Chương 16: Chapter 17: Secrets of the Mountain Interior

Once the spiritual energy was infused, the spirit sword became incomparably sharp. With a mere flick of his wrist, the blade sank into the stone wall as if it were soft clay. Reyn applied a bit of force, twisting the hilt, and carved out a slab of rock roughly half the size of a man. He set the stone aside and peered into the pitch-black cavern before him. A flicker of hesitation crossed his face, but it was quickly replaced by a cold, unwavering resolve. Steeling his nerves, he stepped into the darkness.

The interior was shrouded in a heavy, oppressive gloom. Reyn channeled his meager reserves of spiritual energy into his eyes, allowing him to barely discern the path ahead. He moved slowly, his hands grazing the rough, cold stone as he felt his way forward. After descending roughly a hundred feet into the mountain's belly, he suddenly came to a halt. He pulled his hand back from the wall and rubbed his fingertips together, sensing a faint, slick moisture. A look of surprise dawned on his face.

"Could there be an underground waterway here?" he murmured to himself. He pressed on for another hundred feet. The air grew increasingly humid, and as he rounded a sharp bend, the distinct, rhythmic sound of flowing water reached his ears. Simultaneously, a subtle, almost imperceptible fragrance of medicinal herbs drifted toward him on the damp draft.

"Hmm? The scent of an Azure Lotus?" Reyn's expression shifted to one of profound doubt. He had spent several days in the Hundred Herb Valley, and while he hadn't learned the art of alchemy, he had assisted the outer sect disciples in processing various spirit herbs. He had memorized the characteristics of several rare species, and the Azure Lotus was one of them.

"No, wait. The Azure Lotus has a sweet, lingering aroma. This scent is similar, but it carries a hint of tartness and astringency. It must be some common wild weed." Reyn shook his head with a self-deprecating smile. The Azure Lotus was a precious commodity used in over a dozen rare medicinal formulas; it wasn't something one simply stumbled upon in a random cave. Yet, curiosity gnawed at him. He craned his neck, trying to peer through the Stygian darkness, but saw nothing.

Driven by a burgeoning interest, he quickened his pace toward the source of the rushing water. The sound grew louder—*splash, ripple, splash*—and the medicinal fragrance intensified. It wasn't just the faux-Azure Lotus anymore; the air was now thick with the scents of Iron-Vine, Golden Sunflower Grass, and even high-grade Fleeceflower Root. A single deep breath sent a jolt of vitality through his entire body, making his spirit feel invigorated. Reyn's footsteps became frantic.

When he finally reached the end of the tunnel, he found himself facing a solid stone wall. However, the sound of clear, rushing water was unmistakably coming from directly behind it. He rapped his knuckles against the rock, producing a hollow thump-thump sound.

"Good. This wall isn't thick," he noted, feeling a surge of relief. He retrieved the spirit sword from his storage bag once more, infused it with his True Essence, and drove it into the stone. Like a hot knife through butter, he carved out an opening large enough for a man to pass through. As the final block of stone fell inward, a brilliant, sudden light erupted from the hole. Reyn shielded his eyes, squinting against the glare.

Before he could even poke his head inside, a concentrated wave of medicinal aroma billowed out from the breach.

"Cough! Cough!" The sheer potency of the scent hit his lungs, making his face flush a deep crimson as he doubled over in a fit of violent coughing. The intensity was staggering—as if hundreds of different spirit herbs had been sealed in a vault for centuries, their essences fermenting and concentrating into a physical force. Despite the coughing fit and his reddened face, Reyn's dark eyes were alight with ecstatic joy.

The overwhelming aroma had confirmed his wildest suspicions: there were dozens, perhaps hundreds, of spirit herbs growing within that cavern, and their age was undoubtedly significant. Even amidst the chaotic blend of scents, he had detected a sharp, pungent undertone that was impossible to ignore.

"Heart-Severing Grass!" Reyn's lips curled into a triumphant grin. That specific, lethal sting was the hallmark of a toxic herb that could kill a man with a single breath. The pungency he smelled far exceeded the hundred-year specimens he had seen in the Hundred Herb Valley, suggesting these were ancient. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. After a moment, Reyn suppressed his excitement.

Once the initial cloud of fragrance had dissipated slightly, he covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve and stepped into the chamber. The walls were encrusted with a strange, pale crystal that emitted a soft, ambient glow. As his eyes adjusted, his jaw dropped in sheer disbelief. The cavern was massive, spanning hundreds of feet. From a crack in the ceiling, a steady stream of water cascaded down, depositing silt over countless years to form a twenty-foot-wide delta.

Upon this fertile alluvial fan, a riot of spirit herbs grew in wild, untended profusion. The water meandered through the greenery before pooling into a small, dark pond that likely connected to a deep subterranean river. Reyn scanned the cavern, then tightly shut his eyes, taking several deep breaths to stabilize his racing heart and suppress the urge to scream in triumph. A two-hundred-year-old Fleeceflower Root! A three-hundred-year-old Golden Sunflower! A four-hundred-year-old Honeysuckle!

Three-hundred-year-old Iron-Vine! The sight of these precious herbs growing like common weeds made him feel as though he were trapped in a fever dream. It took a long time for his pulse to slow. Eventually, a frown creased his brow as doubt crept in.

"How can so many spirit herbs thrive in the belly of a mountain? Without a cultivator's care, they should have withered long ago." Medicinal gardening was a delicate art, yet this place was clearly untouched by human hands. He looked toward the glowing crystals on the walls, his expression shifting. He closed his eyes and began to circulate the Myriad Wood Life-Transformation Art. A moment later, his eyes snapped open, wide with shock.

"A Spirit Vein!" The concentration of spiritual energy in this cavern was far higher than the outside world—even richer than the specialized gardens tended by Dan Chenzi. There was only one explanation: a small branch of a Spirit Vein was hidden directly beneath this cave. It had to be tiny, perhaps only a few meters long, or the sect's elders would have sensed it long ago.

The glowing crystals were the result of ordinary rock being saturated with high-density spiritual Qi over centuries; in another thousand years, they might even turn into true Spirit Stones. But where did the seeds come from? They couldn't have appeared out of thin air. Reyn walked to the edge of the stream, his gaze sharp as he searched the clear water. Suddenly, he reached in and plucked something out—a small, flat, green seed.

He remembered then that the Xuanxiao Sect relied on a single mountain spring that flowed past his garden. All the medicinal gardens in the sect used that same water source. A slow, wide smile spread across his face.

"Providence! This is my destiny!" He realized that seeds from the sect's various gardens must have occasionally fallen into the water, traveled through the mountain's fissures, and ended up here, nourished by the hidden Spirit Vein. Hours later, Reyn reluctantly left the cavern. Though the area was remote, he took no chances. He replaced the stone block and camouflaged the entrance with brush and debris until it was indistinguishable from the surrounding cliffside.

"I thought this was a wasteland, yet fate has played a magnificent trick. Who could have imagined such a massive opportunity hidden in a derelict garden? Duan Zhonghua intended to ruin me, but he has unwittingly handed me a fortune!" Reyn laughed toward the sky. If Duan Zhonghua knew the truth, he would likely cough up blood and die of pure rage. As his excitement cooled, Reyn pondered his next move.

"The location is remote, but I need a warning system. I should set up some basic formations at the valley entrance." Dan Chenzi had been generous with basic instructional jade slips, and the Basic Array Formations Manual was among them. With a plan in mind, Reyn hurried back to his stone hut, pressed the jade slip to his forehead, and began the arduous task of comprehension.