Silver Sword Peak

Shushan, Silver Sword Peak.

Chu Liang opened his eyes, his gaze clear and bright.

He glanced outside; it was still early. The crimson sun had just risen over the mountains, the morning glow dyeing half the sky in fiery hues.

He had been in this world for over half a year, and had completely adapted to waking up early.

Indeed, he was not originally from this world, but a recent high school graduate who had just finished his college entrance exams. The day before, he learned he had achieved the third highest score in his entire province. The next morning, as he stepped outside, he was struck by a drunk driver.

When he awoke again, he found himself in this fantastical world.

It was a strange place, filled with monsters and demons, dragons and serpents traversing the land, spirits and gods wielding boundless power, and human lives as fragile as grass. Fortunately, the great immortal sects led by the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands kept the world in balance and protected human peace.

Human cultivators were also powerful. Martial artists could shatter mountains with their strength, scholars with lofty ambitions could face armies alone, Daoist priests could summon wind and rain, and eminent monks from the Buddhist sects once subdued dragons with a single finger.

Chu Liang’s predecessor in this world was an orphan, whose entire family had been slaughtered by demons and monsters. Only he survived, rescued by his master, who took him up the mountain because of his potential for cultivation.

Thus, his predecessor harbored a deep hatred for evil and longed to master divine powers as quickly as possible to descend the mountain and slay monsters. Yet, precisely because he was too impatient, his mind unstable, he fell into madness during a breakthrough, his soul scattered.

Such is the unpredictability of life.

When Chu Liang’s soul descended into this world, his first feeling was panic. Raised in a peaceful era, he was deeply unsettled by a world overrun with monsters and demons.

Especially since the memories he inherited included the harrowing scenes of his predecessor’s family being killed by monsters—trauma that left a deep mark on his heart.

But soon, he understood: fear is rooted in lack of power.

The weak inevitably live in fear. To rid himself of this anxiety, there was only one option—become stronger. Since he possessed the talent for cultivation and found himself within the illustrious Shushan Sect, he had already been dealt a favorable hand.

Even better, after crossing over, he discovered a change within his soul.

A tower had appeared.

Whenever he meditated, a towering white structure would rise in his mind, bestowing treasures as rewards for slaying monsters. This did not exist in his predecessor’s memories, as if it had arrived with him—perhaps the legendary golden finger?

At first, Chu Liang dared not seek out great demons, so he hunted around the Shushan villages and graveyards, slaying lantern spirits.

Lantern spirits were formed when the resentment of the dead attached to lanterns, transforming into ghostly flames that drifted and attacked the living at night. Upon contact, the spirit would dissipate, and the victim might fall ill, but for cultivators, such creatures posed no threat whatsoever.

They were so weak it was almost endearing.

Refining a single lantern spirit yielded a Qi Gathering Pill, which, though not particularly rare, was valuable in sufficient quantities and greatly boosted his cultivation speed.

Once, he happened upon a rampaging stone statue demon, bulky and well-defended, and after an arduous battle, managed to wear it down and defeat it.

For the first time, the white tower rewarded him with a magical artifact: the Golden Brick of Demon Revelation.

[Demon-Revealing Golden Brick]: Strike a person’s head with this brick; if they are a demon in disguise, their true form will be revealed at once. If not, the strike will cause pain and may induce dizziness, immediately exposing the truth.

Chu Liang found this treasure exceedingly practical.

Pills, magical artifacts, divine techniques—these things were highly coveted in the world of cultivation. Even disciples of Shushan had to complete missions to exchange for them.

Yet Chu Liang only needed to slay monsters to obtain such rewards, and as the strength of the monsters he faced increased, so did the quality of the treasures, directly enhancing his own power.

Thus he now found himself in a self-reinforcing cycle: fearing monsters, he hunted monsters. In a way, he was fulfilling part of his predecessor’s wish.

...

Leisurely, he dressed and tidied his hair, fetched water, and washed up—his morning routine complete.

He opened the door and stepped out of his small wooden cabin. The sky above was high and clear, the season late spring, with the air full of the fragrance of grass and trees. Following a path lined with birdsong and blossoms, he circled half the mountainside and arrived at a pavilion atop the peak.

He was here to see his master.

The doors to the pavilion stood open. Upon entering, he saw a languid, graceful figure sprawled before the altar.

It was a woman with long hair cascading down, half her face veiled by loose strands. The exposed features were smooth and fair, her beauty rendered in soft, ink-like lines, tinged with a healthy flush, her neck as delicate as fine porcelain.

She wore a dark, cross-collared robe. Even lying down, the fullness of her chest was evident, like two full moons rising and falling with each breath, a jade pendant glowing red nestled between them, drawing the eye. Her waist was tightly cinched with a sash, her hips wide, and two long, shapely legs stretched out, skin white and supple.

Beside her hand lay a large wine gourd, and as he entered, he could hear her gentle snoring—utterly unceremonious.

She slept deeply, but as soon as Chu Liang’s footsteps sounded, she sensed his presence and snapped awake.

“Master,” Chu Liang called softly from the doorway.

Indeed, this woman was his master—the Lady Phoenix, mistress of Silver Sword Peak, one of the thirty-six peaks of Shushan.

“Ah, it’s already morning?” Lady Phoenix rolled over and sat up, her robes disheveled, shoulders half-bared, the scene reminiscent of a crime scene aftermath.

She made no effort to tidy her clothes, instead scratching her head and blinking sleepily at Chu Liang. “What brings you here?”

She was still a bit dazed.

“Um...” Chu Liang looked up and replied, “You sent a paper crane message, Master, asking me to come see you once I returned.”

“Did I?” The hungover woman rubbed her head, then suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, I remember now!”

Only then did she pull her clothes together and stand up. If she seemed impressive lying down, standing she was even more striking—tall, statuesque, with a breathtaking figure.

“Yesterday the sect master gathered the peak lords, remember? Said it was time to prepare for the once-in-a-decade Shushan Summit—the one where the disciples of each peak compete for the title of chief disciple.”

“I know of it,” Chu Liang replied.

“Well, I got into another argument with that old man Wang Xuanling. I can’t stand his arrogance, boasting that the chief disciple’s title was already in the bag for his Jade Sword Peak... Hah!” As Lady Phoenix recounted this, her chest heaved with indignation. “Of course I challenged him. After a few words, we ended up making a bet.”

“If Jade Sword Peak wins the chief disciple’s title, I’ll give him the Phoenix Spirit Blood Jade. But if Silver Sword Peak wins, he’ll give up the head seat of all the peaks to me.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Chu Liang. “So, I called you here to ask: in your opinion, who should represent Silver Sword Peak in the Shushan Summit?”

“...” Chu Liang was speechless for a moment, then replied quietly, “Master, I’m the only disciple of Silver Sword Peak...”

“Good!” Lady Phoenix clapped her hands. “I’m gratified to see you volunteering for this, my disciple!”