By the time Xiang Baiwei realized there was more to this than met the eye, Chen Yu had already left the Heavenly Union Association Emerald Cloud Peak Branch with Senior Sister Lü.
They walked out of the Affairs Pavilion.
Lü Yanyan secretly studied Chen Yu beside her.
Countless thoughts ran through her mind.
As the only disciple in recent decades to rise from a nominal disciple to the Outer Sect, Chen Yu has proven his strength.
He believed what I said about the "Happy and Carefree" service-that shows his innocence.
He entered the Immortal Ruins five times, found valuable treasures, and earned 140 contribution points-that shows courage and tremendous luck.
And he remained unmoved by my repeated attempts to tempt him-that shows reason and self-restraint.
Now he has passed the Heavenly Union Association's assessment on his very first attempt. That proves his intelligence, too...
At that thought,
Lü Yanyan's expression gradually grew solemn.
Nothing but strengths!
And on top of all these excellent qualities, he also has a tall, straight-backed figure and handsome features...
In her years since joining the Dao Sect, Lü Yanyan had clawed her way forward and met countless Outer Sect disciples, yet not one could compare to Chen Yu.
If Junior Brother Chen Yu really could make it onto the Outer Sect Genius Ranking...
Lü Yanyan's heart pounded. The promising prospect she had been searching for all this time seemed... to have appeared.
Chen Yu did not notice the strange look in his senior sister's eyes. It was already evening when they left the Affairs Pavilion, so he went straight to the dining hall. After holing up at home and eating dry rations for several days, he finally had hot food again and wolfed down two large bowls in a row.
After dinner, just before they parted, Lü Yanyan took out a wooden token and handed it to Chen Yu.
Chen Yu lowered his head to look at it.
The words "Heavenly Union Association" were carved into the token. It was the same one Senior Sister Lü had displayed when the crowd blocked their way that afternoon.
"If anyone still blocks your door, show them this token and tell them you've already passed the Heavenly Union Association's assessment," Lü Yanyan said. "The Heavenly Union Association is powerful. Even disciples on the Outer Sect Genius Ranking wouldn't provoke it lightly, let alone that rabble."
"Thank you, Senior Sister." Chen Yu cupped his hands.
"Why stand on ceremony with me?" Lü Yanyan smiled and winked, then reminded him once more, "Don't forget to collect your Identity Token from the Affairs Pavilion tomorrow."
"Of course!"
With that,
The two parted ways.
But after parting with Senior Sister Lü, Chen Yu did not return to his residence.
Instead, he headed down the mountain.
Counting the days, it had been some time since the Immortal Ruins disappeared. Even while he was eating in the dining hall today, the disciples around him had barely discussed the Immortal Ruins at all.
Sneaking over to Little Bamboo Peak now should not draw anyone's notice.
Following the stone steps, Chen Yu reached Little Bamboo Peak a quarter of an hour later.
After the Immortal Ruins disappeared, Little Bamboo Peak had returned to its former desolation. The entire peak was so quiet that only the wind blowing past his ears could be heard. On his way there, Chen Yu had not encountered a single person.
Still, considering how important the Immortal Ruins were,
There was no telling whether the Dao Sect had sent elders to keep watch in secret, so Chen Yu did not venture too close, just to be safe.
Once he entered the vicinity of Little Bamboo Peak, Chen Yu could clearly feel his connection to the Immortal Ruins reestablish itself through the Jade Pendant. There was no need to approach the Mass Burial Grounds specifically.
He looked around and made sure no one was nearby.
Chen Yu injected a strand of spiritual power into the Jade Pendant, and his vision immediately blurred.
Two or three seconds later,
Chen Yu entered the Immortal Ruins...
When his vision cleared, he saw torches hanging at equal intervals along the walls on both sides of the corridor, stretching ahead.
It was a familiar scene, yet Chen Yu kept feeling that something was off.
He frowned and examined it for a long while.
Then he suddenly realized.
The skeletons that used to kneel on both sides of the corridor seem to be gone?
Chen Yu froze, then nodded.
That makes sense. The skeletons served as guards in these Immortal Ruins, and now that I have the Immortal Ruins Key, they naturally won't stand in my way.
Having figured that out, Chen Yu entered the hall of the Immortal Ruins. When he had first come to search for treasures, nothing had ever spawned in the main hall, so he had hurried through it every time. Now that he had time, he naturally wanted to take a proper look around.
The main hall was vast and empty.
He wandered around.
Only then did Chen Yu discover that the main hall was octagonal. Apart from the corridor entrance, each of its other sides had a door leading to a different side hall.
However, only one side hall's door was currently open-the one he had entered when searching for treasures before.
The other six doors were tightly shut.
Chen Yu tried pushing hard, but found that they would not budge.
He examined the surroundings, but there did not seem to be any mechanism.
Once he confirmed that he could not open these doors, Chen Yu had no choice but to give up. There was nothing else in the main hall, so he headed toward the side hall where he had previously searched for treasures.
The side hall was long and narrow, with fourteen rooms he could enter and leave freely.
Treasures refresh daily...
Having visited several times, Chen Yu was thoroughly familiar with these rooms. He quickly went through each one and eventually found two Qi Refining Pills, a magical longsword, and a piece of unidentified material.
He kept only the Qi Refining Pills and put the other two items back where they belonged.
The Dao Sect was full of people and prying eyes. If a magical longsword inexplicably appeared in his possession, someone would definitely report him.
Finally, he went to check the room with the coffin again.
Nothing had changed.
At this rate, I'll only need to come once a day to check the refreshed treasures and keep whatever is useful.
Having thoroughly investigated the situation in the Immortal Ruins, Chen Yu returned to the main hall.
He looked at the six other tightly shut side-hall doors.
These Immortal Ruins are anything but ordinary. Just one open side hall already has cultivation techniques, pills, weapons... countless treasures. How much wealth would there be if I could open all the other side halls someday?
Chen Yu felt both anticipation and a weight pressing down on him.
An innocent man became guilty merely by possessing a precious jade.
He not only understood that principle but had even experienced it himself. After the Immortal Ruins incident, word that he had earned 140 contribution points spread across Emerald Cloud Peak, and people had crowded outside his house every day since. Even a mere handful of contribution points had brought that upon him-what, then, of these Immortal Ruins whose value was impossible to estimate?
I absolutely cannot let anyone learn that I obtained the Immortal Ruins Jade Pendant! Chen Yu thought to himself.
Having finished investigating and obtained two Qi Refining Pills, he had made a fairly good haul.
Chen Yu left the Immortal Ruins...
Back on Little Bamboo Peak, Chen Yu checked his surroundings again. Once he confirmed no one else was there, he hurried away at a light jog.
Soon, Chen Yu was back on Emerald Cloud Peak.
When he reached his residence,
He discovered that all the Emerald Cloud Peak disciples who had crowded outside his door during the day were gone.
Now, only one figure stood before his door. She wore the white robes of Emerald Cloud Peak, her hair tied up and her figure slender and graceful. Her back was to Chen Yu, but she seemed to hear his footsteps behind her and turned her head.
Chen Yu saw a pretty face filled with disgust, disdain, and contempt...