Lily walked on the stone steps leading up the mountains, these steps were different from ordinary mountain roads. It did not have twists or turns, and was a straight path up the mountain and therefore steeper.
The road was surrounded by towering ancient trees, and mist lingered everywhere. Everything was filled with spirit energy as if this place was more than just a mountain forest.
But this massive mountain seemed to have eldritch energy, this was very rare even in the outer territories of the Heian world, but why did monsters not dare get close even though there were no defenses set up?
She continued to walk up and felt the height of this mountain really exceeded her expectations. Lily felt that she had already reached the height in between the mists and clouds. The further she walked, the more she felt a feeling of suppression.
Though she didn’t use her true power, she felt that her speed couldn’t be increased and it was more laborious than at the bottom of the mountain.
Continuously walking, it had already been half a night and the sky was gradually lighting up, the mist scattering the area was lit light blue, and Lily could still only see ancient towering trees all around her and there was still no sign of the top of the mountain.
Spotting three or four aspiring samurais in front of her, laboriously climbing the mountain.
This area was just a mountain range on the edge of the Izumo Mountain, an invitation scrolls not necessary to enter. Anyone could enter, but Lily was getting the feeling that without the strength of a spirit jade, it was impossible to reach this height, and even a spirit jade powerhouse would find it exhausting to climb here.
For example, the couple of people in front of her.
Walking forward, she could see more details. There were two young men in martial arts uniform, a middle aged man in a more expensive hunting robe and a female samurai in a short skirt.
Lily approached and asked, “Hello, can you tell me how far away is the top of the mountain?”
“How are…we…supposed…to know, we can’t reach the top…” The middle aged samurai panted.
“Eh? Is it that difficult to reach the top?” Lily asked?
“You should have felt it, the higher you climb, the stronger the suppression.”
“And, this is not a test of strength, but willpower.” One of the young men added, “My father said that different realms feel different levels of suppression, I heard a permanence staged adept will feel ten times the suppression we feel.”
As for the woman, she was too tired to talk.
“So it was like that…” Lily was now an early-staged permanence adept, so the suppression she was feeling was the corresponding test for early-staged permanence adepts…but where did this suppression come from? And how was it accomplished?
As expected of Izumo Mountain, the legendary land where immortals and gods gathered. Just the outermost mountain valleys were already so amazing.
“Everyone, do your best, I hope you can all climb to the top.” Lily said before accelerating her steps.
“Oi…….” They watched in disbelief Lily’s graceful but steady steps took into the mist.
“How? I…I’ve been climbing since I was 18 years old, I’m 42 now and I have never succeeded, nor have I ever seen someone climb so fast! That woman…” the middle aged samurai was stunned.
Though Lily was an early-staged permanence practitioner, her effective power was that of a throned sovereign. Her speed was naturally fast under the suppression corresponding to an early-staged permanence.
She could be even faster, if she didn’t feel that going too fast would be disrespectful to this sacred mountain.
With her increased speed, she could see the top after around 2 hours. The further she climbed, the more people encountered. Some were training besides the road, others were crawling, but rarely did she see any people going down the mountain. These samurais and adepts had all come here to challenge themselves, no one was willing to admit defeat.
Ahead, she could see a bright light in between the giant trees. Finally taking one last step, she had reached the top of the mountain!
Reaching the top, she saw a gigantic ancient statue in front of her. It was so huge it covered her view of half the skies.
But after stepping onto the mountain top, she could see the clear blue sky, the fluttering fluffy white clouds, and in the far distance, the many towering celestial mountains protruding from the sea of clouds. It had the feeling of a celestial realm.
Unlike Heian-kyo where it was gloomy even during daytime, this place was bright and sunny.
This mountain was a mesa, a giant flat top with a radius of several thousand meters. This was far beyond Lily’s imagination, and in the middle of that flat top was that gigantic ancient stone god statue, it took up at least half of the mesa.
This god statue was unimaginably big! She estimated that the distance around the bottom of the statue was at least ten thousand meters!
It was gigantic and towering, from the figure, it was a goddess statue and everything above the breasts were covered in clouds and mist. Even with her sharp eyes, nothing could be made out and when she attempted to detect with her domain, a powerful suppression fell on her, no detection methods could be used here.
Lily could feel that the origin of the suppression was this gigantic stone goddess statue. Judging from the proportions of the statue, this goddess was several thousand meters tall!
The aura it excluded was ancient and vast, within the aura was a feeling of maternal warmth, it was as if this goddess was the mother of the world. At the feet of the statue, many people were kneeling and worshiping, there were also some white clothed priests and mikos patrolling around.
Seeing her, a priest and a miko approached her.
“Congratulations on reaching the top miss,” the miko congratulated.
The priest notified Lily, “Everytime you climb this mountain, you can get one free hour of comprehension. If you want more time then you must either show me the Izumo Mountain Observation Token issued by the royal family or you must descend the mountain and climb again for another free hour. Within a year, you can only climb this mountain seven times, no matter how strong your willpower is, you won’t be able to climb up.”
Lily nodded, “I have this observation token, but that free one hour…”
“If you have an observation token then the free hour will be deducted first and then your token will be used.” The miko answered.
“Thank you, I understand.” Lily handed the token to the two to inspect.
“Ohh——this, this is the 12 day observation token!” The priest exclaimed surprised, “Miss, leave the token with us. You can proceed with the comprehension, when you leave we will give you scattered observation tokens for the remaining time. You can use them the next time you come here, of course if you use up all your time, there will be no observation token returned.”
“I understand, thank you.”
Lily approached the feet of the giant statue.
Walking closer to the giant statue, she could see only a wall of rock filled with extraordinary spirit fluctuations, a single toe could not be made out. Backing away, she knelt down away from the crowd.
Taking a few sips of water from her storage jade, Lily proceeded to adjust her breath and state of mind for comprehension.
“This is…” After comprehending a bit, she discovered that while the power the ancient goddess statue contained was boundless and majestic, it had no attribute nor true intent. Lily didn’t know what she was supposed to comprehend here.
Seeing a white haired old man a hundred meters away, he looked kind and good natured so Lily approached, bowed and asked. “Old uncle…can I ask what path we’re supposed to comprehend here? The energy is majestic and boundless but…”
Annoyed, the old man interrupted, “Don’t disturb me! Time is precious, look at me, I don’t have much time left and I’m only at the spirit jade stage, it’s almost all over for me!”
“Ah, I’m sorry…” Only then did Lily remember just how difficult it was for these adepts to reach here and gain enlightenment. Maybe this old man had worked really hard to get up here and only had a free hour here before having to go down.
“Sigh! You look young and cute, I won’t blame you.” The old man spoke up, “This Izumo statue has existed since ancient times and though under the control of the royal family, has existed long before the Heian-dynasty. Though people have been comprehending this statue for hundreds of years, no one has ever seen the true face of the goddess… I don’t have much time so I won’t say so much, but there is no specific path, yet contains ten thousand paths. I can only say this much, anything else will all depend on yourself.”
“Thank you old uncle!”
“Nn, right, stay further away. You’re young and beautiful, and wear such revealing clothes. You will affect my comprehension.1”
“Eeh?” Lily felt her face flush red. Ever since coming to this world, no one had ever shunned her because of her beauty and sexiness, she felt a sudden loss.
“That, I won’t disturb you——” Lily hastily bowed and retreated a hundred meters.
Adjusting her mood, Lily began to comprehend again.
“No specific path, yet containing ten thousand paths.”
What was this implying? An hour went by very fast, but Lily had not figured it out yet. Though she was skilled at the way of the moon and the way of seduction, this so-called ten thousand paths, Lily was unable to find a starting point.
“Exactly what is it?” Lily pondered before continuing.
“Hmm? Somehow I feel that spirit energy is more abundant here than down the mountain!”
Lily was also capable of absorbing the surrounding spirit energy to practice and refill her reserves, only it was generally too slow. As a blade maiden she could generally ignore this method, but her absorption of spirit energy was a hundred times faster here!
Even so, absorbing magatamas or anima was still faster than this hundred times absorption speed.
Why was there so much spirit energy here? And where did this spirit energy come from? Spirit energy… Lily’s eyes flashed with comprehension.
“Yet containing ten thousand paths?”
Was this not the origin of any adept’s power——Spirit Energy?
The fluctuations from this statue had no attribute, only vast, ancient spirit energy. This was where one could comprehend spirit energy, something that sounded simple yet was the basis of everything!
No one’s practice could be separated from spirit energy!
Comprehending the origin of spirit energy naturally included ten thousand paths, only the basics of spirit energy was almost always included in the beginning of secret manuals of spirit energy practice, for example, her Lunar Blossom. Then what deep meaning was hidden within the comprehension and enlightenment here?
Either way, she would follow this direction on her comprehension.
In a blink of an eye, Lily had stayed under the Izumo Mountain’s Giant Goddess Statue for a day and a night. At that moment, a black clad retainer ran into the Imperial Chancellor’s residence to report.
“Lord Imperial Chancellor! We have located Kagami Lily’s location!”
“What?” The Imperial Chancellor had been sleeping, but woke immediately, “Where?”
“A secret report came from the royal palace, today they discovered a woman looking like Kagami Lily comprehending beneath the Izumo Mountain’s Goddess Statue!”
“Izumo Mountain’s Goddess Statue? That’s right, she’s the competition’s champion and won an observation token! It really is her! Immediately summon everyone to meet in the rear hall!” His eyes turned vicious as he got up2.
