Qifeng Mountain

Qifeng Mountain is located southeast of Longgu City, within the jurisdiction of Yongquan Town, and is far from Qiupu Town, with a straight-line distance of over 500 li. If ordinary people were to travel between the two towns on foot or by horse-drawn carriage, it would take several days, requiring them to traverse mountains and valleys and overcome obstacles along the way.

Qifeng Mountain doesn't actually consist of only seven peaks; rather, these seven peaks are relatively high. From a distance, only seven staggered peaks are visible, hence the name Qifeng Mountain (Seven Peaks Mountain). Qifeng Mountain actually has 11 main peaks and a total of 720 peaks. The central peak is called Sun Peak, surrounded by 10 other peaks. The overall shape, viewed from mid-air, resembles a cross-section of an 11-hole lotus root. Bridges connect the peaks, suspended between them. Below lie abysses and bottomless lakes. Each peak is characterized by sheer cliffs, craggy rocks, and a myriad of shapes, creating a beautiful landscape.

The main peaks of Qifeng Mountain are perpetually shrouded in mist and clouds. Occasionally, when the mist fails to completely obscure the summit, revealing just a sliver of the peak, the mountain appears more like a celestial palace, its scenery ever-changing. The mountain springs are clear, sweet, and never run dry, even in prolonged droughts. Standing atop Taiyang Peak, one can gaze upon the vast expanse of sky and land, a boundless expanse of green mountains, their peaks shrouded in mist and clouds, their ridges resembling galloping elephants. Further on, the Qiupu River, like a flowing ribbon, meanders among the mountains, stretching from Qiupu Town to Yongquan Town before finally emptying into the sea.

The villagers at the foot of Qifeng Mountain firmly believe that there are cultivators, immortals, and jade pavilions on Qifeng Mountain, and they often come to the foot of the mountain to pray for blessings. However, they find it difficult to find the path to the main peak of Qifeng Mountain. Every time they want to enter the mountain, they always feel lost halfway up the mountain, and then they inexplicably return to the foot of the mountain.

Of course, this doesn't mean that there are any gods or jade pavilions on Seven Peaks Mountain. But there are indeed sects and cultivators on the mountain. Xu Xingran's sect is located on Seven Peaks Mountain and is called the Seven Peaks Sect. The Seven Peaks Sect has set up barriers on the road leading up the mountain to prevent villagers from accidentally entering Seven Peaks Mountain.

The founding patriarch of Seven Peaks Mountain was Immortal Lord Huo Long, who ascended to the upper realm hundreds or even thousands of years ago, leaving behind his disciples who have continuously passed down the sect for generations. The current leader is the eleventh generation disciple. The current sect leader is Huo Quan, a descendant of Huo Long's younger brother. Huo Quan's partner is Zhao Xiyue, who is also one of the sect's elders. Their only daughter is Huo Linglong.

Besides the sect leader and his wife, the Seven Peaks Sect also has five elders. Each of the seven has their own disciples, but the number of disciples is not large. The entire sect together has only about 30 people, a pitifully small number. But having few people also has its advantages; at least each disciple is carefully nurtured and supported with all their might.

Lin Shi followed Xu Xingran and the others, boarding a flying boat to ascend Seven Peaks Mountain. As the boat landed in front of Sun Peak, Lin Shi spotted several Seven Peaks Mountain disciples dressed in blue and white robes, practicing sword flight around the various peaks. Most of the buildings on Seven Peaks Mountain were gray-walled, black-tiled houses.

After her bone age and cultivation aptitude were tested, Lin Shi was led to the largest building complex on Sun Peak and entered the largest hall. Following Xu Xingran and the others' example, she bowed to the seven elders seated in the center and on either side of the hall. There were five male cultivators and two female cultivators among the seven elders. The male elders mostly had serious expressions; while not exactly rugged, their features were rather strong, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, straight noses, square and powerful chins, and sharp, resolute gazes. The two female elders had much gentler features, but also thick eyebrows, large eyes, and resolute, upright expressions.

Xu Xingran first introduced the names and positions of the elders to Lin Shi on the spot, and then Lin Shi paid her respects to each of them, bowing and paying her respects.

"Lin Shi, today you have entered the Seven Peaks Sect and are now a disciple of Seven Peaks Mountain. You may choose one of the sect leader or the six elders as your master. Choose one first, and then perform the kneeling ceremony to formally become a disciple," said Sect Leader Huo Quan, who was sitting in the head seat.

"Yes," Lin Shi replied respectfully, then changed from a submissive demeanor to standing and looking around at the seven seated elders. Her gaze first met that of two female elders, and then, following her intuition, she chose the most amiable-looking female elder, knelt before her, and performed the apprenticeship ceremony. Her master was none other than Zhao Xiyue.

"Disciple Lin Shi greets Master!"

"Please rise!"

Zhao Xiyue accepted Lin Shi's full kneeling obeisance with composure before helping her up. Thus, Lin Shi became Zhao Xiyue's second disciple, her first being her biological daughter, Huo Linglong. Lin Shi also became the youngest disciple among the twelfth generation of the Seven Peaks Sect, and lived in a side hall on Sun Peak with Sect Leader Huo Quan and Zhao Xiyue's disciples.

Fortunately, Lin Shi was literate, which saved Zhao Xiyue a lot of trouble. Zhao Xiyue found all sorts of books for Lin Shi, including introductions to the Dream Heaven Small World they were in, introductions to various sects, introductions to basic cultivation systems, and cultivation techniques suitable for her.

Seven Peaks Mountain has wooden puppets responsible for cooking, growing herbs, and so on. Apart from that, the disciples cultivate on their own. If a disciple has any questions, they can ask their master, fellow disciples, or other elders.

Lin Shi was a 13-year-old girl at this time. She lived in a side hall, next to the residences of her senior brothers and sisters, including Huo Linglong. The disciples of the other elders lived on other main peaks with their masters.

Lin Shi first opened the general introduction to the cultivation world. Her Dream Heaven Small World was just one of countless small worlds in the cultivation world, utterly unremarkable. The cultivation world consisted of three layers of worlds. The lowest layer consisted of countless small worlds. The middle worlds each had different names. Above the Dream Heaven Small World was the Middle World, connecting countless small worlds, called the Yuan Shu Realm. Above that was the Great World, connecting countless middle worlds, called the Hong Chuan Realm. Above the Hong Chuan Realm was the Zhong Tian Realm, the abode of immortals. There were no detailed records of what lay above the Zhong Tian Realm, but it was generally believed to be the God Realm.

In the Dream Heaven Minor World, cultivators who reach the Nascent Soul stage can generally ascend to the next level, the Yuan Shu Realm. Therefore, the highest cultivation level a cultivator in the Dream Heaven Minor World can reach is at most the Nascent Soul stage. Cultivators with higher cultivation levels are not accepted by the Dream Heaven Minor World and must ascend to the next realm to avoid being rejected or directly eliminated by the Heavenly Dao. Cultivators at the Refinement Void stage can ascend to the Hong Chuan Realm, and cultivators at the Mahayana stage can ascend to the Zhong Tian Realm. In a minor world like the Dream Heaven Minor World, if enough cultivators ascend, the minor world will upgrade, and the Heavenly Dao will bestow more spiritual resources to nurture even more talented cultivators.

Lin Shi then reviewed the cultivation realm descriptions. Starting from the lowest level, the stages were Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Deity Transformation, Void Refining, Body Integration, and Great Ascension. After ascending to the Middle Heaven Realm, the realms were True Immortal, Golden Immortal, Taiyi, Daluo, and Dao Ancestor.

The Qi Refining stage is the lowest level, before transcending the mortal body, with a lifespan of about one hundred years. After the Foundation Establishment stage, lifespan increases to two to three hundred years, allowing for complete abstinence from grains and sword flight. After successfully passing the tribulation of lightning during the Foundation Establishment stage, a golden core is condensed, entering the Golden Core stage, with a lifespan of up to five hundred years, appearance fixed, and the aura capable of injuring others. After passing the tribulation of lightning during the Golden Core stage, the core shatters to form an infant, entering the Nascent Soul stage, with a lifespan of up to one thousand years, physical strength reaching its peak, and if the Nascent Soul is not destroyed, it can be reborn by seizing another body, and can teleport, etc. In the Deity Transformation stage, the Nascent Soul and divine consciousness merge, allowing the manipulation of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for combat, and lifespan continues to increase to several thousand years. ...Until the Mahayana stage, reaching a level close to the peak of cultivation, lifespan is calculated in tens of thousands, almost immortality.

Lin Shi then looked at the introductions to the sects in the Dream Heaven Small World. The sect name came first, followed by the branch. Most sects in the Dream Heaven Small World were called "Sects," and there were many of them. Larger sects were relatively few. The spiritual energy and cultivation resources in the Dream Heaven Small World were also quite limited. Lin Shi only glanced at it and memorized it. Afterwards, she began to learn the basics of sword cultivation, body cultivation, weapon cultivation, alchemy cultivation, talisman cultivation, and array refining.

After mastering all the basic knowledge, Lin Shi began her cultivation journey. She started by practicing the most fundamental cultivation technique, the Dream Heaven Technique. Only after she established her foundation could she cultivate more advanced techniques.