The Portal of Wonderland

Time passed and, in the blink of an eye, three months had gone by.

Inside the secret chamber, Shi Mu sat on his knees with his eyes closed. His entire body was covered with a layer of black and white light. The two colors were distinct and there was no sign of integration.

“What happened? This is completely out of place. What went wrong?” Shi Mu opened his eyes and muttered to himself.

In these three months, he had been trying so hard yet every effort was in vain. He could not help but felt a little agitated and annoyed.

At the same time, there was no problem in stimulating the yang force on his left hand and the yin force on his right. However, he never succeeded in merging the forces of yin and yang.

It was not that he did not dare to force the integration of both yin and yang energy. It was that the explosive power of the conflicting forces might have been too much for his body.

Shi Mu’s brows wrinkled in annoyance.

Both the first and second phase required the blood essence of a Heaven-ranked beast in addition to the Absolute Yang Flames and Absolute Yin Qi. However, it did not require such for the third phase which was somewhat remarkable, thinking it would be easier to master. Sadly, that was not the case.

Originally, whenever he hit a few bumps in his training, he could consult the predecessors for guidance. However, since he did not dare to let anyone else know about his cultivation, who could he look for now?

“Oh right, the white azure ancestors’ great three treasures…” Shi Mu’s mind suddenly flashed, as if he had thought of something.

He recalled the information regarding the three treasures left by the white azure ape ancestors. Maybe if he were to review it carefully, there might be some sort of hints left behind.

The white azure ape ancestors would definitely not have left the treasures for no reason. Since it was brought up when the third phase of the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art was disclosed, there must be some deep meaning behind the information.

Shi Mu immediately closed his eyes and read through the information about those treasures once again. After giving it all his effort, he opened his eyes and his face was full of joy.

What he thought was true. The white-azure ape ancestors had left one the treasure that helped in balancing the power of yin and yang forces in the second-floor space of Qinglan. However, the description of the treasure was not explained.

In any case, this information was definitely a gift to Shi Mu.

But then, Shi Mu seemed to have thought of something and his smile gradually faded.

To head over to the treasure trove in the Holy Land of Qinglan was unthinkable and off limits.

Regulations in Qinglan were extremely strict. Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for a century-old disciple to go to the second floor.

In other words, the most direct way to get into the second floor of the treasure trove was to upgrade himself to a millennium disciple instead.

However, the Holy Land had clearly stipulated that in order to become a millennium disciple, one would have to submerge themselves into a thousand years of cultivation.

Shi Mu smiled bitterly. He had been in Qinglan for more than ten years now. If he was desperate for the treasure stored in the treasure trove on the second floor in the Holy Land, he would have to wait for nearly a thousand years. Even if he had the patience, it would be absurd to say the others who secretly practiced the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art would be waiting for him.

He shook his head and searched for more books that would help him in making an exception to be in the treasure trove on the second floor without attracting the attention of others.

After looking through a long time, he still could not find a solution to his problem.

“No. I know too little about the sacred regulations. I need to look for someone to be more secure of my questions and worries.”

Shi Mu quickly gave up on the unnecessary effort and stood up.

He did not know many people with much knowledge on the matter, and asking his peers who entered Qinglan at the same time as him would be a waste of time.

After thinking about it for a period of time, Shi Mu had decided to consult Ling Feng instead.

This person was not only the brother who guided a group of new disciples into the Holy Land, he was also a man of good heart. He seemed to be quite a good speaker as well. Since he had stayed in Qinglan for quite some time now, it was only appropriate to consult his guidance.

As soon as his mind was made up, Shi Mu immediately stood in determination.

After an hour, he had arrived at a mountain nearby.

The bamboo forest at the bottom of the mountain was quiet. There were several loft buildings in the depths which were mostly bamboo, giving it a very simple appearance.

As soon as Shi Mu approached, he heard a melodious flute coming out of one of the attics.

The sound of the flute was like a dry pine forest. It was elegant and extraordinary yet sinister at the same time.

Shi Mu stood still in the same place until the end of the song before he resumed walking toward the front porch of the attic building.

“Brother Ling Feng, are you around? This is brother Shi Mu.”

A clear voice came from the attic as the door opened automatically. “Oh, it turned out to be you, brother Shi Mu. Apologies for my manners, please come in.”

Shi Mu stepped in and was greeted by a man in a green robe standing in the living room. He had a jade flute in his hand and his long hair was tied into a topknot with a belt.

“Hehe, it has not been long since I last saw you and now you’ve reached the late stage of your cultivation. Congratulations!” Ling Feng stood up and looked at Shi Mu from head to toe while he laughed.

“Oh, I’m nothing compared to you, brother Ling Feng.”

“There is no need to tout each other. I’m sure you’re not here to chat. So tell me, is there something I can assist you with?”

“Alright then, I’ll be direct. I’m here today to ask brother Ling Feng some questions I have regarding the Holy Land of Qinglan.”

Ling Feng heard his words and nodded slightly, indicating for Shi Mu to continue.

“I was hoping to know if there’s a way for me to advance to the treasure trove on the second floor of Qinglan as a century-old disciple?”

“For a short period?”

“How long can I stay then?”

“For a century-old disciple to be invited for the stay is only a maximum of seven days. However, you’re only allowed to stay within the spirit area.”

“What about staying for longer then?”

“Oh! For long-term residence, you’d have to advance into a millennium disciple. However, that’s much more difficult than it seems. One of the major preconditions for becoming a millennium disciple is to cultivate until you reach Heaven rank. Since brother Shi Mu is at your last stage of cultivation, even if your strength is amazing, there would still not be a special exception for you,” Ling Feng shook his head and said.

“Is there really no way?” Shi Mu’s brows furrowed as he asked once more with frustration in his tone.

“Brother Shi Mu just joined the Holy Land of Qinglan a little over a decade ago. Why is it so urgent? Is it for the resources of the millennium disciples?”

The corner of Shi Mu’s mouth twitched slightly but he did not say a word.

“If it’s only for the resources of the millennium disciples, don’t hold on to such high hopes. Although the millennial disciples have obtained abundant resources, they will have to complete certain sacred tasks every year like any other centuries-old disciple. Those tasks are also dangerous even for those at Heaven rank. It’s best that you stick as a century-old disciple for a while and hone your skills and strength.”

“There is still a point. I’ve been honing my skills in the Holy Land. However, it’s not only the way of the foreign martial arts but also inner self-cultivation. Therefore, it’s only necessary to have such regulations.” Ling Feng continued.

Shi Mu had a moment of silence and suddenly raised his head.

“Thank you, brother Ling Feng, for your kind guidance. However, I have some complications and need to head to the second floor of Qinglan as soon as possible. If brother Ling Feng knows any alternative, I beg of you to tell me about it and I will forever be in your debt.”

Ling Feng heard his plea and looked at Shi Mu as he let out a sigh.

“Well, there’s no other method but seeing how persistent you are, I shall share then.”

“Thank you, brother Ling Feng…” Shi Mu was overjoyed.

“If a century-old disciple wants to enter the second floor of the Holy Land in advance, the only way is through the enchanted road in the Xuanling Tower,” Ling Feng said with awe.

“Please enlighten me.”

Shi Mu’s face showed some doubt as he had never heard this term.

“The enchanted road is a special place that I’ve only heard a little about. It’s said that after entering this road, there would be illusions. If you’re negligent, you’ll lose yourself and get lost forever. If you want to become a millennium disciple in advance, you must pass the test of the enchanted road to prove that you can become a millennium disciple regardless of your strength.”

Shi Mu’s face changed slightly as he remained silent.

After a while, his eyes flashed with a firm demeanor. It seemed that he had made up his mind to take on the challenge.

“In addition, there are certain requirements before going into the enchanted road and it’s not for any century-year-old disciple.” Before Shi Mu could say a word, Ling Feng cut in and dropped another crucial piece of information.

“What kind of conditions?” Shi Mu was not surprised.

“Since the enchanted road is dangerous, they’ll never allow any century disciple to go in and die in vain. It’s normal to set some thresholds. In order to break through them, you must first defeat the top three disciples ranked among all century disciples. In a way, you have to defeat brother Yun, brother Long and me,” Ling Feng laughed.

Shi Mu heard his words and his face changed slightly.

Among the three, he had witnessed Long Zhan Ye and Ling Feng’s strength. However, he had never seen Yun Xiao’s.

However, to place the top three among all upper disciples must be extraordinary. How could it be easy to beat them?

However, this seemed to be the only way to break through the enchanted road.

Shi Mu could not help but take a deep breath of a sigh.

“Oh… With that look on your face, perhaps you have other plans in mind. Seeing how we’re friends as I was the one who brought you into the Holy Land of Qinglan. This is a friendly reminder,” Ling Feng said and smiled.

“Thank you, brother Ling Feng, for enlightening me.”

Shi Mu arched his back to a bow as he thanked him.

“Brother Long’s strength is much greater than what he had shown during the championship. However in brother Yun Xiao’s case, his strength is so much better and higher than mine,” Ling Feng warned.

Shi Mu blinked as he nodded.

As time passed, he did not stay long in Ling Feng’s residence and quickly left.

Ling Feng’s figure as he sent Shi Mu out of the bamboo forest gradually disappeared. His eyes were light and he did not speak a word.