Chapter 308: Faceless Ghost Mountain

"Forget it, Fourth is young; letting him hit a wall is for the best."

"The rhyme of the Ghost Emperor—how could it be copied so easily? This Fourth... his heart is too big." Seventh Master looked Xu Qing over, then turned around with his hands behind his back, ready to leave.

But at this moment, Xu Qing had forgotten everything outside himself, forgotten the passage of time; there was only one thing in his mind, and that was to move this Ghost Emperor, in its entirety, into his own sea of consciousness.

Because Master said, only in this way could he go on to cultivate the Ghostly Nether Dao-Seizing Art.

And this cultivation method, Xu Qing felt, was very suitable for him; he wanted to practice this art the moment he stepped into Core Formation, so he felt... he must move it over properly.

Moreover, if he only moved over the outline and form, Xu Qing worried it would not be enough, so he delved deeper and deeper, becoming more immersed, striving to perceive every detail on the Southern Peak Ghost Emperor.

Xu Qing did not know what was meant by "rhyme," but he thought very simply: he would make this deity in his sea of consciousness as lifelike as possible, to the greatest degree of similarity with the Ghost Emperor Mountain.

It was just like copying an original painting; in his heart, he would draw it out completely.

Therefore, after the outline and form appeared, he began to enrich the details and colors within, only the difficulty of this process far exceeded what came before.

It was like someone without any painting skills; if you ask them to describe an outline, they can still manage it, but to fill in the details, they often make many mistakes.

Right now, a mistake had appeared in Xu Qing's detailed copying; this error occurred in the filling of the body. Even though he had copied it to the greatest extent, the body he had copied remained full of a sense of strangeness.

Thus, the next moment, Xu Qing instinctively wiped it away and started over.

This scene took place within Xu Qing's sea of consciousness, stemming from his own perceptions, and was very difficult for outsiders to detect, but... Seventh Master's cultivation base allowed him to see some clues.

And it was precisely this clue that caused the departing Seventh Master's footsteps to suddenly pause, and he abruptly turned his head to stare straight at Xu Qing once more.

"What's the situation?"

"Just a moment ago, how did I feel a trace of the intent of the rhyme arising!"

Seventh Master examined him carefully, his expression puzzled.

"The rhyme is gone? And this outline and form he just moved into his heart, how did that disappear too?"

"What is Fourth doing?"

Seventh Master was curious. After observing for a long while and finding that Xu Qing had fallen into a state of stillness, he walked out in confusion. Yet, throughout that day's stroll, even though Ding Xue being by his side brought him some family joy, his heart remained curious about Xu Qing's state, so upon returning at dusk, he hurriedly looked at Xu Qing.

At this look, Seventh Master was a bit stunned.

"The outline and form have appeared again! So fast?"

"And that trace of rhyme, it also... hmm? It's gone again!"

Seventh Master glared at Xu Qing, having the urge to slap him awake to ask, but he had to hold back.

Just like this, time passed day by day, and the second month went by.

By this second month, Seventh Master's mindset had been rendered somewhat helpless by Xu Qing's changes; he could feel almost every day that Xu Qing had successfully moved the form, only for it to dissipate shortly after.

In the end, he naturally saw where the clues lay.

"I only asked you to move the form, Fourth, you... there's no need to be like this."

"What are you doing, showing off your own comprehension?" Seventh Master gave a wry smile, but the appreciation in his eyes grew thicker throughout this month, and he gained a more comprehensive understanding of his fourth disciple's aptitude.

"This kid... what actually suits him best is the Daoist arts of the Grand Preceptor Immortal Gate, and the heritage of the Grand Preceptor Immortal Gate comes from this Ghost Emperor, so to some extent, this kid is very suitable for cultivating the path of the Southern Peak Ghost Emperor."

"Perhaps, this is also the reason why his comprehension is so astonishing."

While Seventh Master was lost in thought, Xu Qing's comprehension also reached a critical moment; he used his sea of consciousness as a canvas and his own aptitude as a brush, drawing the Ghost Emperor Mountain again and again, and wiping it away to start over again and again.

Just like this, gradually, the Ghost Emperor Mountain in his sea of consciousness became increasingly lifelike, and some details became richer following Xu Qing's repeated adjustments and re-copying, only... this Ghost Emperor's body had no face.

As for the face, Xu Qing was dissatisfied every single time; in fact, he wasn't very satisfied even with the body he had drawn.

But if an outsider were here to witness this scene, they would surely be shocked, because achieving this with a Foundation Establishment cultivation base was in itself a rare thing.

The requirements for aptitude were immense.

But Xu Qing felt that he hadn't even achieved one-tenth of it; although the Ghost Emperor Mountain in his sea of consciousness appeared lifelike, he himself knew very clearly that this was just an empty shell.

At most, it could be considered a very exquisite empty shell.

Compared to a truly perfect transfer, Xu Qing judged that he had probably only completed one in a million.

He wanted to copy it with more effort, but his mind could no longer support it, and his sea of consciousness, having had this Ghost Emperor Mountain appear within it, was completely stretched, making it difficult to continue holding the spirit.

Thus, on the sixty-seventh day, Xu Qing opened his eyes, a deep and secluded rhyme permeating his gaze, containing a sharpness that exceeded the past.

But Xu Qing sighed softly.

Afterward, he sensed something and turned his head, seeing Seventh Master sitting there behind him with a calm and composed expression.

"Master, I cannot continue to perceive it."

"No need to be discouraged; although you could not complete the transfer in three days like Master did back then, I know you have done your best."

Seventh Master spoke calmly, looking as if he thought Xu Qing was still passable, but his heart was currently stirred by no small waves; he had felt a trace of the true Ghost Emperor Mountain's rhyme on Xu Qing.

Although it was only a trace, if this matter were to spread, it would be enough to drive the Grand Preceptor Immortal Gate into a frenzy.

"Master, it is this disciple's limited aptitude... I have reached my limit."

Xu Qing lowered his head; he knew he could not compare to his Master. In his heart, his Master's strength was like a deep, dark pool, the depth of which could never be seen.

He only felt regret in his heart that he had only been able to perceive it for sixty-some days before being unable to continue.

At this moment, the Ghost Emperor Mountain floating in his mind, though emitting a dense black light and radiating waves of astonishing fluctuations, was as far from the perfection Xu Qing envisioned as heaven is from earth.

He could only express its outline and form as best as he could.

Seventh Master looked at Xu Qing and sighed in his heart. In his eyes, the moment Xu Qing woke up, he not only possessed a trace of the true rhyme, but his aura also had a great difference compared to before, carrying a wisp of ghostly energy.

This ghostly energy was not death, but a sense of mystery and unpredictability. Although this meant nothing to Seventh Master's cultivation, he knew very well that it had profound significance for cultivators below his own level.

It could even faintly form a deterrent against weirdness; when looking at others, anyone whose will was not firm would have their mind roar upon meeting his gaze.

This point was not only noticed by Seventh Master, but Little Shadow's feeling was even more intense. With Seventh Master nearby, it dared not show anything, but the terror in its heart permeated its whole body as Xu Qing awoke.

It faintly felt that the Xu Qing of this moment seemed... to have the ability to eat it.

Thus, Seventh Master's facial muscles twitched, but he instantly returned to normal and spoke with a smile.

"Only by knowing one's deficiencies can one understand the direction of progress. Although your aptitude is average compared to mine, Fourth, it is considered quite good among our human race."

"Master, I wonder if my current state of perception is enough to cultivate the Ghostly Nether Dao-Seizing Art." Xu Qing was a bit nervous and looked up at Seventh Master.

Seventh Master looked at Xu Qing, watching his anxious expression, and suddenly didn't want to speak. He felt a bit weary, so he stood up and spoke calmly.

"Barely enough."

Hearing this, Xu Qing breathed a sigh of relief, though he was also pondering that in his future daily cultivation, he would have to add the copying of the Ghost Emperor Mountain, trying to perceive it day and night, striving for the day he could truly move it completely into his sea of consciousness.

With this thought, Xu Qing hurriedly stood up and was about to walk out of the room when Ding Xue entered carrying snacks; her eyes lit up when she saw Xu Qing.

"Brother Xu Qing, you're finally awake."

As she spoke, Ding Xue hurriedly ran to Xu Qing and handed him the snacks.

Xu Qing saw the snacks, and a feeling of hunger rose in his stomach. Although his cultivation had reached a level where he no longer needed to eat worldly things, Xu Qing still liked to eat.

Because when he ate, a sense of satisfaction would rise in his heart; for him, who had grown up in the slums and lived a life of sleeping in the open, this was an instinct carved into his bones.

So Xu Qing picked up a piece and ate it, and after thinking for a moment, he picked up another.

The smile in Ding Xue's eyes was about to overflow; her mood was incomparably wonderful, and she took out a bottle of fruit brew infused with medicinal herbs, placing it very thoughtfully in front of Xu Qing.

Xu Qing glanced at Ding Xue and smiled.

"Thank you."

These two words made Ding Xue feel excited all over, and just as she was about to speak, Seventh Master's hum came from outside the door.

"Since you cannot perceive any further, we must leave."

Ding Xue pouted, somewhat dissatisfied, but she dared not say more. Xu Qing felt the same and walked out of the room's door with Ding Xue.

At this moment, it was already dusk outside; the afterglow spilled onto the outside of the house and also fell upon Seventh Master, who was standing in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, reflecting the dissatisfaction in his expression very clearly.

Ding Xue blinked, hurriedly ran over to take out another box of snacks, and acted spoiled, which finally caused Seventh Master's expression to soften, revealing satisfaction.

That expression made Xu Qing feel a bit familiar; after recalling, he thought of the old man at the Banquan Road inn...

And then Xu Qing thought of the little white snake in the inn.

While Xu Qing was recalling this, Seventh Master took a bite of the snack, then took out a white token and threw it to Xu Qing.

"Go and give this token to the little boy next door who is about to finish school and return."

"It's rare to go out once; on the way back this time, I plan to cast a net and see if I can find Little Five in this Yinghuang Province."

"I'll wait for you outside the town." Seventh Master said, summoning Ding Xue, and amidst her reluctance, he left this place and went outside the town.

The sunset descended, and the orange-yellow afterglow spread across the earth. Xu Qing's body flickered, and he sat on a low wall nearby, looking up at the evening glow and waiting silently.

From this position, one side was the neighbor's house, and the other was the street one must pass through to return here.

Before long, at the end of the street in the distance, a little boy carrying a schoolbag, wearing clean clothes, came back hopping and skipping. On the way, he bowed politely to every neighbor he met, and the smile overflowing on his face when he looked up contained happiness and satisfaction.

Until, just as he was about to return to his doorstep, he saw Xu Qing sitting on the low wall, and his footsteps paused.

"Big Brother." The little boy hesitated for a moment; the smile on his face was somewhat forced, hiding some fear within it.

But in Xu Qing's perception, although this fear was real, hidden even deeper was a ferocity that was about to be uncontrollable.