Yefutidaolu

Chapter 267 Dropping out of school

For many people, breaking through a cultivation level is a very solemn and momentous event.

After all, breaking through... is so difficult.

Just as cinnabar said.

Even a genius as strong as Gao Jian, with his realm already high enough, his cultivation method complete, and everything in place, only needing cultivation power, still needs to accumulate several years of cultivation power before he can break through.

For scions of noble families, or others with ample resources, this is something they can easily accomplish in a day by consuming some precious medicines and rare herbs.

However... just as Gao Jian finished consuming the sixth-realm golden pill, he suddenly remembered something else.

This is a golden elixir of a sixth-realm Taoist.

According to the classification of the Divine Dynasty, this is 'spiritual material'.

Even if he came from a living, high-level cultivator, he would still be a spiritual material after death, which could be used as raw material for various consumables or magical artifacts.

Ugh.

Such things are commonplace in the Divine Dynasty. Gao Jian did indeed eliminate the group including Master Gu and clean up the Tomb of the Three Pure Ones, but in the end... it wasn't enough.

That's far from enough. Someone should be arriving soon, right?
But that doesn't matter anymore.

Takashi felt that he was now... terrifyingly strong.

He tried, reached out, and twisted his wrist off.

To be honest... it hurt quite a bit, but thankfully I could bear it.

He twisted his own hand off; it wasn't just a simple bone break, but a real, complete tearing of his hand, starting from his arm.

Blood and gore, broken bones.

Then, he looked at it and put the severed arm back on.

In just a moment, the injury seemed to have never happened.

The seminal gate has been opened, and the physical body is tight and leak-free. I dare not say that blood can be regenerated, but limb regeneration is as easy as eating. The physical body has almost no concept of 'injury'. It is either completely defeated and loses its vitality, or it is in its complete form.

Moreover, while possessing such terrifying regenerative abilities, the strength of the physical body has also been enhanced!

Gao Jian picked up a stone from the ground. It was a large blue stone, probably leftover material from garden construction, which he used as a rock in the yard as a decorative element.

The large bluestone was incredibly hard, producing a metallic sound when struck, and was even tougher than ordinary iron. But Gao Jian tried it out and squeezed it.

The large bluestone burst open, as if it had been crushed by a hydraulic press!
By storing essence and energy without releasing it, the four limbs, nine orifices, five internal organs, sixteen parts, and three hundred and sixty-five joints are all strengthened to the extreme!

With skin impervious to blades and bullets, an inner body of steel and iron, and complete regenerative abilities, it's safe to say that without any special countermeasures, Gao Jian would be impossible to kill by overwhelming numbers.

Because he never tires before his life force is exhausted, his physical strength is so great that even someone at the first or second level of cultivation can't break his skin.

It's made of steel and iron, so you can cut it a few times without fear. Even if you break the skin or cut off a limb, it can heal instantly. It has both extreme healing ability and extremely high strength.

When blood vessels are free from stagnation and the five internal organs are free from stagnant qi, the body and mind are relaxed and comfortable, and emotions are in harmony!

He tested his strength again.

The insights gained from the third realm already possessed the strength of a million catties, so what about now?
He didn't need to try lifting weights; through the confirmation of the hundred gods within his body via the mud pill, he could easily sense the current level of his power.

His current maximum strength has reached approximately 12,000 tons.

A person with profound insight now could lift a ship and then use it as a stick to smash it.

This is not even his full power.

Although he is said to be at the sixth realm, he is not an ordinary sixth realm cultivator. He is an unprecedented Grandmaster at the second level of the sixth realm!
He has already unlocked the gates of essence and spirit! He possesses the divine intent of martial arts, as well as the extraordinary and terrifying physical body of a martial artist.

With this physical body, this swordsmanship, and the divine intent of martial arts, Gao Jian felt that he was terrifyingly strong. If he didn't try it himself, he probably wouldn't know just how strong he was now!
"Hoo..." After experiencing all of this, he exhaled a breath of stale air.

Thankfully, the scenario of "a lot of dirt appearing on the body, which means all the impurities in the body have been expelled" did not occur, which is great.

However, that makes sense.

A cultivator's physical body, especially a martial artist's, is constantly being trained, so how could it possibly have so many impurities?

If there were so many impurities, one would be covered in hidden injuries, with bones turning black. Even if one didn't die, one would definitely be a sickly ghost, having long since severed one's path to cultivation and having no hope left.

The changes that are happening now are essentially changes in the 'qi' within his body.

With the opening of the essence gate, the circulation of 'qi' within his microcosm of the human body has changed. Around the essence gate and the spirit gate, Gao Jian's physical body has undergone a complete transformation.

The difference can be seen simply from the appearance.

At this moment, Gao Jian was clear-headed and stood on the ground, like a boat sailing on a giant wave, swaying but not moving. His face and eyes were as bright as the sun and moon, shining brightly.

Qi, life, essence, spirit, soul, vital force, heart, and intention have all undergone changes. A person's blood, qi, spirit, and vitality, which are devoted to life and fulfilling one's nature, have all reached a limit.

To be honest, if he opens his Qi gate again... he will be qualified to attempt to become an Earth Immortal.

I just don't know if the fact that the three acupoints of the spirit gate are not fully open will have any impact.

He had no way of knowing this, after all... even if all the knowledge of the entire Divine Dynasty were laid out before him, it probably wouldn't be able to explain this problem.

He simply opened the Divine Gate directly, without fully opening all three Divine Gate Apertures.

But we'll talk about that later.

Gao Jian looked at the rusty knife, which still had a five-inch blade.

For now, let's continue our spiritual practice.

We can't let our daily tasks become slack just because we've made a breakthrough.

----------

After that, Takami's life entered a special kind of 'peace'.

Two full months have passed.

It was as if all the bitterness and hatred from before had vanished, and even the gods had sheathed their fangs.

First of all, he was arrogant and self-important, and no one came to challenge him.

After that day, Gao Jian thought he would become a thorn in the side of the students at the Imperial Academy, but in reality... he seemed to be quite popular?
The students he met on the way would greet him.

The people at the Imperial Academy were tolerant. No one held any grudges against Gao Jian because of his past actions.

This made Gao Jian somewhat emotional.

The fact that the Divine Dynasty has developed to this point is not because it is so bad in many aspects. In fact, Gao Jian was prepared to be targeted, isolated and challenged by everyone, but in reality, he received tolerance and respect. Even the Cheng family, that is, Cheng Feng's family, did not do anything to Gao Jian, and even sent him gifts.

The gift was a scabbard carved from a branch of a Seventh-Realm Spirit Tree. It wasn't particularly valuable, as it was something that could be mass-produced. If a single spirit tree were to unlock its essence, he could easily produce millions of branches. The truly valuable part was the heartwood, which was the genuine article.

However, even though it is not valuable, its grade certainly reflects the other party's attitude.

This may also reflect the attitude of the entire Divine Dynasty.

If you have the ability, then the Divine Dynasty will tolerate you.

The Divine Dynasty is not a place that is jealous of talent and ability; in fact, it is a very typical 'society of the strong'.

...This is a world ruled by the strong, and a 'future strongman' can be tolerated for his willfulness in many places.

Gao Jian has demonstrated his potential, so he doesn't need to worry about these things.

Even the matter of Tomb Three is the same.

The three tombs were thriving. All the original things seemed to have disappeared after Gao Jian violently dealt with them. Things like the Netherworld Land of the Yellow Springs lineage never appeared at all, as if they didn't care about it at all.

The orphans and ordinary people of the capital were also sent to the Buddhist temple controlled by Master Feixiang. Those who still had hope and motivation and were willing to leave were sent away so that they could return to their original lives according to their own wishes.

Those who were seriously injured, whose family members had all died, whose hearts were filled with unspeakable bitterness, and who even harbored deep resentment, were kept by Fei Xiang in order to persuade and comfort them.

However, it wasn't just empty persuasion; they were supposedly teaching them Buddhist practices.

Is it a good thing? Is it a bad thing? Gao Jian doesn't know. Anyway, there's no reason to stop it, since whether one wants to stay or leave is entirely voluntary.

After going through this ordeal, some people just want to go home.

Others, however, wished to stay and cultivate themselves.

But... is cultivation really a good thing? That's hard to say. Everyone has seen the lives of those who have achieved success in cultivation, but most people may not even reach a certain level in their entire lives...

In situations like these, will spiritual practice really offer them any special help? Or... will it only drag them into the next quagmire?

Even if it's a brilliant idea, it doesn't really matter.

There's no need to dwell on those things, and no need to assume that something bad will happen in the future. We can deal with it when the time comes.

Thinking this, Gao Jian checked the time.

It was already afternoon, time to leave the library.

It's March now, and three whole months have passed since Lunar New Year's Eve.

For the past three months, Gao Jian, like other students at the Imperial Academy, has spent every day in the Sutra Repository, reading, studying, practicing, and accumulating knowledge to prepare for future breakthroughs.

As for nothing else, the capital city suddenly became peaceful and bustling every day, with everyone in the city lively and cheerful, showing no trace of its previous state.

March is also the season when peach blossoms are in full bloom. In many places, you can see fallen petals swaying in the wind and flowing with the water.

Gao Jian came out of the Sutra Repository and was about to go home when he saw peach blossoms scattering along the way. Many petals fell into the air with the wind and continued to drift in the sky of the Divine Capital, not knowing where they would drift to.

The operation of the capital city remains as complex as ever, but the constant shower of flower petals from the sky, coupled with the flow of water and waterfalls cascading from some of the floating islands, always gives one the illusion that this is a fairyland.

However, it's not entirely wrong.

The capital city, isn't it just a fairyland?
Look at the floating fairy mountains, and the magnificent floating islands of the entire capital city constantly rotating, stretching as far as the eye can see, with each island vying for attention in its height. The wind shakes the layers of green waves, and after the rain, green clouds swirl around, with wisps of clouds dancing in the distant sky, drifting and swaying endlessly. Who can say that this is not a fairyland?

Thinking about all this, Gao Jian was about to go to the nearby stables to lead Zoulong back to his residence in the capital.

In the past two months, Dansha certainly couldn't come to see him off every day, so he usually rode the dragon. As for Dansha, he wandered around the capital, seemingly not caring about cultivation at all. When he occasionally came to the Scripture Pavilion, it wasn't to study, but either to seek profound insights or to check in.

Sigh, the life of a rich woman.

Shu Jian and Gao Jian lived similar lives. He spent every day in the Sutra Repository, searching for a way to open acupoints without taking human form.

Actually, Gao Jian saw it clearly: if there's no other way in the end, the mouse will probably still choose the transformation method.

But, how should I put it... that would give me a feeling of being 'defeated'.

The reason why Shushu is Shushu, and why he did not fall into the world of the Divine Dynasty and be swept away by this cannibalistic world, is inseparable from his persistence.

When the rat gives up on this insistence, Gao Jian may never see the reliable adult rat he has now again. He will only see a seventh-level demon in human form, handsome and extraordinary, speaking human language, doing human things, and looking exactly like a human.

It's just that... you can't see a cute golden hamster lying on your head, lazily munching on sunflower seeds, or you can't see it on all fours, wriggling around with its short legs.

To be honest, I think that scene was... quite regrettable.

While thinking about these things, Gao Jian had already walked to Zou Long's side, preparing to lead Zou Long away.

But at that moment, Gao Jian suddenly spotted an acquaintance there.

Ximen Gong.

This young master from the Ximen family in Cangzhou was injured and had some marks on his face. He stood there looking a bit disheveled, as if he was waiting for someone.

As for who he's waiting for... we'll find out soon enough.

As soon as Ximen Gongyi saw Gao Jian, he immediately walked up to him and said, "Mr. Gao... Mr. Gao."

"Just call me by my name, Brother Ximen. What happened? Did you just spar with someone?" Gao Jian looked at the other's injuries with some curiosity.

There were indeed frequent exchange and practice activities at the Imperial Academy. After everyone finished learning, they would definitely want to put their knowledge into practice.

Practice involves both applying the techniques and, of course, testing each other's skills in real matches.

However... everyone was quite sensible. Even in the battle between Takami and Chengfeng three months ago, they didn't fight to that extent.

Now that you're covered in injuries and have bruises all over your face, isn't that a bit inappropriate?

"Ah, let's not talk about that. Then I'll presume to say that you have a great opinion, a great opinion... I've come to take my leave." Ximen Gong cupped his hands: "After all, it was thanks to you that I was able to enter the Imperial Academy. Now that I'm leaving, I feel I should say goodbye to you."

"Huh? What's wrong?" Takami frowned.

"I dropped out of school," Ximen Gong said with a wry smile.

(End of this chapter)