[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain":3,"chapter-notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-42":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Notes on Cultivation at Wulong Mountain",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2272947,4440,"Chapter 42: Chapter Forty-One: The Three Heroes of Moshan","notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-42",42,"\u003Cp>Another heavy snow fell across heaven and earth; Liu Xiaolou and Xing Dejun were traveling the main road toward Moshan, each carrying a sack filled with various cultivation materials they had gathered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This year’s snow is unusually abundant,” Xing Dejun said, watching the relentless storm with concern: “Though heavy snow foretells a bountiful harvest, too much of it will crush homes and devastate farmers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou asked: “Do cultivators also care about peasant affairs?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xing Dejun replied: “Cultivators pursue the Dao of Heaven—not merely yin-yang, the five elements, mountains, rivers, wind, and rain, but also the suffering of the people and the retribution of good and evil. If one focuses only on the former and ignores the latter, the Dao is incomplete.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After long thought, Liu Xiaolou nodded: “Your words are golden and jade; I shall remember them well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, the wind and snow subsided, revealing the true colors of heaven and earth; ahead, the mountain silhouette resembled a painting, as if brushed in faint ink smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After nearly a month of arduous travel, they had now reached the final stage of gathering materials: locating the catalyst to trigger the array.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The illusion originates within the heart of the entrant, manifesting according to their thoughts, varying from person to person. But to activate the illusion, the array’s master must initiate it—requiring a medium, known as the array’s catalyst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To forge an illusion array plate, the master must conceive and imagine a scroll, embedding it into the plate; the nature of the catalyst largely determines the illusion’s fundamental tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou had pondered long and hard but could not devise a better concept, so he settled on the secluded courtyard where he had first met Zhou Qi niang in the Zhou estate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were moon gates, side chambers, emerald bamboo, pavilions, strange rocks, and ponds; the pond could serve as the abyss, the strange rocks as xuan stones—perfectly matching the original design of the Lin Yuan Xuan Shi Array. Of course, this composition was Liu Xiaolou’s own; once these elements were added, each entrant would experience a different scene, yet all would manifest these same features.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This journey to Moshan was to obtain its xuan stones and the spring water of the Ink Pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The xuan stones of Moshan possess spirit, and so does its spring water—not spiritual power, but true spirit, a matter of charm and essence. There are countless famed mountains in the world, many with spirited rocks and springs, yet I alone love the ink-stone and water of Moshan… you’ll understand when you see it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moshan is not tall, yet it brims with perilous passes inaccessible to ordinary mortals; yet its delicate charm holds a unique allure. Xing Dejun led the way deeper, where some paths had ceased to be paths altogether—Liu Xiaolou struggled even to traverse them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At a mountain hollow, a three-foot waterfall cascaded over a stone platform, shattering into thousands of jade fragments before splashing into a dark pool, its tinkling sound undeniably spirited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The xuan stones Xing Dejun needed lay at the bottom of the pool, and the spring water was no ordinary Tanshui —it too required diving to the pool’s depths to find the water pearls, the essence of the spring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet neither of them entered the pool; instead, they studied the opposite shore, where two figures in straw capes sat atop protruding rocks—one high, one low—fishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a secluded place was rarely visited by common folk, let alone occupied by anglers; yet one could not tell their cultivation levels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are there fish in the pool?” Liu Xiaolou whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, and they’re plump,” Xing Dejun affirmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yet why fish here, so remote? It feels odd.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s watch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They waited half an hour; the anglers caught no fish, nor did they acknowledge them—only occasionally glancing at each other, then briefly sizing up Liu Xiaolou and Xing Dejun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou observed them until the water suddenly splashed—another figure emerged from the pool, and only then did the two anglers reel in their lines and haul the newcomer ashore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They weren’t fishing—they were guarding the surface, ensuring those below could return safely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you sense their cultivation levels?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hard to say. We haven’t tested them, and some are skilled at concealing their true strength…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three on the opposite shore finally spoke: “You two intend to enter the water?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xing Dejun bowed slightly: “Indeed. What counsel do you offer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They replied: “You’ve come for the xuan stones at the pool’s bottom?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xing Dejun said: “Correct.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man who had emerged from the pool opened a damp snake-skin sack and spilled out several fist-sized stones—oddly shaped, hollowed inside like embroidered balls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One spirit stone per stone. Pick whichever you like—no haggling!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xing Dejun bowed again: “We shall enter the water ourselves to choose our stones. No need for your assistance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If everyone entered to pick stones, the Ink Pool would be fouled. This is non-negotiable. Either choose stones we’ve selected, or turn back now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xing Dejun frowned: “Moshan belongs to all under heaven. I’ve never heard of any sect or powerful clan claiming it as their own. Your actions are inappropriate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They laughed scornfully: “You must not have come here in years—how utterly ignorant! Since this year, my three brothers and I have taken up residence here, calling ourselves the Three Heroes of Moshan. This Ink Pool is our dwelling, and we alone decide its rules!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the most common form of private occupation among hermits. But other hermits claimed forests either inherited from ancestral efforts, recognized by surrounding hermits and even major sects, or seized lands too insignificant for anyone to fight over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To forcibly claim a place frequently visited by many, and openly profit from it, as these three had done, was exceedingly rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xing Dejun asked curiously: “What true ability do you possess to claim Moshan as your own?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They laughed instantly: “It’s simple. We sit here. If you have the strength to drive us off, do so. If not, don’t blame us for being uncivilized—you dive into the pool and expect to return unharmed? Does such luck exist in this world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xing Dejun glanced at Liu Xiaolou and gave him a subtle signal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou thought a moment, then whispered: “Shall I enter the water while you remain above to guard?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xing Dejun muttered vaguely: “Smells good!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou finally understood his meaning, and could not help but smile bitterly: “The weather’s poor today—wind is strong, and we know nothing of their true strength. It won’t work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using a sedative incense requires three conditions: first, a confined space where the incense won’t disperse easily; second, the target must remain still, not moving about; third, the target’s cultivation must not vastly exceed the user’s, or the effect will be negligible. When all three conditions are met, the incense works best; otherwise, results vary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These self-proclaimed “Three Heroes of Moshan” clearly did not meet any of these conditions, so Liu Xiaolou could not act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xing Dejun realized this was true—there was no choice but to fight. He issued a final warning, only to be met with a counter-warning from the Three Heroes of Moshan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A battle was inevitable; Xing Dejun sent a flash of light into the air—his own forged array plate: the Five Paths, Six Emotions Array.\u003C\u002Fp>",1215,"2026-06-19T23:11:25.549Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","acfa5b5a2c995e852ae0e7cbbfb4a716ba7d7e8c20fe0105466143da5f3946d0","notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-43","notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-41",638,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnotes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-cover.jpg"]