Chapter 24 of 100

Chapter 24

16 min read4,122 words

For two days, there was no news, and before they knew it, it was the third day. Tieyun arrived as promised, and Amu was already well-prepared, dressed in a brand new white robe that exuded a heroic air.

After bidding farewell to Lishui, Amu followed Tieyun straight to Luoyun Cliff.

Luoyun Cliff was also on Tongtian Peak, but on the west side. The distance from Amu's residence to there was no less than ten miles.

Amu could not ride the wind, so Tieyun had to carry him while flying. In a short while, they could see a high cliff in the distance.

"Amu, this is Luoyun Cliff!" Tieyun stopped his magic, and the two of them landed at the base of the cliff.

Amu looked up and saw that Luoyun Cliff was no less than a hundred feet high, reaching into the clouds. Although it was a completely natural, massive green stone wall, it resembled an isolated peak. However, Luoyun Cliff was exceptionally smooth, and even without sunlight, it shimmered slightly.

Amu had heard from Lishui that the stone wall of Luoyun Cliff was a great treasure. If one could cut a piece of stone from Luoyun Cliff, it could be refined into an extremely high-quality magical artifact.

However, it was said that except for the secret method of the Beihan Qianyun Cave, which allowed a certain amount of stone to be taken each year, even a spiritual treasure-level magical artifact could not move the Luoyun stone wall at all.

On the towering green cliff, the words "Luoyun" were carved by a senior adept with great power, no one knew in which year or month.

The characters were written with silver hooks and iron strokes, the brushwork rugged and strong. It was said that these two characters, "Luoyun," existed even before the founding of the Beihan Sect.

Therefore, it was said in Beihan, "First there was Luoyun Cliff, then there was the Beihan Sect."

At the same time, thirty-three caves were artificially carved into the Luoyun Cliff, divided into eight layers from top to bottom. The highest layer had one cave, the second layer had two caves, and the remaining six layers each had five caves.

In fact, these caves were ancient legacies, not carved by the Beihan Sect.

Each cave was set with a barrier, and at the entrance, some glowed, while others were shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see inside. These barriers were set by the ancestors of the Beihan Sect.

"Tieyun, this Luoyun Cliff is the highest-level cultivation site for cultivators below the level of supreme spirit in our Beihan Sect. I suppose you must have learned some from Lishui," Tieyun said.

"Um!" Amu nodded, "Senior Brother Tieyun, the three highest caves are the Heaven, Earth, and Human Caves, right?"

Amu gazed at the three highest caves, which were faintly visible.

"Correct. From the bottom up, the lowest three layers are for initial cultivation caves, the next three layers are for fixed cultivation caves, and the highest three caves are the Heaven, Earth, and Human Caves. This Luoyun Cliff is very peculiar, and the higher up you go, the more abundant the spiritual energy in the caves," Tieyun said.

"Senior Brother Tieyun, have you ever cultivated here?" Amu turned to ask Tieyun.

"Thirty years ago, I had been at the middle stage of fixed cultivation for three years without breaking through to the high stage. However, in the eight-vein competition held every three years within the sect, I ranked first. So I cultivated here for three years, in the first cave of the third layer, known as the first fixed cultivation cave."

Tieyun seemed quite reflective as he spoke, and he pointed to that cave. The entrance was shrouded in white mist, resembling a fairy cave.

"Senior Brother, how was your cultivation effect?" Lishui had told him that a disciple at the sixth stage of initial cultivation had broken through to the seventh stage after cultivating for a year in the lowest cave. Amu knew that this was already a very difficult feat, so he wanted to hear about Tieyun's results in the first fixed cultivation cave.

Hearing Amu's question, Tieyun couldn't help but smile, seemingly enjoying the memories of those days. "Back then, I was in seclusion, and I broke through to the high stage of fixed cultivation in just two years. After three years, I emerged from seclusion, and my high stage of fixed cultivation was completely stable."

"Ah!" Amu was taken aback, "Break through to the high stage of fixed cultivation in two years and stabilize in one year?"

Amu knew that the middle stage of fixed cultivation was a bottleneck for cultivators. Some people could never break through, like Zhou Yunji, who had been stuck at the middle stage of fixed cultivation for over fifty years with no hope of breaking through. Generally, even if one reached the full stage of fixed cultivation and had excellent talent, it would take ten to twenty years to break through, and some relied on elixirs to do so.

However, he never expected that after three years of cultivation at Luoyun Cliff, Tieyun would break through to the high stage of fixed cultivation in just two years and stabilize in one year, which was almost a small miracle.

"Junior Brother Amu, the caves of Luoyun Cliff are incredibly magical. It is said that they are connected to the immortal veins of our Beihan Sect. Even the lowest cave allows for cultivation at several times the speed of the outside world. You will gradually understand this in the future. However, the Heaven, Earth, and Human Caves..." Tieyun hesitated, seeming somewhat hesitant.

Amu, sensing the issue, quickly said, "Senior Brother Tieyun, are the Heaven, Earth, and Human Caves different from the other caves? I hope you can enlighten me."

Tieyun looked at Amu, then at the three highest caves, and sighed. "Amu, there's nothing much to it. It's just that the Heaven, Earth, and Human Caves are quite peculiar, and not everyone can enter them."

"Oh?" Amu remembered that Lishui had also said this. "Senior Brother Tieyun, who cultivates in these three caves?"

Tieyun smiled bitterly when Amu asked. "Who? Let me tell you, currently, only the Human Cave has someone cultivating. The Earth Cave has been empty for nearly a hundred years, and I don't know how long the Heaven Cave has been empty!"

"The Earth Cave has been empty for nearly a hundred years, and the Heaven Cave has been empty for who knows how long?"

Amu was greatly surprised. He thought that since the first fixed cultivation cave could help Tieyun break through to the high stage of fixed cultivation, the Heaven, Earth, and Human Caves should be even better and should not be left vacant.

"Exactly, that's how it is! Because very few people can enter the Heaven, Earth, and Human Caves, and even if they do, they can't cultivate inside," Tieyun sighed.

Tieyun's words left Amu even more confused and piqued his curiosity.

Tieyun continued, "The Heaven, Earth, and Human Caves are also known as the three great demon caves of Luoyun Cliff. They are called the three great demon caves because, since the founding of our Beihan Sect, only a few dozen people have successfully cultivated in these three caves, and most of them were in the Human Cave. Only a handful of people have cultivated in the Heaven and Earth Caves."

"The three great demon caves of Luoyun Cliff? Why are there so few people who can cultivate in them?" Amu frowned.

"First, anyone with our Beihan Sect's talisman can enter the other caves of Luoyun Cliff for cultivation, but the three great demon caves are different. Even with the talisman, not everyone can enter. These three caves do not care about cultivation level; they only care about fate. If you don't have the fate, even with the talisman, you will be repelled by the magical power inside and cannot enter," Tieyun said.

"Automatic selection of the master?" Amu was surprised. The caves were truly magical.

"Second, all the caves of Luoyun Cliff are rich in spiritual energy, and cultivation progresses very quickly. However, in the Heaven, Earth, and Human Caves, many disciples enter, and although they are full of spiritual energy, their cultivation sometimes does not increase but decreases. According to records, the most severe case was eight hundred years ago when a cultivator at the high stage of fixed cultivation, who had reached the full stage, entered the Earth Cave for cultivation. The result was that he lost all his cultivation and became a mortal. The senior could not bear the blow and committed suicide. Many other cultivators who entered these three caves went mad after a few days and could not be cured," Tieyun said solemnly.

Hearing Tieyun's words, Amu frowned, thinking, "What kind of caves are these? Why did Han Qianli arrange for me to cultivate here?"

Seeming to understand Amu's thoughts, Tieyun added, "The sect leader arranged for you to cultivate here, and I am also very puzzled! However, I believe the sect leader would not harm you and must have his reasons. Besides, Amu, you are a mortal now, so you don't need to fear a drop in cultivation."

Amu nodded. In fact, he also felt that Han Qianli would not easily send him to a demon cave that could drive cultivators mad.

"Senior Brother Tieyun, have there been any successful cultivators in these three great demon caves?" Amu asked again.

---