The Sword of the Mortal World

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In the world… at least in the Eastern Continent, when cultivation sects recruit new disciples, there are typically only two things they focus on.
One is talent, and the other is disposition.

Talent is simple to understand, but "disposition" is a term many people only associate with distinguishing between good and evil.
In reality, it refers to one's heart toward the Dao—whether it is steadfast.
On the mountain path, there will certainly be many tests of one's Dao heart. Whether one can pass the tests and reach the mountain top is the real challenge.

It looks simple, but in reality, it is not easy.
You see, those who climb the mountain are young boys and girls who have never entered the path of cultivation. They have never come into contact with the Dao and are just ordinary mortals. Their minds are not yet firm, and they can easily be defeated by the many trials on the mountain.
However, this is also the first step for an ordinary person to transform into a cultivator. If one cannot overcome this step, it means they are not suited for cultivation.

But... there are exceptions.
Take Zhou Chi, for instance. When he was still a child, he was chosen by the sword cultivators of Qishan when they were traveling the world. When his talent was tested, they were astonished by his exceptional swordsmanship and immediately took him back to Qishan. At that time, Zhou Chi only glanced at the mountain gate before being directly brought into the mountain and became an inner disciple of Qishan.
So, he never climbed the mountain.

He was never tested.
This was his first time.
But thinking about it, it shouldn't be too difficult.

Zhou Chi stepped onto the mountain path almost simultaneously with Meng Yin. He immediately felt the chaotic aura saturating the air along the path. These auras clung to the mountain path, exerting pressure on all the climbers, making their legs feel as if they were weighed down with lead. Each step forward was significantly harder than usual.
The moment Zhou Chi took his first step, he staggered, almost falling to the ground.
Fortunately, Meng Yin was quick to reach out and steady him, preventing him from collapsing. “No way, you’re so weak at such a young age?”

Meng Yin looked at the boy in front of him suspiciously. He didn’t look like the kind of young man who wasted himself on a life of indulgence, exhausting his body early on.
Zhou Chi forced a bitter smile. While his injuries were invisible to others, he felt them deeply. Damn it, right now, he was not only weaker than cultivators but even weaker than other ordinary people of his age.
“It’s nothing serious. I still have some tonics to help restore my vitality. I'll give you some later, and you’ll recover to your former state in no time!”
Meng Yin supported Zhou Chi, thinking for a moment. “How about I carry you up?”

Zhou Chi gave him an odd look. “Don’t even think about it. If you carry me, we’ll both be disqualified before the sun sets. Just go ahead. If I can’t make it up the mountain, it’s just fate.”
Zhou Chi looked at the distant mountain top, not concerned about his failure to reach it.
“I have an idea!”

Meng Yin hesitated for a moment before his eyes lit up. “Once I reach the top, I’ll use some of our 'heart toward the Dao' techniques! Don’t make a scene, but I promise you’ll join Chongyun Mountain.”
He truly didn’t want his hometown friend to be eliminated. After all, it was hard to find someone to talk to, and if Zhou Chi didn’t make it, he’d be alone again.
“...”

Zhou Chi, after years of cultivation, had never met someone like this. A faint thought crossed his mind: maybe he should use his sword to slice this guy’s head open and see what’s inside.
“Deal. With me around, don’t worry!”
After saying this, Meng Yin let go of him and quickly took a few steps forward.

Zhou Chi looked at his back, thought for a moment, and said, “The path ahead won’t be ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) easy. Pay attention to the energies on the mountain path and try to sense them. It might help you.”
Meng Yin didn’t turn around but waved his hand, signaling that he understood.
Zhou Chi didn’t say anything more. He waited for Meng Yin to go further ahead, then took a deep breath… and sat down.

What truly made the mountain path difficult was the energy that filled the air. These energies lingered along the path and would attach to the climbers as they moved forward, as if placing a massive mountain on their shoulders, making each step incredibly difficult. However, most of the energy didn’t affect the body directly—it primarily targeted the mind.
In other words, it tested the Dao heart.
Whether one’s Dao heart is strong or not is the real test of whether they can make it up the mountain.

If we’re talking about Dao hearts, forget about the boys and girls trying to join Chongyun Mountain—there’s no one on the mountain who can compare to Zhou Chi. So, he wasn’t worried at all about the test of Dao heart.
What he was concerned about now was the small fraction of energy that did affect the body. If he still had his cultivation, he could easily make it up the mountain. But right now, not only was he an ordinary mortal, but he was also heavily injured. The energy made him feel as if he were carrying a massive weight, and each step was incredibly difficult.
So, he couldn’t push himself too hard.

Though his cultivation was gone, his experience and vision remained. What Zhou Chi needed to do now was to unravel these energies, find the gaps, and avoid having them affect his body.
But without his cultivation to support him, this process would surely be tedious.
At the mountain top, near the true Chongyun Mountain gate, four people were observing the mountain path. Two men and two women, all relatively young, with the woman beside them looking especially beautiful. Her eyebrows were like willow leaves, delicate and graceful, and she appeared to be only in her thirties.

These four represented the four peaks of the mountain, and once these boys and girls reached the top, it would be their turn to select disciples.
“This year’s final disciple recruitment. It seems that aside from the boy named Meng, the rest are quite ordinary.”
One of the men, wearing a gray robe, smiled as he spoke. “In that case, I’ll take the boy named Meng for Chaoyun Peak. I won’t compete with the other peaks for the others.”

The speaker was Li Du, representing Chaoyun Peak, responsible for selecting new disciples this year.
As soon as he spoke, the other man and woman frowned. The woman in white, with a sharp tone, responded, “Li Shixiong, did Sister Chen slap your face again?”
Li Du was stunned, “Why do you ask such a thing, Gu Shimei?”

“Since your face isn’t swollen, how can you say such a thing?” Gu Yuan stared at Li Du with a fierce gaze. “You can’t just take all the best seedlings for Chaoyun Peak, can you?”
Li Du maintained his calm, replying, “Shimei, you’re mistaken. Chaoyun Peak has a sect master overseeing it, and it’s the best place for these fine seedlings. Think about it—if we left such talent at Qingxi Peak, you’d never be able to handle it.”
“I’ll handle your mother…” Gu Yuan, though she had a gentle face, was well-known for her explosive temper at Chongyun Mountain. Among her peers, few had avoided being beaten by her.

Even the sect master wasn’t safe from her sharp tongue.
“Gu Shimei, there’s no need for this. Let’s talk calmly.”
The man in purple quickly stepped in to hold Gu Yuan back and hurriedly spoke to Li Du. “Li Shixiong, please apologize to Gu Shimei!”

Li Du’s face darkened. Gu Yuan, the youngest disciple of their generation, was known for her bad temper, but she was dearly loved by her older brothers. If things got out of hand, no one would speak up for him.
As for the sect master, he might be able to calm her down, but he couldn’t control the temper of the elder from Qingxi Peak, Master Xie.
It was said that Master Xie had been quite temperamental in her younger years, and even though she had mellowed with age, no one could relax their guard. After all, it was Master Xie who had taken Gu Yuan under her wing.

“Gu Shimei, I apologize. I spoke without thinking.”
Li Du bowed his head, clenching his fist, silently vowing to tolerate her for now.
Once he became the peak master, he would deal with her.

The man in purple sighed in relief and smiled. “Actually, we shouldn’t be competing for that boy. We should let him go to Xuanji Peak. After all, it has been years since Xuanji Peak has had any new disciples.”
He spoke while looking at the quiet woman with willow-leaf eyebrows. She had been very calm, not participating in the earlier argument, like an outsider.
But when the man in purple spoke, everyone fell silent, and even Gu Yuan’s expression softened. “Indeed, it should go to Sister Liu from Xuanji Peak.”

If Chaoyun Peak wanted to steal a disciple, she would object, but if it went to Xuanji Peak, she had no objections.
After all, Xuanji Peak was... truly in decline.
Liu Yin glanced at the others, shook her head gently, and said, “There’s no need. Since that boy has some talent, he should go to a better place. As for Xuanji Peak... we’ve been like this for too long. Why waste a talented boy’s potential?”

Her words were gentle, but anyone could hear the disappointment and helplessness in her tone.
Over the years, Xuanji Peak had only declined further. The few remaining disciples were barely enough to keep the sect alive. If things continued like this, Xuanji Peak might soon be dissolved.
Gu Yuan tried to comfort her. “Sister Liu, you can still try. Perhaps this boy will be the one to revive Xuanji Peak.”

“Cheng Shixiong, don’t you think so?”
The man in purple, Cheng Chu, nodded eagerly. “Sister Liu, don’t give up. Xuanji Peak once had its glorious days. It’s just that we’ve had no successors these years. As long as we find one talented disciple…”
Before he could finish, Liu Yin shook her head again.

“The peak master feels the same. We don’t want to hold back the younger generation. Starting next year, we may not even take in new disciples anymore.”
At these words, the three of them fell silent. Though there was some rivalry among the four peaks, the decline of Xuanji Peak was something no one wanted to see.
However, there were some things that no one could change.

At this moment, other than Liu Yin, the other three all shared the same thought—to hope that one of the disciples climbing the mountain this time would be the one to revive Xuanji Peak.
Li Du thought a little longer.
That person better not be the boy named Meng with the exceptional talent.

He gritted his teeth.
 
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