While the other core disciples were busy sparring with Wudang’s core disciples to hone their swordsmanship experience, Lu Yuan was wandering through the various locales of Wudang. Wudang possesses quite a few famous spots, such as the Taihe Palace, the Bronze Hall, the Jingle Palace, the Xuanyue Gate, the Yuxu Palace, the Prince Slope, and Nanyan, all with their distinct characteristics.
Of course, when it comes to the sheer, imposing grandeur of Wudang's many palaces, none can surpass the Hall of True Warrior (Zhenwu Dadian).
That Hall of True Warrior stands atop the peak like the Heavenly General of Tortoise and Serpent descending to the mortal realm.
Its aura, frankly, could swallow mountains and rivers whole.
Indeed, for a mere palace to project such an intimidating presence—one capable of consuming the majesty of mountains and rivers—speaks volumes of its terrifying magnificence.
In contrast, Mount Hua lacks such a singular, dominant structure, which naturally relates to its governance being historically divided among the Five Peaks. Had Mount Hua, the foremost peak in the Great Jin, not been governed by these distinct divisions, it could surely have erected palaces capable of matching that mountain-swallowing grandeur.
During this period, Lu Yuan managed to explore the entirety of the Wudang Immortal Sect grounds.
The seventy-two peaks of Wudang each held their unique character.
However, the time had finally come to depart.
At the foot of Mount Wudang, led by Dugu Ye and Chu Fei, the contingent from the North Peak had already descended from the Wudang Immortal Sect. Yin Zheng and Shen Xia had personally escorted them down. Generally, Shen Xia’s presence would have sufficed for farewells, but this time, the Wudang Immortal Sect owed Lu Yuan a profound favor—one that saved their True Martial Cave Heaven—so Yin Zheng came himself.
“May your journey be long and prosperous, esteemed guests from the Mount Hua Immortal Sect, travel safely,” Yin Zheng offered, clasping his hands respectfully.
“Senior Brother Yin is too kind. Now that we are off the mountain, Senior Brother Yin should return,” Dugu Ye replied with a polite salute.
The two groups exchanged smiles and parted ways. Dugu Ye and his party gradually moved further away, and Yin Zheng ceased gazing after them. “This Lu Yuan, he is truly remarkable. Mount Hua has produced another exceptional figure,” he mused with a touch of wistfulness. Still, it was better for Mount Hua to remain strong; after all, the Wudang Immortal Sect and the Mount Hua Immortal Sect now shared several common interests.
Yin Zheng smiled faintly and turned back towards Mount Wudang.
Mount Wudang settled back into tranquility.
Meanwhile, Dugu Ye, Chu Fei, and their group were making their way toward Mount Kunlun.
“The swordsmanship of the Wudang Immortal Sect truly possesses unique merits. That Yielding Tendril Sword style is particularly troublesome,” Yun Yi remarked. Everyone present nodded in agreement upon hearing Yun Yi’s comment. In their recent bouts against Wudang’s core disciples, the technique they feared most was the Yielding Tendril Sword style. This style specialized in entangling the opponent’s blade, severely limiting the effective deployment of other moves. No one among them had yet discovered a reliable method to counter it.
Ling Yuzhu inquired, “Sixth Junior Brother, if it were you, how would you break this sword style?”
Lu Yuan, hearing the question, replied, “The Yielding Tendril Sword style hinges on two concepts: entanglement and softness. It’s not inherently difficult to break. The ‘entanglement’ seeks to wrap around your sword, which can be countered in two ways. Extreme hardness can subdue softness, but hardness can also overcome softness itself. With an extremely rigid swordsmanship, one can shatter the Yielding Tendril style, though our North Peak lacks such overtly rigid sword arts. The other method is to meet softness with softness. The deeper one masters the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud practiced at the North Peak, the more one realizes that both ‘wind’ and ‘cloud’ are not physical entities, making them impossible for the Tendril style to truly wrap around. However, this requires your swordsmanship to reach a specific level of mastery.”
“Of course, if one were to meticulously analyze it, one could devise a set of counter-moves specifically against the Yielding Tendril style—breaking it move by move. I could accomplish that,” Lu Yuan added. “If I truly created such a set of counter-techniques, you could certainly break the Yielding Tendril style practiced by Zhang Qingshu and others. But as I said before, when it comes to swordsmanship, the same technique wielded by different people produces vastly different levels of power. A method that breaks Zhang Qingshu might fail against someone of a stronger generation. Therefore, creating a fixed counter-technique is ultimately useless.”
Chu Fei laughed heartily, “Junior Nephew Lu speaks the absolute truth. Swordsmanship isn't about finding a counter-move; it’s about one's own cultivation level in swordsmanship. Once you reach a certain height, breaking it becomes simple. There are no shortcuts in the way of the sword; diligently improving one’s own swordsmanship realm is the proper course.”
The purpose of this current journey was precisely to broaden everyone’s experience.
Thus, along the way, they frequently tested each other’s sect sword arts, using actual scenarios to illustrate their points one by one.
———————
Mount Kunlun.
Mount Kunlun is a significant mountain within the Jin State.
In reality, there are numerous mountain ranges named Kunlun across the land, and the one in Jin State is but one location bearing that name.
Mount Kunlun is imbued with various beautiful myths: some claim it as the Daoist sanctuary of the Queen Mother of the West in mythology, others suggest it is the abode of the Primordial Lord of Heaven. Some even posit that Kunlun is the center of the world, calling it the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Mountains. However, these are merely accounts from the ancient past.
Every mountain named Kunlun claims to possess such legends.
As for which specific range holds the truth of these myths, who truly knows?
Setting aside the Kunluns in other nations and regions, let us focus solely on the Kunlun within the Jin State.
This Mount Kunlun soars tens of thousands of feet high, obscuring the sun and sky.
On the official road at the base of Mount Kunlun, a line of people—none other than Dugu Ye’s entourage—halted. Dugu Ye stated, “The current Mount Kunlun also has various legends surrounding it; let us not dwell on those, as there are too many conflicting tales. However, the current Daoist lineage here is said to originate from the ancient Jade Void Kunlun.”
“It is said that this Mount Kunlun acquired three salvaged scrolls from the ancient Jade Void Kunlun: the Grand Unity Secret Scroll, the Guangchengzi Secret Scroll, and the Pure Void Morality Secret Scroll. The Grand Unity Scroll focuses specifically on the crafting of magical artifacts; the Pure Void Morality Scroll details the use of fire-elemental magic; and the Guangcheng Secret Scroll covers the cultivation of wind and thunder techniques.”
“Consequently, within Mount Kunlun, there are factions dedicated to artifacts and factions dedicated to magic, but unlike the disputes between our Three Sects of Sword Qi at Mount Hua, here they generally use magic to supplement artifacts. It truly is better that they avoid such internal quarrels,” Dugu Ye remarked with a faint sense of feeling.
“Therefore, our purpose in visiting Mount Kunlun is to learn how to contend against those who rely on magical artifacts and those who focus on pure magic.” Dugu Ye turned to Lu Yuan, “If I recall correctly, Lu Yuan, you have also engaged little with artifact specialists. You gained some experience at the Wudang Immortal Sect, and here you should be able to gain more.”
Lu Yuan nodded. He acknowledged that he rarely fought against artifact users, as in this world, most cultivation paths leaned toward swordsmanship or sorcery, with few prioritizing external magical implements.
Artifacts were external things.
The self, however, was paramount.
Arriving at the foot of Mount Kunlun, they immediately noticed the formidable mountain-protecting grand formation, bristling with endless restrictions. Even slight proximity revealed a shifting, seven-hued luminescence. To rush forward would instantly trigger the array, leading to utter annihilation. Seeing the North Peak party approach, guards quickly demanded their identity. Dugu Ye announced their credentials, and upon hearing that the Ninth Generation Sword Immortal of Mount Hua had arrived as a visitor, the guards were startled and immediately rushed off to announce them.
“I wondered who it was; so it is Senior Sister Dugu arriving,” a melodious and gentle voice sounded. A gracefully beautiful woman approached—this woman, Mu Ruolan, the Peach Blossom Sword Immortal, was renowned in the cultivation world. She and Dugu Ye had developed some acquaintance during prior meetings in the cultivation sphere.
“It seems to be Junior Sister Mu,” Dugu Ye replied with a smile and a nod.
“What brings Senior Sister Dugu here?” Mu Ruolan cut straight to the point.
“I have brought a contingent of North Peak core disciples to observe and gain insight from various mountains and sects,” Dugu Ye explained.
Hearing Dugu Ye’s intention, Mu Ruolan nodded. “I see. Please, Senior Sister Dugu, rest here for now. I shall make all the necessary arrangements.” Exchanges between disciples of various sects were certainly not detrimental; refusal was unthinkable.
Mu Ruolan guided Dugu Ye and the rest of the North Peak group up Mount Kunlun. From the base, they observed that the mountain was entirely shrouded in ice and snow, making the ascent feel like entering a world of frost and blizzards. Yet, unlike typical desolate snowscapes, Mount Kunlun was densely covered in trees, amidst which various spiritual creatures, immortal birds, and spirit monkeys leaped about.
Mount Kunlun harbored unique fauna absent elsewhere, such as the Tulou, the Qinyuan, and the Shatang—a variety of strange beasts that distinguished Mount Kunlun from other locales. A distinctly different atmosphere from Mount Hua, Lu Yuan noted internally.
After walking for some time, a single tree materialized before them.
How tall was this tree?
This tree bore green leaves, a purple trunk, and yellow fruit. Despite the sun blazing down, it cast no shadow whatsoever. And its height—Lu Yuan had to crane his neck upward; the tree seemed to pierce the very firmament, its apex lost to sight. The other North Peak disciples gasped in awe, having never witnessed a tree of such impossible scale.
Noticing everyone’s focus on the tree, Mu Ruolan offered the introduction, “This is the Jianmu of Mount Kunlun.”
Jianmu!
In ancient times, in the wilds of Tiandu, near Mount Kunlun, there stood a massive tree called the Jianmu.
The Jianmu could reach directly into the heavens.
Legend claimed that in antiquity, people did not need cultivation; by simply climbing the Jianmu ever upward, they could ascend to the celestial realm and become gods. However, for reasons lost to history—with various conflicting accounts—the Jianmu was eventually destroyed. This current Jianmu was clearly not the one from those ancient tales.
Mu Ruolan affirmed, “Indeed. The founding patriarch of our sect occasionally discovered the skeletal remains of a Jianmu branch and planted it here. Over the years, it has grown continuously higher, now surpassing a thousand zhang. However, the Jianmu is constantly shrouded by extremely dense Jianmu Clouds; the higher one ascends, the more arduous the climb becomes. With my current strength, I can only reach about five hundred zhang before being unable to proceed further. If you are interested, you are welcome to attempt climbing the Jianmu.”
Looking up, they confirmed that the trunk was indeed enveloped by a thick layer of accumulated cloud cover.
Dugu Ye, being one of the more playful members among the Ninth Generation Sword Immortals, immediately agreed, “We might as well give it a try.” Since the journey had no fixed objective, encountering something interesting naturally warranted some diversion.
(The current theme centers on travel, featuring interesting events and sights from various sects and schools.)