On Yanqian Mountain, which was said to have been formed by a meteorite from outer space, Yan Shouyi found himself amidst its rugged terrain.
The day was still young, and sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, casting beams of light that dappled the mountainside.
After climbing for about half an hour, Yan Shouyi encountered a sheer rock face.
More accurately, it wasn't just a rock face but a small section of the stony mountain. It was so massive that standing before it, one couldn't discern any curvature, giving the impression of a solid wall of rock.
Yan Chou and his companions halted their ascent here.
"Son, retrieving the Zanpakuto is your undertaking, so the rest of the path must be walked by you alone," Yan Chou stated.
Yan Shouyi looked up, unable to see the mountain's summit. He asked, "Isn't there a path up the mountain?"
Yan Chou shook his head. "The villagers of Chen Family Village believe this stone mountain is sacred, and no one dares to climb it."
"But didn't Grandpa and Grandpa Zhang Shantong climb it?" Yan Shouyi replied with a wry smile.
Yan Chou chuckled. "The path to retrieve the Zanpakuto is the same path you will walk in the future—a path seldom trodden, fraught with thorns. Looking up, you see the blue sky and white clouds; looking down, you see an unfathomable abyss."
Hearing his father's words, which seemed like a jest yet held profound implications, Yan Shouyi felt his legs grow heavy. Da Feng Novel Network.
The dog-faced Taoist patted Yan Shouyi's shoulder and pointed at the stone mountain. "Your father likes to speak in riddles. I don't think this stone mountain is anything special. If you don't want to climb, I'll find a way for you! Getting the Zanpakuto is troublesome enough; there's no need to waste time and energy climbing the mountain!"
Yan Shouyi was speechless. "Uncle Dog, can you just make a path like that?"
"You don't believe in Uncle Dog's abilities?" the dog-faced Taoist asked with a wicked grin.
Yan Shouyi paused.
Could the dog-faced Taoist truly possess such capabilities?
Yan Chou urged, "Time is short, you should set off."
Yan Shouyi came back to his senses and nodded.
The sooner he retrieved the Zanpakuto, the more at ease he would feel.
So, he bid farewell to everyone, spat in his palm, rubbed it together, and began to climb.
The rock face of the stone mountain was covered in moss and lacked good handholds. Even for Yan Shouyi, the climb was arduous.
Moreover, he had brought no climbing equipment and not even a safety rope, ascending with bare hands.
Yet, Yan Shouyi felt no fear. He neither thought about the destination nor glanced down to see how high he had climbed, focusing solely on moving upwards.
Watching Yan Shouyi's figure diminish, Yan Chou murmured to himself, "That's right, climb, climb with all your might..."
The dog-faced Taoist, eager to witness the spectacle, even climbed onto a tree.
"Nephew Shouyi, put in more effort, you've already climbed a third of the way!" the dog-faced Taoist shouted, looking on with amusement.
Yan Shouyi clung to the rock face like a gecko. Fortunately, this spot offered a good position, allowing him to stand with both feet and rest his arms momentarily.
Without turning his head, he yelled back, "Uncle Dog, please stop shouting, I don't want to know where I am!"
"Why?"
"Because it will make me misjudge my strength! What if I run out of energy before reaching the summit?"
"Makes sense, I won't shout!"
A hint of admiration, a touch of envy, and a trace of pride flickered across the dog-faced Taoist's face.
He had no wife and no descendants. Seeing Yan Shouyi so outstanding and insightful made him feel as proud as if he were his own son.
Yan Shouyi continued climbing, lost in his effort. After an unknown period, his peripheral vision caught sight of the scenery outside. He couldn't help but pause his climb and turn his head to look.
He had already ascended quite high, higher than the tallest trees below, and thus beheld a view he had never seen before.
The distant Wuyi Mountains lay like a coiled dragon beneath the clouds. Streams flowed from the mountains, winding beautifully like two white silk ribbons.
Below lay the tiny Chen Family Village, where wisps of smoke curled from chimneys.
Yan Shouyi noticed that many people in the village had already discovered him climbing the stone mountain. They had come out of their homes, gathering in twos and threes, pointing and murmuring at him.
In Chen Family Village, Jiang Ting hurried into the Yan family's courtyard.
"Sister Zitong! Brother Long, are you there?!"
Lin Zitong was woken up and quickly put on a coat before stepping out of her room. Seeing Jiang Ting, she asked, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Ting pointed to the stone mountain behind them and said, "Brother Yan... is Brother Yan climbing the stone mountain?"
Lin Zitong's eyesight was, of course, superior to that of ordinary people. At a glance, she saw Yan Shouyi climbing the mountain.
In front of the stone mountain, Yan Shouyi was like a tiny ant, slowly and laboriously ascending.
Lin Zitong gazed lost in thought. "It's him."
"Why is Brother Yan climbing the stone mountain?" Jiang Ting asked, puzzled.
"To... protect everyone, to protect me," Lin Zitong murmured.
Just then, a voice emerged from Long Feicheng's room. "Hey! Is anyone there? Come help me see if my butt has shattered into four pieces!"
Lin Zitong felt helpless. She walked over and pushed open the window for Long Feicheng, reminding him:
"You are injured, but it's not fatal. We've escaped the Jian Wang Tomb, and we've given you the Flesh Ganoderma. You'll recover soon."
"Ah?" Long Feicheng hadn't quite registered what had happened.
Lin Zitong then pointed to Yan Shouyi on the stone mountain and said, "That silly fool is climbing the stone mountain. Do you want to cheer him on?"
Long Feicheng froze. After clearly seeing Yan Shouyi, he completely forgot about his injury and shouted towards the stone mountain, "I don't know why, but Brother Yan, go for it!! My butt is broken, or else I'd follow you through hell and high water!!!"
Long Feicheng's voice echoed through the mountains, faintly reaching Yan Shouyi's ears, which made him smile.
The sound seemed to give Yan Shouyi strength, and his climbing speed increased.
"Shouyi! Keep going!!"
"When you return, Aunt Wang will cook you a stewed chicken!!"
"We're slaughtering a goose at home, just waiting for you!"
"Be very careful not to fall!"
In Chen Family Village, everyone began to cheer Yan Shouyi on.
In a secluded corner of the mountain, the Ma siblings also climbed to the treetop, silently watching Yan Shouyi ascend.
Suddenly.
A fierce gust of wind swept through, causing the bamboo forest to rustle.
Yan Shouyi, caught off guard, was blown by the strong wind and lost his grip, his heart leaping into his throat. Everyone's hearts clenched.
But fortunately, he managed to grab an outcropping of rock in time, falling only a meter or two.
He steadied himself, gritted his teeth, and continued his frantic ascent!!
...
At sunset.
In the face of the setting sun, the evening sky burned crimson.
From the summit of the stone mountain, a scarred hand reached out, firmly grasping a protruding rock.
Then, Yan Shouyi's entire body pulled itself up. He lay panting on the summit.
Cheers erupted from the mountain.
Yan Shouyi also smiled. He wiped his sweat- and dust-covered face, struggled to stand, and waved to everyone.
"Finally made it up."
Yan Shouyi looked into the distance. The sunset was indescribably beautiful, and his hometown felt incredibly familiar.
It was time to compose himself and go retrieve the Zanpakuto.
He admired the scenery for a moment, then resumed his journey, searching the mountaintop for the cave Yan Chou had mentioned.
The summit was actually quite small and easily surveyed. There was only one area covered in dense vines. He went there, parted the vines, and discovered a small cave.
Calling it a cave was perhaps inaccurate; it was more like a small shrine.
Within the shrine, two statues were enshrined: one of a dragon and one of a tiger.
The dragon was coiled around the tiger, and at the tiger's feet lay an ugly-looking sword.
Decades of wind and rain had left the sword dirty and covered in thick dust, the kind of item one might find discarded on the roadside, too worthless even for a scrap metal collector to bother with.
But Yan Shouyi recognized it as the Zanpakuto.
He hadn't expected the very weapon that had been his formidable tool all along to appear so disheveled, even being stepped on by the tiger statue.
What about the dragon and tiger trials?
Where was the trial?
Yan Shouyi observed for a while, finding no clues. He decided to try a more direct approach, intending to pull the Zanpakuto out and test it.
However, the moment his hand grasped the hilt of the Zanpakuto—
A roar of a tiger and a dragon suddenly echoed in his ears!
The sounds were incredibly close, making his head spin and his ears nearly go deaf.
Looking up, the dragon and tiger stone statues had both come to life. The dragon floated in the air, its claws extended and its mouth agape, while the tiger bared its fangs, roaring at Yan Shouyi!
Encountering these two terrifying figures at such close proximity made even Yan Shouyi involuntarily release his grip, collapsing onto the ground.
But when he sat on the ground and regained his senses, the dragon was still a stone dragon, the tiger remained a stone tiger, and the Zanpakuto was still trapped beneath the stone tiger's foot.
It was as if everything had been a hallucination.
Yet, he knew with absolute certainty that what he had seen was no hallucination!
"Is this... the intention of the dragon and tiger?"
Yan Shouyi swallowed, gathered his courage, and once again gripped the hilt of the Zanpakuto.
ROAR!!!
The world around him seemed to gain vibrant colors. The soaring dragon and the majestic tiger came to life once more before Yan Shouyi's eyes!
This time, Yan Shouyi did not retreat. Instead, he gritted his teeth and held onto the Zanpakuto tightly.
"Esteemed elders, this junior is Yan Baixiang's grandson, Yan Shouyi."
"This Zanpakuto was originally Grandpa Zhang Shantong's magical artifact, but he has already passed it down to my Yan family. Today, this junior has come to retrieve the sword to vanquish demons and eliminate evil!"
"I implore both elders to show mercy!"
The dragon and tiger heard Yan Shouyi's words and ceased their intimidation.
The dragon detached itself from the tiger and circled Yan Shouyi several times, as if scrutinizing whether this young man possessed the qualification to wield the Zanpakuto.
The tiger's face bore a surprisingly human-like sneer, appearing to hold Yan Shouyi in contempt.
Yan Shouyi was also amazed by these two highly characterful beings.
To be honest, he had seen tigers before, but never one that looked so fierce.
As for the dragon... he had never truly seen one.
Therefore, as the dragon appraised Yan Shouyi, Yan Shouyi also stared intently at the dragon.
At this, the tiger let out a heavy snort, and then spoke human words: "You cannot take this sword!"