Spirit Void Mountain, in the morning light, seemed unaffected by the winter outside, and there was even the sound of insects.

The mountain was special. Many dynasties ago, this was a jade producing mountain. After many years of mining, the jade stone was all gone. This should have been a desolate mine pit, just like many other quarries. But, due to chance, this mountain became a sword sect’s site after it was abandoned. Some craftsmen took advantage, and carefully decorated, causing the mountain to change, becoming a fine noble southern garden.

An Baoshi walked across a patch of cliffs. He had an especially content expression.

There was a patch of red maple under the cliffs. The cliffs were covered in withered vines. Between the vines, it was possible to see the rocks of the cliff were gray-white in color, and shown with a layer of water-like glow. There were many holes left behind from mining in the past. After many years, these caves were filled with vines, like the intestines of an enormous monster.

After this patch of cliffs, there was a patch of quiet mountain valleys. Normal green pines grew in the mountain valley. Amid the enormous green pines that would take several people to surround, there was a stone temple at the bottom of the valley.

The stone temple was much shorter than the green pines. On the outside, other than quiet, everything looked normal. But even though he had entered there once, when he thought of the different decor inside, completely different from outside, An Baoshi’s heart could not stop from beating fast, and he could not maintain his calm.

The seemingly normal surface of the temple outside had a different world inside. The walls were embedded with countless beautiful jade and precious stones. The natural colors surpassed all words that could be used in the world. Even the stairs inside were embedded with all kinds of metal, and spirit bones. Even without any kind of other decor, this was extremely luxurious.

When wealth reached a certain degree, one would naturally have a vision. Even the Guanzhong businessmen who were so rich that they were richer than a country, could not embed treasures into the wall, making them into a path, and inlaid in every corner.

Of course Spirit Void Sword Sect would not do such vulgar things. This stone temple was just a storehouse to Spirit Void Sword Sect.

The jade stones, the fine metals that could be used to forge lifebond items, the spirit bones that could be used to make pills, the precious medicines … they were embedded casually on the wall and paths like this, just showing off the casualness of Spirit Void Sword Sect. What the highest ranking people of Spirit Void Sword Sect cared about that was here was a void realm.

The void realm was only a general name. Exactly speaking, in the depths of the stone temple, there was a strange light that was like a mirror. The light was not formed from the reflection of any light source, but the twisting of many primal energies of the universe. These were like cracks into empty space, and seemed to reach to unknown places. When one stood there in the light and looked in, they could see a long black river. Occasionally, splashes would come out of the light, and form a pool below. The water in the pool was black, and had amazing effects on the energies of lifebond items.

This pool was the Sword Washing Pool of Spirit Void Sword Sect. For many years in the past, only the master of Spirit Void Sword Sect could enter the depths of the stone temple, and use the power of the Sword Washing Pool.

The most important manual of Spirit Void Sword Sect was the Void method. There was no easy access to this method. For ordinary cultivators, this was hard to imagine, but for An Baoshi, the true principles were very simple. The previous elders of Spirit Void Sword Sect used astounding sword essence to forcibly open some certain passages, and then used the primal energies of the universe to maintain them.

So while the black river looked to be behind the patch of light, in reality, it could be very far away, maybe in the cold starry sky, or deep in the earth. All primal energies of the universe had their channels in which they moved. The ancestors of Spirit Void Sword Sect just forcibly twisted and built the energy passageways, so the primal energies of the universe from the space where the black river was could directly flow into the Sword Washing Pool. The basic principle was not hard to understand, but it was difficult to understand the means to form that bright sword essence, and the way of using primal energies of the universe to maintain the door.

But this was still too distant for An Baoshi. If he could understand such mysteries, he could create a little world with a sword strike. He would be at least realm eight, or already close to the legendary realm nine. He was already satisfied at being able to use the Sword Washing Pool.

Last time he entered this stone temple. Using his talent that surpassed the other Changling youths, he had chosen a beautiful jade as his sword from the treasure-filled stone temple, and forged it into his lifebond item. The jade stone had been produced from the Spirit Void Mountain in the past, and was the central jade core of the mountain.

The most powerful lifebond item was not if the material was stunning, but the most compatible. His sect was here, the method he cultivated came from here, and he was most compatible with the energies of this jade core. After being refined by the Sword Washing Pool, the glowing jade sword resting quietly in his energy sea was greater than the diligent cultivation of ordinary cultivators for many years.

Gu Huai was his teacher. From when he showed stunning cultivation talent, and called by the youngest cultivators as the two freaks along with Jing Liuli, he had been taught by Gu Huai. He naturally respected his teacher greatly.

Yet Gu Huai was dead now. He could not help but think, maybe back then, he betrayed those people in order to become the master of Spirit Void Sword Sect was in part due to the void realm and the Sword Washing Pool. The void realm represented the ultimate skill of realm eight. It could make cultivators like Gu Huai have breakthroughs and have a possibility of reaching realm eight.

The refinement of the Sword Washing Pool one time was equivalent to the diligent cultivation of ordinary cultivators for many years. The Sword Mountain Sword was so large, he feared that only the use of the Sword Washing Pool could give him such stunning accomplishments.

Even a person like Gu Huai had to pay such a great price to enter here back then and use the Sword Washing Pool. He had only relied on his own talent to get here, An Baoshi thought.

He was very young. Young and talented, especially when he had defeated Jing Liuli in Changling, and that Ding Ning he had felt slightly threatened by had died. Of course he was proud and content.

He passed through the forest, and reached the doors of the stone palace.

A Spirit Void Sword Sect disciple about the same age as him was already waiting at the doors. This Spirit Void Sword Sect disciple was also a youth. He appeared slightly thin and weak. He looked at An Baoshi with a gaze filled with awe and respect. His hands were carefully holding a medicine bowl.

An Baoshi did not express anything. He took the medicine bowl, drained it and then frowned. “Junior Sect Brother Zeng, this kind of medicinal soup will have its greatest effect when it is slightly hot to drink. You need to present me with this within thirty-seven seconds. You need to control the time it takes to send the medicine to me. Your cultivation talent is bad to start with. If you cannot do such simple things, what can you achieve?” he looked down loftily at this Spirit Void Sword Sect disciple, and said ruthlessly with a sneer.

The youth he called Junior Sect Brother Zeng started to tremble when the other started to frown. At this lecture, the blood drained from his face which turned snow white.

An Baoshi did not care for his emotions. He threw the bowl coldly back to the others hands, prepared to enter the building.

At this time, he smelled a clear blood scent.

He suddenly turned around, and saw a man with loose hair walk out of the pine forest who he had never seen before.

The loose haired man’s robes were already bloodied in the front. There was a terrifying wound torn by a wave of energy near his heart, but the man had used energy to restrain the wound with his own energy. The flesh was slowly shrinking, and blood did not flow.

Being able to heal from such terrifying wounds on his own meant that he had terrifying power.

An Baoshi was stunned and bowed. He asked, ” Mister, who are you?”

The loose haired man returned the bow and said coolly, “Qi Jinshan.”

This was a very tacky and normal name. Yet when An Baoshi and the other Spirit Void Sword Sect disciple heard the name, it was like lightning to their ears.

“Sect Uncle Qi?” An Baoshi said in disbelief.

The loose haired man nodded and said, “Yes, I have come to kill you.”

Translator Ramblings: The “shi” in An Baoshi’s name is stone, which gives the title of the chapter. Jinshan means gold/metal mountain, which is not a very literary name.