Lin Taichu's heart stirred slightly. He opened his eyes and looked toward the mountain before him—the surface was faintly covered in flowing azure lines, drifting like living creatures beneath the moonlight.
"Is this... an ancient formation?"
He muttered to himself and pressed his palm against the mountain wall.
The instant his fingertips touched it, a frigid energy surged through his meridians into his dantian, unexpectedly producing a subtle resonance with the Xuan Yang true qi within him.
Lin Taichu's pupils contracted sharply as he recalled the Qingyun Spirit Vein mentioned in the ancient castle's inheritance—a Spirit Vein node said to endure as long as heaven and earth. If he could use it to break through, he might even reach the Martial Master realm directly.
He rose to his feet and looked around. The azure lines on the mountain wall gradually became clearer, outlining the positions of the Eight Trigrams.
Lin Taichu circulated his Spiritual Sense and deduced the pattern according to the astral trajectories on the stone stele. Suddenly, inspiration struck.
Boom! The mountain trembled. The vines curled back like living things, revealing a Stone Gate over ten feet tall.
The Stone Gate was carved with ancient Runes. At its center was embedded a fist-sized azure crystal, somewhat similar to the crystal in his arms.
"Could it be..." Lin Taichu took out the crystal from his robes. The moment it approached the Stone Gate, it emitted a lustrous blue glow, echoing the crystal on the gate from afar.
The next instant, the two beams of light intertwined into a bridge of light, and the Stone Gate slowly opened, revealing a deep, shadowy passage.
Chilling gusts drifted through the passage, mixed with the damp scent of soil.
Lin Taichu gripped the hilt of his saber and cautiously stepped inside.
After advancing