Chapter 287 : The Opening of Yuqing Mountain

Chapter 287: The Opening of Yuqing Mountain

Gazing at the fading figure of his junior disciple, True Monarch Jiang Chuan silently recited their master's name in his heart.

After receiving his master’s approval, he opened the official website of the Yuqing Immortal Sect, input the decree of a True Monarch, and sent a notification across the entire sect.

【Announcement on the Time-Limited Opening of Yuqing Mountain】: Seven days from now, at the hour of Chen, Yuqing Mountain will open for three months. All those who hold a Yuqing Token may apply for entry to undergo trials and seek fated companionship.

【Application List】: Sect-Level Three, Water-Wood System Student – Chen Beiwu

While Chen Beiwu was researching how to subdue the Five Qi Vine, the Yuqing Immortal Sect's website refreshed.

The notice regarding the opening of the Yuqing Mountain Range was prominently displayed on the homepage and was continuously pushed to the sect's teachers and students.

Perhaps it was for the spectacle, or to build momentum for Chen Beiwu becoming the sect’s chief disciple, or perhaps in the name of fairness, but the Yuqing Immortal Sect even made the list of applicants fully public.

One stone stirred a thousand ripples.

The sudden push notification about the mountain’s opening caught the attention of many prodigies within the Yuqing Immortal Sect.

Qiyun Residence, above the outer grounds of the First Peak Cave Residence.

Amidst the boundless sea of clouds, sword qi raged in all directions.

Mo Qingshuang, dressed in white, stood tall. The chilling glow of the Cold Sky Sword in his hand split into thousands of strands, stirring celestial phenomena.

“Clang!”

Sensing someone approaching, Mo Qingshuang’s brow twitched slightly. The sword light coalesced into one and slashed forward.

Where the sword light passed, the cloud sea shattered inch by inch, and all spiritual essence was obliterated.

“What is it?” Mo Qingshuang’s eyebrows lifted slightly, his voice cold and clear.

He disliked being disturbed while practicing swordsmanship—something Junior Li knew well. Could something major have happened?

The visitor swallowed hard, seemingly intimidated by the sword qi, and took a moment to compose himself before replying, “Senior Mo, Yuqing Mountain is opening!”

“Zheng!” A piercing sword cry rang through the clouds.

Mo Qingshuang slowly sheathed his sword. The long blade in his hand reverted to its original form—a liquid Companion Beast whose true form could not be clearly seen—landing on his shoulder.

“What did you say?”

Mo Qingshuang’s voice remained calm, but an undispersed sword intent erupted with force.

“Yuqing Mountain is opening.” The junior wiped cold sweat from his brow. “Anyone with a Yuqing Token may enter. They say... it’s opening for Chen Beiwu…”

Before he finished speaking, the surrounding sword intent silenced him.

‘So this is the Fourth Realm of the Sword Dao—One Sword Shatters Ten Thousand Arts?’ The junior’s pupils constricted violently.

There were seven realms in the Sword Dao: the first was Thunderous Sword Qi, the second, Sword Light Division, the third, Profound Sword Intent, and the fourth—One Sword Shatters Ten Thousand Arts.

Senior Mo was a prodigy among prodigies, someone who had already mastered a realm that even Nascent Soul True Monarchs might never comprehend, all while still in the Golden Core Stage.

Unfortunately, times had changed. Pure sword cultivators were no longer prioritized by the Thirteen Immortal Sects.

Had it been the ancient or even archaic era, Senior Mo would have undoubtedly become a peerless Sword Immortal, unmatched among his peers.

“Stand down.”

Mo Qingshuang didn’t trouble his subordinate. He took out his phone and began searching for information on Chen Beiwu.

‘Once defeated by the Holy Maiden of the Supreme Yin Grotto-Heaven. Flawless Foundation Establishment. Ranked third on the Rising Star List. Contracted with a mutated Golden-Scaled Beast. Companion Beast has recently shown signs of advancing to the Third Realm, Beast General rank…’

The more Mo Qingshuang read, the more off it felt.

He, too, had been a Flawless Foundation Establishment cultivator and had once obtained a Yuqing Token.

If his guess was correct, among the 24523rd class of the Immortal Sect, the three Flawless Foundation Establishment students, including Yu Zhaohua with her Innate Dao Body, had all received Yuqing Tokens.

But Yuqing Tokens were extremely rare!

To contract the Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast, the Five Qi Vine—or perhaps the Fortune-Origin Beast—Mo Qingshuang had been advised by his clan elders not to use his token hastily.

Now, with the sect making such a grand announcement, were they really promoting Chen Beiwu, or did they believe he truly had the potential to contract the Five Qi Vine and become the new chief disciple?

Mo Qingshuang shook his head, using his sword intent to suppress all stray thoughts, then retrieved the Yuqing Token from his storage ring and promptly submitted an application on the Yuqing Immortal Sect's official site.

Originally, he had planned to wait until his cultivation had reached late-stage Golden Core before using the Yuqing Token to enter the mountain and attempt to contract the Five Qi Vine.

But since Chen Beiwu had already stepped onto the field, he could only follow suit.

There was no helping it. Even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance that Chen Beiwu could successfully contract the Five Qi Vine, Mo Qingshuang could not allow him to get a head start.

As the saying went: better safe than sorry.

…

Qiyun Residence, another First Peak Cave Residence.

“Buzz!”

When Mo Qingshuang’s name suddenly appeared on the application list for Yuqing Mountain, Yu Zhaohua’s delicate brows arched slightly.

Mo Qingshuang, ranked tenth on the Yuxu Rankings, mid-stage Golden Core cultivation, from the Tungsten Mountain Mo Clan—he was one of the rare peerless sword cultivators in the Yuqing Immortal Sect, boasting formidable combat strength.

If not for his cultivation not yet reaching peak Golden Core, he could likely have ranked within the top three of the Yuxu Rankings—a powerful opponent not to be underestimated.

“No choice, then.”

Yu Zhaohua sighed, but her eyes held a flicker of barely concealed anticipation.

If it came to a duel, her pre-Golden Core cultivation could not match Mo Qingshuang.

But factoring in her Crimson Fortune Coiled Dragon and her Innate Dao Body, she might just be able to contend across realms with Mo Qingshuang.

More importantly, this venture into the Yuqing Mountain Range wasn’t about strength, but about who could gain the favor of the beast they sought.

‘The Five Qi Vine belongs to me.’

Yu Zhaohua closed her fingers in the air, as if everything was already within her grasp.

Though the plan had changed, with the Five Qi Vine by her side, her comprehension of the Yuqing Nine Revolutions Yuanshi Pill Canon would become significantly easier.

…

Qiyun Residence, Third Peak Cave Residence.

In the tea room, the sound of boiling water from the jade stove gradually rose. Two people sat in silence, exchanging glances.

After a long pause, Shen Yuanbao broke the silence. “Yuqing Mountain is opening. It must be the sect leaders opening it for Chen Beiwu.”

Gu Xiao smiled calmly. “I know.”

There was no shortage of sharp-eyed individuals within the Yuqing Immortal Sect—anyone could tell the sect's announcement had a particular slant.

But that was to be expected. After all, True Monarch Jiang Chuan was Chen Beiwu’s senior brother.

“Shall we enter Yuqing Mountain together?” Shen Yuanbao proposed.

“Together?” Gu Xiao’s eyes lifted slightly as he looked at Shen Yuanbao, his tone intriguing.

“That doesn’t sound like something you’d say. What’s wrong—did losing to Chen Beiwu shake your spirit?”

At those words, Shen Yuanbao stood up without responding. He turned and walked straight out.

“Wait.”

Gu Xiao set down his teacup, stopped Shen Yuanbao, and said with interest, “How are we going to work together?”

“I’ll provide the Four-Aspects Mystic Ginseng, and you’ll bring the Earthmother Yellow Essence. The combined medicinal aroma of the two has a chance of attracting the Five Qi Vine to appear.”

Shen Yuanbao stopped and turned, his gaze fixed on Gu Xiao, speaking concisely, “When the Five Qi Vine appears, it’s each to their own. If others interfere, we fight them together.”

“Agreed.” Gu Xiao nodded, sighing inwardly.

Yuqing Mountain was the foremost blessed land under the Immortal Alliance. Within it dwelled a great number of Fourth-Tier Mystic Beasts, and even Fifth-Tier Fortune-Origin Beasts appeared from time to time.

To be honest, given a choice, he didn’t actually want to enter Yuqing Mountain so early.

Unfortunately, the contract quotas for the Five Qi Vine were extremely limited!

Within a millennium, the Yuqing Immortal Sect would only release one or two slots for contracting the Five Qi Vine. Once the quota was filled, students of the sect would no longer have the opportunity.

As it happened, the current chief of the Yuqing Immortal Sect was a contractor of the Five Qi Vine, who had made a renowned name for himself across the Thirteen Immortal Sects thanks to his Companion Beast. As a result, only one slot remained within this millennium.

Under these circumstances, with prodigious cultivators clamoring to enter Yuqing Mountain to contract the Five Qi Vine, it was natural for upheaval to stir within the sect, drawing prodigies from all around.

…

Mirror Moon Sect, Southern Wastes, Hall of Mysteries.

Chen Beiwu was unaware of the stir on the Yuqing Immortal Sect’s official site.

“Dao Child, this is the current list of rare items available for requisition within the Hall of Mysteries. If anything catches your eye, simply register it with your token and you may take it directly.”

Deacon Zhao Heng respectfully presented a scroll of spiritual jade slips, silently breathing a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Jiang True Heir had not been obstinate back then and decisively abandoned Chen Zi’ang. Otherwise, the grass on his grave might already be three meters tall.

Taking the jade slip, Chen Beiwu lightly tapped it with his fingertip and activated his divine sense to browse through it.

【Nether-Communion Heart Lotus】

【True-Gold Essence Condensate】

【Xuantian Wood Core】

…

【Soul-Fixing Essence Pill】

‘As expected of the Hall of Mysteries—its foundations are deep. Even a rare Third-Tier top-grade treasure pill like the Soul-Fixing Essence Pill, which allows a cultivator to defy fate and enhance their divine sense and comprehension, is in storage.’

Chen Beiwu marked the pill with his divine sense, silently noting it.

He continued scanning downward and eventually locked onto two more treasures.

The first was the Third-Tier top-grade treasure herb, 【Di’luo Five-Element Ginseng】.

Its roots were of five colors, coiled like dragons and serpents—a rare Five-Element treasure herb. When eaten raw, it could enhance the purity of one’s Five-Element Spiritual Roots based on their own spiritual root quality. It was also the primary ingredient in the Third-Tier Golden Core treasure pill, Five-Element Gold-Forming Pill.

The second was the Third-Tier top-grade treasure liquor, 【Bixia Five-Element Dew】.

This elixir was not artificially brewed but produced by the Golden Core Ape King raised in the sect’s Beast Garden.

Its color mirrored sunrise upon snow, shimmering with rainbow light. Its flavor combined the chill of mystic springs with fruit, earth, wood, and liquor aromas, packing a powerful aftertaste.

Cultivators who consumed it would see cultivation enhancement and barrier breakthroughs; for treasure beasts, it nourished the bloodline and refined the flesh. However, excessive consumption led to internal combustion, doing more harm than good.

‘Soul-Fixing Essence Pill, Di’luo Five-Element Ginseng, Bixia Five-Element Dew!’

Seeing Chen Beiwu’s selected items, Zhao Heng couldn’t help but show a troubled expression. “Dao Child, you have a good eye. These three items are all rare treasures. I’ll need a little time to allocate them.”

“No matter. As long as they arrive within two days.” Chen Beiwu gave a slight nod.

The Five Qi Vine was not a spirit that gained sentience through cultivation, but rather a highly intelligent Heaven-and-Earth Spiritual Root. It couldn’t be subdued by force—only by appealing to its preferences.

The Di’luo Five-Element Ginseng and Bixia Five-Element Dew were the gifts Chen Beiwu had meticulously prepared for his first meeting with the vine—lures to draw it out.

As for the Soul-Fixing Essence Pill, that was for his personal use.

With permission to open another meridian, as long as he didn’t go overboard, even the sect’s Patriarch would turn a blind eye.

The only regret Chen Beiwu had was that while he could access Fourth-Tier mystic herbs and pills with his current privileges, the cost in contribution points was far too high—completely out of reach.

…

Soon, seven days passed.

At dawn, the cloud sea surged.

Before the front mountain of the Yuqing Mountain Range, a thousand-zhang waterfall cascaded like a silver river, kicking up misty vapor.

The cultivation plaza near the front mountain had long gathered the Yuqing Immortal Sect’s prodigies from the past century.

Mo Qingshuang, clad in white, stood beneath a green pine at the plaza’s edge, his gaze occasionally scanning the crowd, pausing on several figures.

‘Interesting.’

Near the waterfall, Yu Zhaohua seemed to sense something and locked eyes with Mo Qingshuang.

Their gazes clashed, and the air tensed.

At that moment, footsteps echoed in the distance, breaking their stare and drawing the attention of all present prodigies.

“Step!”

“Step!”

“Step!”

As Chen Beiwu stepped onto the cultivation plaza, every gaze from the sect’s prodigies turned toward him.

“That’s Chen Beiwu?” Mo Qingshuang’s brows furrowed slightly, a bit surprised.

Seeing was believing.

In Mo Qingshuang’s eyes, both Yu Zhaohua and Chen Beiwu were indeed peerless prodigies—but they were still seedlings of the new generation, not yet matured, needing decades more of harsh cultivation before they could barely stand as his equals.

To put it bluntly, he had considered only his peers as real competition for contracting the Five Qi Vine—not these juniors.

But upon witnessing Yu Zhaohua and Chen Beiwu in person, sensing them through spiritual perception, he realized he had committed the sin of arrogance.

Even among sect prodigies, gaps existed!

Though they had cultivated for far less time, both Yu Zhaohua and Chen Beiwu gave him a faint sense of threat.

‘Could it be… that Chen Beiwu has already become a Golden Core True Person?’ Mo Qingshuang’s fingers subtly tightened, his gaze on Chen Beiwu becoming cautious.

Elsewhere, Ye Xinya lifted her eyes slightly, carefully examining the distant Chen Beiwu, unable to hide her shock.

‘It hasn’t been that long… and his cultivation has already advanced again?’

She had to admit, every encounter with Chen Beiwu brought Ye Xinya indescribable surprises.

No—more accurately, they were shocks.

It wasn’t an exaggeration—Chen Beiwu’s cultivation speed might even surpass that of the sect’s chief disciple.

‘Could he really subdue the Five Qi Vine… and in the future, form a Pure Yang Nascent Soul?’

At this thought, Ye Xinya involuntarily held her breath.

She hailed from the Ye Clan of Lingyuan and knew many secrets of the Immortal Alliance.

For instance, Nascent Souls in the Immortal Alliance were divided into three grades: first was Pure Yang, second was Heavenly-Gang, and third was Purple Mansion.

Pure Yang imitated Heaven and Earth, resonated with the Dao’s rhythm, and the Yang Spirit could roam the North Sea by morning and Cangwu by dusk, absorbing and refining innate Purple Qi—attainable only by those with great aptitude and great fortune.

Heavenly-Gang aligned with the celestial firmament and comprehended the laws of star shifts, commanding thunder and storms, creating real worlds—attainable only by top-tier Golden Core cultivators.

Purple Mansion followed the orthodox Dao, opened the Purple Mansion Dantian, and enabled feats like shrinking space, traveling thousands of miles in an instant, separating the Primordial Spirit, and manifesting the Dharma Aspect—achievable only by mid-tier or higher Golden Core cultivators.

Simply put, the Purple Mansion Nascent Soul was the orthodox path of the Immortal Alliance, and nine out of ten Nascent Soul True Monarchs formed this type.

Heavenly-Gang Nascent Souls were one in a hundred, usually the talent of the Five Great Grotto-Heavens or Thirteen Immortal Sects, or the chief disciples of those sects.

Pure Yang Nascent Souls were one in ten thousand, typically the chief disciples of the Five Great Grotto-Heavens.

So-called great aptitude referred to forming a First-Grade Golden Core or better; great fortune referred to rare Companion Beasts or Heaven-and-Earth treasures.

Of course, if a cultivator could form an Honored-Title Golden Core, they could form a Pure Yang Nascent Soul even without such fortune.

But forming an Honored-Title Golden Core was no easy task.

All the prodigies of the Thirteen Immortal Sects knew one thing: to form an Honored-Title Golden Core, one must comprehend Immortal Arts.

Yet the difficulty of comprehending Immortal Arts was one in a hundred million—even the prodigies of the Five Great Grotto-Heavens might fail.

For this reason, in Ye Xinya’s view, the reason so many sect prodigies gathered at the opening of Yuqing Mountain was because the Five Qi Vine could aid a First-Grade Golden Core cultivator in striving toward Pure Yang—no one wanted to give up such a chance to go further.

Sensing the heated gaze, Chen Beiwu raised his head slightly and noticed a beautiful female cultivator nodding at him—it was Ye Xinya, whom he had encountered a few times before.

“Buzz!”

At that moment, the cloud sea above Yuqing Mountain roiled.

With a peal of thunder, sunlight broke through, and the formation sealing Yuqing Mountain automatically lifted, revealing a path leading deep into the mountain range.