Lan Rui stepped onto the stone platform and inspected it carefully. He circled around it, touched its surface, and even tried to sense any flow of spiritual energy. But to no avail, nothing stood out. It looked and felt like any ordinary rock. With a sigh, he gave up and turned back toward the depths of the cave, deciding to check on the situation outside.
After a few hundred steps, a faint metallic scent reached his nose, blood. It lingered thick in the damp air, clinging to the stone walls. His steps slowed as he spotted a storage bag lying carelessly at the side of the cave wall. His eyes lit up instantly.
"It's still intact… Let's see if I can collect a few more," he muttered, slipping the bag into his own and moving forward with renewed purpose.
What followed was a grim treasure hunt. He carefully picked through the cave and bloodstained rocks, locating several more storage bags tucked away in corners or half-buried under rubble. After some time, he paused and glanced toward the cave entrance, where light filtered in faintly. A chill ran down his spine.
"What if the wolves are still out there? Waiting for me to step out of tge cave?"
The fear lingered in his heart, but after a few deep breaths, he steeled himself and made his way outside.
The scene that greeted him was chaos. Blood splattered the ground, trees were uprooted and scorched, and the earth was torn in places by what looked like explosive spells and furious claws.
"It's a mess... I better loot quickly. Even if the wolves are gone, the scent of blood will definitely attract other beasts," he whispered, eyes alert.
He quickly swept the area, grabbing anything of value, and then retreated back into the cave. Once inside, he returned to the stone platform, placed the spoils before him, and began sorting.
Seven storage bags and a broken saber lay before him. He examined each bag carefully. Out of the seven, six opened smoothly only one resisted, sealed with a powerful divine imprint.
Rather than feel frustrated, a smirk formed on Lan Rui's face.
"It must be that bastard Qin Wumian's…"
The contents of the opened bags were modest, spirit stones, talismans, healing pills. Most of the magic tools were either destroyed or of such low quality they were barely worth fifty spirit stones. Still, when combined, the total value approached a thousand spirit stones, a small fortune for someone like Lan Rui.
"As for Qin Wumian's bag, I can take my time cracking it later. For now… I need to recover."
He sat cross-legged on the stone platform, drawing in spiritual energy to begin a full-body circulation. The rich ambient energy in the cave flowed into his meridians, easing his fatigue and replenishing his strength.
Two hours passed.
As he exhaled a steady breath to end his meditation, the cave suddenly shook violently. Stones clattered from the ceiling, and the walls groaned with deep, rumbling vibrations.
"What the…? Did a battle between a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a Second Order beast reach this place?" he muttered in alarm, standing quickly.
But then, the wall behind the platform began to shift. Slowly, it slid aside, revealing a hidden chamber. At the same time, the spiritual energy around him surged, reaching the density of a First Rank, High-Grade spiritual vein.
Lan Rui's heart pounded.
"Did I… trigger something?"
As the tremors subsided, a still silence fell once more. He stared at the newly revealed compartment. A secret room, likely hidden for decades, maybe centuries. His instincts screamed both danger and opportunity.
This… this is a cave mansion left behind by a predecessor. It could be filled with treasures… or traps.
"If it's the inheritance of a righteous cultivator, I might have found a miracle. But if it's demonic… there could be hidden dangers," he whispered, hesitating.
But then he smiled bitterly.
What choice do I have? I'm just a small loose cultivator with no backing. Even a sliver of opportunity could change my fate.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the chamber.
The spiritual energy inside was staggering, dense enough to condense into a thin mist that floated in the air, gently swirling around him. It was richer than anything he'd felt in the outer cave.
"This is… even greater than I imagined," he said, wide-eyed with awe.
The room itself wasn't large, roughly five meters square. At the center, a skeleton sat cross-legged, draped in a gray robe, its posture dignified even in death.
Lan Rui quickly bowed respectfully. "This junior apologizes for disturbing senior's rest. I hope you can forgive this intrusion."
He waited a few breaths, but no strange phenomenon occurred. No ghostly apparition, no burst of spiritual will. He slowly raised his head.
"What should I do now? Take the storage bag and give him a proper burial?" He pondered.
Coming from the modern world, Lan Rui felt a strange conflict. In his previous life, such a situation would call for the police and proper authorities. But this world… was different.
"If I report this to the market authority, they'll take everything and toss me a thank-you. I'd be the biggest idiot in the history of transgressor if I let that happen," he muttered.
With another brief bow, he took the storage bag from the skeleton and probed it with his divine sense. To his surprise, there were no restrictions, no divine imprint at all. The bag was a treasure on its own. Its inner space was a full ten cubic meters, ten times the size of his own.
"I'll use this one… and sell the rest," he said with satisfaction.
Inside the bag were three jade slips, a piece of beast hide, and a single sword. He picked up the beast hide first. There were words etched upon it.
"To the one fortunate enough to read this my name is Luo Chen…" Lan Rui read the message carefully, his expression shifting as he absorbed the story.
Luo Chen. A Foundation Establishment cultivator who had failed to break through to the Core Formation Realm, damaging his foundation in the process. Despite spending vast resources to heal himself, he ultimately failed. As his lifespan began to decline, he built this cave to be his final resting place and to offer an opportunity to any fated person who found it.
He asked for only one thing in return, a proper burial.
Lan Rui stood silently for a moment, the weight of those words settling in his heart.
"Senior Luo Chen… this junior thanks you for the precious opportunity. I will honor your wish and ensure you are buried with dignity," he said solemnly, bowing deeply, his forehead touching the ground.
.....