The "Three Thousand Great Mountains" does not actually refer to a precise count.
It is a symbolic figure, indicating an immense and inexhaustible quantity.
The Three Thousand Great Mountains span across the Lingxu Realm, occupying one-third of its area.
And the Lingyin Sect is situated near these majestic mountains, being one of the five major sects in the Yan Kingdom of the Lingxu Realm.
Fifty years ago, they launched a campaign and carved out Yunxi District within the Three Thousand Great Mountains.
"It's said that deep within the mountains, demon beasts of the Golden Core and Nascent Soul levels lie dormant."
"Yunxi District is rich in resources and relatively stable, but that's based on the premise of fewer foreign cultivators venturing deep into the mountains. If the demon beasts riot, it will be the most perilous place."
Chen Ye tread on the narrow winding path formed by those who came before, with aged white bones scattered everywhere and occasionally seeing a decaying corpse or two, making his heart race with unease.
In his previous life, he had never seen so many corpses!
The corpses bore traces of magic and sword marks.
Demon beasts were scarce at the outskirts; most of these cultivators were killed in ambushes by others.
Nearby Yunxi District, the Lingyin Sect still maintained order, but in the wilderness, with no one around, all relied on individual skills.
Ironically, within the Three Thousand Great Mountains, the threat of demon beasts is secondary; the real threat is often the demon hunter cultivators.
In the distance, the mountains stood tall, with deep and treacherous valleys.
The ridges stretched endlessly, resembling layers of blue smoke from afar.
The path extending into the mountains had grown with vigorous weeds, submerging his calves.
Occasionally, the rustling weeds made one unsure if it was the wind or an animal moving underneath.
Chen Ye's scalp tingled, this feeling of the unknown filled him with dread, fearing he might accidentally step on a demon snake.
But he understood that the cultivation realm would only grow more chaotic.
Born in adversity, die in comfort!
Chen Ye gritted his teeth, reluctantly unsheathed his iron sword.
Like a blind man feeling his way, he continuously probed the grass ahead with his iron sword.
As he ventured deeper, the lush trees obscured Chen Ye's view, as if entering a primordial forest.
From time to time, the cries of demon beasts echoed in the vast mountains.
Sounding like the cries of an infant, or the melodious call of a yellow oriole.
East one moment, west the next, north then south, near then far.
Unknown directions, unknown distances.
In the dense forest, Chen Ye's steps stiffened, casting his eyes around, only to see thriving woods.
It seemed that any moment, a demon beast might leap out from the trees.
"Can't go any further. Going further means encountering demon beasts, there's no order, these outer beasts are enough for practice."
Chen Ye cautiously halted his steps, continually wiping the sweat from his clammy palms.
...
The mountain wind swept through the withered branches, producing a sound like tearing silk.
Chen Ye crouched behind a beech tree, with half an inch of Geng Metal Qi condensed at his fingertips.
Three zhang away, a gray shadow darted; it was a plump rock hare gnawing on moss.
"Effective within ten steps..."
His straw garment was already soaked through with melted snow, the sharpness from chopping walls had now turned into hesitation.
Living things move, they escape, they launch desperate retaliations; they're not the same as an inanimate wall.
And that is one of the reasons Chen Ye came to the wilderness to practice.
The gray hare suddenly stood on its hind legs, its pink nose twitching as it turned to the left.
Chen Ye's expression sharpened as he swiftly activated the Geng Metal Qi, the sharp light brushed past the hare's ear and embedded into the rock wall, scattered stones startling the creature to lunge backward with all its might.
The second streak of golden light was hastily released, barely slicing off half the hare's tail, immediately causing a few crimson drops to splatter across the snow.
"Bad luck!"
Chen Ye spat out a mouthful of saliva, feeling extremely annoyed.
In truth, since mastering the Geng Metal Technique, he had become expertly proficient in this technique.
But just now, he became nervous and accidentally lost his aim.
Otherwise, he could have certainly killed it with one strike!
Just as Chen Ye was about to get up and pursue, he suddenly heard the sound of snapping twigs coming from the southeast.
He immediately crouched low, hiding amongst the shrubs.
Two masked cultivators walked together, the leader with a blood-dripping sack hanging from his waist.
Upon seeing this scene, Chen Ye held his breath, cold sweat instantly covering his back.
"There was movement around here, I can smell blood in the air."
The tall, thin man twitched his nose, catching the scent of the rock hare's blood, his gaze sweeping around the area.
"There are many cultivators around here, let's not bother with it."
The cultivator with the burlap sack kicked away the frozen crow's carcass at his feet, walking hastily,
"We must hurry to the ravine to the east and guard it, today we must intercept those outsiders who are here to gather the Ice Soul Grass!"
The two left without surprise, heading straight away,
When their aura had retreated far away, Chen Ye shook off the pine needles covering his head, feeling a lingering fear.
"This time, I was still too reckless, it would have been safer to find someone familiar to accompany me."
He shook his head with a wry smile, and suddenly discovered the injured rock rabbit curled up in a tree hole five steps away, trembling and staring with red eyes at the direction where the two cultivators had left.
This time Chen Ye operated the Evergreen Technique to harmonize his meridians, the Geng Metal Qi condensed like a fine needle, accurately piercing the rabbit's eye.
He tied the rabbit's legs with a grass rope and hung the rock rabbit on his back.
Cautiously changing to another location, he continued to search carefully for nearby living creatures to practice the Geng Metal Technique.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Next, the golden streaks of Qi gathered more rapidly, ceaselessly harvesting the small animals' lives in this forest.
Chen Ye was amazed to find that proficiency growth was not just a simple improvement in realm.
But rather, with each exercise, it continuously infused him with experience and insights.
Chen Ye played with great enthusiasm.
Initially, he was very nervous, worried about attracting Tribulation Cultivators.
But later, when he encountered ones and twos of Loose Cultivators, they did not have any conflicts and coexisted peacefully.
It was then that Chen Ye realized he had been overly anxious before.
The cultivators around here basically lived on a livelihood in Yunxi District, generally not killing randomly.
Especially considering this place was still on the outskirts of the Three Thousand Great Mountains, with many passersby, it was not an uninhabited land.
Moreover, killing someone is not an easy task, who knows what means the other might have?
Even if you manage to kill them, it might not bring you any benefit.
Ordinary cultivators traveling outside won't carry their valuables with them to prevent being killed and benefiting others.
The sun set in the west, and the rain and snow grew heavier.
Countless small animals had lost their lives at Chen Ye's hands.
Despite being engrossed in practice, Chen Ye always kept half of his spiritual power, alternating between resting and practicing, slowing down his efficiency.
He roughly estimated that his full spiritual power could allow him to perform the Geng Metal Technique ten times
"Hiss——"
A small hummingbird flitted by, flying through the forest at high speed.
As it passed over Chen Ye's head, the next moment, a streak of golden light suddenly pierced through its body.
Feathers splattered, and the hummingbird fell to the ground, twitching as it left a pool of fresh blood.
[Geng Metal Technique Perfection: 3/400]
A whole day of hard practice finally reached perfection!
Moreover, through continuous attempts, Chen Ye also discovered that while proficiency gained in practice was slightly higher, the time cost was equally greater.
But since the Geng Metal Technique reached perfection,
he could now nimbly twirl the Geng Metal Qi around his fingertips at any time, constantly improving his proficiency.
"The risks of practicing outside are too high, and it takes effort to find animals. I'd rather be steady and practice slowly by myself. The difference between the two isn't that big."
"The main issue is still the lack of spiritual power, and having to keep some in reserve just in case... If I had enough Qi Recovery Pills, I could just enjoy leveling up!"
Chen Ye felt helpless, a single Qi Recovery Pill cost one Spirit Stone, which he simply couldn't afford.
In the Cultivation Realm, the status of money was equally significant.
He gazed at the golden light on his fingertip, its color shifting from pale gold to gold, becoming sharper.
Within thirty meters, it had substantial lethality, piercing through tree trunks was a breeze!
This distance was not to be underestimated.
In his past life, trained shooters using pistols wouldn't achieve more than thirty percent accuracy on targets beyond thirty steps.
A Geng Metal Technique at Perfection level was equivalent to Chen Ye now having a handgun with hundred-percent accuracy!
Not to mention killing, but it was definitely more than enough for self-defense.
The mountain wind, mixed with ice shards, swept across Chen Ye's cheeks,
The hazy silhouette of the Three Thousand Great Mountains loomed in the snow mist, like a crouching beast baring its white fangs.
"It's getting dark, I must leave quickly. This damn weather, it's unbelievably cold..."
The white mist he exhaled instantly condensed on the collar of his raincoat, the Six Harmonies Boots bought from the market were now soaked with snow water, and with each step, he could feel the friction of ice chips between his toes.
Chen Ye warmed up his nearly frozen body, tightening the dead rabbit on his back, his steps now three times heavier than when he came.