True Treasure Trove, His Injuries Healed

Xu Yang lay on the floor, rolling his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings. Darkness stretched all around him; he couldn't see a thing. He could only feel himself descending. After about a quarter of an hour, a faint light appeared around him. Xu Yang's heart jolted. He knew he was almost at his destination.

A moment later, Xu Yang arrived in a hall. Several Night Pearls were embedded in the ceiling directly ahead, bathing the room in bright light. By then, he could move again, but the slightest motion brought a stab of pain from within.

With no other choice, Xu Yang could only circulate his energy to treat his injuries. As soon as he did, he was shocked to discover that his condition was even worse than he'd imagined. Only a thread of qi remained in his body, huddled in his dantian and so weak it could barely be felt. His meridians, meanwhile, were riddled with damage and on the verge of rupturing.

Xu Yang was alarmed. He hurriedly took out a Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pill and swallowed it. A warm current slid down his throat and quickly spread through his body. The qi in his dantian immediately stirred to life. As the medicine's power gradually coursed through him, it grew stronger bit by bit.

Overjoyed, Xu Yang immediately set his cultivation method in motion, guiding his qi to work with the medicinal power and heal his injuries. Before long, he entered a state in which he had forgotten both himself and the world around him.

An hour later, Xu Yang let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed through them. His injuries had greatly improved, but they were still severe. He couldn't fight for a month, or he would make them worse again.

Once he had finished circulating his energy, Xu Yang rose to his feet and looked around. The place was a small living room. He had dropped into it from a corner of the ceiling. The room was otherwise bare, with only a meter-wide stone table and two stone chairs in the middle.

Xu Yang walked up to the stone table and examined it. After a while, he spotted a stone knob on its right side. He reached out and tried turning it. With a click, he twisted the knob clockwise once. A rumble rolled through the room as a section of the living room wall slowly opened.

Xu Yang looked inside. It was brightly lit and utterly quiet. He waited for a moment, and, seeing no sign of danger, stepped in.

As soon as he entered, Xu Yang was startled to see an old man sitting cross-legged on his right. He immediately took two steps back and went on guard. At the same time, he examined the man closely. After a careful look, Xu Yang relaxed. The old man was dead; he was nothing but a corpse.

The old man's face was peaceful and lifelike, as though he were asleep. A wooden box sat before him.

At the sight of the box, Xu Yang's heart stirred, but he didn't rush over recklessly. Instead, he glanced to his left. The old man's corpse was on his right; on his left stood a small bookshelf with several books on it.

Straight ahead of Xu Yang was nothing but a bare stone wall. He stood where he was for a moment, then walked over to the old man's corpse. He knelt before him and said, "This junior, Xu Yang, has stumbled into senior's cave dwelling. I beg you to forgive me. I hope senior will bless me and help me leave this place safely." Then he bowed his head three times against the floor.

The moment Xu Yang finished, the cave blazed with light. Its brilliance made his eyes swim, while a crackling burst of noise rang out and countless flecks of light scattered through the air. At the same time, a streak of light shot from the old man and plunged into Xu Yang's brow.

Xu Yang froze in place, his eyes vacant. A moment later, they shifted and his senses returned. His face showed both lingering fear and joy.

Looking up at the flecks of light drifting through the cave, Xu Yang felt a surge of relief. Luckily, he hadn't wandered around at random. Otherwise, he would have been killed by the Restrictions the old man had laid down!

The streak of light that had just entered his mind carried information the old man had left for his successor. It detailed the old man's life and the circumstances of this place.

At that thought, Xu Yang looked toward the old man's corpse. It was gradually turning to ash. The sight burned itself into Xu Yang's mind and further strengthened his resolve to cultivate to immortality.

After the old man's body had crumbled into ash, a palm-sized cloth pouch remained where he had sat. The pouch was dull gray and utterly unremarkable, like a piece of junk. Yet Xu Yang immediately stepped forward and picked it up with great care.

According to the information, the pouch was a Qiankun Bag, an essential tool for cultivators. It contained a small space in which items could be stored, so Xu Yang naturally treasured it.

From the information in his mind, Xu Yang learned the old man's identity and history. The old man was none other than the legendary Old Man Tianjue. But unlike what Lei Dong and the others knew, Old Man Tianjue was no longer a martial artist. He had entered the cultivation world and become a cultivator.

Old Man Tianjue had originally been a disciple of a cultivation Lineage. Competition in the cultivation world was fierce, and fights over resources were common. Even members of the same clan schemed against one another; it was a merciless place.

His Lineage had unwittingly offended a Golden Core cultivator, a revered master, and the entire clan had been wiped out. When it happened, he had been away on a mission. By sheer luck, he escaped the purge. To save his life, he had no choice but to hide among the martial artists.

That was why those in the martial world had thought he was a Xiantian master. Later, after the turmoil had passed and his cultivation had greatly improved, he returned to the cultivation world.

Although he worked hard at cultivation, he lacked talent. Later, he was badly injured in a fight with someone, damaging his foundation. As a result, he remained trapped at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining for the rest of his life, never reaching Foundation Establishment. In the end, he had no choice but to pass away here, leaving behind his inheritance to await a worthy successor.

This cave dwelling had once been protected by Restrictions Old Man Tianjue had set up. Though more than a hundred years had worn them down until little power remained, even so, they were more than Xu Yang, who hadn't even reached the Xiantian realm, could withstand.

Fortunately, he had first paid his respects to Old Man Tianjue's remains and passed the test, becoming his successor. Only then had the Restrictions automatically collapsed into flecks of light.

Xu Yang put away the Qiankun Bag and walked to the bookshelf. According to the information in his mind, all the books there contained martial arts famous throughout the martial world. Among them were the Tianjue Hand and Zhentian Palm, martial arts Old Man Tianjue had created while roaming the martial world.

Of course, Xu Yang had no interest in those manuals now. The only thing he cared about was the secret method Old Man Tianjue had created to break through to the Xiantian realm. Xu Yang had yet to reach that level, and the cultivation techniques were far too profound for him.

So Xu Yang planned to reach the Xiantian realm first, then cultivate using the cultivation techniques. This place was perfect for secluded cultivation. The information in his mind said there was an underground spring deep within the cave, with fish living in it, so he would have no shortage of food or water.

Xu Yang soon found the secret method for reaching the Xiantian realm on the bookshelf. He didn't rush to study it. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the floor and quietly circulated his energy to heal. Then he pressed a mechanism, and the stone wall straight ahead creaked as it rose, revealing a dark opening.

A rush of damp air poured out. Xu Yang went to fetch a Night Pearl for light, then walked inside. Looking up, he saw a small pool five meters ahead. Its depths were pitch-black and unfathomable, and several foot-long fish swam through it.

Xu Yang immediately struck the fish unconscious and hauled them onto the bank. He also gathered some water before turning back and lowering the stone door behind him.

In the days that followed, Xu Yang studied the secret method for reaching the Xiantian realm while taking Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pills and circulating his energy to heal. With the pills' help, his injuries recovered quickly. Even more to his delight, he had unknowingly broken through to the peak level.

There was, of course, a downside. The Heavenly Demon Great Art had ravaged his body and overdrawn much of his potential, which would greatly hinder his future cultivation. Old Man Tianjue's fate made that plain. Xu Yang resolved never to use the Heavenly Demon Great Art again.

In his spare time, Xu Yang also leafed through the martial arts manuals on the bookshelf. He found that they far surpassed the manuals in the great hall. Any one of them falling into the martial world would stir up a bloody storm, especially the martial arts Old Man Tianjue had created, which were truly powerful.

One day, Xu Yang swallowed the last Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pill and poured all his strength into breaking through the final blocked meridian in his body. His face flushed blue and then red, his brows knitted tight, his expression grave.

Suddenly, a series of soft pops came from inside Xu Yang. He abruptly opened his eyes and spat out a mouthful of black blood. The last blocked meridian had opened, and the stagnant blood in his body had been expelled. At last, Xu Yang's injuries were completely healed.

With his injuries healed, Xu Yang let out a hearty laugh and reached into his robes, taking out a white jade bottle. The three small characters "Peiyuan Pill" were engraved on it. It was the spirit pill the mysterious woman had given him. Now that his injuries had healed, Xu Yang had reached the initial stage of the peak level. All that remained was to build up his power and slowly reach the peak of that level.

Under normal circumstances, reaching the peak would take Xu Yang a long time—at least five to eight years. But with these Peiyuan Pills, he would save a great deal of time.

Xu Yang pulled out the stopper. A fragrant scent immediately wafted out. At its aroma, his mind cleared. He hurriedly poured out a Peiyuan Pill and plugged the bottle again. If the spirit pills were exposed to the air for too long, their medicinal power would dissipate into it and their potency would suffer.

After putting the bottle away, Xu Yang tossed the white Peiyuan Pill into his mouth. A fragrant, warm current slid down his throat and spread through every limb and bone. Xu Yang immediately set his cultivation method in motion, absorbing the medicinal power to strengthen his qi.