I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 566 - 566 565. The mountain is so quiet_1

Chapter 566: 565. The mountain is so quiet_1 Chapter 566: 565. The mountain is so quiet_1 “Life-pattern Jade”

[Legend has it that precious gemstones can fill the voids in a person’s life pattern. Such gemstones are also called Life-pattern Stones.]

[In the eyes of many, fate is predetermined. People believe in fate, yet they attempt to defy the heavens and change their destiny.]

[Ironically, they all failed.]

Looking at the green emerald in his hand, Lu Ban felt a sense of familiarity.

Of course, to Lu Ban, all these stones looked much the same; he thought there wasn’t much difference between green glass and a green emerald.

This emerald was shaped like an eye, which looked quite eerie.

Lu Ban had previously consulted materials and seen some descriptions of Life-pattern Stones.

In the metaphysics of Feng Shui, a life pattern is a kind of imprint formed by the state of a person at birth. Through the life pattern, one can infer a person’s future destiny. If someone lacks something in their life pattern, wearing something similar might provide a supplement.

That’s what the Life-pattern Stone was for.

In Lu Ban’s view, all this was superstitious.

Simply carrying a few stones to change one’s destiny made it seem too easy to fool fate.

If your destiny improves and you earn more money, it means someone else has to lose more. That person could also use a Life-pattern Stone to change their destiny, ultimately creating a mutual deterrence with Life-pattern Stones, and making everyone promise not to use the Life-pattern Stones first.

So, Lu Ban believed that Life-pattern Stones were a placebo.

The description of this item also shows that destiny is hard to change, at least not by relying on a stone.

The greatest use of this emerald was to collect pollution and continue to release it.

From this point of view, Life-pattern Stones indeed could affect destiny, albeit in an unfavorable way.

Lu Ban held the Life-pattern Emerald in his hand, trying to glean some information about the Mysterious Monarch from the knowledge within.

He felt as though he was in a bottomless dark hole, falling endlessly toward the bottom yet never reaching the end.

Around him, it seemed as though many scenes were emerging, but Lu Ban couldn’t see them clearly.

He turned over and looked down.

There, it seemed someone was sitting.

That person’s figure was blurred, seemingly struggling and yet also Unmoving.

Lu Ban felt a sense of familiarity but couldn’t descend any further.

He returned to reality.

“Is this the will of the Mysterious Monarch or the will of Taoist Crane Cry?”

Lu Ban could only access limited knowledge, but he knew the mountain harbored more secrets. Without figuring out who the Mysterious Monarch was and what was present here, the mission couldn’t end.

And all of this could only be known by becoming the Mysterious Monarch.

He looked out the window, where Jiangcheng Mountain was silent and peaceful at night, with no one else around.

Lu Ban also had to redouble his efforts.

He entered the hall and saw Shi Buwen and Seventh Master enjoying a drink.

“Yo, Little Brother Lu, care for a drink?”

Seventh Master asked Lu Ban.

“I don’t drink alcohol, thank you.”

Lu Ban poured a cup of tea and sat at the table.

“Little Brother Lu, you can say you’re in the limelight this time. The position of the Mysterious Monarch is pretty much yours.”

Seventh Master remarked with emotion.

“Indeed.”

Lu Ban wholeheartedly agreed.

“…Do you know what the next event is?”

Seventh Master decided to change the subject.

“May Seventh Master enlighten me?”

Lu Ban inquired.

“The third event is retrieving an item. Higher up the mountain, there’s a temple housing an emblem. Whoever gets it in the least amount of time will score the highest.”

“The fourth event is understanding the Dao. Facing the emblem, whoever perceives a deeper level will earn a high score.”

“The last event is the real test of skills. But from what I’ve heard, they rarely get to that point, as the Mysterious Monarch tends to be decided in the earlier rounds.”

Seventh Master explained patiently.

“Indeed.”

Lu Ban nodded in agreement.

Given the current situation, all Lu Ban needed to do was hold steady, and he could essentially end the competition for the title of Mysterious Monarch by the third or fourth round; there was no need for him to engage in any comparison of skills.

If it really came down to a contest of skills, Lu Ban wasn’t afraid of anyone either.

He believed that, given the abilities of the Inheritors of the Ninth River, he wouldn’t fear them even if all the remaining ones attacked him together.

“This is also a way to prevent disputes. If we really start fighting, it’s inevitable that feelings will be hurt.”

Shi Buwen picked up his cup, glanced at the slightly murky wine inside, and drank it all in one gulp.

“Actually, the fourth item is the most important.”

“Why do you say that?”

Lu Ban was curious.

“The token of enlightenment is an item left by the very first Mysterious Monarch. The amount one can comprehend from it indicates how closely aligned they are with the position of Mysterious Monarch. Typically, the person with the highest level of enlightenment will establish a connection with the Mysterious Monarch and be selected by him to be the successor.”

Shi Buwen explained indifferently.

Suppressing the urge to recite a poem, Lu Ban continued with his questions.

“Selected by the Mysterious Monarch, does that mean the original Mysterious Monarch is still alive?”

“Not at all.”

Seventh Master filled Shi Buwen’s small wine cup and spoke leisurely.

“The Mysterious Monarch initially grasped the teachings of the Nine Streams and passed them down. Although he has passed away, his will remains behind through his secret techniques, guiding his descendants from beyond.”

“Is it really so incredible?”

Lu Ban thought that such a being, not quite dead yet sustaining consciousness indefinitely, was probably already up to no good while alive, likely severely tainted, sustaining life through pollution and integrating their will into their body of knowledge.

Not to mention the Mysterious Monarch, if his works truly inspired the Taoist Crane Cry, then the Mysterious Monarch’s pollution was certainly much worse than that of the Taoist Crane Cry.

Lu Ban pondered whether such an entity, if it continued to exist and was still on Jiangcheng Mountain, should have been detected by him in modern times.

“Hehe, if you have the chance to become the Mysterious Monarch, perhaps you too will have the opportunity to witness it.”

Shi Buwen laughed.

The night on Jiangcheng Mountain was silent, without any incidents—an uneventful night.

The next morning, when Lu Ban woke up and stepped out of his room, he saw Dai Yuanyang coming toward him with great momentum.

“You dare…”

Mumbling to himself, he readied his stance, preparing to make a move against Lu Ban.

Lu Ban raised his hand, conjuring the silver “Testament” pen.

Dai Yuanyang halted in his tracks, keeping his distance from Lu Ban.

“You attacked me outside of the competition without honor; you should be punished and removed from this competition for the title of Mysterious Monarch!”

Dai Yuanyang stated righteously.

“Oh.”

Lu Ban responded.

Then, taking a step forward, he proceeded to write a few characters on Dai Yuanyang’s forehead, who struggled in vain.

“[Fall Unconscious].”

Moments later, Dai Yuanyang lost consciousness.

Lu Ban dragged Dai Yuanyang into his room, locked the door from the outside, and quietly walked away.

Just as the door locked, Lu Ban noticed Du Ming watching him, a strange look in his eyes.

“Did you just…”

“No.”

Lu Ban denied.

“I thought I saw…”

Du Ming hesitated mid-sentence.

“You didn’t see anything.”

Lu Ban reminded him, showing a genial smile.

“…Good morning, Mr. Lu.”

Du Ming then greeted him.