The reason why Qu Tiange rushed to the closed-door training was that something big was going to happen in the cultivation world.
In her previous life, Mountain Sumeru arose, which caused a sensation in the whole cultivation realm. After all, there had been no other Secret Land for thousands of years in the Canglan Realm. Every time a Secret Land was born, it meant unknown resources and merits. Although it was accompanied by unpredictable danger, it still attracted countless people.
Qu Tiange couldn't go there in her past life. Mountain Sumeru only allowed cultivators whose cultivation levels were higher than the Golden Core and lower than Yuanying. Her cultivation didn't meet the prerequisite.
Although she couldn't enter, she heard a lot about the mountain, which made a sensation in the Canglan Realm, whether it was due to the unheard spiritual treasures or the various ancient inheritances. And anyone who got the merit from the inside would be subjected to envy from others.
Among them, He Wenqing got the biggest merits, though no one knew what she got inside. After coming out of the secret land, her cultivation soared. She was able to break through the Yuanying[1], entering Huashen[2], which could cover two territories, and become a Fenshen[3] Cultivator.
Qu Tiange still couldn't help but envy her. However, while in her previous life she'd only envied others, in this life she'd seized the opportunity and took the lead. Therefore, she couldn't believe that she didn't get the opportunity there!
With this in mind, Qu Tiange began to prepare things that might be used in the secret land.
Wen Qing was naturally aware of Qu Tiange's plans. Mountain Sumeru was the major turning point of the plot in the novel. From here on, He Wenqing would fall behind and would be killed by Qu Tiange. Qu Tiange would finally get rid of her obsession with past demons and stabilized her heart's path[4].
Therefore, she had to pay attention to it.
Fifteen days later, a loud noise came from far north with a rumble, and a huge stone gate appeared in the sky, standing solemnly in midair.
This occurrence was immense, shocking the whole continent of the Canglan Realm. Some wise people guessed that a new secret land had arisen, so the cultivators of the world rushed towards the far north from all directions in an attempt to share a piece of it.
Qu Tiange waited early in the north. At the moment when the secret land just appeared, she flew in. The huge stone gate didn't move, but she passed through the door.
When others saw it, they followed suit, but they ended up injuring their heads one by one. Wen Qing, hidden in the crowd, told everyone, "If your cultivation is above Golden Core and below Yuanying, you can enter."
Hearing this, the Golden Core cultivators quickly flew in without being stopped. Other cultivators didn't believe in hearsay and wanted to try, but they were bounced off by the mountain's gate.
Wen Qing counted the people who entered and then flew in. It wasn't necessarily a good thing to get in early.
The reason why Mountain Sumeru was called dreamworld was that it was a huge fantasy world. Everything you see wasn't credible. The truth mingled with the false, feints, and ambushes, and they were completely impenetrable.
However, for Qu Tiange, the illusion of the mountain was of no use at all, because she carried the most valuable treasure in heaven and earth, the broken beads. So long as she carried the broken beads, she could get rid of all illusions. Qu Tiange found this in her space, and only legendary level space cultivators could have such a treasure.
Therefore, the illusion of the mountain wasn't a problem for Qu Tiange. Any treasures in its front couldn't escape. Whether it was ten thousand years old chalcedony, rare precious milk from the stone, or spiritual lakeshore encountered, she would store them in her space. As for danger, as long as she was far away from it, she would never waste time.
While collecting treasures, she walked into the Temple of Heritage in the center of the mountain, where she found countless ancient heritages.
There was a time when, in the Canglan Realm, Golden Cores had been as abundant as dogs. Yuanying would roam everywhere. Consequently, even the mountain was only restricted to Golden Core cultivators, but it would be overcrowded soon. Half an hour later, the mountain entrance was closed, and the Golden Core cultivators couldn't come in.
Wen Qing, who had read the original book, knew that the real killing had just begun. After half a year's trip to the mountain, there wasn't a single one who could go out in the end.
However, the principle of cultivation was to oppose heaven. She had nothing to do with the fate of others. She could manage it if she wanted to, but it was better to settle her affairs first.
Wen Qing closed her eyes, sensed the position of the Yang bracelet, then walked towards Qu Tiange.
Qu Tiange's burning eyes were fixed on the spiritual plant in the cold pool, the ninth-level Golden Lotus. According to the legend, one could soar to immortal ascension with the help of the Golden Lotus. Unfortunately, this Golden Lotus wasn't in full bloom yet, and its value could only be brought into fruitfulness when it was in full bloom.
Moreover, the Golden Lotus could only live in the cold pool with spiritual qi. It couldn't grow in other places at all, so she could only move the whole cold pool into her space.
The problem was that her consciousness couldn't completely shroud the cold pool, and she couldn't move it in at once. Qu Tiange thought about it and could only jump into the water and dig from the middle.
As soon as she jumped in, the coldness of the water pierced her blood, almost freezing her soul. Qu Tiange hurriedly took out a warm jade from her space, held it in her hand, and felt a little better. She continued to swim to the center of the pool, then finally transported the whole pool into her space.
She hadn't yet recovered when she suddenly heard a cold voice from the top of her head, "Tsk~ It took a lot of effort to put this in, didn't it? Thank you very much. Bring me the bracelet."
Qu Tiange's pupil shrunk as she suddenly looked up, "It's you!"
Wen Qing smiled and squatted on the shore, "Yes, it is me! We have a joined fate. I make a contract with a Phoenix, you take the blame for me. I come to the dreamland, and you send me a wedding dress[5]. You are so kind to me, I wonder if you are in love with me."
Qu Tiange was furious when she heard this, "It was you! In the secret land of Xiaohuang Mountain, you took the Phoenix and the Pearl! But you poured all the troubles onto me!"
Wenqing's face didn't change as she smilingly answered, "Yes, I won't deny it ah!"
Qu Tiange's hatred deepened, but she could see Wen Qing's cultivation at a glance. It was two levels higher than hers. She wasn't sure if she could defeat Wen Qing, so she could only mediate with her. "We do not have grudges with each other. Why do you want to hurt me so much?"
"No grudges?" Wen Qing's smile widened. She got up and looked at her commandingly, "Were you not reborn? Weren't you looking for me for revenge? What? You don't want revenge anymore?"
Qu Tiange was frightened. "What are you saying? What reborn? I don't understand!" Her biggest secret was given away by He Wenqing. Qu Tiange was startled and subconsciously denied it.
How could it be? How did she know about her rebirth? Was she also reborn? No, it couldn't be. He Wenqing could never be reborn!
Wen Qing understood what she was thinking at a glance. She let out a laugh, "Alright, let's understand each other!"
Understand? What to understand? At the next moment, Qu Tiange saw that the space bracelet was stripped from her body and into He Wenqing's hand.
Wen Qing played with the bracelet and casually said, "Thanks a lot, there are so many good things in the space."
Qu Tiange was startled as well as furious. "Waa!" a mouthful of blood gushed out, painting the piece of land under her feet red. She pointed her trembling finger at Wen Qing. "You, you..."
"I'm fine, see you later." After finishing, Wen Qing turned to leave, leaving Qu Tiange with the sight of a natural and unrestrained departing back.
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[TL Notes]:
[1]: Yuanying i.e. Nascent Soul; The stage after Core Formation (in some novels). The Nascent Soul resembles an infant or miniature person and resides in the Dantian, typically sitting in a meditative position.
[2]: Huashen 化神 ;Spirit Severing / Soul Formation (cosmic power); This realm is called "great power", and the Nascent Soul grows into the Nascent Soul, whose spiritual thoughts are enough to cover a planet.
[3]: Fenshen: it is the stage where you could separate your nascent soul from your physical body. [Correct me if I am wrong.]
[4]: Heart’s path (道心 dàoxīn) – the heart’s path. Dao (道) can mean “path/road”, and Heart (心) can also mean “mind/core”. So a person’s Dao Heart is the direction they want to move in and what they truly desire from life, deep down in the core of their being.
In cultivation novels, pure and resolute Dao Hearts are valued highly by cultivators. Cultivators who have weak Dao Hearts or who deny/betray their feelings won’t easily progress on the path of cultivation, and they may even face a deadly backlash.
[5]: Giving the wedding dress means to contribute to other people’s good deeds for nothing.