The Snowballing Information Network Makes a Discovery!

Inside the bamboo house.

The Great Void Heavenly Eye hung in mid-air, its green beams slanting downwards, illuminating Chu Tianshu's entire body.

Chu Tianshu sat cross-legged, his long sword resting horizontally on his knees.

The reporter's soul had already been placed into a soul-nourishing artifact by Sun Buyuan.

Currently, only the Weapon Soul remains within the Three-Seven Sword.

However, under the prolonged illumination of the Great Void Heavenly Eye, the sword body began to tremble slightly, and even the Weapon Soul could not withstand it.

The sword suddenly floated up, circled Chu Tianshu once, flew to the table, and inserted itself into the scabbard that was lying flat on the table.

Chu Tianshu smiled but remained motionless.

Outside the window, bamboo shadows swayed gently, and the sun slowly slanted downwards; another two hours passed.

Chu Tianshu's pores seemed to glow with a greenish hue before he gracefully rose to his feet, stretching out his limbs, his feet firmly planted on the ground, and his hands moving like a drawn bowstring as he circulated his internal energy.

As soon as he moved, the radiant energy that had been faintly emanating from his body was absorbed and digested, leaving no trace of green, only a rosy complexion.

The hands first moved as if drawing a bow to the left and right, the feet shifted, the hands changed to fists, moving slowly, and then returned to the original position, changing the hand seals.

The air vibrated from his fingers, buzzing and twisting, sometimes expanding, sometimes contracting.

His hands, which formed the hand seals, appeared as if they were looking in a funhouse mirror, sometimes grotesquely elongated, sometimes flat like a box, and sometimes solid and clear, with strong and crystalline muscles and bones.

All the sensations of practicing martial arts surged from his limbs and every tiny part of his body to his heart—bitter, intense, and exhilarating.

A profoundly clear experience of growth emerges from this process; after being refined and solidified, it becomes more robust and powerful.

It is a great fortune for a person to find something they love and are able to accomplish.

When you truly understand the essence of practice, you won't feel the hardship; it's like the golden harvest of autumn, bursting forth from its shell.

The study of the law deepens layer by layer, and even the sour taste doesn't feel sour; it's like a hundred fruits and five grains, crafted to be sweet.

With such complete immersion, several hours passed by without me even realizing it.

The sun had turned a brilliant golden color.

Sunlight streamed from the west onto the windows of the bamboo house.

Chu Tianshu felt a gradual itch in his bones, indicating that the cultivation of the Great Void Heavenly Eye had reached its peak.

The green light receded, Great Void Heavenly Eye drifted over, which he caught by opening his eyes and put back into his pocket.

"Brother Chu, are you done work?"

Chen Taozhi's voice came from outside the door.

Chu Tianshu walked to the table to pour tea, and with a wave of his hand, opened the door from a distance.

Chen Taozhi walked in carrying a tablet and said with a smile, "You practiced for nine more minutes today."

"Compared to the day we first arrived, your current dangerous training allows you to practice for an extra hour each day."

Chen Taozhi did not hide her admiration, and there was even a hint of envy in her eyes.

He was also quite curious to see what it would feel like to be exposed to that Heavenly Eye.

However, after trying it, Yungu told them very seriously that they should focus on other training methods first and not try such a suicidal thing before stepping into the Taboo.

Even without using his internal energy to resist, Yungu felt his soul become numb after being exposed to the light for a while, and the hair on his left hand also became thicker.

Chu Tianshu handed him a cup of tea and took one for himself.

The teacups here are made of ceramic and are specially shaped like a section of bamboo tube, green on the outside and white on the inside, which is very ingenious.

Chen Taozhi sipped her tea, placed the tablet on the table, and opened it. "Here are today's data: allocated funds, acquired assets, and newly registered personnel."

"A monetary offensive, unless offered at an exorbitant price, is not very effective against them. However, the allure of a treasure that perfectly addresses their needs is truly extraordinary."

"Today, fourteen more groups of people were caught in the trap. They're determined to help us with intelligence work, to find out if there are any unusual situations in various places."

Hearing this, Chu Tianshu smiled.

"I practiced for longer today than before, but the number of people I managed to hook also increased day by day."

Once this market was officially established, it grew like a snowball.

Initially, it relied on a powerful propaganda campaign, but once the practitioners actually came to experience it...

The organizers were indeed reliable, and Sun Buyuan's services were concise and to the point, which greatly facilitated the transaction.

The more people arrive, the more they realize how abundant the resources are here, and how the diverse and exotic goods are even more enticing than they expected.

After a week, it wasn't just sorcerers from the Golden Triangle who had come over.

There were also quite a few sorcerers from the surrounding countries who came to buy goods or hoping to find bargains, wandering around the market from morning till night.

"The original plan from above was simply to send an observation team here, complete their business, and leave. This seriously underestimates the potential here."

Chen Taozhi said excitedly, "If this market can continue to operate stably, it will be a significant supplement to our country's special resource reserves."

Chu Tianshu shook his head.

"Senior He and the others may have seen the potential here, but they couldn't spare the manpower before. They can't afford to lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small gains."

He glanced towards the door as he said this, "But if the matter of the Grotto-Heaven can be resolved, and Chen Ying and Yungu return to China, there will be a much better manpower pool."

"With the foundation we've recently laid, it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep this market open."

As the master of the Grotto-Heaven, Chen Ying was capable of replacing a certain elder and presiding over a region. Moreover, as a successor of the Internal Elixir School, he was adept at using internal energy to simulate the effects of certain spells.

While martial arts practitioners possess superior combat skills, they are ultimately less convenient than those who practice magic in matters of domestic security, investigation, and tracking.

A successor of the Internal Elixir School who has reached the Taboo level can provide extensive guidance, thereby indirectly making up for the deficiencies in this area.

Yungu is well-versed in military affairs and learns about modern weapons quickly, so he can also take on part of the responsibility of training new recruits.

As for the potential of the Grotto-Heaven Ruins themselves, it goes without saying.

Since these precious treasures have already chosen a master for the Grotto-Heaven, it means they will automatically operate and enter a rest and recuperation phase. Once they have undergone some repairs, it is unknown what kind of miraculous effects they will be able to produce.

Chu Tianshu was also very curious about what kind of experience he would have when he entered the Grotto-Heaven.

As the two were chatting, Yungu's voice came from outside the door.

"I just asked Chen Ying again about the situation at the Grotto-Heaven Ruins."

Yungu strode in, his face showing worry.

"The pressure on the Grotto-Heaven Ruins is increasing, and she suspects that if this continues, the Grotto-Heaven Ruins might be directly crushed."

Chu Tianshu frowned. "Break through? Let outsiders get in easily?"

Yungu shook his head and said, "No."

"Breakthrough" means that when the damage exceeds a certain limit, the remaining structure of the Grotto-Heaven will cause a chain reaction of collapses, degenerating into the most ordinary secret realm space.

"By then, although one secret realm will remain, the foundation of the Grotto-Heaven will have been completely destroyed."

Chu Tianshu's heart sank.

If it were just a matter of creating an opening to allow the enemy to break into the secret realm, that would be easier to handle.

But the current situation shows that the other party could completely avoid showing up from beginning to end.

Their target was clearly just the Grotto-Heaven Ruins.

After the ruins of the Grotto-Heaven are destroyed, they can hide even deeper in reality, or even go far away.

A simple secret realm is not worth the attention of Ghost God and gods.

"No, something's not right..."

Chu Tianshu placed his palm on the table, tapped his fingers, and slowly paced around the table, suddenly realizing a crucial point.

The power of the Spirit Realm is ultimately rejected by reality.

If the forces from above and below combine, they can gradually create such a strong compression on the Grotto-Heaven.

Just how much power do Ghost God from the Spirit Realm intend to channel into the real world?

Even assuming they could truly send out that much power, the resulting repulsion would be far greater, so how could it not reveal anything?

"Perhaps, the real oppressive force on the Grotto-Heaven is no longer the power belonging to the Spirit Realm."

Chu Tianshu's eyes lit up, and he said, "Since there are ancient treasures like the Tianshan Secret Realm and the ruins of Grotto-Heaven appearing one after another..."

"Of course, there might be other ancient treasures as well."

Yungu understood. "You mean, what's suppressing the Grotto-Heaven in reality is some kind of treasure, and these treasures are being used by the minions of Ghost God?"

Chen Taozhi pondered for a moment, "But this doesn't seem to help our current investigation."

"We don't know exactly what treasure affected the Grotto-Heaven."

"We don't know whether it was originally unearthed in Southeast Asia or was transported from elsewhere."

Yungu asked, "Does the Special Investigation Bureau have any equipment specifically designed to detect ancient treasures?"

Chen Taozhi was taken aback. "I really don't know. I could try contacting my superiors, but it's probably not possible."

If such detection equipment truly existed, in this era where ancient artifacts are constantly being unearthed, wouldn't there be people out there every day with that equipment, exploring and investigating?

Chu Tianshu took out his phone, opened the group chat, and after a while, shook his head regretfully.

"Senior He has replied that such equipment does not exist."

Disappointed, Yungu sat down at the table, took out a cigarette, but didn't smoke it for a moment. He just twirled it between his fingers, lost in thought.

Chu Tianshu poured himself another cup of tea, sat down at the table, and pondered, holding the cup in his hand.

Chen Taozhi leaned directly against the door frame.

Sun Buyuan, who had been busy all day, walked over in a hurry and saw that the three of them were all silent.

"What's going on? I have some information here..."

The three of them turned their heads in unison. "What intelligence?!"

Sun Buyuan startled by them. After calming down, he said, "It's a message from someone who registered this morning, named Cai Xinzhai."

Chen Taozhi thought for a moment and said, "I remember this person. He just registered this morning, and we already have a lead tonight. Is he that lucky?"

"It's not just luck."

Sun Buyuan explained, "He is a successor of Choy Li Fut Fist, and should even be considered a pillar of Choy Li Fut Fist abroad in this generation."

Choy Li Fut Fist is a style of boxing that was founded in the Qing Dynasty. Although its history is not long, its founder, Chen Dating, was once an instructor under Lin Zexu, assisting in training the anti-smoking spies.

Later, due to Lin Zexu's demotion and the cession of Hong Kong, Chen Dating, seeing the state of the Qing Dynasty, joined the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

After the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom failed, he was also pursued by the Qing government and fled to Southeast Asia, where he opened a clinic and taught martial arts to make a living. The many martial arts and weapons he taught were known for their speed, and he was skilled in jungle warfare.

The Hung Sing Martial Arts School of Choy Li Fut Fist became famous as a result, and even opened schools in the Americas and other places to teach students.

It can be said to be one of the most widely spread and earliest boxing styles abroad in modern times.

There are also many disciples of Choy Li Fut Fist in the cities surrounding the Golden Triangle.

Cai Xinzhai and this group of people had a history of following each other's lineage.

Although many of them were far less skilled than Cai Xinzhai, he was precocious, quick-witted, and not arrogant, so they got along quite well.

Since he needed to gather information about unusual events, he naturally started thinking about these local bullies.

One of the owners of the museum secretly told him about the rumors his friend had passed on.

Some sorcerers are forming cliques and seem to be looking to take advantage of the "Baosheng Temple" trading market.

"Oh, this kind of information? Someone's already getting jealous so quickly..."

Chu Tianshu spoke in a flat tone, sounding somewhat listless, and took a small sip of tea.

He was still racking his brains over matters related to the Grotto-Heaven, and felt that this kind of information was just something to be dealt with casually after making some arrangements.

Sun Buyuan, however, was very serious.

"This Cai Xinzhai is quite shrewd. After finding out the information, he didn't directly use his fellow disciples' connections, but instead had his partner take on a fake identity that they had been using for years."

"His partner is a werewolf, and because of some deep-seated prejudices, his race has a bad reputation. But that's what made him acceptable to the gang; he's already infiltrated."

According to his partner's latest information, this recently formed gang seems to have a Taboo powerhouse leading the charge.

The three people in the room seemed more alert now.

Chen Taozhi still had doubts. "Have those two ever seen Taboo powerhouse? Could they be members of that gang, exaggerating their abilities?"

Sun Buyuan said, "The werewolf saw a palm print branded on cowhide; touching it could send a person flying."

"That's definitely not magic; it's martial arts alone. To be able to retain a move on an external object for a long time without it dissipating is indeed a Taboo level."

Chu Tianshu sat up straight, gulped down a large mouthful of tea, and seemed lost in thought.

A person Taboo is indeed worth taking seriously. After all, all sorts of strange things can be found in our hometown. If this person happens to possess some kind of treasure, he should not be underestimated.

Besides, Taboo powerhouses aren't as common as cabbages.

Those who can achieve Taboo in reality today are typically those with extensive experience and a wide network of connections.

Even someone as rapidly rising to power as Chu Tianshu has become entangled with many people, and those entangled with him are certainly no less numerous than he is, so they won't easily run away.

Could this unknown powerful figure, operating in the Golden Triangle, also be connected to the Grotto-Heaven incident and possess other clues?

What if he's just a Taboo powerhouse who escaped from the Spirit Realm...?

Then we definitely have to do it!

(End of this chapter)