Spring mud, rain-soaked, was slicker than a mirror; dawn trees, wreathed in cloud, were pale as a painting.
Sixth Mountain.
A leisure pavilion halfway up the mountain.
The Sixth Mountain Lord, clad in green, rested a hand on the Pine Wood Sword Box at his side. With lowered eyes, he saw through the hazy rain and took in all the scenery below the mountain.
Madam Hua also stood gracefully within the pavilion, her plain robes fluttering in the spring breeze, surprise and satisfaction shining in her eyes.
"I once saw An Le enter stillness in the time it took to burn three incense sticks, then achieve perfection in Opening Qi and Blood within three days. I had expected his talent to be extraordinary—a piece of uncut jade that came into its own late in life. With that proud backbone that would not bow or bend, he was bound to achieve something in the future."
"Yet I never expected him to give me such a great surprise today."
Madam Hua's voice rang crisp and clear, like pearls and jade falling onto a tray.
A faint smile also touched the Sixth Mountain Lord's stiff features. "The Minor Sacred Token's trial has never judged cultivation alone. It places greater weight on talent, temperament, and fortune."
"Though the Minor Sacred Tokens are issued by us Mountain Lords, every one of them contains an opportunity left behind by the Sacred Teacher. Since it is an opportunity, what matters naturally is fate."
"Zhong Shun Chao and Ye Chong possess decent talent, but the two of them have cultivated more of a murderous disposition upon the battlefield. Their understanding of the sword does not suit mine, which is why they could not even match Luo Qingchen while climbing these mountain steps. But if they went to Third Master's Third Mountain, they might perhaps travel farther."
Madam Hua nodded slightly, agreeing with the Mountain Lord's words.
"Luo Qingchen has talent, but his sole flaw is that Li You'an shattered his Dao heart back then. Over these years, his Dao heart has not grown firmer. Instead, it has become increasingly fragile. That was unexpected as well."
The Sixth Mountain Lord spoke again, passing judgment on Luo Qingchen.
"An Le used the Sixth Mountain's Sword Qi to temper his body and cast spirit bones. He also contemplated the Sword Waterfall Diagram you bestowed upon him, gathering a sword pool within his Niwan Palace. The two worked in tandem."
"His talent... is good enough to surprise even me."
"The swords in my case are trembling excitedly. He would make an excellent successor. Unfortunately, he will not become my Mountain Guardian."
The Sixth Mountain Lord's face remained cold, but beneath that coldness lay regret.
Madam Hua chuckled softly. Her gaze passed through the misty rain and settled on An Le, who held Mochi in his hand. She murmured, "This talent... truly is unexpected."
"Talent, temperament, and the ability to draw swords to him—he possesses all three. He deserves the Minor Sacred Token in every respect."
The Sixth Mountain Lord's expression became solemn.
He slapped the Pine Wood Sword Box, and the enormous case landed upon his back. He stepped out of the pavilion and headed down the mountain.
Madam Hua drifted after him as well.
The sudden downpour between heaven and earth seemed to have had its temper drawn away by the youth's unsheathing of his sword. It abruptly softened into fine ox-hair rain, drifting lightly down and gently moistening all things.
The many cultivators who had halted along the mountain path raised their heads to look at the youth gripping his sword beneath the peach blossom tree at the three-hundredth step. Their expressions were all complicated.
Whatever flicker of luck they had harbored in their hearts vanished like smoke when An Le passed them with effortless ease.
To vie for the Minor Sacred Token was to be tested in talent, temperament, and compatibility with the token.
An Le's difficult progress at the beginning had given them hope. Only later did they understand that he had merely been borrowing the Sixth Mountain's Sword Qi to temper his own qi and blood. After breaking through, he displayed the brilliance of his talent.
Like a lone rider leaving all others in the dust, he shattered the shackles and drew the sword with ease.
Though Zhong Shun Chao and Ye Chong were surprised, they were not disappointed. They had come to try their luck in the first place; gain or loss was left to fate.
They also knew that the Sixth Mountain's Sword Qi did not suit them. Their chances of obtaining the Sixth Mountain's Minor Sacred Token had been exceedingly slim from the start.
Luo Qingchen stared blankly and withdrew the foot that could not come down. The dust upon his Dao heart did not spread further—perhaps... he had simply gone numb.
It was also because Luo Qingchen had never held much confidence in winning the Minor Sacred Token. The dust clouding his Dao heart made him keenly aware that he was unworthy.
His face was bitter, then clear. Luo Qingchen gave the handsome youth beneath the peach blossom tree a deep look.
Then he turned and descended the mountain without looking back.
He did not wish to remain in this place of heartache for even a moment.
He needed to return and carefully consider how to wash away the dust upon his Dao heart, and how he should walk the road ahead.
The other cultivators looked a few more times at the youth, blooming with radiance as he held his sword beneath the peach blossoms, amid the spring breeze and fine rain.
Then they all turned and headed down the mountain. They were now desperate to learn everything about the youth.
After today, this youth would surely become famous throughout Lin'an Prefecture!
An Le held Mochi and felt the treasured sword's joyous trembling and sword cry. Bathed in spring breeze and spring rain, his mood could not help but brighten.
His body tempering had broken through to the second realm, while his Spirit Refinement Fetal Respiration had also gathered a sword pool. He had made great strides and drawn ever closer to the third realm, Transcending Worldliness.
He had even gained this Mochi sword, along with the Minor Sacred Token.
It could be said that he had filled his bowls to the brim. This trip to the Sixth Mountain had not been in vain.
Holding Mochi, he could feel a wisp of Sword Qi concealed within the treasured sword. So long as he probed it with his mind, he could sense it in detail.
That should be one of the conditions for the Minor Sacred Token: conversing with the Sacred Teacher.
An Le's lips curved upward. He gently stroked the Mochi sword, a bright smile on his face and joy in his heart.
At this moment, it would have been perfect to have a pot of old yellow wine from the Yanchun Lane tavern.
Drink wine, savor the sword, sing loudly, then descend the mountain.
In the faint misty rain, return drunk amid a whole world of music and song!
What a delight!
Only one graceful girl holding an umbrella remained on the mountain road, quietly watching the youth who shone brilliantly in the spring rain.
The Sixth Mountain Lord, carrying the Pine Wood Sword Box on his back, and Madam Hua descended the stone steps and came to An Le's side.
Upon seeing them, the girl holding the umbrella dipped into a bow. "Ye Wenxi of the Ye Family greets the Sixth Mountain Lord and Madam Hua."
The Sixth Mountain Lord kept a wooden expression and nodded. "You already possess a Minor Sacred Token and have entered the Minor Saint Ranking. Why climb the steps?"
The girl, Ye Wenxi, glanced toward An Le and smiled lightly. "A newcomer has joined the Minor Saint Ranking. Naturally, I had to learn about my opponent in advance and see whether he truly deserved it."
"This little woman takes her leave."
Having spoken, Ye Wenxi smiled freely, turned with her umbrella, and departed.
An Le watched the girl's retreating figure. He had known that she had followed behind him all the way to the three-hundredth step. In truth, she was also qualified to claim this Minor Sacred Token.
In An Le's eyes, the Time Qi around the girl swayed like seaweed. If he could...
Hm?
An Le was suddenly delighted. His qi and blood had entered the second realm of body tempering, and his Spirit Refinement Fetal Respiration had gathered a sword pool. The Time Qi section during Sage Time could now be used once more.
Without the slightest hesitation, An Le stirred his mind and drew in the Time Qi from the girl!
The girl, holding her oil-paper umbrella as she turned to descend the mountain, noticed nothing at all. She had no idea she had already given him a free windfall.
Three wisps of Time Qi wound around his fingertips in succession before flowing into his body. An Le was thoroughly satisfied, but with Madam Hua and the Sixth Mountain Lord beside him, he chose not to inspect the Time Qi.
The Sixth Mountain Lord looked at An Le, his eyes full of appreciation and regret. "A pity you will not enter my Sixth Mountain... Your ink bamboo and your talent in the sword have both satisfied me greatly. But making you a Mountain Guardian would indeed be wasting your gifts."
"My Sixth Mountain stands open to you. If you produce any new paintings, you may bring them to share with me. In the intervals between your climbs, you may borrow the mountain's Sword Qi to cleanse and temper your body. It will be somewhat better than that demon-qi jade pendant at your waist."
The Mountain Lord said this.
Hearing This, An Le sincerely clasped his hands and bowed. "Many thanks, Mountain Lord."
The Sixth Mountain Lord nodded and said a little more. "Obtaining the Minor Sacred Token is only the beginning. Your cultivation is truly too low. On the Minor Saint Ranking, you can only rank at the very bottom."
"If you wish to obtain the chance to converse with the Sacred Teacher, you must at least enter the top three of the Minor Saint Ranking."
"You are still too weak. Cherish your talent, and do not let it go to waste."
"One last sentence."
The Sixth Mountain Lord turned away coldly. "I think highly of you."
Before An Le could react, he had already carried the enormous Pine Wood Sword Box back up the mountain.
Watching the rather distinctive Sixth Mountain Lord, An Le's expression softened. He had thought refusing the offer to become a Mountain Guardian would offend him. Now it seemed he had been narrow-minded.
Madam Hua laughed softly. "Everything the Mountain Lord said is true. Obtaining the Minor Sacred Token is only the beginning. Do not become arrogant."
An Le bowed in acknowledgment.
"Go down the mountain. Return to Lin'an with Zhuifeng and Ninth Sister first. I still have matters to attend to, so we part here."
Madam Hua stood in the spring breeze, looking at the youth with appreciation in her eyes.
Then sword light rose around her body. She leaped into the mist among the mountains and vanished without a trace, fleeing deep into the sea of clouds.
The spring rain ceased, and slanting sunlight seemed to pour down from behind the clouds.
At the foot of the mountain, An Le turned to look at the stone path amid the hills. The embarrassment, obstruction, and bewilderment of his first climb made him smile knowingly.
Looking back at the bleak place I had come from, I returned home—neither rain nor shine.
An Le's white robes fluttered, his spine straight as proud bamboo. Green Mountain hung at his waist, and Mochi rested in his hand.
He stepped over fallen blossoms and mud, accompanied by fresh grass after the rain.
With easy grace, he walked toward the Lin Manor carriage waiting in the distance.
The rain ceased, and the sandbars ran shallow; the wind stilled, and cicadas sang in the wilds.
The complex of white walls and black tiles belonging to the Literature Academy was hazy with mist after its spring rain cleansing.
An ordinary thatched cottage sat quietly among them. Water in the charcoal stove beneath the eaves still boiled, steam rising in clouds.
The two old men playing chess were already preparing to end their game.
After finishing the last sip of West Lake Longjing.
Old Man of the Imperial Ancestral Temple Zhao Huangting rose and stretched lazily. "Let us end today's game here. Neither of us wins or loses. Another day, we shall play again."
Third Master had long grown accustomed to Zhao Huangting's shamelessness. Smiling lightly, he gathered the chess pieces back into the box.
"So you got your wish?" Third Master asked.
"He performed quite well. Perhaps the Green Mountain gifted to him truly will not be let down."
Zhao Huangting was in high spirits, stroking his long brows with a smile.
"After today, little friend An will surely become renowned throughout Lin'an. His paintings, his poems, and his sword will all be brought up in praise. Lin'an Prefecture's true splendor will open itself to him. Wealth that gnaws to the bone and melts the soul will come crashing in like floods and savage beasts. I only hope he can hold fast to his original heart."
"The only flaw is that Old Six, the Mountain Lord, stubbornly used up one of my favors. What a thief!"
Zhao Huangting clasped his hands behind his back and walked out of the thatched cottage, stepping along the muddy path.
Without turning back, he waved his hand.
"Let's go. Buy a pot of old yellow wine from Yanchun Lane, then slice up two jin of braised beef from Dingya Alley."
"Return to Imperial Ancestral Temple Alley and celebrate for little friend An."
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