Mount of the Four Tributaries — Trial Day
The plateau was packed.
Five hundred disciples—Outer, Inner, and Central—all gathered, each eager to prove their worth.
Among them:
Lin Xue — Central Disciple, seventh level of Body Refinement.Wang Tao — Central Disciple, eighth level of Body Refinement.Yan Li — Outer Disciple, third level of Body Refinement.
And one who should not have been there at all:
Wei Lian — a mortal.
---
Wang Tao surveyed the crowd, calculating.
Many will fail. Most of them.
Yan Li rested a hand on the brush at her waist, nerves tightening her grip.
I can do this. I have to.
Wei Lian took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.
I'm just a mortal. What am I even doing here?
---
The gong sounded.
BOOM.
The echo cut through the murmurs like a blade.
Sai stepped forward, his voice calm, steady.
"Good morning. I am pleased to see so many disciples willing to receive my teachings."
He paused briefly.
"But let me be clear from the start—there is a possibility that none of you will pass this test."
A heavy silence followed.
Surprised murmurs. Tense glances. Some exchanged uncertain looks; others scoffed in disbelief.
Sai continued:
"This test does not measure strength.It measures clarity."
He raised his hand.
A gentle ripple of spiritual energy spread across the mountain.
Narrow paths—previously invisible—revealed themselves. Hidden cliffs. Concealed passages.
It was as if the mountain itself had awakened.
"The objective is to reach the temple located halfway up Mount of the Four Tributaries. Each of you must find your own path to it."
Golden eyes glinted.
"But beware—things are not always as they seem."
A ripple of unease spread through the crowd.
"Whoever reaches the meditation platform within the temple and maintains focus for three complete breaths will demonstrate sufficient maturity to advance."
He paused.
"All others will fail."
---
The morning air was heavy.
Mist clung to the mountain. Qi fluctuated erratically.
Wang Tao adjusted the spatial pouch at his waist—small, discreet, a gift from the Invisible Hand.
Food. Water. Medicine. Enough for three days.
Compressed into impossible space.
Around him, other disciples carried ordinary packs—bulky, heavy, cloth sacks tied to their backs.
Spatial pouches were rare.
Extremely rare.
Only Elders or cultivators from major sects possessed them.
In the forgotten province of Qinghe?
Almost nonexistent.
Yan Li tightened the straps of her pack—heavy.
Food. Water. An extra brush.
Everything physical. Everything real. Everything weighing her down.
Wei Lian carried even less—just a small sack.
Water. Dried bread. The bare minimum.
Because he understood one thing:
The more you carry, the harder the climb.
Wang Tao observed the disciples around him and felt something unfamiliar stir.
Guilt?
The Invisible Hand had given him advantages—equipment, resources—things ordinary disciples would never have.
But along with those advantages came a collar around his neck.
Forged of metal.
Laced with poison.
He pushed the thought aside and looked toward the winding trail, snaking between ancient trees and sheer cliffs, as though the mountain itself were shifting to test those who dared challenge it.
Then—
The ascent began.
Hundreds of disciples advanced into the mist-shrouded trail.
At first, everything seemed normal.
Until something felt… wrong.
The ground softened beneath their feet.
Fatigue lessened.
A sense of comfort seeped into their minds.
"Maybe this test isn't as hard as they say…" one disciple murmured, relieved.
Another laughed softly.
"Of course not. With our talent, passing is obvious."
Wang Tao frowned.
Wrong. This is wrong.
The path was far too easy.
One disciple decided to sit down—just for a moment of rest.
The mist thickened.
His figure was slowly swallowed by the slope.
A scream—brief.
Then silence.
The "comfortable" path vanished.
The true trail revealed itself—steep, uneven, unforgiving.
---
Wang Tao clenched his teeth.
"The mountain isn't testing strength," he murmured."It's testing whether we'll keep going even when we think we've already won."
Yan Li, beside him, heard and nodded, pressing on.
---
Base of the Mountain
Lin Yu, a Central Elder, approached Sai.
White beard. Weathered face.
Ninth level of the Qi Absorption Realm—the same realm as Sai.
"Elder Sai," Lin Yu asked, carefully,"could you explain how this test functions?"
Sai stood with hands clasped behind his back, gaze fixed on the mountain.
Straight-backed.
Like an immortal observing the mortal world below.
"The entire mountain is covered by a spiritual formation," Sai replied calmly."The Valiant Heart Formation."
Lin Yu's eyes widened.
"A… formation?"
Other Elders drew closer, curiosity mixed with tension.
Sai continued:
"This formation amplifies inner emotions. It manifests fears, desires, and regrets through spiritual illusions. It reacts directly to the cultivator's mental state."
A brief pause.
"The greater the instability of the heart, the more oppressive and cruel the illusion becomes."
"It tests not only innate talent, but perseverance, mental clarity, and one's true will to walk the Dao."
Lin Yu swallowed.
"Then… Elder Sai… are you a Formation Master?"
His voice trembled.
The surrounding Elders fell silent.
Alchemists. Artifact refiners. Formation Masters.
Such professions belonged to Foundation Establishment cultivators.
They required years of study, extreme theoretical understanding, and resources nearly impossible to obtain.
And this boy…
Qi Absorption Realm.
Impossible.
Unless—
Guo Fan, a relative of Guo Zhen, narrowed his eyes.
Either he's hiding his true cultivation…
Or he's a monster.
Sai waved his hand.
A crystalline block appeared, synchronizing with spiritual energy.
Projections formed in the air, showing disciples advancing through the mountain.
The Elders were stunned.
Formation-generated projections…
Almost unheard of in Qinghe.
Nearly nonexistent.
"Elder Sai…" Lin Yu murmured."…who exactly are you?"
Sai did not answer.
He merely observed the projections, a faint smile on his lips.
---
Within the Mountain
Wang Tao advanced steadily when he felt it—
A familiar burning sensation.
Not in his meridians.
Deeper.
In his blood.
Memories surged.
His parents, dead on the ground, soaked in blood.
Their voices accusing him.
Your fault.You failed.Because of you, we died.
He took a deep breath.
Compressed his Qi.
Balanced mind and spirit.
"I won't lose myself to ghosts of the past."
The mist did not vanish.
But the voices weakened.
And he continued upward.
Yan Li faced her own obsession.
Perfect versions of her paintings appeared—works she had never been able to create.
Reality and illusion blended.
Applause echoed.
"Finally.""You succeeded.""Accept your place.""Rest."
She closed her eyes.
Expanded her Qi perception.
Sought essence beyond form.
Slowly, the image destabilized.
The illusion lost its hold.
"Hmph."
She scoffed.
"I know my frustrations better than anyone. Don't try to give glory where none exists."
She moved on.
---
Wei Lian felt the formation react—
Not with violence.
But with something worse.
Mirrors.
He saw versions of himself.
One rigid.
One overly gentle.
One hollow.
Each wore a different mask.
All functioned.
None were him.
The formation pressed down, demanding a stable identity.
Wei Lian breathed steadily.
I am none of them.
He didn't fight the illusions.
Didn't try to control them.
He simply observed.
The images weakened.
And he kept climbing.
---
Base of the Mountain
Lin Yu studied the projections, frowning.
"That outer disciple…" he pointed at Wei Lian."His flow is wrong."
"Wrong how?" another Elder asked.
"He's not absorbing Qi properly. In fact… almost not at all."
A dangerous silence followed.
"Impossible. A mortal couldn't survive the formation."
Murmurs spread among the disciples below.
The strangest part?
No one recognized his face.
Wei Lian continued upward.
Not fast.
Not slow.
Each step chosen with absolute care.
The illusions now offered rest.
Acceptance.
A promise that he would never need to pretend again.
He refused.
And continued.
---
Second Day
Extreme exhaustion.
The illusions grew more vicious, digging into buried fears and deepest desires.
Many disciples lost all sense of reality.
But Wang Tao, Yan Li, and Wei Lian pressed on—
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Zhao Ming, an Inner Disciple, stood out among those resisting.
Not exceptional.
Not weak.
He had trained for years believing effort alone could reach the heavens.
His illusion was not fear.
It was reward.
He saw himself returning to the sect, praised, gifted rare pills, chosen by a powerful Elder.
No pain.
No loss.
Only success.
"Maybe this is enough…" he murmured, swaying.
Wang Tao passed him just as Zhao Ming sat down on the trail, a tired smile on his face.
"Brother Zhao, get up."
He tried to warn him.
Zhao Ming laughed softly.
"Why keep climbing if I'm already satisfied?"
In the next instant, his body slumped sideways.
The mist swallowed him.
When the Elders retrieved him, he was still smiling.
Tears traced silent paths down his face.
Wang Tao felt a tightness in his chest.
The mountain hadn't broken his body.
It had destroyed his ambition.
---
Lin Xue, Central Disciple, reached his limit.
Eyes bloodshot.
Body trembling.
In his illusions, he saw Wang Tao reaching the summit while he himself was trampled, forgotten, discarded.
Rage consumed him.
Despair followed.
His knees buckled.
"Wang Tao!"
He screamed, resentment made real by the illusion.
Then consciousness fled.
Wang Tao heard his name.
These illusions are terrifying. The voices feel more real with every step.
He didn't look back.
And continued climbing.
---
Third Day — Morning
Only three figures reached the final platform.
Wang Tao.Yan Li.Wei Lian.
Wei Lian could barely breathe.
His legs shook with each step.
Heart pounding.
Stomach twisting with hunger.
The thin air crushed his body.
Unstable Qi tried to invade his mind.
The formation launched its final assault.
For Wang Tao—guilt.For Yan Li—obsession.For Wei Lian—rest… then fulfillment… then silence.
A silence without pain.
Without effort.
Without the need to choose who to be.
The formation found no conflict left to feed upon.
The three looked at one another.
Wei Lian sat down first.
The others followed.
They breathed.
One.
Two.
Three.
The Qi calmed.
---
Base of the Mountain
Lin Yu spoke, voice tight.
"Elder Sai… we've confirmed it. That boy has no cultivation base. He is a mortal."
Several Elders moved instinctively.
"This is an insult to the sect!"
"He bypassed the formation!"
"A mortal cannot participate in an internal test!"
Sai raised his hand.
The mountain fell silent.
"He bypassed nothing," Sai said calmly."He walked in. The Valiant Heart Formation rejects the unworthy. If he is still climbing, it is because the test accepted him."
The Elders hesitated.
"If we expel him now," Sai continued,"we admit that this test measures spiritual talent, not the heart."
"And that would make everything I taught… a lie."
Lin Yu clenched his fists.
"Elder Sai—"
"Save your questions."
Sai's voice was firm.
He concluded:
"Today, the mountain answered for me."
The wind wrapped around the three disciples at the summit.
And in that moment, everyone understood something deeply unsettling.
If even a mortal could pass—
Then perhaps the greatest obstacle had never been Qi at all.
But the fear of looking inward.