Another heavy snowfall blanketed the land. Liu Xiaolou and Lord Xingde were traveling along the main road to Mount Mo, each carrying a pack full of materials they had gathered for refining.

“This year’s snow has been relentless,” Lord Xingde said, watching the steady, unbroken fall with some concern. “They say heavy snow brings a good harvest, but if it comes too often, farmers can't take it. Too much snow can collapse a roof.”

“Senior, do cultivators concern themselves with farming?” Liu Xiaolou asked.

“To cultivate is to follow the Way of Heaven," Lord Xingde replied. "That includes not just yin and yang, the five elements, mountains and rivers, wind and rain; it also includes the lives of the people, their suffering, the balance of good and evil. If we only care about the first and ignore the second, our path is incomplete.”

Liu Xiaolou thought for a moment, then nodded. “Wise words, Senior. I’ll remember them.”

Before long, the snow began to ease, and the world slowly returned to its natural colors. Ahead, the silhouette of the mountains emerged like a painting, as if drawn in pale ink and softened into mist.

After nearly a month of hard travel, they had finally reached the last stage of their quest for materials; the search for the trigger medium that would activate the formation.

Illusion realms are shaped by the mind of the one who enters. They take form according to that person’s thoughts and are never the same twice. But to activate the illusion, the master of the formation must “set it off,” and that requires a medium. That’s where the formation disk comes in; it serves as the key to initiation.

To refine the illusion formation’s disk, the master must first imagine a scene, like painting a picture in their mind. This imagined image is then infused into the formation. Whatever object they choose as the medium will set the tone for the illusion it creates.

Liu Xiaolou had thought long and hard about the design for the scene, but no clever idea came to him. In the end, he simply chose the secluded courtyard where he had first met Lady Zhou Qiniang at the Zhou family estate.

There was a moon gate, side rooms, green bamboo, pavilions, oddly shaped stones, and a pond. The pond could represent a bottomless abyss, and the strange rocks were perfect as black (mystical) stones; exactly fitting the original concept behind the “Abyssal Blackstone.” Of course, this layout was just Liu Xiaolou’s own vision. Once the elements were included, the illusion each person experienced would vary depending on their own mind. But the key features: pond, stones, bamboo, pavilion. They would all be there.

This trip to Mount Mo was to collect the black stones and spring water needed from the mountain.

“Mount Mo’s stones have spirit, and so does its spring water. But not spirit as in spiritual energy. It’s more like character or charm, an aesthetic, really. There are plenty of famous mountains in the world, with rocks and springs that have their own spirit, but I’ve always favored the ones here at Mount Mo. You’ll understand when you see them.”

Mount Mo wasn’t tall, but it was full of narrow passes and natural defenses. It was far from accessible. Still, its small-scale elegance gave it a charm all its own. Lord Xingde led the way deeper in. Some of the paths were so rough they could hardly be called paths at all, and even Liu Xiaolou had trouble making it through.

Eventually, they came to a hollow beneath a mountain slope. A waterfall, no more than three feet high, spilled onto a stone platform in a spray of droplets like shattered jade, then splashed into a quiet pool below. The gentle sound of water echoed softly. Crystal clear, full of life and spirit.

The black stones they needed lay at the bottom of this pool. And the water wasn’t just any ordinary pool water either; they also had to dive down to the spring’s source to find the crystal-like droplets known as “essence pearls.”

But neither of them entered the water just yet. Instead, their eyes were fixed on the far side of the pool, where two figures sat on raised stones. One sat higher, the other lower, both cloaked in rain capes, fishing in silence.

This place was remote, rarely visited by anyone, let alone someone calmly fishing here. There was no telling what level of cultivation those two had reached.

“Are there even fish in that pool?” Liu Xiaolou asked quietly.

“There are,” Lord Xingde replied with certainty. “And they’re fat and healthy.”

“In a place this remote, and they’re just here to fish? Doesn’t sit right with me,” Liu Xiaolou muttered.

“Let’s just keep watching,” Lord Xingde replied.

They waited for half an hour. The fishermen on the other side didn’t catch a single fish, nor did they say a word to them; just occasionally exchanged a glance or gave Liu Xiaolou and Lord Xingde a quick once-over.

Liu Xiaolou kept his eyes on them, too. Then, suddenly, the water splashed and rippled. Someone emerged from below the surface. Only then did the two fishermen reel in their lines and help the person climb back up.

So they weren’t fishing at all. They were standing watch, making sure the one underwater got out safely.

“Senior, can you tell how strong they are?”

“Hard to say. They haven’t made a move, and some people are very good at hiding their cultivation level.”

At last, the three on the other side spoke. “You two planning to go in the water?”

Lord Xingde cupped his hands politely. “That’s right. Do you have any advice for us?”

“You’re here for the black stones at the bottom, aren’t you?”

“That’s correct,” Lord Xingde said.

The one who had just surfaced opened a wet snakeskin bag and dumped out several fist-sized stones. They were oddly shaped, hollowed out in the center like carved orbs.

“One spiritual stone per rock. Pick whichever one you want. Price is firm.”

Lord Xingde cupped his hands again. “We’ll choose our stones ourselves from the pool. No need to trouble you three.”

“If we let everyone dive in and pick their own stones, the Mo Pool would’ve been ruined long ago,” one of them said coldly. “Let’s not even entertain that idea. Either take one of the stones my brother brought up, or turn around and go home.”

Lord Xingde frowned. “Mount Mo belongs to the world. I’ve never heard of any sect or power claiming it for themselves. What you three are doing doesn’t seem right.”

The man sneered. “Sounds like you haven’t been around in a while. You really don’t know a thing, do you? Starting this year, the three of us have set up camp here. We’re known as the Three Heroes of Mount Mo, and this pool happens to be our base. What happens here is up to us.”

This was a most common way rogue cultivators claim a cave dwelling for themselves. Normally, if a place was occupied by rogue cultivators, it was either a legacy site handed down by an elder and recognized by fellow rogue cultivators in the area, even by the major sects, or it was some backwater spot that no one cared enough about to fight over.

But these three were different. They’d taken over a popular, well-known location that many cultivators regularly visit, and were openly trying to profit from it. Pretty unusual, to say the least.

“What kind of skills do you three have," Lord Xingde asked curiously, "to think you can claim Mount Mo for yourselves?”

The man grinned. “It’s simple. The three of us stay here and hold this ground. If you’ve got the strength, then drive us out. If you don’t.... well, don’t expect us to play nice. You think you can go down into the pool and come back up unharmed? Since when is the world that generous?”

Lord Xingde glanced at Liu Xiaolou and gave him a subtle signal with his eyes.

Liu Xiaolou thought for a moment, then whispered, “Should I go into the water while you stay up here and hold the line?”

Lord Xingde muttered under his breath, “fragrance.”

Only then did Liu Xiaolou understand what he meant, and he couldn’t help but give a wry smile. “Not a good day for it. Too windy, and we don’t know their true strength. It won’t work.”

To use the bewildering fragrance effectively, several conditions should be met. First, a confined space was best, so the incense wouldn’t disperse too quickly. Second, the targets had to stay relatively still; if they were constantly moving, it was much harder to take effect. Third, the targets’ cultivation level couldn’t be too much higher than the person releasing the incense. Otherwise, the effect would be minimal at best.

Looking at the so-called “Three Heroes of Mount Mo,” it was clear that none of those conditions were met, so Liu Xiaolou couldn’t make a move.

Lord Xingde realized this too. There was no other way; they’d have to settle it head-on. So he issued one final warning.

In return, the Three Heroes fired one right back.

There was no avoiding a fight now. Lord Xingde raised his hand and sent a streak of light into the air. Within that light was a formation disk of his own creation—the Five Paths, Six Emotions Formation.