The secret chamber's door was bolted from the inside.
After Xue Lang and his wife broke through, silence settled over the main hall.
Feng Cang cradled the Primordial Immortal Herb in his palm. After bidding the two farewell, he turned and headed deeper into the main residence, toward a secret chamber whose existence was known to only a handful of people.
The chamber was small, its four walls made of heavy bluestone. A few eternal lamps were embedded in the stone, casting a dim, tranquil glow across the space.
Complex patterns had been carved into the center of the floor. They were a Spirit Gathering Array that Feng Cang had commissioned someone to set up many years ago.
It lay dormant in ordinary circumstances, but as soon as powerful spiritual energy circulated within it, it would activate automatically, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy to provide the user with additional support.
Feng Cang sat cross-legged in the middle of the array's patterns and lowered his head to look at the Primordial Immortal Herb in his palm.
Its dark golden leaves and branches lay quietly in his broad, calloused hand.
It looked unremarkable, even a little homely. Yet the weighty surge of spiritual energy seeping from deep within its roots made Feng Cang's gaze grow ever more intense.
He was past forty. After decades of cultivation, he had poured every ounce of courage and desperation into his training. It was only recently, thanks to the manual Xue Yao had given him, that he had managed to force his way up to Level 85.
He was one of the undisputed pillars of military might in the entire Farack Kingdom. Yet even at this point, he had always known one thing in his heart.
Level 90 was a barrier he would never cross