So for Ning Beichen now, he naturally yearned for challenges and the pursuit of higher goals.
Indeed, for the vast majority of ordinary people, their desires were simple: three meals a day, a spouse and children, and a few decades of life were considered fulfilling and happy.
But for a small minority, like Ning Beichen, contentment was not enough.
There were also those like the Old Ancestor of the Chen family and the Masters' Alliance, who naturally sought longer lifespans, higher realms, and to become transcendents.
A few days later, Ning Beichen set off alone. Liu Yilin did not accompany him, as she did not need to cultivate in such places. Staying at home was more beneficial for her cultivation.
In truth, living rough and enduring the elements was not as romantic as imagined. This time, besides visiting famous mountains and great rivers, Ning Beichen also planned to return to the uninhabited areas of the Sahara Desert.
Therefore, Liu Yilin's presence would naturally bring many inconveniences, especially since the ruins were not safe. Thus, Ning Beichen did not ask her to join him.
Moreover, through studying Ning Beichen's situation, Liu Yilin had developed some nascent ideas, and she wished to remain in a stable environment to continue her research.
The first place Ning Beichen chose was Mount Hua.
Mount Hua, one of the Five Great Mountains, was the root of Huaxia and a stronghold of Taoism. It was a relatively famous peak among the great mountains, so Ning Beichen chose it as his first stop based on proximity.
Not long after, a young backpacker appeared at the foot of Mount Hua.
Looking at the throngs of people, the tourists at Mount Hua were as numerous as migrating fish. Ning Beichen felt a sense of helplessness.
The once-renowned mountains and rivers had long since become popular tourist destinations.
Ning Beichen looked at the dense crowd of tourists on the steps, the adults complaining of fatigue, the children crying, the girls posing for selfies or live-streaming, and the bustling shops on either side. Ning Beichen wondered if he had come to the wrong place.
However, since he was already here, Ning Beichen had no reason to turn back. Holding a bottle of mineral water, he walked up the steep stairs, his pace swift, and soon disappeared from sight.
Although his speed attracted some attention from tourists, it did not cause a great commotion. At most, they inwardly admired the young man's excellent stamina.
Soon, Ning Beichen reached the Southern Peak of Mount Hua, which was its highest point. Standing on the summit, he felt as if the sky was within reach and the stars could be plucked.
Gazing around, he saw mountains undulating like waves, the Yellow and Wei Rivers like slender threads, and the vast plains like silk or cotton, all spread out before him, truly allowing him to appreciate the towering, majestic, and expansive grandeur of Mount Hua.
However, when his surroundings were filled with tourists, and people held selfie sticks blocking his view, the feeling was not so pleasant.
"It seems I cannot cultivate here among the tourists at Mount Hua. There are simply too many people, and their noise makes it impossible to focus. I need to find a quiet place."
Ning Beichen mused to himself, then left the cable car area and moved to the northern side of the Southern Peak. He scanned the surroundings, searching for a suitable spot.
He didn't necessarily need to be on Mount Hua's Southern Peak itself; there were unmanned peaks all around. He only needed to find a place inaccessible to tourists.
However, it was broad daylight, and people were everywhere. Ning Beichen found it inconvenient to do anything out of the ordinary, so he decided to act when there were fewer people.
He waited until evening. By this time, there were very few tourists. Those who remained were likely waiting for the sunrise the next day.
Ning Beichen went to the most remote northern side, where there were hardly any people, except for a cleaner who had just left.
The northern side connected to several unmanned peaks. Ning Beichen could use his Qinggong to descend from here, then vault over the railing to land on the large rocks below, and from there, cross to the opposite mountain range.
Seeing that no one was around, Ning Beichen leaped directly to the railing not far away, then pushed off with one hand, vaulting over the railing and landing lightly like a swallow on a large rock more than ten meters below.
There was a mountain ridge at the large rock, about twenty meters wide, separating it from the opposite side.
This ridge was impassable for ordinary people without tools.
But Ning Beichen was not ordinary.
His toes tapped on the giant rock.
With a swoosh.
Ning Beichen shot into the air, his feet striding across the air several times, like a dragonfly touching down on water. With ease and grace, he landed on the opposite mountain ridge.
At this moment, a young, beautiful girl, dressed in an ancient-style Tang gown, held a selfie stick and was filming the beauty of the distant sunset.
Suddenly.
Ning Beichen inadvertently entered the frame of her shot, perfectly capturing his figure as he flew across to the opposite ridge.
"Filming?"
"Wire work?"
The girl exclaimed in surprise at the footage captured by her camera.
"No, he's not wearing any ropes?"
"Is he a celestial being?"
"No! Are there celestial beings on Mount Hua?"
"But he's handsome!"
Xi Yi'er was very excited. She was an internet celebrity and immediately uploaded the footage to a certain website, naming the video "Shocking: I Saw a Celestial Being on Mount Hua."
For an ordinary person, such a video would not attract many views. However, Xi Yi'er was an internet celebrity with tens of millions of followers.
Shortly after the video was posted, it garnered over a hundred thousand views and countless comments.
Some atheists firmly believed the video was computer-generated and that there were no celestial beings.
Others thought it was a stunt by an internet celebrity team, undoubtedly using wire work, and praised Xi Yi'er for investing heavily in her videos.
A small minority, however, firmly believed the video was real and frantically searched for the celestial being in the video, hoping to find him and become his disciple.
Regardless of the video's authenticity, Mount Hua became popular again, leading to a surge in tourists.
Ning Beichen, however, was unaware of all this. He was currently on an unmanned peak opposite the Southern Peak of Mount Hua. He had been cultivating here for several days, practicing the first stage of the "Crossing the Bitter Sea to the Other Shore" technique.
To Ning Beichen's delight,
The cultivation speed here was indeed faster.
The first level of the "Crossing the Bitter Sea to the Other Shore" technique, "Crossing the Body," had made significant progress, though it was still far from sufficient.
It was certain that famous mountains and great rivers did have a positive effect on cultivating the "Crossing the Bitter Sea to the Other Shore" technique.
However, the effect was not as significant as Ning Beichen had anticipated.
It was akin to the difference between one and two.
Ning Beichen was not disappointed, but he wasn't overly excited either.
Perhaps Mount Hua was not the most suitable place, so Ning Beichen decided to continue to other famous mountains and great rivers.
What he didn't know was that he had now become the "Celestial Being of Mount Hua," attracting many people to seek his trace there.