Bam, bam, bam!
Loud bangs resounded in the underground cavern as the massive gate was slowly being pushed back.
At the third Stone Breaking Punch, Ye Mo's wrist broke while the gate was slightly opened, however, the gap wasn't large enough yet for him to pass through.
"What could be behind this door, is it a secret inheritance? The bottomless pit, the pond and now this gate—it looks like some tests set up to make sure only a cultivator would be able to attain this place, but it's far too simple till now to be one."
Ye Mo sat down and used Endless Vitality to heal as he wondered.
In this land, there were thousands of secret inheritances hidden around the world holding the legacy of many past figures.
When cultivators sense their life is coming to an end, it is common to set up an inheritance for the fated successor to acquire all their belongings and pursue their path.
These inheritances could be made for varying reasons, some cultivators died with many regrets and wished for the inheritor to fulfill them, there were those that couldn't go in peace and wanted revenge to be exacted, and others just didn't wish to be forgotten. But no matter the reason, placing your own inheritance was a cultural act established in the hearts of every cultivator.
No being could resist the implacable march of time, it was natural for everyone to wish to leave a trace of their existence in this world.
Inheritances are very different from one another, but most of them are full of hardships and trials, testing the inheritor's character and will to make sure he is fitting the predecessor's view and can carry on his legacy.
However, till now, it couldn't be said to have been really difficult for Ye Mo to reach this place, hence he wasn't convinced.
After a few minutes, Ye Mo's wrist healed so he stood up and began hammering the gate once again.
After a few strikes, the gate was pushed back enough for him to press in the opening and barely make it on the other side.
Behind the giant gate was only a cave illuminated in a flickering yellow-orange gloom by hanging braziers, with a pedestal placed on the other side of the area and a skeleton lying over it in a sitting position.
Behind the pedestal was a large stele made of deep grey rock placed before the wall of the underground chamber with innumerable words carved upon.
With nothing else worth noting, Ye Mo began reading the text left on the stele.
After some time, his eyes shone with understanding as a smile crept up his face.
"I see, it's not really an inheritance but the tomb of a past cultivator."
It turns out the text on the stele gave the identity as well as the biography of this skeleton.
His name was Ma De Quan and he was a core disciple of the Ethereal Blossom Sect in the southern land during his life.
When he was young, he left his hometown and entered a sect with his childhood friends, a boy, and a girl he was in love with.
The three did well and rose through the hierarchy through the years, becoming important disciples of the sect. At the same time, Ma De Quan's love for the girl was reciprocated and they got engaged.
Yet, during all this time, Ma De Quan has always been distressed by his low talent, his friend, who was better off in this aspect always fared slightly better in each mission no matter how hard he worked.
Over the years, jealousy and bitterness swelled in his heart.
They grew even more pronounced when he got together with the girl, in part because he wanted to be worthy of her as she was also a core disciple and in another part because her father refused the engagement and wished for her to marry Ma De Quan's friend.
Near this time, he also realized he wouldn't be able to go beyond the Inner Core Realm with his aptitude while his friend had greater chances to breakthrough this hurdle.
At this point started a mad quest to improve his talent, spending years researching ways and neglecting both his cultivation and his future wife.
The higher-ups grew dissatisfied with him, but he didn't care, all he wanted was something to deal with this birth affliction, turning it into a blessing instead.
However, talent was the heavens' hand, how could it be altered so easily? After years of efforts spent for this goal, nothing bore fruition.
Ma De Quan grew desperate over this situation, finding rest only with his wife's support.
However, during a regular mission he had to clear for the sect, luck shone upon his soul as he discovered the true inheritance of a powerful alchemist.
Ma De Quan didn't have the abilities to become an alchemist and was too old to pick up this profession at this time, but just the research, recipes, and life experiences of the alchemist were extremely valuable and gave him much inspiration to resolve his problem.
After decades of experimentation, trial and error, he was successful in raising his talent.
Although he lost his wife around the same time, Ma De Quan only felt happiness thinking he finally changed his fate.
He didn't take long to quickly rise in cultivation layers and flaunt his power in the sect, slowly filling the gap with his old friend who largely surpassed him during all this time he spent in research.
The higher-ups of the Ethereal Blossom Sect were quick to grow suspicious as he was progressing faster than he should, and his friend and rival soon discovered his talent was upgraded.
This one didn't miss the chance and burning with greed, he raised a team of trusted aides to ambush Ma De Quan when he was completing a task for the sect outside, trying to make him spit his secret.
Ma De Quan was able to escape, albeit with fatal injuries, and fled all the way to this mountain in the central lands where he dug this underground cavern and died before he could set up a proper inheritance.
"I see, he got careless and revealed too much, causing his demise. Another lesson to practice caution at all times."
"Even if it's just the place of death of this cultivator and not an inheritance, he was still an Inner Core Realm expert, the belongings he had with him as he fled here should be quite good."
Ye Mo thought so as he analyzed Ma De Quan's mistake, but the skeleton didn't possess any pouch or ornaments that he could take, so he just kept reading.
At the end of the stele it says: Battle skills, cultivation techniques, the work I exhausted my existence for, and many others. I hid them all in this place. If this passenger wishes to take them and learn my techniques, show your goodwill and kowtow three times in respect as I shall become half a master for you in this life.
"Hahaha, kowtow? Master? Even in life you were only so, but actually wishing to make me a disciple while dead. What a load of bullshit."
Ye Mo couldn't help but laugh at the audacity of this person, anyone coming here only had the intention to loot the place, the dead shouldn't have any demand.
However, he still wished to obtain what Ma De Quan left behind.
He remained in thought for an instant before he walked towards the skeleton.
When he stood in front of Ma De Quan's remains, below the pedestal, he lowered his head and looked down at the ground.
Then suddenly, Ye Mo lifted his foot and stomped down firmly three times at the exact place where his head would hit if he were to kowtow, emitting three loud knocks.
Rumble!
The stele behind the skeleton advanced apart from the wall then moved to the side, revealing a secret tunnel.
"As I thought, this is not a true inheritance so he didn't have the time to make anything too elaborate, simply reproducing the knocks on the ground with my foot was enough to trigger the mechanism."
Ye Mo stepped on the pedestal and kicked Ma De Quan's corpse out of his way as he engulfed himself in the passage.
After walking for a while, he arrived at an intersection with two different paths forked by a prolonged column of rocks.
In between there were inscriptions carved on the rock of the column separating the passages saying, "Peaceful at heart, one road to choose. One chance leads to another misfortune, leaving everything behind."
"I see, he wants me to choose between one of the two paths, if I take one, I won't be able to retrieve what's in the other..."
Ye Mo muttered, understanding the meaning behind the inscriptions.
Above the passages were two signs hanging, on the left was written "Talent Improvement" while on the right was "The Rest".
"Ma De Quan was an Inner Core Realm cultivator from a powerful sect so he should have possessed Star Class battle skills, cultivation techniques, and others without mentioning the wealth and spiritual tools that he might have left behind in the right path."
Nonetheless, Ye Mo immediately walked over the left tunnel and went inside.
Improving your own talent!
It was tantamount to fighting the heavens, breaking your limits and changing your fate!
Battle skills, cultivation techniques, or anything similar, they could be found easily, they weren't lacking at all.
Ye Mo would have many occasions in the future to gain ever stronger martial arts, merely joining a sect was more than enough to obtain the opportunities to learn them.
Gold coins, anyone could gain them with effort and a bit of planning. At worst, one can still steal!
Spiritual tools could be bought as well.
But raising one's talent!
It was a true miracle! The fortune of a life!
Everyone wished to be able to improve it, however, no matter where you went in the world or how hard you worked yourself, it wasn't conceivable without some extremely rare resources.
Thus, he was clear about what was the most important, if there really was a method to raise his talent, even by just one rank, then it was a priceless treasure.
As a rank 2 talent, he would be stupid to miss this chance.
Most of all, it wasn't a true inheritance, but this cavern only contained what Ma De Quan had on him as he fled. Who knew what "The Rest" meant? There could as well be five gold coins, a Yellow Class battle skill and a spatial pouch waiting at the end of the right path for all he knows.
Ye Mo continued on his way and reached a second hall.
At the center of the hall was a small pillar.
On the tip of the pillar were two small dragon claws holding a scroll.
There was also a small note on the lid of the scroll.
Ye Mo approached and picked up the scroll, unrolling it as he read the first inscriptions written in big at its top—Love Miracle Immortal Pill.