Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Qin Yu opened his eyes and forced a smile. Although he had entered the Path of 10,000 Souls, he had no interest in its method of inheritance.

But somehow, he had bewilderingly obtained its approval.

He knew that by relying on this mark left behind on his soul, once he entered the land of inheritance he could immediately obtain the 10,000 Soul Great Dao.

This was also what East Zhou Duly and the others who entered the land of inheritance were trying to obtain.

However, while Qin Yu had no interest in the 10,000 Soul Great Dao, once he obtained the inheritance he would understand all of its secrets. Undoing it would be even easier.

But could the 10,000 Soul Great Dao really be that simple?

Qin Yu was worried. He was worried that once he obtained the inheritance, he would find that trying to undo it was a hundred times more difficult instead.

The white-robed man who represented the will of the Path of 10,000 Souls didn't appear again, but his voice echoed in Qin Yu's ears. "Boy, I will fulfill my promise and give you an extra harvest. Now, go and enter the third mountain. This is the final test."

Before Qin Yu could respond, an invisible strength descended. His surroundings twisted and he found he had entered the range of the third mountain.

Qin Yu had a solemn expression. When he passed the first test he had been cheating, so he didn't feel much about it.

The second mountain's test allowed Qin Yu to truly understand how terrifying the Three Mountains Test was. This was the last mountain. According to common sense, its difficulty was likely greater than the last one.

But in truth, nothing happened.

Qin Yu walked from the base of the mountain to the summit. The process was smooth and easy, without anything happening at all. When he reached the top, a strong wind howled, clearing away the thick fog that surrounded the peak.

A great shining gate appeared in the void. It was radiant and dazzling.

But now that he was up close, Qin Yu could make out the massive pits and slash markings covering its surface.

As if a long time ago, this gate had withstood an astonishingly powerful attack.

Facing Qin Yu, this gate slowly opened.

Rumble rumble -

Above his head, thunder roared and raged. A million bolts of lightning tore through the skies.

Throughout the entire three mountains region, whether it was people on a mountain or outside, all cultivators gathered here could feel their hearts shake. They looked up into the distance to see a massive golden gate opening up.

"Someone passed the Three Mountains Test!"

"Someone succeeded already!?"

"How is this possible? I am just now approaching the summit of the first mountain!"

"Just who can achieve this?"

Cries of alarm rang out again and again. Countless cultivators widened their eyes, shock and awe in their pupils. Although the contents of the Three Mountains Test were made available here, due to certain restrictions, the cultivators here could not share information about it with the outside world.

But through the countless years, there were numerous cultivators that passed the Three Mountains Test. Even so, the fastest amongst them still took at least a dozen days.

But now…from when the Path of 10,000 Souls had opened, only a little more than two days had passed…

The golden gate shined in the distance. But when people looked over, they could see the tall and noble figure standing before it.

So when Qin Yu paused for a moment before stepping into the gate, his blurry figure became clear.

Countless cultivators saw Qin Yu's appearance.

"It's him!"

Outside the first mountain, several cultivators exclaimed out loud. After regaining their composure, their faces flushed red with shame and embarrassment.

Before, when Qin Yu was walking up the first mountain, they had mocked and ridiculed him.

They didn't see Qin Yu get kicked out so they were amazed. They thought that this kid had some skills.

Yet no matter what they imagined, they never thought that Qin Yu would have already passed the Three Mountains Test.

"It's not two days…but one day…it was one day…" One of the cultivators muttered beneath his breath, his body shivering with awe.

Several people heard him speak and they stiffened. Their faces were full of disbelief.

To rush through the Three Mountains Test in one day…if they didn't see it with their own eyes, who would believe it? Just who was this person and where did he come from!?

"Qin Yu, that's Qin Yu!"

"So it was him!"

"I doubted the rumors before, but now I no longer suspect him. Qin Yu must have an astonishing background…perhaps he does have a transcendent teacher!"

"Qin Yu was actually this terrifying!"

At the first mountain, halfway up the mountainside, Pure Summer and Peaceful Nun were stunned. They glanced at each other, seeing the shock and bitterness in their eyes.

So they had actually been together with such an incomparably formidable existence.

No wonder East Zhou Duly trusted him so much, allowing him to guard the first platform alone so the rest of them could seize the other platforms.

How laughable. Before this, they still felt some dissatisfaction and refused to accept it.

Pure Summer wryly smiled. "Fortunately for us, we didn't show any hostility to Qin Yu, otherwise things really would be troublesome for us."

Peaceful Nun nodded. "I also feel a little jealous about Shang Lingyu's good luck. If he didn't choose to give up at the start, he would have died a miserable death."

"Not necessarily. That Shang Lingyu was able to directly obtain the approval of the Path of 10,000 Souls and enter the land of inheritance. He must have hidden himself deeply." Pure Summer shook his head. But when he looked at the summit, his eyes shined, "These two people may be formidable, but that doesn't mean they can obtain the true inheritance of the Path of 10,000 Souls."

Peaceful Nun smiled. "That's right. We still don't know who the biggest winner will be here!"

The two lowered their heads and continued upwards. An invisible strength lingered around them, blocking out the majority of the pervasive aura.

In this world, there would always be more than one person who was hardworking, lucky, or prepared.

Before the end, who could determine who had won or lost?

…

Qin Yu came up with countless plans in his head as he entered the golden gate. But, he never imagined that the so-called land of inheritance would be a city. That's right, it was ordinary and full of life, just like a small city that could be seen in any common mortal world.

To call this a small city wasn't going too far, because this city was only four or five miles long. The low city walls were mixed soil and wheat stalks. When they were built, perhaps sticky substances like glutinous rice water were added as glue.

Even so, after being exposed to countless years of wind, rain, and sun, the city walls were scarred and damaged. Most sections of it only retained half of their original height or even less than that. Occasionally, a section of the city wall was severely damaged, or perhaps too many corners were cut during construction, but only the bare roots were left remaining.

Outside the circular city gates, one could see the smoke rising from the chimney stacks all over, as well as the bursts of scent from fragrant dishes.

Gulu -

Qin Yu's belly grumbled. He touched it, a strange look on his face. It had already been numerous years, but when he smelled the scents all around, the feeling of hunger struck him once again. He couldn't help but admit that this was simply unbelievable.

But soon he stopped rubbing his belly. He reached into his chest and felt a hard object.

It was a big golden coin.

It was the type that was the size of a knuckle, shaped like a circle with a square hole inside. The surface wasn't rusted but instead shined with a dazzling golden color.

Holding this gold coin in hand, a weird expression crossed his face. He thought for a moment and put the gold coin away before walking into the city.

As he walked through the city gates, noise immediately surrounded him. Stalls were open on both sides and the merchants were clearly competing for business. They had workers arranged all around, loudly calling towards the entrance in an attempt to catch the attention of visitors.

"Come, come! Look at our store's new batch of silk! The quality is definitely top class! If a man wears it they will be dashing and handsome, and if a woman wears it they will be as beautiful as a fairy! Don't miss out!"

"That person over there is just bragging needlessly! When it comes to quality, our century-old brand is still the highest available quality!"

"They are just talking nonsense. Our Kunlun Mountain Silk Store is a famous shop that has been inherited through several generations, and we possess our own uniquely special weaving methods. Our silk is guaranteed to last you a hundred years without fading in color. There is simply no comparison!"

It was clear that these three silk stores were all competing against each other and trying to disparage the others.

Qin Yu's lips twitched. Did he pick up the wrong script by accident?

This was the land of inheritance?

He restrained his thoughts and continued forward. Pedestrians roamed through the streets. This small city was unexpectedly prosperous and bustling.

Soon, Qin Yu found some useful information.

For instance, some people were clearly out of tune with the city. With one glance it was easy to understand they were outsiders.

A purple-robed man stood in front of a steamed bun stall. His complexion was dark and uncertain. After a long time he clenched his teeth and took out a coin from his chest, "Give me a steamed bun!"

Qin Yu could see everything clearly. The coin this person took out was exactly the same shape and style as the one he had, but the color was entirely different.

It wasn't golden, but a dark and rusty stained bronze color.

"Very well, customer, one coin for one steamed bun, please take it." The smiling vendor with a white towel over his head pulled out a steamed bun and wrapped it up, placing it in front of the man.

Even though he was far away, Qin Yu could clearly hear the loud rumbles coming from the man's stomach; he seemed to be incredibly hungry. Then, the man took the steamed bun and ferociously ate it in three bites before closing his eyes.

At this moment, Qin Yu could sense seven or eight pairs of eyes gathering from all directions and falling on this person.

After several breaths of time, the cultivator who ate the steamed bun opened his eyes. With an annoyed look, he turned and walked away. As for the several pairs of eyes, they turned away. One of them glanced at Qin Yu for a moment but didn't linger long.

An hour later, Qin Yu had nearly walked throughout the entire small city. He had approximately gathered the information he wanted.

For instance, the cultivators who entered the land of inheritance would obtain some coins after arriving here. But the colors were different. The worst were copper coins, with some silver coins scattered around. As for the golden coin he had, he hadn't seen anyone else with one.

This city was the Path of 10,000 Souls' land of inheritance. And the coins that these people had were the medium used to obtain the inheritance. Or in another way, it could be said that through the transaction of coins, any purchased goods contained a kind of inheritance.

This was because the Path of 10,000 Souls' land of inheritance didn't have just the 10,000 Souls Great Dao. Rather, within this place, there were tens of thousands and even more kinds of inheritances.

Some of them were extremely strong, but they were only in the minority. Most of them were ordinary and didn't even meet the barest standard.

As for what a person could exchange for, that all depended on a cultivator's luck and eyesight. In short, whether they chose something good or bad, that was their choice.

Of course, the appearance of inheritances weren't static. Rather, they came in a random pattern with seemingly no regulated path.

For instance, the cultivator who purchased a steamed bun had obtained an inheritance after eating it. But from looking at his expression, it clearly hadn't been good. However the next cultivator to purchase a steamed bun might have the chance of eating it and obtaining a fierce inheritance.

Moreover, there were two important things in this city that had to be purchased.

The first was a place to stay and the second was food.