Watching the Mountain

In the early morning, white mist curled around Qing Xuan Peak.

Xu Ran opened the gate to his Cave Mansion and saw an old man with a full head of white hair, dressed in simple robes.

Upon seeing Xu Ran, he slowly raised his hands to form a hand seal and said respectfully, "Uncle Xu."

Sixty years had passed, and Ye Shu’s Cultivation had only just reached the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer. Being over ninety and still at the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation had left him a man in his twilight years.

Xu Ran gave him a slight nod and said, "You’re here."

After showing him into the main hall of the Cave Mansion, Xu Ran said to Ye Shu, who was sitting ramrod straight with a reserved expression, "I’m heading out for a moment."

As he was leaving, he ran into Chen Chang’an, who had come to be his sparring partner.

Chen Chang’an was a man who always kept his word. He had said he would hone Xu Ran’s combat skills, and starting the day after Zhao Wuyang and Liu Yunge left, he had suppressed his Cultivation every day to fight with Xu Ran.

He would arrive at dawn and leave at noon, never missing a day in sixty years.

Even Xu Ran was stunned by his dedication and had asked him if he didn’t need to cultivate himself.

Chen Chang’an had replied calmly, "This is also a form of cultivation."

Xu Ran finally understood why a naturally cautious person like Zhao Wuyang, when dealing with Chen Chang’an, would rather take his promise than trust a Great Dao oath.

For a man like Chen Chang’an, a promise was more reliable than any oath or contract.

He admired Chen Chang’an from the bottom of his heart and was incredibly grateful. A top-tier Sword Cultivator suppressing his Cultivation to fight with him for sixty years, as if it were a single day, had caused his combat instincts, innate talent, techniques, and experience to all improve rapidly.

Now, he could confidently say that he no longer had any shortcomings in battle. Even if he were to face one of the chosen prodigies, he could hold his own against them head-on.

But compared to fighting, he much preferred a more peaceful and leisurely cultivation.

Xu Ran looked at the still plain and ordinary-looking Chen Chang’an, gave him a nod, and said, "Something’s come up today. Let’s take a day off."

Chen Chang’an glanced at him, then said after a moment of silence, "No need. I came today to tell you that your Swordsmanship has passed muster. I won’t be sparring with you anymore."

Xu Ran was taken aback for a moment. He had grown accustomed to these days—after finishing his nightly cultivation, a plain, ordinary Sword Cultivator would appear here, right on time, to fight with him.

To suddenly hear that the other man was ending their training sessions left him in a daze. He felt a mix of joy and other conflicting emotions, which coalesced into a strange, wistful feeling.

Chen Chang’an’s words were like a teacher telling him, "You can graduate now."

He fell silent for a moment, then raised his hands and gave Chen Chang’an a deep, formal bow. "Thank you for your guidance, Brother."

Chen Chang’an accepted his deep bow without flinching and gave a slight nod in return.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Ran asked hesitantly, "In that case, Brother, are you going to perform that one Sword Technique of yours?"

He clearly remembered that the reason Chen Chang’an had agreed to be his sparring partner was that Ye Shan had told him to save that particular Sword Technique for Xu Ran to witness.

Chen Chang’an fell silent for a moment at his words. "No," he said. "Let’s save that Sword Technique. You’ll have a chance to see it in the future."

He waved a hand at Xu Ran. "Although you aren’t a pure Sword Cultivator, I still hope that one day I will see you create an even more powerful Swordsmanship."

"Just like... Sword Dao Ye Shan."

With that, he said no more, simply nodding to Xu Ran before turning to leave.

Watching him go, Xu Ran bowed slightly to his retreating back, lowered his head, and whispered, "I will."

*

*

*

Ever since moving to Qing Xuan Peak, Xu Ran had never returned to Spirit Stream Peak. A hundred years had passed since he last set foot on its soil.

For a mortal, a hundred years is a span of time most will never live to see. But in the Cultivation Realm, it was fleeting—perhaps only as long as it took someone to complete a session of secluded meditation.

This gap was the very difference between an Immortal and a mortal.

Nearly a hundred years had passed, and the environment of Spirit Stream Peak was largely unchanged. The only difference was the number of disciples, which had grown considerably, making the paths feel much more bustling.

Although Xu Ran had always kept a low profile in the past, as a lecturer for the Instructor Hall, he would still occasionally be greeted by students as he walked the paths.

But now, despite walking for some time, he hadn’t seen a single familiar face, and no one came forward to greet him.

Be it the peers who had attended Teacher Qing Xuan’s lectures with him in the Instructor Hall, or the students from when he himself was a lecturer—after a hundred years, these people had either reached higher Realms of Cultivation and entered long-term seclusion, taken on heavy responsibilities, long since left the Sect, or departed from the mortal world altogether...

At the very least, they were no longer people one could casually bump into on the road as before.

Xu Ran wasn’t sure how it happened. He had come to Spirit Stream Peak on an errand, but as he walked, his feet had somehow carried him to the Instructor Hall.

It had only been a year since the Sect’s last recruitment drive. The first two years after new disciples joined were always the liveliest time for the Instructor Hall of every major peak.

The Instructor Hall on Spirit Stream Peak was a perfect example. As soon as he walked in, he saw rows upon rows of young men and women, all sitting upright and attentive.