The Choice

Shaohua Mountain, Daomen Peak. Qin Sang did not have many acquaintances. After bidding farewell to Shopkeeper Wu at the Wenyue Cultivation Market, he came to Daomen Peak to say goodbye to Senior Brother Wen. To Qin Sang, Senior Brother Wen was both a mentor and a friend. Having no master of his own, Qin Sang had once known little even about common knowledge in the cultivation world, but whenever he sought guidance from Senior Brother Wen, he had always received answers. Reflecting on it now, their friendship had actually begun over two middle-grade spirit stones—a realization that never failed to draw a wry smile. "I never expected that so soon after successfully establishing your foundation, you would volunteer to enter the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Such courage puts this senior brother to shame," Senior Brother Wen remarked with deep emotion, raising his teacup. "In place of wine, I offer this tea to see you off, Junior Brother Qin." Qin Sang smiled wryly. Were it not for the requirements of his cultivation method, if he could simply hole up in a cave dwelling, cultivate in seclusion, and watch his cultivation soar until he achieved Core Formation, why would he ever willingly place himself in danger? Drinking the tea, Qin Sang cupped his hands in salute to Senior Brother Wen, then took to his flying sword and headed for Sect Master Peak. By now, dozens of cultivators had gathered atop Sect Master Peak. Among them were Shaohua Mountain disciples as well as members of cultivation clans affiliated with the sect. This was not the full headcount; it was still early, and not everyone had arrived yet. Most were in the Qi Refinement stage, though there were also Foundation Establishment cultivators; all were individuals soon to set out for the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. The Qi Refinement cultivators were almost all at or above the tenth layer of Qi Refinement, and most looked visibly aged, at least forty or fifty years old. These were cultivators who had failed to break through to Foundation Establishment before age fifty, or felt they had no hope of doing so in time. Yet, unwilling to resign themselves to fate, they were heading to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield in search of opportunities to make one final gamble. There were also those whose path to immortality was already severed, yet were willing to risk their lives to amass cultivation resources for their descendants, determined to keep the younger generation from following in their footsteps. After all, perilous as the Ancient Immortal Battlefield was, it was also a treasure trove teeming with opportunities. Countless legends of cultivators defying heaven to rewrite their destinies circulated throughout the cultivation world. On this front, the Yuncang Great Marsh could not hold a candle to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Qin Sang brought down his sword light. The crowd turned their eyes toward him in unison. Qin Sang swept his gaze across the gathering. Seeing no familiar faces, he walked beneath a nearby tree, sat down cross-legged in meditation, and waited in silence. Seeing Qin Sang's aloof, unapproachable demeanor, several cultivators who had been itching to come over and introduce themselves abandoned the thought. Evidently, with departure looming, most people found it hard to stay calm. Some gathered in small clusters of three to five, whispering among themselves to vent the unease in their hearts. Qin Sang appeared to be meditating, but in truth, he had extended his spiritual sense to eavesdrop on their conversations. Although he had gathered as much information about the Ancient Immortal Battlefield as possible, omissions were inevitable; with an uncertain road ahead, the more thoroughly informed he was, the better. After listening for a while, Qin Sang shook his head imperceptibly. What these people discussed differed little from what he had already discovered. On second thought, it made sense: they were either Shaohua Mountain disciples or members of clans affiliated with the sect, and their information channels all ran through Shaohua Mountain, so overlap was hardly surprising. Deciding not to waste any more effort, Qin Sang drew back his spiritual sense. Just then, a whistling sound cut through the air. Looking up, he saw an escape light speeding toward them. Judging by its aura, the newcomer was likely a Foundation Establishment cultivator—and the light looked somewhat familiar. *Whoosh!* The escape light came to an abrupt halt before Sect Master Peak, descending onto a stone path to reveal the figure of a middle-aged cultivator. To Qin Sang's surprise, it was none other than Yu Daiyue! Due to the unexpected deaths of the three fellow Foundation Establishment disciples who had accompanied them, the two had been questioned separately by the Disciplinary Hall upon returning from the Heavenly Corpse Sect branch altar. Since then, Qin Sang had not seen Yu Daiyue again. Reunited now, Qin Sang noticed that Yu Daiyue looked noticeably older than when they had parted. Only a little over a year had passed; how could such a dramatic change occur in a Foundation Establishment cultivator? Yu Daiyue's brows were furrowed involuntarily, a shadow of gloom hanging over his face as though burdened by some insoluble dilemma. He walked forward with heavy steps. Along the way, a few acquaintances called out greetings, but he merely nodded and exchanged a few perfunctory words. Yu Daiyue coming to Sect Master Peak now—was he also going to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield? He had never mentioned it before. Since they had crossed paths, Qin Sang took the initiative to rise and greeted him, "Senior Brother Yu." "Junior Brother Qin?" Startled by Qin Sang's presence, Yu Daiyue let out a soft exclamation of surprise and asked, looking astonished, "Junior Brother Qin, are you... are you also heading to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield?" Qin Sang gave an affirmative hum and asked in return, "Senior Brother Yu is going to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield as well, I presume? It seems we can travel together once again." Yu Daiyue looked puzzled. "If I recall correctly, you are not very old, Junior Brother Qin?" Qin Sang nodded. "Just past forty." "Then why must you..." Yu Daiyue suddenly remembered Qin Sang's aptitude. Moreover, understanding that each person walked their own path, he trailed off mid-sentence and shifted his tone: "I have wasted so much time in the early Foundation Establishment stage, and failed to find an opportunity for a breakthrough even in the subterranean cavern. If I don't take a gamble in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, my cultivation path will likely come to a dead end. Traveling with you, Junior Brother Qin, is an unexpected pleasant surprise. What plans do you have after we arrive?" Qin Sang replied uncertainly, "I have yet to make up my mind. Have you decided, Senior Brother Yu?" Xuanlu Pass was co-governed by Shaohua Mountain, the Taiyi Dan Sect, and the Shangyuan Qingjing Palace, with Shaohua Mountain holding a one-third say. It was said that sect disciples had two best options upon entering Xuanlu Pass. The first was joining the Xuanlu Pass garrison to guard the pass. Given Qin Sang's cultivation, he would be at least a squad leader. There were many benefits to joining the garrison. Although one would frequently enter the Ancient Immortal Battlefield to hunt cloud beasts and carry out similar duties, each excursion would be in the company of fellow guards rather than going it alone, making it far less dangerous. Moreover, the sect would provide a cave dwelling within the city free of charge, along with a handsome stipend. The other option offered greater freedom. In Xuanlu Pass, there were inevitably covert missions that required discretion, or expeditions deep into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Such tasks carried a certain degree of danger, and a group of dependable sect disciples was dedicated to undertaking them—known as the Shadow Guards. Upon joining the Shadow Guards, one would be assigned at most one mission every five years; if no mission was assigned within that five-year span, one was completely free. Once a mission was assigned, however, it could not be refused without justifiable cause, under penalty of being treated as betrayal of the sect. Naturally, when assigning missions, the sect would also take into account the strength of each Shadow Guard and would not force them to take on duties beyond their capabilities. Even so, nothing in this world was foolproof, especially in the peril-ridden Ancient Immortal Battlefield, where safety could never be guaranteed. The sect's support for the Shadow Guards was by no means small, but how much reward one could obtain depended on what accomplishments one achieved during the missions. Of course, one could also choose to do nothing, or even break contact with the sect entirely and explore the Ancient Immortal Battlefield alone like the rogue cultivators. Without the constraints of sect duties, however, one could forget about receiving any sect support. Without formidable strength to back oneself up, every step in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield would inevitably be fraught with difficulty. Hearing is hollow, but seeing is believing. Qin Sang decided to wait until he arrived at Xuanlu Pass and saw things with his own eyes before making his decision.