Chapter 59: What Does “Almost” Mean?
(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation)
On the eve of Lichun, the anticipated spring warmth failed to arrive across the Azure Clouds Dominion. Instead, a sudden, heavy snow blanketed the land, stretching endlessly into a white horizon. In You Prefecture, the northern parts of Cloud Prefecture, and all of Feng Prefecture, the freezing cold claimed countless lives. Starved and frozen, many perished in roadside ditches, their remains hastily collected by the local authorities and discarded in Mounds of Disorderly Graves.
Amid this harsh backdrop, the disciples of Heavenly Script Academy enjoyed days of serene leisure. This calm was partly due to the departure of Ji You, whose presence had long been a thorn for many. As a brilliant yet unorthodox prodigy born from the countryside, he had always been an anomaly among the privileged heirs of esteemed clans. With his absence, the Immortal Sect heirs could finally breathe easier.
Another reason for the peace was that Chu He had recently entered the Mystic Enlightenment Stage, a major achievement. Just the day before, he had toured the Inner Court.
This news ignited speculation among the academy’s disciples: was his spot in the Inner Court already secured?
However, the Autumn Sparring had yet to begin, making such a notion against protocol. But as soon as Chu He appeared, floating gracefully into the Field of Enlightenment, the murmurs ceased as if they had never existed.
After half a year together, everyone had grown familiar with one another’s temperaments and knew Chu He held grudges. There were topics one dared not mention, such as his struggle to sense the Heavenly Tome or the name Ji You.
Still, a piece of news from the Ruins of Ancient Times shattered the tranquil atmosphere in the Outer Court.
“Have you heard? There was a clash in the ruins—Spirit Sword Mountain and Dao Seeking Sect joined forces to attack us!”
“What? Spirit Sword Mountain has no feud with us. Why would they do that?”
“Apparently, Senior Sister Pei and the others carried a lot of Spiritual Stones with them into the ruins. Since the Central Celestial Mountain is riddled with unstable spiritual energy, they were targeted in front of the mountain.”
“And the result?”
“Of course, we won.”
“Ha! That’s the Heavenly Script Academy for you—always so formidable!”
“I heard it was a Lower Three Stages cultivator from our academy who arrived at the last moment. Wielding seven swords alone, they turned the tide of battle and almost killed a Dao Fusion Stage sword cultivator from Spirit Sword Mountain!”
“What?”
The celestial opportunities within the ruins, especially the celestial radiance atop the Central Celestial Mountain, had long stirred the ambitions of the Seven Great Immortal Sects and countless aristocratic families. Experts from clans like the Lu Clan of Yunzhou, Du Clan of Liang Prefecture, and Bai Clan of You Prefecture had infiltrated the mountain in secret. Though the heirs of aristocratic families in the Heavenly Script Academy did not need to partake in such risks, their sources of information were far-reaching.
At the Field of Enlightenment, the phrases “Lower Three Stages,” “seven swords,” and “almost killed” left everyone silent. Coincidentally, they all recalled a nearly forgotten name. Yet, when they thought about it more, they dismissed it with faint smiles.
But the news that followed confirmed their speculations and stirred an uproar.
In the ruins, Ji You had indeed fought, wielding seven swords single-handedly, and had nearly slain a Dao Fusion Stage sword cultivator from Spirit Sword Mountain….
The disciples meditating in the Field of Enlightenment turned their attention to Chu He, clad in his purple embroidered robe and freshly returned from the Inner Court.
“‘Almost’ killed a Dao Fusion Stage?” he scoffed coldly. “Don’t you all think the word ‘almost’ is loaded with exaggeration, like a vast Mystic Sea?”
His icy remark silenced the crowd.
Indeed, he had not truly killed a Dao Fusion Stage cultivator—he had “almost” done so, a distinction that made a world of difference. The term “almost” hinted at falling just short, but how short was anyone’s guess.
“Perhaps it was Senior Sister Wen and Senior Brother Ban who battered the opponent to near death and left him to clean up the mess. Yet he still couldn’t finish the job, so it’s being exaggerated as ‘almost.’”
“After all, our academy must preserve its prestige. Being ambushed is already a blow to our reputation, so they’re likely embellishing his contributions.”
“That makes sense….”
With Chu He capitalizing on the ambiguity of the word “almost,” the aristocratic disciples around him echoed his sentiment. Sitting nearby, Lu Qing Qiu exchanged glances with Lou Si Yi and Sun Zhi Qiao, finding Chu He’s logic persuasive. After all, the ruins were teeming with killing intent that suppressed spiritual energy, and Ji You would have been equally affected. Killing someone two stages higher seemed absurd, an unprecedented feat in the Azure Clouds Dominion.
Just as the discussions dwindled, two figures appeared on the White Jade Bridge by Azure Lake, walking briskly one after the other. Upon closer inspection, the disciples recognized them as Instructor Ding and Instructor Wu, the respective mentors of Chu He and Du Zhu. Their hurried steps and grave expressions led them directly to Chu He and Du Zhu, where they whispered quietly.
Soon, Chu He’s face darkened. A flicker of disbelief passed through his eyes before he followed Instructor Ding toward the Sword Testing Forest.
The disciples in the Field of Enlightenment were bewildered. The Sword Testing Forest was a known site for martial training, but in their memory, only Ji You had been taken there.
Lu Qing Qiu also felt puzzled, but before she could dwell on it, her own mentor, Instructor Ma, arrived. Though his demeanor was less severe than that of Instructor Ding or Instructor Wu, he, too, appeared deeply concerned.
“Instructor, why are you here?” she asked.
“Qing Qiu, do you still aspire to secure a spot in the Inner Court?”
The question caught her off guard. After a brief silence, she shook her head. When she first joined the academy, she had indeed aimed for the Inner Court. But after witnessing Ji You’s resonance with the Heavenly Tome, Chu He’s breakthrough into the Mystic Enlightenment Stage, and Du Zhu’s meteoric rise, she had come to terms with reality. Talent, after all, cared little for effort.
Seeing her response, Instructor Ma nodded. “In that case, you don’t need to head to the Sword Testing Forest.”
“Instructor, what exactly is happening? Why must they go there?”
With his hands behind his back, Instructor Ma explained, “If you still wished to vie for the Inner Court, I would advise you to pursue both martial and daoist cultivation. After all, the final selection hinges on the Autumn Sparring.”
Lu Qing Qiu and the surrounding disciples were baffled. “But pursuing both martial and daoist paths isn’t mandatory for Inner Court selection, is it?”
“Haven’t you heard? Ji You nearly killed a Dao Fusion Stage cultivator in the ruins.”
“But that Dao Fusion Stage cultivator survived. Isn’t the term ‘almost’ just exaggeration?”
After a long pause, Instructor Ma said, “The survivor lived not because he couldn’t be killed, but because Ji You chose to spare him for reasons unknown.”
His words left the Outer Court disciples momentarily stunned before they erupted into an uproar.
Indeed, ‘almost’ always implied falling short. Yet no one had considered that in this case, it referred to an act of mercy.
For a Lower Three Stages cultivator to spare a Dao Fusion Stage opponent was a display of such overwhelming superiority that it sent shivers down their spines.
At that moment, as Lu Qing Qiu and the others gazed toward the Sword Testing Forest, they understood why Chu He and Du Zhu had been summoned there.
When Ji You was added to the Exploration Roster, many had assumed he would miss his chance at the Inner Court and fade into mediocrity. Some even feared he might perish in the ruins. But when he chose to spare a Dao Fusion Stage opponent, it became clear that things were never as they seemed.
Even with Chu He’s early breakthrough into the Mystic Enlightenment Stage, it was widely believed that he would suffer a crushing defeat against Ji You in the Autumn Sparring.