Chapter 11

“Apologies, I am too weak to stand and greet you properly.”

Xie Chang’an truly lacked the strength even to move a finger. She looked pale and feeble, as if struggling to breathe.

Her companion showed some sympathy. “No matter, just sit. Those who have taken the God-Devouring Mirror before mostly perished utterly, their souls destroyed. It’s rare to see any survivors—except for Uncle Zhu. You are the first to come through unscathed; no wonder he made an exception for you.”

Having just endured a harrowing ordeal, Xie Chang’an vaguely sensed that when Zhu Xuanguang gave her the mirror, he left no room for retreat. This trial was a matter of life or death. Had she not survived it, her body would likely have been lost without a trace.

“May I ask your name?”

The other waved a hand and, imitating her cross-legged posture, sat down. “My surname is Zhang, and my given name is Fanruo. If you are fortunate enough to be accepted into Chishuang Mountain, then though we belong to different peaks, we would be fellow disciples. You can call me Senior Brother Zhang.”

Zhang Fanruo was quite curious about the mirror in her hands.

“The God-Devouring Mirror is cracked? Let me see!”

Perhaps it was the first time he had seen such a mirror. Taking it from Xie Chang’an, he examined it closely while explaining the situation around them.

The Three Realms and Nine Provinces consist of blessed lands and caves where the mundane world and immortal mountains coexist.

Besides Chang’an, the Tang Dynasty and various other nations all have seekers of the Dao striving for immortality. The mortal poet Li Taibai once traveled through mountains and rivers, accidentally entering the Sword Pavilion of Mount Shu. But his mortal desires were too heavy; unwilling to forsake mortal pleasures, he ultimately abandoned the path of immortality to win fame in the imperial court.

Yet, apart from him, countless seekers tirelessly aspire to join immortal sects and uncover the secrets of ascension. Many never even hear the name Chishuang Mountain, let alone set foot there.

To Zhang Fanruo, it was sheer fortune that Xie Chang’an, a commoner who had never trained in the Dao, appeared atop this mountain.

“There are countless immortal sects across the Nine Provinces. Chishuang Mountain is among the best. Though it does not claim to be the greatest sect under heaven, it certainly holds a leading position.”

The mountain is full of peaks, with three main ones: besides the one they were on, Zhongming Peak, there are Tianyi Peak and Zhaoxue Peak.

“The head of Tianyi Peak is Master She Yun, the sect leader of Chishuang Mountain and my master. The head of Zhaoxue Peak is Master Fang Qinglan. As for Zhongming Peak, it is led by Master Zhu Xuanguang.”

Tianyi Peak has the most disciples and is the most prosperous, so She Yun oversees most of the sect’s affairs. But this does not mean the other two peaks must obey Tianyi Peak.

“In terms of cultivation, Uncle Zhu is likely the strongest man of this era. Master Fang is also deeply skilled, but both dislike mundane affairs and rarely concern themselves with daily sect business. Our sect leader often says he spends all his time in trivial matters, neglecting his cultivation. If nothing unusual happens, he will soon enter seclusion.”

Zhang Fanruo spoke as if Xie Chang’an were one of their own, without reservation.

Hearing how formidable Zhu Xuanguang was, Xie Chang’an was secretly surprised. She did not know whether to consider her luck good or bad. Zhang’s praise might be exaggerated, but if he could speak so confidently, there must be some basis.

She thought for a moment and asked, “Master Zhu is so powerful. May I ask how many top disciples he has?”

“None. Ah, no!” Zhang Fanruo clapped his hands. “If you are fortunate enough to join Zhongming Peak, you would be his very first disciple!”

Xie Chang’an was speechless.

Zhang Fanruo asked, “What’s with that expression?”

Xie Chang’an replied, “With Master Zhu’s strength, surely many would flock to become his disciples.”

Zhang nodded. “That’s because he’s busy cultivating and has no time to train disciples. Our sect leader once wanted to help find candidates, but was refused. However, I heard Master Zhu has recently made breakthroughs in his cultivation. His name even appeared on the Immortal Registry. He’s very likely to become the first to ascend to the higher realms in a hundred years. Perhaps that’s why he feels he should leave a worthy successor in the mortal world. That’s why I said your timing is fortunate.”

These words were somewhat puzzling to Xie Chang’an, so Zhang elaborated further.

The Three Realms consist of Heaven, Earth, and Man. The human world holds the Nine Provinces, the earthly realm is the netherworld, and the heavenly realm is the immortal paradise perceived by mortals.

Ascending to immortality is the lifelong pursuit of cultivators, but it has never been easy. The closer one gets to this goal, the fewer succeed. The last notable ascension was by Master Shen Liu Zhi over a hundred years ago.

According to Zhang, Shen Liu Zhi was also from Chishuang Mountain and was Zhu Xuanguang’s master. If Zhu can ascend smoothly this time, it would be a legendary story of master and disciple ascending successively, elevating Chishuang Mountain’s prestige to its peak.

Zhang laughed, “Maybe you’ll have such a chance someday, and if the three generations of master and disciples ascend, that would be a world-renowned legend. Then you could take as many disciples as you want. Chishuang Mountain would become the greatest immortal mountain in history. Just imagine the status and fame… any disciple from our mountain could walk boldly anywhere!”

He was dreaming far ahead, considering that Zhu Xuanguang had not even agreed to accept Xie Chang’an as a disciple yet.

Pondering this, Xie Chang’an asked, “Senior Brother Zhang, Master Zhu gave me one month. Now that I’ve passed the trial overnight, is there hope of becoming his disciple?”

Zhang gave a strange look and laughed, “Overnight? You think you only spent one night? Since you arrived here, it’s been at least twenty days!”

Xie Chang’an was stunned.

She had closed her eyes at dusk and opened them at dawn, thinking only one night had passed. She hadn’t realized that her struggle with the Azure Dragon, nearly losing her body to possession, had spanned so many days. No wonder Master Zhu gave her a month. She wondered if her performance satisfied him.

Since Zhu Xuanguang had not appeared, worrying was useless. She put those thoughts aside and asked Zhang about something else.

“Senior Brother Zhang, have you ever heard of the sect Ten Thousand Plum Blossom Pool?”

Zhang racked his brain for a long moment.

“I’ve heard of it, but not much. If I recall correctly, it’s a very small sect.”

“Is it far from here?”

“Not very far. Once you join the sect and learn sword-flight and teleportation, even great distances will be just a snap. But that sect is indeed small. They didn’t even send anyone to the last Hundred Battles Mountain-Pushing Tournament. They’re probably on the brink of extinction. There are quite a few such sects.”

Zhang was mostly indifferent but grew curious when Xie Chang’an fell silent.

“Why, do you want to go to Ten Thousand Plum Blossom Pool? Do you have a connection with that sect?”

A sect on the verge of decline had an outer disciple bold enough to attempt regicide. If that person hadn’t struck first, Xie Chang’an would have been killed on the spot.

Though they were strangers, and Xie Chang’an did not know his name, a bond forged in life and death made her want to tend to his remains. Unfortunately, after the assassination, his body was immediately dragged away. Xie Chang’an later searched the palace city but found nothing.

There was no secret in this, and Xie Chang’an briefly recounted her encounter with this person.

Zhang slapped his thigh.

“So that’s why Master Zhu favored you! Sister Xie, you seem gentle and delicate, yet you have the courage to kill a sovereign!”

Though Zhang grew up in Chishuang Mountain, he had ventured down the mountain and seen the world. He knew common folk struggled with basic needs. No one would dare strike at a supreme ruler unless driven to desperation. For a mortal woman like Xie Chang’an, despite her fortune, such boldness was one in a million.

Among his fellow disciples, there were haughty ones and gentle ones, but none like Xie Chang’an—fragile in appearance but fierce in spirit.

Zhang was fond of stirring up excitement, and others in the sect often found him too talkative. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to seek out Xie Chang’an. After hearing her story, he was delighted and immediately said, “Both God-Devouring Mirrors are cracked. Master Zhu can’t say you failed the trial. Since he gave you a month, he probably won’t interfere before the deadline. Let me take you down the mountain for a tour!”

Xie Chang’an was tempted. “I heard there is an alchemy pool at the Furnace Courtyard below. Could you take me to see it?”

Zhang exclaimed, “You know about the alchemy pool that can refine all things? Did Master Zhu tell you? Looks like he truly has high hopes for you!”

Xie Chang’an said, “He said if I cannot find the path to immortality within a month, he will jump into that pool himself to retrieve the Azure Dragon’s inner core.”

Zhang scratched his hair bun, bewildered. “I’ve never heard of the alchemy pool refining people. Otherwise, the disciples of Zhaoxue Peak would have been lining up to jump in long ago!”

Xie Chang’an was puzzled.