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Chapter 220: The Final Challenge
Chapter 220: The Final Challenge
Chapter 220: The Final Challenge
"When heaven and earth were first created, there was no separation or distance."
"As the energies of yin and yang are thoroughly separated, everything reverts back to the primordial chaos of the universe"
Chu Liang took a deep breath, slowly opening his eyes to find the sky outside had turned to dusk, with a brilliant sunset.
He remembered that after returning to Silver Sword Peak, he had spent the entire night contemplating the Immortal Art: Dimension Compression. Now, as the sun was setting again, he realized that another full day and night had passed.
Later, he learned that the Immortality Peach Brew from the Penglai Supreme Sect, also known as the brew of enlightenment, indeed greatly benefited cultivation.
Unexpectedly, he entered into a state of enlightenment after drinking and completely lost touch with time.
As he stood, stiffness and numbness gripped his limbs and joints. But with the activation of his foundational qi, his blood flow normalized, and his body aches vanished.
This realization marked a turning point. Despite days of earnest study, his grasp of the Immortal Art: Dimension Compression had remained frustratingly vague and abstract. But in a single moment of enlightenment, everything clicked into place, dispelling the confusion and bringing clarity to his understanding.
The Dao of Distancelessness was essentially about returning to the original state of completeness, where there remained no separation or division.
Legend has it that in the primordial chaos of the universe, when all things were just beginning to evolve, the cosmos was merely a point, like an egg, with the yin and yang energies merging in chaos.
Later, after undergoing tremendous changes, the current layout of the heavens and earth emerged. So, no matter how long the distance, in reality, everything originally existed at that one point.
Only one step was needed to cross over that one point.
As the yin and yang energies dispersed and evolved into a myriad of things in the world, the distances began to expand. As long as one returned to the original state of yin and yang energies, they could instantly traverse any obstacle.
Indeed, theoretically speaking, the "Dao of Distancelessness" allowed one to truly go wherever they desired. Wherever their mind wandered, they could instantly teleport to that place.
However, that level of ability required at least reaching the seventh realm. At Chu Liang's current state, he only needed to comprehend that same concept and would not have to achieve that level. As long as he could apply the same principle to cross the distance of one zhang, his learning of the Dimension Compression would be considered a success.
Yin and yang energies...
Chu Liang could feel the true essence of qi within the atmosphere. Compared to others, he had more advantage in the learning of this immortal art as he could simultaneously activate the circulation of the Lesser Yin and Lesser Yang, which meant that the comprehension of the true essence of qi became relatively easy.
Navigating the complex yin and yang energies within the void, which shape heaven and earth, was like traversing a convoluted mountain road that could take an entire day. Yet, by constructing a bridge, one could swiftly cross this straight-line distance in a mere moment.
Yet divine abilities would be needed to traverse this straight line.
Between the Great Dao of yin and yang, there existed a narrow gap. By crossing over this gap, one would gain clarity.
Chu Liang once again attempted to executed the Dimension Compression, but unlike before, he could see this time. The world seemed like lines of black and white, with everything mixed within the lines, yet there was an extremely clear path.
Swoosh—
Chu Liang stepped onto this path.
In the blink of an eye, when he looked again, his figure had already moved one zhang to the left out of thin air.
"So, this is the Dimension Compression. This feeling is quite..." he murmured. Aside from the wrong direction, everything else was a success.
He had thought the path was to the right.
Overcoming the usual way of understanding direction should also be a significant challenge of this immortal art.
But for Chu Liang, it wasn't too difficult, because he had practiced how to use the Razor Leaf...
This discovery surprised him greatly. The feeling of finding the correct direction from a complex mass of lines was surprisingly similar to the extensive practice he had done with the Razor Leaf technique!
As expected, efforts would never go to waste.
Junior Brother Wen, listen to me as I sing you a thank you song.[1]
...
Swoosh!
In the dead of night, a shadowy figure suddenly flashed on Silver Sword Peak, darting left and right.
The use of Dimension Compression would deplete a significant amount of foundational qi. At Chu Liang's current cultivation level, he could probably only perform this immortal art four or five times before exhausting his foundational qi. However, with his double ultimate-tier Golden Core actively operating, he could swiftly replenish his foundational qi, enabling him to practice extensively.
Combined with his previous foundation of practicing the Razor Leaf technique, by the time the moon reached its zenith, Chu Liang had already become proficient in executing the Dimension Compression.
Wherever he pointed, he would flash in that direction but just a zhang away.
Swoosh!
He suddenly appeared in front of a large rock.
When he previously didn’t understand the divine abilities that allowed him to walk between reality and illusion, Chu Liang was worried that he might get stuck in a wall or a mountain if he couldn't traverse far enough.
Now that he understood, he realized that if he couldn't completely traverse through a cluster of lines, he would be blocked outside, unable to enter that chaotic mass.
In simpler terms, he would be teleporting and hitting a wall.
Once again, he had depleted his foundational qi. Chu Liang leaned against the massive stone, taking a moment to rest.
As he gazed up at the sky, Chu Liang noticed that the moon seemed exceptionally full that evening. It was the fifteenth night of the lunar cycle.
A flying bird glided beneath the moonlight, casting a solitary shadow that melded into the glow of the moon, reminiscent of an ink painting unfurling on a scroll.
Hm?
Upon witnessing the scene, a sudden realization dawned on Chu Liang. With the lingering effects of the Immortality Peach Brew, his normally sharp mind was unusually clear.
He thought of something in an instant!
He soared into the air, carried by the wind, gliding effortlessly until he reached the valley of the Treasured Pagoda Peak, landing gracefully beside the towering rock in front of the cave. In the stillness of the late hour, he was the only one here.
With his arrival, the forest echoed with the distinctive calls of "Hreeooorrh," and swiftly, the figure of a Baize youngling emerged from the shadows, drawn by his presence.
The little thing is quite dedicated.
Chu Liang gently patted its head, wondering what benefits the high-level members of Mount Shu had promised it, to make the usually unruly Baize youngling diligently guard this place.
With a light leap, Chu Liang settled himself atop the large rock.
In this moment, the moon hung suspended in the center of the sky, its luminous glow resembling a translucent jade disc. Beside the Treasured Pagoda Peak stood the Azure Falling Peak, the highest peak of Mount Shu.
The ancient tree on the Azure Falling Peak reached upward, its branch appearing as if captured within the jade disc.
The wall adorned with intricately carved jade within the cave behind him portrayed a White-Jade Porcelain Cup set against the jade disk. This scene perfectly mirrored the image in the painting! It wasn't the moon itself, but rather the area where shadows intertwined.
Chu Liang ascended once more, soaring straight towards Azure Falling Peak. He landed on the huge tree branch that appeared to be captured within the moon's glow.
All disciples of Mount Shu knew that the ancient tree on Azure Falling Peak was Daoist Yan's cultivation ground. Aside from Jiang Yuebai, none of the other disciples of Azure Falling Peak would dare ascend this tree so recklessly.
But Chu Liang boldly landed there at this moment. He settled himself on that branch, surveying the emptiness around him.
Empty? It can't be...
Just as he thought so, there came a sound of wind above.
Turning his head, he saw the aloof figure of Daoist Yan, standing indifferently there.
"Senior Aunt Yan!" Chu Liang immediately greeted and said, "It is indeed rude of me to visit you at this late hour. Please forgive me."
Chu Liang had always held respect for this senior, one of the few friends of his teacher on Mount Shu. Being able to befriend Di Nufeng for many years without being harmed by her was indeed a skill.
"You knew it's late at night, and it's rude to visit, yet you still had the guts to come to the ancient tree on Azure Falling Peak. What's the reason for your visit?" Daoist Yan calmly inquired.
"I..." Chu Liang looked around, asking, "Shouldn't there be something here?"
"What something?" Daoist Yan's expression remained unchanged.
Chu Liang asserted, "The White-Jade Porcelain Cup that belonged to the Weapons Master!"
Chu Liang was confident that his observation was accurate.
According to that wall adorned with intricately carved jade, the White-Jade Porcelain Cup should be here.
"Heh." Daoist Yan suddenly smiled slightly and said, "You are indeed remarkably clever. You've truly outsmarted all the other disciples of Mount Shu."
"Senior Aunt Yan, thank you for your praise, but it's just a lucky guess," Chu Liang modestly replied.
"But if you want the White-Jade Porcelain Cup, one final challenge remains," Daoist Yan's tone suddenly became somewhat sharp.
"Hm?" Chu Liang frowned. "I've already solved three puzzles. According to how the event went in previous years, shouldn't I have found the valuable item by now?"
The first puzzle led to the Red Cotton Peak. The second puzzle led to the Treasured Pagoda Peak. The solving of the third puzzle led to the Azure Falling Peak. According to how the event went in past years, the final valuable item should be hidden here. Why did they add another step?
"Are you not embarrassed of yourself for asking such a question?" Daoist Yan said in an irritable tone. "In previous years, none of the disciples solved the puzzles so quickly, nor did any act recklessly by selling the answer to the puzzle for people to progress to the next stage... As a disciple of the immortal sect, what kind of conduct is this?"
"... " Chu Liang immediately understood.
His act of selling the second stage's puzzle answer had displeased the elder and senior members who devised the puzzles. They had intended to train the disciples through this event, but they never expected a disciple to profit from it, especially with zero cost.
However, this action didn't violate Mount Shu's regulations in any way. The Mountain God Memorial Ceremony activity already granted a considerable degree of freedom, and they couldn't find grounds to penalize Chu Liang.
They were really angry about this, but they could not stop Chu Liang!
And thus, they likely made the spontaneous decision to introduce an additional challenge solely for Chu Liang, given that he would most likely be the first to solve the final puzzle. It was a unique question tailored specifically for him. Had another disciple discovered it, they wouldn't have faced this additional challenge.
And now, Chu Liang probably felt exactly what the elders of the sect had felt when they found out that he had sold the second puzzle.
He could only ask, "What is the last challenge? Senior Aunt, please tell me."
"I wasn't the one who came up with this challenge, but the task is simple," Daoist Yan said slowly. "You just need to bring me a high-grade Green Pill in exchange for the White-Jade Porcelain Cup."
1. He was referencing an actual thank you song in Chinese ?????? by ??? but it's the meme version. Discord if you want the link cause it's only on douyin. ?