Chapter 15

Amu and Lishui met for the first time, but they both felt quite good about each other.

Seeing Amu's modest demeanor, Lishui gradually relaxed and was no longer as reserved as before.

Subsequently, Lishui showed Amu around the house. There were two rooms, clean and spacious, with all the necessary furnishings for sitting and sleeping.

Amu originally thought Lishui would be living with him, but to his surprise, Lishui said he lived elsewhere, about two or three li away, and that he came specifically to clean this small courtyard.

"Amu... Junior Brother, I heard that this small courtyard was once inhabited by a senior from the Northern Cold. I've been cleaning it for six or seven years, and no one has ever lived here. It's quite an honor for you to be assigned here!" Lishui said with envy.

"Oh!" Amu didn't really care about this point, but he asked, "Senior Brother Li, I want to know where the Tian-Numbered Cave of the Falling Cloud Cliff is?"

"The Tian-Numbered Cave... of the Falling Cloud Cliff?" Upon hearing Amu's words, Lishui's expression changed immediately.

"What's wrong?" Amu was puzzled by Lishui's surprise.

"That's the highest-level cultivation cave for disciples of the Northern Cold! I can only look at it from a distance, sigh!" Lishui's expression darkened as he spoke. When he first joined the Northern Cold with the hope of cultivating, several of his peers had already reached the third or fourth stage of initial cultivation, and the highest had reached the fifth stage. Those who couldn't cultivate had already left the mountain, while he, homeless, had spent ten years at the Northern Cold.

Although Amu sensed some of Lishui's thoughts, he didn't know how to comfort him, so he continued, "The highest-level cave?"

"Yes! The Falling Cloud Cliff has a total of thirty-three caves, where the spiritual energy is abundant. Cultivating in these caves is said to be several times faster than in other places. The thirty-three caves are carved into the cliff face in layers. The top two layers are the Tian, Di, and Ren caves. The Tian-Numbered Cave is on the highest level, followed by the Di and Ren caves. I heard that the cultivation speed in the Tian-Numbered Cave is ten times faster than in the ordinary Di caves! A senior brother once cultivated in the lowest cave for just one year and advanced from the sixth stage of initial cultivation to the seventh stage."

"Oh!" Amu responded casually. Although he knew about the cultivation levels, he didn't have a clear concept of advancing from the sixth to the seventh stage of initial cultivation. However, from Lishui's tone, it seemed to be a very difficult feat.

"Is such a cultivation place not accessible to everyone?" Amu asked.

"Of course not. Only the most outstanding junior disciples of our sect can cultivate there. Every three years, there is a major competition for disciples below the Eighth Pulse of Spirit. Only the top fifteen initial and established cultivators can enter the Falling Cloud Cliff to cultivate for three years, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Lishui explained.

"The top thirty? But there are thirty-three caves, right?" Amu was confused.

"Uh? There are indeed thirty-three caves, but the Tian, Di, and Ren caves are not included. These three caves are reserved for some special disciples of the sect."

"Special disciples? What kind of people are they?" Amu asked curiously.

"I don't know either. I only heard that these three caves are very mysterious, and the Tian-Numbered Cave is not accessible to ordinary people. I don't know anything else."

Lishui's status was low, and if he hadn't been on the mountain for ten years, he might not have known even this much.

"Why are you asking about this? Cultivation children cannot enter the caves of the Falling Cloud Cliff to cultivate! Generally, it takes two to three years to nurture the immortal root, determine its quality, and receive the initial cultivation technique from the sect. Then, they must pass the minor and major exams to enter the Falling Cloud Cliff. It's not easy to get in." Lishui sighed. Although he couldn't cultivate, he had seen many disciples who had made little progress over several decades.

Amu smiled bitterly and didn't hide it.

"Senior Brother Li, the Sect Master has assigned me to cultivate in the Tian-Numbered Cave of the Falling Cloud Cliff!"

A cultivation child cultivating in the Tian-Numbered Cave of the Falling Cloud Cliff?!

Upon hearing this, Lishui was stunned and didn't know what to say for a moment.

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The crescent moon hung high over the mountain, and the distant peaks were faintly snow-capped. This was Amu's first night at the Northern Cold.

During the day, Amu and Lishui had a pleasant conversation. Lishui was the first friend Amu made at the Northern Cold. Although Lishui's status was low, Amu didn't mind. He didn't judge friends by their status.

At this moment, Lishui had already left, promising to bring Amu breakfast the next morning.

Amu sat alone in the courtyard, gazing into the distance. The night was quiet and still.

The mountains of the Northern Cold were the first spiritual land in the northern region of the Northern Wasteland. Under the night sky, they appeared mysterious, with a faint purple light shimmering in the air.

According to Lishui, that was the protective array of the Northern Cold, with nine layers of defense, only one of which was usually active. It was hard to imagine what it would look like with all nine layers active. It must be a spectacular and dazzling sight.

This made Amu feel the wonder of the cultivation world again. This place was completely different from Liu Town and even more so from his previous life.

It was now deep autumn, and although the Peak of Heaven had the protection of an array, there was still a slight chill. Amu, however, didn't feel it at all.

I wonder how Master and Yu'er are doing? Is the coffin-making in the Northern Country going smoothly? Master said it would be fraught with difficulties. Could there be any danger?

In the quiet of the night, Amu had many questions, but no one to answer them. Thinking about it, he felt his mind becoming increasingly troubled.

With a thought, a black vine appeared in Amu's hand, the one given to him by Wang Jue. Although he could now open the Kunlun如意 Bracelet and store items inside thanks to its spiritual nature, Amu hadn't put the black vine inside.

It was an initial-stage soul treasure, and Amu wasn't yet fully familiar with it. He didn't want to casually store the black vine, which his master had given him, inside.

This was the first time Amu had taken out the black vine since leaving Liu Town.

Holding the black vine, Amu felt the black light flowing over it. This object, which once made him feel uneasy, now brought him a sense of familiarity.

Sometimes, Amu really wished the black vine was still in his master's hands, and that he could live a normal life in Liu Town.

The deep brother-sister bond with Yu'er and the master-disciple relationship with Wang Jue. The life in Liu Town for over a decade was vivid in his mind. He wondered if such days could ever come again.

"Snap—" Amu, moved by his thoughts, lightly swung the black vine at a large rock.

"Crack—" The sound startled Amu.

Although he knew the black vine was a treasure, Amu hadn't expected that a light, effortless swing would split the three-foot-square rock in two.

Looking at the clean break, Amu couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

"Master's strikes were definitely stronger than my own just now. If I could withstand over a hundred strikes from the black vine, doesn't that mean my body is as hard as iron and steel?"

"Is this what Master meant by the initial formation of immortal bones?" Amu felt excited at the thought, but then his mood darkened.

"So what if I have immortal bones? Today in the hall, when the head of the Sunset Peak, Bai Yifeng, struck me, I almost couldn't withstand it. If it weren't for the demonic coffin inside me, I would have been embarrassed in the hall."

Thinking about this, Amu marveled at the power of the demonic coffin. However, at this moment, he couldn't sense any movement from the demonic coffin, as if it had never been in his dantian.

Master said that in ancient times, the chaotic forces of the three realms formed nine coffins, scattered throughout the three realms, unknown to anyone.

These nine coffins must be incredibly powerful! In the future, I must rely more on the demonic coffin. If I can absorb its power, that would be great.

Also, today, the founding ancestor of the Northern Cold couldn't withstand my bow. Could this be related to the demonic coffin inside me? Otherwise, how could a mere mortal like me make him unable to bear it?

However, in this life, Amu had never knelt to anyone except Wang Jue.

Master said I can only leave the mountain after surpassing the Sect Master. I wonder when that will be?

At this point, Amu already knew the cultivation levels and the status and cultivation of Han Qianli.

The fact that someone like Han Qianli could be summoned by Wang Jue left Amu speechless.

At the same time, Amu had many doubts.

If my master has such power, why is he making coffins in Liu Town?

Han Qianli once said that one person could challenge the entire Northern Country, which doesn't seem to be an exaggeration. Why did Master say that making coffins in the Northern Country was fraught with danger?

What kind of danger could make a master who can command a spirit saint like Han Qianli so cautious?

What secrets do the "Nine Yin Body" and the "Ghost Coffin" hold?

Did Master have a deeper meaning in sending me to the Northern Cold and giving me the demonic coffin?

What is the Cang Hai? What ancient mission does Master have?

At this moment, Amu's thoughts were in turmoil, and his mind was in chaos.

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