Dividing the Treasure

Di Xin's mastery of formations was indeed high; everyone underestimated this Formation Raider's ability to break formations.

When the fake Long Xuan arrived, he found that Di Xin had already broken the formation. Stone pillars were visible to the naked eye on the surface of the lava, forming a dense mass that connected to a stone gate on the distant rock wall.

As expected, this stone gate is the cave abode that Old Daoist Li.

Meanwhile, the group, led by Di Xin, was already halfway towards the stone gate.

Hearing the noise behind them, the group turned around and looked back. When they found that he had returned, they all looked disappointed.

He actually made it in time! How did he get back so quickly? Is he just being straightforward?

"I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting. I hope I'm not late!"

Long Xuan greeted them, said something trivial, and then followed.

Now that the formation had been broken, there was no need to worry about triggering the mechanism, so he walked straight over.

"You broke the ancient formation so quickly? How did you do that?"

After catching up with the group, Long Xuan immediately asked impatiently.

He hadn't even gone to the toilet, so he returned extremely quickly. The fact that Di Xin had broken the formation in such a short time was truly astonishing.

Judging from its appearance alone, this ancient formation is by no means an easy formation to break.

Di Xin held up a token in front of Long Xuan and waved it, looking somewhat smug. "This ancient formation is certainly not so easy to break. I merely forged a Formation Key."

"The cave master went to great lengths to set up this Vicious Formation, considering every possible scenario, but he overlooked one crucial detail: some people in this world are capable of forging Formation Key."

Upon hearing this, Long Xuan suddenly realized that the Formation Key was like a remote control for an array. If the Formation Key was present, the array could be completely controlled, and there would be no need to go through the trouble of breaking it.

He truly hadn't expected that passing through this Vicious Formation would be so easy; he had thought this challenge would stump them for a long time.

Old Daoist Li also looked surprised and asked, "Since you already have Formation Key, does that mean the dangers inside the cave abode will pose no threat to us at all?"

"That's right!" Di Xin nodded and said, "Luckily, you didn't push open that stone door back then. Your caution was correct."

"If you hadn't resisted the temptation and rashly opened that stone door, you would have been greeted by a waterfall of lava, drenching you completely."

Upon hearing this, Old Daoist Li couldn't help but shudder. Just thinking about the scene of his head being scalded by lava filled him with dread.

Heaven knows that he relied on the immortality of the Cockroach Gu as a backup, but there was a 50% chance that he would open the stone door.

In the end, the decision not to hold the event was made entirely by drawing lots, and that extraordinary luck saved his life once again.

Looking back now, it was like a brush with Ghost Gate. No matter how strong the Cockroach Gu is, it's impossible for it to bathe in lava.

He will inevitably be burned to ashes by the lava, and even eight Cockroach Gu won't be able to save him.

He was thankful that he had found Di Xin; otherwise, he would have been doomed no matter who he teamed up with today.

While everyone was chatting, they had already reached the stone gate. Di Xin had no doubt about his skill in creating the fake Formation Key, and without the slightest hesitation, he pushed open the stone gate and was the first to walk in.

Long Xuan followed closely behind her, as if she could provide him with a sense of security.

The journey was surprisingly smooth, without any unexpected incidents. The group made their way to the cave master's residence without encountering any danger, a success that left everyone in disbelief.

Shouldn't there be at least one battle to obtain the treasure? But no, they went straight to the treasure distribution stage. What were all these people doing here? One Di Xin would have been enough.

At the deepest part of the passage is a secret chamber, behind which is a stone door with a combination lock, like the cave owner's treasure vault.

In the very center of the secret room sat a skeleton dressed in black, in a meditative posture, sitting on a straw mat, with a Storage Bag hanging from its waist.

Everyone's eyes lit up when they saw the Storage Bag.

"It seems this senior failed in his life-or-death cultivation and passed away in meditation," the Little Apothecary remarked after taking a look.

He forcibly looked away, knowing that whatever was in that Storage Bag was no longer for him.

Old Daoist Li the first to look at the stone door with the combination lock. He was the one who initiated this treasure hunt, and he was also the one who discovered the cave abode. According to the rules, the most valuable item in the cave abode should belong to him.

But now everyone can see that the most valuable item belonging to the cave owner is definitely in that treasure vault with the combination lock.

That's a no-brainer. If it's a pile of junk inside, why bother with a combination lock? It's like going through the motions for nothing.

Therefore, there must be an extraordinary treasure behind that door; anyone can see that.

Following his gaze, the others also turned their attention to the stone gate.

Li Dashan looked at Di Xin and spoke first, "The treasure of the town must be inside that stone door. How about we open that stone door first?"

"According to the rules, the town's treasure should belong to Old Daoist Li, but I'm very curious about what's inside. How about we open it and broaden our horizons?"

The others also looked at Di Xin, all showing anticipation for what was behind the door.

Di Xin rolled his eyes at them and said helplessly, "Didn't you realize? The code is a mechanism, not an array. My Formation Key can't break that door at all."

"Unless someone knows the password, I am powerless to open this door."

"Don't even think about breaking it open by force. If this stone door could be broken open by force, there would be absolutely no need for a password."

"If you move around recklessly, you will trigger not the formation, but an unknown mechanism."

"Mechanical engineering is beyond my scope of expertise; it's a blind spot in my knowledge, and I'm completely helpless against it."

"I don't know what will happen after you mess with that door, but it certainly won't be anything good."

"It's possible that lava will suddenly surge into the entire cave and kill us all."

Her words were like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's heads, instantly sobering them up.

If that's the case, then doesn't that mean the door can't be opened, and what's inside is destined to be out of their reach?

Now, Old Daoist Li finally getting anxious. He was a beneficiary of the town's treasure, and if that door didn't open, he would be the one to suffer the loss. The town's treasure was right in front of him, yet he couldn't take it away. How could he be willing to accept this? How could he not be anxious?

However, the cave master had been dead for countless years, so where could they possibly find the secret?

Unless the cave master is stupid, he wouldn't be foolish enough to leave the password in this secret room. In other words, they have no chance of getting the password unless the cave master comes back to life.

"Isn't there any other way? How about we try a few more times? I was lucky; last time I almost made it in with just one life."

"Maybe this time I'll have incredible luck and accidentally guess the password?"

Di Xin gave him a look as if he were an idiot. Did he really think he could just guess the password by chance? Was he out of his mind?

"If you were the master of this cave abode, would you give others unlimited opportunities to enter the password?" Di Xin countered.

Upon hearing this, Old Daoist Li was stunned for a moment, but finally calmed down. Without needing to think too much, he knew it was impossible; no normal person would do that.

This password will definitely have a limit on the number of times it can be entered; it might be three times, or it might only be once.

If the password is entered incorrectly multiple times, it may trigger a mechanism, leading to unknown dangers.

He became somewhat agitated. Having a treasure trove right in front of him, yet being unable to access it, was undeniably a very frustrating situation.

Long Xuan had already reached the keypad and examined it closely. Good heavens, there were a full twenty gears, each with a number from one to ten.

Anyone who has studied math knows just how many possible arrangements there are. It's an astronomical number. How are you going to guess? Show me how you guess!

He thinks he can just guess it by chance? Don't even think about it! He must have been taught math by his PE teacher!

Even if he were the chosen one, he couldn't guess correctly.

Long Xuan had already made up his mind that if Old Daoist Li dared to try and deceive him, he would immediately turn around and run away; he didn't want to be buried with him.

"Forget it! Forget it! Since this treasure is not meant for us, we shouldn't force it. Safety is the most important thing," Li Dashan said, stepping forward to offer his advice.

Even if the treasures behind the stone gate are incredibly valuable, they belong to Old Daoist Li and are definitely out of his reach.

Since that's the case, he was naturally unwilling to risk his own life, so he would naturally stand up and suggest not opening the stone door, since he wasn't a beneficiary of the system.

I imagine everyone shares the same view; it's only human nature. Even Long Xuan would have run away, wouldn't he?

Old Daoist Li scanned everyone's faces, and finally sighed. He knew that risking everyone's lives was far too selfish.

If he really does that, the others will definitely stop him, and he will probably incur public outrage.

But how could he be willing to give up like this? Li Dashan is talking without understanding the situation. If he owned the treasure of the town, would he just give it up so easily?

Fine, if they don't want it, they don't want it. At worst, they can just sell this treasure vault for a sky-high price.

Thinking of the treasure map that someone sold at an auction a few years ago, he was suddenly filled with excitement and his previous dejection vanished.

Since some people can make a fortune selling treasure locations, I can totally follow suit.

What if I auction off this treasure location? The price will definitely be high, and he can make a fortune. It's better than getting nothing at all.

Long Xuan's actions completely inspired him, freeing him from his inner turmoil. His resentment vanished instantly, and his mood brightened considerably.

"Sigh! I was determined to open this stone door, but how could I not consider the safety of my teammates? That would make me a selfish person. So I have no choice but to sacrifice my own interests for the greater good and decide not to open this door."

"What can I do? I'm just too kind-hearted. Sigh..."

Old Daoist Li sighed repeatedly, looking every bit the saint, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

That's a really fast change of heart! He decided not to open the business so quickly? What could have made him make that decision so fast?

Everyone was puzzled and looked at him with suspicion. Could he really be so easy to talk to? Could there be a trap? That's what everyone was thinking.

"Hey! What's with those looks? Are you doubting me? Everyone in this whole market knows that I, Old Daoist Li, always mean what I say. If I say I won't open, I mean I won't open. If I do, I'm a dog!"

"I was thinking that the cave master left a Storage Bag outside, right? It must be full of treasures. That way, my trip won't be a complete waste. Since I've already gained something, I might as well call it a day and not open this door!"

Old Daoist Li spoke with an air of great magnanimity, making those who didn't know him think he was very open-minded and regarded treasures as dirt.

His words slightly lessened the doubt on everyone's faces, and their gazes shifted to the Storage Bag at the skeleton's waist, their eyes burning with desire once more.

Everyone subconsciously forgot what had just happened and focused all their attention on the Storage Bag, their eyes filled with anticipation.

This Storage Bag Storage Bag is crucial to everyone's interests; their success on this trip depends entirely on it.

The thrilling treasure-sharing session is about to begin; how could they not be excited?

"This person must be an expert in formations. He must have books on formations in his Storage Bag. How about I take all the books on formations?" Di Xin was the first to speak.

However, Long Xuan also wanted books on formations. He hadn't even started researching formations from his Subtlety School yet, and was in dire need of supplementing his knowledge of formations.

The cave master's mastery of formations was clearly quite high, and he didn't want to let go of such a formation inheritance.

So Long Xuan said, "The Storage Bag may Cultivation Method, spiritual arts, physical techniques, and even Gu Recipe. I suggest that all inheritors of this knowledge make a handwritten copy. This way, everyone's interests can be maximized."

Although he didn't mention books on formations, his words implicitly included them, showing a clever cunning plan.

Di Xin glared at him secretly.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Little Apothecary immediately raised his hand and shouted, "I agree! I wholeheartedly support it!"

He would certainly agree immediately, since according to the agreement, his share of the treasure should have gone entirely to Long Xuan.

However, if everyone makes a copy of all the knowledge transmissions, then it would be useless for Long Xuan to have two identical copies of the transmissions. There would be no need to snatch his manuscripts. In this way, he wouldn't leave empty-handed on this trip.

After the Little Apothecary took the lead in responding, the others also expressed their agreement. After all, this was a good thing for everyone, maximizing everyone's gains, so they had no reason to disagree.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Di Xin ultimately did not voice any objections.

If she could sell the array formation books she smuggled from others so easily, then there was no reason for her to insist on monopolizing the array formation inheritance here.

Seeing that his plan had succeeded, Long Xuan immediately said to Old Daoist Li, "Since everyone has agreed, let's begin distributing the treasures. Old Daoist Li, shall we do it?"

"Of course I'll do it, I'm the one who initiated the mission." He immediately ran to the skeleton, rubbing his hands together and chuckling excitedly, finally pulling the Storage Bag hanging from the skeleton's waist and holding it in his hand.

Without even checking what was Storage Bag, he emptied all the treasures out of Storage Bag in front of everyone.

Suddenly, a dazzling array of treasures was piled up on the ground, with all kinds of treasures stacked up like mountains. Many of the treasures were even glowing, dazzling everyone.

There were pills, books, spirit swords, clothing, and all sorts of materials... Among them, Spirit Stone were the most numerous, accounting for half of the treasures, and most of them were even Mid-Grade Spirit Stone, with some even being High-Grade Spirit Stone.

Upon seeing the contents of the Storage Bag, the Little Apothecary's heart sank. Oh no! It was actually the Storage Bag of a Gu King! He was going to lose a fortune!

How could Rogue Cultivator in this region possibly cultivate into Gu King? You must know that Rogue Cultivator have no lineage, and it is difficult for them to even obtain the Cultivation Method to become Gu King. He was completely baffled and utterly dumbfounded.

This Storage Bag was incredibly full, containing countless treasures of all kinds, leaving everyone dazzled.

However, if we were to ask what the most valuable item among all the treasures on the ground is, it would undoubtedly be books of all kinds.

The most valuable thing in this world is knowledge. All knowledge is treasured and never shared with others. In this world, knowledge is priceless.

Everyone's breathing quickened, and their eyes gleamed with insatiable greed.

"This senior is actually a Gu King! The Cultivation Method he practices is Cultivation Method enough to reach the Gu King level! We're rich now, none of us need to worry about the subsequent Cultivation Method anymore!"

Upon seeing the Cultivation Method on the ground, Old Daoist Li's eyes reddened, and he was on the verge of tears of joy.

This is a cultivation Cultivation Method used by a Gu King, Cultivation Method enough to support his cultivation to the Spirit Severing Stage.

What is the most difficult thing for Rogue Cultivator? Naturally, it is the lack of a lineage. In this world, all knowledge is kept secret, and the concept of hoarding one's own knowledge is prevalent.

Being Rogue Cultivator in this world is incredibly difficult. You can't learn anything and have to figure everything out on your own, making it extremely challenging for Rogue Cultivator to grow.

Reaching the Spiritual Sea Stage is extremely difficult, but reaching the Gu King is enough to shock everyone.

It's not just a matter of resource scarcity; it's entirely due to the lack of a lineage. You don't even have Cultivation Method that reaches the Spiritual Sea Stage, so how can you talk about breaking through to the Spirit Sea?

The fact that each Cultivation Method kept its techniques secret became the biggest obstacle to the growth of Rogue Cultivator.

However, now that the Cultivation Method of a Gu King was placed before him, the biggest problem restricting Rogue Cultivator had been solved. How could he not be excited? How could he not be thrilled?

He was so excited he was practically going crazy.

Not only him, but everyone was overjoyed, almost delirious, as if a great path to becoming the Gu King was laid out before them.

The path of Gu cultivation will be smooth sailing from now on. Just thinking about it makes them breathless and unable to control their emotions.

Only the Little Apothecary had a long face, regretting it to the core. However, he remembered that everyone had just passed a knowledge inheritance agreement, which meant that he had the opportunity to learn the Gu King's Cultivation Method and would no longer have to worry about the Cultivation Method in the future.

Having a complete Gu King means that one has the possibility of cultivating to become Gu King, which is an enormous opportunity.

He realized that what he had gained from this trip was by no means insignificant, and thinking about it, he didn't know whether he should cry or laugh.

Looking enviously at the mountain of treasures before him, Old Daoist Li said excitedly, "Alright! According to the rules, I, the discoverer of this cave abode, shall take half of the treasures, and I shall have priority in choosing the most valuable ones. The remaining treasures shall be divided equally among the others."

"If no one has any objections, then I will distribute the treasures."

Old Daoist Li scanned the faces of the group one by one, and seeing that no one objected, he began to distribute the treasures on the ground.

He's not stupid; money can corrupt people's hearts, and there are far too many examples of teammates turning against each other in the face of huge profits.

In this world, it's common for a team to turn on each other because of a powerful treasure; how could he not care?

Therefore, he was extremely cautious about this treasure hunt, selecting only those whose character was 100% trustworthy. He carefully chose everyone on the trip, rejecting anyone with even a slightly bad reputation.

He also trusted his judgment in judging people, believing that the people he chose would be 100% problem-free.

As he expected, the people he chose did not disappoint him; none of them caused any problems, bringing a satisfied smile to his face.

Long Xuan was unaware that he had already been given the "nice guy" card, and that he was the very "nice guy" that Old Daoist Li had carefully selected from the market. If he knew what Old Daoist Li was thinking, he wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The title "good person" is by no means a praiseworthy one in this world, and he doesn't want to be labeled as a pushover.

There are just too many treasures on the ground. How long will it take for Old Daoist Li to divide them all up?

So Long Xuan immediately took out the paper and pen he always carried with him and began to copy down the various knowledge inheritances on the ground.

For someone who is often engrossed in creating, paper and pens are essential items to carry in their Storage Bag.

Seeing his actions, everyone finally realized what was happening and showed excitement, rushing over to copy the books on the ground.

However, they soon realized a problem: what normal person carries a bunch of paper and pens when they go out? Are they going out to sketch?

Even if someone has a habit of writing a diary, a blank book is enough; who would carry around a bunch of papers for no reason?

Therefore, the other Rogue Cultivator either had no paper or not enough paper, far from enough to copy so many books, and many didn't even have pens.

When they saw Long Xuan pile a thick stack of papers on the ground, everyone was stunned and completely bewildered.

"Why did you bring so much paper! Is this all for wiping your bottom?" the Little Apothecary exclaimed in surprise.

"Huh? Don't you guys bring paper and pens when you go out? You're so unprepared."

Long Xuan finally noticed his teammates' condition, and looked at them in surprise, as if they were the ones who were acting strangely.

Everyone was speechless.

What a weirdo!

Di Xin nudged Long Xuan's shoulder with her slender fingers, saying without the slightest embarrassment, "Lend me some paper and pen, I'll return them to you when I get back."

The only expert in the Marrow Cleansing Stage in the group had spoken, how could Long Xuan dare to disobey? It would be disastrous if she took advantage of her higher cultivation level to forcibly seize all the books because she had no paper.

Therefore, Long Xuan was eager to lend her the paper.

"What are you talking about? Using the word 'borrow' makes things too formal. I'll just give it to you directly. These are just ordinary people's things, not worth much at all. Take it and use it."

Long Xuan generously handed a stack of papers to Di Xin and gave her a pen.

Seeing that everyone else was staring at him expectantly, Long Xuan had no choice but to treat them all the same and distribute some paper to the others as well, so as not to be accused of favoring women over friends.

Paper and pen are things for mortals; for a Gu cultivator, one Spirit Stone is the most they could afford. Long Xuan gave them away without a second thought; exchanging a few insignificant items for the favors of a few people was entirely worthwhile.

And so, the group sat on the ground and began frantically copying the book, and the scene suddenly quieted down.

Only Long Xuan took the table and chair out of his Storage Bag and sat down comfortably to copy the book.

For someone who frequently works on recipes with pen and paper, a table and chair are naturally essential. It makes perfect sense for him to bring out a table and chair, right?

However, his reasonable explanations were seen as bizarre by others. Who brings tables and chairs out with them when they leave home? Are they here to study?

Long Xuan's actions once again made everyone's eyelids twitch, and they looked completely bewildered.

They couldn't help but wonder if Long Xuan had brought the bed with him. What else wouldn't he dare bring? Just who was this arrogant guy?

There were also honey-glazed roasted meat and a bunch of other delicacies inside. He's here on vacation, so what else can't he put in that Storage Bag?

Everyone was speechless, completely stunned by Long Xuan. When they saw him take out tea and fruit from his Storage Bag and place them on the table, they could no longer hold back their expressions.

Forcibly turning their heads away from this oddball, they finally began to concentrate on copying the Cultivation Method, but the aroma in the air and the sounds of eating around them couldn't calm them down...