Chapter 7: Splitting the mountain

Luo Qingchen closed her eyes, sitting cross-legged on the simple stone platform.

The torture of fire and ice within her body had finally ceased entirely.

Under the harmonization of the Deception Jade Slip, the violent spiritual energy became exceptionally docile.

After circulating through her meridians, it all gathered in her Dantian.

The originally gaseous spiritual energy constantly compressed, becoming thicker and thicker.

*Drip.*

A drop of crystal-clear liquid formed within the Dantian.

Then, a second drop, and a third.

Spiritual power liquefied; the Foundation Establishment was complete!

Luo Qingchen snapped her eyes open, opened her mouth, and exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

The air swirled and sent a piece of rubble several meters away rolling three times.

She stood up and clenched her fists tightly.

Her knuckles emitted a series of crisp pops like crackling beans, and her body felt filled with inexhaustible strength.

Luo Qingchen looked down at her hands, her eyes full of excitement.

‘So strong!’

‘If that black bear dares to come back now, I won’t even need to hide. I could just go up and shatter its skull with a single punch!’

This was the Foundation Establishment stage!

Luo Qingchen hopped in place twice.

Her body felt light.

Compared to the Qi Condensation stage, her previous body felt incredibly heavy, as if forty or fifty-pound sandbags were tied to her legs.

Now that the sandbags were removed, she felt like she could fly with a single jump.

She even had an illusion that she could punch through the mountain or block the river outside with one kick.

Of course, reason told her this was purely a delusion born of a sudden surge in power.

Before she could finish celebrating, the jade slip in her Dantian lit up.

**[Cultivation level increased to Foundation Establishment. Task complete.]**

**[Reward: Mystic-grade peak-tier manual “Ghost Cry God Wail” has been issued.]**

A massive amount of information flooded her mind, every move and stance flashing before her eyes.

Luo Qingchen quickly skimmed through it, the smile on her face freezing instantly.

This *Ghost Cry God Wail* was indeed an extremely ruthless close-combat technique.

Every move was lethal, specifically targeting an enemy’s vital points with speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness.

The problem was, this was a dagger technique!

Luo Qingchen hurriedly searched the original host’s pouch.

A few low-grade spirit stones, two sets of spare clothes, and several empty medicine bottles.

Forget a dagger; there wasn’t even a kitchen knife!

‘Executing this barehanded… am I supposed to use my fingers to poke someone’s kidneys?’

To finally get a peak-tier manual and not have the matching weapon—this jade slip was stingy to the extreme.

Luo Qingchen sighed and walked to the massive boulder blocking the cave entrance.

Regardless, she had to test the power of the Foundation Establishment stage.

She pressed her right hand’s index and middle fingers together into a sword finger and held them before her chest.

Mobilizing the liquid spiritual power in her Dantian, she sent it surging through her meridians to her fingertips and slashed fiercely at the giant rock.

A translucent blade of spiritual energy shot out.

*Crack!*

A 0.5-foot deep crack was sliced into the surface of the boulder, and stone chips fell away.

Luo Qingchen curled her lip, very dissatisfied.

‘Too weak.’

Without the accompanying attack technique and weapon, this method of purely consuming spiritual power to release an attack was simply a waste.

The lethality was significantly reduced.

It might work against mortals or low-level magical beasts, but if she encountered a cultivator of the same level, this move would be like a mere scratch.

Just then…

The ground beneath her feet shook violently.

Luo Qingchen lost her footing and stumbled forward, nearly crashing into the boulder.

Immediately after, the entire cave began to shake violently.

Large chunks of rubble from the ceiling crashed down, hitting the ground with dull thuds.

‘An earthquake?’

Luo Qingchen stood frozen, looking down at her two fingers.

‘What the hell? Could that one strike have actually collapsed the mountain?’

Since when was the Foundation Establishment stage this powerful?

*Rumble —*

Before she could figure it out, a deafening roar came from above.

Luo Qingchen looked up sharply.

A sight she would never forget appeared before her eyes.

A straight crack suddenly split the hard roof of the cave.

Blinding sunlight streamed through the gap.

The crack expanded at a terrifying speed, and the rocks on both sides made an unbearable snapping sound.

A massive force was literally tearing the entire mountain peak apart!

Rocks collapsed, and dust filled the air.

The entire mountain had been sliced open from the outside by a single sword strike!

Blinded by the intense light, Luo Qingchen quickly raised her arm to shield her face.

The violent wind, carrying debris, slammed into her, causing sharp pain.

She finally understood that her finger couldn’t have possibly split the mountain.

Some truly terrifying person outside had cut the mountain in half!

The dust gradually settled.

Luo Qingchen lowered her arm and squinted upward.

A flying sword hovered in midair.

Someone was standing on the flying sword.

Dressed in purple robes, her hem fluttered in the wind.

She held an ancient, simple longsword engraved with complex cloud patterns.

Ling Xiyue.

The Eldest Senior Sister of Hidden Sword Mountain was looking down at Luo Qingchen amidst the ruins.

That eternally frozen, ice-cold face showed no expression.

It was terrifyingly cold.

Luo Qingchen’s scalp tingled, and her back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

‘How did this lady find me?! I ran so far, crawled into a deep forest, and even blocked the entrance with a rock. How could I be accurately localized? Is she a dog or something!’

Before she could come up with a countermeasure, the Deception Jade Slip in her Dantian suddenly vibrated wildly.

A line of blood-red text appeared directly before Luo Qingchen’s eyes.

**[TASK UPDATE]**

**[Target: Eldest Senior Sister of Hidden Sword Mountain, Ling Xiyue]**

**[Task Content: Kiss the back of her hand once]**

**[Task Reward: Growth-type spiritual artifact, Five Elements Blades (Daggers)]**

Luo Qingchen stared at the text, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood.

‘Kiss the back of her hand? Look at the atmosphere right now! She just split a mountain in half; she’s clearly here to kill me! You want me to kiss the back of her hand now? This broken jade slip definitely thinks I’m not dying fast enough!’

Just a moment ago, she was worrying about not having a dagger to practice the technique, and now a dagger was delivered to her door.

The catch was that it would cost her life!

In midair, Ling Xiyue flicked her wrist, and the longsword emitted a crisp ring.

A cold voice drifted down, clearly reaching Luo Qingchen’s ears.

“I told you. If it’s useless, I will personally claim your head.”

The tip of the sword pointed directly at Luo Qingchen’s brow.

A chilling murderous intent instantly locked onto her, and the temperature of the surrounding air plummeted.

Luo Qingchen swallowed hard, her brain working at high speed.

Running was definitely not an option.

She was flying; Luo Qingchen was on two legs.

How could she run?

Fight?

Don’t be ridiculous.

She could split a mountain with one strike, and Luo Qingchen could only leave a mark on a rock.

Fight with what? Her head?

Luo Qingchen grit her teeth, forcibly suppressing the fear in her heart.

She patted the dust off her clothes, raised her head, and met Ling Xiyue’s icy gaze.

Her face once again squeezed into her trademark, mysterious smile.

“Fairy, your temper is a bit too hasty.”

Luo Qingchen kept her hands behind her back, pretending to be profound.

“My method of changing fate has only just begun to take effect. Why have you already come knocking?”

Ling Xiyue remained unmoved, the green light on her longsword flaring.

“One week has passed, yet my fellow disciples’ attitude toward me still hasn’t improved. You deceived me.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Ling Xiyue’s figure flashed as she dove down from midair.

The longsword turned into a bolt of lightning, piercing toward Luo Qingchen’s throat.

It was too fast!

Luo Qingchen couldn’t dodge at all and could only watch as the sword tip magnified rapidly in her eyes.

‘It’s over. I’m really going to die here.’

Just as the sword tip was 0.5 inches from her throat, Ling Xiyue’s wrist jerked.

The longsword stopped abruptly.

The sharp sword wind stung Luo Qingchen’s neck, even leaving a tiny blood-red scratch.

Luo Qingchen didn’t even dare to breathe, staring intently at Ling Xiyue, who was now inches away.

“I’ll give you one last chance to speak,” Ling Xiyue said, her voice like frost.

“If you can’t give me a proper explanation, this day next year will be the anniversary of your death.”

Cold sweat poured down Luo Qingchen’s forehead.

She knew this was her only chance to survive.