Chapter 291 - 204: Driving the Tiger to Swallow the Wolf, Bountiful Spoils

Chapter 291: Chapter 204: Driving the Tiger to Swallow the Wolf, Bountiful Spoils

These Treasure Medicines were chosen for quality over quantity, each one a rare and wondrous item.

Once he returned and put them to good use, his strength would soar. He would no longer lack the supplementary medicines needed to accelerate his cultivation to the Second Transformation Realm.

And on top of that, there was this Profound Weapon...

A thought crossed Xie Yuan’s mind. He pictured the standard-issue sword of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect, and the Profound Weapon softened like candy. Its surface seemed to melt as it morphed, reforming into a perfect replica of a disciple’s sword.

In truth, however, its material was countless tiers higher than a standard disciple’s sword—impossibly sharp, sturdy, and unstoppable.

Xie Yuan grew excited:

’This Profound Weapon alone made the whole trip worthwhile, not to mention all these Treasure Medicines! What a massive haul. I really have Lu the Third to thank for this.’

He practiced transforming the Profound Weapon again and again, gradually mastering its control. Now, when he used the Celestial Concealment Skill, it appeared as just a faint shadow to the casual eye.

Xie Yuan felt he had spent enough time on the 3rd Layer. He glanced at the path leading to the 4th Layer, sensing it was likely unobstructed.

’The 3rd Layer already has marvels like this Profound Weapon. The treasury on the 4th Layer must have plenty of *true* Profound Weapons...’

But Xie Yuan calmly shook his head. ’A man’s greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.’ Even if there were more treasures up there, they’d be worthless if he died trying to get them.

Content with his gains, he left and went straight down to the second layer.

After circling halfway around the outer ring of stone houses, Xie Yuan saw Huang Zifeng and the others in the distance. They were cautiously exploring, hugging the stone walls, as Lin Zhen called out in a low voice:

"Junior Brother Zhang, Junior Brother Zhang..."

Xie Yuan’s expression relaxed slightly. The items on the second layer were of limited use to cultivators in the Metamorphosis Realm. While some had settled for less and come down, there weren’t many of them.

Lin Zhen and the others were all outstanding disciples of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect. Under the leadership of Huang Zifeng, who was in the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm, they had managed to survive on this layer for quite a while, facing scares but no true danger.

An idea struck Xie Yuan. As the group entered a house to explore, he secretly slipped into a nearby apothecary. After making a few arrangements and changing back into his clothes, he settled in to feign as if he had been there the whole time, quietly waiting for his fellow disciples to reunite with him.

"Junior Brother Zhang, Junior Brother Zhang..."

Lin Zhen’s gentle call came again from outside. Xie Yuan feigned a jolt of energy and called back:

"Senior Sister Lin, I’m in here!"

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside. Then, Huang Zifeng cautiously opened the door, revealing Lin Zhen and the others behind him.

Seeing the excited Zhang Shan inside, they all breathed a sigh of relief, their faces filled with joy.

First, however, they inspected the area around the doorway and asked in a low voice,

"Junior Brother Zhang, are there any traps here?"

"I saw hidden arrow holes above the doorframe, and since I didn’t know what was going on outside, I didn’t dare to leave."

Xie Yuan said in a low voice.

Alerted by Xie Yuan’s warning, they looked up and, sure enough, spotted the mechanism. Carefully avoiding it, they finally joined Xie Yuan inside.

Lin Cheng said joyfully:

"Junior Brother Zhang, we finally found you! We even went back to the first layer. We were just so afraid that..."

Xie Yuan put on a blank look. After listening to their tale, he feigned shock and asked,

"This place is that bizarre?"

"It is. Many of the traps are extremely dangerous, but thankfully we had Senior Brother Huang to lead us. You were very prudent, Junior Brother Zhang. Staying put by yourself was the right call."

Lin Zhen said softly. At her words of praise, Huang Zifeng immediately puffed out his chest and raised his head.

"That’s right, I was too scared to run around aimlessly."

After the group had finally reunited and chatted for a bit, Xie Yuan casually remarked,

"There are quite a few treasures and pills in here. I think I even saw some Purifying Spirit Pills."

"Purifying Spirit Pills!"

Startled, the group searched around the apothecary and were soon overjoyed:

"Finding the Blood Dragon Pills was already a great surprise, but to think there are Purifying Spirit Pills here too! These ancient ruins certainly live up to their reputation. Great find, Junior Brother Zhang!"

Xie Yuan gave a simple, honest-looking smile. He was already running out of room to store his haul, and the Purifying Spirit Pills weren’t that important to him, so he let the others have them.

Lin Cheng walked over holding several porcelain vials, his face alight with excitement. When he saw Xie Yuan, he seemed to recall something and handed another vial over, speaking in a mysterious tone:

"Junior Brother Zhang, this is a real treasure. Here, take a vial."

Xie Yuan took it and glanced inside, freezing for a moment.

’Blood Dragon Pills? But... I was the one who led them to the apothecary that had these.’

He looked surprised:

"Senior Brother Lin, you found this during your exploration. I couldn’t possibly accept it..."

"Just take it! I have more than I can use, and I have to turn the rest over to the Sect anyway. This vial is for you. Besides, you didn’t hide the Purifying Spirit Pills when you found them, did you?"

Holding the Blood Dragon Pill, Xie Yuan was speechless.

Suddenly, a noise came from the doorway. Qin Zhenyang appeared, and upon seeing his fellow disciples inside the room, his face filled with immense relief.

"Wonderful, just wonderful! I’ve finally found you all!"

"Senior Brother Qin!"

The group’s faces lit up with pleasant surprise at the sight of Qin Zhenyang.

Huang Zifeng said excitedly:

"We saw many experts active in the distance, so we didn’t dare get close and kept our distance. We never imagined you would come in to find us, Senior Brother Qin!"

"You were trapped in here; of course the Sect was going to come looking."

Qin Zhenyang smiled.

"Not a single one of you is missing. Excellent, excellent."

"Yes, we were lucky. We managed to stick together from the beginning... oh, except for Junior Brother Zhang. He got separated from us, but he’s sharp. He knew better than to run around and just waited for us to find him."

"Is that so?"

Qin Zhenyang sized up Xie Yuan for a moment. Seeing that he was safe and sound, he nodded.

"You all handled yourselves very well. For this trial... if it can still be called that... you all deserve a top-tier rating."

"Oh? Senior Brother Qin, does that mean we’ll be able to enter Sword Peak for comprehension?"

Lin Cheng asked with some anticipation.

Qin Zhenyang nodded.

"I will report this to my master."

"That’s wonderful!"

They all looked delighted. Sword Peak was the sacred ground of the Sword Sect, the source of countless legends about disciples achieving sudden sword enlightenment. Not a single disciple of the Sect didn’t dream of entering it for comprehension.

Xie Yuan smiled as well, beginning to look forward to his return to the Sword Sect.

’My gains from this trip have been immense, and there will be more rewards waiting for me when I get back. I’ll be able to focus on my cultivation for a good while and raise my strength significantly.’

「At the hidden staircase on the 3rd Layer.」

The fair-skinned, clear-eyed monk, Huie Jue, stood there, looking up at the pitch-black entrance above, his eyes devoid of joy or sorrow.

He pressed his palms together, bowed his head in a silent chant, and then began to climb. Step by step, he ascended to the 4th Layer, his figure disappearing from sight.