NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10: The Hidden Depths Revealed
Riu Xian sat quietly in the grand cave, surrounded by treasures and jade pillars that gleamed in the soft, radiant light. His gaze lingered on the scroll he had taken, the Foundation Establishment technique that had somehow called to him.
"Should I open this technique now and take a quick look at its contents, or should I leave this cave immediately before anything else happens?" he wondered, his thoughts racing.
His eyes scanned the opulent surroundings. The very ground beneath him and the towering pillars of the cave were made of jade stone—valuable materials that could fetch a small fortune if sold for spirit stones.
"I could break off a piece to sell later," he mused, a hint of greed flickering through his mind. But a second thought quickly followed. "No… I don't even have a spatial treasure to carry it. A space ring or spatial bag is necessary for such things, and I don't own either."
His gaze shifted briefly to the body of Lu Hao, and frustration flickered across his face. Lu Hao had a spatial bag, but it was locked by the spiritual energy of the Lu family. Without that unique energy, it was impossible to open. What a waste. The treasure was right there, yet completely out of reach.
Shaking his head at his impractical idea, he returned his focus to the scroll. "I should at least see what's inside this technique. It feels like it's meant for me, and this might be my only chance to learn something useful."
With that decision, he carefully unrolled the scroll.
As soon as the parchment was fully open, the cave trembled violently. The shimmering jade floor beneath him cracked, and the pillars groaned as the vibrations intensified. Riu Xian instinctively leaped to his feet, clutching the scroll tightly as he tried to maintain his balance.
A deep, resonating sound echoed through the chamber as a glowing portal-like door appeared in the center of the cave. Its light pulsed with energy, swirling like liquid gold. Before Riu Xian could react further, the portal expanded, and a powerful force sucked him in.
The sensation of being pulled through the portal was overwhelming but brief. In an instant, Riu Xian found himself sprawled on the ground, his head spinning from the abrupt transition.
He quickly got to his feet and look in his new surroundings. He was in a tunnel, its walls glittering faintly with embedded light spirit crystals that gave off a soft, eerie glow. The air here was dense, thick with an immense amount of Qi that made every breath feel heavy yet invigorating.
Riu Xian's heart raced, but he steadied himself. "This must be some hidden passage connected to the cave," he thought, brushing the dust off his robe. Despite the strangeness of the situation, his Murim instincts kept him calm.
Without hesitation, he began walking through the tunnel, the sound of his footsteps echoing faintly against the stone walls. The tunnel twisted and turned, but after several minutes, it opened into a vast chamber.
What greeted him left him speechless.
The chamber was far more luxurious than the cave he had just left. The walls shimmered with spirit stones of various colors, casting a kaleidoscope of light throughout the room. The floor was pure white jade, smooth and polished to perfection, reflecting the grandeur of the space. Every inch of the chamber exuded opulence and refinement.
But the centerpiece of the room caught Riu Xian's full attention.
At the far end of the chamber stood a sleek, obsidian-black boat, shaped like a miniature ship. Its elegant hull tapered sharply at the ends, giving it an aerodynamic appearance. On either side, intricate, wing-like structures extended outward, their surfaces etched with runes that glowed faintly with an ancient, otherworldly power. The wings seemed almost alive, as though they could unfurl and carry the vessel into the skies or beyond.
The entire boat radiated an aura of profound energy, exuding a sense of mystery and superiority. It was clear this was no ordinary artifact—this was a treasure meant for far more than mundane travel, its design combining artistry and power in equal measure.
Sitting beside the boat, leaning against its side, was a skeleton. The bones were unnaturally pristine, glowing faintly with a golden hue. Its posture was one of quiet dignity, its skeletal hands resting on its lap as if the person had passed away in meditation.
Riu Xian approached cautiously, his mind racing with questions.
"Is this the underground-traveling boat that the Bright Snow Sect invaded the Cloudspring Sect for?" he thought, his gaze shifting between the artifact and the skeleton. "And this skeleton… could it belong to the Supreme Elder? The one who founded the Cloudspring Sect over a thousand years ago?"
The thought sent a chill down his spine. If this truly was the Supreme Elder, then Riu Xian was standing in the presence of a legacy far greater than anything he had ever imagined.
But why had the ground cracked open? Why had the portal appeared, and why had it brought him here?
The questions swirled in his mind as he stood before the ancient boat and the mysterious skeleton, the air heavy with the weight of untold secrets.
"What does this place hold for me? And how will it change the path I've chosen to take?"