Chuxuan arrived at Longhu Mountain in the company of Old Celestial Master. Halfway up, they met a middle-aged man whom the Old Celestial Master introduced as Rongshan, his ninth disciple.
"Chuxuan, this is your Ninth Senior Brother. Let him take you up the mountain first; I'm going to go visit an old friend of mine."
With that, the Old Celestial Master headed off in another direction, quickly disappearing into the distant woods.
"Junior Brother Chuxuan, my name is Rongshan!" Rongshan was relatively tall and solidly built, with short hair that gave him a sharp and capable look. He wore a constant smile, giving off a very approachable vibe.
"Chuxuan greets Senior Brother Rongshan! I will be counting on your guidance from now on, Senior Brother!" Chuxuan said, raising his hands in a traditional greeting.
"No need to be so polite, Junior Brother Chuxuan. We are all family now."
"Come, let's head back up the mountain first!"
With that, Chuxuan and Rongshan walked up Longhu Mountain together. Along the way, Chuxuan gained a deeper understanding of the mountain.
Longhu Mountain was a sacred place for Taoist cultivation. Keeping pace with the times, the mountain had been divided into two sections. The front part had been developed into a tourist scenic area for outside visitors, while the back part remained largely undeveloped, serving as a sanctuary where the disciples of Longhu Mountain practiced their cultivation.
Chuxuan followed closely behind Rongshan toward the back of the mountain. After crossing the front section, the surrounding trees gradually grew denser, and a narrow path was soon half-hidden by overgrown vegetation.
Following Rongshan, Chuxuan soon arrived before a sheer cliff.
"Junior Brother Chuxuan, once we cross this, we will be in the back section of Longhu Mountain, where the Celestial Master Mansion is located," Rongshan said, looking at Chuxuan.
Chuxuan looked across the cliff. A chasm over thirty meters wide separated the two sides, spanned solely by nine lonely iron chains suspended over a bottomless abyss. Gusts of mountain wind swept through the gap, yet the heavy chains hung completely motionless.
Rongshan smiled and said to Chuxuan, "Junior Brother, according to the rules of Longhu Mountain, anyone wishing to join the sect must first pass the test right before us before they can enter the Celestial Master Mansion."
Recalling that Chuxuan had been taken in as a personal closing disciple and had not yet begun his cultivation, Rongshan quickly added, "However, since Master has already taken you as his closing disciple, you don't necessarily have to take this test. Junior Brother, let me carry you across!"
Chuxuan had anticipated that joining Longhu Mountain would require a test. Even though he had already joined the Celestial Master Mansion, he did not feel he deserved special treatment.
Therefore, Chuxuan asked Rongshan, "Senior Brother Rongshan, what kind of test is it?"
Rongshan looked at Chuxuan with a hint of surprise, then gazed ahead and said, "Junior Brother, it's not an overly difficult test, but for someone who has never practiced cultivation, it is far from simple."
"The test is to cross this chasm entirely on your own without any outside help," Rongshan told Chuxuan, pointing to the nine chains ahead.
With that, Rongshan walked to the edge of the summit and pointed out the roughly thirty-meter-wide chasm once more. "Junior Brother Chuxuan, past disciples entering the Celestial Master Mansion have all taken this test by walking across these nine chains."
Chuxuan stepped forward and looked at the chasm. With his current abilities, jumping across was completely out of the question; he would have to walk it step by step.
He stared at the nine chains spanning the abyss and looked down into the seemingly bottomless depths. Gusts of mountain wind surged upward from below, capable of throwing anyone on the chains off balance and sending them plunging into the chasm at the slightest misstep. This test would not be easily conquered.
Rongshan smiled slightly at Chuxuan and said, "Junior Brother, I'll go across first and wait for you on the other side."
With a slight flex of his legs, Rongshan sprang up from the ground. Chuxuan saw him shoot rapidly upward like a cannonball, trace an arc through the air, and land steadily and smoothly on the opposite side.
Chuxuan's eyes narrowed slightly, filled with shock at Senior Brother Rongshan's formidable strength. He had not expected such unassuming exterior to conceal such immense power.
Watching Rongshan standing quietly on the other side, Chuxuan took a breath and stepped forward to begin the test.
He approached one of the chains, watching how it firmly anchored the two sides of the chasm.
Knowing he lacked the explosive spring to leap across the thirty-meter gap, his only option was to walk the chain.
Chuxuan took a deep breath, fixed his gaze straight ahead, and stepped forward steadily.
The chain swayed slightly under his weight, causing Chuxuan's body to quiver in response.
He lowered his center of gravity slightly, steadied his stance, and then continued forward step by step.
Keeping his eyes locked straight ahead on the far bank, free of any distractions and with steady breathing, he pressed forward one step at a time.
On the other side, Rongshan watched Chuxuan nervously. He had a very favorable impression of this junior brother, and seeing Chuxuan's resolute gaze, he had a quiet premonition that this young man was destined for extraordinary achievements.
Watching Chuxuan brought back memories of Rongshan's own initiation into Longhu Mountain years ago, when he too had faced this test and crossed these very chains to become a disciple of the Old Celestial Master.
Rongshan remembered that during his first time crossing, he had possessed none of Chuxuan's composure. Back then, he had clutched the chain tightly, draped his entire body over it, and crawled across inch by inch, exhausting every ounce of strength just to make it to the other side.
Yet here was Chuxuan, standing upright and walking steadily forward. His feet exerted firm pressure, gripping the chain securely. Although the chain hung suspended in the air and swayed slightly—causing Chuxuan's entire body to bob along with it—his soles maintained a tight grip, keeping his upper body upright and entirely balanced.
*Let the wind and waves rise; I sit firmly in the fishing boat.*
Chuxuan soon reached the halfway point of the chasm. Here, the swaying of the chain beneath his feet was at its most violent, forcing him to slow his pace. He covered only a tiny distance at a time, yet he never stopped moving forward.
Just then, a gust of wind surged up from the bottom of the chasm, hitting Chuxuan and causing his body to sway violently.
His upper body whipped back and forth. Chuxuan paused for a brief moment to stabilize his posture, then resumed his advance.
Without a moment of hesitation, he quickened his pace slightly, pressing forward without the slightest trace of panic.
His gaze remained fixed on the solid ground ahead, drawing ever closer to the opposite bank.
As he gradually left the middle of the chasm behind and drew near the far side, Chuxuan increased his speed again, closing the remaining distance rapidly.
Finally, Chuxuan took his last step, his foot coming down on solid ground, instantly relieving the tension that had gripped his heart the entire way.
Chuxuan let out a long breath and broke into a satisfied smile.
Rongshan walked over to him with a smile and said, "Junior Brother Chuxuan, congratulations on passing the test. Your performance was truly exceptional."