Two days passed in quiet travel. Lin Yun, Madam Li, and Bai Yun had left the lowlands behind and were now just a kilometer from the base of the Five Great Mountains. The peaks rose ahead like ancient sentinels—five towering giants cloaked in emerald green, their summits lost in drifting clouds.
Lin Yun walked in silence, his mind turning over the same question again and again.
Just how can I increase my fighting intent? Training with Madam Li no longer gives me any challenge.
A memory surfaced—Madam Li in the forest clearing, sweat on her brow, breathing heavily after their latest spar. She had lowered her stance, hands on her knees, and looked at him with a tired but proud smile.
"You've improved a lot, Lin Yun," she had said. "I can no longer be your sparring partner."
The words had been kind, but they stung. Lin Yun had only nodded, hiding the frustration beneath his calm face.
Now, as they walked, Madam Li glanced at him.
"Lin Yun, did you know there's a legend about these Five Great Mountains?"
Lin Yun's interest stirred. "Oh? What kind of legend?"
Madam Li's voice took on the cadence of a storyteller.
"Locals say that long ago, there was a sword cultivator who trained on this very mountain. His sword technique was so terrifying that one strike split the single giant peak into five separate ones. They say the scars of his blade still linger in the stone—perfectly straight cuts that no wind or rain has ever erased."
Lin Yun's eyes narrowed slightly. What kind of training is needed to do that?
Madam Li continued, "Forget about it for now. Look ahead—our destination is here."
The Five Great Mountains rose before them—majestic, shrouded in green veils of mist and ancient trees. Lin Yun activated his Golden Eyes.
Peculiar energy still lingered in the mountains—faint, but unmistakable. Traces of sword intent, sharp and enduring, etched into the very rock.
He murmured, "It seems the legends were more or less true. I should keep my Golden Eyes active the whole time we're here."
They began their ascent, following a narrow path that wound between the peaks. The air grew thinner, richer with spiritual qi—far denser than anything they had encountered before.
Lin Yun spoke quietly. "There's something different about this place. Compared to other regions, the spiritual energy here is much stronger."
As they climbed higher, two figures watched from the underbrush.
One was clearly a sect disciple—young, arrogant, dressed in dark robes embroidered with a sinister black serpent emblem. His eyes glinted with greed.
The other was a servant, hunched and nervous, dressed in plain gray.
The servant whispered, "Young master, if you like that lady, I can go and get her for you."
The young master sneered. "No need. First, let me finish what I came here for. You keep an eye on those two. We can deal with the woman after my work is done."
The servant nodded and slipped into the bushes, trailing Lin Yun and Madam Li from a distance.
But Lin Yun—with his Golden Eyes active—noticed the movement immediately.
His expression darkened. This man is just a mortal. He's not after me. Nor is he after money.
His gaze flicked to Madam Li.
So… he's after her.
Lin Yun's face turned serious. He quickened his pace, gently grabbing Madam Li's hand.
Madam Li was surprised by the sudden contact—her cheeks flushed again, thinking something indecent.
"Lin Yun—"
Before she could finish, Lin Yun pulled her behind a cluster of boulders where the servant couldn't see them.
Madam Li opened her mouth to speak, flustered.
But Lin Yun struck her neck gently—precise, merciful—she lost consciousness instantly.
He caught her carefully and placed her inside the Mysterious Land.
"I'm sorry for doing this again," he whispered. "But I don't want the same thing to happen twice."
Lin Yun returned to the path, walking normally now, pretending nothing had changed.
He was observing the unknown servant, waiting to see why—and for whom—he was after Madam Li.
The servant grew frantic, searching everywhere. Panic rose in his chest.
Where did she go? She was just here!
He gritted his teeth and stepped out, no longer hiding.
"Hey, you bastard!" he shouted, voice shaking with fear and anger. "Where did you hide that beauty? I know you were the one who took her! Give her back now, or my master will—"
Lin Yun appeared behind him in an instant.
"I think we need to talk things out."
Before the servant could react, Lin Yun struck—quick, precise blows meant to inflict pain, not death.
The man screamed, collapsing to his knees, face swollen and bruised.
After a few minutes, Lin Yun grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground.
"Don't worry," Lin Yun said coldly. "You're not going to die. Yet."
The servant whimpered, blood dripping from his mouth.
"So… you were saying your master is a cultivator and came here to find something. Which sect does he belong to?"
The man trembled. "I-I don't know! I was just a local guide for these mountains. He hired me!"
Lin Yun's grip tightened. "Where did he want to go?"
The servant's voice cracked. "I don't know! He just said he wanted to see all the famous places on this mountain!"
Lin Yun released his aura—cold, oppressive, suffocating.
"Are you sure about that? Because if this is all you know… there's no need for you to live."
The servant panicked. "There is one thing!"
Lin Yun paused. "This is your last chance."
The man swallowed blood and whispered, "When I was guiding him… he kept repeating some lines.
'Where shadow kisses shadow and no light remains, My five essences rest, fused in eternal vein. There, in that darkness, my origins appear to me.'
Lin Yun's gaze remained cold.
Instead of letting the servant go, he grabbed him by the collar and dragged him toward a nearby tree.
Before the man could react, Lin Yun tied him tightly to the trunk using his own clothes, binding his arms and body firmly in place.
The servant struggled in panic.
"W-What are you doing?! Please—let me go!"
Lin Yun stepped back, his expression calm and unreadable.
"This is your punishment," he said quietly.
"Be grateful you're still alive."
The man's face turned pale as fear replaced his anger.
Lin Yun didn't look at him again.
He turned his gaze toward the towering mountains ahead.
What are you hiding up there?
End of Chapter