Chapter 11: A Night of Boundless Aura
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
“Instructor, we’re setting out early tomorrow. Why haven’t you rested yet?”
Pei Ru Yi left the banquet and stepped into the veranda, only to find Cao Jin Song, who had left earlier, seated at a stone table in the courtyard. Around him lay fragments of shattered porcelain, their delicate patterns hinting that they once belonged to the County Magistrate’s treasured vase. Amid the mess, Cao Jin Song focused intensely on a single unbroken vase, channeling his spiritual qi into a rice-sized bead at his fingertips while murmuring incantations. His forehead gleamed with sweat, a clear sign of prolonged effort.
“I’m attempting to infuse this vase with spiritual qi and leave it within. Infusing the qi is easy, but making it stay? That’s incredibly difficult. Success only comes one or two times out of ten.”
Pei Ru Yi blinked in surprise. “Is this a new cultivation method?”
Cao Jin Song’s trembling hand cautiously approached the vase. “Ru Yi, have you ever wondered how Ji You managed to nurture a little girl until she became brimming with celestial aura?”
“This…”
“Spiritual qi is the essence of the heavens and earth, imbued with the power of the Heavenly Dao. The five Hall Masters of the Inner Court have honed their control over qi to an almost instinctual level. If Ji You’s success wasn’t sheer luck, then… if he continues, not only will he reach the Upper Five Realms, but even the Mystic Enlightenment Stage wouldn’t be beyond him.”
As his words fell, the vase before Cao Jin Song suddenly cracked under the strain, shattering into countless fragments. The only thing left intact was his grim expression. Despite being in the Upper Five Realms for years, though stuck in the initial Profound Comprehension Stage, he was still a realm higher than Ji You. Moreover, the divide in qi mastery between the Lower Three Stages and the Upper Five Realms was immense. Yet, the result before him was staggering.
Either Ji You was an extraordinary genius, or he, Cao Jin Song, was a fool. Naturally, he refused to admit to the latter, leaving only one explanation—his newly admitted disciple held untapped potential beyond imagination.
“Fortune untold…”
“Ru Yi, when this boy enters the Inner Court, he’ll pass with ease. He might even catch the eye of one of the five Hall Masters.”
Pei Ru Yi chuckled dryly. Achieving perfection in the Lower Three Stages before the age of twenty was impressive, but she felt Cao Jin Song was overstating things. The path of immortality was filled with dazzling talents. This year alone, the Seven Great Immortal Sects had found ten individuals under twenty who had reached the same milestone, with two hailing from the Heavenly Script Academy alone. Compared to these prodigies, Ji You was merely adequate.
She mused helplessly, remembering Spirit Sword Mountain’s Mirror Master, who achieved perfection at ten, and a Dao Seeking Sect disciple who entered the Upper Five Realms at twelve. The other sect’s direct disciples were equally monstrous. Ji You, just two months shy of his twentieth year, had only just reached the threshold to stand among them.
While Pei Ru Yi’s thoughts swirled, Cao Jin Song’s expression suddenly changed. He stood abruptly, his gaze fixed toward the south of Yuyang County.
“Instructor, what’s wrong?”
“Ru Yi, do you feel it? The spiritual qi here is surging southward, even beyond my control.”
“?”
Pei Ru Yi froze momentarily before darting through the veranda and out of the County Magistrate’s Hall, heading straight to the grain yard where Ji You was.
Under the dark night, Yuyang County lay cloaked in shadow. Only the grain yard shone brightly, its myriad lanterns painting the area in fiery hues, as festive as a grand wedding hosted by a wealthy landowner. Surrounding the yard were countless townsfolk. From a distance, their thin silhouettes formed a dense crowd. The flickering lights rendered their faces obscure, but their frail forms and tattered garments were faintly discernible.
Amid the dazzling radiance, seventy-two young children knelt in the grain yard, their clear voices calling out, “Godfather,” before lowering their heads to the ground in respect.
Though completing the Lower Three Stages was not a profound accomplishment in the grander scope of the Immortal Way, it signified merely a foundational stage with limited capabilities. However, the reputation of the Heavenly Script Academy was a valuable asset. After all, it represented the Divine Sect of Great Xia. According to the laws of Great Xia, sworn familial bonds, such as becoming a godparent, were recognized as genuine kinship and thus entitled to protection. Ji You did not know if this would ultimately be effective, but it was better than doing nothing.
If fortune smiled upon him, and he discovered a method to repair his spiritual wellspring, reaching the Upper Five Stages might grant him far greater authority and deterrence.
Ji You, seated at the front, was silent for a long while. Looking at the children, he suddenly burst into laughter. Perhaps he had failed to save the children suffering from leukemia, but now, he still had a chance to save another group. As these thoughts filled his mind, for reasons he couldn’t discern, the night sky above seemed to grow brighter.
Moments later, the grain yard was suffused with a myriad of celestial glimmers, pure as white stars and drifting like fireflies, constantly floating and converging. Gradually, they gathered towards the ground. Soon, the entire yard resembled a vast sea of stars, leaving Ji You in awe.
“What is this?”
“Whoa…”
“I’m pretty sure I didn’t eat any mushrooms this time… right?”
Ji You raised his head to look, stunned after a few breaths. He realized the light did not originate from the heavens or appear out of nowhere but seemed to emanate from the seventy-two children before him. From the center of each child’s forehead, a wisp of spiritual light ascended skyward before falling as a radiant speck.
Before Ji You could react, the luminous particles began to fly towards him, merging into his body. Furrowing his brow, he instinctively tried to evade, but it was futile—there was no escaping their approach.
After a long while, all the celestial light in the sky had dissipated. Ji You shifted his focus inward, using his spiritual sense. To his astonishment, he found a chaotic cluster of light had gathered atop his shattered spiritual wellspring, misty and ethereal, slowly intertwining.
At that moment, an uncontrollable surge of Immortal Essence began to boil around him, roaring skyward under the vast expanse of stars. Simultaneously, the ominous trace of blood streaking across the sky grew more savage and terrifying.
Not far away, Pei Ru Yi, who had come from the County Magistrate’s Hall, stared at him in a daze. She couldn’t perceive the ocean of starlight nor the surging aura, yet her brows knitted slightly. Something about Ji You’s presence felt utterly different.
As the Chief of the Outer Court, Pei Ru Yi had encountered many disciples from various sects. But now, she found Ji You’s current state bizarre.
Was this… Immortal Essence?
Pei Ru Yi’s brows furrowed deeply. She couldn’t explain why this thought surfaced in her mind, leaving her momentarily stunned.
In the mortal realm, those who encountered cultivators would revere them as Immortals, and cultivators themselves often embraced the title as though they were of an entirely different kind. Yet, in truth, unless a cultivator ascended to the heavens with a triumphant laugh, they could not truly be considered an Immortal.
Pei Ru Yi, having never witnessed a successful ascension, naturally could not discern what genuine Immortal Essence entailed. However, as she gazed at Ji You’s elusive, ever-shifting aura, the thought emerged involuntarily.
[No, I must be overthinking this…]
Without a triumphant laugh and ascension to the Immortal Realm, how could anyone exude such an aura?
“Ru Yi, this child is extraordinary.”
“Perhaps he could even become a direct disciple of the Five Hall Masters.”
“…”