It was no illusion. The skeletons really had slowed down.
Chen Yu did not even need to use the Glowing Jade. He only had to speed up occasionally to leave those skeletons far behind.
Seeing this,
Chen Yu knew half his theory had been confirmed.
Ignoring the skeletons, Chen Yu searched the thirteen rooms in the Immortal Ruins one by one.
A few minutes later.
"A metal-attribute cultivation manual, the Heavenly Blade Art, and two Qi Refining Pills."
Looking at the cultivation manual and the Qi Refining Pills before him,
Chen Yu focused his attention on the Heavenly Blade Art.
This was a metal-attribute cultivation manual.
He had already cultivated to the peak of the fifth layer of Qi Refining through the Flame-Transforming Art. Next, he would have to begin practicing the Earth-Warding Art, and once that brought him to the Qi Refining sixth-layer peak, he would need to cultivate a metal-attribute art.
The Heavenly Blade Art had come at just the right time.
As long as I don't take it outside, it shouldn't have any effect, Chen Yu thought.
He picked up the Heavenly Blade Art.
He opened it.
It was a basic metal-attribute cultivation manual.
There was not much to it.
Chen Yu quickly memorized its contents, then put it back where it had been.
Finally, Chen Yu looked at the two Qi Refining Pills on the shelf. "What a shame. I can only leave these two Qi Refining Pills behind. Even if I take them here, traces of the pills will remain in my body for quite some time. There's no way they'll escape Elder Sun's inspection."
"If only the system could break these things down directly into experience points."
"Unfortunately, it can't."
Chen Yu withdrew his gaze.
He returned the Heavenly Blade Art and the two Qi Refining Pills to their original places.
Shaking off the fifteen little followers behind him,
Chen Yu left the Immortal Ruins.
Once he came out,
It was just as lively outside as before.
Chen Yu spotted a few familiar figures-the same people who had been chatting when he came out the first time.
They were chatting again.
"Grass-a kind of plant! I did find something this time, but it was just a Qi Gathering Pill. Who the hell is getting all those high-value treasures?"
"Well... sigh. I didn't find anything this time."
"Only one chance left..."
"Damn it, if I still don't find a high-value treasure next time, I'm going in again!"
"Don't. Calm down! Haven't you noticed that the skeletons have clearly gotten stronger?"
"I have. Compared to the first time, the skeletons were noticeably faster this time, and their strength was already comparable to cultivators at the peak of the third layer of Qi Refining. They're a real pain to deal with."
"..."
Listening to this,
Chen Yu grew even more certain of his theory.
Expressionless, he walked up to Elder Sun again.
"This disciple found nothing on this trip."
Across from him, Elder Sun narrowed his eyes and studied Chen Yu for a while. Once he was certain nothing was amiss, he nodded. "Mm, go on. A reminder: if you still haven't brought back at least one treasure after your third trip, you won't receive the ten-point reward."
"Yes."
Chen Yu cupped his hands.
He turned and entered the Immortal Ruins again.
This was his third time.
The same familiar corridor, the same familiar skeletons.
But after the skeletons awakened, their auras grew a little weaker. Their movement speed did not decrease again, but their attacks became strange. Sometimes, even with Chen Yu standing right in front of them, they lunged and missed, as though they were drunk.
Chen Yu ignored the skeletons and quickly scoured the rooms.
This time,
In the thirteen rooms,
He found only two pills contained in an exquisite bottle.
The moment he pulled out the stopper, a rich herbal fragrance filled Chen Yu's nose.
It was a distinctive, wonderfully pleasant fragrance.
Right,
Now these were fucking pills!
What the hell were they making in the alchemy furnaces on Heavenly Flame Peak?
"Without a doubt, this must be a high-value treasure." Chen Yu looked at the bottle before him.
If all he wanted was sect points, taking the pills in this bottle outside should earn him a reward of at least a hundred points.
But...
Chen Yu was a little curious now.
If I go four straight trips without searching or fighting, what will I find on the fifth?
After thinking it over,
Chen Yu turned around.
"Even finding another cultivation manual would be good."
He returned to the corridor of the Immortal Ruins.
As he was heading out,
Chen Yu paused.
Looking at the dozen or so skeletons staggering behind him like drunks, he thought, Normally, the skeletons should have become extremely powerful by the third trip into the Immortal Ruins. I can't look too clean, or people will get suspicious.
So Chen Yu immediately rumpled his robes and rubbed some dust onto them from the wall beside him.
He looked a little disheveled now.
Next, he expended some spiritual energy.
"This should do," Chen Yu said, panting.
Only after finishing his disguise did he leave the Immortal Ruins.
Once he was outside,
There were many disciples around.
At a glance, the vast majority looked bedraggled or were outright injured.
Chen Yu walked straight toward Elder Sun.
Cupping his hands, he said,
"This disciple still found nothing on this trip."
Seeing Chen Yu's disheveled appearance, with nothing hidden on him and no traces of pills in his body, Elder Sun waved a hand. "You haven't brought back even a single treasure. You won't be getting those ten points."
"...Yes!" Chen Yu gritted his teeth, looking frustrated. "This disciple would like to try again!"
"Suit yourself."
Elder Sun remained expressionless.
Chen Yu turned around.
As he headed toward the Immortal Ruins again,
Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed a furtive figure emerge from the Immortal Ruins and squeeze into the crowd, seemingly intending to...
Before he could even finish that thought, Chen Yu suddenly felt a gust of wind sweep past him. It darted into the crowd in an instant and wrapped precisely around the furtive disciple.
"Ah-"
The man slowly floated into the air.
"Where are you going?" Still standing in place, Elder Sun calmly glanced at the disciple, then narrowed his
eyes. "I already told you to come over of your own accord after leaving, hand over your treasures, and submit to inspection. Why didn't you?"
As he spoke, Elder Sun formed a hand seal with one hand, and a bottle suddenly flew out of the disciple's robes.
It landed steadily in Elder Sun's hand.
"A Top-Grade Origin-Nourishing Pill." Elder Sun glanced at the disciple, mockery in his eyes. "Trying to keep it for yourself?"
As his words fell, light erupted from the disciple's entire body. The next second, his body exploded!
In less than three seconds, he was refined into a mote of spirit essence.
Putting away the Top-Grade Origin-Nourishing Pill and the spirit essence,
Elder Sun wore a placid expression.
As though nothing had happened.
Just then, a disciple carrying a longsword walked up to Elder Sun. "Elder, this is the treasure I found."
Elder Sun took it, examined it, and nodded with a smile. "Good! A Mid-Grade Spirit Sword. Fifty points as your reward."
Upon hearing this,
Exclamations of envy immediately rose all around.
As for the disciple who had been publicly refined into spirit essence just a second earlier... no one else cared.
"Whew-"
Chen Yu drew a deep breath.
He clenched his fists.
Then stepped forward into the Immortal Ruins once more...