Mountain Observation

Host: Gu Yuanqing

Title: North Spring Mountain Master

Title Enhancement: Mountain Observation

Cultivation aptitude: mediocre and untalented (one in a hundred)

Cultivation Talent: mediocre and untalented (outstanding)

Swordsmanship Talent: mediocre and untalented (unparalleled)

Comprehension: above average (unparalleled) Residence: North Spring Mountain (Spirit-Nurturing Ordinary Mountain)

Domain Empowerment: cultivation aptitude +2, swordsmanship aptitude +3, comprehension +3; two wisps of spiritual energy from heaven and earth available daily.

My talent and comprehension have both risen a grade, and I get one more wisp of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi each day. That means I can cultivate at least twice as fast as before.

Most importantly, there are those words, "Spirit-Nurturing Ordinary Mountain." North Spring Mountain is still only the embryonic form of a spirit mountain. Once its spirit nurturing succeeds, it will transform into a spirit mountain—a sacred ground for cultivation!

Gu Yuanqing smiled, but a slight frown soon creased his brow.

The most pressing issue is still a Cultivation Technique. After a month of cultivation, I've nourished thirty-five acupoints. Only the Baihui Acupoint at the crown of my head remains before I can establish my Profound Martial Foundation. But imprisoned here on North Spring Mountain, how am I supposed to find a method for the next stage?

With these thoughts swirling through his mind, Gu Yuanqing returned to his little courtyard. His mind was too cluttered, and he felt somewhat weary, making him unfit to cultivate. Instead, he picked up another book to read.

"In the year 316 of the Great Qian calendar, the jiashen year, the Crimson Dragon Cult sacrificed three thousand boys and girls in the waters of the Qi River in South Goose Path to open a Demon Realm Passage. Three cities in South Goose Path fell, and their people were plunged into misery. Hundreds of thousands of commoners were slaughtered to the last, reduced to food for demons. Seven friends and I rushed to South Goose's aid..."

This was a travelogue of Great Qian, recounting a Great Calamity two hundred years earlier. Of the Great Qian Dynasty's seven Grandmasters who fought in that battle, only three survived, while countless True Martial soldiers were killed or wounded.

Judging by the experiences recorded in the book, its author must also have possessed considerable cultivation. Gu Yuanqing read it with great care.

Halfway through, he flipped back to the cover to look at the author's name.

The author is Zhou Yan. Haven't I come across that name in another book?

His gaze moved to the bookshelf, then settled on a book of miscellaneous accounts. He pulled it out and, following his memory, turned to page seventy-six. Sure enough, Zhou Yan's name was there.

Gu Yuanqing compared the experiences recorded in the two books and finally confirmed that they referred to the same person. His eyes lit up.

Zhou Yan of Wuding View, True Martial Seventh Layer. This travelogue deserves careful study. Quite a few passages refer to cultivation in the True Martial Realm. It looks like a travelogue, but it actually contains many insights into cultivation.

Gu Yuanqing took out paper and a brush and copied every passage that might concern True Martial cultivation.

Combining these with the occasional teachings on True Martial cultivation he had heard from instructors at the Prince's Manor, he gradually formed a broad understanding of the Profound Martial Secret Treasure and the Spirit Refining Method.

The secret treasures lay hidden within the acupoints, like Mount Sumeru contained within a mustard seed;

The spirit served as a guide to open the secret treasures;

The great array of acupoints served as a foundation to anchor the secret treasures within the body.

This was the path of cultivation in the True Martial Realm!

This discovery seemed to throw open a box in Gu Yuanqing's mind. He brought over some books he had read in recent days and copied out passage after passage.

More and more insights arose in his mind, but they were scattered fragments, missing crucial pieces and a thread to connect them.

Afraid he would forget these insights, he wrote them down as well.

Before he knew it, the light had faded. The sun had already set.

Only then did Gu Yuanqing realize he had not even eaten lunch. Going outside, he found a basket on the table. When he opened it, the food inside was still steaming hot.

After eating, he returned to his desk. Looking at the thoughts he had recorded, Gu Yuanqing almost doubted that they were his own work.

Is this what unparalleled comprehension is like?

Suppressing his excitement, he first organized his thoughts anew, then selected another book from the shelf to study.

In the blink of an eye, it was late at night. He finally laid down his brush. He had filled several more sheets with dense writing that evening, though truth and falsehood were mixed together. Some passages were merely the authors' conjectures. Later, he would have to sift out the false and preserve the true.

Gu Yuanqing rubbed his wrist, rose, and searched the bookshelf.

There are still too few books. This is the only useful one left.

Not enough. Nowhere near enough. I need more books about the True Martial Realm! If I had a True Martial Secret Manuals, perhaps I could deduce a method suited to me!

I'll continue tomorrow. It's time to cultivate!

He returned to his bedroom and sat cross-legged. First, he closed his eyes to rest his mind and settle his thoughts. Only after the distractions dispersed and his mind cleared did he begin circulating his Cultivation Technique.

With his aptitude and comprehension improved, he felt his mental awareness sharpen as well. As he circulated his qi and blood, he discovered numerous flaws in his previous cultivation. His method had not flowed in perfect harmony, and the nurturing and tempering of his acupoints had fallen short of completion.

Gu Yuanqing adjusted the rhythm of his Qi and Blood circulation. A short while later, the Vital Energy within him indeed flowed more smoothly and comfortably.

Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi emerged from the North Spring Mountain Phantom, driving his Vital Energy to temper several acupoints anew. Once the two wisps of Spiritual Qi were exhausted, he stopped cultivating.

I still have no method for True Martial cultivation. For now, I should make my foundation as solid and perfect as possible.

After a quick wash, Gu Yuanqing lay down and focused his consciousness on the North Spring Mountain Phantom once more.

In an instant, the scenes across North Spring Mountain appeared before his eyes again.

North Spring Mountain was especially tranquil at night, with a charm different from its daytime appearance. Simply gazing upon this stretch of heaven and earth seemed to make every distracting thought vanish like smoke and clouds.

This was Mountain Observation!

Suddenly, his consciousness jolted out of its reverie. He saw a dark figure slip soundlessly out of the little Courtyard on the Front Mountain and swiftly head toward the rear of the mountain.

That... is the old man. He really does have cultivation, and he's certainly no weakling!

Ever since Gu Yuanqing had noticed the gaunt old man appear soundlessly in the Courtyard that day, he had paid extra attention to him. Yet he had discovered nothing all this time. He had never expected tonight's Mountain Observation to reveal the man's true colors.

The man made his way to a Cliff at the rear of the mountain, then leaped down to a fissure in the mountainside and slipped inside. Instantly, he vanished from Gu Yuanqing's awareness.

I've never visited or seen the inside of that fissure, so it hasn't been imprinted in my consciousness. That makes it a blind spot in my Mountain Observation.

Gu Yuanqing frowned. For now, there was nothing he could do but wait. Yet even after a long while, the man did not emerge. Instead, mental exhaustion forced him to leave the Mountain Observation state.

Unwilling to give up, he rested briefly, then used Mountain Observation again. There was still no sign of the man.

Gu Yuanqing did not dare remain in this state for too long, so he withdrew of his own accord. After a while, he entered it again for another look.

He continued entering and withdrawing like this. Only after more than two hours did he see the old man crawl out of the fissure, covered in dust. The man then returned straight to his quarters and lay down to sleep.

Could that fissure contain the North Spring Sword Sect Legacy Treasure that the Great Qian Imperial Court has been searching for?

With these conjectures in mind, Gu Yuanqing drifted into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, he rose as usual to practice his swordsmanship, then read and copied useful passages. The only difference was that he occasionally entered the Mountain Observation state to check the old man's whereabouts.

He discovered nothing throughout the day. Gu Yuanqing wandered to the rear cliff under the pretense of taking a leisurely stroll, but did not descend. Judging from the old man's movement technique the previous night, he was far from a match for him. Rashly exposing the matter would only put him in danger.

Moreover, judging by the dust on the old man the previous night, he was likely digging a tunnel toward some location and had yet to find anything.

On the second night, he indeed saw the old man slip out of his room again and enter the fissure. Two hours later, the man returned with his head and face covered in dust.

The next several days followed the same pattern.

Only on the ninth day did the old man emerge from the fissure with a woodcutting saber in hand and a dark expression on his face. Returning to his room, he rummaged through the clutter beneath his bed, pulled out a piece of animal hide, and examined it closely.

Gu Yuanqing drew his view closer. The hide depicted a map of North Spring Mountain, with several crosses marked on it in black charcoal.

The following night, the old man took the hide and used his movement technique to travel across North Spring Mountain, seemingly checking the terrain against the map again. Another day later, he entered a fissure on the other side of the mountain.

He really is diligent! Gu Yuanqing chuckled softly. By now, his state of mind had grown increasingly calm. Judging by the marks on the map, the old man had been digging tunnels for a very long time.