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Chapter 204 Sword Pressure
"It's almost noon, shall we go into town for a quick meal before heading back?"

"No, Brother Ji, I haven't been back for many days. I have some things to take care of. Let's reschedule for another time."

After the busy farming season ended in Fengzhou, Ji You and Kuang Cheng returned to Shengjing before the Qingming Festival.

Here, the spring sun shines brightly, its rays spreading everywhere. The bright spring light illuminates the glazed tiled roofs of Shengjing City, making them sparkle and gleam. The city is prosperous and splendid, full of vitality. At the same time, a gentle breeze blows through the streets and alleys under the spring sun, caressing your face with a soft and lingering fragrance, carrying the faint fragrance of newly sprouted grass and trees.

As soon as Ji You landed on Yong'an Street, he felt a sudden emptiness in his stomach.

However, Kuang Shusheng declined Ji You's invitation to dinner, insisting on going back first.

Brother Ji's fairies are all away in Shengjing, but my beloved Rui'er is right here...

Although Ji You couldn't hear Kuang Cheng's inner thoughts, she could see the longing in his eyes: "You ungrateful wretch."

"When Brother Ji went shopping with Fairy Yan, who was visiting Shengjing for the first time, he almost didn't recognize me either."

Ji You spat at him and jumped off the carriage, thinking to himself, "How can you compare to me? You're a gentleman, while I'm just a bandit."

"Next time you return to Fengzhou, you can bring Miss Wei with you. When you pass through Guiyun County, take a trip around Xiangshui Lake. Do you know the legend of Xiangshui Lake? It is said that if two people walk around the lake and happen to meet under the thousand-year-old locust tree by the lake, they will be inseparable for all eternity."

"Nature knows."

"This little scholar knows quite a lot."

Kuang Cheng glanced awkwardly to the side, thinking to himself that he wasn't the only one who knew this legend; now even the demon princess was about to find out...

The two then parted ways, but Ji You did not return directly to Tianshu Academy, but instead headed towards Changsheng Street.

The peddlers and laborers in the city had all changed into short shirts and were carrying their loads on their shoulders, walking on the bustling streets, brushing past the waiters from the restaurants and teahouses who were soliciting customers on the street.

Ji You walked to the middle of the long street and then entered the Shengjing Post Station.

I didn't bring any gifts back from the snowy region last time, but I haven't forgotten them this time from Fengzhou.

He prepared some soil from Fengzhou, seeds left over from this spring's planting, and small flowerpots fired in the local kiln, dividing them into three portions to send to Yan Shuyi and the Yuan siblings respectively.

If these seeds are carefully nurtured after planting, they should be able to grow wheat ears unique to Fengzhou, which would be quite an interesting little bonsai.

Yan Shuyi was quite interested in Fengzhou. When he hibernated at Tianshu Academy, besides kissing himself, he loved to talk about Fengzhou the most.

I asked him about the local climate, temperature, and seasonal changes, as well as how much snow Fengzhou gets in winter, and where Yinma Bridge and Xiangzi Lake are located.

Although he repeatedly emphasized that he was just "asking casually," it was clear that he was seriously considering living in Fengzhou.

Yuan Caiwei was the same; although she didn't ask, she always listened very attentively.

So this kind of small gesture will be very heartwarming for them.

Wow, I'm such a sweetheart.

Ji You filled in the mailing address with a slight smile, handed over the money, and left.

He had been working in the fields too many times recently, and now he was covered in dust and mud, even his boots and the corners of his clothes were muddy.

The disciples of the Heavenly Academy along the way looked at him as he walked on the divine path, their expressions strange as they looked at each other.

"The rural private repairman has returned."

"Covered in mud and sand, he really does look like a hermit in the countryside..."

As the three leaders of the academy watched him walk up Mount Ni and gracefully stroll around the Biyue Lake, their conversation naturally turned to Ji You.

In the eyes of the Immortal Sect, neither the farming nor the common people of Fengzhou were worth caring about.

Some cultivators can't even distinguish between wheat seedlings and chives, or even which crops grow on trees and which grow in the ground.

However, since the head of the administration handles taxes every year, he naturally needs to be clear about them.

Qin Rong had heard a lot about the situation from the disciples walking outside the courtyard during this period, and made a rough estimate of the current situation in Fengzhou.

Because the Great Xia changed the transport routes of the demon caravans, Fengzhou is now the largest place for the demons to exchange goods. The crops in Fengzhou happen to be those that are not available in the Snow Region, and the purchase price offered by the demons is extremely high.

Therefore, Fengzhou's tax revenue this year must be extremely abundant, but others probably haven't noticed this yet.

Thinking of this, Qin Rong once again recalled his identity as a private repairman in the countryside.

If he hadn't cultivated to the perfection of the lower three realms and been exceptionally admitted to the Heavenly Academy, he might really be working in the fields right now, toiling in the soil with his back to the sky.

Because of that accident, many things changed.

Chu He, who should have entered the inner courtyard back then, failed to do so, and Fengzhou thus gained its only family of cultivators.

"Is the matter in Fengzhou over?"

"It's over. Except for farmers who chose to grow special crops, the whole prefecture has entered the off-season." Ji You walked around Biyue Lake and sat down in Cao Jingsong's yard: "Cultivators are really useful. They plow the land quickly, well, and straight. Even the cattle and horses are full of praise for their professionalism."

Cao Jingsong couldn't help but click his tongue: "Only you would dare to treat cultivators like cattle and horses."

"They shouldn't be treated as servants, but rather told that a person's life should have some meaning. What good is it if one sits in meditation for decades and ascends to immortality? In this world, one is nothing but a useless person."

Xiang Fu, the daughter of the Prefect of Danshui County, and Cong Yi, the daughter of the Prefect of Guiyun County, were both in Cao Jingsong's courtyard. Ever since Ji You entered the courtyard, they had been listening quietly, their eyes fixed on him.

As cultivators from Fengzhou, they knew a great deal about things in Fengzhou.

After Ji You arrived in Fengzhou, he investigated the stone materials and imprisoned many people in Danshui County, the hometown of Xiang Fu's father. It seems that some of them were from prominent families, and they have not been released yet.

They hadn't really liked attending banquets hosted by the immortal sects before, always feeling like they were outsiders who couldn't fit in.

But in recent days, because of Ji You's matter, those disciples of the immortal sects have been listening to them talk at length at the banquet.

Among them, Xiang Fu felt it the most deeply.

She was fostered at Luoyue Manor from a young age, and it's perfectly normal for her to have a close bond with the outsider immortal manor in Fengzhou, which was cultivated from childhood.

When Cao Jingsong went to Fengzhou to recruit her into the hospital, she was dissatisfied because Ji You wanted to take away the Luoyue Manor. She said that he was shamelessly seizing it, but he still had to say it in a high-sounding way.

But it wasn't until she entered the Heavenly Academy, truly understood the relationship between aristocratic families, immortal estates, and tax collectors, and heard many things, that her perspective broadened beyond her immediate surroundings, and she finally understood what Ji You was doing.

Cao Jingsong still had some questions he wanted to ask, but he hesitated before speaking. He looked at Fu and Cong Yi, and the two exchanged a glance before wisely saying goodbye.

He closed the door with a flick of his sleeve, then looked at Ji You: "I thought you would be attacked by aristocratic families after you left the Heavenly Academy."

Ji You raised his eyes: "Some private cultivators did come. They were people who migrated from the border and managed to sneak in, but I took them all in in the end."

"You're really brave."

"What use is a broken Tongxuan like me in the matter of Fengzhou? If it weren't for the Qingyun Immortal Rules, I would be nothing but ashes by now."

Cao Jingsong looked at him and said, "There's no need to think about things so far ahead."

Ji You sipped her tea and popped a pastry into her mouth: "Making more is always better than making less. Something is better than nothing. Besides, most of those private cultivators come from poor backgrounds, so they are more reliable than the disciples of the Immortal Manor."

After listening, Cao Jingsong nodded silently, then remembered something else: "Before the new era, you were afraid that the Immortal Manor would cause trouble and that the joint reclamation would not be able to proceed. Now that the matter of spirit stones and pills has been resolved, the matter of merging with the Dao does not need to be rushed, and the Heavenly Dao Society can be more stable."

Since returning from the snowy region, Ji You had been preoccupied with the matter of land reclamation, anticipating that the immortal estates would not be so cooperative.

Having been outsiders who had paid taxes to Fengzhou for so many years, and having gained control after a year of poverty, how could they possibly be content?

At that time, Ji You was determined to become stronger by any means and planned to keep pushing his limits, not caring much about the rules of the Heavenly Dao Society.

Now that this hurdle has been overcome, Cao Jingsong felt that as long as Ji You didn't go out and run around, at least there would be a moment of peace before the taxes were collected.

He is now an inner disciple, and the head of the academy needs his consent to send him out.

The reason he was sent to the snowy region before was for Fengzhou; there shouldn't be another time like that.

However, in Ji You's view as a rural cultivator, if he could become stronger, he should continue to become stronger, but he shouldn't be too hard on himself.

Old Cao is right; at least we can have some peace and quiet before the taxes are collected.

As long as the people of Lingjian Mountain don't come and stab him to death because he bit their master's mouth, that's fine.

Cao Jingsong glanced at him and asked, "Do you have any leads on the matter of determining the opportune moment for the Dao?"

Ji You shook her head: "I haven't tried it seriously yet. There were guests in the courtyard those few days, so I was delayed."

"Women should just talk about women, not guests. That sounds nice."

"They really are guests."

Cao Jingsong chuckled: "Do you serve your guests with your mouth? They bite like they're wearing nails? I've never served guests like that before."

Ji You's mouth was fine before she left the Heavenly Academy, but she had met quite a few people before leaving.

He had also heard people from Tianshu Academy discuss this matter, saying that he had a really exciting time playing it.

Cao Jingsong then withdrew his eye roll: "Finding the opportunity to establish your Dao is still something that can be done. Such things can be done quickly or slowly, so it's safer to prepare early. Besides, the process of establishing your Dao is a process of eliminating distracting thoughts, which is also beneficial to your clarity of mind."

"I plan to train my body first."

"Still body tempering?"

"A real man should train his body."

After leaving Cao Jingsong's courtyard, Ji You returned to the inner courtyard.

After a few light rains in the spring, the room was extremely damp. He opened the windows to ventilate the room and then took the quilts out to air them.

After cleaning the room, she quickly lay down on the bed and had a good night's sleep.

During his time in Fengzhou, although he appeared calm and collected, he was actually on edge.

Especially since they were taking in so many unauthorized cultivators, it wouldn't be good to be careless. So whenever there was news of unauthorized cultivators entering the border, he and Pei Ruyi would take turns keeping watch at night. Only then could they get a good night's sleep, and they would sleep soundly until the next day, when they would get up and start their body-refining exercises.

As the spiritual fire within him was ignited, his scorching aura gradually filled his chambers.

In fact, he had started this seventeenth spiritual illumination in Fengzhou, and now it was almost time for the spiritual fire to break through the surface of his body.

The improvement in physical strength will not affect the realm, which is a good thing for the Heavenly Dao Assembly, where people of the same realm compete.

To be honest, Ji You still doesn't know the specific rules of the Heavenly Dao Tournament; he only knows that it's a competition between people of the same cultivation level...

Meanwhile, it rained incessantly in Shengjing City for several days.

Once the rain subsided slightly, Lu Qingqiu's message was delivered to the inner courtyard by the head of the administration, inviting him to a banquet at Hongding Tower.

Having obtained the Gathering Profound Pill, Lu Hanyan's cultivation path became much smoother. She had already gathered five spiritual lights, and the sixth was taking shape. She far surpassed Puyang Xing, who only had three spiritual lights, and was approaching Fang Jincheng, who was stuck at six spiritual lights.

Based on this trend, Lu Hanyan has a very high chance of entering the inner courtyard.

The Lu family of Yunzhou established itself on spirit stones, but its foundation within the immortal sects is not deep. In fact, they really hope that their children can enter the inner courtyard.

Lu Qingqiu came here last year for this very reason, but when she saw Chu He, she realized that she had come at the wrong time.

However, she only learned at the very end that Chu He's arrival was also unfortunate, because they both encountered Ji You, who had entered the academy through private cultivation, leaving them far behind.

Lu Hanyan's likely entry into the inner courtyard is ultimately thanks to Ji You.

"That person is Ji You."

"Ji You? Who is that?"

"My cousin doesn't know?"

"I have been in seclusion for a long time, and only recently came out of seclusion early because of the Heavenly Dao Society. I have never heard of the name Ji You, and besides, has there ever been a family with the surname Ji in the Qingyun World?"

On the second floor of Hongdinglou Restaurant, Fang Jincheng was drinking with his cousin Fang Zhiheng.

His cousin was also a master swordsman who had visited Lingjian Mountain many times. He was skilled with a sword and it was said that even Elder Yan Ye of Tianjian Peak praised him highly.

However, my cousin was unruly and dissolute, so he never joined any immortal sect and once boasted that he would forge his own path of swordsmanship.

His trip to Shengjing was at the behest of his family, to impart some knowledge to Fang Jincheng.

Lu Qingqiu's refining of the Gathering Profound Pill really put him under immense pressure.

While matters of cultivation level cannot be rushed, Fang Jincheng's combat strength still has room for improvement. After all, the Transcendent Realm is merely the threshold of the Inner Court, and the final decision in the Autumn Battle will ultimately be based on combat strength.

Therefore, Fang Jincheng wanted to learn his cousin's swordsmanship, just like Chu He was forced to go home to spread his teachings after being pressured by Ji You. In addition, a significant reason for this move was that Ji You had also successfully entered the inner academy through swordsmanship.

At this moment, Fang Jincheng looked across the street and told his cousin about Ji You selling the pills to Lu Hanyan and the past incident of not teaching him how to sense the Heavenly Book.

After hearing this, Fang Zhiheng turned his head and looked at the person opposite him with a cold and arrogant expression through the openwork screen.

Lu Qingqiu was always generous, always throwing lavish banquets, which was why Ji You liked to attend her banquets. However, this time, he often heard Lu Hanyan find an excuse to call him Senior Brother Ji.

"Hanyan greets Senior Brother Ji."

"Brother Ji, drink up. I'll pour you a drink while I smoke."

"Thank you for the pills, Senior Brother Ji. I will certainly live up to your expectations."

Lu Hanyan moved gently, her eyes were bright, and she pronounced "Senior Brother Ji" very clearly.

It sounded just like a baby kitten's soft, sweet voice, making Ji You feel a little uneasy.

In fact, the identity of senior brother already carries a certain aura, especially since Ji You was at the height of his fame when Lu Hanyan was admitted to the hospital, having defeated Chu He and killed Rong Dao at night, which was enough to make her admire him.

The Gathering Profound Pill was clearly bought for her by her elder sister, but in the end, she attributed it to Ji You's expectations.

The Lu family has a good bloodline. Lu Hanyan has long legs and a slender waist, just like Lu Qingqiu. Moreover, her features have a bewitching quality. She usually acts cold and aloof towards others, but when she's up close, she's incredibly alluring.

There were also quite a few male disciples from the Heavenly Academy at the same table, some of whom also harbored feelings for Miss Lu.

After all, Miss Lu the Second was one of the most beautiful women in the courtyard, noble and aloof, with the air of a wealthy young lady.

But they had never heard Miss Lu use such a voice before.

Ji You looked up at Lu Qingqiu, wondering what was going on with his sister. Lu Qingqiu glanced at him, thinking that sometimes a sister's taste is truly the same.

Just then, Ji You suddenly felt a gust of wind.

A sharp sword suddenly appeared, instantly overturning several empty bowls and plates and causing the screen on the left to rattle. Then, the chilling aura of the sword hung in front of him.

To the left and behind him, Fang Zhiheng stood proudly, his sword intent surging.

"Ji You from the Inner Court, I've heard you're also a master swordsman?"

"?"

"..."

In the afternoon at the enlightenment site, the breeze was slightly chilly, and the sun was gradually setting.

The Lu sisters and their group returned to the Heavenly Academy first and arrived at the Enlightenment Field, followed by the Fang brothers.

With only half a year left until the Autumn Battle, both Lu Hanyan and Fang Jincheng were still far from reaching the Profound Realm, making them cherish their time even more. At this moment, they sat cross-legged on the ground.

"The battle of swordsmanship is actually a battle of sword intent. My sword intent is extremely powerful, and many opponents are so suppressed that they cannot even draw their swords. This is not uncommon."

"When he said he didn't bring his sword, he must have sensed the difference in sword intent between us. His sword mind is quite sharp."

Fang Zhiheng looked at Lu Qingqiu at this moment and felt happy.

Lu Qingqiu glanced at him and nodded slightly, giving him a polite smile.

Just now at Hongding Tower, this person walked away from the next table and suddenly drew his sword before they could even speak. He had no manners at all, which really startled them.

However, it must be said that although this person kept muttering to himself, his soaring sword intent was indeed very strong, which cannot be denied.

The last time Lu Qingqiu saw Ji You's sword, it was no stronger than Fang Zhiheng's today...

"Weren't you coming at noon? Why are you only arriving now?"

"Someone invited me to dinner, and halfway through the meal, I ran into a lunatic."

"Have you been training your physique these past few days?"

"I started practicing back in Fengzhou, and I just finished last night."

Cao Jingsong had never heard of such a training method that lasted for half a month. Just hearing about it made him feel scared. He thought to himself, "Are you trying to kill yourself by training like this? I almost failed to reach the Profound Realm last time."

But Ji You always felt that her body had made a qualitative leap, not just in strength, but also in overall strength.

"Your training method can actually enhance your strength?"

"Yes, the feeling is quite obvious after these few training sessions, it shouldn't be an illusion."

Cao Jingsong frowned slightly, revealing an expression of disbelief.

Seeing this, Ji You, who was sitting on the stone bench, put down her teacup, then straightened her back slightly and slowly raised her arms.

A surge of spiritual energy began to flow between his hands, causing his clothes to flutter and make a rustling sound.

Just as Cao Jingsong was observing closely, a heavy sword aura, as heavy as a mountain, was suddenly released, soaring into the sky within the teaching academy. It caused the rain in the courtyard to stop abruptly, the wind to cease, and visible ripples to constantly spread in the air, as if the air was about to burst forth with muffled sounds due to the immense pressure.

【Dao Sword - Lesser Chongshan】

At this moment, Ji You raised his sword and stood up. His energy suddenly surged, and there was a hint of boiling. The huge sword light gradually rose into the sky.

Lu Qingqiu was watching his younger sister comprehend the Dao, with a long sword unsheathed swaying in his eyes, and Fang Zhiheng's voice explaining the inscriptions on the sword in his ears.

It's clear that he takes great pride in his swordsmanship.

Lu Qingqiu comes from a family of spirit stone masters and has first-rate social skills. Even if she finds something noisy, she will not show it on her face, but will respond politely instead.

Fang Zhiheng was explaining how to cultivate swordsmanship, which made Fang Jincheng, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, frown slightly.

Lu Hanyan and Puyang Xing were both his rivals, and he was afraid that if his cousin said too much, the other party would learn from him.

At this moment, Lu Qingqiu was about to respond with a word of praise, but as soon as the words were on his lips, his scalp suddenly tingled. Immediately afterwards, a powerful sword intent pressure came rushing in, surging and turbulent like a tide. Everyone in the Enlightenment Hall looked up in shock.

Before them, a massive sword of Dao resonated throughout the sky, causing the willow leaves by the lake to tremble. The air was squeezed outwards, trembling like water, and a heavy pressure instantly descended upon their shoulders.

"What a powerful sword."

"It is the Dao Sword Lesser Chongshan."

"Oh, it's Ji You's sword..."

Hearing the surrounding disciples' discussions, a piercing sound of clashing metal suddenly came from the enlightenment field. The Lu sisters, Fang Jincheng, and the others turned to look and saw that the long sword in Fang Zhiheng's hand was trembling wildly, as if it were completely out of control. With a clang, it fell from his hand and hit the ground.

The sword intent was so powerful that it prevented the Dao sword from being drawn.

Here, countless eyes looked from all directions through the outer courtyard corridors, the steward's courtyard, and the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest.

Ji You entered the Tongxuan Upper Realm before the New Year. At that time, the aura he exuded was so intense that it melted the surrounding snow. People thought he was strong then, but they didn't know how strong he was.

Seeing this sword strike in mid-air now leaves one speechless with astonishment.

(End of this chapter)