Chapter 2129: Forget Time

Progenitor Smoke looked around, her face betraying her complicated emotions. "I lived here for so long, and I’m finally back."

Lu Yin remembered Feng Mo’s comment about how his organization’s records had claimed that this place was full of illusions and fog. In that case, was the inheritance of this Mountain and Sea related to illusions?

After Progenitor Smoke’s emotions calmed down, Lu Yin asked about the inheritance.

Progenitor Smoke replied, "Illusions? That's related to spiritual force. This place has nothing to do with that."

"Then what is here?" Lu Yin was curious. He had just seen an illusion in the fog, but it had indeed not been created from spiritual energy. Instead, it had looked more like a replaying scene.

Progenitor Smoke explained, "Every Mountain and Sea has a unique inheritance, and my Mountain and Sea’s inheritance is one concerning… thought."

Lu Yin felt confused. "Thought?"

Progenitor Smoke nodded. She finally focused on Lu Yin and then answered more seriously, "Everything in the universe, no matter if it’s right, wrong, or some other result, has an initial source. The reason why humans achieved such greatness is because of our intelligence, and that was only achieved through thinking. The more you think, the more you can see through the true essence of certain matters. This Mountain and Sea’s inheritance is thought."

Lu Yin still could not understand. How was thought an inheritance? He could just think on his own without any issue.

Progenitor Smoke smiled. "I just said that each of the Mountains and Seas has their own unique inheritances, but you didn’t show any surprise. Did you already know about this, or have you actually experienced it yourself?"

Lu Yin nodded. "There were some Mountains and Seas in the ruins of the Fifth Mainland’s Daosource Sect. This junior experienced the tests to receive those inheritances, but I failed to pass either of the tests."

"In that case, I’ll give you a shortcut for this one, and maybe you can receive the inheritance from my Mountain and Sea," Progenitor Smoke offered.

Lu Yin eagerly leaned forward. "Please tell me."

Progenitor Smoke grew solemn. "Forget time."

Lu Yin was immediately confused.

Progenitor Smoke continued her explanation, "If you want to inherit this Mountain and Sea’s battle technique, you need to get lost in your own thoughts. The more you get lost, the better. Once you become so wrapped up in your own thoughts that you forget time and even your own existence, you can receive this inheritance. That’s all I can really tell you about what I went through when I succeeded here."

Lu Yin considered this suggestion.

Progenitor Smoke watched Lu Yin. "You need to become your own thoughts. When you completely let yourself go and forget your own existence, and even time, you’ll pass the test. Naturally, it’s very difficult to succeed."

Lu Yin looked over at Progenitor Smoke. "So, if it’s forgetting time, do you mean to forget whether or not time exists, as well as whether or not you even exist?"

Progenitor Smoke was taken aback. "Yes, that’s a good way of viewing it. Congratulations, you can't receive this Mountain and Sea’s inheritance. You’re too smart."

Lu Yin was completely dumbfounded by this reaction.

Progenitor Smoke shrugged. "You’re too caught up in yourself to ever forget your own existence. There are certain things that smarter people can’t do, and you’re one of them. So, just forget about trying to receive this Mountain and Sea’s inheritance."

Lu Yin refused to accept this outcome without even trying. "This junior still wants to at least try."

Progenitor Smoke was unbothered. "That’s up to you. Head on over by yourself. You just need to get close to the Mountain."

Lu Yin nodded and set the mirror down before leaping forward and making his way towards the Mountain. He soon disappeared.

Progenitor Smoke shook her head. She remained standing above the Sea alone. She just stared off into the distance, seemingly recalling a memory.

Lu Yin disappeared as he drew closer to the Mountain. As that happened, he heard a voice. "Challenger, enter."

He had already experienced similar challenges twice before. He calmly opened his eyes, only to be met with complete darkness in all directions. There was nothing to be seen at all, and his body was suspended in midair. There was absolutely nothing nearby.

At this time, the darkness before him twisted, and Progenitor Smoke suddenly appeared. "Forget time."

Lu Yin was surprised to see her. "Senior, can you enter the trial?"

Progenitor Smoke just disappeared, catching Lu Yin off guard, but he realized that what he had just seen was most likely not the real Progenitor Smoke, but rather a projection of some kind.

At that moment, some flames appeared, quickly followed by more. Lu Yin was stumped yet again, as these were the same flames that he had seen during a previous trial for a Mountain and Sea. He had already failed that trial, so why had it reappeared in this place? No, these flames were not real.

The flames disappeared, and instead, a spring of water appeared, constantly burbling.

Lu Yin stared at the water. This was the second of the Mountains and Seas trials that he had attempted. He was just seeing his previous trials. After the water disappeared, he saw Xing Kai fighting.

Again, the image disappeared, and after Xing Kai vanished, Lu Yin saw Wan Sansi and the other Ten Arbiters. Lu Yin was revisiting the scene from when he had first failed to pass the Mountains and Seas’ trials.

Lu Yin then remembered Progenitor Smoke's advice: thought. This Mountain and Sea’s inheritance was related to thinking, and if a person could sink into their own thoughts to the point where they even forgot about time, they would pass.

If another person started this trial, they would have no idea what they were supposed to do, as the instructions to forget time would seem meaningless. Fortunately, Lu Yin had been given a shortcut by Progenitor Smoke.

He finally realized that the images he was seeing must be scenes that came from his own mind.

Lu Yin became somewhat horrified by this revelation. This Mountain and Sea was able to peer into his thoughts, which was rather frightening.

He inhaled deeply. Thought? What do I need to think about? How do I go about forgetting time, myself, and everything? Actually, I should think of a battle technique.

…

A month passed in the outside world, and Progenitor Smoke grew bored. She occasionally glanced towards the nearby Mountain and smiled. Lu Yin should fail the trial around this time.

Another half a month passed, and Progenitor Smoke walked across the Sea, watching the ripples dance across the water and spread out into the distance.

Lu Yin appeared, looking rather helpless. He had failed.

Progenitor Smoke looked at him, but she was not surprised by the results. "I told you that you would fail. That was just a waste of time."

Lu Yin sighed. "Senior, how am I supposed to forget about time? The more I thought, the clearer it became in my mind, and the more impossible it became to forget about it. I can clearly remember every second and minute that passed."

Progenitor Smoke felt somewhat shocked. "That’s actually my fault. I shouldn't have told you about that. By telling you what to forget, you instead thought about it more, and the more you thought about it, the clearer it became in your mind."

Lu Yin shook his head, but he did not blame Progenitor Smoke. If not for her, he would have never understood how or why he had failed the trial.

The longest period of training that Lu Yin had ever undergone were the five years that he had spent focusing on the Cosmic Art before the Dao Chosen selection. Even during that time, it had been impossible for him to forget about time.

It was not a matter of remembering or forgetting, but rather a state of mind that one reached while cultivating. In essence, it was a matter of comprehension.

Some people could forget their own existence while sitting alone in the mountains. Their mind would naturally drift away from themselves.

"Senior, how strong were you when you succeeded?" Lu Yin asked.

Progenitor Smoke raised her head high. "Semi-Progenitor."

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Lu Yin nodded. Luckily, he was still just a three-tribulation Envoy, which was still far from the Semi-Progenitor level. Thus, he still had a chance to succeed with this trial.

"Don't get frustrated. The trials to receive the Mountains and Seas’ inheritances are open for all cultivation realms, but most people don’t succeed until they become Progenitors. That’s why there’s something that’s commonly accepted about these inheritances: the rare individuals who are able to receive an inheritance before becoming a Progenitor are guaranteed to become a Progenitor," Progenitor Smoke said. As she spoke, an arrogant smile appeared on her face.

Lu Yin instantly understood what Progenitor Smoke wanted, so he immediately started flattering her. "You are really amazing, Senior. No matter how talented I may be, this junior has no chance of comparing to you in the future."

Progenitor Smoke listened to Lu Yin’s blatant brown-nosing, and she grew happier the longer he spoke. "Of course! Let me tell you something: from my generation of people who controlled the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas, I was the first to receive one of the inheritances."

Was this accurate? Lu Yin could remember that during his stellular tribulation to become an Envoy, he had fought a manifestation of Progenitor Chen at the same cultivation realm as him. The manifestation had used many different techniques, and among them had definitely been battle techniques that had been inherited from the Mountains and Seas. So…?

Lu Yin then remembered something that Progenitor Smoke had mentioned earlier; she had said that the smarter the person was, the more difficult it was for them to receive the inheritance from her Mountain and Sea. This thought caused Lu Yin’s expression to grow a bit odd.

"This Mountain and Sea’s battle technique isn’t much help during a fight, but it’s quite helpful at sorting out different things in your mind, and it’s especially effective at creating your own unique energy. Honestly, given my talent, while I was guaranteed to eventually become a Progenitor, there were certain things that I struggled with, and it might have taken me as long to reach that level as it did Old Fu. While this inheritance doesn’t help much with combat, I was able to develop the theoretical basis for my wei while still a Semi-Progenitor.”

"There are different paths to becoming a Progenitor, and this inherited battle technique helps the most with enlightenment, but it also depends on the person. This battle technique would have been useless for Xia Shang. He was always fighting, and he achieved his enlightenments through combat. On the other hand, the inheritance that I received would have been perfect for Fu. It’s really too bad that he didn’t get this inheritance," Progenitor Smoke commented.

Lu Yin felt frustrated, as this battle technique would be extremely useful for him as well. The power that he had created in his chest was a cultivation method that he had only managed to comprehend with the assistance of the Root of Intelligence, and he had always felt that it was still missing something. It would be wonderful if he could receive this Mountain and Sea’s inheritance. “Let's go."

Progenitor Smoke nodded.

"What about your Mountain and Sea?" Lu Yin asked.

Progenitor Smoke's expression grew complicated. "We’ll just leave it here. The Mountains and Seas don’t actually belong to specific people, as they are inheritances passed down from ancient times to all of humanity. It would be best if someone else could receive this inheritance."

Lu Yin wanted to take the Mountain and Sea away, but he had no way to do so. Even if he could move the Mountain and Sea, he was not yet ready to receive its inheritance. Instead, the Semi-Progenitors could make their attempts at the trial.

If Kui Luo, Third Uncle, or one of the others who supported Lu Yin could receive the inheritance, it would be wonderful. If Jue Yi or Hen Xin succeeded, it would present a bit of trouble for Lu Yin.

It was impossible for Lu Yin to willingly help those individuals grow stronger just so that humanity as a whole would be stronger.

He intended to return and tell Kui Luo and the others about where Progenitor Smoke’s Mountain and Sea was so that they could take turns attempting the trial.

"Senior, how do we leave?" Lu Yin asked.

Progenitor Smoke helped Lu Yin get out. "It's best not to enter this place before becoming a Semi-Progenitor. While the Mountains and Seas each have an inheritance, they typically aren’t open to people below the Semi-Progenitor realm, because attempting the trials before that point is pointless. Only Semi-Progenitors have a chance of reaching the comprehension needed, and they also won’t have any issue leaving the Mountain and Sea afterwards."

Lu Yin looked back at the fog. He would probably need to wait for quite a long time before returning to visit this place.

…

Two months had passed since Lu Yin had left the Heavens Sect. During this time, the most important event in the Human Domain was the official founding of Heavens Sect.

The power of the entire Human Domain had been gathered under the united banner of the Heavens Sect.

Just a few days before Lu Yin and Progenitor Smoke left her Mountain and Sea, the construction of the new Heavens Sect was completed. At the moment, it was in Earth’s solar system, but the Heavens Sect’s headquarters was not actually fixed in place. It was mobile, and it was essentially a massive mountain gate that moved through space.

After Lu Yin and Progenitor Smoke left the Mountain and Sea, they learned that the Heavens Sect had been completed. Right after that, the eight Heavenly Gates were notified, and the gatemasters and all the other human Semi-Progenitors were summoned to participate in the Heavenly Gates’ conference.

The completion of the Heavens Sect required an opening ceremony, and all of the most powerful individuals in the Human Domain would attend, which made it the best time to hold the Heavenly Gates’ conference.

At the moment, the Human Domain had the Progenitor of Bloodlines, thirteen Semi-Progenitors, as well as Qing Ping and Tian Dou, who were both powerhouses who could cross realms to fight with Semi-Progenitors. Below those top experts, there were also hundreds of Envoys.

It was impossible to unite so many powerhouses without the Heavens Sect. It was precisely because of the Aeternals’ invasion and the reestablishment of the Heavens Sect that the Human Domain had been able to formally unite.

The last time the entire human race had been unified had been in the Daosource Sect era.

…

Lu Yin was rather amazed when he saw the impressive gate of the Heavens Sect. Still, while it was quite impressive, it could not come close to the glory of the ancient Heavens Sect.

"It’s not even close to the Daosource Sect's gate. Most importantly, it’s still missing a Sky Pillar," Progenitor Smoke remarked.

Next to her, Lu Buzheng replied, "It's still not bad. It can’t compare to the original Heavens Sect, but it at least has a bit of presence. Also, this is just the start of everything. As time passes, the gate here will be expanded and improved. One day, when Aeternus is no longer any threat, we’ll take the Sky Pillar back. At that time, we will have numerous Progenitors again."