Chapter 54

Wuzhou City is surrounded by mountains, and there is a poem about it:

"Sharp peaks stretch to defend Wuzhou City, a myriad of flowers bloom before Jidao Mountain. The scenery around is like a fairyland, and even more so, the hidden peaks of Gumei."

To the north of Wuzhou City lies a mountain named Jinhua Mountain!

Jinhua Mountain is famous for its unique peaks and caves, and it is also home to Daoist hermits and Buddhist temples, with incense never ceasing. It is extremely renowned in the Wuzhou region.

The estate that Ning Wuxie bought is not far from Jinhua Mountain, and it is just over ten miles away to reach the mountain.

Layer upon layer of mountains, with lush forests and beautiful scenery.

Ning Wuxie, carrying a book chest, followed by Ning Bo Wu and Chen Qinglong, walked up the mountain path.

In June, the rain was continuous, but by July, the plum rains had passed, and the sky finally cleared up.

At this moment, dawn had not yet broken, and a faint glow of dawn could be seen on the mountain peaks. The road was dim, and the surrounding trees swayed, casting indistinct shadows, making the scene seem eerie.

Jinhua Mountain is one of the thirty-six Daoist grotto-heavens, known for its "deep caves, interesting water, strange waterfalls, and beautiful stones." It has the Shuanglong Cave, where "a small boat passes through the rock cave, and the scenery is abundant," the Binghu Cave, where "a waterfall hangs from the sky, and ice and snow fly in the cave," the Chaozhen Cave, where "a thousand feet connect to the earth's veins, and a thread of light penetrates the sky," and the Taoyuan Cave, where "when you encounter a wall, it seems there is no way forward, but when you climb up, a new world opens up." All of these are famous for their water and stone scenery, capturing the essence of nature's beauty and charm.

Throughout history, Jinhua Mountain has been a place where many people seek immortality and cultivation.

Today, Ning Wuxie came to Jinhua Mountain not to explore the caves or seek immortal beings, but to visit the famous mountain, enjoy the sunrise, and dispel the gloom of the past month.

The spring water is clear and the stream flows gently. By the time they reached Jinhua Mountain, it was almost the hour of Chen (7-9 AM). They found a stone platform and sat down.

At dawn, the sky began to brighten, and the first light of the morning gradually appeared, like a pale fish-belly color. The lower peaks were faintly visible, shrouded in mist. Suddenly, a small corner of the morning light appeared, reflecting the rosy clouds, radiating like sharp swords piercing the sky, casting golden light onto the earth.

The red sun slowly rose, illuminating the sea of clouds, with a rainbow of colors spreading out, as beautiful as brocade. A mountain breeze blew, dispersing the clouds, and the peaks, valleys, and pines appeared in a kaleidoscope of colors, with golden light driving away the clouds and mist, and the sky filled with colorful clouds and rainbows.

Amidst this natural wonder, Ning Wuxie sat cross-legged, one hand suspended in front of his chest, the other resting on his knee, forming a seal, as if in a perfect circle, facing the morning light, breathing deeply.

For cultivators, eating the morning mist is a practice that can only be achieved at the Qi Cultivation stage, where one can absorb the essence of heaven and earth, the morning mist, and the essence of the sun and moon. At the Essence Refinement stage, one refines the essence within the body and transforms it into a stream of primordial energy. If this stream of energy can break through the top of the head and connect with the energy of heaven and earth, it can draw the energy of heaven and earth into the body, purifying the marrow and refining the body.

"Under the influence of the demon blood, I have unconsciously transformed into demon energy. By condensing the heart fire primordial energy, I have truly entered the Essence Refinement stage. Now, as long as I can refine the water and wood primordial energies, and condense the five energies into a rainbow bridge connecting heaven and earth, I can enter the Qi Cultivation stage."

Although he cannot absorb the morning mist, the saying "a day's plan is made in the morning" has always been true. At dawn, when the sun rises, all things come to life, and the vitality is strong. Many martial artists practice in the morning, which is very beneficial for cultivation.

Chen Qinglong and Ning Bo Wu also sat cross-legged, focusing their minds and calming their breaths. Especially Chen Qinglong, who had taken the Ginseng King Pill to refine his internal energy into a stream of essence, breaking through to the innate realm, felt a different experience. He had also witnessed the supernatural abilities of Yan Chixia, and his heart for cultivation gradually sprouted, focusing intently.

As for Ning Bo Wu, he occasionally opened his eyes to glare at the cross-legged Chen Qinglong and Ning Wuxie, revealing his pretentiousness. After sitting for a while, Ning Bo Wu saw a white rabbit dart into the bushes and got up to chase it.

Compared to the boring cross-legged sitting, the white rabbit was clearly more attractive to him.

The morning light shone on Ning Wuxie's body, and a faint glow gathered, emitting a luminous light, making his body seem almost transparent. Demon cultivators absorb the essence of the sun and moon, which is the same principle as cultivators absorbing the primordial energy of heaven and earth.

Although he could not draw the morning light into his body, a faint glow still gathered around Ning Wuxie. The young grass around the stone platform swayed in the breeze, shining with a crystalline light in the morning light.

All things in heaven and earth, from plants to animals, have a spirit. Absorbing the essence of the sun and moon is an instinct. Where there are Qi Cultivators, mountain spirits and ghosts often appear because when Qi Cultivators practice, a large amount of the essence of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, and the energy of all things gather around, which is extremely precious to plants and animals, driving them to come.

A single thread of morning light can make an old tree come to life. Around the stone platform, green grass grew lush, swaying gracefully, and a faint green light emitted from the leaves, like tiny fairies, entering Ning Wuxie's body.

Ning Wuxie, who was in the midst of cultivation, did not notice this. His mind rose with the morning light, calm and vast, as if he were wandering in a different realm, unaware.

"Hey, you wild man, give me back my little white!"

A voice shouted, and Ning Bo Wu darted out of the bushes, leaping toward the stone platform, holding a white rabbit that was struggling and kicking. The swaying green grass seemed to be startled and stopped moving, and the morning light faded away.

Another figure darted out of the bushes, landing on the ground. Seeing the cross-legged Ning Wuxie and Chen Qinglong, he was slightly taken aback, squinting his eyes and staring at the faint green light still lingering around the plants. "The essence of plants, what good fortune. I have only encountered this a few times in my hundreds of years of cultivation on Jinhua Mountain."

Hearing the commotion, Chen Qinglong and Ning Wuxie opened their eyes and looked at the newcomer. Ning Bo Wu, holding the rabbit, stood beside Ning Wuxie and Chen Qinglong, ready to outnumber the other.

"Who are you, Daoist friend?"

Ning Wuxie stood up calmly, looking at the ragged old Daoist in tattered robes, with disheveled hair, emaciated body, and a chicken-claw-like hand holding a broom with only a wooden handle. His face was dirty, as if he hadn't washed for hundreds of years, and his gray robe had several large tears. The only bright thing was his eyes, which shone like stars in the sky, making one's heart race.

So strong!

Ning Wuxie felt the dangerous aura emanating from the old Daoist and was secretly alarmed.

The threat posed by the old Daoist far exceeded that of the White Cloud Daoist from the White Cloud Temple. Animals can sense danger with a keen sixth sense, far surpassing humans, and Ning Wuxie, with the blood of a wolf demon, had a perception far superior to that of cultivators at the same level.

The aura of the old Daoist was like a burning flame, like the rising sun, radiating brilliant golden light in Ning Wuxie's eyes.

"A little wolf demon in human form?"

The old Daoist, wearing a wide gray robe, looked somewhat out of place, glanced at Ning Wuxie, and shook his head. "Just a half-breed with human and wolf demon blood, how dare you come to Jinhua Mountain?"