The Three Southern Passes.
Among those endless mountains stood an unremarkable, nameless hill.
It rose no more than a hundred zhang. Its slopes were gentle and its vegetation sparse; at first glance, it looked no different from any other hill.
Yet if a Spirit Transformation Cultivator searched it carefully with Divine Sense, he would discover an extremely well-hidden stone chamber inside.
The chamber was small, measuring roughly ten zhang across. Its walls were reinforced with special formation patterns that blocked all Divine Sense from outside.
The hidden chamber was dim.
Its only light came from a few Moonlight Stones set into the walls, casting a faint, cold glow.
Two people sat inside.
One wore a black Daoist robe. His hair and beard were white, his face gaunt, his eyes half-closed. A faint medicinal fragrance surrounded him.
He was Dan Xuzi, grand elder of the Pill Cauldron Sect.
The other also had white hair and beard. Dressed in gray robes with a sword case on his back, he stood straight as a pine. His face was stern, and a keen sword intent lay between his brows.
He was Jian Wuchen, grand elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
They sat across a stone table from each other. The pot of tea between them had long since gone cold.
A heavy, oppressive air filled the chamber.
After a long while.
Dan Xuzi slowly opened his eyes. Gloom filled them.
He lifted his cold tea and took a sip. "Who would have thought... this Xu Beimu—no, we should call him Ji Yuan now."
He paused, as though tasting the unfamiliar name.
"Who would have thought Ji Yuan had such strength?"
A trace of bitterness crept into Dan Xuzi's voice.
"At the Nascent Soul Early Stage, he unleashed the power of the Nascent Soul Late