hundred years had passed, and he still sat on Ni Mountain, with no news of Ascension.
It was precisely because of this that the Five Hall Masters had not yet chosen a successor for the Head Teacher position.
Thus, a Hall Master’s direct Disciple remained a Hall Master’s direct Disciple, and it was difficult to become a Hall Master.
To put it bluntly, this Celestial Book Institute Head Teacher, by himself, almost stalled the generational transition of Tianshu Academy for nearly two generations.
The previous Head Teacher of Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion, who had long since Ascended, was his peer, and now, the current Head Teacher was also in seclusion for Ascension.
Comparing these, one could understand the stagnation of Tianshu Academy during these two hundred years.
And Lingjian Mountain on the Xuán Hǎi coast, including the Head Teacher who went missing earlier, was actually already approaching its third generation.
Therefore, the rumors circulating in the Qingyun World that the Human Race’s Heavenly Dao had problems were not entirely due to the Qiling Relic; part of the reason was also because the Celestial Book Institute Head Teacher had never been able to Ascend.
At this moment, Ji You had already stepped onto the divine path of Tianshu Academy.
As he walked, he observed that this peak was even more precipitous than the other five peaks; its almost vertical mountain path could rival Tianjian Peak of Lingjian Mountain.
However, for Ji You, the most distinct difference he felt came from the refreshing breeze that met him.
This breeze had some mysterious quality; when it blew on him, he instantly felt light as a feather and much more energetic.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Ji You arrived at a gentle slope on Tianshu Peak. On the slope was a patch of lush green grass, and in the center of the grass stood a thick and tall maple tree.
Under the maple tree were a stone table and stone stools, and on the table was a game of chess that had just begun but had not progressed further.
Ji You walked up, his expression solemn, and watched quietly for a long time.
Suddenly, he seemed to discover the trick within it, so his heroic eyebrows slightly furrowed, and he slowly picked up a white piece.
After observing the overall chess situation again, he carefully placed the piece in his hand, allowing the white pieces to form five in a row first, then let out a long breath, feeling satisfied.
“Hmm?”
“Why is this chessboard carved from a spiritual core?”
“Wouldn’t that be worth millions?”
“Just leaving it out in the open by the roadside, they must not want it anymore, right?”
Ji You muttered to himself as he looked at the spiritual core chessboard, then he looked around, thinking, are the Disciples of Tianshu Academy all people of noble character, so much so that they can leave their doors unlocked at night and not pick up lost items on the road?
After looking around for a while, Ji Hanfei withdrew the hand that had brushed over the chessboard and continued up the road.
The chessboard was a good thing, and although the material of the chess pieces was indistinguishable, to be matched with such a chessboard, they were naturally not ordinary items.
But he was a bandit, not a thief; professional ethics must be remembered.
However, he was truly a bit confused; would this thing really not get lost if left by the roadside?
It tested human nature too much—
Next time he passed by, if he saw an old man sitting in front of the chessboard, he planned to make a move.
At this moment, Ji You looked up and saw that the magnificent white Holy Temple was not far away, and the surging spiritual light around the main hall continuously diffused colorful Qi.
The sun was just beginning to set, and from his perspective, it looked as if it was hanging at the top of the main hall, with sunlight and spiritual light intermingling.
At this time, the surroundings were silent, and few figures could be seen; only the drifting clouds floated around.
Ji You gazed for a long time, then lifted his robe, stepped onto the summit of Ni Mountain, and the majestic and solemn Celestial Book Palace now appeared completely before his eyes.
This grand hall was different from the other five halls with their upturned eaves; it was a domed building, and its gate was two zhang high, half-open.
“Hello, Immortal Master Head Teacher, my name is Ji You.”
“Uh, I specifically came here to see how you are doing.”
Ji You walked into the Celestial Book Palace, muttering to himself, and saw rows of ever-burning lamps in the vast palace, followed by bookshelves as tall as a person, leading straight to the second floor.
Looking up, there were carved beams and painted rafters.
The bas-reliefs carved on the main beams and pillars depicted the long yet brief history of the Human Race after its rise a thousand years ago.
The most eye-catching section depicted surging waves, with houses tilting left and right around them, as if everything was about to be submerged, but looking further to the right, one could see a large ship constantly battling against the monstrous waves.
This was the world-ending flood that the Qingyun World experienced when the Lasting Peace Race perished.
Ji You looked at it, then stepped into the hall, but after searching around, he found no one.
The Immortal Master Head Teacher of Tianshu Academy would not just sit in the main hall waiting for people to pay respects; his absence was normal.
Ji Hanfei felt a bit regretful, so he took a few more glances at the carvings on the beams, then turned and walked towards the door.
However, at this moment, a buzzing sound suddenly came from behind him, incredibly familiar, yet exceptionally clear.
The sound came from the highest point in the center of the Celestial Book Palace, and then a heavenly light poured down through the dome, surging towards him with a roar.
“Not this time.”
“Someone is in seclusion inside; they don’t want me to disturb them.”
As the words fell, the heavenly light gradually dispersed, and Ji You waved his hand, stepping out of the grand hall.
This was the main peak of the Immortal Master Head Teacher of Tianshu Academy. When he came, he guessed that the Celestial Book should also be nearby, or within the Celestial Book Palace.
Sure enough, the heavenly light that descended just now was the Celestial Book calling him to sense it, acting on its own accord.
However, today was the middle day of Yan Shuyi’s irritable mood, so Ji You felt it was better not to provoke her.
“It’s a pity I didn’t get to see the Immortal Master Head Teacher and ask him to voluntarily pass his position to me—”
Ji You whispered, then left the Celestial Book Palace and walked down the peak.
He still had a place he wanted to see, which was a purple bamboo forest located at the intersection of the six peaks.
Ban Yangshu had specifically marked the location of this bamboo forest on the map, writing the four characters “Inner Courtyard Zen Forest,” with some annotations next to it.
It is said that the first Head of Tianshu Academy once used great magical power to transform this place, shaping it into a place for the exchange of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and also confining the thousands of Laws near Ni Mountain here for initial evolution, to provide a place for Inner Courtyard Disciples to comprehend the Dao.
Besides that, this place was the most direct place to sense the Celestial Book, apart from the Celestial Book Palace itself.
And the Wudao Field in the Outer Courtyard was merely a simplified version of this Purple Bamboo Zen Forest.
Ji You stepped into the Zen Forest and saw Disciples sitting cross-legged everywhere, their bodies faintly glowing with spiritual light, echoing the heavenly light of the place.
Before he could observe closely, he heard the rustling sound of footsteps approaching him, so he turned his head to look.
He found that the person approaching was a woman with a magnanimous presence, dressed in a plain white silk skirt, none other than He Lingxiu, the direct Disciple of Zizai Hall.
“Junior Brother, congratulations on entering the Inner Courtyard.”
“I just went to the courtyard prepared for you in the Inner Courtyard to find you, but you weren’t there, so I thought you might come here, and indeed you did.”
The two were now standing face to face, but their gazes did not meet.
Because Ji You was attracted by her magnanimous presence, and He Lingxiu was also staring at his broad chest, a moment of silence, tranquility, and harmony filled the scene.
After the Autumn Tournament, He Lingxiu obtained a copied painting from Zhuo Wanqiu, and now the painting and the person merged before her eyes.
Ji You was the first to regain his senses, earlier than He Lingxiu, and saw her gaze fixed on his chest.
People’s hearts are truly fickle!
It’s one thing for the Outer Courtyard to want to sleep with me, but why is the Inner Courtyard like this too? If this continues, I’ll become a must-try activity for female students of Tianshu Academy.
“Uh, Senior Sister, what can I do for you?”
He Lingxiu regained her composure and spoke softly, her voice like an oriole: “Junior Brother, are you interested in joining my Zizai Hall?”
Ji You understood her intention: “But Zizai Hall already has Senior Sister as a direct Disciple.”
“So Junior Brother wants to join one of the other three halls and become a Hall Master’s direct Disciple?”
“Senior Sister Wen and Senior Brother Ban advised me to do so.”
He Lingxiu looked at him for a long time: “It seems Junior Brother may not know, You Buyu is the nephew of the Jixiang Hall Master, and I am the niece of the Zizai Hall Master.”
Ji You blinked: “Senior Sister means that when Hall Masters choose direct Disciples, they ultimately have to consider their own Worldly Family, and not someone like me, a private cultivator from the countryside, who can hope for it?”
“Junior Brother is being a bit modest, but the principle is roughly that.”
He Lingxiu spoke: “My uncle, in order to keep his Immortal Heart still and be unburdened by worldly things, did not leave any descendants, which is why I became the Hall Master’s direct Disciple. However, if Junior Brother joins my Zizai Hall, I guarantee that the Laws and resources you can access will not be less than mine.”
Ji You held his breath: “Will I get money?”
“Of course.”
“That makes this bandit’s heart flutter.”
He Lingxiu smiled brightly: “Then I will quietly await Junior Brother’s good news.”
Ji You then turned his head to look at Tianshu Peak, where he had just been: “I just went to Tianshu Peak, but—”
“Were you greatly disappointed?”
Ji You was momentarily stunned: “Not exactly, but it was indeed a bit regrettable.”
He Lingxiu chuckled softly: “That’s normal. Students who just enter the Inner Courtyard always can’t help but want to go there. You’re not the first.”
Ji You nodded after hearing this, thinking that it seemed the Immortal Master Head Teacher was not occasionally absent, but frequently absent, and he was not the first one who failed to see him.
Then he cupped his hands and bid farewell to He Lingxiu, descending the mountain.
At this moment, within the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest, Wang Yue and Fang Linchao of Jixiang Hall walked over: “Senior Sister He wants to invite Ji You to join Zizai Hall?”
He Lingxiu turned to look at them: “How is Senior Brother You doing?”
“He was sent back to the You Family.”
“You two are here for Ji You as well?”
“Although Feng Province is remote and secluded, it is vast. Ji You might become the only Worldly Family Head there. Of course, my Jixiang Hall hopes he can join the hall.”
“Well, I’m sorry, Junior Brother just told me he’s very interested in my Zizai Hall.”
Wang Yue and Fang Linchao exchanged glances: “But Ji You’s expression just now didn’t seem very satisfied?”
He Lingxiu smiled upon hearing this: “That’s because Junior Brother Ji just went to Tianshu Peak, but he couldn’t go up. It’s his first time in the Inner Courtyard, so he doesn’t know that the divine path of Tianshu Peak can only be ascended by Hall Masters and their direct Disciples.”
Upon hearing this, the two suddenly realized, thinking, no wonder.
The divine path of Tianshu Peak, like the Inner Courtyard’s forest sea, contained hidden profound Laws; without being a Hall Master or a Hall Master’s direct Disciple, one simply could not set foot on it.
When they first entered the Inner Courtyard, they also wanted to go to Tianshu Peak to pay respects, but even now, they could only gaze at the Holy Temple from the foot of the mountain.