Chapter 189 - 95: Xia He: Jiang Xuan, First Place? My Little Junior Brother Is That Strong?

Chapter 189: Chapter 95: Xia He: Jiang Xuan, First Place? My Little Junior Brother Is That Strong?

After his offer to recruit Jiang Xuan was rejected, Yun Shengjie didn’t linger for a moment longer. He hastily returned to Zi’s Daoist School.

Although it was part of the Outer Sect and nominally on the same level as the other eleven schools, the grounds of Zi’s Daoist School were clearly a cut above the rest.

In terms of sheer scale, it was seven times the size of a comparable Daoist School, and it boasted a full nine instructors.

Furthermore, its Spiritual Qi concentration, various facilities, and even its scenery were the best among the Twelve Daoist Schools.

The Mountain Gate of the Daozi Courtyard was carved from a single block of Celestial Cyan Stone, bearing the inscription "Zi’s Daoist School" in the previous Sect Leader’s own hand.

Thousand-year-old pines with gnarled branches reached for the clouds on either side of the Mountain Gate. Behind it, ninety-nine White Jade Steps snaked their way out of the Cloud Sea.

But Yun Shengjie was in no mood to appreciate such a stunning view. As he strode hastily over the White Jade Steps, his brow was furrowed with grave concern.

He had always been somewhat arrogant toward outsiders due to his status as a student of the Daozi Courtyard, but that same status gave him an extremely strong sense of belonging and honor.

The fact that he had invited Jiang Xuan after witnessing his strength was a testament to his desire to make the Daozi Courtyard even better.

Now that his invitation had failed, he saw Jiang Xuan as an enemy—his greatest rival, in fact. The shock and terror from watching his fully manifested Cloud Sea White Whale get devoured in a single glance from Jiang Xuan was simply too much to bear.

Unwilling to let the Daozi Courtyard fail in the Hundred-Day Exam and tarnish its centuries-old reputation, he had returned at the first opportunity to warn his peers and have them prepare.

Like the Chen Daoist School, the place where the students of the Daozi Courtyard formally cultivated was not an enclosed classroom.

Cultivators cultivate their true selves and the Dao. As the saying goes: Man models himself on the Earth, the Earth models itself on Heaven, Heaven models itself on the Dao, and the Dao models itself on what is natural.

The connection between the Dao and Heaven and Earth means that a Cultivator’s practice is most effective when conducted in a natural environment.

For this reason, the Chen Daoist School chose a mountainside for its training grounds. This not only offered an expansive view but also helped broaden one’s mind and Heart.

The cultivation area of the Daozi Courtyard, in contrast, was a seemingly simple and rustic little courtyard.

Of course, the courtyard only *seemed* rustic.

Every stone, tree, blade of grass, and path within the small courtyard had been meticulously selected and arranged by an Array Master.

Every rock here inherently possessed the effects of Purifying Heart, Nourishing the Spirit, and Concealed Meaning. But even more ingeniously, the interlocking stones and plants naturally formed a Celestial Intent Enlightenment Array that followed the principles of the Dao.

While inside, a Cultivator would be wreathed in Dao Rhyme, their speed of comprehending the Dao and attaining Enlightenment far surpassing that of any other place.

At the same time, the atmosphere among the students of the Daozi Courtyard was also completely different from that of the other schools.

The students here lacked the strict, orderly, and rule-abiding nature of the disciples at the Chen Daoist School.

During morning lessons, for instance, all three thousand students of the Chen Daoist School would sit cross-legged on the training grounds and cultivate together. This created a solemn atmosphere, but it also fostered uniformity.

The Daozi Courtyard was different. Here, some slept soundly with their heads on stone pillows, heedless of the world. Some splashed ink across canvases, lost in their art. Some played Go, quietly seeking Enlightenment in the way of the game. Others danced with their swords, cultivating as they pleased.

Of course, some also devoted themselves to seated meditation and arduous closed-door cultivation. But even those who sought Enlightenment with their eyes closed did so as they pleased, each following their own path and exuding an air of nonconformity.

Far from restraining this behavior, the instructors here deliberately indulged it.

"Only mediocrities need rules. Geniuses are meant to be mavericks. The Daozi Courtyard isn’t a place for cultivating the rank-and-file, and we’re not trying to produce Inner Sect Disciples for the Middle Lower Dharma Veins. What we cultivate here are the peerless experts who will one day stand at the very pinnacle of the Sect!"

Adhering to this philosophy of cultivating supreme prodigies, the nine instructors maintained an indulgent attitude toward the students’ behavior.

This fostered a transcendent atmosphere throughout the courtyard, one of leisurely freedom where students could discuss the profound mysteries of the Dao.

But when Yun Shengjie hurried back and voiced his warning with a face full of worry, that leisurely and tranquil atmosphere was instantly broken.

"Everyone, the situation is not looking good. Two powerful rivals have emerged from the Lower Court..."

Worried that the Daozi Courtyard might lose, he immediately began to describe the formidable strength of Jiang Xuan and Chen Qianjun, embellishing the details for effect.

He described their combat prowess in vivid detail, every word steeped in gravity.

Unfortunately, his earnest warning was utterly ignored by the other prodigies in the courtyard.

Even when he emphasized, in a grave and horrified tone, how Jiang Xuan had annihilated his Cloud Sea White Whale with a single glance, he still failed to capture the attention of the top-tier students in his class.

In fact, some found him to be a nuisance.

"Yun Shengjie, you’re being too loud. You’re ruining my Fairy’s mood."

"..." His classmate’s cold attitude left Yun Shengjie feeling helpless. The last person to speak, in particular, rendered him utterly speechless.

The speaker’s eyes were indeed filled with infatuation and longing, but he wasn’t gazing at a True Master. His eyes were fixed on a painting he had created himself. The "dao companion" he constantly obsessed over was nothing more than an illusory figure made of ink on paper.

This made Yun Shengjie complain inwardly, ’Your Fairy is just an illusion of ink and paper. What good or bad mood could she possibly have?’

Of course, he only dared to think this and wouldn’t dream of saying it out loud.

The other student’s Spirit Root Talent wasn’t the best in Zi’s Daoist School, but due to his unique Cultivation Technique and his obsession with the painted Fairy, he had become one of the strongest students in the Daozi Courtyard. Yun Shengjie couldn’t afford to provoke him.

"My apologies for the noise, but we really need to take Jiang Xuan seriously. He’s a terrifying figure who took me out in a single blow..."