Ning Yu led everyone all the way up to the Cloudview Platform.
The howling mountain wind blew relentlessly along the cliff, stirring the surrounding mist into endless shapes—some like flying birds, some like running beasts, some like spirit foxes worshipping the moon, and some like giant whales swallowing the sea.
If one had the leisure to sit quietly and observe, they could truly appreciate the charm, living up to the name of the Cloudview Platform.
Ning Yu looked down from the wind and said, “Beneath the Xuantian Sect lies the largest Lingmai in the entire Xuantian Mountain Range and even Yunzhou.”
“Spirit Qi is invisible and intangible, but when it becomes too dense in a place, it gradually condenses into a milky white Lingwu.”
“If the concentration of Spirit Qi increases further, the Lingwu transforms into Lingyu that falls as rain, nourishing the earth. This is what’s called a ‘Ling Mountain and Elegant Waters’—a Blessed Land.”
“The Xuantian Sect itself is such a Blessed Land. Every breath you take here contains invisible Spirit Qi, so cultivating within the sect progresses faster than in the Spirit Qi-thin Mortal Realm.”
“See that large lake below? It’s called Li Lake. The terrain of the Xuantian Sect is like a crouching dragon coiling around a pearl—this is top-tier Feng Shui.”
“Li Lake is the precious pearl encircled by the Dragon Vein, naturally possessing the wondrous ability to gather Qi and conceal the wind.”
“At the very bottom of the lake lies the Lingyan of the underground Lingmai. That’s why the Spirit Qi concentration around the Main Peak is far higher than the other eight peaks.”
“The cloud and mist here linger year-round, mixed with condensed Lingwu. Every hundred years, when the Lingwu reaches a certain density, it turns into Lingyu and falls.”
“Most of this Lingyu falls into Li Lake, returning to the deep Lingyan. This is the unique Spirit Qi cycle of a Blessed Land.”
Many let out exclamations of awe at her words.
Only Yun Miao, bored, played with the clouds at the cliff’s edge, while Huaxin, frowning, gripped her waistband tightly, lest she slip and fly off, adding some unwanted ‘trash’ to the pure Spirit Qi cycle.
Ning Yu turned to the group, “Isn’t Li Lake beautiful?”
Everyone nodded, “Beautiful!”
Ning Yu smiled, “Who wants to swim in the Lingyan?”
Eyes lit up as everyone nodded vigorously, “We do!”
Ning Yu pointed at the sheer cliff, “Good, then jump down.”
“Alright… huh?”
Realization dawned on the group and they looked at Ning Yu in shock. Only Yun Miao eagerly responded, “Got it!”
Everyone turned to look at her, seeing her stretch seriously and then leap off the cliff!
Tan Xiaobai shouted, “Leader!”
Huaxin’s reflexes were quick as she grabbed Yun Miao’s collar mid-fall, her arm muscles bulging with effort as she hauled her back onto the Cloudview Platform.
Then, expressionless, she glared at Ning Yu. “Shijie, don’t joke around. This idiot really would jump.”
Tan Xiaobai shivered and nodded repeatedly, “Yeah, yeah, the leader would really die to show you!”
Guan Dahai and Gao Zhu also nodded, confirming their words.
The others nearby silently stepped back, distancing themselves from Yun Miao and the rest.
Ning Yu sighed, “I’m not joking. Some of you probably know that the Xuantian Sect isn’t just the largest sect in the world but also one of the few places that produce Xinxin Kuang. Xinxin Kuang is the preferred material for forging Life-bound Magical Treasures.”
“There’s a saying: ‘No Xinxin, no Shenqi.’ It means that one of the main materials for all well-known Shenqi is top-grade Xinxin Kuang. Beneath Li Lake lies a small vein of Xinxin Kuang.”
“Nourished by the Spirit Qi from the Lingyan year-round, it contains many high-grade, even supreme-grade, Xinxin Kuang.”
“The Xuantian Sect has always had a rule: every newly inducted disciple may explore it to find and mine one piece of Xinxin Kuang to forge their Life-bound Magical Treasure.”
“This is a good thing, not a death sentence, so you can safely jump down. I guarantee nothing will happen to you.”
“As for whether you find a suitable piece of Xinxin Kuang, that depends on your own skill. Remember, you may only take one piece—not more.”
Someone asked, “I don’t know how to identify ores. What are the features of Xinxin Kuang? What’s the difference between low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade?”
Ning Yu said, “There’s no visible difference. Some sentient materials instinctively conceal their glow to hide themselves.”
“This is called Treasure Concealment. The outer shell of Xinxin Kuang is called Huishi, named after this concealment.”
“Huishi is very special—it blocks all divine-sense detection, even from Dujie Period masters. Xinxin Kuang itself has no fixed shape or appearance.”
“That means it could look like any stone you’ve seen—or one you’ve never seen.”
“So, currently, there’s no way to identify Xinxin Kuang by appearance. You can only find out by cutting it open with a special treasure.”
Yun Miao immediately understood: “Like opening a blind box? Interesting!”
Everyone was startled.
Guan Dahai scratched his head and asked, “If Xinxin Kuang is so hard to identify and we’re only allowed to take one piece, what if we pick a normal stone from the lake bottom by mistake?”
Ning Yu said, “Then your fate hasn’t arrived yet. That’s how opportunities work. The sect gives you this chance, and if you miss it, you’ll just have to cultivate harder and wait for the next one.”
“The sect also holds many contests encouraging disciples to spar, such as the Yanwuchang defense matches on Ti Peak, the Lian Dan Dabi on Dan Peak, and the Sect’s grand competition held every ten years.”
“The rewards for the first two vary occasionally, but the top ten in the Sect’s grand competition always get the chance to mine Xinxin Kuang.”
“But those are only quotas. Whether you find any Xinxin Kuang, how much, or what grade, all depends on fate.”
Guan Dahai hesitated, “Is it purely luck then? What if we never find any, no matter how many times we try?”
“Then you have to rely on Ling Shi to increase your chances.”
Ning Yu’s gaze turned cold as she looked down at the great lake below.
“The top-grade Xinxin Kuang used to craft my Life-bound Magical Whip was bought from the sect at the cost of ten thousand pieces of top-grade Ling Shi.”
Yun Miao instantly understood again and looked at her with pity:
“So Shijie Ning is really unlucky. They say cheerful girls don’t have bad luck, but girls with bad luck can’t smile. No wonder Shijie Ning always looks so cold.”
Ning Yu shot a sharp glance at Yun Miao, her voice even colder, “Enough. I’ve said enough. It’s time for you all to jump.”
***
Everyone exchanged glances. Some braved a look over the edge and immediately shrank back, chilled by the icy mountain wind. “This… this is way too high. Are you really going to let us jump?”
This was a sheer cliff thousands of feet high, and the strongest among them was only at the Qi Refining Stage.
If Ning Yu wasn’t actually going to protect them like she said, they would be swimming in the Yellow Springs before they knew it!
Ning Yu’s eyes narrowed with growing impatience. Just as she was considering giving these junior disciples a little ‘helpful shove,’ a familiar voice sounded from beside her again: “I’ll go first!”
Everyone turned to see that it was Yun Miao again. The black-clothed girl who had been clutching her collar hesitated before releasing her.
The freed girl in blue once again stood at the cliff edge, feet above the swirling abyss. But her eyes only held excitement and eager anticipation for the jump, showing no hint of fear whatsoever.
No one understood if she trusted Ning Yu’s words too much or was simply recklessly bold. No one encouraged her, no one stopped her.
Everyone waited for this first bold bird to test the waters, and she didn’t keep them waiting.
“Wuhu, take off!”
With a shout, Yun Miao leapt without hesitation, falling swiftly toward the lake below like a kite cut loose from its string.
Everyone rushed to the cliff edge to watch, their eyes filled with surprise, worry, and admiration. Like fledglings peeking out from the nest, watching their first brave sibling leave to learn how to fly.
But just as Yun Miao was about to hit the lake, a massive, curved black shadow suddenly appeared beneath the calm water.
Splash!
The lake surface exploded as water sprayed everywhere. A gigantic, ferocious-looking Black Jiao burst forth from the water!
“Roar!”
The Black Jiao reared its head skyward with a bellow like a bull’s, its huge dragon-like head resembling a small mountain.
Its wide-open mouth revealed rows of towering, snow-white sharp teeth gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Its pitch-black throat was like a bottomless abyss!
In stunned silence, the crowd watched as the splash faded, and the streak of blue midair smoothly fell into the Black Jiao’s blood-red maw.
With a snap of the great jaws, her figure vanished completely from everyone’s sight.
Splash!
The towering Black Jiao surged back into the lake, sending up a huge spray of water once more.
The Cloudview Platform fell into a deadly silence, followed by a chorus of screams.
“Ah! Help!”
“Ahhh! Shijie, she’s dead!”
“Shijie, you said nothing would happen! How did our leader get eaten by a Black Jiao?!”