Who Let Him Cultivate？

Chapter 6: Senior Brother Dai, You Need to Calm Down

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou crouched in the dirt, wielding a priceless dagger like a common trowel. They buried the ladder’s base deep into the pit, stomping the earth flat to ensure absolute structural integrity.

Lu Yang delivered a testing kick to the timber. It didn’t yield a fraction of an inch; instead, the reverberation sent a dull ache shooting up his right leg.

“Good, very sturdy. I’ll try it first. If it holds, you follow.”

“No problem,” Meng Jingzhou nodded.

Lu Yang rubbed his palms together, taking the rungs two at a time with practiced agility. But as he reached the ninety-degree bend—suspended exactly parallel to the fiftieth step—a cold realization hit him. *Oh, hell.*

Forcing his gaze forward and strictly ignoring the dizzying drop below, he flattened himself against the wood, inching forward with the undignified grace of a giant caterpillar.

Below, the struggling disciples craned their necks, their jaws slackening in sheer disbelief as they watched Lu Yang steadily bypass the trial.

What in the heavens were they looking at? A colossal wooden monstrosity jutted from the earth, bending at a sharp right angle to deposit its user directly at the finish line: the fiftieth step.

They had seen Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou constructing the ladder at the base of the mountain, but they hadn’t thought much of it. They had nearly coughed up blood just to reach the fortieth step. Descending to investigate the duo’s apparent madness would mean sacrificing all their hard-earned progress. They simply didn’t have the strength to climb back up; abandoning their spot meant absolute failure.

Man Gu, the undisputed vanguard of the group, had clawed his way to the forty-ninth step. Yet the fiftieth loomed before him like an unbridgeable abyss. The spiritual pressure was a physical weight, a mountain grinding his bones to dust.

And then, through bloodshot eyes, he watched helplessly as Lu Yang literally crawled past him through the air to flop onto the fiftieth step.

Lu Yang had cleared the trial. Safe, sound, and thoroughly unscathed.

Meng Jingzhou scrambled up right behind him.

First and second place had officially been claimed.

…

Meanwhile, beyond the perimeter of the Mountain of Mind Questioning, the disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect had descended into absolute chaos.

“Unhand me! I am going to teach those two a lesson they will never forget! I promise I won’t kill them!” Senior Brother Dai Bufan roared. His muscles bulged with such furious spiritual energy he looked like a rabid bear robbed of its winter honey.

A swarm of junior brothers and sisters desperately clung to his limbs, trying to anchor him down.

“Senior Brother Dai, you can’t strike them!”

“Senior Brother Dai, please, you must calm down!”

“If word gets out that we maimed the trial participants, the Dao Seeking Sect’s reputation will be dragged through the mud!”

“Bullying the weak is beneath you, Senior Brother!”

“Senior Brother Dai, have you forgotten? The third trial is a test of the Dao-seeking heart. You absolutely must not give in to wrath!”

That final sentence struck a chord. Dai Bufan took a ragged breath, forcing his surging spiritual energy to settle.

*Yes. The third trial is a test of the Dao-seeking heart. Such explosive anger is detrimental to my future cultivation.*

He paused, his eyes widening. “…Wait a minute. The third trial is testing *them*, not *me*!”

The Dao Seeking Sect disciples erupted into a fresh wave of panicked screaming and wrestling.

Observing this utter breakdown from afar, the River Spirit suddenly felt a profound sense of inner peace. It quietly sank back into the depths of the water, deciding it no longer needed to seek revenge on those two lunatics.

…

Perhaps spurred by the sheer audacity of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou’s “teamwork,” the remaining disciples found a second wind. Howling with renewed, desperate vigor, they threw themselves against the crushing pressure and finally breached the fiftieth step.

Man Gu was the first to break through, followed by a handful of strangers whose unique bone structures Lu Yang couldn’t quite identify. Bringing up the rear were a few dual-spiritual root candidates Lu Yang recognized from earlier.

Those left behind strained against the invisible weight, but their bodies refused to yield another inch. A few even entertained the humiliating idea of descending the mountain just to use Lu Yang’s wooden bypass. Unfortunately, retreating required enduring the exact same crushing pressure. They were entirely paralyzed, trapped between steps.

“The third trial has concluded. Those remaining on the mountain are disqualified,” Yun Zhi announced. Her voice was a cold, crystalline chime that cut through the heavy air. She gestured for Dai Bufan to retrieve the failures.

The Mountain of Mind Questioning’s absolute law—stripping all entrants of their cultivation and reducing them to mere mortals—was an immutable force. Not even a powerhouse like Dai Bufan could bypass it. To fish the disqualified candidates off the slope, he had to physically climb the mountain, bearing the brunt of its oppressive aura.

Dai Bufan shot Lu Yang a glare so venomous it could have melted steel, then began his ascent.

He moved with terrifying grace, his expression utterly serene as he glided up the fifty steps without breaking a single bead of sweat.

The newly minted disciples, still gasping for air and trembling from their own agonizing climbs, watched Dai Bufan’s effortless stroll in sheer bewilderment. The contrast was staggering.

“There is nothing difficult to understand,” Yun Zhi said, her tone flat and ethereal. “You are merely fourteen or fifteen years of age. Even with the backing of powerful clans and early exposure to Cultivation, your understanding is but the moon’s reflection in water, a flower in a mirror. It is illusory. You lack the lived experience to truly comprehend the Dao, or what it means to be an immortal.”

“Cultivation of the body is also cultivation of the heart. Once your Dao heart is tempered, scaling the Mountain of Mind Questioning will be as simple as breathing.”

Then, as if suddenly recalling a minor administrative duty, she added a symbolic, deadpan addendum: “Congratulations on becoming disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect.”

Yun Zhi swept her slender hand through the air. The silver bell at her wrist let out a crisp *tink*, and a dense, pearlescent mist immediately surged from the earth. The vapor coalesced into solid clouds, gently lifting the victorious disciples into the sky.

Lu Yang stood frozen on his personal cloud, watching the solid ground plummet away beneath him. A cold sweat slicked his palms, and his inner ear staged a violent rebellion. He swallowed hard, his heart hammering wildly against his ribs.

*Mother of mercy, Cultivation is terrifying.*

Standing effortlessly at the vanguard of the cloud formation, Yun Zhi glanced down at the junior disciples tasked with the cleanup. “You have worked hard today. Once the grounds are cleared, you may return to your own affairs.”

“Yes, Senior Sister!” they chorused.

Immediately, a rhythmic chant of *”Heave, ho! Heave, ho!”* echoed up from the mountain as the juniors began the arduous task of dismantling Lu Yang’s architectural masterpiece.

After all, leaving a giant wooden ladder bolted to the sacred Mountain of Mind Questioning was simply bad for the Sect’s image.

Up in the sky, Lu Yang had his eyes squeezed shut in a desperate bid for survival. But as the excited chatter of his peers washed over him, praising the breathtaking scenery, his curiosity finally overpowered his vertigo. He cracked an eye open—and was instantly paralyzed by the sheer majesty of the sight.

A colossal peak anchored the center of the world, its sheer cliff faces rising thousands of feet to pierce the heavens. Its four sides were impossibly steep and perfectly vertical, resembling a peerless immortal sword thrust into the earth—an imposing, world-shattering monument. Eight surrounding mountains, each radiating its own wondrous, ancient aura, stood in reverence around this central titan. Further out, endless layers of undulating mountain ranges formed a protective ring around the nine core peaks.

The overlapping ranges bloomed outward like the petals of a colossal, world-spanning lotus. It was a sight that seized the soul.

A hazy, iridescent mist draped over the nine peaks, cloaking them in an aura of profound mystery.

“The core of the Dao Seeking Sect consists of nine peaks,” Yun Zhi explained, her voice carrying effortlessly over the rushing wind. “The central mountain is the domain of the Sect Leader. It is known as Heavenly Gate Peak. The surrounding eight peaks belong to the eight Elders. Each Elder possesses a unique mastery, and thus, their respective peaks serve entirely different functions.”

“Beyond the core, the outer mountains vary. Some are Sect trial grounds, some are extensions of the Elders’ domains, and others are designated cultivation sites for ordinary disciples. There are also perilous forbidden zones where insufficient cultivation will result in the immediate dissipation of your soul and Dao… The intricacies cannot be explained in a few mere words. You will have ample time to explore them yourselves.”

“The path of Cultivation hinges upon the concept of *fate*. For the next month, you are granted free rein within the Dao Seeking Sect. You may wander the peaks, study in the Scripture Pavilion, or seek guidance from senior brothers and Elders. All is permitted.”

“When the month concludes, you must select an Elder to be your master. Naturally, this is contingent upon the Elder actually agreeing to take you in.”

Man Gu, never one to filter his thoughts, immediately raised a hand. “Are we restricted to choosing an Elder? Can we choose the Sect Leader?”

“You may,” Yun Zhi replied. “However, the Sect Leader has historically despised the act of teaching disciples. Your chances of success are infinitesimally small.”

Despite her blunt warning, a fiery ambition ignited in the eyes of many present.

The Dao Seeking Sect was exalted as one of the five great immortal sects of the Central Continent. Its Sect Leader held a transcendent status, wielding unquestionable, world-shaking power with scarcely a rival in the entire cultivation realm. To be taken under the wing of such a supreme expert would guarantee a lifetime of unimaginable fortune, both overt and hidden.

“Shortly, guides will arrive to escort you to your respective cave dwellings,” Yun Zhi concluded.

She paused, her gaze shifting to single out two specific individuals.

“Lu Yang. Meng Jingzhou. The two of you will stay behind.”