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After half an hour on the mountain path, Zhou Chi opened his eyes.
He stood up, looked at the mountain path ahead, and slowly took a step forward.
At first glance, the step seemed perfectly ordinary. The only difference was the unusual pause and the timing when he lifted and planted his foot in the air.
This didn't align with the normal habits of a person.
But when his foot landed, Zhou Chi felt no pressure, and it didn't seem any different from an ordinary mountain climb.
He... had completely avoided the energies that filled the mountain path and were meant to attach to his body.
In other words, he had completely sidestepped that mountain.
By avoiding the energies from attaching to him, climbing the mountain became naturally easier.
After taking several dozen steps, every time he lifted his foot, there was an unusual pause and drop, making him appear like a puppet on strings, a bit laughable.
Had anyone been watching, they would probably have mocked him, but by now, he was the last person on the mountain path, with those ahead of him already long gone, so such things didn't happen.
He moved slowly through the mountain, and at this pace, reaching the summit before dark wasn't difficult.
After a hundred steps, an energy finally fell upon Zhou Chi.
More precisely, it fell on his sword heart.
At that moment, the scene before his eyes changed. The mountain path disappeared, and instead, he saw a mountain burning fiercely.
Thick smoke billowed, and a once-green mountain was now consumed by black smoke.
It was his sect, Qishan, located by the Sishui River.
The Qishan that no longer existed.
The cries of agony rang out, and they were chilling.
At that moment, Zhou Chi stood before the grand hall that had once been the center of discussions, watching as the flames and black smoke poured from it.
In front of the hall stood a young man, bloodied and with one of his arms severed. The wound on his shoulder continued to bleed, dyeing the ground beneath him crimson. He was bare-chested, his frail body covered in gruesome wounds.
He was crying, deeply anguished and sorrowful.
Suddenly, he raised his head and looked at Zhou Chi, his emotions unraveling, "Zhou Chi... why haven't you avenged us? Why didn't you go kill those on Yujing Mountain, kill the Baoci Sect? You should have killed them all!"
Zhou Chi listened to the words and looked at the young man in front of him, feeling some sorrow in his eyes.
"Zhou Chi, speak to me, speak to me!"
The young man suddenly stood up, trembling, walking toward Zhou Chi, his mouth repeating, "Why haven't you avenged us, why?"
Zhou Chi watched him approach, neither stepping back nor moving forward, just watching him. "Avenging isn't as simple as words. What's the use of being in a rush?"
The young man with the severed arm finally reached Zhou Chi, grabbing his collar with his remaining hand, questioning, "Are you scared? Are you too afraid to avenge us?"
Zhou Chi looked down at the bloodied collar, then lifted his head to look at the only friend he had left. His voice softened, "I know you're not real, but seeing you again... it really makes me feel some joy."
The severed-armed young man could not respond, only repeating his demand for vengeance.
Zhou Chi extended both hands, pulling the bloodied young man into an embrace. Whether his blood-soaked body would stain Zhou Chi's robe didn't matter. "A Yue, I don't know if you were tortured like this before you died, but I promise you, the one who killed you will pay an even greater price."
His voice was gentle, like a spring breeze or a soft spring rain.
He held the severed-armed young man and walked into the thick smoke, walking into the still-burning grand hall.
Meanwhile, Meng Yin was still climbing the mountain. The one with the greatest talent this year, already deemed the best by the elders of the four peaks, was an inexperienced young man, not yet stepping into the path of cultivation. Even though Zhou Chi had given him advice earlier, he didn't quite grasp the method. Now, he was relying on one thing—his firm belief.
He had to reach the summit and get an explanation from that guy who had just taken his money!
This initial selection didn't require payment; why did they still take his things?!
Every time he thought about this, he was seething with anger. He didn't lack money, but how could he, who had been so smart all his life, let himself be swindled like this?!
If word of this got out, how would he live?
Fuming with anger, he gritted his teeth and climbed forward, but the further he went, the harder it became.
After just a few dozen steps, it became almost impossible to move forward.
At that moment, he suddenly remembered the words Zhou Chi had said before they started climbing.
Meng Yin quickly calmed his mind and began to sense the energies along the mountain path.
After a short while, his eyes lit up, and he began walking faster.
Soon, a tall figure appeared in front of him.
An ancient temple appeared, and in front of the temple stood an elderly man with graying hair, wearing a green robe, standing with his hands behind his back.
The old man's gaze fixed on Meng Yin.
"Grandfather!"
Meng Yin was shocked. "How come you're here?!"
The old man scowled at his rebellious grandson. "I told you to study well, but you wouldn't listen. Why do you want to follow the Dao?!"
As he spoke, the old man raised his hand from behind his back, holding a disciplinary ruler.
Meng Yin froze, his legs going weak, about to kneel. This was the one thing he feared most. His mind immediately filled with dread.
In the past, whenever his grandfather took out the ruler, Meng Yin would run if he could, and if not, he would kneel as quickly as possible.
But this time, he stood up straight, tilting his head back. "I did follow the Dao in the past out of mere impulse, but today, my conviction is firm!"
The old man furrowed his brows. "How?"
"I have a small grudge to settle!"
Thinking of the person who had taken his things, Xu You, Meng Yin gritted his teeth.
Once he entered Zhongyun Mountain, if that guy was willing to return his things, that would be fine. But if not, once he had mastered cultivation, he would make that person understand the meaning of "might makes right!"
"Ridiculous! We, scholars, must first reason things out. What use is fighting and killing like you?"
The old man shook his head, somewhat disappointed.
Meng Yin understood his grandfather's meaning and realized that his grandfather wouldn't possibly appear here at Zhongyun Mountain. So he no longer held back and spoke seriously, "Grandfather, the Dao of law is also Dao, and the law of fists is also reason!"
"You wretched child!"
The old man's beard bristled, his anger rising. He was about to strike with the ruler.
If this were back home, Meng Yin would have already run away to hide behind his parents. But now, instead of running, he stood still, watching the ruler fall.
In the past, his grandfather's ruler had been his greatest fear, but now, Meng Yin had to break through his own mental barriers!
"I'm not afraid anymore!"
Meng Yin shouted loudly, even charging forward toward the ruler.
But after just a few steps, he collided with someone head-on.
At the same time, the scent of a woman wafted over. Meng Yin inhaled deeply and, when he looked up, saw two mountain peaks. Further up, he saw a cold face.
"No wonder they call you Meng Yin. It turns out your family knew your character all along!"
Gu Yuan, with a cold stare, looked at the boy who had just crashed into her. She thought of the name on the booklet. If it weren't for his young age, she would have already slapped him.
"Don't you move?"
Meng Yin came to his senses and awkwardly stepped back, only to trip over his own feet and fall on his backside.
He was confused. What's wrong with my name, Meng Yin?!
"Ha ha, Gu Shimei, this kid just woke up from the illusion, so he's a bit clumsy. It's only natural. Don't mind him, Gu Shimei. He didn't do it on purpose."
Cheng Chu quickly stepped forward and winked at Meng Yin.
Meng Yin quickly got up and apologized to Gu Yuan.
"I'm sorry!"
Gu Yuan snorted, but she accepted Cheng Chu's explanation and didn't pursue the matter.
At this moment, Li Du spoke up. "Meng Yin, truly impressive. You're the first disciple to reach the summit. Would you like to join my Chaoyun Peak?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Yuan frowned and glanced at Liu Yin from a distance, about to speak. Cheng Chu quickly said, "Meng Yin, the four of us represent Qingxi, Chaoyun, Cangye, and Xuan Yi Peaks. Where would you like to go? Oh, and let me introduce you. This is Gu Yuan from Qingxi Peak..."
Cheng Chu introduced the situation of the four peaks to Meng Yin, but when it came to Xuan Yi Peak, he hesitated.
"Cheng Shixiong."
Liu Yin spoke up. "Xuan Yi Peak cultivates swordsmanship, unlike the other three peaks. But the sword cultivation techniques of Xuan Yi Peak are rather obscure and difficult to master. It's been many years since any disciple broke through to the Tianmen realm."
In cultivation, for those with decent talent, reaching the Yufu realm in their lifetime isn't a problem. But the transition from Yufu to Tianmen is much harder.
And as for Xuan Yi Peak, other than the peak master, there hasn't been a disciple in the Tianmen realm for many years, which is quite absurd.
After all, Zhongyun Mountain is the largest cultivation sect in Qingzhou, and many disciples of the other three peaks have reached the Tianmen realm.
Liu Yin shook her head as she looked at Meng Yin. "Choose one of the three peaks."
She didn't want to waste the potential of a talented disciple.
When Liu Yin spoke, the other three didn't plan to argue, but upon hearing her, Gu Yuan and Cheng Chu sighed.
"Since that's the case, why not join my Chaoyun Peak? With our sect leader in charge, your future will be bright."
Li Du nodded. Since Liu Yin was really not taking him, he wouldn't hesitate.
"Actually, joining Cangye Peak wouldn't be bad. Cangye Peak will definitely nurture you well, and with your talent, you'll achieve great things."
"Join Qingxi Peak, and I will teach you myself!"
The others also spoke up.
However, in truth, since Meng Yin had apologized, he was quite anxious. The others were talking among themselves, but this wasn't what he wanted!
He had been waiting for one of them to take him aside to show his resolve to cultivate.
Then he could get his things back.
But now, with all four of them staring at him, he felt very uncomfortable.
He couldn't show it to all four of them, could he?
At this thought, his face flushed, feeling like he had something stuck in his throat and a needle pricking his back.
But to the others, they thought he was just struggling to choose a peak.
And so, their faces lit up with anticipation.