I Became an Immortal in the Mountains - Chapter 3: Watching the Mountain
Host: Gu Yuanqing
Title: Master of Beiquan Mountain
Title Effect: Mountain Observation
Cultivation Talent: Mediocre (one in a hundred)
Sword Talent: Mediocre (outstanding)
Comprehension: Above Average (exceptional)
Residence: Beiquan Mountain (Spirit-Nurturing Mortal Mountain)
Residence Buffs: +2 Cultivation Talent, +3 Sword Talent, +3 Comprehension; gains two wisps of spiritual energy per day.
“Compared to before, my talent and comprehension have each improved by one tier. I can also absorb an extra wisp of spiritual energy per day. That means my cultivation speed will at least double.”
“Most importantly are the words ‘Spirit-Nurturing Mortal Mountain’. Beiquan Mountain is still in its embryonic stage as a spirit mountain. Once it successfully nurtures spiritual essence, it will transform into a true spirit mountain—an ideal sacred ground for cultivation!”
Gu Yuanqing smiled, but soon his brows furrowed.
“Right now, the most pressing issue is a cultivation method. After a month of training, I’ve opened thirty-five acupoints. Only the final one, the Baihui Point at the crown of my head, remains. Once it’s nourished, I can establish my foundation for the True Martial Realm. But imprisoned here on Beiquan Mountain, how am I supposed to find the next stage of cultivation techniques?”
With countless thoughts swirling, Gu Yuanqing returned to his small courtyard. Distracted and mentally fatigued, he found himself unfit to cultivate, so he picked up a book to read instead.
“In the 316th year of the Da Qian calendar, the year of Jia Shen, the Chilon Sect sacrificed 3,000 boys and girls in the Qi River region of Nanyan Province to open a demonic portal. Three cities fell, and hundreds of thousands were slaughtered and devoured by demons. My six companions and I rushed to aid Nanyan…”
It was a travelogue from the Da Qian Dynasty, documenting a great catastrophe two centuries ago. Only three of the dynasty’s seven Grandmasters survived, and countless True Martial soldiers perished.
Judging from the records, the author clearly possessed considerable cultivation himself, prompting Gu Yuanqing to read with great care.
Halfway through, he flipped back to the cover to check the author’s name.
“Zhou Yan… I’ve come across that name before.”
He turned to the bookshelf and pulled out a miscellaneous notes volume. Flipping to page 76 by memory, he indeed found the name Zhou Yan.
Cross-referencing the two texts, Gu Yuanqing confirmed they referred to the same person, and his eyes lit up.
“Zhou Yan of Wuding Temple, a seventh-stage True Martial cultivator. This travelogue is definitely worth studying. Though it appears to be mere storytelling, it actually contains deep insights into the True Martial path.”
Gu Yuanqing took out brush and paper, copying down every passage related to True Martial cultivation.
Drawing on what little he’d overheard from instructors back at the palace, he gradually formed a rough idea of the structure and essence of True Martial cultivation.
Hidden Secrets reside in the acupoints, like Sumeru worlds within a ring.
The Spirit acts as a guide, threading through these secrets.
A grand array formed by the acupoints anchors the Hidden Secrets within the body.
This was the path of the True Martial Realm!
The realization opened a floodgate in his mind. He began pulling out books he’d read recently and copied down any useful fragments he’d previously overlooked.
Insight after insight accumulated—but they remained scattered, lacking a unifying key to bind them together.
Afraid he’d forget them, Gu Yuanqing transcribed everything.
Before he knew it, night had fallen.
Only then did he realize he’d skipped lunch. Stepping outside, he saw a covered basket on the table. When he opened it, the food inside was still steaming hot.
After eating, he returned to his desk. Staring at the notes he had written, he almost couldn’t believe they were his own.
“Is this… the effect of exceptional comprehension?”
Suppressing his excitement, he sorted through his thoughts again and selected a new book to study.
Hours passed in the blink of an eye. It was deep into the night when he finally set his brush down. He’d filled several dense pages, though not all of it would prove true—some might just be speculation. It would take careful review to separate fact from fiction.
Gu Yuanqing rubbed his sore wrist and returned to the shelves.
“There aren’t nearly enough books. Only one useful text left…”
“This won’t do. I need more writings on the True Martial Realm! If I had even one genuine cultivation manual, I might be able to deduce a path suitable for myself.”
“Tomorrow then. For now, it’s time to cultivate.”
Back in his bedroom, he sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, calming his thoughts. Once his mind was clear, he activated his technique.
With his improved talent and comprehension, his spiritual awareness had become sharper. As his energy flowed, he noticed several flaws in his previous practice—his technique had not been smooth, and his acupoints had not been fully refined.
Adjusting his rhythm, he soon felt his inner energy circulating more fluidly.
Wisps of spiritual energy drifted from the shadow of Beiquan Mountain, refining his acupoints anew. Once the two daily wisps were depleted, he stopped.
“I still lack a formal method for advancing in the True Martial Realm. For now, I must make my foundation as solid and complete as possible.”
After a quick wash, Gu Yuanqing laid down and shifted his consciousness into the Beiquan Mountain’s spiritual projection.
In an instant, the entire mountain reappeared in his vision.
The nighttime view of Beiquan Mountain was tranquil and carried a different charm than in the day. Gazing over the landscape, his worldly thoughts seemed to fade away.
This was mountain observation.
Suddenly, his awareness snapped to alert. He spotted a shadowy figure slipping silently out from the courtyard and heading toward the rear of the mountain.
“That old man… he really does possess cultivation—and not weak at that!”
Ever since noticing the gaunt old man appearing and disappearing silently around the courtyard, Gu Yuanqing had been observing him. But until now, he hadn’t found anything—only through mountain observation did he glimpse the truth.
The man reached a cliffside and leapt down, disappearing into a crevice in the mountain, vanishing from Gu Yuanqing’s spiritual sight.
“That crevice… I’ve never been there before, so it hasn’t imprinted on my consciousness. It’s a blind spot in my observation.”
Gu Yuanqing frowned. For now, there was nothing to do but wait. After a long time with no further signs, his mental exhaustion forced him to end the observation.
Still unwilling to give up, he rested briefly and tried again—but saw nothing new.
He repeated this cycle of entering and exiting the state for over an hour until finally, the old man emerged from the crevice, dusty and disheveled, and returned to his room to sleep.
“Could that fissure be where the lost relics of the Beiquan Sword Sect—long sought by the Da Qian court—are hidden?”
Holding onto this thought, Gu Yuanqing fell into a deep sleep.
***
The next morning, he followed his usual routine—sword practice, reading, and note-taking. But this time, he occasionally entered mountain observation to track the old man’s whereabouts.
During the day, nothing unusual happened. Gu Yuanqing casually wandered to the cliffside but didn’t descend. Based on the old man’s stealth and agility, he was far beyond Gu Yuanqing’s current strength. Confronting him now would only bring danger.
Judging from the dirt on his clothes, it seemed the man was tunneling into something—and hadn’t yet succeeded.
That night, just as expected, the old man once again slipped into the crevice, returning dusty an hour later.
This continued for several days.
Until the ninth night—when the old man emerged from the fissure holding a machete, his expression grim. He returned to his room, pulled out an animal hide from beneath the bed, and studied it closely.
Gu Yuanqing zoomed in through his mountain sight. The hide was a map of Beiquan Mountain, marked with several black charcoal crosses.
The next night, the old man dashed across the mountain, seemingly cross-checking terrain. On the following day, he entered another fissure on the opposite side of the mountain.
“Truly dedicated,” Gu Yuanqing chuckled softly.
By now, he was much calmer. Judging from the number of markings on that map, this tunneling operation had likely been going on for a long time.