Chapter 185

Chapter 185: Ascending Great Dao Mountain

Reaching five li shows a normal Golden Core Stage level. Li Shuang’s spiritual power was only at early Golden Core Stage right now. The next few hundred meters were still manageable. Soon, though, the wind and waves swelled, and the skiff jolted hard.

If she had enough raw power, she could cover the skiff in a thick shield and force her way through. But she was only at the start of Golden Core. She did not have that much power.

That forced her to use every thread of spiritual power perfectly.

Her eyes sharpened. [This Sea of Stillness is really interesting.]

You could pass with sheer power. Or you could push the limits with perfect control. This place tested spiritual power itself.

The skiff shook, yet she slipped it into the gaps of the waves, guarding only the most vital parts. Walls of water pressed in from all sides. She steered with needle point precision, dodging one deadly breaker after another. The skiff’s frame groaned and wobbled. She could not protect everything, so she protected the plank under her feet with all she had.

At last, a final wave crashed down. Her pupils tightened, and she met it head on without hesitation.

On shore, the Warden cracked an eye. Early Golden Core, pushing for the six li line. Not bad. A small scale talent. Worth a bit of attention.

When the storm passed, a lone plank floated on the sea. Pale faced, Li Shuang stood on it. She had made it through, but her focus and power were spent. She could not go farther. The plank flipped, and she returned to shore.

Back on land, her state reset to peak. Color returned to her cheeks. Inside her Bronze Eye, the first line of Merit Points lit up: 100 points.

The Warden’s voice sounded: “Not bad. Keep working.”

“Thank you, Senior,” said Li Shuang politely. Then she turned and headed to the next trial ground.

The Warden did not think too much of her. Talents at that level were very common in Myriad Arts City. A casual compliment was already more attention than most got.

With Su Mu leading the way, Li Shuang soon reached the second place of trial, Great Dao Mountain.

Great Dao Mountain was not a single peak, but a chain of rolling mountains. There were eighteen peaks in all.

Su Mu said: “Inside Great Dao Mountain, you cannot use spiritual power or soul power. This place tests only your understanding of the Great Dao. Each of the eighteen peaks matches a different level of understanding. Everyone starts with the first peak. If you reach a summit, next time you can start from the next peak. For example, if you reach the top of the first peak today, next time you can climb straight to the second.”

The mountains stood silent and solemn.

“This is where you can earn points the easiest,” Su Mu added. “You should be able to reach the first summit. That’s a clean 100 Merit Points.”

Li Shuang nodded. After registering with the Warden, she walked to the foot of the first mountain.

Thick mist coiled over the trail, hiding what lay within. She stepped in, and the scene changed. A towering snow mountain rose before her.

“This snow mountain is set to match your Ice Spiritual Root,” Su Mu’s voice explained from outside. “On the first peak, the scene matches your attribute, so it’s easier.”

Li Shuang nodded and stepped into the snow. Once, snowy mountains were her nightmare. Now her heart was clear as ice. No dust could cling to it.

Snow fell from the sky in dancing sheets. The flakes landed on her, and the cold was so sharp that even someone with an Ice Spiritual Root felt a sting. If she did nothing, she could bear it for a short time, but a little longer and she would freeze into a statue.

[Great Dao Mountain…]

A subtle aura of Dao rose from her body. It was the Dao she had grasped. The firmer your heart and the deeper your understanding, the more peaks you could climb.

The moment the Dao aura wrapped her, the snow’s bite faded. She walked forward step by steady step.

Just then, the Dao around her was her understanding of the Emotionless Path. [The Great Dao is without false feelings, without hate, without self harm. Forget feelings on the surface, keep them hidden in the heart.]

She moved on. The steep path felt level under her feet. When she came back to herself, she stood on the summit of the first peak.

She looked down. Clouds layered the air. The Mortal Realm seemed far and small. [Standing at the top felt like seeing all the mountains at once.]

In the next instant, she returned to the foot of the mountain. The Warden gave her a curious look and said: “You cleared the first peak. Do you want to try the second?”

Li Shuang nodded and walked to the second peak.

The Warden watched her back, his face a little odd. Clearing the first peak was nothing special. But this newcomer, code name “Li,” climbed too fast. That meant her Dao level was far above the first peak.

“Li, Golden Core Stage, thirty three,” the Warden recalled. Thirty three and still at Golden Core was not a genius. It was ordinary. [Maybe her talent in roots is poor, but her Dao understanding is special?] Curiosity stirred in him.

“You climbed the first peak easier than I thought,” Su Mu admitted, surprised. “Maybe you really can clear the second.”

Even Su Mu did not know how deep her Dao went. He found himself curious how many peaks she could cross.

Li Shuang stayed calm. No pride, no doubt. She was as still as a dark pool.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she appeared again at the foot of the mountain.

This time, the Warden could not help staring: “Continue?”

In so short a time, the newcomer had cleared another peak.

Li Shuang nodded and stepped onto the third mountain.

She was using her hidden identity in Myriad Arts City, so no one knew who she was. It was the perfect chance to test her true level.

This time she took longer. Two hours later, she returned to the foot of the mountain.

The Warden looked at her with an even stranger gaze. Golden Core Stage. Thirty three years old. He thought for a moment. The number one genius, at that same age, had only just managed three peaks. This “Li,” judging by Dao alone, was keeping pace with You Lan at that age. Things were getting interesting.

“Keep going,” the Warden said first.

Li Shuang did not refuse. She stepped onto the fourth peak.

A newcomer clearing three peaks in a row drew a crowd. People gathered, whispering.

Seeing that, the Warden simply projected her climb on a Water Screen. An unknown face, yet she was being shown to everyone. That had never happened before.