Li Yan's eyes swept across the interior, then stopped. A smile slowly appeared on his face.
What immediately caught Li Yan's attention was a long wooden counter. Behind it, rows of shelves lined the wall.
Stone vases filled every shelf. Each was sealed with cloth and rope. Each carried a label.
Li Yan walked over immediately.
A low chuckle escaped him, warm and genuine. "Now… this is what I've been missing the most after coming to this new world."
He picked up one of the stone vases and brushed away the thin layer of dust covering its surface.
The label became visible. "Crimson Flame Brew."
His brows lifted slightly.
With practiced ease, he untied the rope and peeled back the cloth seal. The moment the lid opened, a rich aroma surged outward.
Warm. Deep. Powerful.
A faint trace of Fire Qi lingered within the scent.
Li Yan inhaled lightly. A hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. "Impressive."
He tilted the vase slightly, examining the liquid within before sealing it again. His tone turned thoughtful. "Even in my previous life… I've never tasted anything as strong as this."
As a business tycoon, he had sampled countless premium wines and rare liquors. Yet this—this carried something beyond craftsmanship.
It carried essence.
He set it aside and reached for another. "Nature Heart Wine."
Then another. "Thousand Herb Wine."
Another. "Midnight Veil Liquor."
One by one, Li Yan opened the stone vases and examined their aromas. Some carried sharp, fiery scents that seemed capable of igniting one's blood. Others were mellow and smooth, leaving behind a lingering warmth.
After several jars, Li Yan noticed something interesting. Most of the beverages were not ordinary alcoholic drinks meant to get buzzed. Different herbs had been soaked in them.
Some appeared capable of restoring stamina after prolonged labor. Others promoted blood circulation. A few even possessed faint medicinal effects.
His eyes brightened slightly. "So they brewed medicinal wines."
That made perfect sense.
The miners worked in an environment saturated with Fire Qi every day. Ordinary alcohol offered little benefit. Medicinal wine, however, could help them recover while strengthening their bodies.
Time passed quietly.
By the end, nearly twenty distinct types of wine and liquor had revealed themselves to Li Yan through their aromas alone. Some carried traces of Fire, Darkness, Water, Nature, and Earth Qi. Others were infused with medicinal herbs.
A few seemed completely neutral, brewed simply for enjoyment rather than cultivation.
A satisfied look appeared in his eyes. "I wonder whether this body inherited my tolerance for alcohol as well as I once had."
His gaze swept across the shelves. Roughly fifty stone vases remained, each sealed and preserved despite the passage of years.
Li Yan considered them briefly.
Unlike the Fire Qi Stones stored in the second chamber, these were clearly consumable supplies rather than strategic cultivation resources. More importantly, they had been abandoned for years with no indication that anyone intended to reclaim them.
With a wave of his hand, he stored the stone vases inside his storage ring.
One by one, the shelves emptied until nothing remained.
Li Yan was preparing to leave when he extended his Spiritual Sense one final time across the gathering hall.
Immediately, something caught his attention. A faint irregularity appeared at the edge of his perception.
His eyes narrowed.
At the far end of the hall, a section of wall seemed ever so slightly different from its surroundings.
At first glance, it appeared perfectly ordinary. But under careful observation, subtle traces revealed themselves.
The stone alignment was too precise. The surface was too uniform, as though a deliberate effort had been made to conceal something.
Li Yan walked toward it. The closer he approached, the more apparent the anomaly became. Stopping before the wall, he extended his Spiritual Sense once more.
The moment his perception slipped through the barrier—
His expression changed.
Then a chuckle escaped him. "So there was a hidden storage room."
Beyond the concealed wall lay a vast interior space.
Within the seventy-five-meter range of his Spiritual Sense alone, dozens of enormous wooden drums stood arranged in neat rows.
Each radiated the rich aroma of aged liquor. The chamber extended far beyond the limits of his perception.
Li Yan's eyes brightened slightly. "Interesting."
He placed a hand against the wall and pushed.
Nothing happened.
The stone did not move in the slightest. Li Yan remained calm. A moment later, Darkness Qi circulated through his meridians and gathered within his palm.
When he pressed it against the wall again, the stone trembled. A low vibration echoed through the chamber. Then the concealed section slowly sank into the ground, revealing a hidden passage beyond.
Li Yan stepped forward.
The moment he crossed the threshold, rows of Qi lamps illuminated one after another. Warm golden light filled the warehouse.
Even Li Yan paused for a moment. The room was enormous.
Then a burst of laughter escaped his lips. His usual calm demeanor was nowhere to be seen. "Now… this is what you call a jackpot."
Rows upon rows of giant wooden drums stretched into the distance. His Spiritual Sense had only revealed a portion of the warehouse.
Now that he stood inside, he could see far more. There were easily more than a hundred drums. Perhaps considerably more.
Each one was several times larger than a human. A single drum could likely fill hundreds of the stone vases he had collected earlier.
The sheer quantity was staggering.
Li Yan approached the nearest drum and brushed away the dust covering its surface.
The wood remained intact. Well preserved. Untouched.
After a moment's hesitation, he loosened the seal using his body strength.
Immediately, a rich fragrance escaped. The aroma was far more refined than anything he had encountered in the gathering hall.
His eyes sharpened.
The liquor had been aged for a very long time. Faint traces of spiritual energy lingered within it. More importantly, Li Yan could detect the remnants of several medicinal ingredients.
This was not ordinary alcohol. Nor was it merely a miner's drink. This was spirit liquor—a high-quality batch at that.
Li Yan resealed the drum and looked around the warehouse once more. Whoever had stored these here had invested considerable resources.
Yet all of it had been abandoned.
Forgotten.
Left untouched for years.
A silver storage ring appeared upon his finger. It was the Tier-6 storage ring Yao Fuhuo had given him months ago. Until now, he had never found a reason to use its enormous capacity.
Today was different.
With a wave of his hand, the nearest drum vanished.
Then another. And another.
The vast warehouse gradually emptied as the enormous containers disappeared into the storage ring one after another.
The silence that followed felt almost surreal.
Within minutes, the entire warehouse stood empty. Not a single drum remained.
Li Yan exhaled slowly. "If someone still claims ownership, I can return them later."
His gaze swept across the vacant chamber. "Until then, letting them remain forgotten serves no purpose."
With that, he turned and walked back toward the entrance. The hidden passage remained open behind him, revealing nothing but an empty warehouse that had slumbered in silence for years.
Passing through the gathering hall once more, Li Yan did not stop.
His footsteps carried him steadily through the fifth tunnel and back toward the mine's central clearing, where he used to cultivate.
The heat of the Fire Mine pressed against him once again, but his expression remained calm.
The exploration was complete.
And the harvest had exceeded every expectation.
Yet despite everything he had discovered—the abandoned tunnels, the unfinished excavations, the hidden storerooms, the sealed beast gate, and the records that ended without explanation—one question remained unanswered.
Why had the tool been abandoned at the ends of the tunnels?
Li Yan glanced back once toward the depths of the mine before continuing on his way.
****
By the time Li Yan exited the Fire Mine, night had already settled over the sect.
The sky stretched endlessly overhead, a vast expanse of darkness scattered with countless stars. Lanterns illuminated the pathways, their warm glow contrasting with the cool night air. After spending eleven days within the suffocating heat of the Fire Mine, the gentle breeze felt especially refreshing.
Li Yan stopped briefly at a food stall and bought a simple meal before returning to his residence.
The annual competition will begin the day after tomorrow. Yet despite that, his thoughts were occupied by something else.
The liquor he had discovered inside the abandoned mine. More specifically, whether his current body could handle it.
After finishing his meal, Li Yan entered the living room and sat down on the couch. The room was quiet and undisturbed, illuminated only by the soft glow of several Qi lamps mounted on the walls.
With a wave of his hand, a stone vase appeared on the table before him. The label attached to it read:
Heavenly Grain Liquor.
Li Yan studied it for several moments.
Curious. Not reckless. Simply curious.
After all, this was the first time he was going to drink liquor since arriving in this world. He reached forward, picked up the vase, and removed the seal.
Immediately, a rich fragrance spread throughout the room.
The aroma was unlike anything he had encountered before. It was deep and layered, carrying a faint sweetness mixed with an indescribable richness that seemed to linger within the air itself.
Li Yan's eyebrows rose slightly. "Interesting."
He picked up a cup and slowly poured the liquor.
The pale golden liquid flowed smoothly into the vessel, resembling liquid amber beneath the lamplight. Tiny traces of Heaven and Earth Energy drifted from its surface, revealing immediately that this was far from ordinary alcohol.
Li Yan lifted the cup.
Then drank.
The effect appeared almost instantly. A wave of warmth spread through his body. Not the mild warmth associated with ordinary liquor.
This warmth possessed substance. It traveled through his meridians like a flowing current, carrying traces of refined energy wherever it passed.
Li Yan closed his eyes briefly. The sensation was surprisingly pleasant. The energy dispersed naturally throughout his body.
Part of it flowed toward his Qi Core. His Soul Core absorbed another portion. Even the Martial Core in his middle dantian reacted faintly, drawing in a small amount of the energy for itself.
When Li Yan opened his eyes again, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. "This liquor is neutral and contains Heaven and Earth Energy, making it suitable for all element-affinity holders to support their cultivation as well."
No wonder cultivators valued such things. It was not merely alcohol. It was also a cultivation resource.
A mild one. But a cultivation resource nonetheless.
Li Yan poured a second cup.
Then a third.
The warmth gradually accumulated within his body.
The exhaustion from Body Cultivation and Tempering seemed to ease. His muscles relaxed. Even the Spiritual Energy he had consumed during the Fire Mine exploration recovered slightly under the liquor's effects.
By the fourth cup, a comfortable warmth filled his entire body.
The constant tension that accompanied cultivation had faded considerably.
Then came the fifth.
Li Yan placed the empty cup back on the table and leaned slightly against the couch.
A faint warmth spread through his thoughts.
Not enough to affect his judgment. Not enough to cloud his senses. But enough for him to notice. A small smile appeared on his face.
For a brief moment, he seriously considered filling another cup.
His gaze even drifted toward the stone vase on the table.
Fortunately, reason prevailed.
Li Yan chuckled softly and shook his head. "This is enough."
The conclusion was obvious. His current body possessed respectable tolerance.
His Soul Cultivation strengthened his mind. His Body Cultivation strengthened his physique. Combined with his Qi Cultivation, which was higher than that of others of his current body's age.
They allowed him to endure effects that would likely overwhelm most cultivators of the same age and cultivation.
Even so, spirit liquor remained spirit liquor.
Five cups were enough.
More than enough, in fact.
Li Yan glanced toward the remaining liquor inside the vase.
The Heavenly Grain Liquor had not only relaxed him but also provided a small amount of cultivation energy. Though insignificant compared to proper cultivation resources, it was still a pleasant surprise.
A faint trace of amusement surfaced in his eyes. "No wonder cultivators enjoy drinking. Now that I have a lot of them, I can use them to relax after long hunting and alchemy sessions."
He carefully resealed the vase before storing it back inside his storage ring.
The room gradually returned to silence.
Li Yan sat there quietly for a few moments.
Tomorrow, he needs to rest and prepare for the annual competition, the day after tomorrow.
The event would determine who would gain another opportunity to enter the Ancient Techniques Hall.
An opportunity he had no intention of missing.
Not after seeing what Inscribed Word had already brought him.
A faint anticipation surfaced within his eyes before disappearing just as quickly.
There was no reason to think further about it tonight.
Satisfied with the results of his little experiment, Li Yan stood up.
Li Yan entered his bedroom and lay down on the bed.
Within moments, sleep claimed him.
Deep. Peaceful. And uninterrupted.