Chapter 520 - 516: Mysterious Gemstones

Chapter 520: Chapter 516: Mysterious Gemstones

Fang Han withdrew his hand and continued forward.

The decaying leaves in the forest were still soft and made no sound, and the ancient trees all around remained vast and dense.

Sunlight filtered down through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows across his shoulders.

A short while later, Fang Han stopped again.

Ahead, beneath an ancient tree so thick it would take several people to wrap their arms around it, a piece of ore lay half-buried among the gnarled roots.

The ore was about the size of a washbasin and was a dark purple color. Its surface was covered in a dense layer of natural crystals, which gave off an uncanny purple luster in the sunlight.

The glow wasn’t blinding, yet it carried an indescribable, sharp quality.

Fang Han bent down and gently tapped the surface of the ore.

The ore let out a crisp, lingering hum, as if he had tapped a piece of masterfully forged steel.

’Purple Essence.’ He had seen records of this ore in the Sect’s archives. It was described as extremely tough and had an excellent amplifying effect on all types of Inner Qi, making it an ideal material for crafting Magical Soldiers.

"Recharge."

[Wealth: 840,000 gold → 910,000 gold]

’Only 90,000 gold to go!’

Fang Han’s eyes swept over the number as he calculated inwardly.

’Only ninety thousand gold to go. Perhaps the next find will be enough to reach a million, meeting the requirement to unlock the Level 8 Talent Amplification.’

Fang Han suppressed the flicker of anticipation in his heart and pressed on.

The sun gradually climbed higher, and the mist in the forest had completely dissipated.

Fang Han was traversing a relatively open valley.

The mountain walls on either side were sheer, as if carved by a knife. The valley floor was covered in a thick layer of gravel and sand, with a small stream meandering through it, gurgling softly.

His gaze had already shifted away from the stream, but it suddenly snapped back.

Among the stream’s gravel, an unusual glint of gold had flashed for an instant.

The golden color was so faint that it was almost completely masked by the shimmering ripples of the water. If he hadn’t happened to be standing at an angle where the sunlight hit it directly, he would never have noticed it.

Fang Han walked to the stream’s edge, crouched down, and plunged his hand into the icy water.

His fingertips brushed against a hard object half-buried in the gravel.

He brushed away the surrounding pebbles, gripped the edge of the hard object, and with a heave of his arm, lifted it from the water and set it down on a large, flat rock by the bank.

It was a piece of gold ore.

It was nowhere near as large as the piece of silver ore he had found yesterday, standing only about half a man tall.

The ore was a dark gold color, its surface covered in fine, web-like veins of natural gold that shone with a deep, soft luster in the sunlight.

As water from the stream ran down its surface, it seemed to take on a faint golden hue as it passed over the veins.

Gold is a hundred times more valuable than silver.

Although this piece of gold ore was much smaller than the silver ore he’d found yesterday, its value wasn’t far behind.

Fang Han placed his hand on the ore.

"Recharge."

[Wealth: 910,000 gold → 1,000,000 gold]

Ninety thousand gold.

This piece of gold ore had increased his wealth by 90,000 gold, bringing his total to exactly 1,000,000 gold.

’A million gold.’

Fang Han’s gaze lingered on the number "1,000,000 gold" for a long time.

One million gold.

An amount of wealth he once had to rack his brain to gather, and he had achieved it just one day after entering the Secret Realm.

’This trip into the Secret Realm, while dangerous, is certainly an incredible opportunity to accumulate wealth.’

’Now is not the time!’

Fang Han suppressed the turmoil in his heart and closed the system panel.

Although he now had a million gold, enough to apply a Level 8 Amplification to one of his Talents, he had no intention of doing so just yet.

Here in the Secret Realm, even if he activated the Level 8 Talent Amplification, he wouldn’t have the right conditions to practice his Cultivation and test its effects.

It could wait until he left the Secret Realm.

The morning light had now fully spread over the eastern ridge, dyeing the entire sea of trees a shimmering gold and green.

’I hope I can find another Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure like the Spirit Nurturing Flower...’

Fang Han moved through the ancient trees. The decaying leaves underfoot remained soft and silent, and the surrounding forest was still vast and dense.

His eyes scanned every inch of his surroundings, refusing to miss any corner that might hide a treasure.

He had already achieved his first goal of a million gold. Now, his greatest hope was to find another Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure like the Spirit Nurturing Flower.

The Spirit Nurturing Flower he picked yesterday was only enough for one of his parents to break through to the Inner Qi Realm.

For both of them to reach the Inner Qi Realm, he would need to find another one.

An hour later, Fang Han’s steps suddenly faltered.

Not far ahead, a toppled ancient tree lay amidst the gravel and decaying leaves.

The trunk had long since rotted, and moss covered every inch of wood, causing it to almost merge with the ground.

And next to that fallen trunk, a patch of startling white showed through a gap in the decaying leaves.

It was a skeleton.

Fang Han’s gaze fell upon the skeleton, and his pupils contracted slightly.

It wasn’t because the skeleton was large—quite the opposite, it was small, only the size of an ordinary adult male.

This was a human skeleton.

He slowed his pace and walked toward the skeleton.

As he drew closer, the skeleton came into clearer view.

It lay half-buried in decaying leaves and soil. The skeleton was mostly intact and resting on its back, as if its owner had collapsed from exhaustion and never managed to get up again.

The bones had taken on a weathered, grayish-white color and were covered in fine cracks, but they had not yet crumbled to dust.

’What’s this?’

Fang Han’s gaze fell on the spot beside the skeleton’s right hand.

Something lay half-concealed by the decaying leaves, revealing the corner of a light-brown animal hide.

His breath hitched.

The texture, color, and markings on the hide were identical to the Treasure Map he carried.

He bent down, picked the piece of hide out from the decaying leaves, and unfolded it.

The hide was about a foot square. It felt tough to the touch, and despite the passage of countless years, it was still perfectly intact.

The mountains and rivers drawn on it were clearly discernible and completely identical to those on his own Treasure Map.

Furthermore, the artistic style and the texture of the pigments were undoubtedly from the same creator.

The owner of this skeleton, just like him, had used a Treasure Map as a key to enter this Secret Realm.

’There’s more than one key!’

Fang Han turned the Treasure Map over and back again, his fingertips gently tracing the fine, ancient lines.

’So the "key" to enter the Secret Realm... there really is more than just the one I have.’

’The footprints from yesterday...’

Fang Han recalled the footprints he had discovered in the tunnel the day before. He had originally assumed their owner was just some lucky person who had stumbled upon the Treasure Storage by chance.

Now, it seemed highly likely that person was just like him, possessing a "key" that granted access to this Secret Realm.

However, that person must have left long ago. After all, one could only stay in the Secret Realm for three days, and those footprints were at least a month or two old.

He carefully folded the Treasure Map and tucked it away.

Even though he already had one, this new map was still useful. He could give it to someone else and have them accompany him to explore this place next time.

Searching alone was ultimately inefficient. Another person would mean a greater chance of finding more treasures.

’What’s that light?’

Just as Fang Han was about to stand and leave, he caught a flash of cyan light in his peripheral vision. It was emanating from between the ribs on the skeleton’s chest.

The light was partially blocked, making it impossible to spot from any other angle.

Fang Han crouched down again and carefully pushed aside the weathered ribs.

The bones made a soft CRACKLING sound under his fingers, crumbling into several pieces and revealing an object pinned beneath them.

It was a Gemstone.

It was about the size of a pendant, shaped like a teardrop, and was a pure cyan color without a single impurity.

A tiny hole was drilled through the top of the Gemstone, suggesting it had once been strung on a cord and worn against the skin.

Sunlight filtered down through the canopy and fell upon the cyan Gemstone. A faint cyan halo spread from its surface, creating faint, almost imperceptible ripples in the air.

’What kind of Gemstone is this?’

Sensing there was something unusual about the cyan Gemstone, Fang Han reached out, retrieved it from beneath the skeleton, and placed it in his palm.

HUMMM—

The instant his fingertips touched the Gemstone’s surface, a strange sensation enveloped his entire body without warning.

The feeling came abruptly and silently.

It was like an invisible, weightless veil, slowly and irresistibly closing in from all directions to envelop him completely.

’What a strange feeling!’

Fang Han’s brow furrowed slightly.

He looked down at the cyan Gemstone in his palm, then looked up at the surrounding trees.

Nothing had changed.

It was still the same dead-silent forest, still the same vast ancient trees.

Sunlight still filtered down through the leaves, and the decaying leaves underfoot were still soft and silent.

But that strange sensation was real and refused to fade.

He tried circulating the Inner Qi within his body; everything was normal, with no irregularities.

He tried clenching his fist. His strength and speed were unchanged. His body felt no discomfort, nor had it grown any stronger.

Yet that sensation still enveloped him.

’What kind of wondrous effect does this Gemstone have?’

Fang Han stared at the cyan Gemstone in his palm, his brow furrowing ever tighter.

If this weren’t the Secret Realm, if he were anywhere else, he would have surely sat down to carefully investigate the source of this strange feeling and pinpoint the nature of the abnormality.

But he couldn’t do that now.

In a Secret Realm overflowing with treasures, he didn’t have time to ponder a single Gemstone.

SWISH!

Fang Han clenched the cyan Gemstone in his fist, and with a mere thought, stored it in his Storage Ring.

The moment the Gemstone vanished, the strange sensation dissipated, like a silent tide that had arrived and departed with equal mystery.

Fang Han stood in place for a moment. After confirming his body felt completely normal again, he slowly let out a breath.

The matter was strange, but this wasn’t the time to investigate it further.

He took one last look at the skeleton whose ribs he had disturbed, then turned and resumed his exploration of the Secret Realm.

It seemed his luck had run out. For the next two hours and more, Fang Han failed to make any new discoveries.

Judging by the sun’s position, it was nearly noon. Fang Han was just about to find a place to rest and eat lunch.

Suddenly, a deeply refreshing fragrance drifted into his nostrils.

’This scent... could it be?’

As he caught the scent, a look of delight appeared on Fang Han’s face.