Siheyuan: The Temptation of the Mountains

Lin Ze stared at the crystal clear spring water in front of him, and thoughtfully comprehended the deep meaning contained therein - this spring water possesses magical power that can greatly enhance a person's skills, but it is not easy to obtain this gift, and one must withstand a severe test.

This test was extremely difficult, requiring him to endure the freezing cold that seemed to penetrate his bones, as well as the strong shock from the depths of his soul. Lin Ze took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and stepped into the spring resolutely. In an instant, an indescribable chill swept over him like a tide, quickly penetrating every inch of his skin and bones, causing him to tremble all over. At the same time, the terrifying memories of the past that were buried deep in his heart and made him tremble began to surge uncontrollably, haunting him like a ghost.

However, facing such great pain and pressure, Lin Ze did not choose to retreat or give up. He clenched his fists tightly, and relied on his unshakable will to stubbornly resist the invasion of cold and fear. Time passed by, and every moment seemed like a long torture, but Lin Ze never gave in.

Finally, after a long period of perseverance, Lin Ze successfully survived this cruel test. When he slowly stood up from the spring water, although his body was still trembling slightly due to the cold, he could clearly feel a surge of powerful spiritual power in his body. This unprecedented sense of fulfillment refreshed his spirit.

At this moment, a white cloud as white as snow suddenly floated in the clear sky. A figure wearing a Taoist robe and with an immortal appearance could be vaguely seen standing on the cloud. The immortal smiled and looked at Lin Ze below and said, "Young man, you and my Taoist sect have a destiny. Today I have come to guide you to a mysterious cave in the mountains. There is a peerless magic weapon hidden there, waiting for its true owner to come."

Hearing this, Lin Ze was pleasantly surprised and immediately bowed to thank the immortal. He followed the immortal without hesitation and stepped onto the auspicious cloud, heading towards the mountain that hid countless secrets. At this moment, he was full of expectations, looking forward to the new journey of cultivation that was about to begin.

The auspicious cloud was moving very fast, and soon it reached the top of the mountain. Lin Ze followed the immortal down the auspicious cloud, and in front of him was a cave entrance covered by vines. The immortal raised his hand and waved, and the vines automatically parted, revealing the deep and dark passage inside.

After entering the cave, the light was dim but there was a faint flickering light. Lin Ze walked carefully and suddenly heard a low roar. A huge monster appeared in front of him, with red eyes full of hostility. The immortal just shook his head slightly, indicating that Lin Ze should deal with it alone.

Lin Ze knew that the fierce battle in front of him was the final test, success or failure depended on this one move! He held his breath and concentrated his mind to mobilize the powerful spiritual power he had just obtained from the mysterious spring water. As his hands quickly and skillfully formed complex hand seals, a dazzling spiritual light suddenly shot out like lightning, rushing straight towards the ferocious monster.

Facing such a fierce attack, how could the monster retreat easily? It roared, and pounced on him with its fangs and claws bared. In an instant, the two were entangled in a fierce fight. Lin Ze was as agile as a ghost, dodging left and right, easily avoiding the monster's fierce attacks. At the same time, his sharp eyes were always fixed on the monster, not letting go of any possible flaws.

Finally, after a thrilling confrontation, the monster missed due to excessive force. In a flash, Lin Ze seized this fleeting opportunity and used all his strength without hesitation, gathering all his spiritual power in his palm, and then suddenly delivered a full-strength heavy blow with the force of thunder, accurately hitting the monster's vital part.

There was only a dull thud, and the monster's huge body fell to the ground, and then in the blink of an eye it turned into a dazzling light and disappeared without a trace. At this moment, a peerless magic weapon suddenly burst into brilliant light in the depths of the originally dim cave, as if calling for the winner to come.

Lin Ze stepped forward cautiously. When he saw the magic weapon clearly, he was deeply attracted by it. It turned out to be a sword that exuded a holy radiance. Ancient and mysterious runes were engraved on the sword body, and it faintly exuded a powerful breath that made people's heart palpitate. He slowly stretched out his right hand and gently grasped the hilt of the sword. At the moment he touched the sword, a wonderful feeling surged in his heart, as if he and the sword had already communicated with each other.

The immortal who had been observing silently at the side saw this and showed a pleased and satisfied smile on his face. He nodded slightly and said, "From now on, this magic weapon belongs to you. I hope you can use it well and practice hard. Don't let this opportunity go to waste."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ze was so grateful that he could not express it in words. He immediately knelt on his knees and kowtowed to the immortal respectfully to express his gratitude.

Afterwards, he stood up, holding this rare sword in his arms, and resolutely embarked on a new journey of cultivation to pursue the more profound and unfathomable realm of martial arts.

After Lin Ze left the cave with the sword, he continued on his way looking for a suitable place for retreat and cultivation.

When he came to a quiet valley filled with rich spiritual energy, he decided to stay there.

Just as he sat down and prepared to practice his skills, he found that the sword was buzzing.

When Lin Ze was puzzled, the sword suddenly flew up, leaving several mysterious tracks in the air. Then the ground slowly cracked, and an ancient stone tablet emerged.

The stele is densely engraved with all kinds of strange and incomprehensible symbols, as if they were mysterious codes from ancient times.

Lin Ze opened his eyes wide, approached the stone tablet, and carefully examined the symbols, trying to decipher the hidden mysteries. Although he could not fully understand the meaning of these symbols, with his keen intuition, he could feel that these symbols seemed to be inextricably linked to the sword in his hand.

At this moment, a thick white fog suddenly rose up without any warning, spreading rapidly like billowing smoke, and in the blink of an eye, it enveloped the entire space tightly, making it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face. In this thick fog, there were vague black shadows flashing quickly, appearing and disappearing from time to time, which was creepy.

Lin Ze's heart tightened, and he immediately clenched the sword in his hand, watching the movements around him vigilantly, with his muscles tensed, ready to deal with any emergency at any time. As time passed, the shadows gradually approached the direction where Lin Ze was. Finally, when they were only a few steps away from Lin Ze, the thick fog dissipated a little, revealing the true faces of the shadows - they turned out to be several mysterious figures in black robes!

The black-robed man at the head was tall, his face was covered by shadows, and his specific appearance could not be seen clearly. But from the sinister aura emanating from him, it could be judged that this man was definitely not a good person. He laughed coldly and said, "Hehehe... that sword originally belonged to our evil sect. Boy, if you know what's good for you, hand it over quickly, otherwise don't blame us for being rude to you!"

Facing the threat from the man in black robe, Lin Ze was not afraid at all. Instead, he smiled coldly and responded, "Hmph! This sword is a treasure that I obtained after overcoming numerous hardships and dangers and passing countless tests. How could I easily give it to you bunch of evil demons? If you want to take it away, ask my sword first if it agrees!" Before he finished speaking, Lin Ze flashed and rushed towards the man in black robe like an arrow. At the same time, the sword in his hand burst into dazzling light, like a flash of lightning across the night sky.