Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Gourd of Mountains and Rivers

The two of them arrived at the alchemy chamber.

Liu Junhuai took out the jade gourd and began the refining process.

This gourd, named Mountains and Rivers, was entirely a clear, emerald green, with a golden-threaded red silk ribbon tied around its waist, giving it an exquisite appearance.

The gourd was covered with layers of seals. Liu Junhuai wrapped a wisp of sealing power with his celestial sense and began the laborious process of refining. It was a tedious task that consumed a great deal of his mental energy, so Liu Junhuai simply activated his Heavenly Eye to merge with his golden elemental force.

As he refined the first layer of the seal, the process gradually sped up. With each layer he refined, he would summarize the method for the next. Strand by strand, the sealing power was unraveled, and Liu Junhuai grew ever more astonished. He had not expected this Mountains and Rivers gourd to be layered with so many seals. Vaguely, he felt as though a voice was telling him that this gourd could swallow entire mountains and rivers.

The old steward’s expression grew increasingly grave. He seemed to have discerned the extraordinary nature of the Mountains and Rivers gourd; his hands even began to tremble slightly.

The drain on Liu Junhuai’s celestial sense intensified, and his Heavenly Eye ceased merging with the golden elemental force, focusing solely on condensing his spiritual power.

Even the “Golden Chalice” seemed to sense the strain on the golden orb, releasing golden rays to envelop it. The two kinds of golden light fused, birthing a new golden celestial sense.

As the gold within his spiritual sense deepened, Liu Junhuai found the refining process hastening greatly, and his anxiety began to ease.

After more than twenty hours within the time array, the Mountains and Rivers gourd began to tremble gently. Liu Junhuai quickly dropped a drop of his essence blood into it, and with a soft whoosh, his consciousness merged with the gourd’s. The refinement was finally complete.

The old steward reacted even faster than Liu Junhuai, grabbing his hand and using his spiritual sense to probe the gourd. Instantly, a vast, oceanic aura surged into their minds.

Inside the gourd was a gray haze. As Liu Junhuai breathed it in, a sense of familiarity washed over him.

Pulling the old steward in with him into the Mountains and Rivers gourd, the steward’s urgent voice sounded: “Quick, take out the Godslayer Spear.”

As soon as the Godslayer Spear appeared, it leapt from his palm into the air, and Liu Junhuai could immediately sense its joy.

The Godslayer Spear was like a wanderer returning home, breathing deeply of the familiar air and tumbling through the air in exuberant delight.

Seeing Liu Junhuai’s curious gaze, the old steward explained, “This is the chaos space. The Godslayer Spear was forged in this very atmosphere.” With that, he clasped his hands and bowed deeply to Liu Junhuai. “Master, your fortune is earth-shattering. It seems that the treasures of heaven and earth are fated for you, or perhaps your destiny is so vast as to be in harmony with the world itself. Please accept the obeisance of this old servant. I wish to follow you with all my heart and soul, with no regrets even unto death.”

Liu Junhuai hurriedly replied, “Steward, you give me too much credit. How could I, a mere youth, be worthy of such titles? It is only luck, nothing more. Please, do not speak so.”

The steward replied, “Right and wrong will be clear in time. I will not speak of this again; I beg your understanding, Master.”

“In my view, the spiritual energy in this gray air is lacking, the five elements indistinct. If chaotic energy can be compared to primordial violet qi, surely it is the very breath of creation—how could it be so murky?” Liu Junhuai’s voice was filled with doubt.

The steward explained, “This is the most primordial chaotic energy—not chaos that has devoured primordial violet qi, but chaos from beyond the Three Realms, pure and untainted by the world. Its components are not the five elements, but it contains them; it is entirely generated from the force of life itself.

“This ‘force of life’ is a general term—the root of all existence, the qi of the world, like the human spirit, fortune, talent, and vitality. The chaotic energy in this gourd, in plain terms, is unrefined chaos. It is of little use to cultivators, since all cultivation methods in the world are founded upon spiritual energy.”

“If it’s useless for cultivation, then what’s its purpose?” Liu Junhuai asked.

The steward patiently explained, “This chaotic energy is primarily the breath of life, essential to all primordial beings.”

Seeing Liu Junhuai’s lingering confusion, he continued, “Let’s use beasts as an example. A divine beast’s power and abilities are innate, growing stronger with age. Demonic beasts and spirit beasts in the cultivation world are also born with power and magic, but theirs can be advanced through training, as they absorb spiritual energy rather than primordial chaos.

“The difference lies between the innate and the acquired. No matter how much a beast of the latter type cultivates, it cannot match the natural strength of the former. So, while the gourd’s primordial energy may not aid cultivation, it fosters growth. Divine beasts and plants will thrive here, growing faster and stronger.”

“So, for demonic and spirit beasts in this environment, their level won’t rise, but their lifespan will increase?” Liu Junhuai realized.

“Correct. People are the same. Whatever realm you enter with, you’ll leave with, but your longevity will greatly increase.” The old steward wiped the sweat from his brow.

Liu Junhuai pondered. “If I can subdue the Scarlet Fire Nine Infants and bring them into the gourd, that would be ideal. Ha! I could even cultivate a medicinal field inside.”

The steward shot Liu Junhuai a look. “You only see the surface. This Mountains and Rivers gourd is a small world. Once your cultivation is high enough, you can store mountains and seas inside, or even transform all chaotic energy into external spiritual energy—but that is a matter for after you have trodden the great Dao.”

“How vast is the gourd’s space?” Liu Junhuai asked.

“It’s limitless. However high your cultivation, so vast will its range be. Master, strive on. No one can see your future—it is in your own hands!” the old steward said with deep emotion.

After retrieving the Godslayer Spear, they exited the gourd. The steward urged Liu Junhuai to practice with second-tier pills as an alchemist. His proficiency grew, but the success rate remained low.

With the trip to the mansion set for tomorrow, Liu Junhuai entered the training space, arranged arrays, and refined his true essence.

After a night’s rest, Liu Junhuai was in peak condition, merely waiting for the mansion to open.

After breakfast with Shen Duoduo and Wu Bini, the time had come. He took the jade token into his hand and waited patiently for the call.

Not long after, the token began to tremble. Liu Junhuai instantly composed himself, bid farewell to the others, infused his spiritual sense into the token, recited an incantation, and after a flash of white light and a momentary dizziness, he found himself standing in a mountain valley.

At the summit stood an altar, its center occupied by a giant stone disk, more than ten meters across—evidently a teleportation array, Liu Junhuai surmised.

Hundreds of people surrounded the altar, most of them young, likely the participants who had activated their jade tokens. Liu Junhuai did not approach anyone; he knew many were just like him and all he had to do was wait quietly among the crowd.

He did not wait long. A late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator soared into view and stood in the air, surveying the hundreds of waiting cultivators before proclaiming in a clear voice, “The Taifeng Mansion opens once every hundred years. Each time, any cultivator below the Foundation Establishment stage may enter, including those at Foundation Establishment, but you must be under fifty years of age. Most who enter are elite disciples of various sects and geniuses. Although there are countless treasures within, if you lose your life, all is for naught. Preserve your life, and you may yet reach the pinnacle. Ascending to the Immortal Realm need not be a dream.”

To ascend to the Immortal Realm was every cultivator’s dream, the cherished wish of every power in the world of cultivation. Although in the past millennium on the Star Heaven Continent, no one was known to have ascended, the Nascent Soul cultivator’s voice betrayed his excitement at the mention, and the crowd could barely restrain their emotion.

Once the excitement subsided, the Nascent Soul cultivator continued, “The mansion has nine levels. On each level are supreme treasures. Any who reach the sixth floor or lower will gain unimaginable rewards. The air above is sealed—you must proceed on foot. Let me also remind you, know your limits and act accordingly. You have seven days within the mansion. When time is up, you will be transported out.”

These few words gave no hint as to how to enter the mansion, nor any warning against wanton killing or pleas for mercy. In essence, it meant: inside, you may do whatever you are capable of—killing included.

Many cultivators began discussing forming groups. Around the Foundation Establishment disciples from the major sects, crowds quickly gathered, everyone hoping to join them. Consequently, spiritual senses swept indiscriminately through the area as people searched for suitable companions.

After several booming sounds, the Nascent Soul cultivator’s voice rang out again, “Two hundred cultivators, divided into four groups of fifty. Stand within the disk of the teleportation array, crush your jade tokens, and await transmission. Group freely as you wish.”

Being near the disk, Liu Junhuai joined the first group to enter the array.

In moments, the altar erupted in dazzling colored lights, and the booming continued for the space of half a stick of incense. Suddenly, Liu Junhuai’s vision went black, then light again, and he found himself before the doors of an ancient and timeworn grand hall.

Entering the hall, a steep staircase descended downward, indicating the mansion lay beneath the ground.

Liu Junhuai extended his spiritual sense and was shocked to find it could only reach twenty or thirty meters, just as at the bottom of the Scarlet Flame Valley.

He also noticed there were only a dozen or so people nearby. It seemed there were multiple entrances. As the others rushed down the stairs, Liu Junhuai quickly followed.