Refining the Mountains and Rivers

As Qin Yu prepared to rush up to the summit in one vigorous attempt, he heard a cold cough in his ears. Then, with a puffing sound like a sharp blade tearing through leather, the sun and moon force field was ripped open.

Qin Yu could immediately feel that pervasive and omnipresent strength crazily pushing down on his soul.

“Brat, on the first mountain I decided to turn a blind eye to you, but are you really planning to use this method to pass the test?”

With a cold sneer, a white-robed man appeared in front of Qin Yu. He had a solemn appearance and two straight eyebrows that slanted upwards, making him seem angry.

Qin Yu’s heart skipped a beat and he quickly bowed. “Qin Yu greets senior.” His thoughts raced. Was it possible that this white-robed man was the will born from the Path of 10,000 Souls?

According to the stone pagoda, a problem had occurred within the Path of 10,000 Souls itself. And it was confirmed when the abyssal being had obtained its approval to directly enter the land of inheritance.

If so, then this white-robed man in front of him…was extremely dangerous!

Qin Yu tensed up, his heart turning cold. His hands moved beneath his sleeves; the walnut was already in his palm.

Although he didn’t want to use this life-maintaining treasure, if he was in danger then he would have no other choice.

“Humph! Don’t think I’ll be merciful just because you’re sweet-talking me. The test of the second mountain can only be passed using your own ability; give up on trying to play any more tricks.” The white-robed man sneered again. But then, he frowned. After watching Qin Yu’s silence for several moments, it was like a problem came to mind.

He paused for several breaths of time and said, “According to the rules, it is a violation for me to have broken your protective force field. So, if you can make it out of the second mountain by yourself then you can obtain an extra harvest. Don’t ask me what this extra harvest is because I won’t tell you.”

As the white-robed man finished speaking he took a step forward and vanished. Just like when he first appeared, his departure was equally silent; Qin Yu hadn’t been able to sense his aura at all.

It was over like this?

The expected danger didn’t appear; it seemed he had been overthinking things, or perhaps the problems with the Path of 10,000 Souls hadn’t become too severe yet.

Whatever the reason was, the will of the Path of 10,000 Souls had no intention of doing anything to him right now.

This was good.

Because if the will of the Path of 10,000 Souls had been contaminated by the abyssal beings, that would be truly terrifying.

Since he was inside the Path of 10,000 Souls itself, even if he had the walnut he didn’t think he would be able to leave here alive.

He took a deep breath and suppressed his tumbling thoughts. He looked up at the distant summit and started walking upwards.

Without the protection of the sun and moon force field and instead having to rely on his own strength to climb the second mountain, he could feel just how difficult the second test was.

This penetrating aura was different from that of the first mountain. The incomparably formidable suppressive strength that flooded every inch of space was aimed at his soul.

Placed within it, he felt as if there was a massive grinding pan slowly spinning around him.

If a cultivator’s soul could not withstand this grinding pan, their soul would eventually burst apart and be smashed to pieces.

The closer he approached the summit, the greater the crushing strength became. Qin Yu could almost hear the sounds of a grinding pan in his ears.

By now, Qin Yu had naturally learned what the test of the second mountain was called – the Soul Grinding Pan!

The moment this name popped into his mind, the world around him changed.

The second mountain and the path leading to the summit had disappeared. What occupied his field of vision was an incomparably large grinding pan that was slowly spinning around.

The so-called slow speed was only in comparison to its massive size. In truth, it was incredibly fast as it rumbled and howled.

Qin Yu was below this grinding pan. What he had to withstand was an immense suppression coming from above. Slowly, and with great difficulty, he made his way to the center of the grinding pan.

He became aware that this soul grinding pan was the true test. Only by resisting this suppression and reaching the center of the grinding pan could one’s soul be considered formidable enough.

And this formidable soul referred to not only the quality of the soul but also the cultivator’s willpower. Only when the soul and will were equally potent did they have the qualifications to enter the inheritance of the Path of 10,000 Souls.

Because this was the most basic condition for a person to split their soul in half and condense 10,000 soul seeds.

It was impossible to use tricks to pass the second mountain’s Soul Grinding Pan. One could only rely on their own strength to stubbornly make their way through.

After understanding this, Qin Yu paused for a moment. He bowed his head and started walking.

Since there was no shortcut, then all he had to do was go forward.

Kacha –

Kacha –

Faint sounds rang out in his ears. Cracks started to appear on the surface of his body.

In truth, no matter whether it was Qin Yu or the grinding pan, they were in a pure soul state. In other words, these cracks appeared on Qin Yu’s soul.

This was already an incomparably terrifying injury. If he continued forward these cracks would deepen, eventually causing his soul to shatter and disappear.

But currently, it was like Qin Yu didn’t sense it at all…or perhaps he had sensed it but had no intention of stopping.

More and more cracking sounds filled the air. Slowly, they began to take on a flavor of despair and destruction.

Qin Yu’s entire body was covered in cracks. There were so many that they were incalculable. The pain produced from each crack far surpassed being stabbed by a knife. It was ten times, even a hundred times more painful.

But he continued moving forward…the closer he came to the center of the grinding pan, the greater the crushing strength became. As for him, his soul had reached the edge of collapse.

Each time a new crack appeared, or each time an existing crack deepened, it seemed as if Qin Yu’s soul would break apart.

But each time he endured and continued walking forward. Yet as he walked along the edge of collapse, there would be a time when destruction came for him.

Qin Yu gave birth to an intense and clear premonition. He had ten more steps at most. At the 11th step, his soul would shatter.

He looked up at the incomparably vast grinding pan. Beneath it, he was likely a tiny and almost negligible ant.

And the center of the grinding pan was still far, far away, so far that it seemed that all his previous efforts and the pain he suffered were for nothing.

The impact that this contrast had on a person’s heart was terrifying. It was enough to easily destroy their will.

But Qin Yu only calmly looked ahead. There was no change in his expression nor did he slow down. He simply lowered his head and continued forward.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

….

Seven steps.

Eight steps.

Nine steps!

The tenth step.

Qin Yu looked up and furrowed his eyebrows. This was because the center of the grinding pan was still far away in the distance.

As if there was no change at all.

And this was already the limit of how far he could go.

If he took one more step he would surpass his limits. This feeling was much clearer after he took his tenth step.

He was sure that if he really did continue forward, all that was left for him was ruin.

If he retreated, he still had time…if he went forward…that was death!

His frown tightened. Uncertainty clouded his eyes as countless thoughts collided in his mind.

His soul instinctively howled in pain. It implored him to retreat, to not go forward.

But he was advancing; there was no doubt about this. Even if it looked as if he hadn’t taken a single step forward…he really had. He had already gone far, far ahead.

“I don’t believe that the second mountain’s test can be so despairing, not even giving a person a single shred of hope.

“Perhaps the more distant you make the center of the grinding pan appear, the closer I have actually come to the end.

“This step might mean my death, but there is also a chance that it can help me reach the finish line!”

Qin Yu whispered beneath his breath. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Then, he took his 11th step.

As his foot fell down, the crushing aura all around him immediately reached the pinnacle. He could clearly feel the despair of his soul being destroyed.

It shattered, tumbling, the soul fragments fading away. What vanished along with it was Qin Yu’s consciousness.

Did he fail in the end?

But I am not willing. If even I cannot make it past the second mountain, then who else can pass the Three Mountains Test?

Qin Yu wasn’t being arrogant. Rather, he was confident in his abilities. He had already reached the peak of possibility, yet he still failed!

Death would soon come for him. There was only one trace of his consciousness left behind, attached to a tiny fragment of his soul.

But at this moment, everything came to a standstill. It was like some infinitely strong finger had pushed down and caused the world to fall into suspension.

Then, as time passed, everything began to reverse at an astonishing speed!

The last fragment of Qin Yu’s soul quickly became whole again. Soon, it was restored to its initial state.

The cracks and scars all vanished from sight. He closed his eyes and sensed that his condition was in an unprecedentedly good state. His reborn soul surged with formidable strength.

Qin Yu opened his eyes. He had already reached the center of the Soul Grinding Pan.

The 11th step was a step of destruction, but it was also a step of rebirth.

But, it all depended on if a person had the courage to take that last step. If they felt dread then even if they crossed the tenth step they would still fall short and not pass the second mountain’s test. They wouldn’t earn the qualifications to enter the Path of 10,000 Souls’ land of inheritance.

This step was a test of one’s character.

Honestly, if it weren’t for Ning Ling and there being no path for him to retreat, then when Qin Yu faced this 11th step, he might have chosen to back down.

But there were no ‘ifs’ in this world. When Qin Yu took this step forward he had passed the test.

As a result, he also obtained the reward he deserved.

After experiencing the Soul Grinding Pan and having his soul shatter and be reborn, Qin Yu had harvested many advantages.

This was what the Path of 10,000 Souls gave back to him.

But things didn’t end here.

Hum –

An invisible strength gathered in the air. Light appeared and transformed into a rune.

With his previous experience, Qin Yu wasn’t too surprised. He glanced at the rune. It looked similar to the rune he obtained at the first mountain, but if he looked carefully it was easy to spot the differences.

They were like two different direction indicators, one going to the south and the other to the north.

But they gave off a similar feeling, as if these two runes were naturally connected.

Shua –

The rune flashed and submerged into Qin Yu’s body. Then, without needing to be stimulated, it directly arrived in his soul space, right next to the first rune.

They both overlapped together and fused. Their textures and lines were perfectly joined, without any flaws.

When the two runes each entered Qin Yu’s body, they were in a dark and sleeping state.

But after fusing together, they began to emit a bright light. Then, they ignited.

Qin Yu’s soul could feel a slight burning feeling, but there was no malice to it. After a short hesitation, he gave up his resistance.

Then, once the runes burnt out, there was an extra rune mark on the surface of his soul.

A voice resounded in Qin Yu’s mind. “Yin and yang are two parts of a whole. You have obtained the inheritance qualifications for the 10,000 Soul Great Dao.”

The voice was low and deep, carrying with it a formidable will that could not be resisted.

This was the approval from the Path of 10,000 Souls!