Being silent alone was quite comfortable, but with an extra person, it felt a bit awkward.
Ji You raised his bloody hand and scratched the side of his face.
“You… what exactly happened to you?”
“I was in seclusion for two days, didn’t eat anything, and then fought with Fengxian Villa’s guard commander at noon, expending a lot of stamina. So, in my hunger, I comprehended this coughing blood divine ability…”
His mouth was truly stubborn.
Kuang Cheng’s mouth twitched as he said, “The world is full of people who struggle to eat. Some faint from hunger, and some even starve to death, but I’ve never heard of anyone starving to the point of spitting blood.”
Ji You thought for a moment: “Perhaps only cultivators like us can do it?”
Kuang Cheng remained silent, staring intently at the bloodstains blooming on his collar.
Ji You recalled the scene that day when he held a book and told him to find Fang Ruoyao. He reined in his smile and said, “Alright, two days weren’t enough. I rushed too much, went astray, and now I’ve suffered a backlash from the Immortal Dao.”
Within the Human Race’s body, a True Spirit is Innately contained. The first step in cultivation requires sensing one’s own True Spirit, allowing it to communicate with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, which is called Spirit Awakening.
Following that is the continuous refinement of the True Spirit, strengthening the physique, and nourishing the limbs and bones until a faint Spiritual Light shines within the body.
These two Realms are actually entirely dependent on arduous cultivation, and everyone’s path is roughly the same.
However, upon reaching the Condensation Realm, one needs to draw Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into the body for refinement, channeling it into the Spirit Spring to continuously strengthen it.
Finally, the Spirit Spring, which has gathered the True Spirit, will be refined into a Spirit Origin, which is the so-called Junior Third Realm Completion.
It is said that before ancient times, it had another name: Core Formation.
But later, for unknown reasons, that cultivation path was suddenly abandoned by the Human Race, and from some unknown point, people began to cultivate in the way of the three-five Realms.
When orthodox cultivators undergo this step, there are usually Immortal Elders from their family guarding them. If there is danger, they can immediately stop.
But Ji You didn’t have that.
Not only did he not have an Immortal Elder to guard his Dao, but he also couldn't find any cultivation texts.
The Great Xia’s strict prohibition against commoners cultivating was not an empty statement. Relevant Immortal books and Dao texts were extremely strictly controlled; even if a few incomplete fragments circulated among the populace, no one dared to read them.
And the Immortal book he possessed just happened to lack this part.
It wasn’t a dramatic coincidence like missing pages; it simply wasn’t there. There was no Junior Third Realm Completion.
Thus, Ji You could only cultivate on his own.
Initially, when he drew in the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, it was quite smooth, but when he refined the Spirit Origin, he felt a strong sense of incongruity.
This sense of incongruity almost caused him to immerse himself in the profound mysteries of the Great Dao, unable to awaken. By the time his Divine Thought returned, he discovered that his Spirit Spring had not condensed into a Spirit Origin but had instead directly burst its banks…
Whether it was the True Spirit within his body or the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, at the moment of the breach, they all scattered throughout his body, everywhere, mixed into a chaotic mess, and could no longer be separated.
But then he discovered that he possessed all the abilities that only those at Junior Third Realm Completion had, such as the communion between heaven and man and external Spiritual Qi defense.
Ji You thought he had turned a misfortune into a blessing, achieving an alternative Perfection, but it wasn't until he fought with Commander Bao of Fengxian Villa that he realized he was wrong.
The backlash was only delayed, but it would never be absent.
Perfection overnight was truly an arrogant pipe dream.
Kuang Cheng looked at his solemn expression and couldn't help but ask, “Will you die?”
“No, it’s just a scorching pain in my heart. A few days of rest will suffice. However, I don’t know if I still have a chance to enter the Upper Five Realms.”
“Why would you rather go to such lengths than try asking Fang Ruoyao for help?”
Ji You coughed up a few more bloody froths before speaking, “If I’m going to do it, I’ll do it thoroughly. Fang Ruoyao doesn’t have enough weight. Even if she helps, it might not be useful after I leave. My Junior Third Realm Completion is to let people know that I am destined to enter the Upper Five Realms, and I will come back to kill.”
Kuang Cheng heard the coldness in his words and couldn't help but shake his head. “This move is truly too risky.”
“The Spiritual Qi in Qiu Ru’s body was transferred by me.”
“I already guessed that…”
Ji You took a deep breath: “And there’s Haiwa, the shepherd boy, Niuniu from Liu the woodcutter’s family, and the disabled child Big Mouth picked up…”
Kuang Cheng was stunned at the sound, raising his head to look at him in disbelief.
He remembered that these children were either sick or on their last breath, but then they inexplicably recovered. Only now did he realize it was his doing.
“I’m actually not a good person. Some things were just done casually. See? This is an Immortal.”
Ji You frowned when he said the word Immortal: “But the people from Tianshu Academy can’t stay in Yuyang County forever. Those people from Fengxian Villa, if not the first time, there will be a second, then a third, a fourth…”
Kuang Cheng pursed his lips after hearing this: “Indeed, since the news of your Junior Third Realm Completion spread, Fengxian Villa has been much more disciplined. Old Master Fang even confiscated the Qiu Family’s offerings.”
“That effective?”
Ji You revealed a mouthful of red and white teeth and said, “If I were to become sworn relatives with the wealthy families in the county, with just a small gift, wouldn’t I become instantly rich?”
Kuang Cheng: “?”
Ji You’s ability to let his mind wander also proved that his life was indeed not in danger.
However, he didn't know what impact the bursting of his Spirit Spring would have on his future cultivation. After all, if he hadn't condensed a Spirit Origin, how was he supposed to cultivate next?
Although Kuang Cheng was well-read, he knew nothing about cultivation. He could only help him up and bring him water to rinse his mouth.
After resting for a moment, Ji You’s spirits improved significantly. He couldn’t help but instruct, “I’ll be fine after running a few more cycles. Don’t tell anyone about this. Now, Qiu Ru surviving is already the best outcome.”
“Isn’t your entry into Tianshu Academy also the best outcome?”
“I never thought of going to Tianshu Academy. This matter was an accident.”
Kuang Cheng was surprised to hear this: “Do you only want to hide among the common people and cultivate secretly? What’s the meaning in that?”
Ji You shook his head: “You insult a man’s ambition. Although I don’t want to be an orthodox cultivator, I do have plans for my life. If the Qiu Family incident hadn’t happened, I would have gone up the mountain next year to become a fierce bandit.”
“?”
“There’s a bandit’s den west of Yuyang County, full of rogue cultivators. They speak well, and I hear that if a cultivator at Junior Third Realm Completion is willing to join, they can at least be hired as a hall master. Then I’ll bring Old Qiu’s family up the mountain, and we can live in luxury.”
Kuang Cheng never expected him to actually have such a plan. Upon hearing it, he couldn’t help but frown: “Why would you choose to be a rogue cultivator on the mountain when you could be an orthodox cultivator? What’s the explanation?”
Ji You coughed twice, unsure where to begin. After a long pause, he said, “I didn’t know I could cultivate at first. Also, another reason is that I don’t want to consume human blood offerings.”
“What are human blood offerings?”
“Cultivators do nothing, yet they consume most of the world’s resources and Spiritual Veins, causing the common people to starve and the world to suffer. Although I have no great abilities, I can always choose not to become one of the straws that crush the myriad people.”
Ji You looked up after speaking: “However, it is said that Tianshu Academy consumes the least offerings among the Seven Great Immortal Sects and doesn’t refine living people into medicine. It’s a blessing in misfortune, I suppose.”
Kuang Cheng was stunned for a moment, raising the book in his hand: “But the book says that only Disciples who have entered the Upper Five Realms and been selected into the Inner Courtyard are qualified to receive offerings from the myriad people.”
“?”
Ji You froze for a moment, then his eyes widened: “You mean, even though I’ve entered Tianshu Academy, I still have to work part-time?”
At that time, he was only concerned with becoming a bandit and hadn't meticulously read the details about being an orthodox cultivator. Now, he was completely dumbfounded.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to consume human blood offerings? Isn’t this a good thing for you?” Kuang Cheng looked at him in confusion.
“If I become a bandit, I can rob Immortals to help the poor, and even get a cut!”
Great Xia pays offerings to the various Immortal Sects annually, but how these are specifically distributed is an internal matter for each Immortal Sect.
Taking Tianshu Academy as an example, their received offerings are mainly distributed to Inner Courtyard Disciples and for educational affairs. However, whether one is in the Initial Splendor Upper Realm or Junior Third Realm Completion, they are ultimately Outer Courtyard Disciples, and thus cannot occupy a share of the offerings.
Just as Ji You was questioning his life, Kuang Cheng spoke again: “Actually, I’m also going to Shengjing in two days.”
Ji You snapped back to reality: “What are you going to Shengjing for?”
“The imperial examination.”