"It seems there's no need to limit our sights to the Northwest Continent."
"I can ask within the clan if there are any missions in the Black-Corner Region."
"The Black-Corner Region is the most chaotic region on the Battle Qi Continent. It shouldn't be hard to find an excuse to go there."
"If that doesn't work, I could spend a few days as a student in the Inner Academy of Jia Nan Academy and blend in with a new identity."
Feng Qing Er's heart filled with pleasant surprise. This was an excellent opportunity to make early contact with Xiao Ting in a perfectly reasonable way.
However, she would first need to visit the Pill Region to meet Cao Ying and confirm the suspicion in her heart. If someone else truly possessed a copy of the Journal, she would have to think thrice before acting. Should she hide in the shadows and quietly scheme for opportunities, or expose herself like Xun Er and the Little Fairy Doctor for the sake of the plane's blessing?
…
At the same time, Cao Ying, Medusa, Yun Yun, and the others each had their own thoughts.
…
Xiao Ting knew nothing about any of this.
After finishing the Journal record in one go, he walked to a certain spot in the newly opened area and turned the moonlight stone embedded there.
Bang!
One side of the wall trembled as a thick, heavy stone door slowly slid open.
"There's more!?" Xun Er and the Little Fairy Doctor exchanged glances. They had thought the Tomb Raiding Records in their hands were the final harvest of this trip.
"There is indeed more, but there might not be anything after this," Xiao Ting replied calmly. "I just realized that the cave we're in now doesn't look like a powerhouse's cave mansion carved into a cliff. It resembles a side chamber of a small tomb mansion. "The skeleton outside knew the Great Sun Qi Observation Method, yet used it for tomb raiding."
"He probably discovered a cave on the cliff by chance and forcibly dug out a passage leading to this side chamber."
"The original end of the cave should have been at the mechanism stone door we encountered outside."
Of course, these words weren't made up by Xiao Ting—the detailed map of the tomb mansion provided by the plane's blessing clearly marked everything. There were two tomb mansions in total here. Besides this one, there was also the main tomb mansion.
"Let's go."
Xiao Ting took the lead and walked into the passage. Xun Er and the Little Fairy Doctor immediately followed, using the light from the moonlight stones to examine their surroundings.
Before long, the trio arrived at a large hall. Above it, a star map had been crafted using luminous pearls. In the center of the hall lay several skeletons, each wearing a Storage Ring on their finger.
Xiao Ting stepped forward and collected the rings. "These people were probably companions of the skeleton owner in the side chamber. They worked together to capture a Tier 5 Magical Beast and create a flying Dou Technique. "In the end, whether due to uneven distribution of spoils or some accident, they all fell here. "The one in the side chamber was the final winner, but he was also heavily injured and died there."
No one knew the real truth, but Xun Er and the Little Fairy Doctor felt Xiao Ting's guess was correct.
The hall was large yet only had three entrances. One led back to the side chamber they had come from. After thoroughly searching the skeletons and confirming nothing was left behind, Xiao Ting led them into the next entrance.
They soon reached another side chamber.
The layout was identical to the one containing the Rainbow Poison Book, but it was completely empty—everything had been taken.
"It was cleaned out by the people outside."
With nothing gained, the three returned to the main hall and headed toward the final entrance. However, they only walked a short distance before turning back.
Xiao Ting explained to the two girls, "This path is the correct entrance to the tomb mansion. It's filled with all kinds of traps. There's no need for us to take the risk."
"Where is the main tomb mansion?" the Little Fairy Doctor instinctively asked.
Xiao Ting and Xun Er did not answer. Instead, they simultaneously turned toward the side of the hall that only had sculptures and no doorway.
"Dragon Seal!"
Xiao Ting raised his hand and formed a seal. Battle Qi flowed within his body, surging out and transforming into a thunder dragon covered in a layer of flames. Heaven-and-earth energy passively enhanced it.
The fire thunder dragon surged toward the carved wall.
Boom!
The scene the Little Fairy Doctor imagined—of the sculptures being destroyed—did not occur.
The mighty fire thunder dragon landed on the sculptures and was completely devoured. Immediately after, the sculptures began to change, eventually transforming into a block of text.
[Yin-Yang Unity Mantra]: A dual cultivation auxiliary secret technique. When practiced together by a man and a woman with connected minds, it greatly enhances the effectiveness of one's own cultivation method…
Xiao Ting: "..."
Xun Er and the Little Fairy Doctor: "..."
No one had expected that the final reward would be a dual cultivation secret technique. Its effect was to amplify the cultivation speed of one's own technique. From that perspective, it was quite excellent. If a pair of Dao companions practicing high-level Xuan Class techniques used this method, it would be no different from cultivating a low-level Heavenly Class technique—enough to defy the heavens and change their fate.
"Memorize the technique. There will surely come a day when it can be used," Xiao Ting said to the two girls.
Xun Er: ???
The Little Fairy Doctor's pretty face flushed red. She somehow felt that Xiao Ting was hinting at something.
Once the two girls had memorized the technique, Xiao Ting threw a punch at a certain character. In the next moment, the starry sky ceiling above began to move, quickly transforming into the shape of a star bridge. At the end of the star bridge appeared a crystal coffin suspended by chains. Inside lay a skeleton. Below the crystal coffin was a thin thread, and at the very bottom of the thread hung a Storage Ring.
"It looks like this senior was very afraid someone would dig up his coffin," Xiao Ting said as he leaped high and grabbed the ring.
A sweep of his soul force revealed several hundred thousand gold coins, some scrolls, and a pile of empty porcelain bottles inside. There was also a piece of paper containing the tomb owner's personal account. He had been a peak wood-attribute Dou King in life. While preparing to break through to Dou Emperor, he was betrayed by his Dao companion. After killing his Dao companion and her lover, he dragged his heavily injured body back to this powerhouse's remnant cave mansion he had discovered years earlier, transforming it into his own tomb. He died here.
Most of the scrolls contained wood-attribute Dou Techniques, along with several Journals on planting and cultivating spiritual herbs.
"These things were practically prepared for you," Xiao Ting said, handing all the wood-attribute items to the Little Fairy Doctor.
Although she possessed the Woeful Poison Body, she also had wood-attribute Battle Qi within her—otherwise, she would not have become a physician.
"After all, it was Sister Little Fairy Doctor who discovered the cave mansion," Xun Er smiled.
With all the benefits inside the tomb mansion secured, the three returned to the original chamber in high spirits, chatting and laughing.
Xiao Ting once again stood before the skeleton, supporting his chin with one hand as he fell into thought.
"What's wrong, Brother Xiao Ting?" Xun Er asked curiously.
"Don't you feel like something is missing?" Xiao Ting asked.
"Missing something?" Xun Er blinked. She didn't feel anything was lacking. Hadn't they taken all the benefits?
"The skeletons in the main hall had Storage Rings. The tomb owner also had a Storage Ring. So what about him?"
Xiao Ting's question left Xun Er and the Little Fairy Doctor enlightened. Normally, if someone discovered this tomb mansion, entered, and obtained the three stone boxes filled with gold, silver, jewels, and medicinal ingredients, they would assume that was everything and wouldn't notice the absence of a Storage Ring on this skeleton. Someone with slightly better insight might discover the incomplete map of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame among the bones and still not think much of it. If they went further and found the area containing the Tomb Raiding Records, they would completely overlook the possibility of a ring.
Bang!
Xiao Ting moved the skeleton aside and picked up the seemingly ordinary cushion it had been sitting on. After searching for a moment, he found a Storage Ring hidden inside the cushion.
Xun Er and the Little Fairy Doctor: "..."
There really was one!
…