Carefree Years

Sworthy Mountain hides among the rosy clouds and gentle winds.

Atop the Northern Peak, clouds swirl and winds entwine.

Countless palaces and pavilions adorn the Northern Peak, a testament to the remarkable skills of the immortal craftsmen.

Behind the Northern Peak lies a refined compound known as the Long-Spring Yard, the residence of Abbas, the ninth-generation elder of the Northern Peak.

Surrounded by lush trees and encircled by a simple fence, the Long-Spring Yard exudes tranquility.

In the courtyard of the Long-Spring Yard stands a young lad of fifteen or sixteen.

This lad, not particularly tall and slightly thin, has a mischievous air about him, with cunning eyes shining brightly.

"After practicing for so long, I'm feeling a bit tired. Where should I go for a stroll?"

The mischievous youth chuckled, climbing up a tree. "I'll just take a nap in the warm sun on this tree for now."

"Midday sun, perfect for a nap."

"Harry, you lazy bum." A voice of resignation and age emanated from the Long-Spring Yard, unmistakably Abbas.

Yes, this mischievous youth of fifteen or sixteen is none other than Harry.

Six years ago, a slip of the foot led to him being taken under Abbas's wing due to his supposedly excellent character and willingness to sacrifice himself to save others.

Thus began six years of training under Abbas's guidance in the Long-Spring Yard of the Northern Peak of Sworthy Mountain.

During these six years, Harry's efforts in cultivation were not particularly diligent, often earning him scoldings from Abbas for being a lazy bum.

However, his aptitude was not lacking.

The main reason for his progress was the quality of the techniques he practiced.

Thanks to Abbas's high status within the sect and Harry's status as one of the top ten direct disciples of the Northern Peak, he had access to superior techniques.

Among these were the two strongest techniques of the Northern Peak: the Dragon Clouds Heart Method in the category of mental cultivation, and the One Hundred and Eight Moves in Wind-cloud in the category of swordsmanship.

In the world of cultivation, most people did not have access to such high-quality techniques.

Only a select few were fortunate enough to obtain superior techniques.

The difference in techniques had a significant impact; using inferior techniques would result in twice the effort for half the result, while superior techniques would yield twice the result for half the effort.

With the benefits of the Dragon Clouds Heart Method, Harry had reached the fourth level of the Meditation Phase after only six years of cultivation.

The first level of the Meditation Phase was Sensing Qi, followed by Qi Condensation, and then Channeling the Twelve Meridians.

Currently, Harry was at the eighth meridian of the fourth level of the Meditation Phase, continuously stimulating the meridians with true qi.

As the meridians opened up, his true qi became more abundant.

Enough about cultivation for now; it's time for a nap.

Harry believed in a balance between work and rest. As for being called a lazy bum by Abbas, he had long since grown accustomed to it after six years.

Whether he was scolded or not, it wouldn't take a piece of flesh off his body.

Speaking of flesh.

He remembered meat.

In legends, most immortals were vegetarians. To be precise, most cultivators of Sworthy Mountain were vegetarians.

Unfortunately, Harry was a glutton.

His favorite thing was eating meat.

Back when he was in Eastforest Town, he couldn't satisfy his cravings enough; he had only eaten pork, chicken, goose, and dog meat.

He had always envied the beef, but unfortunately, slaughtering cows was forbidden.

However, after arriving at Sworthy Mountain, he could finally satisfy his appetite.

The desire to hunt wild game became one of his main motivations for practicing his techniques.

Ever since then, he would catch and eat anything he could find, whether it was wild boar, wild chicken, wild rabbit, or even wolf meat. Nothing could escape his appetite.

If Abbas knew that the techniques he taught were primarily used for hunting wild game and satisfying his appetite, he would probably be speechless.

Harry always thought of himself as a born foodie.

He couldn't understand why others didn't get fat from enjoying good food all the time, whereas he never seemed to gain weight.

Oh well, enough thinking about meat. Time to go hunt and grill some meat.

---

A long, slender stick.

A rabbit roasting on top.

The plump rabbit was almost dripping with oil from being roasted.

Harry sprinkled some cumin on it, making it even more enticing. Just thinking about taking a few bites made him salivate.

He had already prepared some yellow wine on the side. Once the rabbit was done roasting, he could enjoy a hearty meal with wine. It was truly a great pleasure.

At this moment, two streaks of sword light flashed by from the east and west, aiming directly at the nearly cooked rabbit.

However, Harry reacted swiftly, unsheathing his sword and blocking the attacks from both directions, protecting the rabbit.

"Ting ting ting ting ting ting." The clash of swords resounded as Harry shouted, "You two gluttons, trying to steal food again? Don't worry, I caught three rabbits this time, so there's enough for all of us."

Upon hearing this, the sword light ceased.

Two young men appeared.

One was chubby, while the other was slim and ordinary-looking.

The chubby one was named Round, and the slim one was Squary.

Squary's master was The Gentle Sword, Squaring, ranked ninth among the top ten direct disciples of the Northern Peak.

Round's master was The Rouding Sword, Rouding, ranked tenth among the top ten direct disciples of the Northern Peak. Therefore, these two were Harry's ninth junior brother and tenth junior brother.

The six most famous swordsmen of the Northern Peak were collectively known as The Six Great Swords of the Northern Peak, including Abbas, Squary's master, and Round's master.

In fact, Squary and Round were also foodies.

Harry loved food, and so did Squary and Round. By chance, the three of them had met and formed a good friendship. Due to their shared love of food, their relationship had always been good.

Incidents like the one just now, where they tried to steal each other's food while roasting it, were not uncommon. Of course, if Squary and Round were roasting something delicious, Harry wouldn't hesitate to steal it either. It was all in good fun.

Squary laughed heartily, "With wine and meat, life is truly comfortable."

Indeed, life was comfortable with wine and meat.

Swordplay, hunting mountain chickens and rabbits, occasional cultivation, or napping under the sun—it was truly carefree youth.

In these six years at the Northern Peak of Sworthy Mountain, Harry had led a pretty good life, carefree and content.

It's safe to say that coming to Sworthy Mountain six years ago was the right choice.

Otherwise, how could he be enjoying such a comfortable life now?