Becoming a Sage Starts From Condensing the Essence of Time

Chapter 39: Green Mountain Will Not Leave Any Regrets

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The old man from the Imperial Ancestral Temple came over with the painting, and An Le stopped practicing the Collapsing Sword Force.

He pulled out the bamboo sword, Green Mountain, from the old locust tree bit by bit and placed it at his waist. An Le didn’t know if it was an illusion, but he felt that the bamboo sword seemed to be a little easier to hold.

“The sword has a spirit. It feels hope from you. The spirit buried in the sword will slowly awaken in sequence. Green Mountain might be quite damaged, but it’s indestructible. You’re still far from controlling Green Mountain now.”

“The sword is a swordsman’s best companion, but you’re still too inexperienced.”

The old man sat on the bamboo chair and poured a cup of old yellow wine. He drank it in one gulp and smiled.

An Le stroked the Green Mountain Bamboo Sword with his palm. He was even more delighted with this broken bamboo sword that did not look good.

“You started too late and only gained enlightenment at the age of 18. It’s a little regretful. You still have to improve yourself as soon as possible and reach the level where you can control Green Mountain. Don’t let Green Mountain have any regrets.”

The old man drank his wine and suddenly sighed. A lonely look flashed across his eyes.

Perhaps he had once made Green Mountain regret so much that he did not want the young man to repeat the same mistake.

An Le smiled. Accompanied by the gentle wind and rain, his tone was firm and serious. “Green Mountain will not leave any regrets.”

Since he had come to this world and could come into contact with beautiful cultivation, he naturally did not want to leave any regrets in his life.

His life in his previous life was short and flashy. It was as if he had been shackled. There was helplessness and ordinariness everywhere. When he was young, he was in the Youth Palace, school, and home. In elementary school, junior high school, and high school, he became an adult in the blink of an eye. He spent a lot of effort drawing thousands of paintings and entered the art school that he had spent his entire youth in exchange for, but he transmigrated in the end.

An Le felt that he had a lot of regrets during those years. There were regrets that everything he had worked so hard for had gone up in flames, and there were also regrets that he had bid farewell to that era.

In this world, there were many colors. The beauty of stepping on the path of cultivation to feel the world, the Green Mountain sword, and the unwillingness to waste their lives. The feeling of regret was too bitter, and they did not want to taste it again.

An Le poured a cup of old yellow wine and drank with the old man.

The clouds in the sky scattered, and the bright moon was as gentle as water.

The moonlight shone on the branches of the old pagoda tree and the new leaves nourished by the spring rain, casting mottled leaves.

He finished the old yellow wine in his cup in one gulp and smiled at the bright moon. “There’s a sequence to learning the Dao. What comes first will come first. Senior, don’t worry.”

When the old man heard that the young man was determined, the admiration in his eyes intensified. He stroked his beard and laughed loudly.

Then, he stopped talking about cultivation and took out a painting to discuss with the youth.

…

…

In the three months of spring, there were ninety days of rain.

The rain in spring always came for no reason. It had just stopped a moment ago, and it had only been warm for half a day. Then, there were wisps of smoke and fog that scattered the rain in the east wind. It was like the hair of a cow and the curtain of pearls that enveloped the world.

Spring in Lin’an Prefecture became even more beautiful under the nourishment of the spring rain. The green leaves and tender flowers all over the streets were being nurtured. They walked on the West Lake and strolled on the long dike. They also took a nap in the pavilion, and one could see the color of life in their eyes.

After applying for leave from Madam Hua, she gave An Le three days of leave. She told him to cultivate well at home and nourish his mental power to prepare for the opening of the Sixth Mountain.

An Le declined, but Madam Hua said that the young masters had to prepare for the opening of the Sixth Mountain, so they temporarily stopped painting.

Since that was the case, An Le naturally had no reason to refuse.

He woke up early in the morning and bathed in the spring rain. He was dressed in white and practicing the Five Animals in the spring rain. His bones and tendons rang at the same time, and his Qi Blood boiled. His Qi Blood, which had been pushed to the perfected-stage, actually began to gather and spread into his bones.

An Le knew that he was only a step away from the second realm of Body Tempering, the Spirit Bone. Perhaps he only needed an opportunity to step into it.

Demon qi constantly spread out from the Demon Tempering Treasure Jade. When practicing the Five Animals, the demon qi followed the skin membrane to temper the body, causing An Le’s body to become stronger.

Due to the demon qi, An Le’s appearance became even more handsome and elegant, adding a hint of flirtatiousness to it. He was very eye-catching.

Visualizing the Sword Waterfall, refining the Five Animals, learning the Collapsing Sword Force…

An Le had his own plans for cultivation. Of course, studying was very important. When he had time to cultivate, he would squeeze out some time to study. He would read books related to the Imperial Examination, the works of the Great Confucian of the Literary Department, and even some of the best works of famous scholars in this world.

He believed in the principle of reading to change one’s fate.

Even though he had stepped into cultivation, it did not mean giving up on studying. Even an expert like Madam Hua would be drinking tea and reading in the Heavenly Wave Water Pavilion every morning. What right did An Le have not to study?

Moreover, the Spring Quarter Examination was around the corner. He could not slack off just because he was cultivating.

He read and strolled towards West Lake, looking at Fairy Yun Rou as usual, who was cold and beautiful but had fallen into the mortal world.

From the flow of time, he knew that Fairy Yun Rou’s cultivation was not weak, but she was willing to be a courtesan among the flower boats. Even though she was the head of the courtesans and was famous for her beauty, it was still a cheap job and did not match Fairy Yun Rou’s status as a cultivator.

Even in Falling Flower Pavilion, the number one brothel in Lin’an, although there were mortal women who cultivated, they were only beginners in cultivation and were just a gimmick. It was rare to see a genius like Fairy Yun Rou.

Unfortunately, after wandering around West Lake for a while and stepping on the spring rain, Fairy Yun Rou still did not appear. This was the third day since he had last seen her.

They left West Lake and returned to the Imperial Ancestral Temple Alley on Qingbo Street.

An Le set up a table with a teacup on it and a charcoal stove to boil water.

He brewed a pot of hot tea and sat quietly at the door. Facing the old pagoda tree in the courtyard, he began to visualize the Sword Waterfall Diagram. His mind, which had entered the Embryonic Breath, began to gather.

With the enhancement of the [Thousand-Year Genius] Dao Fruit, An Le’s cultivation speed was rather fast.

There was no need to go to the Lin Residence to work. The only pity was that he could not absorb the Age Qi.

If he tried his luck on the streets, he might not be able to meet cultivators. The old man from the Imperial Ancestral Temple had the Age Qi, and An Le could not draw it out for now.

However, An Le was not too regretful. When the Sixth Mountain was opened, there would definitely be a large number of cultivators gathered. At that time, he would be able to absorb enough.

The rain came thinly and sparsely, but it could not be more than that.

He watched the spring rain in front of the door.

Drinking tea, visualizing, calming down.

…

…

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The spring rain stopped and came again as if to welcome the opening of the sixth mountain of the Sacred Mountain today. The rain fell more and more actively.

An Le woke up early. The sky was hazy, and the fine spring rain was like silver threads in the morning light.

After changing into a clean, wide-sleeved white robe and using demon qi to temper his body for three days, his Body Tempering cultivation was only one step away from forging the Spirit Bone. He could break through at any time.

Therefore, An Le’s aura became more and more upright, and he was as handsome as jade.

With Green Mountain on his waist and the Demon Tempering Treasure Jade on him, he opened the oil-paper umbrella and locked the courtyard door. He stepped on the thin limestone path in Imperial Ancestral Temple Alley and walked out.

The alley was rather quiet. Peach blossom branches poked out from the high walls on both sides. The pink peach blossoms were cut in half by the spring rain and landed on the limestone. An Le stepped on them and stuck them to the soles of his feet, causing them to turn pink.

Today was the opening day of the Sixth Mountain. The atmosphere in the entire Lin’an Prefecture seemed to have changed.

The Embryonic Breath’s mental power wrapped around his body. He could sense that the spiritual energy in the world seemed to flow faster as the cultivators’ mental state surged.

Just like how the Literary Department was the holy land in the hearts of all the scholars in the world and the Martial Temple was the holy land in the hearts of all the martial artists in the world, Sacred Mountain, as the transcendent power of Great Zhao and even the entire Central Plains, was the holy land in the hearts of countless cultivators.

To be able to enter the Sixth Mountain, even if it was just to become a Mountain Guardian, was a leap in status.

Therefore, when the Mountain Opening Token resounded throughout Lin’an Prefecture, cultivators from all over the Central Plains, including the surroundings of Lin’an Prefecture and even the various parts of Great Zhao, all came to watch the wind. They were either here to try out the dream that many people thought was unattainable or purely to join in the fun.

An Le held the oil-paper umbrella and walked to the entrance of the alley. Suddenly, he thought of a serious problem.

The Sixth Mountain of Sacred Mountain was famous, but… he did not know where to go.

Looking at Qingbo Street which had been cleansed by the spring rain, An Le scratched his head and turned to look at the majestic and lofty octagonal building with a pointed roof and two floors.

In the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the incense offerings were still there, and the first rays of dawn and spring were hazy.

The old man from the Imperial Ancestral Temple said that he would bring him to the Sixth Mountain today, but there was still no movement at all.

When he arrived in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, he did not step into the temple. Instead, he cupped his fists and bowed from a few meters away.

“Young Friend An, don’t be anxious. I’m going to catch up on my sleep. I won’t go with you today. Someone will bring you there.”

In the temple, the old man’s lazy laughter floated out.

An Le was stunned.

Amidst the spring wind and rain, the sound of wheels rolling on limestone suddenly came.

At some point, a luxurious carriage slowly drove over from the end of Qingbo Street.

An Le stood by the side of the street with an umbrella. A luxurious carriage came straight over and slowly stopped beside him.

From the window of the carriage, a white hand reached out from behind the curtain and gently lifted the curtain, revealing Madam Hua’s exquisite and beautiful face that he had not seen for a few days.

Madam Hua first nodded slightly in the direction of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Then, her limpid eyes landed on An Le and her lips curled up slightly.

“I’ll bring you to the Sixth Mountain.”

“Young Master An, get in the carriage.”