Top-tier Unruly Master

Ding Fan glanced around the stone chamber.

The size of the stone chamber was about that of a basketball court, very messy inside, with some old utensils and books scattered on the ground.

The cave obviously hadn't been visited for some time, as there was a thick layer of dust on those utensils.

However, Ding Fan didn't dare to be careless. Judging from the layout, the owner of this cave had undoubtedly been an extraordinary person. Therefore, there were bound to be some rare treasures here.

After searching around, Ding Fan felt somewhat discouraged; the utensils were mostly useless objects, and as for the books, many had rotted away due to the passage of time. Ding Fan had only just touched them when they turned to ash.

Despite this, Ding Fan didn't give up hope. If the previous people had gone to the effort of leaving behind this cave, it implied that there must be precious treasures within.

When that couple had given him the map, hadn't they mentioned that there was an unmatched ancient sword here? Ding Fan had yet to see any sign of that ancient sword.

The tunnel outside led straight here, and there was nowhere else to go, which meant that if there were any magical treasures, they could only be in this place.

Ding Fan scanned the area with his Divine Sense and eventually found the west wall behaving strangely. He walked over to it.

The difference with this wall was that it had been shielded from Divine Sense, so Ding Fan's Divine Sense couldn't scan behind it.

The rest of the walls hadn't been tampered with—only this spot was different. With his experience hunting for treasures in the Cultivation World, Ding Fan knew the treasure must be behind the wall.

After a careful search around the wall, he eventually found a stone lying in a corner.

The entire cave was well-made, with wall surfaces that were very smooth, indicating the original master of the cave was indeed someone meticulous.

From this point, it seemed impossible that the master of the cave would have carelessly left a stone scattered in a corner.

Ding Fan picked up the stone, which resembled the shape of a fish. The stone seemed ordinary, but when Ding Fan scanned it with his Divine Sense, he could distinctly feel the minute traces of chiseling on the stone…

From that, it was clear the stone must serve some significant purpose.

Taking the stone, Ding Fan searched around the chamber. In the end, he discovered an old stone lion that seemed to be missing a piece on its back.

Without hesitation, Ding Fan attached the stone to it, and it fit perfectly with the stone lion. At the same time, the western wall started to move.

Eventually, the wall flipped to reveal a small space behind it.

The space was not as large as the previous chamber, but the contents were better preserved. In the secret room, there was a stone table with a jade box resting on it.

Ding Fan walked over and opened the jade box with great care, only to find inside a pearl the size of an egg. Next to the pearl were three characters.

Invisibility Pearl.

Ding Fan held the Invisibility Pearl in his palm, examining it. The function of the Invisibility Pearl was, of course, to make one invisible.

However, Ding Fan was not particularly interested in the Invisibility Pearl. Similar magical treasures existed in the Cultivation World—yet they could only hide one's form, not one's aura. If one encountered an expert, the Invisibility Pearl would simply be a decoration.

Nevertheless, it was still considered a treasure, and Ding Fan promptly put the Invisibility Pearl away.

Beside the Invisibility Pearl lay a sheepskin scroll.

Ding Fan unfurled the scroll, which bore a few words. [Martial Arts Tome]

After a brief look, Ding Fan could almost confirm that the original master of the cave must have been a practitioner of martial arts. The scroll was filled with various methods of Martial Cultivation.

Although these methods weren't of much use to Ding Fan, he still kept it, just in case it proved useful in the future.

Beside the jade box and the sheepskin scroll was a letter.

The paper within the letter was made of some unknown material that hadn't discolored at all over the years.

"Fortunate seeker, you are lucky to have inherited the legacy of the Hermit of the Horizon… In my lifetime, devoted to martial arts, I only transmitted my teachings to a single disciple I took in during my later years. It is a pity that my disciple and I were misled by evildoers and fell out...

The one I worried about as I passed away was still my young disciple… I hope the fortunate seeker who inherits my legacy will pass on the letter I left for my disciple to her… Many thanks! Hermit of the Horizon…"

At the end of the letter was a portrait, with a line of small characters beside it.

Portrait of disciple Ren Susu.

Above the land of Huaxia, there was a portrait of a beautiful woman with ethereal eyes, an exceptional countenance, and a lively smile gracing her lips…

From this letter, it's unclear what sort of misunderstanding had occurred between the Hermit of the Horizon and Ren Susu, leading to the master's demise without ever seeing his only disciple again, dying with regrets.

As Ding Fan was wildly speculating, another creaking noise sounded, and then a longsword and a jade box appeared in front of him.

Upon seeing that longsword, Ding Fan's expression changed involuntarily. The sword glowed blue, as if enveloped by spiritual energy. Ding Fan immediately picked up the longsword and sent a trace of spiritual energy into it. The sword, as if sensing Ding Fan, resonated with a humming sound...

"What a sword..."

Inside the sword was a small formation. When True Qi was injected into it, it would expand several times over after a certain period. With this sword, his combat strength could be said to have grown by several times.

With this longsword, Ding Fan really wasn't afraid anymore. With his Fourth Level of Qi Cultivation, and the assistance of this sword, he could now take on the He Family from Hao Mountain, the White Lotus Sect, or even the Wang Family from Yanjing.

Ding Fan was very satisfied and stored the longsword away. He didn't want too many people to know the secret of his sword. He understood that unless absolutely necessary, he would not use this sword. He intended to keep this longsword as his trump card.

After putting away the longsword, Ding Fan glanced at the jade box beside him, which had the words "For my disciple Su Su, from your teacher" written on it.

Ding Fan didn't know if the disciple of the Hermit of the Horizon was still alive, but since he had obtained so many good things from them, he felt he might as well help keep an eye out.

He promptly stored the jade box away.

By then, Ding Fan was quite satisfied. The trip to Changan Ridge had not been in vain; he had acquired so many treasures by sheer luck...

...

Having acquired the heritage from the Ancient Martial Ruins, Ding Fan decided not to linger in Changan Ridge any longer. The Wang and He families already knew he was here, and with the tracking methods of the He Family, finding him wouldn't be difficult at all.

With his mind made up, Ding Fan headed straight for the forest's edge. Just before leaving the forest, Ding Fan slowed down to test the Invisibility Pearl.

The entrances and exits of the forest were guarded by the He and Wang families' people. Ding Fan now wanted to test whether the Invisibility Pearl was effective.

At the edge of the forest, Ding Fan did indeed spot a sniper hidden in the bushes. The sniper was clearly waiting for him, and Ding Fan deliberately walked right up to him.

The enemy sniper had no idea Ding Fan was there. Ding Fan was secretly pleased; it seemed that ordinary people simply couldn't detect him while he was wearing the Invisibility Pearl.

After leaving Changan Ridge, Ding Fan felt somewhat lost, unsure of where to go next. Returning to Dancheng or Dongcheng was out of the question for the time being. He needed to find a new place to settle down.

After thinking for a while without any clear destination in mind, he ended up in a town.

This town was called Tian Family Town, and although small, it was quite prosperous due to its geographical location.

"Help, help..."

As Ding Fan arrived in the town and was about to find a place to rest, a cry for help came from nearby.

Turning his head, Ding Fan saw a child about eight or nine years old running desperately toward him, with three or four adults chasing after the child.

"Uncle, help me, they're kidnappers, they want to take me away... Uncle, save me..." the child ran up to a middle-aged man and clung to his leg, crying and yelling.

Ding Fan looked at the child, who had cried so much that despite his dirt-streaked face, there were clear tear tracks. His lips were cracked, his clothes tattered, presenting a pitiful sight.

"This has nothing to do with you, get lost!" At that moment, the three pursuers caught up and one burly leader pointed at the middle-aged man being clung to by the child.

"No... it has nothing to do with me, he's clinging to me..." the middle-aged man struggled away from the child and, without looking back, fled as if escaping.

"No, don't! Save me, someone save me... I don't want to go back..." The child looked around desperately, his voice croaking as he cried for help.

However, none of the bystanders paid any attention to the boy whose voice was breaking from sobbing; everyone just went about their own business.

Indeed, it was a case of none of my business, none of my concern...

"Damn brat, stop running!" the burly man strode over, raised his hand, and aimed a slap directly at the child's face.

Thud...

Just as the burly man's hand was about to hit the child's face, someone grabbed his wrist.

The burly man was angry. He hadn't expected someone to interfere with his business in Tian Family Town. When he looked up, he saw a man with a slightly slender figure standing in front of him.