A light drizzle fell as Heyu, clad in a black raincoat, made his way toward Vast-Expanse Mountain.
Vast-Expanse Mountain was the largest mountain range in Tianhe City, with peaks stretching endlessly into the distance, a favorite among hiking enthusiasts.
At the summit of Vast-Expanse Mountain stood a newly built temple, bustling with incense offerings and many visitors.
"Huff, huff..."
Heyu continued his ascent up the mountain. The paths leading up were mostly narrow trails, except for the staircase leading directly to the temple, which was quite primitive.
However, the higher Heyu climbed, the more exhilarated he felt. As he walked, he didn't feel tired at all, as if there was a continuous flow of energy within him.
Some hikers who initially followed behind Heyu were left dumbfounded. Despite having the most professional hiking gear, they couldn't keep up with Heyu, who was just wearing a raincoat and carrying a stick.
Some young hikers, unwilling to concede, pushed themselves to overtake Heyu, but soon ran out of energy and were quickly surpassed by him again.
Heyu's steps were steady, his pace constant, as if he didn't know fatigue.
"On your right."
After overtaking those young hikers, Heyu called out cheerfully.
This light-hearted comment made the tired hikers blush with determination, trying once more to overtake him, only to be easily surpassed again.
"On your right."
Damn it!
It was blatant mockery.
But no matter how hard they tried this time, they couldn't catch up to Heyu, who continued his journey to the summit.
"Stop chasing, take a break, my legs can't take it anymore."
Some hikers plopped down on the ground, panting heavily like exhausted dogs, their muscles trembling uncontrollably.
"Is that guy even human?"
Some hikers had brought sports cameras, capturing their encounter with the raincoat-clad figure from the mountain's base to the halfway point, yet they never saw him take a break, and his speed only increased.
"Hey, could that guy be a monk from the mountain?"
"I heard those monks can jump off ten-meter cliffs without a scratch."
"You've been watching too many short videos, that's clearly just hype."
One of the hikers uploaded everything from the sports camera to a video, captioning it: "Climbing Vast-Expanse Mountain, encountered a mysterious black-clothed person as strong as a monster, couldn't catch up despite giving it my all."
Their group was one of the top hiking clubs in Tianhe City, even nationally recognized, with hundreds of thousands of followers.
Soon, comments began to appear.
"Whoa, is this hiking? He was jogging the whole way without stopping!"
"When did humans secretly evolve again without telling me?"
"On your right!"
[Image: Captain America (expressionless)]
...
Heyu was very excited at this moment, extremely excited.
This was Spiritual Qi!
The Spirit Stone embedded in the hilt of the wooden Flying Sword continuously infused Heyu's body with Spiritual Qi. Even without any cultivation method, the mere nourishment of Spiritual Qi greatly enhanced his physique.
Back in college, running 800 meters felt like death, but now he could jog up a mountain for three hours without resting.
He was nothing like a terminal cancer patient.
He's getting better!
He planned to ask Luo Qingyi for some cultivation methods later, not to become invincible, but at least to avoid an early death.
Looking at the wooden sword in his hand, Heyu grew even more excited.
Due to his experience on the subway, he had wrapped the Flying Sword tightly in plastic bags, making it look like a slightly longer wooden stick.
***
After another hour, Heyu finally reached the summit, and the persistent drizzle finally ceased.
Looking back, the entire Tianhe City lay beneath him. After the rain, the world was clear, and a cool breeze carried the scent of earth.
Heyu couldn't help but spread his arms, letting the breeze caress his face.
If one can live, who would want to die?
Around Heyu, some people who had also reached the summit curiously watched him, and some even mimicked him, spreading their arms to embrace the breeze.
"Huff..."
Heyu exhaled deeply. He hadn't climbed Vast-Expanse Mountain just for the view; besides meeting his cousin, he had something else to try.
He approached the large temple complex at the summit, marveling at it.
The mountain was difficult to climb, yet so many people came to offer incense. The incense smoke was visible even halfway up the mountain.
But that wasn't his destination. Heyu found a small path, twisted and turned, and finally reached his destination.
A somewhat dilapidated Daoist monastery.
Inside the monastery, a few elderly people were praying, but seeing them kneeling before the Three Purities and whispering "Buddha bless" and "Amitabha" almost made Heyu lose his composure.
Compared to the temple, this place was indeed desolate.
"Heyu!"
A slightly mature-looking young Daoist greeted him, jogging over.
Heyu recognized him as his cousin.
He used to work in construction, but when the industry took a downturn, he spent an entire year unemployed at home, constantly nagged by his family, until one day he finally snapped and decided to become a monk.
The news shocked his entire family, and after repeated attempts to dissuade him, they eventually convinced him to become a Daoist instead.
Even so, the family hoped he would change his mind, as the income was too low.
"Look, my Daoist certificate, just got it last month, state-certified."
Heyu looked at the certificate, his eyelid twitching.
These days, even Daoists needed certification.
"I heard Daoists earn quite a bit, you're settled now, right?"
Li Yang's face turned bitter at Heyu's words.
"That was before. Now, our Daoist business is overshadowed by monks. Those monks have commercialized worship, even gone public, how can we compete?
You wouldn't believe it, when Guangyang Temple opened, they even invited major city enterprises to donate.
My master said when he was young, just doing feng shui for wealthy people could earn tens of thousands, but not anymore, sigh, this industry is in decline too.
But at least it's better than construction, I can sleep well every day."
Heyu looked at Li Yang and, after some thought, said: "Most worshippers are older; young people still have some affinity for Daoism..."
Li Yang sighed: "Hopefully. By the way, do you want to become a Daoist? Although it doesn't pay much lately, it covers basic needs, and there's even some state subsidy."
"I'll think about it..."
Heyu declined Li Yang's offer.
"Yeah, recently Guangyang Temple has been expanding rapidly, and they've set their sights on our land, planning to acquire it."
Li Yang looked worried.
"In about half a year, I'll be out of a job and back home, facing matchmaking again, sigh, marriage is a grave."
"You don't want to go back yet?"
"Go back for what? To be nagged by family every day? You wouldn't believe how absurd the matches the matchmaker introduces..."
The two chatted for a long time, parting only when night fell.
Heyu watched Li Yang leave.
He decided to help Li Yang, after all, Li Yang had helped him a lot in the past.
***
Time slowly passed, and the sky grew darker.
Heyu left the monastery and went to a place clearly untouched by humans, continuing to wait.
Another two hours passed, and the sky was completely dark.
Heyu looked at the pitch-black forest around him and slowly unwrapped the plastic bags from the sword, revealing the wooden sword.
"Come, my dream."
Aerial Sword Flight!
What boy hasn't dreamed of flying on a sword?
If he could fly on a sword, he'd even be willing to live forever.
Although Heyu hadn't learned it, according to Luo Qingyi, this Flying Sword was meant for practicing the Sword-Control Technique, with built-in runes that even ordinary people could use.
Heyu carefully placed the sword on the ground, then slowly stood on it.
Fly!
Thud!
Unsurprisingly, as the sword moved, Heyu lost his balance and fell off.
But Heyu wasn't disappointed; after all, the sword could indeed carry him, he just wasn't skilled yet.
Like learning to ride a bike, Heyu kept trying and falling until finally, after two hours, he was airborne.
"Huff... huff..."
Heyu stood on the wooden sword, slowly ascending. The Sword-Control Formation ensured his safety, allowing him to try boldly.
The Flying Sword accelerated, and Heyu grew more excited.
A hundred meters, three hundred meters, five hundred meters, a thousand meters.
He kept climbing until the peaks below were no longer visible.
Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawℝead.com ].
Heyu laughed like a child as he flew through the air, but he never flew over the urban district, only over Vast-Expanse Mountain.
"Something's missing, isn't it?"
If only he had a wine gourd, it would be perfect.
***
Half an hour passed, and Heyu became more adept at sword control, performing increasingly daring maneuvers in the air, scaring away nearby birds.
He surveyed the entire Vast-Expanse Mountain range, never having been this happy in his life.
Gradually, Heyu felt unsatisfied. Looking at the sky, he decided to test the sword's limits.
Then, accompanied by the music of "Immortal Sword Legends," Heyu flew straight into the sky.
Shortly after Heyu left, some campers on Vast-Expanse Mountain looked up in confusion, unable to believe their eyes.
"Sword flight to immortality?"
"Did anyone record it?"
"I did! I recorded it!"
One camper hurriedly took out his phone. They had been so shocked they forgot to record.
They quickly gathered around to watch the video.
The screen was pitch black, then suddenly a celestial sword BGM played! A shadow appeared in the sky, then vanished.
You could faintly see the shadow standing on something shaped like a sword.
"Why is it so blurry?"
"It's too dark!"
"Quick, upload it online, we're going viral!"
That was the Sword-Control Technique, and it was real—they had seen it with their own eyes!
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through their minds.
Is there another side to this world? Did the government already know? Are myths true?
Or is Spiritual Qi reviving?
Soon, responses came.
[Did you film this with a door lock? Could it be any blurrier?]
[Lol, this time it's not about filming dragons, but immortals, right?]
[I guessed the author's education level in three seconds, try it yourself.]
[It even comes with BGM, could it be any faker?]
Seeing the overwhelming skepticism, the campers were dumbfounded.
That's not right, it was real, they saw it with their own eyes.
No matter how they explained, no one believed them.
"Wait, isn't there a Daoist monastery on Vast-Expanse Mountain? Those Daoists must know sword control!"
Indeed, the only thing on Vast-Expanse Mountain remotely related to immortals was the Daoists.
As for the monks, hmm, monks using swords? Aren't monks supposed to sit on lotus flowers?
"Let's, let's go become disciples, maybe we can cultivate too?"
They often read novels, and now, faced with this situation, they felt like children discovering a secret, as if on adrenaline.
And the culprit of it all was now above the clouds, the lights below like glowing dots, looking utterly magical.
Heyu wasn't worried about being filmed; after all, who would really believe in flying immortals?
Even if filmed, who would believe it?
As long as he wasn't too conspicuous and didn't expose himself in crowded places, he'd be fine.
Looking at the beautiful night scene below, Heyu took a deep breath.
It's really cold up here.
Heyu still didn't dare fly over the city, only soaring above Vast-Expanse Mountain, gazing at the city's lights from afar.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan