Once Upon A Time, There Was A Spirit Sword Mountain

Upon seeing the errand boyʼs confused look, Wang Lu made an exception and began to explain to him his strategy.

”There are three main points that those two in blue and white talked about just now: aptitude, temperament and affinity. Right now, weʼve only passed the test of aptitude. No, thatʼs probably not even the real aptitude test. We just merely stepped over a necessary threshold, and yet you have the nerve to blab on about this like itʼs the end of the Immortal Path?”

”But...”

”But the Carefree Peak has already opened their doors to us? Donʼt be silly. The second point. Remember they said that the abilities of the Carefree Peakʼs Eldest Martial Brother is not worse than those Successor Disciples? So he should have an excellent talent, but why is he still at the Carefree Peak? Why hasnʼt he advanced to the Misty Peak?”

”W-Why...?”

”Like the other people who got here and thought they were so great, thinking that entering the Carefree Peak would be a glorious feat... It just means that they simply reached their upper limit here. If you choose the ʼeasy difficultyʼ, you wonʼt be able to unlock the hidden storyline.”

”What?”

”Forget it. Even if I explained it again and again, you wouldnʼt understand. As for the third point.”

Wang Lu raised his head and looked towards the clouds. His eyes almost seemed to be burning.

”As a strategist, I must have the mindset to break those clouds to clear the sky, removing all obstacles and solving all the problems!”

”What?”

”... In short, I must continue on this path. Whether you want to come or not is up to you. In any case, those two wearing blue and white have already left, so thereʼs no option for you to turn back, haha!”

With that, Wang Lu picked up the bag and took a big step forward.

”In addition, Wang Zhong, this next part of the journey is probably going to be super long, so brace yourself.”

The already tired Wang Zhong asked, ”How long?”

”If I use a story book as a metaphor to describe the situation, itʼs probably around seventy or eighty thousand words.”

”... That is indeed a very long journey.”

--

”The path to the Misty Peak is definitely not as easy to walk on compared to the Golden Bridge.”

Above the endless sea of clouds, a grizzled old man was stroking his beard as he mused.

”When the Sect Leader Senior Martial Brother set down the date of this Immortal Gathering twelve years ago, none of us expected so many talented youths to appear. Almost one hundred people were able to walk more than eighty percent of the Golden Bridge. Based on their spirit roots alone, all of them are qualified to enter the Carefree Peak.”

Beside him, a younger cultivator dressed in a black and white robe laughed, ”Is it possible that Master already has a favorite candidate?”

The old man dismissively said, ”Hmph, walking across the Golden Bridge only means that that they have decent spirit roots. If they want to join my Misty Peak, it will not be that easy. Out of these hundred people, ultimately, perhaps only ten will be able to succeed.”

While speaking, a voice came from behind them.

”Alas, there is no need to be so strict..”

Above the cloud, the two cultivators, one old and one young, were both suddenly shocked upon turning around.

”S-Sect Leader Senior Martial Brother!?”

The one who had suddenly appeared behind them was the number one expert in the Spirit Sword Sect, Daoist Master Feng Yin.

”Gee, no need to get so nervous.” Feng Yin smiled as he waved his hands. ”I just came to observe how things are going. After the Golden Bridge lies Junior Martial Brother Liu Xianʼs Misty Peak which is the backbone of our Sect.”

Liu Xian looked very serious as he lowered his head and said, ”Senior Martial Brother has entrusted me with this important task. Liu Xian will not disappoint you in the slightest.”

”Thank you for your hard work all these years. Seeing how well the Misty Peak currently is, itʼs difficult to imagine the state it was in all those years ago... However, since weʼve put so much effort in organizing this Immortal Gathering, thereʼs no need to be so harsh on the newcomers. If thereʼs anyone decent, just take them in.”

Liu Xian somewhat awkwardly said, ”But Senior Martial Brother, that is against the rules.”

”Ai, rules are dependent on the situation. The number of disciples in our Spirit Sword Sect has remained the same for too long, donʼt you want things around here to be a bit livelier?”

”To be honest, not at all. Itʼs already lively enough with Fifth Martial Sister.”