“This is…”
Seeing the entire chamber filled with jade-like stones, Xiao Yufan felt his heartbeat skip a beat. Although he didn’t know what these stones were, when an immense energy surged forth, he sensed the bottleneck of his cultivation at the threshold of the Tong Ling境 slightly loosening.
He had only recently reached the peak of the先天realm—what on earth was this thing that could actually stir fluctuations within his inner energy?
“Xuan Ling Stone, it’s really a Xuan Ling Stone!”
While Xiao Yufan hesitated, Yu Xuan’s expression turned extremely animated. Eventually, her melodious voice raised several octaves, as if she had seen something utterly unbelievable.
“Xuan Ling Stone? What exactly is a Xuan Ling Stone?”
Xiao Yufan asked somewhat puzzled. Obviously, he didn’t know what a Xuan Ling Stone was, but judging from the expressions on Yu Xuan and Cheng Ying’s faces, these jade-like stones in the chamber were likely even more valuable than medicinal pills.
“The Xuan Ling Stone is a type of jade that stores spiritual energy. During the last era of ancient martial arts, spiritual energy wasn’t yet scarce. However, as the martial cultivation world gradually expanded, spiritual energy became increasingly depleted. Eventually, many factions from that ancient martial era had no choice but to leave!”
Spiritual energy is essential for cultivators beyond the Tong Ling realm to advance to higher realms. It is closely related to the inner energy within one’s body. Back in the last era of martial cultivation, there were many experts at the Gui Ling realm precisely because spiritual energy was still abundant. But now, even with the revival of martial arts, Heaven Spirit realm experts already stand at the pinnacle of the hidden martial world’s pyramid, incomparable to the past!
After explaining all this in one breath, everyone was left stunned, even Xiao Yufan gulped hard.
He had heard of spiritual energy before. The reason why no extraordinary experts have appeared in the hidden martial world nowadays is largely due to the near disappearance of spiritual energy. Yet, what lay before him were genuine Xuan Ling Stones, their stored spiritual energy undoubtedly reaching an astonishing level.
With these Xuan Ling Stones, breaking through to the Tong Ling realm or even the Heaven Spirit realm would become extremely easy!
He struck gold!
After a long moment of stunned silence, Xiao Yufan slowly exhaled. Even acquiring an entire chamber filled with medicinal pills hadn’t thrilled him this greatly. He understood that even experts at the Heaven Spirit境 level would fiercely compete over these stones.
“Hurry up and collect them first. No one can resist the immense temptation of Xuan Ling Stones. If more people are drawn here, it won’t be easy to deal with.”
Cheng Ying reminded him. Xiao Yufan only then realized the urgency, though the fiery desire in his eyes had not dimmed. These were Xuan Ling Stones! With them, his future path would be paved smoothly.
Xiao Yufan realized how lucky he was. If he hadn’t accidentally learned about the Yu Long Order from Xue Feng, or if Yu Xuan hadn’t guided them with her treasure-seeking compass, he might have missed out on something beyond monetary value.
“Friend, as the saying goes, ‘what is seen is shared.’ Keeping such a treasure all to yourself seems a bit inappropriate, don’t you think?”
Just as Xiao Yufan realized this and began stuffing the stones into his spatial ring, a calm yet pointed voice came from behind.
At the entrance of the stone chamber stood several figures, each emanating a formidable aura. Among them, Xiao Yufan recognized a familiar face—Jiang Xiu, the very person who had ambushed them outside the city.
“Sharing the treasure depends on who you are. Thieves and scoundrels need not apply. I never mind having more good things!”
Their sudden appearance genuinely surprised Xiao Yufan—not because of their strength, but because these were the first people they had encountered inside the ancient palace.
“It seems our friend here intends to ignore our presence entirely!” A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the man standing at the forefront as he said darkly.
“Sorry, but I never considered you people worth acknowledging. How could I possibly ignore what doesn’t exist?”
A seemingly harmless smile appeared on Xiao Yufan’s face as he replied playfully. He knew these people were no better than Jiang Xiu—no upright individuals. No matter how strong they were, they were nothing but trash in his eyes.
“You’re very arrogant. I thought you might be reasonable enough to overlook what happened outside the city. But apparently, there are still people who refuse to drink the toast and insist on punishment instead!”
As one of the top young experts of the Kun Dun Sect, Han Yunqing’s pride was second to none. Insulted by Xiao Yufan’s words, his anger had been building up and now fully erupted.
Yet, he failed to notice that none of the people behind Xiao Yufan showed any intention to fight. They merely glanced at him with pitiful eyes.
Anyone who dared to act arrogantly in front of Xiao Yufan should at least possess the strength to back it up. A person who hadn’t even reached the peak of the先天 (Qian Tian) realm had no right to be conceited in this mysterious place.
Xiao Yufan soon proved this point. Those who acted arrogantly without sufficient strength were simply fools.
Han Yunqing hadn’t even managed to launch a single counterattack before he was sent flying backward. A martial artist who had been just one step away from reaching the peak of the先天境 was defeated in a single move.
The members of Kun Dun Sect felt a chill run down their spines, especially Jiang Xiu, whose face was now drenched in cold sweat.
Initially, he had presumed that within Xiao Yufan’s group, there were at most two or three experts at the Xiantian realm. However, who could have foreseen that this seemingly gentle man possessed such horrifying strength? His senior brother, a mid-level Xiantian expert, had been completely defeated in a single move, indicating that Xiao Yufan’s power was at least at the peak of the Xiantian realm.
An expert of this caliber was on par with the top prodigies of the sect—how could they dare to provoke such a person?
Feeling Xiao Yufan’s murderous gaze, Jiang Xiu’s heart pounded. He had reported to his senior brothers that Xiao Yufan’s group possessed experts no higher than the early先天 realm. Now that he had led them into a trap, he would be held accountable.
It seemed that even if Xiao Yufan spared him, the Kun Dun Sect would not forgive him this time.
“Now, do you still insist on sharing the treasure?”
Xiao Yufan had never considered them worth his attention. In his eyes, fighting them was merely a way to eliminate a minor nuisance. Although their strength was nothing special, dealing with endless troublemakers was annoying.
Han Yunqing’s furious expression froze instantly. If he still failed to realize how insignificant he was compared to Xiao Yufan, then he truly was an idiot. There were people he simply could not provoke—and he understood this well enough.
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