Refining the Mountains and Rivers

What was valued so highly by the East Zhou Family and considered something that could change East Zhou Duly’s destiny was nothing more than a spot to enter the Path of 10,000 Souls. If one wished to obtain the inheritance, they needed to carefully choose their followers and then pass the initial trial before finally being allowed to enter the land of inheritance.

And if one passed the trial of these three mountains then they could similarly obtain the qualifications to enter the land of inheritance. Through this contrast, it was easy to understand how crushingly difficult these tests were.

The first mountain’s test began the moment he stepped on it.

To be more exact, this was an invisible and intangible aura. It was incomparably strange and possessed a potent penetrating power. It was capable of tearing open all defenses and invading a cultivator’s body, causing them to lose control of their strength and inflicting horrifying damage similar to a backlash.

Qin Yu soon understood why the cultivators sneered and mocked him when he stepped onto the mountain. As he thought, it wasn’t easy to pass the tests of the three mountains.

Those people were stuck outside the first mountain, not daring to enter. They should be hoping that they could adapt to the strange attributes of this aura as soon as possible.

But at this moment, before Qin Yu could mobilize his strength to resist the penetrating aura coming from outside, the blue sun and purple moon within his soul space slightly trembled. As they did, the sun and moon force field vibrated.

Hum –

Like a bubble, he was wrapped inside. It seemed fragile but possessed inconceivable defensive power. The strange and pervasive aura that flooded the range of the first mountain, that tried to enter through every nook and cranny, was unable to rip open this shield and was isolated outside.

This…

Qin Yu moved a little. He could no longer feel the attack of that strange aura. His complexion turned strange.

This should be called cheating…

He waited a moment. When there was no sound, he relaxed. It seemed that this method of cheating that relied on his own strength was allowed.

That made things simple. At the very least, the first mountain couldn’t affect him anymore.

He smiled. Restraining his thoughts, he started walking up the stone path beneath his feet, making his way higher.

Because he wasn’t affected by the outside aura, his speed was quick. Soon he caught up to the cultivator who had walked before him.

Someone had caught up again. And listening to their footsteps, they seemed calm and relaxed. It should be an expert.

But what was unexpected was that what entered his vision was an unfamiliar face. He couldn’t seem to recall any information about this character.

Soon, the cultivator no longer had any thoughts of paying attention to this newcomer’s appearance. The cultivator’s eyes grew wider and wider until his eyeballs seemed as if they would pop out.

Strolling through a garden, steady and unflustered, calm and carefree…all sorts of words came to mind. He found it difficult to breathe, as if these words were stuck in his throat.

That’s right, the one this person was thinking about was Qin Yu. His steps were not fast or slow. It was like he was walking through a tree-lined path…no, it wasn’t just similar; he really was walking through a tree-lined path…

But the key point here was that this tree-lined path was none other than the first mountain of the Path of 10,000 Souls’ Three Mountain Test.

How many times had the Path of 10,000 Souls opened? How many millions of followers had arrived in front of these three mountains? And how many of them were able to pass the first mountain?

Even this cultivator, who was recognized as an expert amongst the younger generation, was full of confidence before entering. But after coming here, his confidence in passing the first mountain test had fallen to rock bottom.

As his faith was shaken and he was trying to recover, he saw Qin Yu walking up the mountain with such a carefree manner and momentum…the impact to his heart could be imagined.

Qin Yu could feel the gaze coming from the person in front. He nodded as he passed the man, and then soon disappeared into the distance.

He left. He left just like that. Still calm and dignified…ah, my heart! It’s so unbearable!

We are both men here, but why are you so much more outstanding than me?

As Qin Yu made his way forward, he shocked many people. All of the mountain climbers he passed looked at him as if they were witnessing the creation of a myth.

But this situation was not when he should be trying to keep a low profile. Shang Lingyu had already entered the land of inheritance.

Although Qin Yu didn’t want to enter with him, he couldn’t fall too far behind.

After all, the reason Shang Lingyu held back and didn’t attack was likely related to how impatient he was to enter the land of inheritance.

He needed to enter sooner so that he could find the secrets to the Path of 10,000 Souls and how to undo it before Shang Lingyu completed whatever he was here for.

The closer he approached the summit, the stronger the invisible penetrating aura from the outside became. Qin Yu could clearly feel the deep thundering that the sun and moon force field experienced under the impact. They were like rough seas smashing into the rocky shores.

Compared to when he first stepped on the mountain, the intensity was at least ten times greater!

Because of this reason, as he approached the summit, the number of cultivators he encountered sharply declined.

When he crossed halfway up the mountainside and continued walking to the top, he didn’t encounter any more cultivators.

As Qin Yu believed that he had likely reached the front of the pack, a figure appeared in front of him.

At first glance, he subconsciously furrowed his eyebrows, surprised. Before he could look more closely, the figure seemed to become aware of him and looked over.

What beautiful eyes!

The woman in front of him seemed frail and her facial features couldn’t be called exquisite, but her dark and intelligent eyes caused her entire being to become brighter and more alive.

Her eyes flashed with surprise, as if she was startled that someone had managed to catch up to her.

Thinking for a moment, she said, “This very fierce-looking fellow daoist, I would like to make a transaction with you. Would you like to agree?”

Her voice was ordinary, just that of a regular woman. But, there was a certain warmth to it that made one feel kind and open.

But why did she call him a very fierce-looking fellow daoist? It sounded strange no matter how he heard it.

But now, Qin Yu wasn’t in the mood to consider such things. He secretly furrowed his eyebrows.

He had experienced many things through his lifetime so he understood that favorable impressions didn’t come without any reason. In particular, with his current level of cultivation and after all the trials and tribulations he had overcome, he had tempered himself with a heart that wasn’t easily moved.

“Sorry, I’m in a hurry.”

Although this woman appeared harmless and he didn’t feel any evil intentions from her, caution was a way of life that all cultivators should follow at all times.

Sensing the coldness and firmness in Qin Yu’s words, the woman was stunned. She immediately responded, coughing several times before saying, “I was born with this voice. My teacher said that only after reaching a certain cultivation boundary can I take it in and release it at all. I am not trying to deceive you!”

She clearly looked worried. Her face flushed red as she waved her hand. Her dark eyes glimmered with a bit of anxiousness.

It was clear that this transaction which was rejected by Qin Yu was extremely important to her.

This was a woman who didn’t know how to hide her emotions at all. Although there were people with peerless acting skills in the world, these emotional fluctuations could be clearly perceived.

She really didn’t seem to have any ill intent.

But Qin Yu wasn’t lying; he really was rushed for time. So after he heard these words he just glanced at her before silently continuing forward. He arrived by the woman’s side and without pausing, passed by her and continued walking along.

“Wait a moment! I can give you a reward! An extremely rich reward! And my request isn’t difficult at all. With your ability you can certainly achieve it!”

But what a pity, her words weren’t able to move Qin Yu. He didn’t stop and would soon vanish into the canopy of the forest.

“Hey! This really is a precious reward! This is a treasure I spent a great deal of effort to pry from teacher’s hands! It can save your life in a crucial moment…you…why don’t you take a look before making a decision…”

Her voice gradually fell. There was some unwillingness and complaint, but there were no other negative emotions.

As she bit her lips and thought she was definitely going to lose, she heard the sound of returning footsteps. She looked up to see that Qin Yu had turned back around and was standing several feet away from her.

“I really am in a hurry, so if you want to trade anything you had best put out your greatest sincerity.”

What made him change his mind was not the so-called ‘helplessness’ shown by the woman. If he really wanted to be a good person in this cruel and brutal world, even if he had a hundred lives it wouldn’t be enough for others to kill.

The reason he turned back around was because he heard her mention some extremely precious treasure that could save his life at a crucial moment. For some unknown reason, these words touched his mind, causing his heart to ripple.

With the sun and moon force field he stood beyond the world. Although his cultivation wasn’t sky-reaching, he barely had some sky-reaching attributes.

So whenever his mind was touched in such a manner, he couldn’t ignore it.

The woman was overjoyed. She hurriedly said, “Don’t worry, I care about fairness the most. As long as you can help me I will definitely give this treasure to you.”

She flipped her hand and took out a walnut. Its surface was white and mottled with some stains and black dots, as if it was just picked up from the dirty leaf-covered ground and wasn’t fully cleaned yet.

“It’s this walnut. Take a look first. If you are satisfied then I will state my condition.”

As she spoke, she reached out and placed it in front of Qin Yu. He revealed a look of surprise. After a short pause, he reached out a hand and took it.

The walnut looked ordinary, but the moment it fell into his hands, he could hear the explosions of a million thunderclaps in his ears. His consciousness was instantly dragged into a world of thunder. Infinite lightning crazily tumbled around, as if it would destroy all.

His first thought was that this was bad and he had fallen into a trap. He bitterly smiled; he had indeed been too careless.

With a thought, he stimulated the sun and moon force field and his consciousness immediately returned to his body.

But to cultivators, life and death was decided in a moment. When his consciousness had been dragged into the world of thunder, it was enough for a prepared person to kill him several times over.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the woman still standing in front of him. Her eyes were wide and full of admiration. She sighed and praised out loud, “You managed to sober up so fast, how fierce! When I first touched it, I was stunned for a long time!”

Qin Yu: …

This shouldn’t be the important point, right?

But this also let Qin Yu feel a bit more relieved. It seemed that this woman really didn’t have any ill intent, otherwise she wouldn’t have missed out on the chance just now.

He looked down at the walnut quietly lying in his hand. When he recalled what he saw, his heart chilled.

In a critical moment, if he were to stimulate the power of thunder within this walnut, he really could reverse a situation.

Qin Yu said, “I’m satisfied with this. Tell me your condition.” The woman smiled. She pointed towards the mountaintop and said, “I want you to bring me up the mountain.”

Qin Yu frowned. “You want to pass the Three Mountains Test?”

He could easily deal with the first mountain by using the sun and moon force field. However, he wasn’t sure about the situation of the second and third mountains.

But a person’s luck couldn’t be good forever. It would be difficult enough for him to cross by himself, and if he had to drag someone through with him, he wasn’t certain he could succeed.

The woman waved her hand, “No, no, I don’t want to pass the Three Mountains Test, otherwise…well, you just need to bring me to the summit of this mountain.”

Qin Yu relaxed. If it was just this then it was much less difficult. But he didn’t immediately reply. After mulling over it for a time he finally said, “Alright.”

“Wonderful!” The woman cheered. She took out a ribbon. It was pure white and flawless, like flowing moonlight.

“Hold onto this and I can climb the mountain with you.”

Qin Yu’s thoughts turned. He reached out and grabbed one end of the ribbon. He was originally worried that the existence of the sun and moon force field would be discovered.

Since she had her own methods, that was certainly better.

“Let’s go.”