More than half a month had passed since he returned from Mount Hua, and the semester was drawing to a close.
The air was beginning to fill with the relaxation and anticipation peculiar to summer vacation.
Li Qingshan sat alone at his desk, several copies of ancient texts spread out before him,
along with several sheets of fine drafts covered in star charts and mountain ranges,
and a rubbing of a damaged stone carving taken from a hidden spot on Mount Hua.
In the lamplight, the patterns on the rubbing were ancient and indistinct, not writing,
but more like an abstract combination of a star chart and the course of the earth's veins,
interspersed with some hard-to-identify sacrificial patterns that gave off a vast, ancient air.
If not for his Divine Seed's extraordinary sensitivity and his spiritual perception far surpassing that of ordinary people,
and if he had not, by chance, on a late night under a particular starlight,
carefully examined it with his divine sense from a special angle,
he could never have found the ancient carving, which wind and rain had eroded until it had almost completely blended into the mountain rock.
His fingers were long and steady as they slowly traced a winding, obscure line on the rubbing, his gaze as deep and still as a pool.
"Classic of Mountains and Seas, Classic of Regions West of the Seas, records:
'The Kunlun ruins within the seas lie in the northwest, the Lower Capital of the Emperor. The Kunlun ruins are eight hundred li across and ten thousand ren high.'"
"Volume eighteen of Seven Slips of the Cloudy Satchel quotes Laozi's Central Scripture of the Chronological Repository:
'Mount Kunlun is the pivot of the northern lands, reaching upward to the celestial sphere. Primordial Qi flows forth, and the five constants and the jade balance govern the nine heavens and harmonize yin and yang.'"
"Huainanzi, Treatise on the Topography of the Earth, says:
'Above the Hill of Kunlun, at twice its height, is the Mountain of Cool Winds. Those who ascend it do not die;
above that, at twice the height, is the Hanging Garden. Those who ascend it become spiritual beings, able to summon wind and rain;
above that, at twice the height, are the heavens themselves. Those who ascend become gods. This is called the dwelling of the Supreme Emperor.'"
He recited the passages from the ancient texts in a low voice, clearly audible in the silent room.
Each ancient account corroborated and clashed with the indistinct patterns on the rubbing
and his Divine Seed's faint perception of the earth's veins.
The chaos-colored Divine Seed in his sea of consciousness rotated slowly, giving off a hazy, clear glow.
He continued to deduce, verify, and eliminate possibilities.
The incomplete ancient star chart seemed to come alive before his "eyes,"
matching the paths of the stars that filled the sky in his memory, one by one.
"Lower Capital of the Emperor, pivot of the northern lands, primordial Qi flowing forth."
"The stars shift, the earth's veins move unseen, not fixed, but following the courses of the heavens."
"There is more than one formation core, hidden in the void, appearing at certain times."
The scattered clues, vague sensations, and vast sea of records in the classics
were gradually teased apart strand by strand, sorted, pieced together, and integrated by his inhuman mind.
The night passed in silence, broken only by the breeze outside and the occasional rustle of paper and scratch of his pen inside.
When a fish-belly white appeared on the eastern horizon,
Li Qingshan finally put down his pen.
On the draft paper before him was a relatively complete diagram of his deductions, covered in intricate annotations.
It used the Big Dipper as its central reference, supplemented by the stars of the Ziwei Enclosure and their courses,
corresponding to an extremely vast yet specific area of the western Mount Kunlun Range.
It marked several possible energy nodes that changed periodically with the time of year, the phases of the moon, and particular celestial configurations,
and calculated the nearest window of activity.
"So that's how it is."
Li Qingshan let out a long breath, his eyes shining brilliantly. Far from looking tired, he was full of vigor.
"It's neither a fixed entrance nor merely hidden.
Its 'gateway' shifts and changes between the nodes of the earth's veins as the stars move and the Dipper turns, repeating in endless cycles.
"Unless one's karmic ties run deep and fortune brings the right encounter, it's hard even to sense its existence, let alone catch that fleeting chance when it opens.
"Without heaven-reaching strength and insight into the laws of the void, even someone lucky enough to find it wouldn't be able to shake the protective formation in the slightest.
If they forced their way in, the formation's power would likely grind them to dust in an instant."
He stood, walked to the window, and pushed it open. Taking a deep breath of the crisp morning air, he looked northwest.
His gaze pierced through a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers, and he saw the towering range shrouded in endless myths and legends.
The true Kunlun, home of the myriad gods, the Lower Capital of the Emperor, and dwelling place of the immortals, was by no means the ordinary snowy mountain plateau the world saw.
It was there, and yet it was not.
Several days later, the semester officially ended, and the campus was filled with the bustle of students leaving for the vacation.
Li Qingshan went to the dean's office in the College of Humanities.
"Oh? Qingshan, have you made plans for the summer? Going back home, or going somewhere for a trip?"
Dean Wang, whose hair was streaked with gray, was sorting documents. He smiled when he saw Li Qingshan and asked.
He was very pleased with this young and promising lecturer.
Li Qingshan placed an application he had written in advance on the dean's desk and spoke calmly.
"Dean, I do have a plan for the summer.
I want to take advantage of the long break to conduct academic fieldwork in the west and gather firsthand material for a research project."
Dean Wang picked up the report, adjusted his reading glasses, and read aloud.
"'The Origins and Development of Ancient Kunlun Mythology and Field Research into Its Geography.' Hmm, this is a very worthwhile subject!
Kunlun culture really is one of the important sources of Chinese civilization. It deserves in-depth study."
He looked through the detailed plans and expected objectives listed in the report, nodding repeatedly.
"However..."
He put down the report and looked at Li Qingshan.
"The west is vast, and conditions are complicated. Especially around the Mount Kunlun Range, many places are rarely visited.
If you go alone, can you guarantee your safety? Should the college contact a partner institution out there, or organize a small team?"
Li Qingshan gave him a grateful smile.
"Thank you for your concern, Dean.
I've already made thorough preparations and plans.
I'll mainly be surveying and mapping relatively safe areas where there's already a foundation of research, and interviewing local people about their customs.
I won't go deep into dangerous, undeveloped areas.
Going alone will actually give me more freedom and flexibility. I'll take safety very seriously."
Dean Wang pondered for a moment. He knew Li Qingshan had always been steady and reliable, with an extremely rigorous approach to scholarship.
Since he had said so, he must have given it thorough consideration.
"All right. Since you've made up your mind, I support you."
Dean Wang picked up his pen and signed the report.
"Under the regulations, the college can reimburse part of your fieldwork expenses, so keep your receipts.
If you need a letter of introduction or anything like that, come to me anytime."
He paused, then added a reminder.
"But Qingshan, remember this: safety first! Academic results are important, but personal safety always comes first.
Keep in touch!"
"I understand. Thank you, Dean! I'll call you regularly on a satellite phone to let you know I'm safe."
Li Qingshan gave his solemn assurance.
Another day later, at the family dinner table.
"You're going west for academic fieldwork over the summer? And you're going to Mount Kunlun?"
His mother, Su Wan, paused as she ladled soup, worry immediately appearing on her face.
"I've heard the altitude is high and the oxygen is terribly thin, and it's all wild mountains and wilderness, full of snakes, insects, and wild beasts. How could we not worry about you going alone?"
His father, Li Guoqiang, did not object immediately, but his brow tightened too, and he put down his wine cup.
"What made you think of going there? Summer vacation is long. Wouldn't it be better to rest at home or take a look around nearby?"
Li Qingshan picked up food for his parents and explained gently, his voice carrying a trace of excitement for academic inquiry.
"Dad, Mom, this is a very important research project about ancient Mount Kunlun mythology and geographical investigation.
A lot of mysteries point there, and summer vacation is the longest break, so it's just right for in-depth field research.
It's a rare opportunity."
Seeing that his parents were still worried, he smiled and added,
"Don't worry. I'm not going to climb above the snow line or venture into uninhabited areas.
I'm going to places where herders live and there are research stations, to conduct interviews and make records. It's very safe.
I've prepared all my equipment too, everything for the cold and sun, plus communications equipment.
Look how well I've trained my body these past few years. I'll definitely be able to handle the altitude."
He paused and joked,
"Maybe I'll even find some 'immortal pills' to bring back for you to try."
Su Wan laughed and gave him a reproachful pat.
"Don't be silly! Immortal pills or not, nothing matters more than you coming back safe and sound."
Li Guoqiang sighed. He knew his son had a mind of his own, and once he decided on something, it was hard to change his mind, especially when it was serious business.
He raised his wine cup and took a sip.
"All right, the boy's going to do serious work, to conduct research.
As long as you know what you're doing.
You must call home every day, or at least every two days, to let us know you're safe!"
"Absolutely! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
Li Qingshan promised at once.
Only after much persuasion did he manage to put his parents' minds somewhat at ease.
Over the following days, Li Qingshan began preparing his gear.
He took out some things he had collected here and there over the years while visiting famous mountains, things that might prove useful:
a few jade offcuts containing faint traces of the essence Qi of heaven and earth, perhaps useful for setting up a temporary formation or replenishing what he expended;
a small bottle of residue from an unknown spiritual liquid, obtained from a hidden cavern in Dunhuang and now nearly dried up, with an ancient air about it;
a section of charred Lightning-Struck Wood core, containing a wisp of Pure Yang Qi;
and several badly rusted fragments of damaged magical artifacts, made of rather unusual materials. Their original forms could no longer be discerned, but they were incomparably hard.
In the present day, with cultivation civilization on Earth's surface long since severed, such things were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
For him as he was now, they were a stockpile better than nothing,
and perhaps at some special moment they might prove unexpectedly useful.
He also carefully drew several protective talismans, repeatedly nourishing them with his own pure divine power.
He quietly slipped them into his parents' underclothes or placed them at key spots around the house,
and urged them to carry the peace talismans hanging at home with them at all times in the near future.
Finally, he checked the correspondence between the star chart he had deduced and the earth's veins once more,
and precisely calculated the best time to enter during summer vacation and the corresponding window for the geographical coordinates.
Everything was ready.
He bid farewell to the colleagues he knew well and reassured his parents again and again,
then flew to Urumqi Airport, the closest airport to Mount Kunlun.
Concealing himself, Li Qingshan shot into the sky and straight into the clouds. The familiar cityscape rapidly shrank below him.
The city gradually receded, giving way to vast farmland, then the desolate Gobi. Finally,
at the edge of heaven and earth, the Mount Kunlun Range slowly came into view, a towering, magnificent giant dragon of unbroken snowy peaks.
Before long, Li Qingshan appeared on the eastern outskirts of the Mount Kunlun Range.
Standing on a high slope, he gazed out over a thousand sheer peaks and ten thousand deep ravines.
A desolate, ancient, and majestic presence swept over him, inspiring awe,
as though he had entered the primordial wilderness at the dawn of creation.
The air here was as cold and clear as spring water chilled with ice.
Drawn into his lungs, it carried a pure chill, yet was exceptionally clean.
Ordinary tourists or geological surveyors who came here might only be awed by the Creator's mighty power,
feeling their hearts open at the high heavens, broad earth, and magnificent scenery, though they might also feel a little unwell from the lack of oxygen.
But Li Qingshan felt something entirely different. One could even call it delight!
In his perception, although this land was still beneath the immense shackles of the Age of Dharma's End,
the essence Qi of heaven and earth drifting freely through the air was more than ten times as dense as in the bustling cities outside!
"The gateway really is here. The essence Qi of heaven and earth leaking out is already this astonishing..."
Li Qingshan sighed softly, a bright light flickering in his eyes.
The Chaos Divine Seed in his sea of consciousness was unusually active at this moment, trembling gently at an unprecedented frequency.
It gave off waves of unbounded joy, like a thirsty traveler catching the scent of water,
yearning instinctively.
Li Qingshan advanced swiftly toward the depths of the mountains.
His steps did not seem fast, as leisurely as if he were climbing a mountain to admire the scenery,
With every step, he shrank the ground beneath him. His figure flickered several times,
and he swiftly left behind the noisy area from which voices occasionally drifted,
fully merging into this wild, ancient, and silent world.
The scenery around him grew ever more primordial. Bizarre peaks and strange rocks rose craggy and sheer, while deep ravines and secluded valleys plunged beyond sight.
The cold wind howled over the ridges, whipping up icy snow dust.
Now and then, an eagle's cry pierced the vast sky, lending the place an even deeper sense of loneliness and mystery.
As he pressed onward, the essence Qi of heaven and earth in the air grew denser at a perceptible rate.
He stopped from time to time, sometimes gazing up late at night at the astonishingly brilliant starry sky to discern the paths of the stars;
he carefully sensed the subtle changes and hidden connections between the earth veins and starlight, continually adjusting his direction and pace.
"Almost there."
He looked toward the distant region of snow peaks shrouded in thick clouds and mist, magnificent and ever-changing, as though they were connected to the heavens.
His gaze was as deep as the stars.
"According to my calculations, the next point at which the entrance fluctuates will be near that region, sometime in the next few days."
The true Kunlun Immortal Mountain, the Lower Capital of the Emperor, seemed to be visible in the distance.