Shu Mountain, Silver Sword Peak.
Chu Liang opened his eyes, his gaze bright.
Glancing at the time outside, it was still very early. The fiery sun had just risen, the dawn glow reddening half the sky.
Having spent more than half a year in this world, he had fully acclimated to waking up early.
Yes, he was not originally from this world, but a recent graduate who had just finished his final exams. The day before, he had learned that he'd achieved third place in the whole province, and the following morning, he was hit by a drunk driver.
When he woke up again, he found himself in this bizarre world.
Bizarre because here, Evil Demons make mischief, dragons and snakes roam the lands, the power of deities reaches to the heavens, and mortals' lives are as insignificant as grass. It is thanks to the many Immortal Sects, headed by the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, suppressing these, that the peace of the mortal realm is maintained.
Human cultivators are equally strong. Martial artists can split mountains and rocks with their physical bodies, scholars can match thousands of troops with their spirits, Taoist heavenly masters can command wind and rain, and high monks of Buddhism once subdued dragons with a single finger...
Chu Liang's predecessor was an orphan whose family had been killed by an Evil Demon. He alone was saved by his master, and because he had the potential to cultivate, he was brought back to the mountains.
So, his predecessor especially despised wicked spirits, and wanted to develop divine skills as quickly as possible to venture down the mountains to slay demons. Yet, because of his impatience led his Taoist Heart to become unstable, and he lost his way during a breakthrough, causing his godly soul to disappear.
One could only sigh - such is the unpredictability of life.
After Chu Liang's soul arrived in this world, the first feeling in his heart was actually panic. As a teenager who grew up in peaceful times, the rampant demons in this world made him quite uneasy.
Especially since the memories he carries include vivid scenes of his predecessor's family being killed by a demon which had a huge impact on his soul.
However, he quickly figured it out. Fear comes from a lack of power.
Weaker people necessarily live in constant fear. If you want to completely get rid of this unease, the only way is to become stronger. Having the potential to cultivate, and ending up in the top-notch Immortal Sect like Shu Mountain Sect, is already a pretty good start.
What's even better is that after reincarnating, he found a change in his godly soul.
A tower had appeared.
Whenever he meditated, a huge white tower would appear in his mind, rewarding him with treasures after he slew demons. This was not in the memories of his previous life, and seemed to have come with him, perhaps the legendary Golden Finger?
Initially, Chu Liang didn't dare to go after big demons, so he looked around the villages near Shu Mountain for places like mass graves and cemeteries, and killed some Lantern Monsters.
Lantern Monsters were resentful spirits of the deceased, attached to lanterns, transformed into ghost fires, floating and bumping into the living at night. They disappear instantly when bumped into, while the person that had been bumped into might become slightly sick at most. Compared to cultivators, Lantern Monsters were essentially harmless.
So weak as to be somewhat endearing.
The reward for refining a single Lamp Monster was a single Spirit Gathering Pill that aids cultivation. While not particularly rare in and of itself, enough of them significantly enhanced his cultivation speed.
Once, he happened upon a Stone Statue Spirit - a hefty creature with sturdy defense - causing trouble. After a protracted battle, Chu Liang managed to wear it down and kill it.
For the first time, the White Tower gave out a magical treasure as a reward - the gold brick that forced the Spider Spirit to reveal itself.
[Demon Revealing Treasure Brick]: Use this brick to strike a person's head. If that person is a transformed Demonic Creature, it will revert to its original form; if not, it will feel pain, triggering a certain degree of dizziness. It enables one to discern truth from guise quickly.
In Chu Liang's opinion, this treasure was particularly practical.
Elixirs, magical treasures, divine skill methods... All these were extremely precious in the Immortal Cultivation World. Even as a disciple of Shu Mountain, one had to complete tasks for the sect to exchange resources and treasures.
As long as Chu Liang slew monsters, he could obtain treasures. Moreover, as his strength to slay monsters increased, the grade of the treasures he obtained would also increase, naturally boosting his fighting capabilities significantly.
So now Chu Liang was in a "Slaying monsters because of fear of monsters" logic loop. In some ways, he had indeed fulfilled some of the desires of his previous existence.
...
Leisurely dressing, washing up, and organizing his hair, he was now officially getting out of bed.
He opened the door and stepped out of his wooden hut, looking up at the clear sky. It was April, the end of spring, and the air was filled with the fragrance of plants. Following the melodious path of chirping birds and blossoming flowers, he circled around the side of a hill and eventually arrived at a pavilion on the summit.
He came to find his master.
The pavilion's main gate was wide open. As soon as he walked in, he saw a woman lying nonchalantly in front of a Divine Platform.
She was a woman with flowing hair, her half face hidden by hair strands. The half-face that was exposed was glossy and tender, its contours appeared brushed in ink, flushed with red. Her neck had delicate lines as exquisite as fine porcelain.
She wore a set of black robes. Even while lying down, her ample chest was quite noticeable, appearing full like the moon, rising and falling with her even breaths. A jade pendant tinged with red light was nestled therein, attracting attention. At the waist was a belt, and her hips gradually broadened out. Her long legs were bare, revealing her creamy skin.
Next to her hand dangled a large Wine Gourd. Upon entering, one could hear soft snores, so devoid of any grace.
Although she was sound asleep, at the sound of Chu Liang's footsteps, the woman instantly became alert and opened her eyes.
"Master," Chu Liang lightly called from the entrance.
Yes, this woman was indeed Chu Liang's master, Empress Feng, the Peak Master of the Silver Sword Peak, one of the thirty-six peaks of the Shu Mountain Sect.
"Ah, it's already daylight." Empress Feng sat up with a roll, her clothes in disarray, one shoulder partially exposed, the scene appeared quite scandalous.
She didn't bother to straighten her clothes, but first scratched her head while looking drowsily at Chu Liang, "What brings you here?"
She was still slightly confused.
"Um..." Chu Liang glanced up, "Didn't Master send a paper crane with a message telling me to come find you after I return?"
"Did that happen?" The hangover-ridden woman scratched her head, suddenly remembering, "Oh, I remember now!"
Only then did she adjust her clothes somewhat and stood up. Lying down, she didn't seem too conspicuous, but once she stood up, her stature seemed even more tall and her curves stunning.
"Weren't the peak masters summoned for a meeting by the Sect Leader yesterday? He said it's time to prepare for the Shu Mountain Peak Conference that occurs once every ten years. You know, the one where disciples from various peaks compete to become the Chief Disciple."
"I am aware," Chu Liang replied.
"Well, Wang XuanLing and I ended up arguing again. I couldn't stand his arrogance, claiming that the Chief would definitely be from his Jade Sword Peak... Humph!" Empress Feng was still so angered that her chest heaved twice when she mentioned it, "Of course, I argued back. We argued and then made a bet."
"If the disciple from Jade Sword Peak secures the position of Chief, I will give him the Phoenix Soul Blood Jade. And if a disciple from my Silver Sword Peak secures the position, he'll relinquish his seat at the head of the peaks to me."
With that, Empress Feng glanced at Chu Liang, "I called you here because I wanted to ask, who do you think we should nominate from Silver Sword Peak for the Shu Mountain Peak Conference?"
"..." Chu Liang was speechless for a moment before timidly saying, "Master, isn't there only one disciple in Silver Sword Peak...me?"
"Great!" Empress Feng clapped her hands, "I'm very pleased that you volunteered!"