Spiritual Mountain Trial

"Object control—is this how it works?"

Gu Yuanqing looked at the Kunwu Sword hanging on the wall and entered the Mountain Observation state. With a shift of his will, the Kunwu Sword rang out as it left its sheath, hovering in the air before darting back and forth.

Gu Yuanqing steadily familiarized himself with the sensation of object control. With the empowerment of his peerless, boundless comprehension, he quickly grew accustomed to this state. Moments later, Sword Light flashed in every direction as a set of Swordsmanship unfolded in midair.

Then the window opened without a breeze, and the Kunwu Sword shot straight through it, roaming across North Spring Mountain.

Gu Yuanqing grew increasingly playful. The Kunwu Sword flew faster and faster, sending shrill sword whistles through the air.

Object control—this is no longer martial arts, but the means of immortals! Excitement surged through Gu Yuanqing, scattering his thoughts. The Kunwu Sword slipped from his control and fell from the air.

He hurriedly focused his mind, and the Kunwu Sword rose again.

In a side courtyard, an old man lying in bed was startled awake by the noise. He opened his eyes, went to the window, and looked up.

In the military camp below the mountain, Chen Chuanshan, Deputy Commander of Divine Eagle Guard, abruptly opened his eyes as he sat cultivating. He rose, picked up his longbow, and stepped outside.

"General!"

"Follow me up the mountain!" Chen Chuanshan shouted, his figure darting straight toward the summit.

At his command, the soldiers headed into the mountain.

Gu Yuanqing sensed something. The Kunwu Sword returned to a normal speed, slipped silently through the air, then returned to the courtyard.

Chen Chuanshan reached the summit and stood atop a tree. He channeled qi into his eyes, which shone with an eerie light as he scanned North Spring Peak, but he saw no outsiders.

"Which friend has caused such a commotion on North Spring Mountain, yet dares not come out to meet me?" Chen Chuanshan's tone was icy. Anyone startled awake in the middle of the night would be in a foul mood.

North Spring Mountain remained silent. No one answered.

Gu Yuanqing "watched" Chen Chuanshan and the others from afar, rubbing his nose sheepishly. In his momentary excitement, he had never expected to cause such a disturbance. With a guilty conscience, he returned the Kunwu Sword to its sheath and quietly cultivated.

Using his movement technique, Chen Chuanshan circled North Spring Peak like a great bird. Still finding no sign of anything, he could only suppress his irritation and return to the military camp below.

Only after tranquility returned to North Spring Mountain did Gu Yuanqing resume his experiments.

Various objects floated and descended inside his room. After repeated tests, he gradually became familiar with his object control ability.

The heaviest object he could control weighed roughly twenty kilograms. When manipulating multiple objects, he could not achieve the same effortless agility he had shown while controlling the sword.

I still need to practice dividing my attention between multiple tasks. My object control ability should be related to my mental strength. Empowerment merely provides guidance, like software and hardware—even the best program needs good hardware to run.

Once he had familiarized himself with object control, Gu Yuanqing turned his attention to the Spiritual Mountain Trial.

His will stirred, and a mysterious light flashed. Gu Yuanqing found himself in a spacious training ground.

This scene was modeled after the martial training ground on North Spring Mountain.

He looked ahead, where a woman dressed in a fitted black outfit emerged from nothingness.

Zhang Yingdong, True Disciple of the North Spring Sword Sect, true martial fourth layer.

Information about his opponent appeared automatically in Gu Yuanqing's mind.

The Spiritual Mountain Trial drew traces and imprints once left on North Spring Mountain out of the river of time, allowing him to fight them.

Her cultivation is on par with mine. A fine opponent!

Gu Yuanqing's eyes lit up, and his fighting spirit erupted. Throughout his cultivation on this remote mountain, the only person he had fought was the young man that night.

Over the past year, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, yet he had no idea how strong he actually was. This Spiritual Mountain Trial had come at just the right time!

He looked down at his hand, and a standard-issue Flying Sword appeared out of thin air.

At that moment, the woman's formerly vacant eyes seemed to come alive, blazing with sharp light. Her face was cold as ice, and chilling killing intent swept toward him. The next instant, she lunged forward and thrust her Flying Sword, a streak of Sword Light filling Gu Yuanqing's entire vision.

The Yaoguang Sword Technique of the Big Dipper Seven Swords!

Gu Yuanqing narrowed his eyes slightly, identifying her Swordsmanship in an instant. His Flying Sword had already risen to meet hers, and the clash of weapons rang out continuously as they fought.

Among the Big Dipper Seven Swords, the Yaoguang Sword Technique embodied the spirit of the Army Breaker. Its sword movements were like glimmers on water and passing shadows, vanishing in a glance, their speed pushed to the limit.

The Zhang Yingdong before him had grasped its essence. In the snap of a finger, she could unleash as many as thirteen thrusts.

Gu Yuanqing had also practiced this Swordsmanship. Though he had trained in it for less time than his opponent, his extraordinary talent for the sword meant his mastery was no lower than hers, while his insight surpassed hers.

His only shortcoming was his lack of practical experience. He was somewhat flustered at the beginning, but after a few exchanges, he steadied himself.

After more than a dozen fierce exchanges, Gu Yuanqing caught a fleeting opening and pierced her throat with a single thrust.

Zhang Yingdong's figure dissolved.

"Again!"

Gu Yuanqing's fighting spirit was burning fiercely. He had no desire to stop there. With a shift of his will, another figure appeared, this time a tall, powerfully built man who wielded the Kaiyang Sword from the Big Dipper Sword Technique.

Kaiyang represented law, and its sword movements embodied unyielding strength, sweeping wide and striking boldly.

In this man's hands, it seemed less like a sword art of the Martial World and more like that of a general on the battlefield. Every strike carried the weight of a thousand jun.

After parrying only a few blows, Gu Yuanqing's arm had gone numb from the impacts.

In raw strength, I'm no match for him! Gu Yuanqing made that judgment instantly and changed his approach, wielding his sword with nimble finesse and overcoming his enemy through softness.

After another twenty-odd exchanges, Gu Yuanqing spotted an opening again. As they passed each other, his Sword Light swept across the man's neck.

The man's figure vanished. Gu Yuanqing braced his sword against the ground and gasped for breath, his arm trembling faintly.

Fighting really is completely different from sword practice. Though I spotted his openings early on, an opening I can't exploit is no opening at all.

Understanding stirred in Gu Yuanqing's heart. Looking back at the Swordsmanship he had created, he now found many aspects painfully immature.

No wonder the Swordsmanship I created lost so much of its power. By chasing perfection in everything, I made it imperfect instead. Swordsmanship needs trade-offs. If my strike targets something the enemy must defend, then the opening I expose is no longer an opening.

Gu Yuanqing straightened and shouted in a low voice, "Again!"

An hour later, Gu Yuanqing opened his eyes. At first, his gaze was vacant. Then a trace of fear rose in it, and his breathing stopped. Finally, he fully came back to himself, breathing rapidly as his body trembled faintly.

He had just died in the Spiritual Mountain Trial. The sensation of a sword piercing his heart remained vividly etched in his memory.

It took quite some time before he recovered completely.

At full strength, I can fight someone at the true martial sixth layer. Against the true martial seventh layer, I can still see openings, but I can't seize them at all. Even if my sword qi can pierce their true martial protective gang qi, it isn't enough to kill them.

Still, I gained a great deal today. My progress can't even be compared to practicing the sword alone.

Exhaustion filled Gu Yuanqing's eyes. The Spiritual Mountain Trial did not consume true qi, but it drained his mind.

He did not go straight to sleep. Instead, he lay on his bed and entered the Mountain Observation state. By now, he had become one with North Spring Mountain. Mountain Observation no longer consumed his mental strength; instead, it nourished his mind.

After the night passed, he was brimming with energy again.

Early in the morning, he returned to the Eastern Mountain Rock, entered the Mountain Observation state, and quietly waited for the sun to rise so he could gather qi of heaven gang.

Suddenly, he "heard" someone among the imperial guards below the mountain say, "Brother Qian, have you heard the news?"

"What news? Why are you being so secretive?"

"The Princess of our Great Qian Dynasty is getting married!"