Chapter Seventy-Five: Ascending the Mountain
Wild Goose Tower.
Because those in the Yue Prefecture with higher cultivation had already entered Hidden Heavy Mountain, the cultivators gathered here in the Wild Goose Tower were mostly of modest ability, nearly all having been repelled by the mountain's formation.
The crowd was abuzz with discussion. Though none dared openly insult the Guardians of the Right Path, their displeasure was evident in their every word.
Qingyuan sat by the window, Gu Cang standing behind him. They had come to this place and had been quietly listening to the conversations for quite some time now.
Among this group, the only ones with a real chance of entering Hidden Heavy Mountain were two cultivators who had reached the Second Heaven.
One was an elder in yellow robes, who, after being turned away by the mountain's formation last time, had secluded himself for half a month to cultivate and make progress, now brimming with confidence. The other was a middle-aged man who had previously been injured and had not attempted entry.
Though neither had managed to enter Hidden Heavy Mountain before, today they seemed to have some hope.
The tallest among a group of shorter men was rather popular among the crowd, receiving plenty of praise.
Qingyuan paid them no mind. He was here to glean information.
Hong Song, after all, was still of low cultivation and did not understand much. The cultivators here were not of particularly high standing either, but there were many of them, and their combined knowledge could yield much.
“The Five Daoists of the Guardians of the Right Path—whether they are Masters or Realmen, I cannot say—joined forces to set up the formation, after which ten disciples of the Fourth Heaven entered the mountain.”
“Eight disciples of Petal Pavilion have gone in.”
“There are two cultivation forces in Mirror Source City: one is an old family, surnamed Sun; the other a sect, called the Seven Spirits Sect.”
Qingyuan tapped on the table, thinking to himself: “The Sun family’s patriarch was the first to enter Hidden Heavy Mountain, but was struck by divine lightning and injured. The Sun family has two Fourth Heaven cultivators, seven of the Third Heaven, and more than ten of the Second Heaven—all of whom have entered the mountain.”
“The Seven Spirits Sect has only one Fourth Heaven master, five Third Heaven cultivators, and more than ten Second Heaven disciples, who have also gone in.”
“As for the rest, the solitary cultivators are too many to count, but among them there are three of the Fourth Heaven and ten of the Third Heaven.”
Qingyuan closed his eyes.
Each of those numbers was, for him, an obstacle.
Anyone whose cultivation surpassed his own was a mountain in his path.
It was said the divine lightning falling upon Hidden Heavy Mountain split into countless bolts, but in truth their number was limited. All would scramble and scour the mountain for them.
What he feared was someone discovering the hiding place of the treasure.
With his own cultivation lacking, venturing into Hidden Heavy Mountain would be fraught with peril.
“It’s time.”
Qingyuan rose and said, “I’ll go try my luck at breaking through the formation.”
Gu Cang scratched his head. “What about me?”
“You can stay with Hong Song. Use these days to cultivate diligently. Give me the Ancient Immortal Pouch—the things inside are of great use to me.”
Gu Cang, hearing this, handed over the pouch.
The two descended the stairs together.
At that moment, there was a commotion behind them.
The two Second Heaven cultivators, surrounded by the crowd, were making their way to challenge the mountain’s formation.
“Truly…”
Qingyuan shook his head slightly. He had seen many cultivators of all kinds, but such ostentatious ones were rare.
…
The formation’s entrance had become the only way into Hidden Heavy Mountain, located right in Yue Prefecture—hence the lockdown.
At the mountain’s base were three stone steps.
Above the third step was an open gate, through which the misty mountain could just be glimpsed.
When Qingyuan arrived, he saw someone already standing upon the third step.
“Who is that?”
“Don’t know him.”
“He actually managed to reach the third step?”
The crowd buzzed with speculation.
At that moment, the man raised his hand, strode forward, and crossed onto the third step.
He glanced back once, then continued ahead, vanishing from sight.
He had entered Hidden Heavy Mountain.
“That’s a solitary cultivator named Wu Nan, I think.”
“How did he do it so quietly?”
The yellow-robed elder and the middle-aged man looked distinctly uncomfortable.
They had boasted of their certainty in entering the mountain, speaking and acting freely, only to discover someone else had already slipped in quietly and without fuss. By comparison, they seemed rather shallow.
Qingyuan ignored the rest and prepared to move forward.
But before he could act, someone else stepped onto the stone steps.
This one, too, was of the Second Heaven.
He took a single step up, paused, then abruptly retreated, his face flushing and paling in turn—clearly, he had been repelled at the very first step.
“The Guardians of the Right Path truly are worthy of the Supreme Daoist Ancestor’s legacy. These plain, ordinary steps, with no sign of mystic power, still bar cultivators from passage.”
Qingyuan marveled inwardly.
At that moment, the yellow-robed elder and the middle-aged man advanced together.
They were the two most likely to succeed.
Qingyuan had intended to move, but now paused to watch.
After about thirty heartbeats, the two nearly simultaneously took a step up.
The crowd cheered.
“Do you think Elder Huang will make it, or Brother Xu?”
“Perhaps both will enter and seek their fortunes.”
Before anyone could say more, Brother Xu suddenly cried out, stumbled, and fell from the steps.
He landed on his back, unhurt, but as he got up, there was a faint look of fear in his eyes.
“Even Brother Xu couldn’t make it?”
The crowd was stunned. Brother Xu shook his sleeves angrily and departed at once.
As for the yellow-robed elder, after a long pause, he too stepped onto the third stone step.
Just as the crowd was about to cheer, the elder let out a muffled grunt and stepped back down.
Still, with decades of cultivation behind him, he appeared less discomfited than the previous man.
“Impossible…” The elder’s expression shifted. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Based on my last attempt, I was certain I could enter this time.”
He gave a heavy snort and strode away, neither hesitant nor lingering.
Qingyuan paid no attention to the others. He took the Ancient Immortal Pouch from Gu Cang and walked toward the three stone steps.
“What’s he doing? Going to attempt the steps?”
“Who is he? Anyone recognize him?”
“No one.”
By now, most of those with greater cultivation had already entered Hidden Heavy Mountain. Of those remaining, few had much hope—only the yellow-robed elder and the middle-aged man had seemed likely. Yet the solitary cultivator Wu Nan had already set an example, so none dared look down on the new arrival.
Qingyuan stepped forward. As his foot touched the step, a voice sounded in his ear—resonant, clear, upright, and stern.
“Today the divine lightning descends, fortune enters the world.”
“Let those with destiny seize it.”
“We, the Guardians of the Right Path, do not hoard immortal fate for ourselves. The formation is set only to keep the lightning here, and to prevent those of high cultivation from disturbing it.”
“Whoever passes the threefold steps may enter and seek fortune.”
“This is the first step, testing the flow of true qi and magical power. Without proper flow, one cannot subdue the divine lightning. Any mistake brings death. Only by mastering the flow can the divine lightning be tamed.”
Qingyuan’s eyes snapped open.
His qi flowed down through his soles, out the bubbling spring acupoints, following the patterns etched on the stone. In but a single breath, he took another step forward.
To those watching, it seemed that he had mounted the first step and, within a heartbeat, advanced again.
All were struck dumb with astonishment.
No one spoke.
A hush fell; not even the crows or sparrows dared make a sound.