Ancestral Grave

Xu Bai put Di Yi away and stepped cautiously into the boundary of the Sunset Forest's inner circle.

Upon reaching a distance of barely a hundred meters from the mountain, he discovered a small hole in its side.

It was very small, likely only large enough for one person to pass through.

Logically speaking, a hole like this was highly unlikely to be the lair of any ten-thousand-year Soul Beast.

Because, with very few exceptions, the vast majority of Soul Beasts develop massive bodies once they reach a thousand years of age.

Even small Soul Beasts like insects can grow to the size of a compact car once they reach the thousand-year mark.

With an opening this small, even if there were a Soul Beast inside, it would be at most a hundred years old.

Still, for the sake of caution, he opened his Beast Taming Space and had Little Blue extend a vine to probe inside carefully.

After a long while, he received a listless reply from Little Blue: the cave was safe, and there were no traces of any Soul Beasts.

Little Blue: Can't bask in the sun or the moon, not happy...

Xu Bai certainly knew of Little Blue's hobby of sunbathing and moonbathing, but there was no helping it now; after all, there was a price to pay for becoming stronger, even if it wasn't Little Blue's own desire...

At worst, once he was powerful enough in the future, he could just rig up a sun and moon inside the Beast Taming Space. That way, whenever they went on long journeys, Little Blue could always keep its spirits high.

Thinking this to himself, Xu Bai walked quickly to the cave entrance and squeezed inside.

How did that ancient text describe it again?

At first it was very narrow, barely allowing one person to pass; after walking a few dozen paces, it suddenly opened up.

This small cave was just like that, though the "opening up" here wasn't the "flat land and orderly houses" of The Peach Blossom Spring, but rather a massive cavern—so large that even Di Yi could move around inside without feeling crowded.

The cave itself was ordinary, but the walls were riddled with dozens of pitch-black holes, all identical in size and shape, which seemed highly unusual.

With a thought, he released Di Yi from the Beast Taming Space and pointed toward the holes, asking, "Sense it again. Can you pinpoint the exact location of that precious metal?"

Di Yi complied, and after a careful search, it truly found a specific direction.

It's here, Beast Tamer. I feel that if we enter through this hole, we will find that precious metal.

It walked up to a hole on the eastern side and pointed with its claw.

Xu Bai nodded, tucked Di Yi back into the Beast Taming Space, and continued to let Little Blue scout the path. Once he confirmed there was no danger, he walked straight in.

The entrance was narrow, just like the one he had entered through, only wide enough for one person.

The tunnel wasn't straight, but he could feel a breeze, which meant this opening connected to the outside world.

Xu Bai walked quickly and soon saw a glimmer of light.

Out of caution, he slowed his pace, braced himself against the cave wall, and crept toward the exit.

As he looked out, the light suddenly intensified.

Xu Bai instinctively squinted, and only after his eyes adjusted did he see the scene outside.

It was a massive valley, filled with flowers, grass, water, and trees—a veritable paradise on earth.

Of course, that wasn't the point; the point was the center of the valley.

There stood several grave mounds. They had no tombstones, but a sharp, precious sword was thrust into the ground in front of each mound, shimmering with a biting cold light under the sun.

Moreover, every single one of them looked incredibly valuable.

"This... this must be an ancestral graveyard..."

Xu Bai hesitated for a moment and released Di Yi.

"Sense it carefully again. Are you sure you didn't point to the wrong place?"

Although every one of those sharp swords looked worth a fortune, as a transmigrator with a proper set of values, he still felt that secretly digging up someone's ancestral grave was a highly immoral act.

That's right. The metallic aura I sensed is coming from those swords.

Di Yi replied without the slightest hesitation.

"Alright then..."

Xu Bai sighed, turned around, and walked away, muttering to himself, "A gentleman loves wealth but acquires it in the right way. How could I possibly dig up someone's ancestral grave for money? I am a man of integrity, after all..."

"I'll give you all a chance this time to hide your ancestral graves better. If I can find this place again next time, don't blame me for being unscrupulous."

Watching the Beast Tamer's retreating back, Di Yi wore an expression identical to Ng Man-tat's.

Wait, I didn't go into the Beast Taming Space! I haven't gone into the Beast Taming Space yet! Hey... hey... I haven't gone into the Beast Taming Space yet!

In similar scenes, Uncle Tat could at least chase after him for a few steps, but Di Yi could only stare blankly, watching the Beast Tamer's back disappear into the tunnel.

Because the entrance was too small, it couldn't even squeeze through if it tried.

Fortunately, Xu Bai wasn't Stephen Chow; after a short while, he returned. "Sorry about that, Di Yi. I actually forgot about you."

Di Yi: (￣ー￣)

Xu Bai ignored Di Yi's speechless expression and looked toward the ancestral graveyard, a helpless look on his face.

"I didn't expect to meet again. It seems the owner of this graveyard didn't cherish the chance I gave them. Since you didn't cherish the opportunity, don't blame me."

With that, he took a step forward and headed toward the grave mounds.

First: ????

Beast Tamer, are you alright...

Approaching the grave, Xu Bai intended to draw the sword immediately, only to discover two lines of small text inscribed on the blade.

Chen Jianjun, level 97 Super Douluo, title "Sword Monarch."

Xu Bai: ????

"A Title Douluo, with the title 'Sword Monarch,' and the surname Chen..."

"It couldn't be that much of a coincidence, could it..."

Xu Bai's mouth twitched. He hurried to the next grave, and the sword planted there bore two similar lines of text:

Chen Xun, level 98 Super Douluo, title "Sword Emperor."

He went on to inspect the swords before the other graves. Every name engraved on the blades shared the surname Chen, and every individual was a Title Douluo.

The highest cultivation level was 98, and the lowest was 93. There were nine graves in total, meaning nine Title Douluos rested here.

"Hiss, they're all surnamed Chen. This is a mess. I just wanted to find some precious metal to make a quick fortune, but I ended up stumbling into the ancestral graveyard of the Sword Douluo's family..."

Xu Bai gasped, hurriedly using his sleeve to wipe the dust off each sword while muttering under his breath:

"My apologies, my apologies. This junior meant no offense; I merely trespassed into the resting place of you seniors by accident. Please, do not haunt the dreams of your descendant named Chen Xin to tell him..."

His muttering came to an abrupt halt. Xu Bai's hand, still wiping the blade, froze, his expression shifting rapidly.

It went from confusion to surprise, and finally, to utter disbelief.

Just a moment ago, he had suddenly felt his spiritual power increase slightly. He knew this sensation well; it was the reward granted by the Manual after recording a new Soul Beast.

"This... this isn't right..."

Xu Bai murmured in his heart, casting his gaze toward the Manual within his Sea of Divine Consciousness:

[Name]: Sword Spirit

[Attribute]: Metal

[Race Potential]: ????

[Evolution Path]: None

[Introduction]: Under the rules of this world, it is nearly impossible for inanimate objects to develop sentience. However, the Heavenly Dao consists of fifty, of which forty-nine are manifest, leaving one to escape. If the opportunity arises by chance, an inanimate object may develop sentience.

Note: Consume a massive amount of spiritual power to deduce a cultivation method? (Yes/No).