Zhang Chen stood among the crowd, listening for a while and finally understood that the so-called ’medicine boys’ were not a good assignment. Of all those selected to be medicine boys, none had ever returned after entering the great mountains.
But now Zhang Chen was not most concerned about whether the medicine boys survived, but whether this Queen Mother of the West was the Queen Mother of the West from his memory.
Or, perhaps, what relationship does she have with the Queen Mother of the West from his memory?
A hint of surprise appeared in Zhang Chen’s eyes, then he looked into the distance, his gaze full of amazement, as countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Seeing the tribe’s people’s panicked faces, Zhang Chen couldn’t help but feel that the so-called medicine boys were not a good place.
"I heard people say that once you become a medicine boy, you’ll be chosen as a child for testing medicine in Kunlun Mountain, and if you’re not careful, you’ll be poisoned to death by those pills. My child cannot go to be a medicine boy." Someone exclaimed at this moment, their face full of horror.
"Indeed, I heard people say that under the cliffs on the western side of Kunlun Mountain, there are piles of white bones, all of them medicine boys who died from the pills."
"West Kunlun recruits tens of thousands of medicine boys every year, just like this year after year, it’s simply feeding on people!"
...
The whispered conversations of the crowd made Zhang Chen’s heart tremble wildly. Tens of thousands of medicine boys recruited every year? And it’s been like this for years? How many medicine boys has Kunlun Mountain recruited?
"Uncle, how long has Kunlun Mountain been recruiting medicine boys?" Zhang Chen asked the man beside him.
The man looked at Zhang Chen, his gaze making Zhang Chen’s heart flutter: "For tens of thousands of years, every year like clockwork."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen’s face froze: tens of thousands of years?
Kunlun Mountain would have long been overcrowded, yet now Kunlun Mountain was still barren and lonely, which seemed very eerie, didn’t it?
"Kunlun Mountain is not a good place; I should find a place to regain my magical power, then master my divine techniques, and then think about exploring the depths of Kunlun Mountain." Zhang Chen thought of retreating, even though Kunlun Mountain shared the same name as the mythical Ancient Divine Mountain, he had no intention of joining the excitement.
Even if he were to seek excitement, he should wait for the right moment when he had the power to protect himself.
Yet Zhang Chen, a fatherless, motherless, unsupported child, had no qualifications to choose.
Before he could think about how to dodge disaster, he saw a man land a hand on his shoulder: "Kid, you’ve been selected, come with us, you’re one of the three hundred children’s quota."
The man was tall and strong, with flowing Qi Blood emanating from his body, clearly having traveled far on this path.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen was silent, the man shouted at Zhang Chen: "Follow me!"
Zhang Chen took a deep breath and had no choice but to follow behind the man, his face full of helplessness. After all, as an orphan with no background, being selected was not surprising at all.
He was now wondering whether to seize the opportunity to escape, but Zhang Chen quickly dismissed that notion. If he wanted to escape, he would need the power to survive. His body had no Bloodline Power, and his magical power had yet to coalesce, how would he live after escaping?
In this wilderness of the primeval forest, he’d only become a snack for wild beasts.
"No matter what dangers lie on Kunlun Mountain, at least for me, there’s a little buffer time to try to cultivate magical power as quickly as possible." Zhang Chen chose to follow behind the man, his eyes full of helplessness.
As the man kept selecting children one by one, Zhang Chen realized that the chosen children were all orphans or those who had lost their support.
It made sense; how could children with active parents be allowed to be taken to Kunlun Mountain?
The mortality rate in primitive tribes was high, and although three hundred children were a considerable number, it wasn’t difficult to gather that many.
Soon, a group was selected and thirty more men, armed with sticks, escorted a group of children into the deep forest.
This tribe lived at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, and even while accommodating the children’s pace, after two days the group had arrived at the foot of Kunlun Mountain.
During these two days, Zhang Chen attempted to refine essence into Qi. He had already cultivated the Primordial Spirit, and cultivating magical power wasn’t too difficult for him. A hint of Qi sensing had already appeared in his Dantian.
Upon arriving at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, a thread of Qi Mechanism had already appeared in Zhang Chen’s Dantian. However, even with the Qi Mechanism, he still couldn’t perform divine techniques; Qi Mechanism was not magical power. Only by utilizing the Qi Mechanism to draw Sun and Moon Essence and Heaven and Earth Xuanji could magical power be birthed.
Upon arriving at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, the place had already gathered tens of thousands of children. A group of children stood there, bewildered and panicked, like dolls.
In front of all the children stood a divine being twenty meters high in golden armor, and even its face was covered by golden armor.
The divine being stood motionless, like a statue, but the terrifying Divine Power emanating made people dare not offend it.
"Tenth Tier cultivator!" Zhang Chen could see through the divine being’s level, as although he had lost his magical power, his foundation remained.
Zhang Chen’s gaze swept over the Golden Armor Divine Being, then glanced at the crowd of children, passing over them without pause, and looked towards the massive mountain before him. A straight staircase avenue, made of white jade, ran directly from the foot of the mountain into the clouds above, obscuring what lay beyond.
The stairs were crafted from white jade, measuring several tens of meters wide, and every fifty meters, there stood a column thirty meters high, engraved with totems of dragons and phoenixes.
"It’s really quite grand," Zhang Chen murmured to himself.
"Clang~"
As he pondered, suddenly the call of a crane resounded through the sky. A white crane descended from the clouds, hovering above the crowd’s heads.
On the back of the white crane stood a figure in green clothing, surrounded by a green aura that obscured their features.
"Are all the children present?" The figure on the crane asked, speaking with a female voice.
"Reporting to Lady Biyun, the number of children is complete. Please verify, My Lady," a Divine Being adorned in golden armor stepped forward from the crowd, respectfully saluting the woman above.
"As per tradition, all children shall be taken into the mountain and taught the ways of tempering the physical body. In ten years, the Queen Mother will have great use for them," Lady Biyun instructed, and the white crane took off, transforming into a stream of light, disappearing into the sea of clouds.
The Golden Armor Divine Being turned to the thousands of children before him, "Listen well, all of you. What I am about to say concerns your future development. The first three hundred climbers will receive first-tier treatment. The first three thousand will receive second-tier treatment. The first thirty thousand will receive fourth-tier treatment. The last climber will receive the lowest treatment."
Having said this, the Golden Armor Divine Being stepped aside to clear the staircase avenue: "Begin the climb now!"
As for those who can’t make it up?
That’s not quite the case; in this primal era, even a child’s physical strength is two to three times that of an ordinary adult from later times. Climbing this sacred mountain is difficult but not impossible; it is simply a matter of time.
With the order from the Golden Armor Divine Being, countless children surged like a tide towards the mountain, desperately climbing the stairs.
Zhang Chen mingled in the middle of the crowd, following the main group, not too fast nor too slow, climbing towards the mountain peak. He was pondering whether to compete for a spot in the top three hundred.
After contemplating for a moment, Zhang Chen made up his mind: "I must compete for it. Since I’m here, I should do my utmost to survive in this place. Those in the top three hundred enjoy significantly more attention, and their chances of survival are higher."
With this thought, Zhang Chen began to accelerate, constantly sprinting up the stairs, overtaking child after child.
Within Zhang Chen, Qi Mechanism had already formed. Although it wasn’t Magical Power and couldn’t manifest the power of Divine Techniques, it alleviated the fatigue in his body, making him more enduring than ordinary children.
The vast mountain towering into the sky, Zhang Chen quickly overtook ninety-nine percent of the children. After a rough estimation, he found himself around the one hundred and fiftieth position, and he began consciously controlling his speed.
He wanted to secure a spot in the top three hundred but didn’t wish to draw too much attention. If he caught the unknown eye of the Queen Mother of the West, wouldn’t it be asking for trouble once he refined his Magical Power?
A group of children, using all their might, continued to climb the mountain, gradually pulling apart from the main group.
About two hours later, Zhang Chen arrived beneath the clouds. Not far from the mist, he paused, looked around in all directions, and couldn’t help but be taken aback.
His eyesight was excellent, and in an instant, he discerned glimpses. Though the mountains’ contours differed somewhat from those in later times, they also bore some similarities.
He unexpectedly saw the shadow of the old turtle ridge in the mountain range before him.
"Indeed, my arrival in this era seems to have been influenced by that Ancient Divine Demon Tomb. Could that tomb actually be the Queen Mother of the West’s grave?" Zhang Chen’s mind flickered with various thoughts.
After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Chen stopped looking around and resumed climbing.
Quickly, Zhang Chen stepped into the mist, losing sight of anything beyond ten steps. The mist condensed with moisture.
Zhang Chen slowed his pace, quickly moving along the stairs, continuing for another hour through the fog. Suddenly, the mist parted, and he found himself above the clouds, with an endless sea of clouds stretching out before him.
Looking up, he still couldn’t see the top of the mountain; a dark and indistinct form filled his vision.
"This mountain is incredibly high!"
Zhang Chen remarked. Although the view was breathtakingly beautiful, he only allowed himself a brief look before continuing up the stairs to carry on his ascent.
The Kunlun Mountain was exceedingly high, and as Zhang Chen climbed higher, cold air began circulating in the atmosphere. Luckily, Zhang Chen was wrapped in animal skins to keep himself warm.
Even a light rain began to fall in the mountain, adding even more chill to the air.
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