10. Ancient Cultivator’s Cave Dwelling

After mastering the relevant array formation knowledge, Chen Fengyun took only a minute to open the stone door. However, he did not enter immediately; instead, he waited for the foul air inside to disperse before stepping in. The interior was rather dark, but when Chen Fengyun turned on the flashlight on his phone, he could immediately see that it was merely a space of about five or six square meters. Apart from a stone table, there was only a stone bed in the corner, upon which lay a scattered skeleton.

“This should be a cultivator from ancient times,” Chen Fengyun mused as he observed the pile of bones for a while, “but it seems his cultivation wasn’t high. Perhaps by the time he practiced cultivation, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had already begun to dissipate, so his achievements were limited.”

He did not touch anything inside at first; instead, he studied the skeleton for a moment before turning his attention to the stone table beside it. There, he found three triangular flags, three jade slips, and several pieces of metallic stones in various colors.

“Detected Spirit-Gathering Array Flags. Three flags as a set, Mortal Grade, Seventh Tier. Can be used to set up a small Spirit-Gathering Array, drawing in spiritual energy from a three-kilometer radius,” the system prompted as soon as Chen Fengyun picked up one of the triangular flags.

“It seems this person was not a wealthy cultivator either. I wonder how that flying sword and those spirit stones ended up in the ancient tomb outside?” Chen Fengyun was somewhat puzzled.

He decided to first examine the contents of the three jade slips. He discovered that one contained knowledge about array formations, which he put away for now. The second jade slip was a message left by the ancient cultivator, revealing that his name was Master Yuanhua, a cultivator from the Song Dynasty who, at the time of his death, had only reached the seventh layer of Qi Refining.

Since the pre-Qin era, the spiritual energy on Earth had been gradually diminishing. In the Qin Dynasty, there were still cultivators like Xu Fu, but by the Tang Dynasty, they had become scarce—Yuan Tiangang being the most famous. By the Song Dynasty, inheritance among cultivators within China had dwindled to just a handful, with Chen Tuan being the only one of great accomplishment. Even so, Master Yuanhua was quite renowned at the time, not inferior to the Seven Masters of Quanzhen from Mount Zhongnan.

However, by the Song Dynasty, spiritual energy was nearly gone. Cultivators like Master Yuanhua could not make any progress, and when the end of their lifespan approached, they could only seek a suitable burial place for themselves.

Master Yuanhua had lived here prior to his death, with a disciple standing vigil outside. But this disciple only had the first layer of Qi Refining, and likely never advanced further, dying of old age and being buried outside as well.

Chen Fengyun sighed. In this age of spiritual decline, things are likely even harder than in the Song Dynasty. He wondered if there were any true cultivators left in the world, or how advanced their cultivation might be.

The third jade slip brought Chen Fengyun a pleasant surprise. It contained Yuanhua’s cultivation technique, the “Blazing Star Incineration Method,” a Mortal Grade, Eighth Tier cultivation art.

“It seems one’s level of cultivation is truly related to the grade of one’s technique. The ‘Heaven and Earth Vitality Nourishment Technique’ I’ve been practicing is only Mortal Grade, Third Tier, which is why I’ve been stuck at the third layer of Qi Refining. Now that I have the ‘Blazing Star Incineration Method,’ perhaps I should switch to this art; I might be able to reach the eighth layer of Qi Refining.”

As he considered this, Chen Fengyun made another discovery. After reading the Blazing Star Incineration Method, the technique appeared on the cultivation system’s panel, and a plus sign behind the Heaven and Earth Vitality Nourishment Technique lit up.

“What does this mean? Why did the Heaven and Earth Vitality Nourishment Technique become upgradeable after acquiring another technique? When I obtained the Golden Bell Shield before, there was no change. Could it be that the Golden Bell Shield is a skill-type technique, while the Blazing Star Incineration Method is a cultivation-type technique?”

Chen Fengyun pondered for a while but could not figure it out. Nevertheless, he chose to upgrade the Heaven and Earth Vitality Nourishment Technique. Immediately, a change occurred: after expending two attribute points, both the Heaven and Earth Vitality Nourishment Technique and the Blazing Star Incineration Method vanished, replaced by a new art, the “Heavenly Star Incineration Technique,” now at Mortal Grade, Seventh Tier.

With the appearance of the Heavenly Star Incineration Technique, Chen Fengyun was delighted to find that he could advance his cultivation once more, as the plus sign after his cultivation level lit up, exciting him greatly.

“Advance my cultivation,” Chen Fengyun commanded. After spending four attribute points, his cultivation rose to the fourth layer of Qi Refining. A surge of energy poured down upon him, opening more meridians and increasing his internal spiritual energy, further enhancing his physique.

However, even though it was only a jump from the third to the fourth layer, the amount of spiritual energy in his body underwent a qualitative leap, doubling in strength.

Moreover, with his cultivation at the fourth layer, another significant change occurred—he could now project his spiritual energy outside his body. Chen Fengyun was now able to release his internal spiritual energy beyond himself.

This meant that he could finally begin refining and wielding magical tools, marking the true commencement of his journey as a cultivator, unlike before when his spiritual energy could not be projected outward and he was unable to employ many techniques.

He had three attribute points left, not enough to further upgrade his cultivation. After some thought, Chen Fengyun decided to invest them all in his spiritual power, instantly raising it to Mortal Grade, Tenth Tier. Suddenly, his vision darkened; when his consciousness cleared, everything before his eyes had changed, appearing more vivid and spirited.

Even though he was still in the dim stone chamber, he could see everything around him with perfect clarity. The area within which he stored his spiritual power felt exceptionally full, and the immense spiritual force pulsed like a heartbeat, as if ready to break free at any moment.

At this point, Chen Fengyun’s perception expanded dramatically, extending to a radius of six square kilometers. Not only could he sense the fluctuations of spiritual energy, he could also detect the presence of living beings.

“I wonder what level my spiritual power would reach if I kept improving it. Could it really transform into something like divine sense, as in the novels?” Although his cultivation had reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining, Chen Fengyun felt woefully ignorant of cultivation knowledge—like someone who could use a calculator but did not know why one plus one equals two.

Having advanced his cultivation, especially with his spiritual power at Mortal Grade, Tenth Tier, Chen Fengyun suddenly remembered the flying sword and the three small flags—surely he could now refine magical treasures.

Without hesitation, he took out the flying sword and infused it with his immense spiritual power. Soon, he discovered a miniature array within the sword, but it bore no imprint, indicating that its former owner’s spiritual mark had long since faded away.

Chen Fengyun promptly left his own spiritual imprint within the miniature array of the flying sword. Instantly, the rust on its surface began to dissolve, revealing a blade as bright and clear as autumn water, and a close spiritual connection formed between him and the sword.

“Let’s test the sword’s power.” At his mental command, Chen Fengyun injected a stream of spiritual energy into the sword. In an instant, the sword, which had been only a few inches long, suddenly expanded with a roar, transforming into a colossal flying sword over three meters long and more than a meter wide.