The moment it opened, Literary Energy surged toward him like a boundless ocean, wave after endless wave.
Dazzling golden light filled his entire field of vision.
When he came back to his senses, he was already standing in an entirely new world.
Chen Mu could clearly sense that this world had been formed from a special kind of energy. It was not real.
Only his consciousness had been transported here. His physical body was still in Qingyun Prefecture.
Ink mountains, ink rivers, ink clouds, ink birds...
"An ink-wash painting?"
Chen Mu looked around, the corners of his lips lifting slightly with interest.
It certainly captured the atmosphere to perfection.
Beyond a stone bridge, he could see a tall mountain not far away, with a pavilion atop it.
Two people sat inside the pavilion, playing Go.
The others stood beside them, quietly watching.
Every so often, they offered a word of praise. "What a brilliant move, Elder Mo!"
"Elder Li's move was equally eye-opening! I've learned so much!"
With Elder Li pressing him at every turn, Elder Mo held a black stone between his fingers, his hand stopping in midair just as he was about to place it.
He turned to look into the distance. "Oh! Has someone finally passed the Literary Energy trial and entered the Literary Abyss World?"
"Why bother with him? Focus on the game," Elder Li urged.
As Great Confucians, they were the examiners for the Literary Abyss's final trial.
Looking back, thousands of years had passed since anyone had reached the summit of Ink Mountain to take the trial.
Thus, in Elder Li's eyes, the Southern Region's Literary Energy had long since dried up. The Confucian Dao? It no longer existed!
This was now the age of Sword Cultivation, saber cultivators, spear cultivators... Everyone was far