Ban Shu studied the two stone statues before him, trying hard to think of anything that might offer a clue.
But they were so ancient that their faces and distinguishing features had almost completely worn away. Even the objects in their hands were only guesses Ban Shu had made based on their shapes. There were no clues at all.
"What kind of gods are these?"
Ban Shu tried searching the area for clues, but the place was so dilapidated that there was nothing useful to be found.
"Xiao Ban, how's it going?"
Golden Crocodile Douluo took a few steps forward and came to stand in front of Ban Shu, who was deep in thought. "Did you find anything useful?"
Ban Shu frowned and shook his head. "It's so badly ruined. There are no clues at all."
At that moment, Bibi Dong reminded him, "Don't we still have that box? Surely it must be useful here."
"The box?"
Ban Shu raised it. The purple light that had flickered earlier had disappeared again, and it had returned to its former dusty gray color.
"Could there be some kind of mechanism?"
After thinking for a while, Ban Shu leaped onto the statue's hand with the box. Sure enough, there was a very distinct rectangular mark there.
The instant he placed the box inside it, the entire statue began to shake, and then it gave off a dim purple glow.
Ban Shu instinctively crouched to steady himself, then looked toward the box. Its runes began to glow brighter, as if something had been activated.
"Did it work?"
Golden Crocodile and Qian Xunji stared intently at the statue, their Soul Power gathering as they prepared for the possibility that the cave might collapse.
Gradually, the statue stopped shaking. The purple light on its surface seemed almost conscious as it slowly gathered around the scepter in its hand.
Streams of purple light converged on the gem at the center of the scepter, then became a beam of deep purple light that poured into the box.
As Ban Shu watched, the box absorbed all the purple light. A gap appeared between the box and its lid.
"It worked!"
Once he was sure there was no danger, Ban Shu eagerly picked up the box and jumped down from the statue.
"Xiao Ban, did it work?"
Seeing the expectant looks on their faces, Ban Shu smiled and nodded. "Mm. Look, a gap has appeared in the box. We should be able to open it now."
"Really? Then hurry up and open it. Let's see what's been hidden so carefully."
Bibi Dong urged him on, unable to wait any longer.
"Mm."
Ban Shu nodded and reached out to lift the lid.
But the instant his hand touched the box, just as he was about to open it, his expression changed. His knees suddenly gave way, and he dropped to one knee.
"Xiao Ban!"
When the three saw that Ban Shu had suddenly gone pale and was drenched in sweat, they hurried forward to help him up.
"Xiao Ban, what happened?"
Qian Xunji hastily reached out and threw the box aside. "There's something wrong with this box!"
But the box, thrown into the air, suddenly stopped in midair, then slowly drifted back in front of Ban Shu.
"What the hell is this thing?"
Qian Xunji's face darkened. He summoned the Angel Holy Sword and swung it with all his might.
Clang~
A crisp impact rang out as the Angel Holy Sword struck the box. But the force of the recoil knocked Qian Xunji half a step back, while the box remained completely unharmed.
"!"
Seeing that Qian Xunji couldn't do a thing to it, Golden Crocodile's expression shifted. He immediately summoned his Martial Soul, ready to deal with it himself.
"Teacher, Grandpa Golden Crocodile, don't attack. I'm fine."
At that moment, Ban Shu caught his breath, took out a pill, and swallowed it, then stopped the two men. "I just used up too much Soul Power and lost my strength for a moment."
"You used up too much Soul Power?"
Golden Crocodile Douluo stopped his attack. "But you didn't do anything. Why would you use up so much?"
Qian Xunji held the Angel Holy Sword and seemed to realize something. He pointed at the box. "Is it because of this box?"
"Mm."
Ban Shu reached out, and the box wobbled back into his hand. "I felt all my Soul Power get drained the moment I tried to open it. I suppose that's how this box is opened."
"It has to absorb enough Soul Power before it can be opened."
"In that case..."
Golden Crocodile Douluo reached out, and the powerful Soul Power of a Titled Douluo gathered before spreading over the box.
But, to his surprise, the box produced a burst of repelling force that knocked Golden Crocodile's hand away.
"Hmm?"
Golden Crocodile froze. Could it be that the box didn't want him?
"Looks like it only absorbs my Soul Power."
Ban Shu tapped the box. Since it had absorbed some of his Soul Power, one corner of the gap had begun to glow.
The process was extremely dangerous. Judging by the progress, it would take at least a year to fill the entire gap.
"We don't know when this ruin might collapse. Let's get out of here first."
"Mm."
Ban Shu nodded. Since they couldn't uncover the box's secret just yet, they could go back and study it more carefully.
The next day, the four of them returned to Spirit Hall. Golden Crocodile Douluo went back to the Worship Hall to cultivate as usual.
Qian Xunji went to handle the affairs that had piled up over the past few days. There were many matters waiting for him, and he needed to review them himself.
Ban Shu and Bibi Dong went back to rest before beginning their daily training.
By now, Bibi Dong and Ban Shu had nearly finished all the special assignments Qian Xunji had given them, so they were free to arrange their training themselves.
In the morning, Ban Shu went to the library to absorb knowledge. In the afternoon, he trained his physical strength and combat skills. At night, he cultivated his Soul Power.
The days passed one after another.
Spring turned to autumn, and before anyone knew it, another year had gone by.
"Xiao Ban, what did you say you wanted to do?"
At the Pope Palace, Qian Xunji looked at Ban Shu standing before him in surprise.
"Teacher, I've learned everything I need to learn here at Spirit Hall. So I'd like to go out and gain experience for a few years, to prepare for the sect tournament later on."
Ban Shu bowed respectfully as he spoke to Qian Xunji.
Over the past year, Ban Shu had trained diligently, and his strength had grown day by day. His Soul Power had surged from level thirty-three to level thirty-eight.
Rising five levels in a year had taken not only Ban Shu's extraordinary talent but also a great deal of cultivation resources.
That should have been more than enough. But before long, Ban Shu felt that he had reached a bottleneck in his cultivation.
Of course, it wasn't a bottleneck in his cultivation level, but one in his spirit.
Ever since arriving in this world, Ban Shu had lived near Spirit Hall and had never seen the Douluo Continent in its entirety. That had slowly filled him with longing.
To put it simply, he'd been cooped up at home for too long and wanted to go out, explore, and broaden his horizons.
Of course, part of him also wanted to visit the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. He had already mastered Yue Guan's book about rare and exotic plants, and it was time to put what he'd learned into practice.
He also had a few other ideas, such as refining medicine.
Before you continue