Discoveries in the Cave Dwelling

A strange energy flowed slowly through his bones. An indescribable sense of power rose from his marrow, then coursed through every part of his body.

"Haha, is this the Origin Power Seed?"

Wild delight surged into Lin Yiqing's eyes. In that instant, the whole world seemed to grow clearer and brighter.

He could even sense something strange flowing through the air around him. It was exactly like the Origin Power that had formed within his body.

The gates to the entire world were opening before him, and the pinnacle of martial arts was beckoning. Only now had he truly set foot on the path of cultivation.

But Lin Yiqing also noticed something unusual about himself. An enormous amount of Heaven and Earth Origin Qi constantly surrounded his body.

"No wonder I've always cultivated so quickly. It seems there's something different about my body!"

Lin Yiqing was surprised. The Heaven and Earth Origin Qi flowed docilely through his pores, continually nourishing his body without his even realizing it.

"Congratulations, Cousin Yiqing."

Lin Yun had sensed Lin Yiqing's breakthrough to the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm and came forward with a smile to congratulate him.

Watching Lin Yiqing break through with his own eyes left him envious, but he understood that his talent for combat was nothing compared to his cousin's.

"Haha, I was just lucky. Let's keep going. The inner chamber of the cave dwelling should be up ahead."

Putting those thoughts aside, Lin Yiqing looked toward the depths of the cave dwelling. Both of them were eager to see what awaited them. The real rewards lay ahead. Even the belongings left behind by an Earth Origin Realm expert would be a great opportunity for the two of them at their current level.

With that, they continued on. Strange rocks rose everywhere across the center of the natural cavern, jagged and peculiar, yet somehow possessing a unique elegance. A thread of intensely frigid air permeated the surroundings, making them uncomfortable.

"So this is Yin Sha Qi."

After activating Origin Qi Vision, Lin Yiqing could clearly see wisps of thin, gray-white mist drifting through the cave's air. He mused to himself.

"These frigid currents are the Yin Sha Qi that Earth Origin Realm experts need. It's pretty sparse here, though. We could consider collecting some once we reach the Earth Origin Realm."

Perhaps because they were about to claim their rewards, Lin Yun was also excited. He eagerly explained things to Lin Yiqing.

Between heaven and earth, Yin Sha Qi and Yang Gang Qi were divided into nine grades, with the first being the lowest and the ninth the highest.

Most Earth Origin Realm experts absorbed second- or third-grade Yin Sha Qi from the world around them. The Yin Sha Qi in this cave dwelling wasn't especially dense and might not even reach first grade.

Noticing Lin Yiqing's interest, Lin Yun added, "I've heard that dense Yin Sha Qi can even condense into Yin Beads, though hardly anyone's ever seen one, so I don't know if it's true."

He'd only heard it by chance. Lin Yiqing smiled at the thought, finding it fascinating.

He knew quite a bit about these things himself, but there was no need to say everything out loud. Otherwise, it would seem like he was showing off.

As soon as they passed through the natural cavern, a strange fragrance wafted toward them. It smelled like a mixture of orchids and musk, and Lin Yiqing felt the Origin Power in his body circulate a little faster.

"Could it be a high-grade Spirit Herb?"

They exchanged a glance, each seeing the excitement in the other's eyes. It looked like this trip would truly prove rewarding.

With the Green Water Snake dealt with, nothing stood in their way. They relaxed a little and followed the fragrance to investigate.

"Wait, could this be a fourth-grade Spirit Herb, the White Jade Snake Orchid?"

Before long, Lin Yiqing and Lin Yun found the herb in a corner on the left side of the cave dwelling.

A white jade-colored orchid grew there, its leaves threaded with fine golden lines like snake scales. The breeze stirred the herb, scattering specks of spiritual light.

The White Jade Snake Orchid usually grew in extremely frigid places, and a snake-type demonic beast was sure to guard its surroundings. It was an exceedingly rare herb.

Someone had once put one up for sale, causing a sensation in Qingyang Town. Lin Yun had only heard about it, but that was how he recognized the herb.

"Strange. The Green Water Snake was so badly injured. Why didn't it swallow this to heal itself?"

Lin Yiqing was puzzled. If nothing unexpected had happened, the guardian beast of the White Jade Snake Orchid was the very Green Water Snake the two of them had killed.

"That Green Water Snake was probably waiting for it to fully mature. Look, Cousin Yiqing: this White Jade Snake Orchid isn't quite ripe yet. Its medicinal potency is probably only a little stronger than a Third-Grade Spirit Herb. If the snake swallowed it now, it wouldn't do much to heal its injuries."

Following Lin Yun's gesture, Lin Yiqing looked at the base of the White Jade Snake Orchid. Its stem was still green, an odd contrast with the jade-white tips of its leaves.

"Too bad we can't wait for the White Jade Snake Orchid to mature, either."

With a soft sigh, Lin Yun stepped forward and picked it. Then he took a wooden box from the hide pack on his back and gently placed the White Jade Snake Orchid inside.

Spirit Herbs were valuable, but waiting for this one to mature might bring other complications. Better to pick it now and avoid trouble. Only an opportunity already in your hands could truly be called an opportunity.

"Cousin Yiqing, you saved me earlier. Take this Spirit Herb."

With that, Lin Yun handed Lin Yiqing the box containing the White Jade Snake Orchid.

Lin Yiqing was taken aback, then quickly waved his hands. The Spirit Herb was valuable, but they had found it through their efforts together—and they still didn't know what else the cave dwelling held.

For all they knew, the White Jade Snake Orchid might be the greatest prize of the whole trip. How could he keep it all to himself?

"Haha, just take it. If we find something better later, you can let me choose first."

Lin Yun laughed heartily. They hadn't even reached the most important inner chamber, yet they'd already found something so valuable. He was delighted.

That made him all the more eager to see what might be waiting inside.

"All right, then. Thank you, Cousin Lin Yun."

Lin Yiqing wasn't one to stand on ceremony. He accepted the wooden box and put it in his pack. He truly needed resources for cultivation.

At the end of the natural cavern, they saw an exquisitely carved stone door embedded in the rock wall. It was decorated with several kinds of flowers, its design quite distinctive. The owner of the cave dwelling seemed to have been a person of refined tastes.

"This could pass for a work of art," Lin Yiqing couldn't help remarking.

"There should be some kind of mechanism near the stone door. Let's look for it."

Lin Yun began searching the area beside it. They hadn't encountered any traps along the way, so the owner of this cave dwelling seemed to have been a kind-hearted person.

Lin Yiqing examined his surroundings closely and spotted a palm-sized lion's head carved into the rock beside him.

He pressed it gently. To his surprise, a rumbling sound rang out, and the stone door to the inner chamber opened. The two of them were overjoyed.

Inside the chamber, a dried corpse cloaked in black robes sat on a stone chair in the middle. Even in death, it radiated a formidable presence.

A blood-red spear stood planted point-down to the right of the stone chair. Its long shaft was sleek, while the connection to the spearhead was forged into a savage shape. The head of some unknown beast jutted out from the tip, and barbs lined both sides. Several blood grooves had been carved into the point. Just looking at it sent a chill through them. This was clearly a weapon made for slaughter.

"Cousin Lin Yun, how about you take this spear?"

The instant the door had opened, Lin Yun's eyes had fixed on the spear.

Seeing this, Lin Yiqing smiled. Since he'd taken the White Jade Snake Orchid, he might as well let Lin Yun have the weapon. He knew there were even more powerful spirit treasures beyond ordinary weapons.

"Whew, then thank you, Cousin Yiqing. I really do like this spear."

Hearing Lin Yiqing's offer, Lin Yun finally snapped out of it. He stepped forward, pulled out the spear, and swung it through the air. A series of sharp, blade-like whistles rang out.

They looked around and couldn't help feeling awkward. Apart from the spear, there was nothing else in the stone chamber.

"Cousin Yiqing, this..."

Lin Yun scratched his head. He didn't know what to say. He was the one who had invited Lin Yiqing along, and he'd relied on him to kill the demonic beast. Yet now it seemed that he'd ended up with the biggest prize.

Just then, Lin Yiqing noticed a palm-sized blue cloth pouch hanging from the dried corpse's waist. He suddenly remembered that a book from his previous life had described something like it.

"Could it be a Universe Bag?"