Chapter 104: The Year the Peach Blossoms Bloomed
"That senior's Dharma name was Qingzhu. His story is quite similar to yours, Junior Brother Qin. Originally a rogue cultivator, he later joined Shaohua Mountain."
"After Qingzhu achieved Foundation Building, he succeeded in forming his core in just forty years—a record that remained unbroken in the sect. However, he became half-mad and was placed under house arrest by the sect."
"It was said that Qingzhu, enraged for the sake of a beauty, cleaved this mountain with a single sword strike and broke through the array, leaving behind the Sword Pass. There must be a fascinating story behind this, but unfortunately, it remained a mere legend, with no concrete details known."
"Interestingly, after Qingzhu left, the spiritual herbs and flowers on the mountain were all damaged by the sword qi and withered away, leaving a desolate scene. Only the Red Jade Peach Tree remained unaffected and even thrived with increased vitality."
"That year was precisely during winter when the peach blossoms were in full bloom, surviving the winter, and it took three years for the fruit to mature."
"Since then, although the Red Jade Peach is an ordinary fruit, its sweetness surpasses that of other spiritual fruits. Every time it ripens, many senior uncles leave their seclusion to harvest and taste it."
Standing on a spirit artifact, Senior Brother Zhuang gazed at the Sword Pass, immersed in the legend of Qingzhu with a sense of reverence.
Qin Sang, however, envied Qingzhu’s talent even more. Achieving Core Formation in just forty years was astonishing. Even those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots, who didn’t face the bottleneck of the Core Formation Realm, required meticulous preparation and several years of seclusion, without daring to be careless.
It was unexpected that Senior Brother Zhuang, who seemed so composed, had such a romantic side. Qin Sang inquired, "Is Senior Qingzhu still in the sect?"