Riding the Wind and Breaking the Waves, Facing Adversity Head-On

"Bei Xuan?"

Upon hearing this name, Chen Jing's expression changed slightly, while the others showed different reactions, but they all realized that this person was the "Mr. Bei" Zhan Household by the three Zhan brothers.

However, although Bei Xuan spoke of joy, there was no joy on his face. Coupled with his imposing aura, he gave Qiu Yan a sense of urgency. After entering, he scanned the room and his gaze settled on Qiu Yan, or more precisely, on the glass cup in Qiu Yan's hand.

"What you wish for will come true? You must be Brother Qiu Yan. It's a pleasure to meet you. Unfortunately, time is short, and I can't enjoy a drink with you. Instead, I'll have to trouble you to help me." This next sentence from Mr. Bei aroused doubt among everyone in the room.

However, before they could react, the entire room suddenly began to shake.

Splash!

The objects on the table fell to the ground.

"What happened?"

Tao Ying jumped up from her seat again, looking surprised and puzzled.

Bei Xuan didn't even glance at Tao Ying, but looked at Qiu Yan, "During my recent trip into the mountains, I discovered a mine, but the guards there are too formidable. If we don't stop them, it will soon affect this place."

At this point, he suddenly added, "I see that Brother Qiu's soul is restrained, which means he is about to achieve the Soul-Nourishing by the Corporeal Soul' stage. It's a pity that he is in Scholar Forest and doesn't have a physical body to replenish his Qi and Blood, but that guardian can take his place!"

Squinting, Qiu Yan frowned in thought, and finally nodded. "I understand."

"A fine decision!" Bei Xuan smiled, and a sudden gust of wind arose around him!

The thoughts and considerations carried in the wind contained a certain Order, just like a person pondering, their mind racing!

Click click click!

In the blink of an eye, the room where they were located rapidly transformed into the shape of a boat.

The doors slammed shut and the cabins rose; the beams lowered and the sails ascended.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

With a series of cracking sounds, the room, which had transformed into a boat shape, flew up completely!

"This is..." Even Daoist Lu showed surprise at this.

"This building is formed from my thoughts and ideas, so it can naturally change," Bei Xuan explained in a low voice. "This entire Scholar Forest is almost entirely composed of thoughts and ideas. Within it, the power of the mind and will is amplified. You will understand this after you have stayed here for a while, Brother Qiu."

Qiu Yan nodded. After the events of the Historical River, the Doubt Frost, and the Tree of Responding People, Qiu Yan already had a guess, so he was not surprised to hear Bei Xuan say this.

"This is a world of idealism..."

Click click click!

A room transformed into a boat and separated, but the attic did not collapse. Instead, the pillars changed and reassembled, quickly creating a room in its original location to fill the void.

Seeing this, Qiu Yan, Chen Jing, and the others were not surprised, and even Tao Ying remained relatively calm.

The ship they were on hovered in the air, speeding forward as if cutting through the waves at sea, and in this flight, it flew from the foot of the mountain to the top.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Halfway up the mountain, chaos reigned, dust billowed everywhere. A dark shadow could be vaguely seen rolling about within it.

As they drew closer, the oppressive atmosphere and gloomy mood permeated the air, making the people on the boat feel short of breath. Of course, in the Scholar Forest, they were all spirits and did not need to breathe; this was merely a feeling in their minds.

However, according to the characteristics of Scholar Forest, although it is just a feeling, as long as one believes it to be true, it will eventually become real, and in severe cases, it may even lead to suffocation and death!

"It looks quite dangerous there, we'd better not go any closer!" Tao Ying realized the danger and couldn't help but say, "Chen Jing, Lu Dao, and I are just ordinary scholars and Daoists, unlike Brother Qiu, who has cultivated his Literary Heart and Literary Path Creation."

If it weren't for being intimidated by Bei Xuan's imposing aura and having gone through so many twists and turns, Tao Ying would probably have started complaining, blaming the other party for turning the room into a boat and dragging him into it.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a whooshing sound came from the sky not far away.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Chen Jing and the others looked in the direction of the sound and saw two small boats coming with the wind at great speed. At the bow of each boat sat a scholar, one in his thirties and the other in his forties, both of them looking calm and composed.

The two boats also carried other Confucian scholars, including Sun Yong and the three Zhan Household.

With her keen eyesight, Tao Ying saw the people on the boat from afar, and noticed that their expressions were quite strange, seemingly a mixture of fear, excitement, and anticipation.

"What are they going to do? Don't they know how dangerous it is ahead?" Tao Ying looked in the direction the two boats were flying, her gaze falling on the chaotic area halfway up the mountain, a look of confusion on her face.

However, Bei Xuan didn't even look at him, nor did he show any intention of answering; he simply stood at the bow of the boat.

"Danger contains opportunity," Chen Jing said at this moment, his seriousness disappearing and revealing his signature smile. "Since Mr. Bei brought us along, it must be out of good intentions. Since we're in Scholar Forest, the Essentials some experiences. Otherwise, how much can we gain by just picking up leaves?"

Upon hearing this, Bei Xuan seemed to only then notice Chen Jing, turning to look at him and nodding, saying, "The Book Mountain Ore, once unearthed, will continuously volatilize, making it ideal to use it on the spot. You two following along might yield unexpected gains. Moreover, although the mine guards are fierce, their aura is profound. Enduring their pressure will be quite beneficial for scholars."

On the other side, Qiu Yan pointed to the people on the two boats and asked, "What is the background of the two people leading those two Red Horse Boat? Those two boats seem to be things they visualized."

Bei Xuan's attitude towards Qiu Yan's inquiry was noticeably different. He replied directly, "The older one is Zhou Meng, and the slightly younger one is Huang Xun. They both come from prominent families in Jiangnan, from scholarly backgrounds. Although they haven't Literary Path Creation, they have each cultivated their Literary Heart and can still visualize external objects."

Chen Jing muttered seemingly casually, "The Zhou Household and the Huang Household, huh? Historically, both of these families were vassals of the Sun Dynasty. It seems that the Sun Household was able to enter this place thanks to them."

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden gust of wind arose ahead, and a slender black shadow rushed straight towards him, instantly bringing with it a powerful aura.

Boom!

Everyone on the three boats was shaken, feeling as if a wall had been erected in their hearts, a feeling that was difficult to overcome!

"What is this!" Tao Ying was still in surprise when Bei Xuan made his move. He saw that the man's body did not move, but his whole body burst out with strong will, releasing a firm and tenacious will!

Snap!

The shadow was instantly dissipated by this thought, but the oppressive atmosphere showed no sign of dissipating and still filled the surroundings.

Suddenly, the speeding ship came to a screeching halt!

"This distance is about right. Any closer and we'll reach the center of the oppressive aura. Apart from Brother Qiu, I'm afraid the others on the ship won't be able to withstand it!"

As Bei Xuan spoke, the scene ahead became clearer. Through the layers of sand and dust, one could see a dark, ever-changing shadow churning on the mountainside. Two figures moved around the shadow, constantly releasing various thoughts to attack it.

"What is that?" Tao Ying exclaimed in surprise as he leaned against the side of the boat. The moment his gaze fell on the dark shadow, he suddenly clutched his head and screamed in pain, stumbling and falling to the ground.

"No! No! It's impossible! It's simply impossible! We have to give up!"

Tao Ying rolled on the ground, screaming in agony, her soul becoming increasingly ethereal. Similar sounds came from the other two boats, indicating that someone else had also been affected.

Bei Xuan glanced at Tao Ying and shook his head. "This thing is called 'Difficulty,' meaning it is the guardian of the mine. As students, we already face many difficulties. If we cannot rise to the challenge and row against the current, then we will either advance or retreat." With that, he moved and flew away, disappearing into the sandstorm.

"Difficult?" Qiu Yan pondered the word, a strange expression on his face.

Behind him, Chen Jing walked over and whispered, "Brother Qiu, it seems that this Mr. Bei has discovered a Book Mine and encountered the guards there. That's why he went down to find people and took the opportunity to visit you and me. This man is very familiar with the Scholar Forest and is a Literary Path Creation. Even he has to gather his men. Brother Qiu, you'd better be careful."

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Chen. However, this is a great opportunity to learn about the literary Scholar Forest and the Book Mountain community. Since we're here, there's no reason for us to let it slip by. The two people in the dust are clearly figures who have cultivated their Literary Heart. Add to that Bei Xuan, Zhou Meng, and Huang Xun, and you'll find a lineup like this very well. It would be a real pity to miss this opportunity."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qiu Yan moved and rose up as well, heading towards the swirling sand.

Watching the man's departing figure, Chen Jing gradually suppressed his smile, glanced down at Tao Ying rolling on the ground, and shook his head. "The situation is getting a little out of control, but thankfully it's not too bad."

As he spoke, he walked towards Tao Ying.

"We can't just leave Tao Ying alone. His father-in-law is no ordinary man, but he has a weak will. He was easily swayed by the external influence after just one glance. However, on the other hand, being forced under such pressure is a kind of baptism for his soul. If he can persevere, his will will naturally improve, which is also a blessing for him."

As Chen Jing spoke, the figure of Daoist Lu not far away gradually faded and finally disappeared without a trace. Outside the ship, the two Red Horse Boat also stopped, and Zhou Meng and Huang Xun, who were in the lead, took off and flew straight into the yellow sand!

Whoosh!

In the yellow sand, in the dim and chaotic atmosphere, each grain of sand contains a piece of knowledge, and is connected to the entire Book Mountain. If an ordinary person accidentally touches a grain of sand, the dust will immediately cause them to be impacted by the torrent of information, and their soul will explode. However, those who have condensed their Literary Heart can guard their own path, close off their perception of the outside world, and thus isolate themselves from the torrent.

At this moment, after entering the area shrouded in sand and dust, although he was cut off from all other information, Qiu Yan could still catch a chaotic jumble of thoughts, as if countless people were whispering in his ear.

"No... it's impossible... it's out of the question... let's give up..."

P. S.: Thanks to "Fatty Ahe" and "Fragrant Dance" for their monthly votes!

Thank you to "Cold Wind Through Broken Leaves" and "Great Idler, Little Fool" for casting your review votes!