Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 366 Moving Mountains
After Chang Ping'an successfully broke through to the Core Formation stage, he immediately received a new mission:

Choose a place to stay within the White Stone Immortal Sect.

Baishi Mountain covers a large area, and even though the part that was raised by Xunmu is far smaller than the original continuous mountain range, it is still very large.

This vast area, apart from the core ring which Zhang Chengdao arranged as the main activity area for Zhuling Peak and Baishi Immortal Sect, is still in the "wilderness".

Chang Ping'an was asked to choose a suitable place to settle down in this "wilderness", preferably a mountain peak, and name it himself so that he could settle down in the future.

"Now that you've graduated, you're no longer considered a disciple, so there's no need for you to live in the disciple's quarters."

Zhang Chengdao pondered to himself and said.

There will likely be quite a few new disciples joining the Immortal Affinity Assembly next year, making it very difficult to expand the Disciple Academy. The remaining unused courtyards can only accommodate a maximum of about a hundred people.

Although freeing up Chang Ping'an is almost useless, it's better than nothing. Besides, this is a good opportunity to set some rules, such as that graduates can no longer live in the free disciple academy. Otherwise, in just a few years, just supporting these disciples' food and lodging will bankrupt us!
"You can choose an existing spiritual peak. If you don't want one, you can find a mountain yourself. Hmm, it would be best if it were closer to our White Stone Immortal Sect. Of course, if you're willing, your master can also help you move the mountain you've chosen over here."

Chang Ping'an was dumbfounded upon hearing this, and stammered, "Move, move, move it over here?"

Zhang Chengdao said frankly, "Oh, I plan to rearrange the sect's grand formation in the next few days. If there are some spiritual peaks surrounding the main peak, it will be very beneficial to the grand formation. So, since you said you like other mountains and want to live near the sect, I will help you arrange a mountain near the sect's main peak. This way, it will not only be convenient for you to travel, but it will also help the sect's grand formation."

He had consulted He Yu about this a while ago.

Although he had a lot of questions about formations, he knew that it was like math: if you've never studied it before, you can't possibly understand it by just reading books on your own. But once someone guides and teaches you, it's not so difficult to learn...

No wonder!
It took him and He Yu a full month to learn how to set up the only protective array, and it was all by rote memorization!
If he hadn't secretly tried it several times and found that he had indeed mastered it, Zhang Chengdao would never have dared to boast in front of his own apprentice!

Upon hearing that it would be useful to the sect, Chang Ping'an immediately replied, "Then this disciple will go and find a suitable mountain!"

Chang Ping'an accepted the mission and dared not delay. He immediately took to the wind and began to carefully survey the area around Baishi Mountain and the Daxing Mountain area to the south.

He is now a Core Formation stage cultivator, his five senses are becoming increasingly acute, the range of his divine sense is far greater than before, and even his speed of riding the wind is much faster.

However, choosing a suitable mountain peak is not easy. In addition to considering that it is the right size, it is also necessary to see if it is unclaimed land.

You can't just take someone else's mountain, can you?

Fortunately, the area around Daxing Mountain is sparsely populated. Not to mention unclaimed peaks, there are countless nameless hills. Therefore, Chang Ping'an can choose freely. Even if there are any parts he is not satisfied with, he can trim them himself or use earth-based five-element magic to make up for them. He can always make them satisfactory.

After searching for several days, Chang Ping'an finally found a decent hilltop.

Or rather, it is a strange mountain peak.

The mountain is not particularly tall, but it is solid and made entirely of a warm, bluish-gray rock.

The mountaintop was as flat and open as if it had been cut by a knife, covering an area of ​​several tens of acres, like a natural platform. This saved him the trouble of leveling the land, allowing him to build houses and cultivate the land directly on it.

When he broke through to the Core Formation stage, he was worried about his junior sister's health and hurriedly reported to his master. Before he could truly experience the difference of the Core Formation stage, he was too busy with all the back and forth.

It wasn't until the last ten days or so, as he traveled back and forth in the Daxing Mountain area in search of a suitable peak, that he noticed the significant differences.

The difference between the Core Formation stage and the Foundation Establishment stage is like heaven and earth!

If Foundation Establishment cultivators only explore their own physical bodies to the extreme, then Core Formation cultivators have their perception of the outside world enhanced to the extreme!
While hiking through the mountains, he could even hear the chirping of every insect in the grass!
This statement sounds very strange, but it's as if he has suddenly been able to do multiple things at once. If he wanted, he could even detect the trembling of every leaf and the trajectory of every breeze within a radius of several miles.

This was an unprecedented experience, as if a veil had been lifted from the world before him, revealing a clearer and more essential face.

The world was no longer a blurry background, but composed of countless subtle and vibrant "information". He could even "hear" the subtle warmth of the sunlight falling on the rocks and "see" the faint coolness contained in the moonlight at night.

This greatly enhanced perception brings not only novelty, but also a deeper understanding of oneself and the universe.

Because whenever he practices his cultivation technique, he can more accurately capture and guide the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, making him far more efficient than someone in the Foundation Establishment stage. When he flies on the wind, he can also control the airflow with minute precision—making him faster while consuming less energy.

Even when he uses the most basic Five Elements techniques, he can feel the subtle connection with the Five Elements principles of heaven and earth.

This feeling was as if I had truly established a connection with heaven and earth, and as if I... was no longer just an ordinary mortal body.

"So... this is the Core Formation stage."

Chang Ping stood atop that flat-topped mountain peak, closed his eyes, and felt everything around him, his heart filled with emotion and enlightenment.

Foundation building is about solidifying one's own foundation, while elixir formation is about truly resonating with heaven and earth and initially gaining the qualification to explore the laws of heaven and earth.

Having realized this, he examined the mountain peak beneath his feet even more carefully.

In his perception, this bluish-gray stone peak was no longer just a cold rock; he could "see" the uniform and dense structure inside the mountain and feel the calm and profound spiritual charm contained within it.

These spiritual energies were brimming with life, but the sleeping behemoth remained utterly still.

The flatness of the summit is not accidental, but rather the result of some ancient geological change. The underlying rock structure is also exceptionally stable, sufficient to support its future construction.

He flew around the summit once, liking it more and more, and had already started thinking of a name for the peak.

Chang Ping'an thought it over and over again, struggling with the decision for a long time before finally making up his mind.

Since the entire mountain is made of stone, let's just call it "Stone Dwelling Cave Heaven".

As his master said, although he only chose a mountain peak, cultivators at the Core Formation stage could learn how to create a small cave world. Therefore, once they had their own mountain peak, they could create a small cave world within it. The size, appearance, and internal environment were all determined by the cultivators themselves. However, the more complex the environment and the larger the space, the higher the required cultivation level.

With Chang Ping'an's current cultivation level of just breaking through to the Core Formation stage, it would be extremely difficult for him to open up a real, normal-sized cave world. Even opening one that is only a few acres in size would not be easy.

To truly create a satisfactory small world within a cave, one needs to break through at least two more major realms. This is why Chang Ping'an decided to choose this mountain peak.

If we can't create enough space for ourselves right now, we can still use the platform at the summit!

After making his selection, Chang Ping'an didn't delay any longer and immediately sent a message to his master, Zhang Chengdao, to wait by the chosen mountain. Not long after, a streak of light suddenly flew over, and in the blink of an eye, his master appeared on the summit of the mountain, smiling at him.

"It seems you've already chosen your target."

Zhang Chengdao stood with his hands behind his back on the flat mountaintop, looked around, and nodded slightly: "The rocks here are solid and the terrain is flat and wide. It's a place that's easy to manage. Can we name it?"

“Reporting to Master,” Chang Ping’an replied respectfully, “I saw that this mountain is entirely made of stone and has a flat top, so I thought of naming it ‘Stone Dwelling Cave Heaven,’ which means ‘living peacefully in the stone.’ It’s simple and also fits the scenery of this place.”

"Stone dwelling paradise... peaceful dwelling within the stone..."

Zhang Chengdao read it twice in a low voice, then smiled and said, "Not bad, it matches the name. It doesn't pursue those fancy titles, but only seeks a stable and down-to-earth life. Very good."

Upon discovering that his cheap apprentice was even worse at naming things than he was, Zhang Chengdao was immediately in a good mood.

Back when I was playing games before time travel, my friends would always criticize the names I chose. And look what happened!

The name this person, who seems to have a protagonist's script, chose isn't very good either!

"In that case, Master, shall we...?"

Chang Ping'an's words stopped Zhang Chengdao from complaining in his heart. He looked at his master with his eyes full of expectation.

Witnessing firsthand the incredible power to move mountains and fill seas is a rare opportunity for any cultivator!
That's something only someone at the Nascent Soul stage or above can do!
"Yes, let's not delay, let's get started."

Zhang Chengdao nodded, then his expression turned serious. A lot of spiritual energy surged from his sleeves, causing the clothes of the two men to flutter and the sky above their heads to gradually darken.

Zhang Chengdao looked up, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes, but he immediately cast a cloud-riding spell and instructed Chang Ping'an, "You should retreat further away."

"Yes, Master!"

Chang Ping'an followed the instructions and rode the wind to a height of several hundred feet away, where he held his breath and concentrated.

Then, Zhang Chengdao's figure slowly rose until it was level with the peak of the mountain.

He didn't unleash any earth-shattering magic as Chang Ping'an had imagined. Instead, he appeared unusually calm, simply making a simple hand seal with his hands clasped in front of him. Suddenly, a strong wind arose around him, and more and more clouds appeared in the sky.

As his hands moved up and down, the surrounding spiritual energy began to converge between his hands in a mysterious trajectory, like rivers flowing into the sea, naturally and harmoniously.

Gradually, an enormous, complex halo composed of countless earth-yellow spiritual runes rippled outwards from his hands like waves, silently enveloping the entire mountain peak like a giant bronze bell.

The swirling light and the ever-changing runes exuded a profound meaning, which inexplicably stirred a sense of reverence in Chang Ping'an, who was hundreds of feet away.

"Rumble--"

A deep rumble of thunder sounded, followed by a stunning flash of lightning across the sky.

Having just survived his tribulation, Chang Ping'an couldn't help but look up. In a daze, he suddenly remembered that the book did indeed record that whenever a magical treasure was first created, or when there were changes in the world such as moving mountains and filling seas, extraordinary phenomena would appear in the sky...

So this is what it means to change the world, this is...

Are they real immortals?

As I pondered, a magnificent sound came from afar, as if it had fallen from the heavens and echoed throughout the world.

"The earth, vast and generous, bears all things; its virtue is boundless. Mountains shall move, rivers shall flow... Obey my command, rise—"

As Zhang Chengdao muttered incantations, it seemed as if his words resonated with the entire earth.

Then, he slightly raised his hands, which were clasped together in a cupped-back gesture—

This time, there was neither a deafening roar nor a terrifying earthquake. Chang Ping'an only felt an extremely low hum coming from the ground beneath his feet, as if it came from the ancient wilderness. Then, he saw a scene he would never forget.

The bluish-gray stone peak, completely enveloped in an earthy-yellow aura, began to slowly and steadily rise upwards. The soil and gravel around the peak slid down naturally like flowing water, while the mountain itself remained completely still. Even the few dwarf pines that stubbornly grew in the cracks of the rocks on the peak did not sway their branches or leaves.

The massive mountain detached from its earthen foundation and hung in mid-air, seemingly weightless under the soft yet stable earthen-yellow halo.

Zhang Chengdao focused intently on maintaining the incantation, supporting the massive mountain peak, riding the clouds northward, and steadily flying towards the direction of the White Stone Immortal Sect.

Chang Ping'an followed closely behind, hurriedly riding the wind to follow Zhang Chengdao towards Baishi Mountain.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the mountain peak was placed steadily next to White Stone Mountain, right in the northwest direction, slowly floating in mid-air. The earthen yellow spiritual light shield still covered the mountain peak, quietly flowing with a halo of light.

"It will take some time to rebuild the sect's protective array. During this period, you cannot use your Stone Abode. Once the protective array is completely rebuilt, you will be able to live there properly."

After arranging the mountain peaks, Zhang Chengdao spoke while simultaneously questioning his own intelligence.

In fact, just as he had carried the mountain halfway through its flight, he suddenly remembered—

Why didn't I just put this thing in my backpack and keep going? Why did I have to be so stupid and drag it around like that, wasting time!
Why doesn't he use such a big, strong, and powerful cheat code?!

Later, to save face, he felt embarrassed to put the mountain back in his backpack, as it would make it seem like he hadn't remembered it...

But looking back on the whole process, I still feel it was stupid...

"Thank you, Master. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Chang Ping'an's excited words interrupted Zhang Chengdao's reflection. He quickly waved his hand and said, "No need. You've been delayed for more than ten days. There must be a lot of things to deal with at the Immortal Alliance. You need to go and handle them as soon as possible."

"As for this 'Stone Dwelling Grotto,' you can figure out how to arrange it yourself. If you need any crafted houses or pavilions, you can exchange them at the [Floating Pagoda]."

Chang Ping'an quickly cupped his hands and replied, "Yes!"

(End of this chapter)