The Hall of Gathering Heroes was a wreck. Fortunately, it had not collapsed; the explosion had only blasted a huge crater into the floor.
Wu Yu pushed aside the broken tables and chairs, carefully stepped into the crater, and picked up the Cards.
Without examining them closely, he quickly climbed out of the crater and left the Hall of Gathering Heroes.
Only after reaching a safe corner did Wu Yu inspect the Cards.
[Hundred Taels of Silver] Type: resource. Quality: white. Description: one hundred taels of silver.
[Chief's Token] Type: quest item. Quality: none. Description: a waist token that proves the bearer's identity.
[Three-Treasure Vitality Pill] Type: consumable. Quality: blue. Description: the three treasures protect the body, greatly increasing a mortal's vitality and strengthening their foundation.
"Tiger Power Stance" Type: technique. Quality: blue. Description: a body-refining technique that can lead to transcendence.
[Treasure Chest Key] Type: consumable. Quality: gold. Description: the key to a certain treasure chest.
There were nine Cards in total, including three [Hundred Taels of Silver] and three [Three-Treasure Vitality Pill], both familiar finds.
The other three were a token, a technique, and a key!
Wu Yu examined them one by one, and his eyes immediately lit up.
"A blue technique! Good, good, good!"
"A quest item. Am I supposed to take this to Redfang Village to turn in a quest?"
"Wait, a gold key?"
When he saw the golden glow emanating from the last Card, Wu Yu's breath caught, and his hand clenched tight!
"A treasure chest... The Bronze Chest I found by the gate didn't need a key at all. This must be for a higher-quality chest!"
"Gold quality. Could it be a gold treasure chest?"
Wu Yu was not certain either. His gaze shifted toward the Hall of Gathering Heroes!
Of all the places in the Evil Tiger Stronghold, this was the most likely spot to find a treasure chest.
He cautiously made his way over, entered the Hall of Gathering Heroes, and looked around. Behind the main hall were a small private courtyard and a bedroom.
There, inside the bedroom, a half-meter-tall chest of solid gold color sat conspicuously on the floor!
"It really is!"
Wu Yu's face lit up with delight, and he decisively crushed the Card.
An old-fashioned key radiating golden light fell into his hand. He crouched down, holding it as he searched for the lock.
But the instant the key touched the chest, a panel popped up!
[Golden Treasure Chest] Opening countdown: 29 minutes, 59 seconds!
"It takes half an hour!"
Wu Yu frowned. This was not good news!
He might have cleared out the stronghold, but bandit hunting parties regularly ventured out from this place!
If he stayed too long, any hunting party that returned would inevitably discover what had happened.
"No, I can't pass up this Golden Treasure Chest!"
After some thought, Wu Yu put off opening the chest for the moment.
He stood up, returned the key to his Inventory, and took out a number of small stones inscribed with the [Bi Fang Sigil].
Leaving the Hall of Gathering Heroes, Wu Yu began placing them around the area and along the roads.
Only after a while did he return to the Hall of Gathering Heroes and enter the bedroom.
Wu Yu brought over a stool and sat down, resting while he opened the chest.
[Golden Treasure Chest] Opening countdown: 29 minutes, 59 seconds!
58 seconds!
57 seconds!
56 seconds!
As the seconds ticked by, Wu Yu took out a flask of Spirit Wine with his free hand and drank in small sips.
At the same time, he listened vigilantly for any sounds outside.
Half an hour passed without incident.
As the final second of the countdown elapsed, the panel disappeared.
Bang! The [Golden Treasure Chest] blazed with golden light.
With his previous experience to guide him, Wu Yu casually lifted the lid, opening the chest to reveal several items inside.
They were all Cards, but one of them radiated an enchanting golden light!
[Three-Treasure Vitality Pill] Type: consumable. Quality: blue. Description: the three treasures protect the body, greatly increasing a mortal's vitality and strengthening their foundation.
[Dungeon Key] Type: consumable. Quality: white. Description: a key that opens the dungeon.
[Hundred Taels of Silver] Type: resource. Quality: white. Description: one hundred taels of silver.
"Tiger Roar Soul-Refining Diagram" Type: technique. Quality: gold. Description: refines the spirit through a tiger's roar, nourishing vitality in turn.
[Chief's Record Book] Type: book. Quality: white. Description: seems to contain records of some unspeakable secrets.
The chest contained twenty Cards for blue pills like the [Three-Treasure Vitality Pill], as well as ten [Hundred Taels of Silver] Cards. It was an extremely valuable haul.
But Wu Yu had eyes only for the gold technique, and he took it out first!
"Tiger Roar Soul-Refining Diagram!?"
His eyes lit up, and he crushed the Card.
The Card did not break. Instead, a panel popped up.
"Notice: required items missing."
"It needs something else?"
Wu Yu froze, then calmed down.
He immediately looked at the remaining items. The [Three-Treasure Vitality Pill] and [Hundred Taels of Silver] needed no explanation. The [Dungeon Key] might be crucial, and there was also a book.
After some thought, Wu Yu took out the book Card and crushed it.
A book fell into his hand. It contained only a few pages.
Seeing that there was little to read, Wu Yu simply stayed in the bedroom and opened it to browse.
"Fifteen days have passed since the Mountain Lord's arrival. His appetite keeps growing. He has eaten all the old, weak, sick, and disabled people in the stronghold."
"Day sixty-eight. All the women have been eaten too. The Mountain Lord has issued an ultimatum: we must capture enough food."
"Day ninety. The Mountain Lord bestowed a ritual, techniques, and pills upon us. We have no choice, but... I have another way."
"Day one hundred. Using that mysterious technique, I absorbed the Mountain Lord's blood and finally completed the soul-refining diagram!"
"Day one hundred and twenty. The ritual's power keeps growing! The soul-refining diagram needs just one final step: I have to kill the Mountain Lord!"
"Day one hundred and fifty. I am growing weaker and weaker. I have secretly sent word into the city, too. Just one more month, and the Mountain Lord would no longer be a threat. Why? Why!"
"A diary?"
Wu Yu was somewhat surprised.
The bandit Chief had actually kept a diary?
But on reflection, that did not seem quite right. It appeared that, some time after the Mountain Lord's arrival, the Chief had chosen to record important information out of fear.
Had he been worried that he would gradually lose his memories after becoming a tiger wraith?
"..."
Wu Yu wore a strange expression.
According to the records, the bandit Chief had been unwilling to serve as the Mountain Lord's tiger wraith. He had therefore combined an Immortal Treasure obtained by chance with mountain lord essence blood to create a "Mountain Lord Soul-Refining Diagram."
This was an immensely precious spirit-refinement technique that could open the transcendent gate through the path of spirit refinement.
However, beginning to practice it required a Mountain Lord Soul!
The Chief had wanted to hunt down the Mountain Lord, but he certainly could not do it himself.
For one thing, he was not strong enough.
For another, he had become a tiger wraith, his body and soul enslaved by the Mountain Lord. The moment the Mountain Lord discovered that he had grown stronger, he would actively drain his flesh, blood, and soul!
Thus, the Chief had secretly sent word out, luring martial artists from far and wide to hunt down the Mountain Lord.
"So that's it. I have to kill the Mountain Lord before I can start practicing this gold technique!"
"This really is an opportunity. The Mountain Lord is hiding in Lostway Cave, badly wounded!"
Wu Yu's heart skipped a beat as one daring idea after another sprang into his mind!
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