Chapter 276: Divine Thought Annihilation
"Fairy Xiang, congratulations on entering the Inner Courtyard."
"Thank you..."
"It's a long-standing rule for those who enter the Inner Courtyard to treat their peers to a meal at Hongding Restaurant. Fairy Xiang shouldn't feel it's a waste."
"Entering the Inner Courtyard is a great joy, so of course, I must share it with everyone."
"Speaking of which, this matter is truly strange. We Tianshu Academy Disciples all know that the Elder Council has always been powerful. We originally thought that no matter how high your talent was, Junior Sister, it would be difficult for you to enter the Inner Courtyard. We didn't expect you actually did. Do you have any special tips?"
Under the bustling night sky, many Tianshu Academy Outer Courtyard Disciples were seated in Hongding Restaurant.
During their conversation, someone couldn't help but look at Xiang Fu, asking, as if casually, about something that had puzzled them for a long time.
When the words sounded, the others at the table couldn't help but turn to look.
In fact, Xiang Fu herself was in a daze, twirling her chopsticks and pondering for a long time.
Ever since the selection results were announced, many people had come to her out of curiosity, asking how she had managed it. But what no one could have imagined was that even she herself couldn't explain the matter clearly.
"Perhaps it was because of Instructor Cao's guidance..."
"Instructor Cao?"
"Instructor Cao said that if I truly wanted to enter the Inner Courtyard, I could try to learn from Miss Lu Er and get closer to Senior Brother Ji."
Upon hearing this, everyone showed thoughtful expressions, exchanging glances at the table.
Xiang Fu was not a Sect Disciple; she had no complicated Family marriage identity. In the eyes of these Sect cultivators, she was as clean as a blank sheet of paper.
Therefore, who she knew and with whom she was on good terms—all these relationship lines were clear at a glance.
In fact, when she obtained the Inner Courtyard spot, someone quickly used Family connections to investigate all her overt and covert relationships, and no major figures were found.
The only one that came to mind was Ji You, who had caused such a stir—
She and Ji You belonged to the same Instructor, and she also hailed from Feng Province, which was under Ji You's jurisdiction.
But the problem was, if Ji You were still cultivating in Xianxian Holy Land, or if he had already touched the threshold of Innate Realm when he came out, then this matter would indeed be reasonable.
But he hadn't, which made this Autumn Tournament's selection seem unreasonable. "Getting closer to Ji You, huh—?
"Just like Miss Lu Er."
The Disciple at the table picked up his wine glass, held it to his lips, and pondered continuously, with various speculations among themselves.
And Xiang Fu's explanation that "I didn't do anything, I just listened to Instructor Cao and got closer to Senior Brother Ji" gradually spread, causing discussion in the Outer Courtyard.
The clue was not the answer, but it pointed towards the answer.
Yet, many people still didn't understand why Ji You could influence the outcome of the selection.
At this moment, Ji You walked out of his small courtyard, heading down the mountain under the late autumn sunlight.
Xiang Fu's entry into the Inner Courtyard did not have much impact on Ji You, because the Autumn Tournament's entry was not within his scope of attention in the first place.
The reason he got involved was entirely due to Cao Jinsong's "flash of inspiration."
However, along the way, someone kept staring at him, observing for a long time, but saw that his expression was normal, without any intriguing look.
After a while, Ji You arrived at the Master's Courtyard.
Bu Qirong's matter was over. Although this matter was not made public, they were still ordered by Hall Master Zuoqiuyang to understand some things clearly.
For example, the process of Ji You entering the mountain to kill, and his motive for killing.
This was not something worth keeping secret, so Ji You told them the process. As for the motive, it was still the same as what he told Xia Qirong.
He just wanted to work with the common people to farm well and did not want to see chaos.
This reason sounded very childish. If it were on someone else, it would be directly dismissed as nonsense. But coming from Ji You's mouth, the three Masters-in-charge of the Master's Courtyard believed it.
He had always done so: establishing a Sect, going on a diplomatic mission to the Snow Region, and returning home to harvest wheat during the Tiandao Conference.
Ji You, from the bottom of his heart, looked down on Immortal Sects, looked down on Worldly Families, and even more so looked down on the system of being supported by the common people.
At the end of the inquiry, Qin Zhangshi told him that if he needed anything in the courtyard in the future, he could directly give orders.
The combat power Ji You displayed destined that Tianshu Academy's attitude towards him could not be the same as before. And seeing the Master's Courtyard's attitude so good, Ji You indeed made some requests.
He wanted to know if Cao Jinsong's monthly salary could be directly sent to him in the future, without going through another hand, but it was politely refused.
"Really not?"
"Doing so... is not in accordance with the rules."
"What about Elder Fang's?"
"???"
Ji You knew at a glance that it wouldn't work, but he didn't make things difficult for them. He just said they didn't know how to adapt, then stood up and left gracefully.
Looking at his receding back, Qin Rong couldn't help but touch his money pouch and let out a sigh of relief: "My goodness, that was close."
Ji Jingyao nodded at the sound: "Brother Qin's words are absolutely true."
After a brief moment of relief, the two recorded the content of their conversation and then went to Zizai Hall before evening to report it to Hall Master Zuoqiuyang.
Zuoqiuyang held the case file in his hand and read it for a long time, his brows furrowing slightly.
Especially regarding Ji You's process of helping the Xia Family reunite in the mountains, he read it multiple times.
Qin Rong looked at Zuoqiuyang's expression and couldn't help but cup his hands and speak: "Hall Master thinks there is a problem in this statement?"
Zuoqiuyang came back to his senses, pondered for a long time, then turned to look at him: "You only focused on marveling at Ji You's combat power and the reason for his killing, but you overlooked another very obvious thing."
"Obvious thing?"
"Except for Dan Sect, the six great Immortal Sects jointly besieged the mountain for a whole month, but they couldn't find any member of the Xia Family except Xia Qirong. Yet Ji You seemed to have opened his Heavenly Eye, precisely hunting them down all the way, never coming up empty-handed."
Zuoqiuyang waved his hand and released a spiritual light, and a blank paper floated in the air.
Then, facing the case file sent by Qin Rong and Ji Jingyao, he moved his fingertip slightly, and a brush landed on it.
When the brush stopped, Qin Rong and Ji Jingyao couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
That was Ji You's killing route, and when it was presented on paper, they realized that these routes had almost no detours, being almost the most efficient places.
And the places along this route had all previously found the corpses of Xia Family Disciples.
Qin Rong and Ji Jingyao's eyes instantly widened in surprise after reading: "Hall Master's insight is truly keen. Looking at it this way, it is indeed bizarre—"
Zuoqiuyang stroked his long beard lightly: "However, this is not an important matter, it just surprised me."
"Is it Ji You's precision?"
"No, it's Ji You's Divine Thought. I'm afraid it's even stronger than his Physical Body."
Upon hearing this, Qin Rong and Ji Jingyao's pupils trembled slightly. They had originally thought that Ji You could find the Xia Family members so precisely because he possessed some mysterious Magical Artifact, or other Divine Ability, but they didn't expect it to be Divine Thought.
In other words, Ji You searched the entire Dongping Mountain Range purely by Divine Thought.
But that vast Dongping Mountain Range was boundless, something even those Wujiang Realm Elders could do nothing about.
Qin Rong pondered for a long time, then came back to his senses and looked up at Zuoqiuyang: "May I ask, Hall Master, if this matter needs special attention?"
"No, I just thought of some old rumors in the academy and found his cultivation method very interesting. It has nothing to do with the Bu family matter..."
At the same time, in a forest tea pavilion not far from Zizai Hall, Elder Peng's great-nephew, Peng Yu, had his brows tightly furrowed.
After the results of Tianshu Academy's Autumn Tournament selection came out, Xiang Fu was flattered, while this Elder Peng's great-nephew was filled with awkwardness. He had already packed his bags and was ready to enter the Inner Courtyard, but who knew such a thing would happen.
Fang Jincheng seized the opportunity and was leading a group of Senior Brothers from the Inner Courtyard to him, telling him to seek justice from Ji You.
Are you just going to watch that Feng Province Disciple take your place?
You usually haven't offended them, yet they specifically target you. If it were me, I wouldn't tolerate it.
Fang Jincheng's words were sharp, he was indeed good at inciting people.
He certainly didn't believe that Ji You could influence the selection results, because he was also in the Tong Xuan Realm.
In his opinion, Ji You, a Tong Xuan Realm cultivator, was a dime a dozen, like an ant in the eyes of the Immortal Sect.
He wasn't even qualified to enter the Immortal Hall, so how could he be qualified to influence the selection?
However, he had a grudge against Ji You, and now that there was such an excellent opportunity, he naturally hoped that all the blame would be directed at Ji You.
Peng Yu was originally an indecisive person. After several persuasions, he directly clenched his fists, intending to no longer remain silent and speak up for himself!
However, Peng Yu did not dare to face Ji You directly, because he was just a Junior Third Realm Completion, and felt that he might not be able to defeat Ji You, who was in the Tong Xuan Realm.
As for Fang Jincheng, he always only talked the talk but never walked the walk.
However, Peng Yu was not only backed by Elder Peng, but also the entire Bu family.
Before the Tianshu Academy's Autumn Tournament began, the Bu family Head had specifically brought several Family Elders to congratulate their Disciple on entering the Inner Courtyard.
Now that such a thing had happened, they were also full of suppressed anger.
However, when Peng Yu came to ask them to deal with Ji You, the Bu family Head couldn't help but sneer: "Do you really think a mere Tong Xuan Realm cultivator can influence the decisions of Tianshu Academy's Elder Council?"
Peng Yu was stunned upon hearing this, then turned to look at Fang Jincheng and the other Inner Courtyard Disciples standing beside him.
Fang Jincheng immediately pretended to be innocent and said: "Many people in the academy are saying that, even Xiang Fu, who replaced Brother Peng, admitted it."
"You children are simply too easily fooled."
Upon hearing the Bu family Head's words, Fang Jincheng and the others around him couldn't help but frown slightly, thinking that this Bu family Head was indeed not as easily fooled as Peng Yu.
Fang Jincheng didn't care who influenced the selection; he just wanted to use the Bu family's hands to teach Ji You a lesson, but he didn't expect to be seen through so easily.
However, Peng Yu had always been favored in his Family, and seeing this, he couldn't help but say, "But Grandpa, I can't just let the matter of me not entering the Inner Courtyard go."
The Bu family Head placed his hand on the table: "That's right, this matter truly cannot be left alone, otherwise wouldn't it make others laugh at my Bu family?"
"Then what should we do?"
"First, go find your Great-Uncle and ask him who exactly is working against us behind the scenes."
After a brief discussion, the Bu family Head and several Elders got up and took Peng Yu to the Inner Courtyard, while Fang Jincheng and the others with him also followed behind them.
Fang Jincheng's intention was simple: he wanted to find an opportunity to see if he could divert some of the trouble onto Ji You.
After a while, the group arrived at the Elder Council.
It was very dim here, with almost no windows, and many candles were lit for illumination. The scent of sandalwood in the air was strong, but it couldn't hide the decay and mustiness within.
Led by the Disciple serving there, the Bu family and Fang Jincheng's group met Elder Bu.
And after Elder Bu learned of their intentions, his expression was very complex: "This matter, let it go."
The Bu family Head knew that if his Elder Uncle could handle this matter, this outcome wouldn't have occurred, so he said again, "It's fine if Elder Uncle doesn't act regarding Yu'er not entering the Inner Courtyard, but you must at least give us a chance to vent this resentment."
"This is Tianshu Academy. Even if you have resentment, what ability do you have to vent it?"
"My Bu family has never suffered such humiliation."
"Bu Liang, that Ji You is currently at the height of his power, young and arrogant, making people want to avoid him. Why must you confront him at this time?"
"?"
Hearing this, everyone in the hall couldn't help but be stunned, thinking, "Why is it still Ji You?"
They had all discussed it; any discerning person could see that a mere Tong Xuan Disciple couldn't possibly have the ability to interfere with the selection, so why did Elder Uncle keep mentioning Ji You's name?
Fang Jincheng was also a bit puzzled, thinking to himself why Elder Bu seemed to be getting more confused with cultivation, not even as smart as the Bu family Head.
However, before they could ask, Elder Bu dismissed them, citing the need for quiet cultivation.
He had said what needed to be said; he didn't want to elaborate too much, lest it disturb his Dao Heart.
Because in the past few days, many Elders, when mentioning Ji You's name and thinking of his age, nearly suffered Qi Deviation.
After leaving Elder Bu's room, the Bu family Head frowned in thought for a long time, and finally led the group to find Elder Fang.
The Bu family and the Fang Family had always been on good terms, with close ties and many intermarriages among the younger generation.
In fact, Fang Jincheng also wanted to go find his Great-Grandfather, because he had never understood why his Great-Grandfather tolerated Ji You after he had embarrassed them repeatedly.
So, the group walked along the long path, treading on the old red carpet, heading towards the higher reaches of the Elder Council.
When they arrived at Elder Fang's cultivation Dao field, they found that the front hall of the first room did not only contain Elder Fang and a few attendant boys.
Across from him, there was also an old man, with graying hair and beard, skin wrinkles like ravines, and messy eyebrows grown together. He looked even older than Elder Fang, with an air of decay covering his whole body.
If he hadn't still been drinking tea, the group might have even thought he was a dried corpse.
At this moment, Elder Fang turned his head and saw the Bu family, and couldn't help but ask, "Bu Liang, what brings you here?"
"Elder Fang, we have come regarding Peng Yu not entering the Inner Courtyard."
"The selection quota has already been announced; this matter is set in stone and cannot be changed."
The Bu family Head immediately spoke, "We naturally know the rules of Tianshu Academy and do not hope to change the outcome; we just want to seek justice."
After hearing this, Elder Fang looked at the boy: "Go, grant them seats."
"Yes!"
The Bu family Head and Peng Yu immediately rejoiced, thinking there seemed to be a chance.
But who knew that Elder Fang didn't speak to them again, but instead looked at the old man: "Elder Lu, are you truly decided?"
"I don't have many days left to live. I finally waited for a glimmer of hope only for it to be destroyed. If you can't swallow this resentment, how can I?"
"But Lingjian Mountain's side—"
"No matter how powerful Lingjian Mountain is, it's still in the extreme south. What Tianshu Academy wants to do, they cannot interfere with."
The Bu family Head seized the opportunity to interrupt their conversation: "Elder Fang, what should be done about Yu'er's matter? Please, Elder, enlighten us."
Elder Fang turned to look at him at this moment: "Bu family Head, rest assured, that Ji You is about to face trouble."
"This—"
"I invited Elder Lu out today precisely to avenge grudges and settle scores."
In fact, the people in the Master's Courtyard guessed wrong; Elder Fang did not choose to let things go.
In fact, the resentment in his heart had never subsided, especially when the other two powerful Elders opposed him because of Ji You, which drove him close to madness.
He was going to die, but he wasn't dead yet!
So, these past few days, he had been waiting, and finally, he waited for Elder Lu in front of him to awaken from his slumber.
No one remembered Elder Lu's real name because he had lived for too long.
However, everyone in the Elder Council knew that he was the Elder Uncle of Wuyu Hall Master Lu Fengchuan, the most powerful Elder in the Elder Council.
He was also a Divine Thought Realm expert.
In fact, his Lifespan had long reached its end, and he had been in slumber for years to delay death.
The search for the immortal destiny on the Lower Family members in Dongping Mountain was also arranged by Elder Lu himself.
Elder Fang waited for him to wake up just to inform him of Ji You's killing of Xia Qirong, so that the person who deserved to die would die.
Hearing Ji You mentioned twice, the Bu family Head slowly widened his eyes.
At first, when he heard his Elder Uncle advise him not to provoke Ji You, he thought it was just his Elder Uncle's helpless excuse.
But when he heard Elder Fang mention it again, he already understood.
The selection for the Tianshu Academy Inner Courtyard choosing that Feng Province female was truly because of that Ji You. However, before he could think further, he suddenly felt an incomparably powerful aura surge, instantly making his body tremble and his mind roar.
And when he looked up, he saw Elder Lu, like a reanimated beast, with all the bones in his body cracking, and then the surging Qi and blood began to fill his body, rapidly plumping up his withered physique.
Seeing this, the Bu family Head's eyes instantly narrowed.
He had heard of this technique; it was said to have been created by a great power whose Lifespan was nearing its end, allowing the body to be compressed to a semi-dead state to forcefully extend one's Lifespan.
However, this technique required years of continuous slumber and would generally not be used unless absolutely necessary.
At this moment, the Bu family Head suddenly realized that Elder Lu in front of him was so eager that he was about to act right now.
And the other Disciples instantly widened their eyes, completely not expecting to one day witness a Divine Thought Realm Elder make a move, their scalps tingling immediately.
Because that terrifying aura was constantly being released like a tsunami, almost pressing them to prostrate themselves on the ground.
However, what surprised them was that Elder Lu did not get up; instead, he straightened his back and began to sit upright, showing no intention of leaving the wooden chair.
"Grandpa, isn't Elder Lu going to make a move?"
The Bu family Head came to his senses and glanced at Peng Yu: "Do you know why the Divine Thought Realm is called the Divine Thought Realm?"
The next moment, everyone suddenly felt an aura sway and ascend to the sky.
And in their line of sight, a golden light whistled out of the great hall, soaring into the night sky towards the already risen bright moon.
It was a golden human figure, identical to Elder Lu, yet Elder Lu himself was still sitting upright in his chair.
Seeing this scene, the Disciples present were instantly filled with shock.
Why was the Divine Thought Realm called the Divine Thought Realm?
It was because cultivators at this Realm could wander beyond the heavens with their Divine Thought, killing with Divine Thought!
Everyone couldn't help but gasp, as if they saw a headless corpse fall to the ground, yet without any superficial wounds.
At the same time, Fang Jincheng was still immersed in the previous conversation, muttering to himself, "No, no."
It was indeed wrong, because he felt that Elder Bu was wrong, his Great-Grandfather was wrong, and Elder Lu was also wrong.
It couldn't be Ji You; he was just a small Tong Xuan, how could he influence the decisions of the great figures in the academy?
However, as Elder Lu whistled away, he instantly reacted.
Isn't this perfect? He had come here precisely to divert the trouble onto Ji You, which saved him some effort.
However, this kind of misunderstanding was still a bit comical...
To actually lead a Divine Thought Realm expert to kill a Tong Xuan.
One should know that Qingyun World has always emphasized Karma. His Great-Grandfather inviting such a great figure to kill a small fry today, who knows what it will cost.
According to his imagination, his Great-Grandfather should have been able to crush him with just his own hand.
He kept thinking and thinking, and in his mind, he pictured Ji You, who was drinking tea in the courtyard, falling to the ground with a thud, and himself lamenting that he didn't even know how he died.
Pfft— Just then, Elder Lu's Physical Body suddenly trembled.
Everyone turned to look, and saw a trickle of fresh blood flowing from the corner of his mouth—
(Please give monthly votes)