The Forbidden Area’s mountain peak had an altitude of over a thousand zhangs. 

  The mountain’s peak was covered with weeds and wines. It was evident that no one had come to this mountain top for a very long time. “Whew!” A grey figure descended from the sky. It was the Whole Gale Eagle which had been carrying Teng Qingshan and Li Jun. Li Jun had told the Whole Gale Eagle that they were secretly entering the Forbidden Area, thus, it was also very cautious. 

  Teng Qingshan and Li Jun hastily jumped down from the Eagle’s back. 

  “Big Brother Teng, there aren’t any footprints. It is quite likely that no one has been here.” Li Jun said with her brows furrowed. 

  “The entire mountain is the Forbidden Area.” Teng Qingshan scanned the surroundings and said softly, “However, it’s impossible for the entire mountain is where the Sword Arts and the Treasures are hidden. The Sword Arts and Treasures should be hidden in a certain location on the mountain. Likewise/Additionally the Sword Tower probably would never have imagined that someone would enter the Forbidden Area from the sky, and thus, they never guarded the mountain peak. 

  “Now, we should head down carefully. You and the Whole Gale Eagle should follow behind me at a distance of around ten Zhangs. Remember, don’t make any sounds.” Teng Qingshan whispered. 

  “Understood.” Li Jun nodded and simultaneously whispered Teng Qingshan’s instructions to the Whole Gale Eagle beside her. 

  The Whole Gale Eagle was a demonic beast who has reached the innate realm, thus, it wasn’t hard for it to not make any sounds. 

  “Let’s go.” Teng Qingshan whispered.Promptly, Teng Qingshan walked in front, while Li Jun and the Whole Gale Eagle followed closely behind at a distance of ten Zhangs. The Whole Gale Eagle and Teng Qingshan naturally walked nimbly, while Li Jun, whose inner strength had also reached the peak, moved agilely and elegantly amidst the trees, plants, and weeds as though she was a celestial being. ……

  The Forbidden Area, at the waist of the high mountain. 

  On a mountain road which was formed due to the incessant trampling of people all-year-long, an azure-cloaked young man held a basket as he strode forward. Drops of perspiration covered his forehead as he mumbled, “Hmph! The other martial brothers think I am easy to bully, making me deliver food everyday! The distance up and down the mountain is great. Plus, the four old monsters who guarded the Forbidden Area have a really irascible temper. I heard that a junior martial brother was killed by these four old monsters last year.” 

  Delivering food to the Guardian Elders of the Forbidden Area was not a good thing. 

  On the Bright Moon Island, the eighteen Houses of Generals fought against each other all-year-long while the Sword Tower remained much more superior. Because the Sword Tower had no enemies, it had also embroiled in internal conflict. 

  Many families, factions, and some of the men of the eighteen Houses of Generals were a part of the Sword Tower, which caused the strife for authority and power in the Sword Tower to be rather severe. ……As for disciples that have just joined the Sword Tower, they held the lowest status. 

  “I’ve arrived!” 

  The azure cloaked young man saw the stone tablet on the mountain path in front and two words could be seen on the stone tablet——Forbidden Area! 

  The azure cloaked young man stood in front of the stone tablet and did not have the audacity to walk another step forward. He then called out loud, “Elder!” 

  “Yes?” A stooped white browed elder with cold-looking eyes walked out from the cave in the Forbidden Area in front of the young disciple. After dwelling in the Forbidden Area all year long, the temperament of the Guardian Elder of the Forbidden Area had turned quite strange and violent. “Hand me the food!” commanded the Elder. 

  “Yes!” The azure cloaked young man hastily handed him the baskets. 

  The stooped elder took the two baskets and simply glanced at it. He sniffed it and humphed, “Little fella, bring two more bottles of liquor here tomorrow!” 

  “Understood,” said the azure cloaked young man hastily. 

  The Guardian Elders were all experts who have reached the peak of the Postliminary Realm. Even if they didn’t eat for three to five days, they would still be fine. During the period of guarding, they just needed to eat a good meal each day. Additionally……this period of guarding was a good chance for the Guardian Elders to cultivate at ease. 

  Normally, elders who were reaching the end of their lifespan would oversee the Forbidden Area for a few years. 

  If they were able to reach the Innate Realm, they would be able to live fifty more years. 

  If they didn’t, then they could only wait for death! 

  Under such a tormenting situation, some elders’ temperament became extremely strange and violent, which wasn’t weird in the slightest. 

  “Whew. Thank god it’s not that one-eyed elder.” The azure cloaked young man heaved a sigh of relief and followed the mountain path as he headed down the mountain. The stooped elder carried the two basket and headed into the cave dwelling. Both the young man and elder did not notice that . There was a pair of eyes which were watching through the vines several Zhangs away. 

  After the azure cloaked young man for a period of time, the figure suddenly appeared in front of the cave dwelling. 

  “This is the mountain peak of the Forbidden Area. The mountain paths at the foot the mountain should be heavily guarded, however, there was no one guarding the path from the mountain peak to this location.” Teng Qingshan Teng Qingshan gazed at the gloomy cave dwelling and thought to himself, “This cave dwelling in the Forbidden Area obviously has powerful experts guarding it!” 

  At this moment, Li Jun and the Whole Gale Eagle cautiously arrived Teng Qingshan’s side. 

  “Little Jun, I’ll head in first. You can enter after I do.” Teng Qingshan whispered. 

  “Understood.” Li Jun nodded silently. 

  Immediately, Teng Qingshan grasped the Reincarnation Spear and carefully stepped into the cave dwelling. The interior of the cave were rather gloomy and dark, but the cave was square shaped. It was obvious that the cave had been artificially carved into this square shape. Faint voices could be heard from within cave, “Old Vulture, come eat some food. If you don’t come, the food will all be gone.” 

  “Old Fourth, why do I keep feeling that the sixteenth move and the seventeenth move of the 《Eighteen Nightmare Swords》are so awkward?” 

  The voices of the elders resounded in Teng Qingshan’s ears. 

  The corner of Teng Qingshan’s mouth curved into a smile. He walked into the empty cave with ease and as he turned and after following a passageway, he witnessed the elders eating together. 

  Whew! Whew! 

  In a flash, Teng Qingshan entered the cavern at the heart of the mountain. When the four elders who were eating noticed this unexpected guest, they were shocked. 

  “Who are you!?” A tall and muscular elder placed down his bowl and chopsticks as he shouted, “How dare you enter the Forbidden Area without permission?” 

  The Sword Tower alone dominates the entire Bright Moon Island! 

  From generations to generations, Sword Tower was already used to it, causing them to be off guard against enemies. This was due to the fact that, besides some demonic beasts in the sea that occasionally passed through Bright Moon Island, the Sword Tower has no enemy. 

  “Old Fourth, why are you talking nonsense with him? A one-eyed elder said coldly. Simultaneously, he touched his waist, causing a pliable and tough silver-colored curved beam of light to thrust towards Teng Qingshan’s glabella like a silver snake. The other Guardian Elders also grabbed their weapons, just in case the one-eyed elder was not able to defeat the opponent. 

  The Sword Tower has a strict rule — whoever trespassed the Forbidden Area would be killed without mercy! 

  With a calm expression, Teng Qingshan moved his right hand. 

  Xiu! Xiu! Xiu! Xiu! 

  The Reincarnation Spear instantly divided into four, four streaks of silver lightning pierced through the throats of the four Guardian Elders at the same time. 

  “Eh~~Eh~~” The four Guardian Elders covered their throats as their eyes widened. Blood flowed out incessantly from the bloody hole on their throat. In the eyes of the four Guardian Elders, terror and fear could be seen. They couldn’t believe that .they, themselves, the four great Guardian Elders, couldn’t even shout for help in front of their opponent…… 

  It was too fast! 

  The four Elders collapsed helplessly. A few fell on the ground, while the others bumped against the wooden table and overturned the plates and chopsticks. “Bam!” “Wha!” The sound of bowls breaking and even the sound of the liquor flowing onto the ground could be heard. The smell of alcohol along with a hint of blood pervaded the entire cavern. 

  “Whew!” The Whole Gale Eagle and Li Jun had just walked through the passageway and arrived in the cavern. 

  The moment Li Jun entered the cavern, she saw the four elders who had died with remaining grievances as they lied on the ground with widened eyes. 

  “There isn’t anyone else in this cave.” Teng Qingshan said calmly. “Little Jun, let’s follow the two passages and see if we can find any treasure!” Even if this so-called Forbidden Area was guarded by innate experts instead of these four old fellas, they would still die in Teng Qingshan’s hands. 

  Even Huangfu Yujiang, the number one expert of the Bright Moon Island, had used up his True Origin and had no other choice but to flee. 

  “Okay.” Li Jun nodded. 

  Immediately, Teng Qingshan and Li Jun began searching the private rooms in the cavern. Grassmatt and quilts could be found within all the private rooms in the caverns. 

  In one of the private rooms, Teng Qingshan saw images of the sword techniques engraved on the stone walls. 

  “Some of these stone inscriptions are aged over a hundred years, while some have just been engraved recently.” Teng Qingshan nodded as he said to himself, “Every generation pondered upon the art of the sword and carved the result of their own thoughts onto this stone wall. This was the accumulated research of sword arts done by numerous experts. Additionally, the people of the entire Bright Moon Island practiced sword art. It’s no wonder that the Lord of the Sword Tower could possess such outstanding skills in the art of sword!” 

  In terms of sword art, no sect in the land of the nine prefectures could have a better foundation than this Sword Tower. 

  In the heart of the mountain, there were many private rooms. 

  “Big Brother Teng, Big Brother Teng.” Teng Qingshan had only searched for a short while when Li Jun came to find him. 

  “Eh?” Teng Qingshan stared at her as he asked. 

  “Big Brother Teng, come with me,” Li Jun said hastily, “I’ve found a special place.” 

  “Oh?” 

  Teng Qingshan curiously followed Li Jun as they advanced along a meandering passageway in the heart of the mountain. As this passageway was very long, it was obvious that the Sword Tower had already dug over half of the heart of the mountain. 

  “Big Brother Teng, there is a very spacious hall up ahead.” Li Jun led Teng Qingshan and walked for a distance of over a hundred Zhangs; she then pointed forward. 

  The Whole Gale Eagle was within the great hall. 

  Teng Qingshan stepped into this spacious great hall and noticed that, on the walls of this great hall, there were numerous stone inscriptions of images depicting sword arts. 

  “Eighteen Flowing Wind Swords .Heavenly Thunder Sword Art .Water Snake Sword ” Teng Qingshan gazed at the fine and delicate sword arts. Each of these sword arts contained their own concept. “Eh? Where is the Bright Moon Sword Codex that Huangfu Yujiang mentioned?” 

  This caused Teng Qingshan to furrow his brows. 

  “Right. This is the highest-level sword art of the Sword Tower. They wouldn’t let the elite disciples who came here see it that easily.” Teng Qingshan shook his head and felt slightly regretful, Although those fine and delicate sword arts were powerful, they were not much use to Teng Qingshan, who had already stood at the threshold of Dao. All these sword arts could only be used to widen his view. 

  Suddenly— 

  Teng Qingshan glanced at the few lines of words engraved on the wall beside a side door in the great hall— 

  “If the one that enters the Forbidden Area, one is able to visit the Celestial Jade Annulus. The Celestial Jade Annulus was left by Senior Li, a benefactor of one of the martial ancestors of Sword Tower. The three martial ancestors have seen this Celestial Jade Annulus, and through the Jade Annulus, they created the 《Bright Moon Sword Codex》. If one has not reached the Innate Realm, one should absolutely not see this Celestial Jade Annulus. It will be of no benefit but will only cause harm!” 

  As Teng Qingshan read these few lines of words, he was extremely shocked. 

  “Big Brother Teng, what is this Celestial Jade Annulus. These few lines of words actually said that if one did not reach the Innate Realm, it will only bring harm?” Li Jun was slightly shocked. 

  “We must believe it.” 

  Teng Qingshan whispered, “Little Jun, stay outside first.” Following this, Teng Qingshan went through the side door and headed inside. 

  After walking for only a short distance of several Zhangs, Teng Qinghsan entered a spacious, naturally formed cave. A faint flow of azure light could be seen on the walls of this cave. 

  Four lines of huge words, which were written flamboyantly, could be seen on the wall. As Teng Qingshan read these words, he held his breath— 

  “With a rainbow as clothes and the wind as a horse,The immortals come one after the other down from the clouds.The tiger plays the se and the luan hauls the carriage, 

  The celestial beings lined up like flax.” 

  TLN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se_(instrument) 

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flax

  Book 7 Chapter 21 The Omnipotent Expert, Poetic Sword God Li Taibai 

  Teng Qingshan instantly felt the concept contained within the strong and powerful quatrain carved on the jade stone mountain wall that had a flow of azure light. 

  The moment he touched the concept…… 

  “Boom!” It was like floodwater that breached the levee. The quatrain had a total of thirty words, but the extremely terrifying concept the words contained was like floodwater surging to the sky, instantly submerging Teng Qingshan. Although Teng Qingshan’s “Spirit” was powerful, he was immediately immersed in the world of this concept contained in the quatrain. 

  Teng Qingshan saw several fuzzy azure-colored figures performing sword arts. 

  The sword art seemed faintly discernible and seemed to be following the trajectory of the heaven and earth. 

  This made Teng Qingshan once again feel that it was similar to how a carpenter handled an axe, simple and not special at all. At this moment, however, Teng Qingshan was surrounded by azure figures that were practicing all kinds of sword arts. Although it was called a sword art, it felt more similar to a sword dance. ……

  If someone were to enter the natural cavern, they would discover Teng Qingshan staring at the wall of the mountain with the Reincarnation Spear in his hands. He just watched…… without moving at all for an hour. 

  “Clang!” A sharp and clear sound was echoed out. 

  Li Jun, who was in the passageway, was startled and hastily took a few steps towards the interior. She immediately saw the Reincarnation Spear that fell on the ground and rolled into a wall of the mountain before stopping. As for Teng Qingshan, he held his forefinger and middle finger into the sword fingers position and began practicing the moves of the sword art he saw. It appeared as if he was practicing some kind of immeasurably profound sword art. 

  In a flash, Teng Qingshan shifted, and the moves performed by his sword fingers became extremely fierce. 

  “Ha!” 

  Due to the extreme fierceness of the moves, although Teng Qingshan wasn’t using the Innate True Origin, the moves still discharged forces of Qi which fired in all directions. 

  “Cling!” “Cling!” The forces of Qi hit the jade wall with the four lines of large letters, producing a tinkling sound, but the jade wall remained unharmed. 

  “Pu!” 

  The mountain rock beside Li Jun was jolted and cracked due to the blast of the forces of Qi, causing a few broken rocks to tumble down. 

  “When did Big Brother Teng’s sword art become this strong?” Li Jun was shocked. “Could it have something to do with the ‘Celestial Jade Annulus’?” Although this crossed her mind, but Li Jun was still too scared to inspect the “Celestial Jade Annulus”. 

  “Hm, having another skill isn’t a bad thing.” Li Jun looked at the moving figure of Teng Qingshan inside the cavern. “I’ll wait a bit longer!” 

  This wait lasted for a long time. 

  The sun had set, darkness fell, and even the cavern had become pitch black. 

  However, the sounds of the unhindered forces of Qi hitting against the wall of the mountain constantly reverberated, sounding increasingly concentrated. 

  Late at night. 

  Li Jun had hidden within the depth of the mountain road in fear of accidentally getting wounded by Teng Qingshan. In the dark, Li Jun’s small face had a blood mark. Previously, she was careless, and a rock shot past her face, leaving a wound. Yet, Li Jun was not angry at all; instead, she fixed her eyes on the entrance of the cave and thought to herself, “Big Brother Teng’s sword art has gotten stronger and stronger. Just the power of the the force of Qi discharged was getting increasingly stronger.” 

  Li Jun was admiring Teng Qingshan even more. 

  Suddenly—— 

  “Wrong!” A gloomy voice suddenly bellowed from the cavern. 

  “Big Brother Teng!” Li Jun got startled and quickly ran towards the cavern. 

  Although it was dark, the green fluorescent light radiated by the Jade Annulus in the cave allowed an inner strength expert to clearly see everything within the cavern. 

  “Big Brother Teng, a-are you okay?” Li Jun was slightly alarmed and angry. 

  At this moment, Teng Qingshan was clenching his teeth while a bloodstain could be seen on the corner of his mouth. His face was covered in sweat, and he just seemed like a frantic wild animal. 

  “I-I’m okay,” Teng Qingshan squeezed a few words from his lip. 

  “Big Brother Teng……” Li Jun felt increasingly felt more worried. 

  Teng Qingshan, whose face was covered in sweat, had his attention fixed on the Jade Annulus like a frantic wild wolf. “The sword art is magnificent and formidable, but…… this is the not the path I should walk. This is not the one I want…… Even if it can allow me to reach the Emptiness Realm, I still don’t want it.” Teng Qingshan’s gaze was resolute. 

  The people outside simply had no idea what happened within the last ten to twelve hours. 

  “Big Brother Teng, what happened?” Li Jun nervously asked as she held Teng Qingshan’s arm. 

  Teng Qingshan turned his head and revealed a trace of smile as he looked towards Li Jun. “Don’t worry, this is a good thing for me.” 

  “A good thing?” Li Jun was completely unconvinced of it being a good thing from the way Teng Qingshan acted. 

  “This Celestial Jade Annulus has a quatrain,” Teng Qingshan explained. “And I reckon this quatrain ought to be written by an incredibly powerful expert! The quatrain contained the incredibly powerful expert’s concept of sword. This is not sword art, but genuinely the Dao of sword that the Omnipotent Expert had comprehended. 

  “Compared to his Dao of sword, my past understanding of it was simply insignificant!” 

  “I am completely immersed within his concept and his Dao of sword.” 

  Teng Qingshan’s gaze shone. “I had already touched upon the border of the ‘Dao’, that’s why I was able to gradually comprehend the concept within the poem. If I bitterly cultivated here, I believe I’d be able to reach the Emptiness Realm within three to five years and become an Emptiness Realm expert.” 

  “Three to five years?” Li Jun sucked in a cold air. 

  Teng Qingshan was only eighteen years old right now. 

  Three to five years? 

  A twenty or so years old Emptiness Realm expert? That’s simply inconceivable! 

  “Big Brother Teng, that’s good, you should just stay here and cultivate. Or…… we could bring the Celestial Jade Annulus with us,” Li Jun hastily said. She didn’t care even if the Celestial Jade Annulus was the Sword Tower’s treasure. 

  “No.” 

  Teng Qingshan shook his head. “Based on my understanding of Dao, if one ponder upon this Celestial Jade Annulus for several years, one would indeed reach the Emptiness Realm! However, that Emptiness Realm is the Emptiness Realm of the skill of sword instead of the skill of spear. Plus, the Dao that the Celestial Jade Annulus contained is the Dao that he himself comprehended, so I would be walking on his path!” 

  “I have my own path!” 

  “My weapon is a spear, and it’ll forever be a spear!” 

  Teng Qingshan’s heart was firm like a rock! 

  Teng Qingshan was capable of creating 《Earth Element Fist》and《Water Element Fist》by himself. The arts created through one’s own Dao and the learning of other people’s “Dao” are two different concepts. The experts capable of self-creating have a deeper understanding of “Dao”. If it was other people, even though their Spirit was strong enough to draw out the terrifying concept in this Celestial Jade Annulus, they still wouldn’t be able to handle the concept or even comprehend it. 

  Teng Qingshan was able to comprehend a small part of the invisible Dao of heaven and earth. The concept of the sword art was placed in front of him, so comprehending was several times easier. With Teng Qingshan’s foundation, if he were to diligently cultivate for a few years, then breaking through the barrier of the Emptiness Realm wouldn’t be difficult. 

  “However, I need to build a path that is truly suitable for the internal martial art!” 

  “I want to build a path that belongs to the practice of spear arts.” 

  “A path that belongs to me, Teng Qingshan!” 

  Teng Qingshan lowered his head and picked up the Reincarnation Spear that he had let go of once a while ago. 

  “Hm?” As Teng Qingshan lowered his head, he saw an additional line of words below the quatrain on the Celestial Jade Annulus —— “I, Li Taibai, broke through the Emptiness Realm with this sword move at this Bright Moon Island! I shall leave this Sword Poem here for the fated one!" 

  Seeing this line of words, an explosion burst within Teng Qingshan’s mind. 

  “Li Taibai?” Teng Qingshan was extremely stunned. 

  “Poet Sword God Li Taibai?” 

  “One of the four Omnipotent Expert Li Taibai?” 

  Teng Qingshan was completely shocked, originally, he thought that the quatrain was left behind by an Emptiness Realm expert or by an Insightful Emptiness expert. Although the thought of it being left behind by an Omnipotent Expert did cross his mind, Teng Qingshan didn’t dare to think too much, so he eliminated the thought. 

  “What’s wrong, Big Brother Teng?” Li Jun was shocked; she didn’t dare to look at the writings on the Jade Annulus. 

  “Look at this.” Teng Qingshan pointed at the line of words. 

  Now, Teng Qingshan knew that the quatrain contained the Dao of sword that belonged to Li Taibai himself, and therefore, it also contained his “Power of the World”. A common mountain wall had become a Jadestone wall after many years; this was the magnificence of the Power of the World. 

  This was also the strength of an Omnipotent Expert possessed! 

  “I shouldn’t see it.” Li Jun slightly hesitated. 

  “Seeing this is fine. You can’t look at the words on the quatrain. If you were to incite the sword concept behind it, your mind would not be able to endure it, eventually bringing great harm to your soul. After which, I’m afraid you will never reach the Emptiness Realm,” Teng Qingshan said. 

  Li Jun nodded and looked towards the direction Teng Qingshan’s finger was pointing at. 

  “This is……” Seeing the line, Li Jun also felt shocked. 

  “Li Taibai?” After seeing the three words, Li Jun also found it hard to believe. 

  Emperor Yu, Heavenly Emperor of Qin Mountains Ying Zheng, Poetic Sword God “Li Taibai” and Martial Ancestor Shakya —— these almighty four Omnipotent Experts have been the ones standing at the peak of the nine prefectures for years. These four Omnipotent Experts existed in different timelines, but they have all, without any exceptions, reached the peak of the Omnipotent Expert Realm. 

  “This is the poem left behind by senior Poetic Sword God!” Teng Qingshan exclaimed. “I estimate that one of the legendary four great divine codices 《Green Lotus Sword Melody》would be a bit more complex than the quatrain, because it has a bit more information on the procedures regarding the Postliminary and Innate Cultivation. The Dao of sword that belonged to the senior Poetic Sword God was within the the poem; in other words, it’s a Sword Poem!” 

  Teng Qingshan looked at the line of writings —— 

  “With a rainbow as clothes and the wind as a horse,The immortals come one after the other down from the clouds.The tiger plays the se, and the luan hauls the carriage,The celestial beings lineup like flax.” 

  His heart was filled with endless admiration. 

  In this past, when Li Taibai reached the Insightful Emptiness Realm, he controlled the wind and flew around, freely venturing the vast world. He met some natives on this Bright Moon Island, and it was on this island that he finally had that moment of enlightenment which allowed him to break through the Insightful Emptiness Realm, reaching the Omnipotent Expert Realm. He also left some simple cultivation methods and gave them to the natives of the Bright Moon Island. 

  Through the cultivation method and the《Bright Moon Sword Codex》that the Third Martial Ancestor created when he entered a moment of enlightenment through the quatrain on the Celestial Jade Annulus and reached the Emptiness Realm, the generations of natives of the Bright Moon Island began to prosper. 

  “Eh?” 

  At this moment, Teng Qingshan realized that there was a pile of messy rocks on the other side of the cavern which blocked an entrance. 

  “Perhaps there is another passageway?” Teng QIngshan walked over. As his legs seemed to transform into an illusion, he kicked the pile of rocks. 

  Rumbling sounds echoed out as a great number of rocks was blasted away, revealing a terrace outside this passageway. An endless cliff could be seen outside the terrace! 

  “It’s actually here!” Teng Qingshan exited the cavern and arrived at the edge of the terrace with Li Jun beside him. 

  A cold wind breezed through. In front of Teng Qingshan and Li Jun was a cliff with an endless depth. 

  Teng Qingshan looked around and faintly saw the edge of the other mountain peak. 

  “In the past, Senior Poetic Sword God must have flown here and entered this cave through the terrace at the cliff on the waist of this mountain. He comprehended the pinnacle of the Dao of sword in this cave.” Teng Qingshan could faintly see the edge of the mountain peak. When he recalled that the other mountain peak had the same altitude as this mountain peak of the Forbidden Area, not to mention that neighboring mountain walls were very precipitous, he was struck by a thought. “Is it possible that when Senior Poetic Sword God comprehended the Dao of sword, he slashed one strike from a high altitude, and this strike had divided one mountain into two? The reason why there are two mountain peaks?”