My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

Chapter 225 Visiting Misty Mountain, Little Sword Pass

"This Misty Mountain has three great wonders!"

"Qingni Xiaojian Pass, red leaves on the banks of the Peng River, white grass reaching the cloud-shrouded plank road." (Note 1)

Yi Xiaoqi knew this place like the back of his hand, and pointed: "Look, Xiaojian Pass is just ahead!"

Then, she turned to the white-clad girl she had just rescued and continued with a hint of warning, "Don't blame me for not reminding you, once you pass Little Sword Pass, you'll officially enter the Fog Mountain territory and have to abide by the rules of Fog Mountain."

Seeing her so serious, Chu Lengyu couldn't help but smile slightly and nod in response.

Yi Xiaoqi then turned back, muttering to herself.

This young woman, who claimed to be surnamed Chu, ventured out recklessly and ended up encountering bandits at a tea stall. If she hadn't come to her rescue, she would have certainly suffered a loss.

Chu Lengyu followed quietly behind her, enjoying the scenery along the way.

Wushan is located far west of Liangzhou. According to the map, it is no longer within the territory of Daxia. The area is densely forested and rarely visited by people.

Distant mountains rise one after another, shrouded in mist and water.

Verdant greenery stretches as far as the eye can see, and the mountains are like a painting.

It was early summer, and the mountains were covered in layers of light and deep green, with countless ancient trees, their history and the passage of time all contained within. (Note 2)

Far away, a majestic mountain peak stands tall, piercing the clouds, creating a magnificent sight—that is Wushan.

Chu Lengyu looked at it for a moment, then looked away.

She came to Wushan to challenge the martial arts school and recruit them to her side, so she came alone without anyone else. She happened to meet this kind-hearted swordsman and decided to travel with him.

On the way, recalling the information she knew, she asked, "I've heard that there are four schools of martial arts in Misty Mountain: Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum. May I ask which school you belong to?"

"Oh." Yi Xiaoqi looked at her with slight surprise upon hearing this. "You seem quiet, but you're quite well-informed and know a lot."

After saying that, she pouted, hugged her sword, and turned to look at the sky: "However, this great hero is unrestrained, without sect or school, just a rogue cultivator."

Chu Lengyu had no intention of offending anyone and was about to make amends when Yi Xiaoqi preemptively asked, "Two months ago, Elder Meishan announced that he would be publicly selecting disciples. I suppose you came here for that reason too?"

Chu Lengyu was slightly taken aback: "...He's very strong?"

"Old Man Meishan is a diviner, famous for his Thirteen Plum Blossom Divination. You must have heard of him, right?" Yi Xiaoqi's eyes widened.

Although the name of Mist Mountain is limited to cultivators and not widely known throughout the world, the Merlin lineage has been able to establish itself through divination and maintain its stable position to this day, which clearly shows that it has real skills and is far superior to those charlatans in the world.

Divination and fortune-telling are mysterious and unpredictable, and people are always happy to do them. Although the old man of Meishan rarely makes a move, no one dares to question his abilities.

The announcement of this discipleship recruitment attracted countless cultivators, all eager to seize this opportunity to ascend to heaven and rewrite their destiny.

Yi Xiaoqi naturally assumed that the stranger she met on the road was also there for this reason.

"I also know a little about divination," Chu Lengyu shook her head regretfully, "but the higher the level, the greater the price of divination."

Diviners do not divine for themselves, and Chu Lengyu had not studied this art in depth, only scratching the surface. After all, she had nothing to divine and no one she wanted to divine for, so she maintained a respectful but distant attitude towards divination.

Furthermore, while divination by hexagrams can reveal the secrets of heaven, it is not accurate or infallible, nor is it predetermined.

If someone becomes complacent and lazy because of a lucky hexagram, or becomes suspicious and paranoid because of an unlucky one, they will ultimately not escape misfortune. Chu Lengyu understood this principle well, and therefore maintained a rational and cautious attitude towards divination.

Upon hearing this, Yi Xiaoqi felt indignant, believing that the woman seemed somewhat arrogant and belittling Wushan.

Just as she was about to speak, she caught a glimpse of Xiaojian Pass right in front of her, with more than a dozen people queuing to pass through.

Yi Xiaoqi felt a chill run down her spine and immediately composed herself, shutting her mouth.

Her gaze swept over the crowd in line, and she saw that they either looked solemn or expectant, all of them holding great hope for Elder Meishan's acceptance of disciples.

Yi Xiaoqi thought to himself that he was also on his way here to seek opportunities, and he must not let a trivial matter ruin his important plans.

Chu Lengyu secretly used her divine sense to carefully explore the wonders of this small sword pass.

Its unique terrain, shaped like a gourd, is small on the outside and large on the inside, with deep canyons, forming a world of its own.

The "Gourd Pass," which serves as the entrance, is flanked by towering, sheer cliffs that resemble sword cuts and axe strokes, leaving only a narrow passage for two people to walk side by side. It is as if nature itself has created this spectacular narrow passage.

Such naturally formed landforms are truly rare.

At the entrance, two guards stood ready.

One person sat upright at a wooden table, holding a pen and ink, recording the identity information of each person entering the pass; another person, holding a sword, stood in front of the pass, strictly prohibiting anyone from entering without permission.

The people in line all obeyed the rules and moved forward in an orderly manner, just like ordinary people entering the city.

Chu Lengyu nodded inwardly, realizing the orderly management of Wushan.

In the blink of an eye, it was Yi Xiaoqi's turn.

She calmly took out her identity token and handed it to the guard.

The guard took the wooden plaque, examined it carefully, and after confirming that it was correct, he made a few entries in the register and then signaled to Yi Xiaoqi that she could pass.

Yi Xiaoqi smiled slightly and passed the test with ease.

She walked to the entrance of the canyon and turned to look at Chu Lengyu.

Before coming to Wushan, she had explained the procedures for passing through the checkpoint in detail. Any stranger who wanted to approach Wushan only needed to register their origin and name and demonstrate their level of cultivation to prove that they were not an ordinary person, and they could pass through the checkpoint smoothly.

Yi Xiaoqi couldn't help but feel a little curious about this strange girl she had met on the street.

She secretly speculated that since this young girl dared to travel alone and exuded an extraordinary aura, she must come from a distinguished family and possess considerable cultivation. At the very least, she must be a cultivator at the sixth or seventh level of the Acquired Realm, right?

She pondered this in her heart, but dared not draw a conclusion easily.

However, when it was Chu Lengyu's turn to pass the test, she did not take out her identity token or show proof of her cultivation level as usual.

She walked lightly past the two guards.

The two guards seemed not to have seen her at all, continuing to focus on registering the next person without pausing for a moment.

Yi Xiaoqi's eyes widened again.

She looked around; on one side were the unresponsive guards and people queuing, and on the other side was Chu Lengyu, who was leisurely and unimpeded.

This scene left her stunned for a long while, her heart filled with doubt and surprise.

She hurriedly caught up with Chu Lengyu and asked in a low voice, "How did you do that? You passed through the Little Sword Pass without registering, as if you were invisible."

You must know that the two guards at the pass are at least experts at the seventh or eighth level of the Acquired Realm. Their senses are extremely sharp. How could they be completely unaware of the changes in their aura and let someone sneak away?

Wouldn't the people queuing right behind her have something to say?

However, Chu Lengyu was too lazy to explain much. A glint flashed in her eyes, and Yi Xiaoqi felt her mind go blank. The question from before was instantly forgotten, and even the illogical parts of passing the test were ignored.

Yi Xiaoqi was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses, looked ahead, and her tone became cheerful again: "Let's go, let's go! There's a market along the Pengjiang River, and there are gatherings every five or ten days. Now is the perfect time to go! Let's hurry over and take a look. Maybe we can find some good treasures!"

With that, she excitedly led the way forward.

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Note 1: The place name Wushan comes from Zhang Kejiu's "Dianqianhuan: Guest".

Looking towards Chang'an, my future seems uncertain, and my temples are graying.

Following the migrating geese from south to north, their journey is arduous.

Green mud and small sword pass, red leaves on the banks of the Pengjiang River, white grass reaching the cloud-covered plank road.

Fame and fortune are but a few words, while the journey through wind and snow stretches across a thousand mountains.

Note 2: The mountain clouds rise and fall amidst the verdant hills, layer upon layer of pale green and deep blue. — Yuan Haowen, "Miscellaneous Poems of Mount Tai"