Amid ten thousand stretching mountains and rolling peaks, a secluded valley appeared within the boundless sea of forest.
Li Ling descended on his Cloud Escape. Verdant mountains surrounded him, green trees spread their shade, and the cries of birds and beasts rose one after another, as though a boisterous gathering were being held in the woods.
This was southeastern Qian Province, the source of a great river called the Tiao River, which was inseparably linked to the Great Lin River that traversed the entire Mystic Continent.
Spirit resonance abounded here. Though it was not an Immortal Mountain Paradise in the traditional sense, it possessed the auspicious character of an ordinary blessed land. For tens of thousands of miles around, gifted people flourished upon a spiritually rich land. Since ancient times, it had produced heroes in abundance and beauties as numerous as clouds. The surrounding mortal kingdoms each had their own distinctive customs and rich historical and cultural heritage. Even cultivators were often glad to travel here and explore.
Li Ling, however, had not come to sightsee. He had no leisure for that.
He had come at an invitation to meet a senior expert he had known in the past.
After briefly sensing the earth's primordial magnetism with his Earth-Recognition Art to confirm his location, Li Ling headed deeper into the valley.
Before long, he passed through an area of jagged rocks, and the view suddenly opened up before him, as though another world lay hidden within.
A bamboo grove appeared before his eyes. As it swayed gently in the wind, rustling sounds drifted from it now and then.
A winding path led through the middle of the grove into its secluded depths.
Following this man-made path inward, he saw a middle-aged Daoist with an austere, classical countenance, dressed in a