He had searched the Immortal Ruins five times in all.
It was no exaggeration to say that Chen Yu already knew this place as well as his own home.
He was absolutely certain this door had been closed before. Definitely closed.
Yet now, it was indeed open.
Chen Yu frowned.
He cautiously approached the doorway and peered inside. Candles burned on the walls, their faint light revealing a table in the center of the room and a coffin beside it.
His gaze lingered on the coffin for a moment.
He made sure there was no danger.
Chen Yu stepped inside.
Only when he drew closer did he see that the sheet on the table was made from some unknown kind of hide.
The first sentence on it read...
[Look behind you.]
At the sight of this,
Chen Yu's heart jolted!
He immediately turned around.
However, he discovered no danger.
He only spotted a deeply concealed compartment in the wall behind him, with a wooden box inside.
He did not act rashly.
Turning back,
he first glanced at the coffin, then at the sheet.
[Open the wooden box, and the remaining words will appear.]
Chen Yu took out the wooden box.
The box seemed to be an extremely intricate mechanism, somewhat like a Luban lock, but he sensed no Spiritual Power fluctuations from it.
Chen Yu tried twisting it a few times.
It would not open.
So he stopped trying.
Expressionlessly watching the wooden box in his hand, he lowered his palm slightly, then gently tossed it forward and let go.
The intricately constructed wooden box traced an elegant arc through the air.
With a crack, it struck the floor.
It broke open.
A jade pendant rolled out.
Only after confirming that the jade pendant gave off no Spiritual Power fluctuations did Chen Yu pick it up.
He examined it but found nothing special about the Jade Pendant.
It seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary jade pendant.
So he turned back.
New words appeared on the sheet on the table:
[Excellent! This Bagua Lock is the proud achievement of my many years of study. You must have spent quite some time opening it.]
He had not.
[There is a jade pendant inside the Bagua Lock.] [It is the key to these Immortal Ruins. Infuse it with Spiritual Power to claim ownership.] [Once you have claimed ownership, you may freely enter and leave the Immortal Ruins. No one else will be able to find this place or enter it again.]
Reading this, Chen Yu raised the jade pendant in his hand.
One eyebrow lifted.
"A key?"
The words on the sheet continued.
[The Immortal Ruins contain cultivation manuals, Martial Skills, pills, Dharmic Treasures... Once you reach the Foundation Establishment Realm and gain initial control over the Immortal Ruins, you may use them as you please.] [Until then, treasures may also appear randomly within the Immortal Ruins.] [When you reach the golden core realm, you may revive me from the coffin. When that time comes, you must tell me in detail how you solved my Bagua Lock.]
At that point,
no more words appeared on the sheet.
Chen Yu glanced at the coffin beside him, knowing that the person who had written these words lay inside.
He raised the jade pendant.
He infused a thread of Spiritual Power into it.
Although the jade pendant gave off no Spiritual Power fluctuations and looked entirely ordinary, who knew whether Elder Sun might notice something once he went outside? Rather than let a long night breed more nightmares, he might as well claim ownership first.
At worst, if he was discovered, he would immediately dive into the Immortal Ruins and cultivate in seclusion for a few thousand years.
Hum-
As Spiritual Power entered the jade pendant, Chen Yu immediately felt a faint connection form between himself and the Immortal Ruins.
Once he had claimed ownership,
the jade pendant returned to its utterly unremarkable appearance.
"Once I reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, I'll be able to use all the cultivation manuals and treasures in the Immortal Ruins as I please."
It was also after he claimed ownership that,
Chen Yu suddenly felt the Immortal Ruins begin to tremble slightly.
Having read the information on the sheet, he knew this was because the Immortal Ruins would disappear after he claimed ownership, preventing anyone else from entering.
"I have to leave before the Immortal Ruins disappear!" To avoid arousing Elder Sun's suspicions, Chen Yu immediately tucked the jade pendant into his pocket and ran toward the corridor he had come through.
As he ran,
he disheveled his clothes to make himself look even more bedraggled.
When he reached the corridor, Chen Yu scooped up the pill that had dropped when the skeleton on the floor fell apart.
He managed to run out before the Immortal Ruins disappeared.
Outside the Immortal Ruins.
By the time Chen Yu emerged, even fewer disciples remained outside.
He turned back and saw the Immortal Ruins slowly shifting from solid to illusory.
Steadying himself, Chen Yu took a deep breath and approached Elder Sun. "Elder, this is the treasure I found."
As he spoke, Chen Yu presented the pill to Elder Sun.
Elder Sun looked at Chen Yu with some surprise. He had not expected the boy to come out alive, let alone apparently uninjured. Lowering his head to inspect the pill in Chen Yu's hand, he nodded. "Excellent, a supreme-grade Spirit Gathering Pill! A reward of 100 points! And since you entered five times, you receive an additional 40 points, for a total of 140!"
At this, exclamations immediately rose around them.
"140 points!"
"...I'm so jealous."
"He actually found something... If I'd known, I'd have gone in again too!"
"Try it and die trying!"
"..."
Meanwhile, Elder Sun took Chen Yu's waist token and infused it with a thread of spiritual energy. Chen Yu's points immediately increased by 140.
As he did this, Elder Sun quickly scanned Chen Yu, finding no other unusual spiritual energy fluctuations on him.
"Thank you, Elder."
The key to the Immortal Ruins was hidden in his pocket.
Chen Yu's heart could not help pounding, but he forced himself to remain calm.
Across from him, Elder Sun noticed that Chen Yu seemed a little odd and was about to say something else, when-
"The Immortal Ruins are disappearing!"
Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.
Elder Sun turned to look and saw the once-solid Immortal Ruins becoming illusory at a speed visible to the naked eye. This was nothing strange, as the Immortal Ruins only opened for a while each night. Although they seemed to be disappearing a little early today, it was probably nothing serious, so he paid it no mind.
When he turned back, Chen Yu had already left. Having confirmed that the boy had no other unusual spiritual energy fluctuations on him, Elder Sun
gave it no further thought.
In the final second before the Immortal Ruins disappeared, a woman emerged from within.
Elder Sun's attention shifted to her.
Meanwhile, once the inspection was over, Chen Yu immediately walked some distance away without stopping. Only then did his taut nerves finally relax. Touching the jade pendant in his pocket, he let out a long breath.
Just then, someone suddenly tapped his right shoulder.
"Junior Brother."
Chen Yu's heart leaped!
He turned his head.
It was Lü Yanyan.
Chen Yu quickly regained his composure and smiled politely. "Senior Sister Lü."
"It's Senior Sister Yanyan." Lü Yanyan blinked her bright eyes, correcting him in a gentle, sweet voice. "You reaped quite a harvest tonight, Junior Brother. 140 points should let you take it easy for a good while."
"Just luck." Chen Yu smiled. "Nothing but luck."
"That wasn't just luck."
As she spoke, Lü Yanyan silently drew close to Chen Yu, almost pressing against him, her beautiful eyes shimmering.
"You entered the Immortal Ruins five times, Junior Brother. Not everyone has that kind of courage..."