Shu Mountain

Biodata

Organization and Standing

• The Shu Mountains are Rong Country’s largest mountain range, while the Shu Mountain Sword Sect is the country’s foremost cultivation sect and a pilgrimage destination for its cultivators 9 10.
• Lingjing Sect is identified as Rong Country’s second-largest sect, behind Shu Mountain 11.
• Most Shu Mountain disciples are human cultivators; demons face considerable difficulty entering the sect 9.
• The sect has seven principal peaks. Each peak is led from a summit palace-cave by a Core Formation True Person, with Inner Sect cave dwellings below and Registered Disciples housed further down the slopes 32.
• Tianquan Peak ranks fourth among the Seven Peaks but is considered no less important than first-ranked Tianshu Peak because it produces talisman coins 32 33.

Known Peaks and Functions

Cultivation Doctrine

• Shu Mountain primarily practices sword techniques, including methods that combine the cultivation of life and spirit; it also practices merit cultivation 31.
• The sect does not demand that disciples immediately sever mortal ties. Its cultivation philosophy follows the natural course of heaven rather than forcibly extinguishing human desires 37.
• Disciples are expected to cultivate diligently and contribute according to their strength: Qi Cultivation disciples handle errands and minor duties, while Foundation Establishment disciples begin taking on significant sect affairs 35.
• When disciples encounter cultivation bottlenecks, they may be sent down the mountain for trials, merit accumulation, and contact with outside forces 34.

Territory and Facilities

• Mortal towns near the Sword Sect are protected by Shu Mountain’s grand formation. Those judged to be of poor character cannot enter without sect approval 28.
• The mountain gate opens for recruitment only every ten-odd years. Attempting to enter while it is closed can leave seekers lost in the mountain fog 28 29.
• Herbs from Yuxi Town are transported up the mountain by White Cranes rather than collected personally by cultivators 29.
• Scripture Gorge on Tianquan Peak stores Daoist texts in cliffside compartments and is protected by a formation whose array eyes are two broken swords 36.
  • Registered and outer sect disciples may borrow one text for up to one month.
  • Inner Sect disciples may borrow freely within what they can carry 36.
• Inner Sect disciples receive individual cave dwellings, Daoist robes, identity jade pendants, monthly talisman-coin stipends, and pills 32 33.
• Identity Jade Pendants contain short-range communication arrays usable within the Seven Peaks 33.

Recruitment and Ranks

• During a mountain-opening, each of the seven peaks accepts only a small number of Inner Sect disciples. Most rejected applicants who remain are registered under a peak as Registered Disciples and perform heavy daily chores while cultivating 29.
• Registered Disciples must address Inner Sect disciples as “senior brother” regardless of age 30.
• Tianquan Peak’s recruitment process consists of three rounds 51:
  1. Heavenly Stairway — candidates progressively lose their senses as each step becomes more difficult.
  2. Character examination — candidates are assessed using True Person Xuan Chen’s Void Clarity Mirror.
  3. Aptitude test — the remaining candidates learn the first layer of the Clear Wind Sword within one month; those who succeed enter the Inner Sect 51.
• In one recruitment cycle, Tianquan Peak selected only twenty candidates in total, including potential Registered Disciples 51.

Relations

• Dao Alliance — Shu Mountain is its representative sect in Rong Country and possesses its license to mint Mortal and Spirit Talisman Coins 33 42.
• Lingjing Sect — Rong Country’s second-largest sect; tensions between the two sects later intensify, with rumors linking the escalation to Lin Chan’s presumed death 11 81.
• Lin Chan — admitted directly as True Person Xuan Chen’s ninth disciple on Tianquan Peak, bypassing the normal wait for sect recruitment 31.
• Ah Huang — a cat demon disciple who undertakes mountain-descending training to survive a Centennial Calamity and eliminate Cat Ghosts 9.
• Si Mu Tiger Demon — Shu Mountain attempts to maintain an accord after the demon reforms, sending letters from Tianquan and Kaiyang Peaks confirming it will not be confined in the Monster Locking Pagoda 41.
• Dugu Ye and Green Reed Market — recognizes Shu Mountain as Rong Country’s leading sect and the Dao Alliance’s regional representative 42.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Ah Huang first tells Lin Chan of Shu Mountain, its status as Rong Country’s largest sect, and its periodic recruitment of disciples 9.
• Lin Chan travels into the Shu Mountains and waits in Yuxi Town after learning that the mountain gate will not open for several more years 28.
• Shu Mountain disciples unexpectedly bring Lin Chan up the mountain for questioning over the Four-Eyed Tiger incident and his Seventh Grade Merit 30 31.
• True Person Xuan Chen accepts Lin Chan as his ninth disciple, grants him a Lesser Merit Record, and assigns him the sect’s Heart Sword Same Origin Art 31.
• Lin Chan becomes an Inner Sect disciple of Tianquan Peak, receives a cave dwelling and sect resources, and begins formal cultivation 32 33.
• Tianquan and Kaiyang Peaks dispatch Lin Chan and Xu Chang to negotiate with the Si Mu Tiger Demon, offering letters and Vermillion Fruits as proof of Shu Mountain’s goodwill 41 44.
• The mission reveals that someone from Shu Mountain has been provoking Si Mu’s evil urges, leading Lin Chan to conclude that dangerous individuals exist within the sect 44 45.
• True Person Xuan Chen later honors a ten-year pact by teaching Lin Chan the Eight Trigrams Universe Sword after he reaches late Qi Cultivation 48 57.
• During the Lushan Lin Family crisis, Lin Chan sends an urgent recording and final request to his master and senior brother through his Illusory Moon Ring; the attack becomes known throughout Shu Mountain after he is believed to be in mortal danger 69 71.