Cloud Mist Mountain

Upper Capital.

Cloud Mist Mountain was especially tranquil beneath the night sky.

True to its name, Cloud Mist Mountain was famed for its sea of clouds and fog. Whenever the morning sun rose, the entire mountain would be shrouded in mist, dreamlike and fantastical, like an immortal realm.

Speaking of Cloud Mist Mountain, not only those in Upper Capital—even people across the entire country were likely familiar with it.

Its fame did not come from its distinctive misty scenery. Such sights were actually quite common; many great mountains had them. What made Cloud Mist Mountain famous were the exquisite villas built along its slopes.

The villas were uniformly three stories high. Aside from being somewhat more refined, there was nothing particularly special about them, but there was one thing that could not be ignored: expensive!

Cloud Mist Mountain had more than three hundred villas, and the higher one went, the more expensive they became.

Even the cheapest villa near the foot of the mountain cost five billion New Dollars. Without sufficient status and standing, even having the money did not necessarily mean one could buy it.

A single villa cost at least five billion. Anyone who heard that would think it was madness.

Five billion—even in a place like Upper Capital, where crouching tigers and hidden dragons abounded, there were not many who could produce that much money at once.

Of course, no one was a fool. If it was expensive, there was naturally a reason for it.

Though Cloud Mist Mountain looked like an ordinary mountain from the outside, it was a legendary blessed land for cultivation.

Ever since the Otherworld appeared, there had been all sorts of claims about cultivation blessed lands. All such lands shared one trait: abundant spiritual energy.

However, most of these blessed lands were located in remote places where few people ventured and demonic beasts roamed, making them impossible for humans to utilize.

Those that appeared within Base Cities were exceedingly rare.

Cloud Mist Mountain was one of them.

Professional institutions had calculated that the spiritual energy concentration on Cloud Mist Mountain was one-fifth higher than the normal level outside. At the mountain's summit, the spiritual energy concentration was even one-quarter higher than normal.

For cultivators, four days of cultivation here equaled five days outside. Though the difference did not seem great, over time, it became a gap measured in years.

A lead of one year could very well be the difference between outstanding and genius.

Even those without martial talent could strengthen their bodies and prolong their lives by living here year-round.

Villa No. 46, halfway up the mountain.

"Speak."

Inside the brightly lit room, wisps of smoke curled upward as sandalwood incense filled the air. On a large rosewood-and-marble desk were stacked calligraphy rubbings by famous masters, precious inkstones, and brush holders of every color. The room exuded an antique elegance. A burly figure stood quietly by the window, gazing into the distant night glittering with lights.

As soon as the words fell, the figure turned around, revealing an old man.

The old man wore a beige Tang suit and appeared to be in his fifties. He was exceptionally tall, easily around 1.9 meters, with a remarkably robust physique. His thick black hair and smooth skin bore not the slightest trace of time.

Before the old man stood a middle-aged man in a gray suit, respectfully straight as a spear. Flipping through the notebook in his hand, he reported, "This investigation covered forty-seven people. Three met the assessment standards: two were rated B, and one was rated A."

"Oh? There was actually an A this year?" The old man raised his brows, clearly intrigued.

"Which family is he from?"

"The Second Young Master's. His name is Yang Jingming."

After speaking, the man continued, "Yang Jingming, male, sixteen years old, senior year of high school, Body Cultivation Eighth Stage. Academic score: 168. Physical score: 295. Combat score: 135. Total score: 598. Excellent results, meeting the standards of the Nine Elite Joint Schools."

"First time participating in Awakening Day. He refined an eighth-rank Howling Moon Wolf."

"Personality assessment: resolute and persistent, with clear plans for his goals."

"Personality flaws: overly extreme and ruthless."

After the middle-aged man finished, the room fell silent again. Only after a long while did the old man say,

"His talent is fairly good. There are still three months left. Bring him back and cultivate him for a while; he should be able to get into a Hero Academy. Since he still bears the Yang surname, he likely intends to return to the family. Bring him back as soon as possible and nurture him."

The old man's tone was calm. What he cared about was talent; he did not mind the personality flaws the middle-aged man had mentioned.

The stronger a martial artist was, the more vigorous his qi and blood, and the more prone he was to fighting and ruthlessness.

After hunting demonic beasts year-round and hovering at death's edge, few had good tempers. Everyone had personality flaws, only differing in kind. As long as they were not mentally warped, it did not matter.

An A rating meant one met the standards for entering the Three Hero Academies.

A B rating meant one met the standards for entering the Nine Elite Joint Schools.

For many families, having a child admitted into one of the Nine Elite Joint Schools marked the beginning of soaring to great heights. For the vast majority of clans, such children were also seedlings worth nurturing. But for a Glory Clan such as the Yang Clan, it merely meant their talent was decent.

Though the two B-rankers had good talent, they did not qualify to warrant his attention. The middle-aged man clearly knew this as well, so he said no more.

"Mm, understood," the middle-aged man replied.

"By the way, I recall that Thirteen also has an Illegitimate Child. How old is he this year?"

After a while, just as the man was about to leave the room, the old man suddenly asked.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man stopped and lightly flipped through his notes. "Lin Feng, male, sixteen this year, Body Cultivation Seventh Stage. Academic score: 189. Physical score: 212. Combat score: 150. Total score: 551. Above-average results, but he does not meet the admission requirements for the Nine Elite Joint Schools."

"First time participating in Awakening Day. Awakening failed."

"Personality assessment: resolute, mature beyond his years, and steady."

"Personality flaws: somewhat withdrawn and unsociable."

"Overall assessment: C-rank!"

After speaking, the man stood where he was and waited quietly.

"C-rank. What a pity."

The white-haired old man shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of regret. "Lin Feng? He took his mother's surname?"

"To reach the Body Cultivation Seventh Stage without resource support, his strength is fairly good. But he did not inherit Old Seven's soul cultivation talent. He cannot refine demon spirits and has no value worth nurturing."

With that, the old man waved a hand. "Leave. Bring those three boys back. As for the rest below B-rank, they have no value worth nurturing. Recall those responsible for the assessments."

"Yes!"

The man nodded. He knew what being recalled meant.

In a great family like the Yang Clan, there were many illegitimate sons and daughters cast adrift outside the family because of the family members' romantic indiscretions or other reasons. When these children reached sixteen, the family sent specialized personnel to assess them. Only those rated B or above could return to the family.

Those with aptitude that was too poor would be completely abandoned by the family from this day onward, never to receive attention again.

He felt no emotional stir over this. He reported on such matters every year and had long grown accustomed to them.

The night was black and heavy, as though boundless thick ink had been layered across the sky, leaving not even the faintest glimmer of starlight.

At two in the morning, the temperature suddenly dropped. In his sleep, Lin Feng's brow was tightly furrowed, his expression somewhat uneasy.

In his daze, a chill suddenly surged from his chest, growing colder and colder, as if a block of ice had been placed there, threatening to freeze him stiff.

Then, it felt as if his ears were clogged with water, and the sound of his heartbeat echoed beside them.

"Again!"

With a shudder, Lin Feng immediately woke from his sleep. His eyes were clear, without the slightest trace of drowsiness.

He first switched on the desk lamp. Its light was faint and would not draw the attention of demonic beasts. Lin Feng checked that the door was locked from the inside before finally relaxing.

Lin Feng took off his shirt. His lean body did not look particularly brawny, but his form flowed like that of a cheetah. Every inch of muscle gave off the impression of the hardest stone. Wearing only boxer briefs, he stood almost naked on the floor and lowered his head to look at his chest.

A fist-sized shadow had quietly appeared on Lin Feng's abdomen, growing clearer and clearer, like a pitch-black silhouette struggling without end.

"Damn Nightmare, coming so many times in one night." In the silent night, Lin Feng cursed with a gloomy expression.

Using the Evil Sealing Seal during Awakening Day had caused severe blood loss. Not long after dinner, following a brief conversation with his mother, Lin Feng had washed up and, rather than cultivating as usual, returned to his room and fallen asleep before long.

Because while asleep, his body recovered a little faster.

But what he had not expected was that almost every hour, a violent, icy emotion would abruptly rise in his mind, keeping him tossing and turning until he was finally jolted awake.

The insomnia had put him in a terrible mood, making him irritable and easily angered.

"I need to refine it quickly!"

Looking at the constantly struggling figure on his abdomen, Lin Feng could not help but feel a faint chill in his heart.

Though he could not examine his body internally at his current strength, he could sense that the Evil Sealing Seal had begun to loosen.

The blood-red cage formed from blood and spiritual power was gradually crumbling. It likely would not hold out much longer.

"I have to refine it within two months, or the consequences will be severe." Lin Feng's expression was grave.

He had originally thought that even if he could not refine this Nightmare, at most he would lose some vital blood. He could make it up with time and effort, and it would not endanger his life.

But now, he realized that he had been wrong.

Terribly wrong!

At his lower abdomen, at the location of his dantian, the pitch-black, unfathomable shadow had already been tainted by fine, eerie threads of blood, which drifted through the shadow's body.

At this moment, the Nightmare had already been partially assimilated by his blood.

Now, he could no longer easily separate it.

This meant that if he could not refine it, he would be unable to drive it from his body. Instead, there was even a possibility that the Nightmare would refine him.

Things had already gone beyond his control.