Everything felt different—utterly, breathtakingly different.


    The moment Han set foot on Black Mountain alongside Venerable Tianhe, a sensation washed over him like a fish breaking the water’s surface—exhilaration, freedom. His entire being felt lighter, sharper, as though a layer of grime had been scrubbed away. Before this, he hadn’t noticed how stifling and heavy the world below had been. Now, it was as if he’d stepped out of a murky, chaotic mortal realm into a pristine, untainted sanctuary.


    He cast his gaze outward. At the mountain’s edge, clouds swirled with hues of dawn, wisps of azure smoke curling upward—a scene too ethereal for the mortal plane. Just one step had transported him into another dimension. Closer in, vibrant flowers bloomed with bold elegance, lush green grass carpeted the ground, and the soil pulsed with vitality. Nothing here bore the faintest hint of decay.


    Life thrived in every direction, a riot of growth and energy unfolding before his eyes. Dewdrops clung to petals and dangled from blades of grass, each shimmering with a faint spiritual essence, imbued with traces of primal energy. A gentle inhale filled his lungs with a sweet, fragrant breeze, so crisp it seemed to cleanse him from the inside out.


    The air itself is sweet, he marveled.


    Silence reigned here. Outside, the occasional roar of beasts or cry of birds had punctuated the air, but on this mountain, those sounds vanished. No other creatures stirred in sight—likely tucked away in hidden corners.


    “What a blessed land Black Mountain is,” Cui Yaozhi exclaimed, his voice tinged with awe.


    He was right. This was a paradise, a grotto-heaven. Though rooted in the mortal world, it stood apart, a near-sacred refuge. The primal energy of heaven and earth flowed abundantly here, pure and potent. Cultivating in such a place would yield efficiency and results unimaginable in the outside world. For anyone fortunate enough to train here indefinitely, their progress would skyrocket.


    Back when Han first embarked on his cultivation journey, Shen Long and the others had shared rough estimates of the time each realm typically took—averages based on ordinary people in ordinary places. But the disciples of top-tier sects, nestled in blessed lands like this, received monthly resources and studied peerless techniques. Their conditions were leagues beyond what those mired in the dusty, turbulent mortal realm could ever hope to match.


    This peak of Black Mountain was the greatest treasure of all—and the most coveted.


    Venerable Tianhe offered a faint smile. “It pales beside the Cui Clan’s Clear River.”


    The Clear River wasn’t just the name of the county where the Cui Clan resided—it was their own grotto-heaven, a sprawling expanse of water dotted with scattered islets. The Cui Clan lived atop those islands, their home a testament to their status. Tianhe’s words weren’t mere humility; they were fact. Clear River outclassed Black Mountain by a wide margin, as befitted the stronghold of a top-tier sect. Grotto-heavens varied in quality, and those claimed by the mightiest factions were undeniably the finest in the world.


    “Might we have the honor of meeting the Mountain God?” asked the Daozi of Suoxian.


    “The ancestor isn’t receiving visitors at the moment,” Tianhe replied, gently deflecting the request.


    He led the group a short distance up the mountain until a plaza of cyan stone came into view. Stone huts stood atop it—signs of civilization in a place untouched by outsiders for ages. Clearly, the Yun Clan had a presence here. At this point, exposing such details hardly mattered. With the Mountain God nearing his end and predators circling, concealing minor secrets was no longer a priority.


    “In the recent trial, you all performed the best,” Tianhe said. “So the Origin Divine Pools prepared for you are of higher quality than the others’. They’re inside these stone huts. As I mentioned before, your tokens will guide you to your respective pools.”


    He added, “There are also additional rewards from the Yun Clan waiting for you inside.”


    Han’s heart stirred. He hadn’t yet voiced his own request to the Yun Clan, and Tianhe wouldn’t go back on his word. That meant he’d receive both the rewards here and the chance to make a demand later. The Mountain God’s generosity was staggering.


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    “Venerable, could we exchange the rewards for something we need instead?” asked a prodigy from a first-rate faction.


    Tianhe nodded. “If you find the Yun Clan’s current gifts useless, you can return what’s in the huts and state your request. If we have it, we’ll consider it—within reason.”


    “Within reason” meant no outrageous demands—no top-tier rarities or priceless treasures. The exchange would match the value of the given rewards, and only if the Yun Clan possessed the requested item. Han had no complaints. He could take what was in the hut and still make a request later. He’d have it all.


    No one else raised questions. They dispersed, each seeking their assigned hut. Han quickly located his at the far end of the plaza. Before entering, though, a thought struck him. He jogged back to Tianhe and asked, “Venerable, how long does it take to use the Origin Divine Pool?”


    “It varies by person, so it’s hard to say,” Tianhe replied. “But at the very least, a day.”


    He paused, then smiled. “Oh, and when you’re done, feel free to tell me what reward you’d like.”


    “Thank you, Venerable.”


    “Go on. Remember what I told you on the way here.”


    Han returned to his hut and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. The interior was Spartan but spacious, illuminated by a glowing pearl. At the center stood a square cyan-stone pool, one meter by one meter, its surface swirling with misty azure vapor—the Origin Divine Pool.


    It wasn’t water inside but pure, primal divine energy—not for soaking, but for absorbing and refining. On the journey up, Tianhe had briefed them on the process, emphasizing one key rule: don’t rush it.


    After inspecting the pool, Han’s gaze shifted to a stone table nearby. On it sat a spatial pouch—undoubtedly the Yun Clan’s reward for his stellar trial performance. He opened it and peered inside. The contents were plentiful, some familiar: treasures he’d claimed in the third trial’s illusory realm. Those had been mere phantoms, but the Yun Clan had made them real. That was the third trial’s prize.


    The true rewards for passing the trial, though, were two items. First, a withered branch accompanied by a note detailing its nature:


    “Heavenly Thunder Wood—a treasure born anew from a spark of life after being shattered by a heavenly lightning tribulation. A supreme Yin God-tier material…”


    Han read aloud, his eyes widening with each word. “When forged into a magical tool, it wields immense power, carrying the might of thunder. Perfectly suited for thunder techniques, and the wood itself aids in cultivating them.”


    What a find! It was as if the Yun Clan had tailor-made it for him. Given Lu Qingmo’s famed Heavenly Thunder Earthfire Seal and Han’s connection to her, they likely assumed he might inherit it someday. Materials of the same tier varied in quality—his earlier finds, the Earth Divine Stone and Celestial Gold, were decent but unremarkable. This Heavenly Thunder Wood, though, was top-of-the-line, its value dwarfing the others combined.


    Thunder techniques, tools, and treasures were the cream of the crop in cultivation, universally sought after. Han was thrilled. Once Miaoshu devoured it, the new branches it sprouted would be ideal for bearing the Heavenly Thunder Earthfire Seal. “I won’t forget this kindness,” he vowed silently.


    The second reward was a jade talisman, engraved on both sides—one with a cloud, the other with a mountain resembling Black Mountain’s silhouette. A note explained:


    “Black Cloud Talisman—requires a drop of blood to bind. When activated, it summons power to teleport the owner directly into Black Mountain from the outside world. Effective range: roughly the straight-line distance from Black Cloud Town to Black Mountain. After one use, natural recharge takes half a month; active replenishment is faster.”


    Han’s jaw dropped. A life-saving relic! “Directly into Black Mountain” meant this peak, not the sprawling outer ranges. Though limited to Black Cloud Town’s vicinity, it was still incredibly valuable. With this, he’d have a safety net around the town and instant access to this blessed land. Bound by blood, it was his alone—no one else could use it.


    The Yun Clan’s sincerity was overwhelming: a perfect top-tier material and entry to Black Mountain. Han was touched.


    Then a thought hit him. Black Mountain was still under Yun Clan control, so teleporting here now posed no issue. But if the Mountain God died and the mountain fell to others, would the talisman still work? Even if it did, teleporting into a hostile Black Mountain would be suicide. Staring at the talisman, Han frowned. Was the Yun Clan hinting at something? Assuring him Black Mountain wouldn’t be lost?


    He shook his head, dismissing the speculation, and stowed his rewards. Stepping into the Origin Divine Pool, he felt no dampness—only comfort, pure and boundless. The pool’s pristine energy didn’t require effort; it flowed into him willingly, merging seamlessly, enhancing every facet of his being—his flesh, his soul in its homeland, the wing patterns on his back, the Mortal-Shedding Seed in his abdomen.


    The moment he entered, Han sank into a trance, fully focused on refining the divine energy. He could feel its strengthening effects, lifting him bit by bit. The sensation was intoxicating, like soaring through the sky.


    Across the cyan-stone plaza’s huts and the caves at the mountain’s base, everyone shared this state. For many, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, unlikely to come again. Were it not for the Mountain God’s impending death—and the divine energy’s inability to be preserved as an inheritance—they’d never have had this opportunity.


    But they’d seized it.


    Fate, truly wondrous.