Chapter 58: Mountain-Opening Art and Mountain-Sealing Art

"Hm? They're opening the mountain?" Zhao Xing had been listless as well, but upon hearing the commotion among the crowd, he roused himself and looked up.

To speak of the Mountain-Opening Art, one must first speak of the Mountain-Sealing Art.

During the Spring Equinox, Zhao Xing had seen Chen Shijie perform the Mountain-Sealing Art; both spells require accompanying incantations.

The incantation Chen Shijie recited at the time was: "The river wishes to flow ceaselessly back to the four seas; the mountain wishes to endure long and return to nature. I follow the Great Ancestor's command and beseech the gods to protect this mountain."

"First, command the Mountain God to guard the Five Elements, their union giving birth to all things. Second, command the Earth Mother to harmonize yin and yang, their blending conceiving true spirit. Third, command the True Lords of the Eight Directions to protect the Dao — the path may be traversed, yet grass and trees shall not be harmed. The mountain may be entered, but no hundred beasts shall be seen. Seal the mountain at once!"

Zhao Xing was very familiar with the Mountain-Sealing Art, but this version of its incantation differed somewhat from the one he knew — it lacked the first stanza.

In truth, whether the first stanza was present or not made no difference; it merely stated principles for the common folk to hear and mentioned that this method was decreed by the Great Ancestor.

The first stanza's meaning was to tell everyone why the mountain must be sealed: to follow sustainable development, so that one could not hunt, gather herbs, or chop wood on the mountain throughout all four seasons.

What truly worked was the second stanza.

Because the Yin Gods had been summoned to guard it, after the mountain was sealed, travelers could still walk the mountain path through, but they could not harm a single blade of grass or tree there. If hunters snuck in, they would not see a single wild beast at all.

This was the Mountain-Sealing Art.

"The Qi Fortune Dynasty version of the Mountain-Sealing Art requires the aid of Yin Gods, but the Revival version does not — and it's even more advanced, with an added function of capturing and absorbing evil spirits and filth."

"Within the Mountain-Sealing Art, there is also another called the 'Snow Mountain Command.' This is an extermination spell, though it shouldn't take effect at this time."

Zhao Xing recalled the incantation for the Snow Mountain Command he had used in his previous life:

At the first watch, fog and dew descend; at the second watch, thick frost descends; at the third watch, heavy snow descends; at the fourth watch, frost is added upon the snow.

At the fifth watch, hearing the rooster crow, the trees in the mountain sound verdant and blue.

The dragon sheds its claws, the tiger sheds its hide, the mystic bird sheds its feathered coat.

Should there be ancestral yin souls in the mountain, they shall disperse; only white snow remains, falling upon the mortal world.

The Snow Mountain Command was called an extermination spell precisely because it could kill a spirit mountain — true dragons must shed their claws and devolve into flood serpents, white tigers must shed their tiger hide, and the destiny-bearing mystic bird's feathers must all fall out.

If there were yin souls in the mountain that had become kings or ancestors, they too would have their souls scattered and destroyed, and the entire mountain would be left with nothing but white snow.

Beneath the Snow Mountain Command, all was illusion!

This Mountain-Sealing Art could be said to be the Revival version — the strongest killing move of the Si Nong profession.

Zhao Xing reminisced about the past for a moment, and when he came back to himself, Chen Shijie had already begun casting.

Sealing the mountain was relatively complex; opening the mountain was far simpler.

"... Five Elements and yin-yang reverse, the art reveals true spirit; the True Lords of the Eight Directions disperse, the Mountain God and Earth Mother return. I honor the Great Ancestor's command — open this mountain at once!"

Chen Shijie held his official seal in hand and recited it once; a streak of Jin Guang flew from the seal into East Lake Mountain.

The other unranked Si Nong officials had to recite it repeatedly four or five times before any Jin Guang appeared.

Seeing this, Zhao Xing immediately knew that Old Chen's rank was definitely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

"He must either be hiding his strength, or he once fell from rank — otherwise, even with the difference between a full ninth rank and an unranked ninth, the gap shouldn't be this large," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

The Jin Guang fell into East Lake Mountain, and after roughly a moment's time—

An invisible ripple spread out from the mountain.

Zhao Xing cast his Bright Eyes spell and immediately saw specks of starlight emanating from the mountain, along with illusory visions.

There was a strange purple flower blooming, a great tree bearing vermilion fruits, and a pale golden glazed lamp.

He only caught sight of these three visions; the rest he could not see clearly.

"Max-level Bright Eyes truly has its benefits — at least if I encounter them, I won't fail to recognize them as treasures."

Once the ritual was complete, Li Wenzheng appeared once more and announced that the government would dispatch the first group of people to ascend the mountain and explore, blazing a trail for the common folk and clearing away threats.

At the same time, ascending the mountain was also part of the assessment for officials of each department.

"Charge!"

"Ascend the mountain and gather spiritual excellence!"

"Don't fight me for it!"

The moment the prohibition was lifted, many people immediately rushed impatiently into the mountain.

One look told they were crude martial men.

Zhao Xing did not rush; instead, he walked along at a leisurely pace with his bamboo document box on his back.

East Lake Mountain was vast; to explore it thoroughly, three days alone would not be enough.

It wasn't the case that whoever was fastest would gain the benefit — luck also played a part.

As for luck, Zhao Xing still had some confidence in that regard.

"Zhao Sanjia, why aren't you charging?" A familiar colleague ran past and asked curiously.

"I'm only here to join in the fun; I haven't placed much hope on it. You gentlemen may go on ahead." Zhao Xing showed a smile, looking every bit like someone who wasn't here to compete but merely to watch the excitement.

His voice was not quiet, and many gazes that had been watching him immediately withdrew.

"I heard he's the genius from the Gucheng Si Nong Bureau who's been making quite a name recently — and this is all he's got?"

"This time there are no shortage of experts at the eighth or ninth stage of Qi Gathering; he's said to be only at the third stage of Qi Gathering, so it's normal he wouldn't dare compete."

"He does have some self-awareness, at least."

"Hmph, maybe he's just putting on an act? Look at that bamboo document box — it's not light. If he were really just here for the fun of it, who would carry such a big thing on their back?"

"Who cares whether he's putting on an act or not? His strength is right there — he's no threat."

"Let's go, hurry up the mountain."

The voices in the background came from people of other counties as well as this one; some felt Zhao Xing was putting on an act and actually wanted to compete for benefits, while others felt he had self-awareness and was only going through the motions of entering the mountain.

Gradually, the crowd surged past Zhao Xing, and soon he fell to the very rear.

As he walked, Zhao Xing discovered he had actually run into someone he knew.

"Young Master Zong, why are you squatting here?"

He saw that Zong Zong Shichang had only just reached a pavilion at the Shankou before stopping to rest.

"Got up too early, forgot to eat, I'm hungry."

Zong Zong Shichang was also carrying a bamboo box on his back, but his was mostly filled with food. He even took out a bowl of steaming hot noodles from inside!

Are you here for the assessment or for an autumn outing?

Zong Zong Shichang saw Zhao Xing staring and thought he was hungry too, so he grandly took out another bowl: "Have some? Top-grade beef soup paired with noodles made from finely ground top-grade spirit rice — absolutely delicious."

Zhao Xing hadn't intended to eat, but smelling the aroma, he immediately changed his mind and sat by the terrace to eat.

Stinking rich — it'd be a waste not to eat.

"Ha~" He slurped a mouthful, and Zong Zong Shichang asked with a satisfied look: "How is it?"

"Indeed not bad." Zhao Xing nodded.

"How about some wine?" Zong Zong Shichang pulled out a bottle and popped the cork.

"I'll pass on the wine."

"Then forget it, drinking alone is no fun." Zong Zong Shichang sat with one leg crossed over the other. "How did you end up so far behind?"

Zhao Xing wiped his mouth: "There's no rush, climbing Dengshan isn't about who runs fastest. What about you, Brother Zong?"

Zong Zong Shichang laughed: "Do I look like someone short on spiritual talent? If my father hadn't forced me to come, I wouldn't be here."

You're really taking it too far.

Is it really okay to show off in front of a poor person?

"Then Brother Zong, do as you please — I'll be on my way first." Zhao Xing shouldered his bamboo box and prepared to leave.

"Let's walk together." Zong Zong Shichang also rose. "At least there's someone to chat with, otherwise wouldn't it be boring?"

"I'm not bored on my own." Zhao Xing politely declined.

Zong Zong Shichang said again: "Come on, my father has some standing in Nanyang Commandery. If we run into experts from other counties, having me around gives you an extra layer of protection."