Black Shadow

"Hmph hmph~"

Jewelry let out an excited yelp as it looked at a plain-looking herb on the wall.

"[Spirit Grass]?" Wang Yue exclaimed in surprise the moment he saw it.

Zhou Hao raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "You recognize it?"

Wang Yue realized he had lost his composure and quickly explained, "This [Spirit Grass] looks similar to the [Fire Core Flower] in my mountain stronghold. Both are Mysterious Grade High Rank spiritual medicines, but their medicinal uses are completely different.

The [Fire Core Flower] contains fierce fire element power and can maximally assist fire element cultivators in their practice. The [Spirit Grass], however, is not used for cultivation. It's one of the main ingredients for the [Spirit Awakening Pill], and in terms of preciousness, it's even higher than the [Fire Core Flower]."

Zhou Hao nodded and asked, "What is the [Spirit Awakening Pill] used for?"

"Oh, the [Spirit Awakening Pill] is specifically used to help cultivators overcome their inner demons. That's precisely why it's so precious. Of course, there's another reason, and that is the [Spirit Awakening Pill] has a very low success rate," Wang Yue explained to Zhou Hao.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hao looked at the [Spirit Grass], which resembled a weed, and asked, "Are there any requirements for picking it?"

"No, its vitality is very strong," Wang Yue replied.

Zhou Hao nodded gently, then reached out and plucked it, handing it over to Wang Yue.

"Take it."

Wang Yue paused. Just as he was about to speak, Zhou Hao said, "I don't need this kind of thing. Take it to develop your faction!"

Since he already had the Calming Incantation, he naturally didn't need the [Spirit Awakening Pill].

Wang Yue hesitated for a moment, then nodded heavily, "I won't let Senior down."

He then put away the [Spirit Grass].

While this treasure was taken, Jewelry continued its search. It had been excited since they entered, which could only mean there were too many Mysterious Grade treasures here.

"Show me the way," Zhou Hao gently patted Jewelry's head.

Jewelry immediately pointed in a direction, "Hmph hmph~"

It was only then that Wang Yue realized this little piglet was actually so powerful, capable of finding treasures.

No wonder the Senior had come to him back then; it was because of this creature.

Now that he thought about it, he finally understood all the oddities from that time.

Zhou Hao ignored Wang Yue's thoughts and continued to search for treasures based on Jewelry's guidance.

When Wang Yue snapped back to reality, Zhou Hao had already walked far ahead. He quickly caught up.

This palace truly had many rooms. They passed by four or five rooms just like this, but Zhou Hao ignored them all.

There might be more valuable treasures inside, but Zhou Hao felt it would be faster to quickly collect all the Mysterious Grade treasures first before looking for anything else.

Actually, there was another reason: if there weren't any Mysterious Grade treasures, this little brat Jewelry wouldn't be able to stay quiet!

As Zhou Hao stepped on a floor tile, a formation suddenly appeared beneath his feet, and a burst of fire erupted from the ground.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and dodged it. Otherwise... he would have been burned.

This was because Mu Jinyin had swallowed the fire the moment it appeared. What should have been a pillar of fire was now just a small puff of flame, like a decorative firework.

Zhou Hao thought with lingering fear, "I still can't just run around; it's better to be cautious."

It was best to be careful and prudent in a place like this.

Wang Yue looked at Mu Jinyin in surprise. It was this "little chick" that had extinguished his fire with a single flap of its wings back then.

Mu Jinyin felt his gaze, turned its head, and glanced at him.

Wang Yue's heart leaped, and he quickly averted his gaze, not daring to meet its eyes.

Mu Jinyin found the person inexplicably strange and stopped paying attention to him.

"Dad, there's something inside here," Zhou Yuanbao said as he pulled out a ten-centimeter-long stone from the wall.

Inside was a delicate little box, and from its appearance, it was clear there was something good inside.

Zhou Hao took out the small box and cautiously opened it to take a look.

With a "snap," the box revealed a small, hexagonal throwing dart.

"This thing looks... not great," Zhou Hao said as he took out the dart.

The dart was smaller than his two fingers.

Wang Yue thought for a moment, glanced at Zhou Hao, and hesitantly said, "This looks like a Yellow Grade Low Rank treasure."

Zhou Hao and Zhou Yuanbao looked at him simultaneously.

Wang Yue felt very uncomfortable under their stares and awkwardly added, "I... I'm not entirely sure, hehe~"

Zhou Hao asked, "You know how to appraise treasures?"

Wang Yue nodded and said humbly, "I've studied a bit; I can get a general idea."

Zhou Hao nodded slightly, put the dart back into the box, and grumbled, "Hiding a broken dart so securely, and packaging it so nicely, what a twisted sense of humor."

He felt like he knew what kind of person had built this palace; they were definitely someone with a twisted sense of humor.

Of course, if Wang Yue was mistaken, then he hadn't said anything.

"Let's go, we'll continue," Zhou Hao waved his hand, leading Wang Yue to follow the jewelry's instructions.

Soon, they found their target: a sharp greatsword.

Zhou Hao looked at Wang Yue and asked, "Can you tell the rank of this item?"

Wang Yue nodded and said, "It's a Mysterious Grade Mid Rank weapon."

Zhou Hao nodded inwardly, thinking it seemed to be quite something.

He was certain this sword was definitely Mysterious Grade, as the jewelry was specifically looking for items of this rank.

Just then, a dark shadow suddenly flashed by.

"Who's there?" Wang Yue sensed something and immediately shouted.

"Just a petty thief, not worth mentioning," Zhou Yuanbao said dismissively.

It had noticed someone approaching long ago, but seeing they were outnumbered, it didn't even dare to enter and simply fled.

Zhou Hao waved his hand, "Don't mind him, let's continue."

Fighting others here would definitely not be worthwhile. He'd rather spend that time finding more treasures, perhaps even a truly amazing one.

As they continued to search for treasures according to the jewelry's instructions, the previous shadow found its companion.

"Big Brother, I saw two people, and I couldn't discern their cultivation levels," Song Chen, the shadow, said to a muscular man.

The muscular man, Song Yang, looked up at him and muttered, "Spirit Profound or higher?"

He paused, then asked, "Did they notice you?"

Song Chen patted his chest confidently, "No, my stealth skills are not for nothing. Even if they did notice me, I could easily escape with my speed."

In reality, he had intentionally leaked his aura, which was why Wang Yue was able to detect him. This was a form of provocation and also a test of Zhou Hao and Wang Yue's strength.

Unfortunately, Zhou Hao had no intention of paying him any mind.

Song Yang glared at him, reminding him, "It's better to be safe than sorry. Don't be overconfident."

"Alright, Big Brother, how many times have you said that? I get it," Song Chen pouted, thinking to himself, "Hmph, this isn't overconfidence, it's called confidence."

Song Yang, unaware of his thoughts, turned and said, "Don't bother with them, finding treasures is the priority. This palace is unexpectedly large."

"Okay, Big Brother," Song Chen said with a smile.

The two brothers then separated again, going off to find treasures.