After a furious roar, the long-suppressed gloom in Ji Changkong seemed to dissipate entirely. Suddenly, the entire world felt quiet; the shift in his state of mind was startlingly abrupt. In the next instant, Ji Changkong sat down cross-legged atop the peak.
The State of Selflessness.
In a flash, Ji Changkong entered this realm once more. His soul was empty and serene, drifting lightly between heaven and earth, achieving a wondrous resonance with the clear, cloudless sky and the solid, dense ground... He seemed to hear the voices of Heaven and Earth, telling him of all the changes that had transpired there over millennia.
The Three Talents referred not only to Heaven, Earth, and Man, but also to the Three Essences of a person: Jing (Essence), Qi (Vitality), and Shen (Spirit). Only when the human body harmonizes with heaven and earth could one cultivate and fuse these three vital treasures.
The profound secrets of the Tai Xu Mi Lu demanded a merging with the cosmos; the Realm of the Three Talents Heaven was never truly a barrier for him. Had it not been for the depression weighing on his heart, he would have reached this state naturally and without hindrance back at the Great Marsh of Yunmeng. Today, in front of the elders and youths of the Ji family, he had revealed his full brilliance, purging years of pent-up melancholy. Standing on the peak of Qingyan Mountain, merging with the universe, he naturally slipped into the Realm of the Three Talents Heaven.
...
Every young man of the Ji family who reached the summit stared in horrified amazement at Ji Changkong, sitting cross-legged as if fused with the very fabric of existence, until Ji Yuxing below urged them on, prompting them to descend by a different path.
Ji Yueqing paused for a long moment, fixing her gaze on Ji Changkong before descending with a strange expression, glancing back repeatedly along the way, as if meeting her cousin for the first time.
“Where is Changkong?”
Once all the participants in the trial had returned, Ji Yusheng asked repeatedly, unable to contain his impatience.
“Still on the mountain,” whispered Ji Shanshui, a collateral family youth, pointing toward the summit. “I don’t know what happened; he’s just sitting there alone, perfectly still, as if he’s entered some profound state.”
Nie Yuanshan’s eyes suddenly flashed with piercing light. He immediately commanded, “I’ll go take a look!”
As the words left his mouth, starlight seemed to shimmer around Nie Yuanshan, and he suddenly shot straight up toward Qingyan Mountain, reaching the summit in the blink of an eye.
—A Seven Star Celestial Master could already harness the power of the stars to soar through the sky.
...
Nie Yuanshan arrived at the peak of Qingyan Mountain. He took one look at Ji Changkong and froze like wood, stunned for a long while before finally murmuring with absolute awe, “A natural prodigy, truly a heaven-sent genius!”
He turned and waved his hand toward the base of the mountain.
A short while later, Ji Yuxing, Ji Yusheng, Shao Kang, Ji Wanyun, and others finally arrived at the summit; being unable to fly, their speed was naturally much slower.
Pointing to the cross-legged Ji Changkong, Nie Yuanshan said joyfully to Ji Yusheng, “Uncle Sheng, watch over Changkong for a moment. He suddenly entered the Realm of Man and Nature; once he awakens, he will be a Three Talents Celestial Master!”
“How is that possible?!” Ji Yuxing exclaimed, his face a mask of disbelief.
“Wh-what?” Ji Yusheng struggled to process the information, looking uncertainly at Nie Yuanshan, then pointing a trembling finger at Ji Changkong. He stammered, “Y-you mean... you mean...?”
Nodding affirmatively, Nie Yuanshan smiled broadly. “Exactly! When he wakes up, he will unquestionably be a Three Talents Celestial Master! Two years! From the moment he could gather Yuan Power, it has only been two years! He has broken through three main checkpoints in two years to reach the Three Talents Heaven realm. This speed is simply astonishing!”
“Ah...”
Ji Yusheng let out a loud cry, abandoning all decorum as he frantically scratched his head and grabbed Ji Wanyun’s arm, muttering, “Wanyun, did you see it? Did you see? Changkong, Changkong he, he...”
“Father!” Ji Wanyun shook off his hand with an exasperated smile. “You’re hurting me!”
“Brother Sheng, Changkong has yet to cultivate any Celestial Secret Arts. If you don't mind, I would be honored to take Changkong as my disciple and teach him the profound meanings of Celestial Arts!” Shao Kang straightened his posture slightly, gazing at Ji Yusheng with eager expectation.
“Ah!” Madam Zhao, who had just arrived, gaped, her face filled with envy.
Years ago, she and Ji Haoguang had personally traveled to Qingyan City, bearing significant gifts, to beg Shao Kang to accept Ji Changle as a disciple, but Shao Kang had politely refused, citing his own insufficient strength. Now, Shao Kang was proactively requesting to take Ji Changkong as a disciple, and judging by his demeanor, he seemed almost impatient, bearing an almost pleading expression toward Ji Yusheng.
“Shao Kang has perfected the Inner and Outer Triple Unity; breaking through to the Seven Star Heaven realm is just around the corner. Having Changkong follow him would not dishonor him in any way... Uncle Sheng, what do you think?” Nie Yuanshan smiled slightly, looking at Ji Yusheng with equal anticipation.
“Once Changkong wakes up, I will discuss this matter with him personally!” Ji Yusheng beamed, feeling that after so many years, he had never been happier than he was today.
“Thank you!” Shao Kang bowed deeply, even offering a formal salute to Ji Yusheng, as if he were gaining an incredible advantage by being granted this opportunity.
“Uncle Sheng, please watch over him. Under no circumstances should anyone disturb him during this time; let him awaken naturally,” Nie Yuanshan instructed gravely, staring at Ji Yusheng. He then glanced at the steward, Shao Kang. “Changkong might take a few days to wake up. Let’s go back to Qingyan City.”
Shao Kang nodded, saying little else, but took one more lingering look at the cross-legged Ji Changkong, seeming reluctant to leave behind this piece of unpolished, perfect jade.
...
“Father, how could that little hoodlum suddenly become so powerful?” On the road back to Qingyan City, Nie Ruolan could not accept the fact of Ji Changkong’s sudden surge in strength and pressed him repeatedly.
“Ruolan, how many times have I told you, you are forbidden from calling Changkong a little hoodlum!” Nie Yuanshan first put on a stern face to reprimand her, then sighed, “Three years ago, I knew Changkong’s talent was astonishing, but he couldn't gather Yuan Power. Now that he can, combined with his sharp and resilient nature and his willingness to endure hardship, rapid progress was somewhat within my expectations!”
He paused, his expression turning slightly strange, and he muttered softly, “It’s just... I never expected his progress to be this terrifyingly fast...”
“It’s so unfair! I cultivated for so many years and only just reached the Three Talents Heaven realm, and that fellow caught up in just two years! What in the world is going on?” Nie Ruolan stomped her foot angrily.
“Master, no matter how special Changkong’s background is... I am determined to take this boy as a disciple!” Shao Kang rarely insisted on things, but this time he was unusually stubborn.
“You cannot teach him!!”
Before Nie Yuanshan could reply, a cold, ancient voice suddenly boomed from all directions.
It was high noon, and the sunlight was fierce. As this voice sounded, the intense sunlight seemed to descend a hundredfold from the highest heavens, bearing dazzling, multicolored light. In an instant, this heat covered the entire area spanning ten li, causing all trees and grasses to spontaneously combust, and even the hard rock began to slowly melt.
“It’s so hot!” Nie Ruolan cried out in pain, her silk outer garment instantly soaked with sweat.
“Who goes there?” Nie Yuanshan exclaimed, his face instantly turning ashen. He stretched out his hand to shield Nie Ruolan, allowing brilliant starlight to bathe her, helping her resist the searing power of the sun’s flames.
Shao Kang immediately sat down cross-legged on the spot, struggling to cope with the continuous, intense sunlight that poured down, sweat pouring off him like rain.
“Since you meant well, I shall not hold it against you! However, dismiss any notion of taking Changkong as a disciple immediately! Neither of you are capable of teaching him! Nor are you worthy of teaching him!!” The pitiless, sharp roar, like the sunlight itself, permeated the air from every direction. The arrogance and dominance in the speaker's tone were something Nie Yuanshan had never encountered in his life!
“Wandering the Sun and Moon! An Eight Trigrams Celestial Master! Senior, who are you?” Nie Yuanshan shouted.
“Remember my words, and do not mention today’s events to Changkong! Otherwise, the Nie family shall be annihilated!” the visitor bellowed, his lingering voice gradually fading.
The scorching sunlight suddenly returned to the highest heavens. Nie Yuanshan, Shao Kang, and Nie Ruolan felt a sudden release, the suffocating pressure that made them want to vomit blood vanishing completely.
...
After a long, long time, Nie Yuanshan composed himself and looked at Shao Kang with a wry smile. “I think... perhaps we should just drop it?”
Shao Kang nodded dejectedly. “With an Eight Trigrams Celestial Master involved, I truly am not qualified to teach him.”
He paused. “And oddly enough, based on what you said, Changkong’s father, Ji Haotian, though powerful, shouldn't have the capability to keep an Eight Trigrams Celestial Master guarding him, should he? Any Eight Trigrams Celestial Master is a figure of great renown, commanding immense power! Especially one who can wander the blazing Sun, rather than just the bright Moon!”
“The Ji family only knows that Changkong’s father is Ji Haotian; they don’t know who his mother is. However, Haotian once mentioned Changkong’s mother to me. Her... background seems terrifyingly significant! But Haotian never fully confided in me. I suspect this Eight Trigrams Celestial Master, capable of wandering the Sun, must be someone connected to Changkong’s mother!” Nie Yuanshan said with a bitter smile.
“I was too rash. If I had known, I shouldn’t have brought it up. Haha, hearing you say that makes me feel much better. Indeed, I am really not worthy of teaching him!” Shao Kang seemed in better spirits, shaking his head and laughing self-deprecatingly.
“Ruolan, remember this: even for my sake, and for the sake of the Nie family, you must not mention today’s events to anyone!” Nie Yuanshan looked sternly at Nie Ruolan and commanded her strictly.
Nie Ruolan, who had been half-dead with fright since the Eight Trigrams Celestial Master appeared, was still reeling. Hearing his words, she murmured blankly, as if in a daze, “Just who exactly is that Ji Changkong?”
She would never dare call Ji Changkong a little hoodlum again.