The first anomaly of the jade pendant was like a massive stone thrown into the calm lake of Xiao Qi's heart, its ripples taking a long time to subside. Those fragmented memories of Xu Lan Mountain Manor's prosperous past occasionally flashed in his mind, bringing warmth, but even more heaviness. He focused more intently on his cultivation, his desire for power quietly growing. However, with his master's warning in mind, he didn't rush to achieve quick results again, but instead transformed this desire into more solid accumulation.
One afternoon, the sun was just right, the mountain breeze slightly warm, with mist curling around the mountainside. Xiao Qi had just finished his daily cultivation exercises, sheathed his sword stance, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and prepared to go help in the kitchen, getting himself a bowl of hot soup while he was at it. He walked slowly along the bluestone path. When passing by Songfeng Pavilion, he heard low murmuring from afar.
Songfeng Pavilion was a place where outer sect disciples often gathered. Surrounded by ancient pines, the wind sounded like roaring waves, creating a serene and quiet atmosphere. At this moment, however, five or six older disciples were gathered in the pavilion, sitting in a circle, their expressions mysterious, their tones carrying excitement and yearning, as if discussing something incredibly important.
Xiao Qi paused his steps, curious, and couldn't help but eavesdrop.
"...Absolutely true! I heard it from a senior brother guarding the edge of the back mountain. That place is really eerie. It's said that a century ago, a highly cultivated ancestor entered wall-facing meditation there and passed away. Before departing, he used immense magical power to set up a restriction, sealing all his lifelong knowledge and personal magical treasures within, waiting for someone destined." A tall, thin disciple spoke energetically, saliva flying.
"Really? There's such good fortune? Then whoever finds it would strike it rich?" Another short, plump disciple's eyes gleamed.
"You're dreaming!" A mature-faced disciple next to him scoffed. "That place is designated a forbidden area—it's not so easy to enter! Forget the sect's prohibition; trespassers face severe punishment. The forbidden area itself is fraught with danger! I heard there are residual formations, chaotic spiritual power, often shrouded in strange white mist that can confuse minds, even breed unclean things! Years ago, several inner sect senior brothers who didn't believe in superstitions went together to explore. They barely lasted an hour before scrambling out in disarray, each with damaged souls, recuperating for half a year before recovering. Since then, no one dares to venture lightly."
"So perilous?" The plump disciple shrank his neck.
"Fortune favors the bold!" The tall, thin disciple lowered his voice. "It's said that the ancestor who passed away there specialized in an unconventional water-based variant technique called 'Ice Soul Art,' extremely powerful. If one could obtain that inheritance, ascending to the heavens in one step might not be impossible! Moreover, the edges of the forbidden area occasionally produce peculiar medicinal herbs or minerals influenced by its aura, quite valuable..."
Their discussion gradually faded, but phrases like "back mountain forbidden area," "ancestor's inheritance," "danger and opportunity coexist" clearly reached Xiao Qi's ears.
He didn't stop walking, heading straight to the kitchen, but his heart involuntarily stirred.
Forbidden area... inheritance... danger... In the past, hearing such rumors, he would have felt they were far removed from him, just something to listen to. But after experiencing the pendant's anomaly and knowing he carried secrets, he became exceptionally sensitive to the term "opportunity."
The inheritance left by that ancestor might be a completely different path for someone with mediocre aptitude like him? Even if he couldn't obtain the inheritance, could the special herbs or minerals growing at the edges help his cultivation?
Once this thought emerged, it quietly grew like vines.
From then on, Xiao Qi began intentionally paying attention to information about the back mountain forbidden area. He didn't dare inquire openly, but merely listened silently when other disciples chatted, or occasionally asked Second Senior Brother Luo Feng, who had broader knowledge, in a curious tone, probing indirectly.
Luo Feng indeed knew a lot; he was naturally interested in such strange tales and perilous places.
"You mean that eerie place?" Luo Feng curled his lip. "Really weird. It's said that white mist can amplify a cultivator's inner fears and obsessions, creating realistic illusions. Those with weak willpower easily sink into them, perishing soul and body. Moreover, the terrain inside is complex, residual formations erupt from time to time; one careless move and you could be trapped to death. The sect designating it a forbidden area is no joke. Junior Brother, don't get any foolish ideas; that place isn't something we can touch now."
Luo Feng's warning made Xiao Qi more clearly aware of the forbidden area's dangers. But the curiosity in his heart and that faint, indistinct stirring didn't completely extinguish.
During several tasks going to the back mountain to chop wood or gather common medicinal herbs, he deliberately chose paths that could glimpse the direction of the forbidden area from afar.
That was a mountain hollow enveloped by even thicker mist, starkly different from the surrounding verdant forest. Even from a distance, one could sense a palpitation-inducing oppressive aura emanating from there, as if something slumbered deep within the mist, or as if invisible eyes watched the outside world.
He stood at a safe distance, gazing at that area designated as taboo. The mist rolled, sometimes gathering, sometimes dispersing, vaguely revealing the contours of jagged rocks within, yet never clearly showing the interior details.
A strange attraction, mixed with instinctive danger warnings, intertwined in his heart.
He knew that with his current strength, rashly approaching would be no different from seeking death. The sect's prohibition was an even more insurmountable red line.
Was he just overly sensitive to the term "opportunity" after the pendant's anomaly, causing unnecessary attention to that place? Or was there truly something faintly calling him from within the forbidden area? He couldn't be sure.
Ultimately, each time he silently watched for a while, memorizing the location and general topography of that misty area in his heart, then turned and left, continuing his plain, regular cultivation life.
Rumors of the back mountain forbidden area became a distant, dangerously enticing puzzle, deeply buried in his heart. It might be a potential opportunity, but even more likely a fatal trap.
Before possessing sufficient strength and certainty, he absolutely wouldn't lightly touch it.
But that curiosity and faint sensing lay like a seed, quietly dormant in his heart, waiting for an unknown future, perhaps one day to sprout.