Chapter 21: Beauty Beyond Compare
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Ji You’s spiritual consciousness remained in the precarious void of dimly glimmering darkness, utterly unaware of the chaos he had caused in the outside world.
Sitting cross-legged with eyes fixed on the heavens, he repeatedly attempted to ascend into Mystic Enlightenment Stage. To him, the essence of reaching this realm lay in the word ‘comprehension’—to perceive and to grasp. With the Heavenly Dao so close, the key to mastering this realm seemed simple: observe, then internalize and understand.
Yet, every attempt brought unbearable pain to his spiritual consciousness, akin to carving flesh from bone. His approach was correct, but the overwhelming majesty of the Heavenly Dao was not to be trifled with. His current strength was simply inadequate.
Thus, Ji You could only engage in intermittent observation, enduring in brief intervals. The experience was akin to catching rain in the desert without a vessel to store it—what little he retained was meager and fleeting.
“Three breaths…”
“The limit. Even at my best, I can endure for no more than three breaths…”
“This intensity surpasses even the strain of projecting my spiritual senses skyward…”
After his fourth attempt, Ji You collapsed, gasping for air at the base of the desolate Mount Void within the spiritual domain. His exhaustion reached a breaking point, and he feared his spiritual consciousness might shatter if he persisted.
Leaning against a stone, he rested for a long time before turning his gaze upward. There, a barefooted maiden clad in a flowing Cloud-Brocade Gown sat upon a flat black rock, her back to Mount Void, seemingly lost in meditation.
[She’s not an artifact spirit…]
[Could she be a senior sister from the Inner Court?]
[No, that doesn’t seem right either.]
Her southern accent—reminiscent of the innkeeper at Spring Blossom Relay Station—set her apart. Ji You recalled that the Seven Great Immortal Sects were territorial regarding their local disciples. The Chu brothers, for instance, could freely choose between the Mystic Origin Immortal Palace and the Heavenly Script Academy because both belonged to the northern sects, but they could never join sects like the Mountain and Sea Pavilion or the Dao Seeking Sect.
He studied the maiden for a long moment, drawn closer by her radiant presence. Her delicate eyelashes, overlooked in his earlier encounters, now seemed incredibly long and curled. Her meditative state rendered her innocent and serene, her skin appearing as soft and flawless as freshly fallen snow.
From this vantage point, her features were even more exquisite. Her elegant nose appeared more sculpted, and even a stray sniffle would seem enchanting.
Lowering his gaze, Ji You noticed her jade-like feet—crystal clear and soft, her round toes lightly tinged with peachy pink, charmingly petite and perfect to hold. Despite his past encounters with countless beauties, none could rival the vivid and flawless allure she exuded.
“Is this what they call beauty beyond compare?”
“She looks like she’d melt at a touch…”
In that moment, the maiden, who called herself an Immortal Fairy, opened her eyes. Her gaze rose lightly, meeting Ji You’s astonished expression.
Realizing he had been completely captivated, Ji You froze. His thoughts had unconsciously escaped as murmurs.
Caught in her cold, reddening glare, he opened his mouth to explain. However, before he could utter a word, her sleeve flicked out, sending him tumbling backward with a soft wave.
Spiritual consciousness was weightless, requiring only a breeze to drift a thousand miles. When Ji You regained awareness, his physical senses had returned. Around him, noise erupted into clarity.
He opened his eyes, and the surrounding Heavenly Radiance faded, leaving two glimmers of Mystic Light on his brow. Though one was faint and yet to fully form, its appearance was undeniable.
The gathered disciples gasped in astonishment.
It had taken Chu He a full ten days to condense his Mystic Light, aided by countless pills and sleepless nights. Yet Ji You, within merely an hour of Dao Enlightenment, had already approached Chu He’s level, leaving the crowd in uproar.
“Young Master Ji, what did you see?”
“Yes, Junior Brother Ji, was the Heavenly Tome filled with profound truths? Could you share with us?”
“I once heard Inner Court disciples say that at the beginning of eternity, the heavens were shapeless and empty. The Heavenly Tome depicts the primordial awakening of the void, filled with mysteries and myriad evolutions. Is it true?”
Ji You pondered silently for a moment before speaking softly, “I saw… an Immortal Fairy.”
The crowd erupted in shock. To mortals, immortals were cultivators, but to cultivators, immortals referred to those who had ascended to higher realms. Yet few realized that in ancient times, ‘fairy’ simply meant a beautiful woman.
Among the skeptics stood Ban Yang Shu, who had also experienced the Heavenly Tome. He firmly dismissed Ji You’s claim. Within the Inner Court, he had debated with fellow disciples and learned that the Heavenly Tome represented a primordial and void-like realm. It offered a blank canvas for enlightenment but contained nothing else.
[Ji You must be concealing his insights from us, unwilling to share the truth.]
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Ji You interjected, “I must take my leave. Enlightening oneself through the Heavenly Tome is taxing on the spiritual consciousness. I need rest.”
“What? It’s not even Hai Hour…”
Ignoring the murmurs, Ji You casually waved off their questions and strode away from the Field of Enlightenment, returning to his Elegant Garden by Azure Lake.
Despite having glimpsed the Heavenly Tome, Ji You faced another pressing problem—his money pouch was nearly empty. His last act of ‘polite robbery’ had been to acquire a tael of silver from Instructor Wang, which had lasted eight or nine days. Now even his copper coins were nearly gone.
In the Heavenly Script Academy, only Inner Court disciples received stipends, a rule as unyielding as iron. Yet even if granted, Ji You felt uneasy accepting them. His years in Yuyang County had shown him the grim realities of poverty—skin-and-bone peasants selling their children for survival. To him, the riches of the Immortal Sects seemed steeped in blood.
More ironically, Yuyang County was considered relatively well-off. Tales of devastation along the midstream Angry River, where the previous headmaster of the Mystic Origin Immortal Palace had extracted a leyline to resist his ascension tribulation, painted a grimmer picture. The land lay barren for over a century, leaving bones scattered like dust.
Lost in thought, Ji You drifted into sleep, his weariness overtaking him.
The next morning, mist veiled the air, the sunrise hidden, and the breeze carried a faint chill. Fewer disciples appeared at the Field of Enlightenment, their absence attributed to damaged Dao hearts.
Had it been Chu He who sensed the Heavenly Tome, they might have accepted it. After all, his relentless dedication and family lineage supported his achievement. Even Lu Qing Qiu, who rivaled Chu He in effort, would not have shattered their faith.
But Ji You?
The stark contrast to their own unyielding hours of meditation felt like a slap to the face.
[Perhaps cultivation requires a balance of rest and effort…]
[The Inner Court slots were never truly within our grasp. Why did we fight so desperately?]
[Was this frantic drive instilled by Chu He when he joined the academy?]
As even Chu He ceased appearing, the disciples collectively felt the weight of their exhaustion, murmuring wistful regrets as the day began anew.