Chapter 15, Mu Clan of Green Cloud Mountains

Translator: Raznick

 

Mist Province, Green Cloud Lake.

 

The Green Cloud Lake was a famous lake in the Mist Province of Jing Kingdom, its waters were green and blue like jade, the scenery was beautiful like a painting, and it was a place that many scholars liked to visit.

 

On the western shore of Green Cloud Lake lay a continuous chain of mountains, known as Green Cloud Mountains.

 

In the mountains, there was an area that was often shrouded in mist and clouds. If travelers accidentally venture into this region, they would typically spend several days trying to find their way out. Moreover, even after exiting, they were likely to fall seriously ill.

 

Over time, no one dared to venture in.

 

Ordinary people naturally didn’t know that the area covered by mist in this Green Cloud Mountain was the location of the Mu Clan, a cultivating clan from Mist Province.

 

The Mu Clan of Green Cloud Mountains, tracing its lineage back to the prestigious Green Lotus Monastery of the Jing Kingdom, originally consisted of ancestors who were outer sect disciples of the monastery. Through generations, many members of their clan achieved successful admissions into the Green Lotus Monastery to cultivate.

 

Nowadays, the Mu Clan not only had three Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators within their own ranks but also boasts two more of the same level in the Green Lotus Monastery. Among these, one was even an acknowledged disciple of a Golden Core Stage cultivator from Green Lotus Monastery.

 

Therefore, within the entire Mist Province, the Mu Clan was also a relatively renowned cultivation clan.

 

But the Mu Clan, after all, was merely an emerging clan with a history of no more than three hundred and sixty years. While they might have had some luck in producing several Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators in succession, their resources and foundation paled in comparison to those ancient clans that have produced high-grade cultivators or had been passed down for millennia.

 

The four main proffession of cultivators—alchemy, artifacts, talismans, and arrays—were manageable, especially since the Mu Clan had connections at Green Lotus Monastery, making it possible to obtain some foundational teachings.

 

As for the art of taming beasts, even within the Green Lotus Monastery, there wasn’t much inheritance.

 

Furthermore, this path differs from the other four. One couldn’t experiment with materials to gain experience.

 

Therefore, when the Zhou Clan came knocking, offering to help cultivate talent skilled in the art of beast taming in exchange for the Mu Clan’s friendship, the several Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators from the Mu Clan agreed after less than half a day’s contemplation.

 

Zhou Chun had prepared for five days on the Ganoderma Peak after receiving his mission. Today, he was personally escorted to the Mu Clan’s Green Cloud Mountains by Zhou Daoquan, one of the three Elders of the Zhou Clan.

 

“Fellow Daoist Zhou, this is the cultivating ground arranged by our Mu Clan for you. If you have any instructions or needs in the future, just let Ziying know. She resides in that courtyard over there.”

 

The landscape of the picturesque Green Cloud Mountain featured a standalone courtyard. Outside this secluded residence, Zhou Chun and two Mu Clan cultivators stood together, assessing the place that would be their home for the next three years.

 

At this point, Zhou Daoquan, the third elder of the Zhou Clan, had already left. He had also met several Foundation Establishment cultivators and some core clan members of the Mu Clan, effectively making his presence known within the Mu household.

 

Meanwhile, the Mu Clan cultivator introducing him to the situation was none other than Mu Yunshan, a core clan member of the Mu Clan.

 

Next to him was a beautiful girl dressed in purple robes—Ziying, one of the Mu Clan members Zhou Chun intended to teach beast taming.

 

After sizing up the place, Zhou Chun nodded politely towards Mu Yunsan and said, “Thank you, Fellow Daoist Mu. I’m quite pleased with this location.”

 

Mu Yunshan, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but smile faintly and said, “If Fellow Daoist Zhou is satisfied, then we won’t disturb your rest any further. Farewell.”

 

Then, he left together with Mu Ziying.

 

Zhou Chun, upon seeing this, immediately entered the courtyard and closed the gate. Then he gently tapped his waist pouch that contained a spirit beast, awakening the Rock Turtle inside.

 

“Stone, this will be your new home from now on. Remember not to wander off or leave the house; otherwise, I’ll feed you chili!”

 

Looking at the Rock Turtle on the ground, still timid and cautious in this unfamiliar place, keeping its head partially hidden, Zhou Chun sternly reprimanded it.

 

He had no choice. When he was at Zhou’s place, this guy once bit through his garden gate and ran around outside, letting himself off.

 

But this wasn’t the Zhou Clan. If this guy escaped and got discovered by a Mu Clan cultivator, he’d probably be killed.

 

Indeed, upon hearing chili, the Rock Turtle instantly retracted its head completely into its shell, frightened.

 

Although it could eat anything and digest everything, it didn’t mean that it wasn’t vulnerable to certain special foods.

 

And a fruit called Searing Fruit which was several times hotter than the hottest chili Zhou Chun had ever encountered in her previous life, became the perfect thing for Zhou Chun to discipline and scare Rock Turtle with.

 

Just feed this little creature a few Searing Fruits and even though it’s normally averse to getting close to a pond, it’d immediately dart into the water and drink greedily.

 

So using this to warn it worked every time.

 

Thus, Zhou Chun quickly settled down at the Mu Clan residence.

 

Compared to Zhou’s place, he was actually much freer at Mu’s.

 

In addition to teaching five Mu Clan cultivators, including Mu Ziying, for four hours a day, the rest of his time was at his leisure. Moreover, he might even request a Mu Clan cultivator to escort him on outings to the nearby mortal city.

 

It was a pity he couldn’t enter the Mu Clan’s library; otherwise, it would have been even better.

 

Because of more free time, Zhou Chun, in addition to daily cultivation, decided to spend extra time practicing mystical arts.

 

The cultivation world had a vast array of magic arts, but most revolved around the five elements – metal, wood, water, fire, and earth – and the three uncommon elements – wind, lightning, and ice.

 

According to each person’s cultivation, type of spirit root, nature of their cultivation method, and differing levels of perception, the speed at which they mastered mystical arts varied greatly.

 

Zhou Chun’s cultivation method was only suitable for cultivating inferior first-grade mystical arts and average first-grade mystical arts.

 

Moreover, due to his tendency towards the metal, earth, and wood attributes in his spirit roots, he found it easier to cultivate their respective mystical arts with their potency also being enhanced accordingly.

 

Zhou Chun, up until now, had mastered over twenty types of magic, but the majority of them were inferior first-grade mystical arts with very low power.

 

This time, when he came to assist the Mu Clan as a teacher, Clan Leader Zhou Mingde probably guessed that he would have plenty of free time. Before departure, he specially gave him a handwritten copy of Tips on First-grade Mystical Arts.

 

It recorded more than a hundred methods for cultivating first-grade mystical arts and the experiences and insights of senior cultivators in improving them.

 

Zhou Chun, having the time now and not wishing to let Clan Chief Zhou Mingde’s earnest hopes go unfulfilled, immediately selected several mystical arts that were powerful and had excellent practical effects as his objects of cultivation and began his practice in earnest.

 

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Chun had spent half a year at the Mu Clan on Green Cloud Mountain.

 

One day, he was diligently practicing a first-grade mystical art called Wood Armor in the courtyard of his residence. Suddenly, the courtyard door was pounded heavily from outside, accompanied by Mu Ziying’s anxious shouts.

 

This made him panic, and he quickly stopped training, opening the door to let the person in.

 

“This is bad, really bad! Fellow Daoist Zhou, you must hurry and take a look! The Black Scaled Steeds in the beast enclosure have suddenly collapsed, frothing at the mouth!”

 

The door had hardly opened when Mu Ziying grabbed Zhou Chun’s arm tightly, her expression one of panic and disarray, pulling him outwards in a desperate dash.

 

Zhou Chun saw this, slightly frowned, but didn’t say much. He just followed her all the way to the Mu Clan’s beast enclosure.

 

Compared to Zhou Clan’s variety of spiritual beasts, Mu Clan’s beast enclosure had very few, only a handful.

 

Mu Ziying’s mention of the Black Scaled Steed referred precisely to a type of spirit beast that held the utmost importance for the Mu Clan.

 

The Black Scaled Steed was a first-grade demon beast bred and tamed for transport.

 

The creature had a horse’s body and a donkey’s head, but its size surpassed that of any fine steed. It was sixteen feet in length and over seven feet tall, with each hoof covered in black scales as it lifted them up, giving it an awe-inspiring appearance of great might and grandeur.

 

The Black Scaled Steed had a fierce and vigilant nature, feeding on both meat and grass. It could traverse mountains and ridges, cross rivers and streams, traveling thousands of miles in a day. Even the fiercest wolves, tigers, and leopards stayed clear.

 

If it could be raised to superior first-grade, it could awaken the Soaring Art skill. At that time, when galloping, each hoof carried the wind, and one could travel three thousand miles a day.

 

A cultivator who had such a spirit beast to ride when going out could not only save their own spiritual power but also travel quickly, and even prove an adequate early warning system.

 

Zhou Clan originally also bred twenty or thirty Black Scaled Steeds, but during the split of the Three Absolute Sect, they were all taken by the Spirit Beast Manor, leaving Zhou Clan members to rely on their own legs for travel. It was quite ironic when you think about it.

 

At this moment, when Zhou Chun arrived at the beast enclosure with Mu Ziying, he saw all eight Black Scaled Steeds of the Mu Clan lying within the animal pens, their bodies convulsing uncontrollably and foam streaming from their mouths.

 

Several core clan members of the Mu Clan who had come upon the news, along with the Mu Clan servants responsible for tending them were now as anxious as ants on a hot pot, drenched in sweat.

 

Upon seeing Mu Ziying bring Zhou Chun, Mu Yunshan, a core member of the Mu Clan who had previously hosted Zhou Chun, quickly stepped forward and gripped his shoulder, saying, “Fellow Daoist Zhou, you’ve finally arrived. Your clan is an expert in beast taming; do you know what illness has befallen the Black Scale Steeds?”

 

“Fellow Daoist Mu, please don’t worry. Let me take a look first.”

 

Zhou Chun spoke, then pushed aside Mu Yunsan’s arm and walked into the beast pen with a serious expression.