Hours bled together, marked only by the burning in his muscles and the slow, steady rhythm of his breathing technique. The mist swirled, thick and ghostly, playing tricks on his mind. He saw faces in the vapor that dissolved when he blinked.
Then, a sound cut through the monotonous roar of the wind. Not a natural sound.
Shiiing.
A faint, metallic ring, cold and pure, like celestial steel kissing stone. It was brief, coming from high above, and then it was gone.
Wang Chen froze, flattening himself against the cliff face. His senses, sharpened to a razor's edge, strained.
Someone else is here.
The realization sent a jolt through him that was equal parts trepidation and excitement. He was not alone in this ascent.
He climbed faster, more urgently. The system, which had been quiet during the pure physical exertion, hummed back to life.
-Environmental Data Logged: Auditory Signature - High-Frequency Metal Resonance.-
-Analysis: Probable origin - Cultivation Weapon. Proficiency: High.-
A weapon. A skilled user. His mind flashed back to the visions in the valley, the girl with the blade. Was it her?
Pushing onward, he found more than just echoes. On a particularly wide ledge, a massive boulder, easily twice his height, sat split cleanly down the middle. The cut was smooth, precise, as if made by a single, devastating stroke. No natural erosion could create such a perfect line. The sheer power and control it implied was staggering.
-Analysis of Stone Fracture: Clean, single-impact shearing. Qi Residuals Detected. Cultivator Strength: Estimated Qi Adept (Peak) or higher.-
Whoever had done this was far ahead of him, and powerful.
Exhaustion, both physical and mental, eventually forced him to seek shelter in a narrow alcove. He collapsed inside, his body trembling with fatigue. For a long time, he simply lay there, listening to the vast, suffocating silence of the mountain.
Then he heard it again. Not the ring of steel, but a low, steady hum. It was a resonant sound, deep and controlled. It wasn't the wind. It was breath. A measured, deliberate cultivation rhythm.
Someone was nearby, hidden in the mist, and they were meditating, gathering their strength with a calm assurance that spoke of immense discipline.
-Multiple Cultivator Signatures Confirmed.-
-Hypothesis: The mountain is a confluence point. It draws talents.-
He was not just climbing for treasure or power anymore. He was climbing to meet his peers. His future rivals, or perhaps, his allies.
Fists clenched in the dark, he made a new vow. "I will not fall behind. Whoever you are… I will climb until I stand beside you."
At what might have been dawn, a pale light struggled to pierce the haze. Wang Chen rose, every muscle protesting, and stepped back onto the cliff's edge. The path was still there, leading ever upward.
Higher. Always higher.