The Jade Elegance Kingdom lay south of Great Yan and was one of the most representative kingdoms among the southern nations.
Its lands held many mountains and few plains. Its easternmost border lay twelve hundred li from the East Sea, making it a thoroughly landlocked country, and its customs largely belonged to a cultural sphere similar to Great Yong's.
Within the Jade Elegance Kingdom stood Heavenly Battle Mountain. Its terrain was precipitous, and even its outskirts were difficult to traverse, yet its scenery was lovely and its spiritual energy lively. Though hardly renowned, it was unquestionably an extraordinary place, nurturing spiritual beauty within and concealing its treasured radiance.
On this day, just before dawn, the Mountain God of Heavenly Battle Mountain appeared atop a great mountain, gazing out over the terrain and the flow of spiritual energy throughout the range.
As the first light of dawn pierced the darkness, the spiritual energy of Heavenly Battle Mountain's unique terrain blended harmoniously with the power of the rising sun. In the Mountain God's eyes, the mist across hundreds of li of mountains seemed to come alive.
Spiritual energy surged like a tide, and spiritual currents roamed. Here and there in the mountains, faint, elusive streaks of light flitted through the air.
Sometimes, a tiny wisp of that flowing light would settle on a cliff or some other precipitous spot, where perhaps an exotic flower or rare herb happened to grow.
The Mountain God swept his gaze toward a cliff on the outskirts of the mountains. There, an herb gatherer hung from a rope against the sheer rock face, struggling to climb. At last, he found a special medicinal herb, and wild delight filled his face.
Anyone who could come to Heavenly Battle Mountain to gather herbs was quite capable indeed.
The Mountain