Chương 61: The Hidden Chamber

Zhang Huaijin didn't bother to check what he had collected. He swept everything up and stowed it all away. Letting his spiritual sense flow, he resumed searching the area. His earlier search had been too cursory. Now that he'd obtained the items on the stone altar, Huaijin wanted to see if there was anything else to be found. He searched methodically inch by inch, then suddenly noticed something amiss. The temperature of one wall deep in the stone chamber was off. It was significantly warmer than its surroundings.

A flicker of seriousness crossed Huaijin's face. Could there be something behind this wall? He walked over to the wall and began feeling it carefully. Then, his fingers brushed against a slightly protruding piece of broken stone. He pressed down on it, and the stone rotated with a soft click. Crack! A fissure split the seemingly seamless stone wall. A door, two meters tall, slowly swung open, revealing the space beyond. Surprise flashed in Zhang Huaijin's eyes. He stepped through the wall and entered.

Inside was another small chamber, roughly ten meters across. The ground was soft, covered entirely in spiritual soil. The air was thick with dense spiritual energy, and the walls were embedded with dozens of Tier 2 Illumination Stones. Illumination Stones were a special type of ore aligned with the light element. They functioned like miniature suns, constantly radiating light and heat. They were an excellent supplement for spirit herbs that needed warm conditions.

And inside this chamber were just three spirit herbs. They were about an inch tall, entirely golden yellow, with lush branches and leaves. A faint, refreshing fragrance wafted through the air. Strand by strand, the spiritual energy from the soil was drawn into the herbs, making them glow with dazzling brilliance.

"Golden Yang Flowers! These are Golden Yang Flowers..." Zhang Huaijin tried to contain his excitement, but his voice trembled slightly. The Golden Yang Flower was a Tier 3, Low Grade spirit herb. And it was the main ingredient for refining Foundation Establishment Pills. And here, in this chamber, there were three of them. Just what level of cultivation had the master of this cave dwelling reached? Huaijin studied them carefully.

The three Golden Yang Flowers were in excellent condition, their spiritual energy rich and fragrant. They had matured long ago, and over the years, their medicinal potency had only grown stronger. For a family like his, one teetering on the edge of producing Foundation Establishment cultivators, this was a priceless treasure! If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

If he could gather the remaining resources needed to refine the pill, they could produce a Foundation Establishment Pill immediately. And Zhang Huaijin already had the recipe. Even though the Foundation Establishment Pill was a Tier 2, Upper Grade pill, only a Tier 3 alchemist could reliably refine it. An ordinary Tier 2, Upper Grade alchemist simply couldn't do it. Even for a Tier 3 alchemist, the success rate wasn't very high. Producing two pills from a single batch would be considered good.

A Tier 3, Mid Grade alchemist could typically make four pills. To get six pills, you would need a Tier 3, Upper Grade alchemist. Of course, that was the general rule. Some exceptionally talented alchemists had much higher success rates. Huaijin looked around carefully. This spiritual soil came from a Tier 3 spiritual field. He himself was currently only a Tier 1, Upper Grade alchemist and a Spirit Plant Cultivator. He had no confidence in his ability to transplant these Golden Yang Flowers.

Their medicinal properties were too good. If he tried to move them and damaged the roots, causing the potency to leak away, it would be an unforgivable waste of a heavenly treasure. No one in the entire Zhang family could successfully transplant them.

"The Golden Yang Flowers can't be moved. The conditions in this stone chamber are perfect for them. Even if I took them back to the family, we wouldn't have the right soil for them to keep growing. And if I stored them in a jade box, they'd last ten years at most. After that, the potency would start declining. It would be a complete waste," Huaijin thought to himself, weighing his options. He couldn't touch the Golden Yang Flowers. They had to stay here.

To take them away, he would have to wait until he himself was a Tier 2, Upper Grade alchemist. Reluctance welled up in his eyes, but he resolutely turned away. He twisted the broken stone piece in the wall, and the chamber door closed again. The room fell silent once more. Huaijin left directly, leaving behind a scene of messy chaos. He didn't bother to hide his tracks. If any other cultivator found this place, they would simply assume someone else had already taken the opportunity.

They wouldn't notice the hidden chamber behind the wall. That hiding place was simply too difficult to find. Huaijin's soul had been tempered for seventeen years by the Primordial Tai Chi Visualization Diagram. It was crystal clear, and his spiritual sense was incredibly sharp. Even a late stage Foundation Establishment cultivator might not match his observational skills. He left immediately. The Purple Spirit Tiger sensed Huaijin's presence and let out a low growl.

"Come back," Huaijin said, opening his spirit beast pouch. The tiger's form vanished. He looked around. Seeing nothing amiss, he walked out of the pit. The pit opening slowly closed behind him, as if nothing had ever happened there. Looking at the rock floor, restored to its original state, Huaijin sighed softly. Without the map, even if he had come here, he never would have noticed anything unusual. This place was just too ordinary. Even the local beasts didn't bother to linger here.

He turned and left, heading out of the Purple Dusk Mountain Range. He moved extremely fast but kept a low profile. He was still in the inner part of the range, where Foundation Establishment beasts were common. He wasn't necessarily afraid, but the most important thing now was to get the Geng Metal Profound Light Formation back to the Zhang family. Then they could contact a formation master from the Gao family and ask for help repairing it. Huaijin was being very cautious, but the beast tide was coming.

A growing aura of bloodlust was spreading through the mountains. The fighting between beasts was becoming more frequent and more brutal. Battles broke out constantly, leaving endless streams of blood and a thick, murderous atmosphere. Just as Huaijin was about to step out of the inner mountain range, a Darkfeather Bird at the third level of the Foundation Establishment Realm locked onto him. His aura had leaked slightly. There were still too many Foundation Establishment beasts in these mountains.

And the Darkfeather Bird was a flying beast. It circled high above, fixing on Huaijin as he hurried along. Screech! With a sharp cry, the bird's sharp black claws transformed into a giant energy talon, swiping toward Huaijin's head. The full force of the third level Foundation Establishment Realm surged out, a brutal aura washing over the surrounding area. Huaijin snorted coldly. The Green Ape Seal appeared instantly above his head. Boom!

The terrifying power of the Green Ape Seal exploded outward, colliding directly with the bird's talon. Bang! The black energy claw shattered instantly. The Green Ape Seal, gleaming with green light, shot upward as Huaijin willed it, slamming out with devastating force. Astonishment flashed in the Darkfeather Bird's eyes. Bang! The seal flew straight up, its power suddenly erupting, blasting the bird backward. A few drops of blood splattered across the sky.