Refining the Mountains and Rivers

The phantom looked at Qin Yu and said, “Brat, I can sense something familiar from you. Perhaps before you passed through the six paths of samsara, you and I had some connection. Since we’ve met here again today, that can be considered fate. Now, I will ask you something. Are you willing to abandon all other minor paths and become my disciple?”

Liu Xiu’s eyes widened, feeling a bit dizzy from all the surprise and happiness that was flooding her mind…a junior-apprentice brother, I really am going to have a junior-apprentice brother!

As I thought, I am the smartest person on the mountain. Did I not foresee all of this? Moreover, it was even confirmed by teacher! This is wonderful! Hoho, those senior-apprentice brothers and sisters who said that I was too pure and my brain was full of straw, I bet you are all envying me now!

Agree, hurry up and agree! Boy, just what are you waiting for? My teacher, such a great person, has taken the initiative to ask you to be his disciple! This is something that only occurs in dreams!

In this sort of situation how come you aren’t lowering your head and paying your respects to solidify this chance? If you wait too long and teacher goes back on his word, won’t you cry in regret for 10,000 years?

Such a thick and shining, mountain-like thigh had fallen from the skies and landed in front of Qin Yu. If he said he didn’t have an impulse to rush forward and hug it, he would be lying to himself.

But the problem was that just as this thought appeared, an inexplicable sense of dread appeared in the depths of his heart.

As if…if he were to become this person’s disciple, his fate would be miserable…but the key point was that he didn’t know why!

Qin Yu had no idea what this person’s cultivation or background was, but his terrifying strength and heaven-soaring arrogance were without doubt. If he wanted to kill Qin Yu, it would be easier than crushing an ant. So if this person was trying to fool Qin Yu and had dark intentions, there simply wouldn’t be a need for all of this.

So this person offering to accept him as a disciple should be real. Was this his luck, that a golden thigh had delivered itself to his door?

But now, he unexpectedly didn’t dare to agree…he even thought about closing his eyes and falling to his knees, directly calling this person his teacher.

At that time, even if a problem occurred, this cheap teacher of his wouldn’t just stand there and do nothing as he suffered.

With this person’s help, just who in this world could harm him?

But Qin Yu couldn’t do it!

As if…if he really were to become this person’s disciple, even this cheap teacher wouldn’t be able to stop what would happen next.

This was a terrifying sensation that had nearly condensed into tangible reality. Qin Yu absolutely wasn’t misreading this.

It would be appropriate to describe Qin Yu’s current emotions as ‘a state of hopelessness beyond crying’.

The phantom furrowed its eyebrows together, as if never imagining that Qin Yu could remain silent even when he asked him. Could it be that he already knew? No…this wasn’t right. That brand mark clearly hadn't been activated yet. This was actually somewhat strange.

But since he decided to snatch it up, he had to do his best. There was no reason for him to give up halfway.

The phantom looked at Qin Yu, who was at this moment still subconsciously gripping tightly onto the walnut in his hands, and he said, “Perhaps you don’t know my name. Of course, before you become my disciple, I cannot tell you. As long as you agree to be my disciple, I can give you a special card. I guarantee you that within the Path of 10,000 Souls, no one will be able to touch you.”

Temptation!

This was an absolute temptation!

There was a powerful abyssal being lurking here. While it hadn’t exposed itself yet, Qin Yu didn’t believe he had any chance of defeating that abyssal being by himself.

He was afraid that once the abyssal being had finished its mission, it would turn his head around and think about how to tear him to shreds.

If this golden thigh could give him a card then the situation would be reversed. Qin Yu didn’t doubt the strength of this card at all.

Moreover, since this person had spoken up, he would live up to his word. There wasn’t any chance he would carelessly misspeak.

At that time, the threat of the abyssal being wouldn’t exist anymore. He would definitely be able to probe the secrets of the Path of 10,000 Souls.

Taking a step back, if he were to become the disciple of such an incomparably fierce teacher, would he really need to use up that much effort to save Ning Ling? Perhaps he could even walk into Peach Blossom Spring and command that peach tree-planting woman to sever her connection to Ning Ling on her own initiative.

Qin Yu’s heart wavered once again. But at this time, his mind hummed and his consciousness fell into chaos.

It felt like someone had flicked his forehead with a finger. But perhaps because it was too fierce or because his endurance was too low, he directly fainted.

After being caught in a trance for an unknown period of time, Qin Yu regained his wits. He happened to hear an angered roar in his ears, “Just you wait, this matter isn’t over yet…!”

This voice seemed to come from that inconceivably powerful phantom.

However, now that he heard it, how come he felt that the voice was a bit afraid, or perhaps something similar to inwardly faint-hearted but outwardly angry?

Qin Yu looked all around but Liu Xiu and the phantom had both vanished from sight.

If it weren’t for him hearing the roar just now, he would have suspected that he fell into some sort of trap on the first mountain and landed himself into a strange illusion.

But it certainly wasn’t an illusion. This wasn’t because of that roar he heard, but because there was still a walnut in his hand.

This was…something that was filled with an annihilating power of thunder that was tyrannical to the extreme, but appeared harmless on the surface…well, he would call it a walnut for the time being.

That woman Liu Xiu had appeared inexplicably and also behaved strangely and beyond reasoning. Her teacher was even weirder and suddenly asked him to be his disciple. At the end he fainted and when he opened his eyes, they were both gone…

Even if this all happened to him, when he thought back to it, all he found was confusion. Just what was going on here!?

If he couldn’t figure it out, then he would put it aside for the time being. He was still on the first mountain and he still needed to investigate the secrets of the Path of 10,000 Souls. He couldn’t waste his time here indulging in such fanciful thoughts.

He drew in a deep breath. Of course, his first task was to carefully put the walnut away. While this thing couldn’t guarantee him free rein within the Path of 10,000 Souls, it was still easily capable of killing someone at a critical moment to save his own life.

Put it away, put it away!

Qin Yu looked up into the distance. Standing at the summit of the first mountain, he could see the second mountain in the distance.

Moreover, he could clearly feel that after reaching the summit of the first mountain he had passed this test.

With just a thought, he would be transmitted to the bottom of the second mountain where the second test would begin.

It was said that climbing a mountain was easy but descending it was difficult. He frowned as he glanced down at the obviously steeper road leading down the first mountain.

Although it was just a road and how steep it was didn’t matter to a cultivator, it likely represented that the penetrating invisible aura going down the mountain was much stronger.

Qin Yu could easily reach the summit because he cheated using his own strength. If it were any other cultivator, they would have used up a mind-boggling amount of strength to climb up this far. If it was them, they would certainly choose to be directly transmitted to the second mountain. They wouldn’t stay here on the first mountain and exhaust themselves further.

After all, the first mountain was only the first mountain. Only after passing the test of the three mountains did a person obtain the qualifications to enter the land of inheritance.

Every ounce of strength should be valued and treasured. People would save it for necessary times rather than waste it meaninglessly.

But since there was a path leading down the mountain, there had to be a reason for it. Otherwise, once a cultivator reached the summit of the first mountain they would just be directly transmitted to the second. Why bother creating a path leading down in front of them?

Qin Yu thought about it and started walking down the mountain. With the sun and moon force field wrapping around him, the test of the first mountain was meaningless.

If that was the case he might as well use up a little bit of extra time. Perhaps he might have an accidental harvest.

Qin Yu acknowledged that he wasn’t the smartest person of the younger generation. Compared to other cultivators, he had better luck and was more cautious.

Right now, if he could think of this, then throughout the numerous times that the Path of 10,000 Souls had opened up through the countless years, there had to have been other cultivators who thought of this too.

But the greater possibility was that their strength wasn’t sufficient for them to continue walking down the mountain path, so they eventually gave up and decided to be directly transmitted to the second mountain.

He continued downwards.

Reality proved that Qin Yu’s assumptions were right. The steepness of the path represented how terrifying the invisible aura was.

But now, without that deadweight Liu Xiu pulling him down, he calmly and steadily reached the bottom of the mountain.

As Qin Yu took the last step out of the scope of the first mountain, truly climbing to the summit and descending, the invisible aura in the air started to gather up.

Light gradually shined, forming a complex rune that appeared in front of Qin Yu. Then with a flash, it fused into his body.

He closed his eyes and carefully examined himself. The rune appeared in his soul space. After glittering, it fell into a dormant state.

But this didn’t stop Qin Yu from figuring out what this rune represented…

At the moment when one finished climbing the mountain and reached the summit, that completed the test of the first mountain. But the path down the mountain was an additional test; a person could either choose to continue or give up.

Giving up wouldn’t deduct points. But if a person completed it, they could obtain extra points.

It was just that right now, Qin Yu had no idea what these extra points, signified by the strange rune in his soul space, represented.

But the rune shouldn’t be harmful. After probing it and determining that nothing was wrong, he took back his divine sense.

He looked up ahead. The test of the second mountain should be next. He just had no idea what this test was.

As he was thinking about it, his surroundings suddenly shook. He had entered the range of the second mountain.

The changes occurred without warning, but when he thought about it, it was also reasonable. After all, the Three Mountains Tests was one whole and it was impossible to divide. Though he had passed one part, that didn’t mean he would be given time to catch his breath.

But Qin Yu wasn’t in the mood to consider these things, because he now knew the contents of the second mountain’s test.

To be precise, this test didn’t surpass his previous expectations, because what it aimed at was the soul.

Because of Xue Zheng, Qin Yu already knew about the final inheritance of the Path of 10,000 Souls – that was to obtain the method of splitting one’s own soul and condensing 10,000 soul seeds.

Since a person needed to divide their soul and condense it into soul seeds, that meant there were considerable requirements for a person’s soul force.

It was fair that this was the second mountain’s test.

But soon, Qin Yu’s complexion changed again and turned strange. Because he discovered that the sun and moon force field was able to display an effect once more.

That’s right, in his soul space, the blue sun and purple moon rose in the west and fell in the east. The sun and moon force field produced from this paused for a moment, as if there were slight changes occurring in its amplitude. Then, Qin Yu unexpectedly felt that the oppressive strength aimed at his soul was blocked out.

This…

It was just epic, amazing, awesome, beyond comparison! This sun and moon force field was comparable with a divine tool!

With the experience of the first mountain, Qin Yu didn’t feel any pressure when he looked at the second mountain.

As long as he had this sun and moon force field in hand, he could walk wherever he wanted. No matter how fierce this pressure was, it didn’t matter!

This feeling was so great that he felt as if he would blow up!