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Chapter 208 Fitness
"Lu Hanyan defeated Fang Jincheng in the Sword Forest?"

"Ah."

"How...how could this be? At the banquet earlier, didn't the disciples of the Heavenly Academy keep saying that the Fang family had a deep foundation in the Heavenly Academy, and that Fang Jincheng's own cultivation was very solid, making his entry into the inner courtyard a sure thing?"

"At first I didn't believe it either, but later I found out that the second young lady of the Lu family's swordsmanship was actually full of Ji You's shape."

"?"

"What you're talking about, brother, should really be the way of the sword, and not some other way."

Princess Zhao Yunyue of Changle was sitting in a teahouse, having tea with three or five close friends. They were talking about going to a mountain villa outside the city to escape the summer heat in a few days. Also present at the table were several princesses left behind by the late emperor's concubines.

When the women gathered together, they mostly talked about poetry, songs, and their in-laws and handsome men, which Zhao Yunyue couldn't muster much interest in.

Just then, as she looked out of the pavilion, she suddenly saw a group of disciples from the Heavenly Academy descending the mountain.

They came from the middle of the long street. There were a few familiar faces, but most of them were unfamiliar, disciples with little reputation. They walked together into the Shiweixian restaurant across the street.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yunyue frowned slightly.

The Prince Chong's Mansion hosted a banquet yesterday, inviting many disciples of the Heavenly Academy, including the Lu sisters, Fang Jincheng, and Fang Zhiheng.

Firstly, it was to establish some useful connections before the autumn battle, and secondly, it was for the sake of the Yunzhou spirit stones.

The Spirit Stone Merchants Association of Yunzhou has shares held by Prince Chong. As the transportation route for Snowfield Demon Stones was changed to Fengzhou, the price of Yunzhou stones fell again. Prince Chong intended to use the Lu sisters to find out the Spirit Stone Merchants Association's next plan.

In their view, Yunzhou, which relies on spirit stones, would not simply stand by and watch Fengzhou's stone transport route proceed so smoothly.

But when the banquet was ready and the singing and dancing were in full swing, Princess Chang Le and Prince Chong waited for two whole hours, only to find that neither the Lu sisters nor Fang Jincheng had come.

Later, it was the disciples of the Heavenly Academy who arrived that told them that Lu Hanyan and Fang Jincheng had fought in the Sword Forest of the Outer Courtyard.

Fang Jincheng, who delayed his admission to the academy for a year to avoid Chu He's sharp edge, was completely defeated after being admitted and was protected by countless disciples arranged by the inner academy elders. He was almost slit in the throat by Lu Hanyan's sword.

Then Elder Fang of the Heavenly Academy hurriedly sent his disciples to bring the person out of the Sword Forest.

Fang Zhiheng, who claimed to be a swordsmanship genius as soon as he entered the capital, is said to have left Shengjing this morning.

Subsequently, throughout the outer courtyard of the Heavenly Academy, all that could be heard was Lu Hanyan being able to enter the inner courtyard.

When Zhao Yunyue first heard the news, she couldn't believe it.

She had met all three students who had reached the Lower Three Realms Perfection stage in this year's class at the Heavenly Academy: Fang Jincheng, Lu Hanyan, and Puyang Xing.

Lu Hanyan was actually ranked last. Not to mention Fang Jincheng, who had the most solid foundation, she couldn't even compare to Pu Yangxing. So how could such an unbelievable rumor have spread?

Zhao Yunyue then inquired around and learned that Ji You had personally come down the mountain from the inner courtyard and taught Lu Hanyan swordsmanship from dawn till dusk.

This incident kept her silent for a long time, and it wasn't until today that she felt like going out for tea.

But she couldn't quite explain what exactly bothered her; she just found it extremely annoying.

Princess Chang Le suddenly felt a wave of irritation. She then bid farewell to the princesses and returned to the Chong Prince's Mansion by carriage.

Although Prince Chong was a representative of the pro-immortal faction and had been secretly involved in matters of spirit stones, spirit seedlings, and even taxes and elixirs, he always acted as a leisurely prince, spending his days simply enjoying flowers and composing poems in his mansion.

Upon seeing his daughter return from outside, King Chong's right hand, which was about to release the fish food, suddenly paused.

Today he received a tip from the agricultural official of Fengzhou, informing him of the estimated amount of agricultural harvest in Fengzhou this year. The astonishing figure left him speechless for a long time.

And all of this is inseparable from the name Ji You.

In the second year of Taiwu, at the entrance ceremony of the Heavenly Academy, there were three people who had reached the lower three realms of perfection. Two of them were scions of immortal families, and the other was a private cultivator from the countryside who was admitted through special circumstances.

The one he didn't choose has gradually risen to where he is today, and can now even influence the selection of the next batch of students for the inner academy of the Heavenly Academy.

King Chong made many investments throughout his life, some of which were profitable and some were losses.

The only thing that made him unable to accept the loss was that Ji You was not invited to that dinner that cost a pittance, not even enough to cover the cost of feeding the fish.

Besides Prince Chong and Princess Chang Le, the outer disciples of the Heavenly Academy were also discussing the sword duel in the bamboo forest, which finally garnered enough attention for this year's autumn competition in the outer academy.

After all, unexpected events are the things that are most likely to spark discussion.

But in fact, although everyone was talking about Lu Hanyan and Fang Jincheng, most of the discussion was actually about Ji You.

The inner court disciples were also discussing him, but the content of their discussion differed somewhat from that of the outer court disciples.

They had all heard about the battle because it involved Akito being hospitalized.

It seems that Lu Hanyan, who was caught up in that turmoil, did not learn the swordsmanship of Lingjian Mountain from Ji You. Instead, she only learned Ji You's own swordsmanship. In the eyes of the inner disciples, this is the most thought-provoking thing...

After the bright spring day, the four seasons hurry by, and a gentle breeze brings the heat of summer overnight.

Then the shadows gradually lengthened, and the pink hues of spring faded from the sky, leaving only a clear, azure dome. Occasionally, a drifting cloud would break through the stagnant clouds, and the dappled shadows of the trees would shatter into dancing spots of light scattered across the ground.

Meanwhile, the first transportation route in Fengzhou has been repaired, and Danxia County, as the first stop, has become the largest transit point for the Snowfield Demon Stone.

Subsequently, a large number of high-quality spirit stones were sent to the Central Plains, causing the prices of Yunzhou stone and Zhongzhou stone to fall again.

Fengzhou, on the other hand, has had both wind and rain this year.

So, looking around, all you could see was a vibrant green.

On the other hand, the barbarians have been accustomed to attacking the North at this time for many years, but this year they have been slow to arrive.

This phenomenon sparked much discussion in the Great Xia court. Some were wary, while others felt that the barbarians had lost their will to fight after a thousand years of unsuccessful attacks.

This view is not unfounded, because according to the political logic of the human race, the reason why the barbarians sought an alliance with the demon race last year was probably because the tribe had lost morale after years of unsuccessful attacks, so they thought of seeking external help.

However, the demon race did not grant the barbarian race's wish, causing their last remaining spirit to vanish.

This seems to be a good thing for the human race.

However, a group of people, mainly from the Sixianjian (Immortal Supervisor), who were wary, believed that the barbarian's obsession, which had lasted for thousands of years, could not possibly disappear in such a short time.

However, it is indeed extremely stable.

At this moment, Lu Hanyan had already gathered the sixth beam of profound light. Compared to Fang Jincheng, who had not made any progress, her chances of winning had increased again. Moreover, she had never neglected her sword cultivation and had always been very diligent.

At this moment, in the outer courtyard's sword forest, Lu Hanyan held a Dao sword, wielding it and causing the bamboo leaves in the sword forest to rustle.

After that battle, Fang Jincheng felt insulted and never came to Jianlin again, which made the place a bit quieter.

Ji You was standing at the entrance of the Sword Forest, watching Lu Hanyan dance with longing eyes.

There was no follow-up to the private duel in the inner courtyard. Neither Lu Hanyan nor Fang Jincheng received any substantial punishment. However, more and more people in the courtyard wanted to learn swordsmanship from him, but he refused them all.

He initially agreed to teach Lu Hanyan swordsmanship to resist the influence of Shen Daoxin, and he continues to do so now because he feels that since he has started something, he should finish it.

Moreover, Lu Hanyan has a great figure, with a full bust, a slender waist, and long legs, making her a pleasing sight when she wields a sword.

No man is immune to the allure of a woman's beauty. Even a decent man like him, without any lustful desires, will still feel a sense of appreciation.

Ji You felt that the kind of person who could truly look a woman straight in the eye like a virtuous gentleman only existed in ditch literature.

"Young Master Ji, do you think my younger sister has a high chance of being admitted to the inner courtyard?"

"If someone like Fang Jincheng is all show and no substance, and he can't even get into the inner courtyard, then my swordsmanship is really too weak."

Ji You yawned, seemingly having not slept for many days, and said, "Don't worry, what you accumulate through hard work won't lie."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingqiu couldn't help but feel a slight sense of relief.

For some reason, so many people in the courtyard said that her younger sister could enter the inner courtyard, but she still felt there was some suspense. It wasn't until she received Ji You's confirmation that she seemed to be able to believe it.

Just then, Lu Hanyan's swordplay suddenly stopped.

Then she turned to Ji You, called out "Senior Brother" in a high-pitched voice, picked up the wooden sword beside her, and solemnly handed it to Ji You before performing another sword dance.

Upon seeing this, Lu Qingqiu couldn't help but blush and spit.

My sister's buttocks have shrunk a lot these days, and are nowhere near as plump and perky as they were when she sparred with me.

Seeing the wooden sword that had just been handed to her, she could now be certain that the pert buttocks she had been given that day were the result of being beaten by Young Master Ji…

Lu Qingqiu had never seen Lu Hanyan being beaten, but being clever, he naturally pictured his younger sister with her bottom sticking out, waiting to be hit...

At this moment, she couldn't help but recall the way her younger sister looked every day after finishing her sword practice, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

The two sisters grew up together and knew each other very well. Because the younger sister was the youngest daughter in the family, she was deeply loved by her parents, to the point that she was even more aloof than her sister.

At home, even her parents didn't dare to speak harshly to her, let alone anyone dare to hit her.

As a result, this time when she was learning swordsmanship from Ji You, it seemed like she was looking forward to being spanked, which made it really hard for her older sister to bear.

If Ji You had accepted the bellyband he sent earlier, his younger sister would have to call him brother-in-law, which would have caused a lot of chaos...

At this moment, Ji You was also looking at the wooden sword in his hand, weighing it in his hand for a few moments, wondering if Yan Shuyi would like it...

I'll try next time, if I survive.

Lu Hanyan's sword practice continued into the afternoon. Ji You left first and made a detour to Cao Jingsong's courtyard.

Old Cao knew that Ji You's condition had improved, so now he didn't dare to show off even a good tea, let alone give away silver.

When Ji You came last time, he refused to believe anything Ji You said and only drank Gao Sui. In the end, he found a packet of Ling Cha in the cabinet.

Cao Jingsong thought to himself, if that's the case, you might as well have turned to demonic possession instead of Taoist cultivation.

Others who take the wrong path are on the evil path, but you take the wrong path and it seems like you're on the right path.

"The Sword Forest incident has had a profound impact. It is said that Elder Fang said in the inner courtyard yesterday that the Heavenly Book Academy has always followed the path of pure Daoist cultivation. It should follow tradition and not determine the outcome of the Autumn Battle with swordsmanship, otherwise it would be no different from the Spirit Sword Mountain."

"But Elder Fang's suggestion did not receive much support."

"Although the Lu family of Yunzhou doesn't have high cultivation talent, they started with spirit stones and have deep roots. They're not easy to mess with. Many powerful families in the academy have been on good terms with the Lu family for centuries." "If it were you, the rules of the Autumn Tournament would probably have to be changed. That's why people always say that having a good background is worse than having good talent."

"However, Elder Fang didn't make things difficult for you in the inner courtyard, did he?"

Ji You picked up the teacup and brought it to his lips, saying, "I don't rely on the inner courtyard to take pills, I don't accept taxes from the immortal sects, and I don't even go to the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest to comprehend the Dao. What can he do to me? Steal the bricks from my wall?"

Cao Jingsong was pruning the osmanthus tree in the yard when he heard this, and couldn't help but turn around and glance at him.

From the time he repaid the money until now, almost a month and a half has passed, and Ji You has truly not gone to seek enlightenment again.

He thought Ji You had moved on, but now it seems she has encountered even bigger problems.

But Cao Jingsong had already dodged his previous attempts to get him to speak by changing the subject, so he didn't want to force him to talk anymore.

Ji You naturally knew what Cao Jingsong was thinking. Looking back now, his unusual behavior a few days ago was indeed quite obvious. Instructor Cao must have had many questions in mind, but he held back from speaking.

He was grateful for Lao Cao's concern for him, after all, there weren't many people in the world who would treat him like this, so he took the tea leaves with a heart full of gratitude.

"The villain!"

"Drinking too much tea is not good."

"???"

Ji You carried the tea leaves and walked up the mountain. After returning to the inner courtyard, he went straight to the courtyard of the Fairy of Righteous Heart.

He Lingxiu announced her seclusion a few days ago, intending to focus all her efforts on breaking through to the next level of the Dao Integration Realm.

So Wen Zhengxin also went into seclusion, and has not returned for seven days.

Everyone in the inner courtyard knew they were competing, and they also knew that Wen Zhengxin was actually unconvinced when they fought for the position of personal disciple back then.

Before going into seclusion, Wen Zhengxin told Ji You not to go back yet, but to take good care of the courtyard for her. So Ji You did not return to her own courtyard.

We brewed tea, drank it, and sat idly for a while until the sun set and the night, like a tide, began to surge along the continuous mountain ridge, revealing a few scattered stars.

Ji You put down the teacup, felt the evening breeze, and then went into the meditation room, picked up the futon and threw it on the bed.

He then took off his outer garment, sat cross-legged in the bedroom, and clasped his hands in his arms.

In an instant, the spiritual energy of the entire mountain seemed to have found its home, and it surged and converged wildly around him.

The essence of heaven and earth is formless and intangible, but when it becomes concentrated to a certain degree, it will transform into a deep indigo blue.

At this moment, countless indigo streams of energy swirled around Ji You, like nimble snakes, rushing into his body with each breath and then overflowing from his shattered spiritual essence.

At first, it flowed like a gentle stream, subtle yet resilient, then gradually gathered together to form a rushing river, surging and flowing towards his limbs and bones.

Once his body was completely filled with spiritual energy, Ji You used the spiritual energy as fuel to ignite a fierce fire within his body, with flames shooting out uncontrollably.

This is the twenty-first instance of a flash of inspiration.

The deepest obsession in his heart was like a stubborn rock with deep roots; he could neither unravel it nor easily forget it.

Therefore, he could not determine the path, nor did he dare to question his own heart anymore; he had reached the end of his path of cultivation.

For a cultivator, reaching this point is already a dead end.

However, if the previous judgment is correct, and if physical cultivation also involves realm improvement, then Ji You has another path to try.

So he's been focusing on body training lately, the nineteenth time, the twentieth time...

Unable to understand his own heart, unable to merge with the Dao, this was his only way out.

Just then, a piercing pain surged through his limbs and bones, as if countless steel needles were stabbing him at the same time.

The excruciating pain instantly covered Ji You's forehead with fine beads of sweat, his lips turned as pale as paper, his shoulders trembled uncontrollably, and he couldn't help but let out soft cries of pain.

The sense of constraint that I had once broken free from during my time of enlightenment now seemed like a persistent ghost, clinging to me once more.

However, having already experienced this situation once, Ji You felt no panic whatsoever; on the contrary, she was secretly delighted.

The fact that he experienced that almost suffocating feeling again proved that his previous judgment was correct.

The path of body refinement is no different from the path of cultivation, and each path must have its own distinct realm divisions.

He was now close to reaching the threshold of the next realm, which was why the feeling of constraint was so strong, as if there was a force preventing him from moving forward.

Ji You endured the excruciating pain throughout her body, held her breath, and struggled with all her might to break free from the restraints.

As a result, all the muscles in his body subconsciously tensed up, like a fully drawn bowstring, and a rapidly swirling energy gradually formed around his body, whistling incessantly.

As he held his breath and exerted himself, the spiritual fire burning within his body began to surge even more fiercely, burning from the inside out.

Then an even stronger pain appeared, as if the bones were being shattered.

This is not an illusion, because when the physical body becomes strong enough, it must be equipped with a more robust skeleton.

Ji You was already experiencing tinnitus, but the sound was not just a buzzing sound; there was also a sound of bones constantly rubbing together. The intense pain caused him to clench his teeth tightly.

In just a few breaths, Ji You was already sweating profusely, and his inner shirt was instantly soaked with sweat.

The spiritual fire surging within him seemed to be refining him, constantly flickering.

"Junior brother?"

"?"

Wen Zhengxin returned home under the cover of night. Seeing that the courtyard was empty, he couldn't help but call out, but no one answered.

So she stepped quietly into the house, and instantly heard a series of soft cries of pain.

What did my junior brother do at my house...?

Wen Zhengxin moved his feet and quietly looked into the room, then paused slightly.

There was only Junior Brother Ji in the room; the second young lady of the Lu family, whom he had imagined, was not there.

After a while, the howling gradually stopped, and Ji You, leaning on the door frame, weakly came out of the room.

His whole body was soaked, clearly exhausted, and even his lips were pale and bloodless.

He took a few deep breaths and looked up to see Wen Zhengxin walking out of the room, carrying several dresses in her arms.

"Why is Senior Sister back?"

"Change your clothes, what... what are you doing?"

Ji You picked up the herbal tea that had been placed in advance and took a big gulp: "Cultivation."

Wen Zhengxin had never seen him practice body cultivation before, so she stared at him for a long time: "You're practicing body cultivation?"

"Ah."

“Instructor Cao told you before that you shouldn’t be practicing body refinement anymore. It was already very difficult for you to break through to the upper realm of Tongxuan, let alone the next major realm leap.”

Wen Zhengxin knew that he had never been to the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest again, but he didn't understand why he had suddenly given up on the Path of Concentration and instead started to urgently refine his body. He was completely baffled.

The Fairy of Righteous Heart did not stay long. She took the clothes and left the courtyard. Before leaving, she told him with a worried look that he must be careful.

After agreeing, Ji You watched him leave, then rested for a long time, sitting until her sweat dried completely before returning to her room. After entering meditation, she began to use her divine sense to fly to the heavens.

As his body refinement progressed faster, the physical body exerted an increasingly stronger constraint on his divine sense.

If he doesn't add more flour when there's too much water, or more water when there's too much flour, his divine sense might not be able to leave his body.

Although Ji You will no longer use his divine sense to comprehend the Dao, his sword control technique still relies on his divine sense.

At this moment, his golden divine sense struggled continuously, and then emerged with difficulty from between his eyebrows, climbing upwards into the endless void. He felt a heavy feeling as if he were being suppressed by a mountain, which made his ascent extremely slow.

Half an hour later, Ji You collapsed completely.

The physical training he had just undergone only consumed his energy, but now his spirit was also being pushed to its limit.

Ji You felt completely drained and, before she could fully emerge from her meditative state, she began to fall into a deep sleep.

In the following days, the temperature in Shengjing began to rise, and the feeling of summer began to emerge, only to cool down slightly in the evening.

Every night, the courtyard of the Fairy of Righteous Heart would be surrounded by surging spiritual energy, rolling endlessly in mid-air, for seven consecutive days.

Each time it became more intense and lasted longer than the last.

On one occasion, it rained so hard that even the raindrops flying everywhere were scattered and disordered.

Seven days later, as the last rays of the setting sun disappeared into the evening, night fell silently.

There has been rain and mist in the past few days, so the night sky is not clear, and even the stars are a blurry mess.

The Fairy of Righteous Heart arrived under the cover of night and returned to the gate of her courtyard as the last rays of the setting sun disappeared.

She would come back every seven days to change her clothes, and sometimes she would catch up on her sleep.

She had just stopped in front of the door, her hand already raised, but before she could push the door open, she saw the birds that had landed on the tree flap their wings with a whoosh and fly into the night as if startled.

Wen Zhengxin was slightly taken aback, and then felt a surge of heat emanating from the courtyard, far hotter than the summer heat.

Ji You sat in the courtyard, his forehead covered in sweat, a mysterious light emanating from his skin, and a faint golden light in his eyes. His full chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing.

During his twenty-third micro-illumination, he once again broke through the limitations he had encountered before, and the intense feeling of constraint disappeared.

At this moment, he clenched his fists, feeling energy bursting forth from every cell in his body, making him unable to resist the urge to punch and crush the evening breeze in his hands.

An even more obvious feeling was that he felt his divine sense trembling along with his burning flesh, as if they were stuck together. Then, a feeling of enlightenment kept echoing in his mind.

(End of this chapter)