Mt. Stupid was an unnamed mountain before the first Abbot of the Temple of Enlightenment came and settled down. Per his words, "Mt. Stupid is such a perfect name for this little mountain. When one first starts to climb, they will find that the path is not very steep and continue to climb until they reach the top. As this mountain slopes up, it gradually becomes steeper. By the time the climbers realize it, they are already stuck, unable to move forward, or backward. By naming this mountain this ridiculous name, I hope more villagers contemplate more before starting the climb on this mountain."
Shen considered the Abbot's words as he climbed up the mountain. Before long, he had reached the top of Mt. Stupid, arriving at the worn-down Temple of Enlightenment. The Temple of Enlightenment's purpose is to serve as the light at the end of the tunnel. Those who were able to persevere the climb and reach the top are those with a very respectable amount of willpower who were more than likely going to take Abbot's words to heart.
All in all, Mt. Stupid served as the Abbot's training ground.
"In the end, this monk returned here." Shen smiled bitterly. He wanted to see the world and refine his heart's will further. However, the village's conditions led him back here.
[Abbot of Mt. Stupid]
The title he earned from defeating the dungeon. It was certainly well-fitting for him, indeed, now that he had returned back to the temple.
His mind recollected through everything he had experienced since going down the mountain. The encounter with the mysterious Spring-Autumn and Rainmist. The Village Chief's speech. The frailty of human nature. The meaning behind Mt. Stupid.
He had finally understood the meaning behind his title at last.
"The Abbot? Fine, this monk will gladly take on this role."
At this moment, Shen's entire body shone, becoming intangible for a brief moment. His will that was strong enough to defeat a dungeon alone encompassed the entire mountain. Thousands of scenes flashed through his mind but he was unfazed. He could see the villagers' misery. The hunts of the beasts of Mt. Stupid. The departing figures of Spring-Autumn and Rainmist. Finally, his ideals were directly imprinted onto that of Mt. Stupid. This was the power of one who could defeat a dungeon.
From this moment onwards, Mt. Stupid was no longer just a regular mountain, but a true trial ground.
This was Shen's method of helping the villagers who were now changed.
At another corner of Mt. Stupid.
Spring-Autumn and Rainmist were descending the mountains when they found their entire surroundings had lit up. Out of instinct, Rainmist held onto Spring-Autumn's arm.
"What's going on?" Rainmist leaked out a voice.
Spring-Autumn did not answer. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the countless inspiration he received. "So this is it. This is the reason behind that vision…"
Spring-Autumn did not choose his path randomly. He chose this specific path based on the vision he had seen. And at long last, it had paid off.
"You could feel it too, right?" He gave Rainmist a question. She gave him a questioning look in return before closing her eyes like he did before.
"This sensation is… inspiration?"
"Isn't it wonderful? I feel like my brain is growing even though I'm probably still as dumb as ever," Spring-Autumn cracked a joke.
Rainmist chuckled: "Don't say that,"
At this moment, the ground shook and the tree in front of them suddenly grew a pair of eyes.
"Finally," Spring-Autumn licked his lips. All the inspiration he gained from Mt. Stupid congregated into one new skill.
[Time Steal]
With a flicker, Spring-Autumn suddenly appeared in front of the [Tree Demon], his palm, lightly touching the tree and the most ridiculous scene happened. It was as if someone fast-forwarded the [Tree Demon] and rewinded time for Spring-Autumn.
His graying hair darkened and began to turn back into its shade of brown. His skin tightened up and returned to its former youthful glow. With a slight smirk on his face, Spring-Autumn had returned to his original appearance!
The [Tree Demon] could do nothing against Spring-Autumn's ability. From a huge tree that towered through the skies, its bark cracked and fell, its branches fell down one by one causing the ground to shake. And eventually, the entire tree turned into ashes.
In the back, Rainmist had her mouth open so wide, one could fit a whole egg in it.
"Surprised?" Spring-Autumn smirked. "I'm back,"
"Oh, you're finally back!" Rainmist flew into his arms, squishing her bountiful peaks against his chest. "This is the Spring-Autumn I know," She said while rubbing her face against his.
"What? Was I that ugly when I was old?" Spring-Autumn laughed.
"Very! Incredibly wrinkly too!" She said everything on her mind.
"Hey! That's rude, you know?" He slapped her ass as punishment.
"Does it matter? You're never going to look like that again," She giggled.
"That's true." Spring-Autumn nodded. "Anyway, let's get out of here. We will really turn stupid if we stayed here any longer."
"Mhmm,"
And with that, the pair left Mt. Stupid, the mountain which will have a legendary status in the future.