Liu Chen knew in his heart that although his cultivation had reached Rank 3, he was still relatively weak in the grand scheme of the Southern Border. In a land defined by ancient monsters and ruthless experts, Rank 3 was merely the baseline for survival.
"It seems that as long as I don't overreach for every opportunity, I can avoid the worst of the dangers," he mused.
During the last two months of secluded cultivation, his progress had been explosive. Without external interference and aided by the Three Watches Gu, he had successfully reached the Rank 3 Initial Stage.
"It's time to move on," he thought. With his strength significantly improved, he decided to leave the Wood God's sanctuary and embark on a new journey, heading toward Bai Gu Mountain to intercept the inheritance of the Grey Bone Scholar.
Although he found the Bone Flesh Unity Gu associated with the plot to be of little use for his own path, he knew that the location would spawn high value treasure boxes that he couldn't afford to waste.
Without hesitation, he packed his necessities and summoned the Thousand Li Earthwolf Spider. The giant creature tore through the earth like a gale, moving as fast as lightning toward his destination. As they traveled, the lush greenery of the forest gradually gave way to a landscape of white and grey. The soil turned thin and ashy, replaced by an endless expanse of weathered bones.
From a distance, the towering peaks of Bai Gu Mountain reached into the leaden clouds like a jagged, pale thorn, appearing to pierce the very sky. For hundreds of miles, the land was a graveyard of desolation. Plants here resembled strips of grey and white cloth, swaying eerily in the freezing wind. In this world of death, various Bone Beasts roamed wolves, bears, and snakes constructed entirely of skeletal remains, let out hollow, haunting roars.
The barrenness was absolute; no life could easily survive here. Caravans were known to take long detours to avoid this forbidden zone, for the Bone Beasts knew no fear and would fight until their enemies were utterly destroyed.
Liu Chen stood at the foot of the mountain, looking up at the massive range with a wave of helplessness. "This mountain is simply too large. Finding the inheritance in such a vast area is going to be a monumental task."
Without a shortcut, he had to rely on the most primitive method: exploring the caves one by one. The mountain was riddled with caverns, each looking identical to the last, filled with sharp bone spurs that resembled stalactites. According to his knowledge, the key to the Bai Gu inheritance was a unique spiral bone spur hidden in one specific cave. One only had to turn the spur to reveal the entrance.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Liu Chen had been attacked by beast herds nearly ten times since his arrival. He relied on the Rank 5 Thousand Li Earthwolf Spider to resolve every major conflict, though he occasionally left a few weaker bone beasts alive to serve as training for his own skills.
Currently, the spider was waving its drill like legs, tearing through a group of fierce Bison Bone Beasts. The creature was like a raging torrent, running rampant among the skeletal herd. Broken bones flew in every direction, and several beasts were crushed into fine white powder in an instant.
Liu Chen surveyed the wreckage but found little of value only a few Rank 1 Bone Path Gu.
"How many waves has it been already?" Liu Chen sighed. "I didn't expect that the first sword embryo I promoted to Rank 3 would be the White Bone Sword Embryo."
He reached into his aperture and summoned the embryo. In his hand appeared a White Bone Sword Embryo. Without hesitation, he began to feed it the Bone Spinning materials and the white bone essence harvested from the fallen beasts.
As the Gu devoured the essence, its body underwent an amazing transformation. The surface was gradually covered by a layer of pristine white bone, forming a dense Bone Cocoon. The cocoon expanded rapidly until it reached a critical limit, then shattered.
The promotion from Rank 2 to Rank 3 was complete.
The appearance of the White Bone Sword Gu was now terrifyingly lifelike. Its blade was shaped like a human backbone, each vertebrae clearly defined, looking as though it still possessed a breath of life. Most striking was the handguard: it featured a ferocious, inlaid skull with hollow eye sockets that stared forward with a strange, haunting aura.
Despite the difficulty of the search, Liu Chen felt a sense of progress. His sword had reached the Rank 3 level, and with his White Silver Primeval Essence and the Three Watches Gu, he was ready to face whatever guarded the heart of the mountain.
The unique characteristic of the Sword Embryo Gu was the seamless integration of cultivation and refinement. Reaching Rank 3 was a critical node for the embryo; once promoted, its power would surge exponentially.
Liu Chen held the newly evolved White Bone Sword in his hand, a surge of excitement pulsing through him. A whimsical thought crossed his mind: "With this bone sword, I can finally cosplay as Li Huowang!"
He carefully examined the blade. It felt both heavy and strangely organic. When he infused his White Silver Primeval Essence into the hilt, a miracle occurred the joints of the spine like sword, which were previously rigid, suddenly disconnected and spread out, transforming the blade into a lethal, segmented whip.
He gripped the hilt and lunged forward. The movement felt as natural as an extension of his own arm. He cracked the whip, and the spine segments stretched out like a snake emerging from its burrow. With every swing, the weapon cast overlapping shadows that could cover a radius of twenty meters. This bone sword did not just possess terrifying offensive power; its flexibility made it an excellent tool for defense. Even bone spurs as thick as a human waist were sliced through like tofu in front of it.
For the past two months, Liu Chen had been trekking through the desolation of Bai Gu Mountain, meticulously searching every cave for the Grey Bone Scholar's inheritance. Although his cultivation had advanced to the Rank 3 Middle Stage during this period, his progress had slowed as the hunt for the spiral bone spur took priority.
The current cave was dimly lit, but his eyes were suddenly drawn to a massive spiral bone spur protruding from the wall. Beside it stood a treasure chest shimmering with a majestic golden light.
Liu Chen's heart hammered against his ribs. This was likely the Golden reward associated with the core of the inheritance. Without hesitation, he approached the spur. He took a deep breath, seized the cold bone with both hands, and twisted hard. The spur emitted a low, resonant humming sound, as if responding to his presence.
Suddenly, a hidden secret door ground open, revealing a passage into the unknown. As Liu Chen stepped inside, the door seemed to come alive, slowly sliding shut and sealing the entrance as if it had never been disturbed.
He moved through the narrow, dark tunnel until he emerged into a Pure White Hall. The architecture was macabre yet beautiful, constructed entirely from bleached bone. In the center of the hall sat a massive vat filled with a milky liquid the Milk Spring, which emitted a light, creamy fragrance.
Intrigued, Liu Chen reached into the spring. His hands brushed against something hard. With a firm grasp, he pulled out several Bone Spear Gu and Spiral Bone Spear Gu. These were the primary offensive tools of the bone path. He immediately used the crushing aura of his Rank 5 Thousand Li Earthwolf Spider to refine them. He didn't intend to use them for combat, however; he planned to use them as high quality food to further nourish his White Bone Sword Embryo.
Liu Chen left the first hall and moved deeper into the complex. Through another narrow passage, he arrived at a Second Inheritance Hall.
In the center of this chamber stood three massive, white bone hands rising from the floor. Each palm held a Rank 3 Gu: a Ribcage Shield Gu, a Flying Bone Shield Gu, and an Arm Wings Gu. A line of text was carved into the largest hand:
"Choose one of the three and be satisfied. The Bai Gu Mountain legacy must be left for future generations."
Liu Chen examined the three insects. While they were valuable, none of them perfectly complemented his current set. With his cold pragmatism, he decided not to trigger the choice at all, leaving the treasures for his own Fang yuan to find later. He walked straight past the hands and entered the next chamber.
The Bone Hall at the end of the corridor was permeated with an aura of extreme antiquity. In the center, a set of human remains sat cross legged on a stone plate. In front of the skeleton lay a book carved from bone, silently waiting for an inheritor.
Liu Chen approached the remains and opened the Bone Book. It detailed the life of the Grey Bone Scholar and the various recipes he had mastered. On the final page, he found a cryptic instruction: "Later, if you have a heart, you might as well worship and knock three times..."
Knowing the plot well, Liu Chen realized the remains were merely a smokescreen. He knelt immediately and knocked his head against the stone three times. After the final kowtow, a side door slowly groaned open in the back wall.
He waited patiently, knowing there was one more layer to this trial. Moments later, another entrance manifested. Liu Chen stepped through and found himself at the top of a Gray Bone Staircase. The steps descended into the dark for at least a thousand meters.
As he neared the bottom, the light vanished, and the path became suffocatingly narrow. Finally, he reached a closed portal engraved with four large characters: Meat Bag Secret Pavilion.
The pavilion was bizarre. The walls were covered in Flesh Laughing Gu, creatures that resembled huge, realistic human mouths with lips, teeth, and tongues. They twitched and writhed, creating an atmosphere of deep unease.
Liu Chen didn't bother with the pocket sized bone book hidden nearby. He walked straight to the largest mouth, pressed his hand against its cold teeth, and tapped it according to a specific rhythm. Under his manipulation, the Flesh Laughing Gu slowly opened its jaws, exposing a hidden compartment.
"Is that all? Not even a single other bug?" Liu Chen muttered, feeling a flicker of annoyance. He continued to manipulate the Gu's teeth, hoping to trigger a hidden hoard.
Perhaps because he persisted for so long, the Flesh Laughing Gu finally reacted. With a wet, gagging sound, it vomited out a Rank 3 Sword Bone Gu. Liu Chen snatched the Gu and tucked it away, though he entered the final passage with a trace of dissatisfaction.