You've only been cultivating for a few years, and you're already talking about cultivating

Ghost Mountain, or rather, South Mountain, has been anything but peaceful for the past ten years.

Every so often, sword energy would rise into the sky.

The sword energy was incomparably sharp, tearing through the sky; the pillar of light soaring into the heavens could be seen from a hundred miles away. Sometimes it happened during the day, sometimes at night, with no discernible pattern.

Even more eerie was the sound of ghostly wailing.

Every so often, there are bursts of mournful wailing. But there are also periods when the ghostly cries cease.

The wailing sound came from deep within the mountain, like the lamentations of millions, or like a cold wind blowing through cracks in the earth, sending chills down one's spine and making one's body go cold.

No matter how many cultivators searched the mountain, turning Nanshan upside down, they still couldn't find the legendary Sword Immortal's residence.

There was no entrance, no door, and not a trace of human intervention.

It was as if those soaring sword energies and those strange ghostly cries did not originate from this mountain at all, but from another world.

Therefore, some people speculated.

The real Nanshan Mountain, the real residence of the sword immortal, is hidden in a folded space, or perhaps it is simply a secret realm.

It's right there, visible but untouchable, you can't get in or out.

In their quest to find a way in, countless cultivators wandered between Nanshan and Nanshan Town.

It's been ten years.

Countless rumors, both true and false, have been circulating.

Some people confidently claimed to have found the entrance, but they never returned.

Some say they figured out how to break the curse, but they were soon found dead in a ravine.

Some even claim to be the reincarnation of a powerful being, born to inherit this mansion!

These kinds of people are often the quickest to die.

Over the course of ten years, everyone has become highly skilled.

So when the news of "a secret passage in the valley" spread, very few people actually believed it.

Because something similar happened ten years ago.

At that time, there was just some movement in Nanshan, and everyone was like headless flies, bumping around everywhere.

Suddenly someone said that traces of a magic array had been discovered in a mountain hollow, which must be the entrance. A swarm of people rushed over.

The results of it?

It's a pig-slaughtering formation!

The cultivator who set up the formation had no intention of finding any sword immortal's residence; he simply wanted to kill and plunder.

Those cultivators who rushed in were all killed by him; their magical artifacts, flesh and blood, and souls all became his possessions.

That time, he tricked a lot of people.

By the time the others realized what was happening, he had already disappeared with his spoils.

Later, several others tried to emulate him, setting up traps to lure people into their schemes.

But secrets don't stay hidden forever. Once the news leaked out, people came knocking on their door, beat them senseless, and even turned their corpses into magical artifacts.

Since then, the "pig-slaughtering formation" strategy has stopped working.

After listening to Butterfly Prince's words, Qi Fei nodded and said thoughtfully, "So, this news might also be false."

The so-called Butterfly Prince is the young man who fawned over Ruyan yesterday, and also the disciple of that childlike Taoist priest.

He wore a brocade robe, with a sachet embroidered with butterflies hanging from his waist. He always liked to wave a fan when he spoke, giving him a dashing and debonair appearance.

The reason why Butterfly Prince took the initiative to approach Qi Fei and say these things was not because he and Qi Fei hit it off immediately, but because Tong Daoren was also there.

The three of them were currently pushed together on a table.

Master Tong sat at the head of the table, holding a teacup, looking completely at ease. Qi Fei sat opposite him, with Butterfly Prince beside him, occasionally refilling his master's tea and stealing glances at Qi Fei from time to time.

The Butterfly Prince was not feeling well.

He could tell that his master treated this young man surnamed Lin differently.

That look in his eyes, that tone of voice, that unintentional expression of satisfaction! There's no mistake, he clearly wants to take Qi Fei as his disciple.

This wasn't his imagination; it was his man's intuition!

hateful.

What's so great about this kid?

He couldn't help but glance at Qi Fei again. Why was the woman he had approached now approaching him, and even his own master was making advances towards him?

Is this a hit with both men and women?

He grew angrier the more he thought about it, and started waving his fan loudly.

Master Tong ignored his disciple's petty thoughts, simply nodded, and slowly replied, "It's probably some idiot who's lost their mind and is pulling off another pig-butchering scam."

Qi Fei seemed thoughtful, then followed up with, "So, senior, you weren't confident about the Sword Immortal's residence either? You're just here to try your luck?"

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest let out a cold laugh.

The laughter carried a hint of self-mockery and a touch of worldly indifference.

"Confidence?" he said. "Most people aren't even confident in their own cultivation level. Those in the Tribulation Stage, which one hasn't faced near-death experiences? Let alone confidence in the Sword Immortal's Abode?"

Qi Fei's heart skipped a beat.

It's the "trial period" again.

He had heard this term several times, and he knew it was a major hurdle on the path of cultivation, but he had no idea what it was exactly.

He could only go along with the conversation, feigning deep feeling, and sighed, "The Tribulation Stage is truly fraught with danger..."

"Isn't that so?" said the young Taoist. "After passing the Observational Stage, one learns that the world is not the world as one perceives it. Then, what meaning do one have for oneself and for the world?"

"Is it really that important?"

"Of course, the truth is important," Qi Fei said. "Although we may never fully understand the real world, we can still use our own knowledge to glimpse it."

"Even if it's just the tip of the iceberg, it's better than living a lifetime in an illusion."

Tong Daoren looked at him, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

Qi Fei felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and subconsciously asked, "Did I say something wrong?"

The Taoist priest shook his head.

"That's right," he said, his voice tinged with emotion. "That's right. What you just said is almost exactly what my master said back then..."

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked again.

"And what happens after you regain consciousness?"

"After waking up, there is only endless emptiness and pain. So what?"

What he meant by recognizing was that the real world and the world he perceived could never be the same.

People think they are looking at mountains, but are mountains really mountains?

People think they are listening to the wind, but is the wind really the wind?

People think they have touched the truth, but what they have touched is merely a reflection of the truth in their minds.

The real world and the reflection in your mind are two different worlds.

An invisible wall stands between people and reality.

In this life, no matter how hard you try to reach, touch, and guess, you can only touch the shadow on the wall.

You never know what's on the other side of the wall.

Therefore, when a person is truly and clearly aware of this, the pain is a pain of clarity, and also a pain of emptiness.

Everything seemed meaningless.

Because even immortals wouldn't know what the real world is like.

If that's the case, what's the point of cultivating immortality?

Qi Fei was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"Isn't that normal?" he said. "Ignorance and deception can bring happiness, while clarity only brings confusion and pain."

"However, being sober can also make one feel free."