Chapter 42: The Grace of Predecessors
After cultivating this Qi Transforming Force, the spiritual power within the practitioner’s body would acquire a strange augmenting force. Once an opponent was struck, this force would infiltrate their meridians and dantian, persistently eroding their spiritual power.
Dispelling this force wasn’t difficult, but it required time, something rare in the heat of battle. Once afflicted, the opponent’s spiritual power would deplete at a dramatically accelerated rate.
This was lethally dangerous, especially in a battle between equals in cultivation. The one whose power drained faster would inevitably lose first.
“No wonder it needed special treatment to preserve, this kind of secret art is far too rare.” Song Changsheng was inwardly elated. The creation of a secret art was no small feat, at the very least, one needed to reach the Golden Core stage. Gaining even this one made this entire journey worthwhile.
He then picked up the remaining three jade slips and examined them one by one. But compared to the brilliance of the first, these fell short. They contained various formation techniques and artifact-refinement methods. While these were invaluable to loose cultivators, to Song Changsheng, they were at best mildly useful.
Having stowed away his findings, Song Changsheng moved on to the next stone chamber. After hitting two more dead ends, he entered a rather peculiar chamber.
This space was remarkably vast, several times the size of the previous chambers.
“Looks empty, but danger lurks in every corner. The formation skills of this cave’s master is likely not below Grandpa’s,” Song Changsheng muttered in astonishment. Gritting his teeth, he ultimately chose to circumvent it.
He was certain something valuable lay hidden within. But that fortune wasn’t his to claim. What was laid inside was a nearly third-rank Sword Dao Killing Formation, with sword qi raging throughout, not something he could afford to provoke.
Better to seek opportunity elsewhere than waste time here.
What Song Changsheng didn’t know was that shortly after he departed, Xu Yunhe arrived at the same chamber from another path. Feeling the sharp, boundless sword qi, he glanced at his empty right side, then stepped in without hesitation…
Song Changsheng’s continued exploration bore little fruit, leaving him puzzled. Why had the cave’s owner carved out so many seemingly purposeless chambers?
Out of boredom?
Surely not. But even with his discerning eye, Song Changsheng could not discern the intention behind this setup. All he could do was speculate silently.
Pushing open yet another stone door, Song Changsheng abruptly froze. Unlike the other dim chambers, this one was brightly lit.
He instinctively looked upward. There was no sun, yet a glowing orb hung from the center of the ceiling, like an oversized incandescent bulb.
“Ocean-Luster Pearl? One this size is truly rare,” Song Changsheng muttered under his breath. While Ocean-Luster Pearls weren’t expensive, he had only read of one this large in books, this was truly eye-opening.
Lowering his gaze, Song Changsheng now noticed a jade bed in the corner of the room, emitting a faint chill. Upon it sat a skeletal figure in a meditative pose, eerily unsettling.
“I didn’t even notice it at first glance… there’s something strange going on.” Song Changsheng narrowed his eyes and quickly perceived the clue: a layer of illusionary restriction shrouded the jade bed. It had a subtle disorienting effect, which explained why he hadn’t noticed it right away.
“The body has long decayed, but the bones still emit a faint spiritual glow. In life, this person was at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator, likely the very owner of this cave.”
Song Changsheng stepped forward and bowed deeply with utmost reverence.
“Senior master above, I, the junior Song Changsheng, have had the fortune to enter your cave residence. If I have disturbed your rest in any way, I beg your pardon.”
Though they were intruding uninvited, basic respect for the remains of their predecessors was the least they could show.
“Creak.”
At that moment, a door on the other side of the chamber opened. It was Zhu Yiqun and Zhuang Yuechan, they had arrived as well. It appeared this was the final destination of the cave.
“Ai, early birds don't always get the worm. Just a little later and Changsheng would’ve claimed the best prize alone. Good thing we weren’t delayed,” Zhu Yiqun said cheerfully, eyeing the skeleton on the jade bed as he addressed Zhuang Yuechan.
“Indeed,” Zhuang Yuechan nodded in agreement.
“You two really did arrive just in time. Where’s Fellow Daoist Xu?” Song Changsheng asked with a smile, glancing around.
“I ran into Fellow Daoist Zhuang midway. I thought Xu would’ve stayed with you,” Zhu Yiqun scratched his head.
“I didn’t see him,” Song Changsheng frowned slightly. Could something have happened?
Just then, from the corridor where Song Changsheng had entered, Xu Yunhe stumbled out, his body covered in thin, bloody wounds, barely able to stand.
But his spirit was clearly soaring, visibly invigorated. He must’ve reaped some remarkable reward.
“Fellow Daoist Xu, your injuries… are you alright?” Zhu Yiqun asked in concern.
“It’s nothing, just superficial injuries,” Xu Yunhe grinned, waving a hand to dismiss their worry.
“Good. Now that everyone’s here, let’s divide this final great fortune together,” Zhu Yiqun’s eyes gleamed as he stared at the intact storage pouch beside the skeleton.
No one asked Xu Yunhe what he’d been through nor what he had obtained. Just as they had agreed from the beginning: each to their own fortune.
Song Changsheng had a vague sense of where Xu Yunhe had gone, but he asked nothing. This would later become an enduring mystery.
At Zhu Yiqun’s words, Song Changsheng nodded. After another respectful bow to the skeleton, he dispelled the restriction and picked up the storage pouch on the jade bed.
Because its owner had long since passed, the spiritual imprint on the pouch had already dissipated. It opened without resistance.
With a flick of his wrist, a pile of spirit stones, magical tools, metal ingots, jade slips, jade boxes, porcelain vials, and more spilled out before the group. The assortment was chaotic, there was a bit of everything.
Time to once again divide the spoils.
Song Changsheng gathered the spirit stones and ores into one pile and said, “These have clear value, we can divide them evenly. As for the rest, the jade slips, boxes, vials, and so on their worth is uncertain. Let’s each take one item by turn. Whatever you get depends on luck. What do you all think?”
He referred to the unidentified items. Before they were opened, no one could know what they contained, perhaps nothing or perhaps rare treasures.
Good items naturally stirred desire, and no method of allocation would satisfy everyone. So a random draw ensured fairness and harmony.
“There’s no way to make the split perfectly fair. This is undoubtedly the best approach,” Zhu Yiqun nodded in agreement.
Zhuang Yuechan and Xu Yunhe also voiced no objection. After all, there wasn’t a better alternative.
“Who goes first?” Song Changsheng looked around at the others.
“This entire venture into the cave wouldn’t have been possible without Fellow Daoist Song. I propose he choose three items first,” Zhuang Yuechan suggested unexpectedly.
(Chapter End)