Yao Song raised his head, his face covered in blood, his expression stunned. He saw Xu Mu's smiling face.
"You're not dead!?"
Yao Song sprang to his feet, leaped down the steps, pointed at Xu Mu, and said in alarm.
"I'm alive and well, aren't I?"
Xu Mu raised his arm, brought his hands together, and stretched his waist with great ease, a cracking sound echoing.
"Esteemed Yao Song, could it be you had a nightmare?"
"It was a good dream,"
Zou Jing interjected, walking in front of Xu Mu with a stoic expression. "The two of us have passed the真人's test. Take us to our accommodations."
Yao Song looked at Zou Jing before him, then at Xu Mu with a smile that seemed to hold a hint of mockery. He felt immensely humiliated.
As a guide for Tianshi Mountain, he usually held some status. Although this status was insignificant compared to that of True Person Tai Wu, he was still respected by his peers, especially the disciples.
But today, he had lost all face. So many people had witnessed his humiliation, including these two new recruits.
Zou Jing was of the Four Realms; he couldn't afford to offend him.
Yao Song believed Xu Mu could be provoked.
So, he grimly wiped the blood from his head and face, turned around, and said with feigned calmness:
"There's no need to rush about accommodations."
"Daoist Liu Ru of Biyun Peak is the lecturer responsible for teaching and guiding the outer disciples. However, his teachings are too profound and unfathomable, so few can understand them."
"Go listen. Consider it a cleansing of the soul, a show of support. Daoist Liu Ru will thank you greatly in the future."
Zou Jing frowned. He had no desire to listen to some preachy sermon. Just as he was about to refuse, Xu Mu unexpectedly agreed.
"Alright," Xu Mu smiled, gave Zou Jing a meaningful glance, and whispered, "Let's just take a walk."
"We've just arrived at Tianshi Mountain and are not yet familiar with the environment here."
"Fine," Zou Jing nodded silently.
It was because of Xu Mu that he had gained entry to Tianshi Mountain. And he had not offered his thanks.
The words "thank you" would be hidden in his actions from now on.
After passing a section of not-too-rugged mountain path, Xu Mu and the others arrived at a mountain that was not tall but peculiar.
The tail of the mountain was permeated by clouds, forming a uniform circle. The peak, however, was bare and offered a beautiful vista.
This was Biyun Peak.
Yao Song led the way. Taking a breath of Biyun Peak's fresh air, his expression visibly eased. He spoke softly,
"Tianshi Mountain has five peaks in total: Shengyang Peak, Biyun Peak, Xianyou Peak, Luosha Peak, and Tianguang Peak."
"Among them, Biyun Peak, Xianyou Peak, and Tianguang Peak are of equal strength, and they are inhabited by ordinary elders or disciples."
"Shengyang Peak is exclusively for the direct lineage of the Tianshi. This is because the peak master of Shengyang Peak is also the current Tianshi, True Person Qiongshan."
"And the Enforcement Hall you just visited belongs to Luosha Peak, managed by True Person Tai Wu. Most of the inhabitants here, apart from those in the Enforcement Hall and Merit Hall, are elders of advanced age and extraordinary seniority. You must be very careful with your words and actions if you go there."
Xu Mu and the others had already reached the mountainside. Yao Song continued to speak, as it was one of his duties to explain the general situation of Tianshi Mountain to the newly admitted disciples.
"Also, there is a forbidden area on Luosha Mountain. Within this forbidden area are the tombs of True Masters who have ascended. You must not venture there lightly, for if you are not careful, you might be captured by ghosts from the tombs and have your souls consumed."
As Yao Song spoke, his tone became suddenly serious, and his body tensed as if the ghost were incredibly fearsome.
Xu Mu raised an eyebrow and asked,
"Ghosts?"
"The ancestral land of the Daoist sect actually has ghosts?"
Yao Song nodded.
"Yes."
"Those ghosts have existed since a very long time ago. They roam among the tombs and have killed many Daoists who went there to receive their inheritance. The forces of all the peaks were mobilized, and True Master Tai Wu himself made a move, yet he couldn't capture that ghost."
"Therefore, the tombs have become a forbidden area. Those on Tianshi Mountain who wish to receive their inheritance can only do so through the Sword Trial held every three months. The top ten contestants will be escorted by elders from each peak to the tombs."
Xu Mu's expression became slightly solemn. He suspected that the tomb area he had passed through earlier might be the forbidden area Yao Song mentioned.
However, he hadn't encountered any ghosts there, only a very fast-running monkey besides the tombs.
"Monkeys are also something you need to pay special attention to," Yao Song said after a moment of silence. Then, as if recalling something, he turned to Zou Jing and Xu Mu with a serious expression.
"The monkeys on Tianshi Mountain are cherished by successive Tianshis, and it is still the same today. It is said that when True Person Qiongshan was young, he often slept on the same branch with monkeys. Their bond is deep."
"Therefore, aside from the rules of the Enforcement Hall, there is also an unwritten rule on Tianshi Mountain."
"You must never provoke those monkeys."
"Give them whatever they want to eat, and it's fine if they snatch things. Let them be; someone will handle it."
After hearing this, Zou Jing looked at Xu Mu with a peculiar expression.
He remembered that when Xu Mu emerged from the mist, he was in disarray and his first question was, "Where is that monkey?"
Perhaps his late emergence from that mist was inextricably linked to these monkeys favored by the Tianshi?
Zou Jing couldn't figure it out. Just as he was about to ask, he noticed a group of young disciples in Daoist robes appearing outside the forest ahead, lounging on a stone platform.
Above the stone platform stood a middle-aged Daoist, radiant and eloquent, gesturing vigorously in front of him as if passionately explaining something.
He was lecturing with great earnestness.
But few were listening.
Everyone on Tianshi Mountain knew that Daoist Liu Ru was purely a theoretical scholar. He had read many books but had almost zero practical experience. He couldn't even catch an ordinary night-wandering ghost, so no one was willing to attend his lectures.
However, as an elder, his classes had to be attended, which was why Xu Mu and Zou Jing were there.
"Two more have arrived."
A young disciple glanced at Xu Mu and Zou Jing with a look of sympathy.
No one wanted to attend Daoist Liu Ru's lectures, so there was an unwritten rule on Tianshi Mountain that every newly admitted disciple must attend a total of thirty sessions, which meant thirty full days.
From noon to night, every day.
"Just sit here and don't make a sound," Yao Song pointed to an empty spot, looking at Xu Mu with a smile.
His task was now successfully completed. From this point on, whatever happened to Xu Mu and Zou Jing was no longer his concern. He had fulfilled his duty.
So, how should he seek his revenge now?
Xu Mu and Zou Jing did not sit down. They crossed their arms and looked up at the eloquent Daoist above.
"A great tree that embraces the sky grows from tiny roots; a nine-story tower is built from heaps of earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
"Fellow cultivators here, if you wish to cultivate upwards without hindrance, the most important thing is to be down-to-earth. I recommend you copy down my 'Heart-Purifying Mantra' and recite it three times daily. You will undoubtedly benefit greatly."
Daoist Liu Ru said with a chuckle, his gaze eagerly sweeping over everyone below. Consequently, everyone averted their eyes. Even Xu Mu and Zou Jing quickly sat down, hiding in the crowd, wishing not to be noticed.
"Damn it, Immortal Liu Ru is too much. The Heart-Purifying Mantra has 99,999 characters and is full of nonsense. Yet he expects us to copy and recite it daily. It's a shame he's not a King of Hell in the Enforcement Hall!" a new disciple whispered to his companion, looking down.
"Hush, keep your voice down. Although Immortal Liu Ru's lectures are poor and his cultivation isn't particularly high, his hearing is sharp. If he hears you, be careful he might take you as his personal disciple, and then you'll have to copy books every day!" a fierce-looking man said fearfully.
"Personal disciple!?" The young man's eyes widened. Then, realizing he had spoken too loudly, he quickly lowered his voice, "Then I really need to be careful."
Xu Mu's forehead creased as he listened to their conversation.
He was curious about how poor this Daoist's strength was, to make so many disciples "fearful" to this extent, not even wanting to be a personal disciple.
"Everything he says is copied directly from books," Zou Jing said after a moment of silence. He took out a Daoist scripture from his embrace and flipped through a couple of pages, easily finding the words Daoist Liu Ru had just spoken.
Xu Mu looked bewildered. According to Charles, this might be called reading from a script.
"Whatever, we're already here."
Xu Mu shook his head. Just as he was about to block his five senses and meditate, he heard Daoist Liu Ru speak again:
"Heh heh, it seems the enthusiasm of the students is not very high. It's alright, I have another Daoist scripture here, the product of my lifelong study."
"You all know who Zuo Mingqiu is, right? He praised this Daoist scripture of mine highly and even copied it for his cultivation."
Daoist Liu Ru took out a brand-new book. Its cover was stained with azure ink, and inscribed in flowing calligraphy were the four characters: "Liu Ru True Scripture."
Upon hearing Zuo Mingqiu's name, all the drowsy disciples in the hall instantly perked up and looked at the Daoist scripture with shining eyes.
Zuo Mingqiu was the strongest Daozi of this generation on Tianshi Mountain, and he had been designated as the successor by the Tianshi himself. In other words, as long as he cultivated steadily, he would undoubtedly become the sect leader of Tianshi Mountain.
If such a person recognized this Liu Ru True Scripture and even copied and recited it for cultivation, why would they miss such an opportunity!