Courtyard Check-in: Starting with a Small World of Cultivation

August 12th, 2 PM.

Deep within the underground palace, it is as silent as an ancient tomb that has stood for a thousand years.

Chen Yu sat cross-legged before the Azure Dragon Cauldron, his spiritual sense probing the runes on its body for a full three hours. The five-layered nested formation was more complex than he had anticipated—each layer of runes was interconnected, and a change in one layer would affect the entire formation. There were seven points of damage, the most serious crack penetrating three layers of the formation, causing the entire formation to stagnate.

"Fortunately, the core is intact." Chen Yu opened his eyes and rubbed his temples. The continuous high-intensity use of his spiritual sense had greatly depleted his mental energy. He took out a Qi-nourishing pill from his pocket and swallowed it. The warm medicinal power dissolved and nourished his tired meridians.

In a corner of the stone chamber, Abbot Zhou lit an oil lamp, its dim light casting a yellow glow on the ancient rock wall. The old monk sat cross-legged on a futon, his hands twirling prayer beads, chanting sutras softly, as if praying for the ancient cauldron that had slept for a thousand years.

Footsteps came from the stone steps. Su Zhiqing and Zhao Dezhu had returned.

"Mr. Chen, everything is ready." Su Zhiqing carried a cloth bag containing a file, a carving knife, a small hammer, a magnifying glass, and several pieces of cinnabar and realgar bought from a pharmacy in the county town—these were suggested by Abbot Zhou, who said that these materials were commonly used by the ancients to repair bronze artifacts.

Zhao Dezhu carried a burlap sack: "This is incense ash collected from the village's incense burner. Abbot Zhou said it contains obsidian powder."

Chen Yu took the sack and probed it with his spiritual sense. The incense ash did indeed contain trace amounts of obsidian. Although its purity was not as high as the ones brought from Hong Kong, the quantity was greater, enough for repairs.

"Abbot Zhou, when did this incense ash start accumulating?"

"It's been like this since I can remember," Abbot Zhou said. "The temple has been burning incense for six hundred years without interruption. Each stick of incense contains a little obsidian powder, which is said to be a tradition of worshipping the Fire God. Over six hundred years, the obsidian content in the incense ash should be quite high."

Six hundred years! Chen Yu was secretly shocked. No wonder the Azure Dragon Cauldron in this underground palace could maintain a slight activity; it turned out it had been nourished by the power of incense offerings all along.

He began preparing for the repairs. First, he poured the incense ash into a copper basin, added water and stirred. After it settled, he filtered out the fine powder containing obsidian—this was the most primitive but effective purification method. Su Zhiqing helped out, while Zhao Dezhu was responsible for changing the water back and forth.

After repeating the process three times, a small amount of dark red powder was finally obtained, with a purity higher than expected.

"That's enough." Chen Yu put the powder into a small porcelain dish and took out the bottle of obsidian powder he brought from Hong Kong for later use.

The next step is the most crucial one—using spiritual energy as a needle to outline the runes.

Chen Yu took a deep breath, took out a silver needle, dipped it in powder, and slowly approached the Azure Dragon Cauldron. He fully extended his spiritual sense, and the runic structure inside the cauldron clearly appeared in his mind: the first layer, the basic spirit-gathering array, was damaged in two places; the second layer, the five elements transformation array, was damaged in one place; the third layer, the Azure Dragon Fire Control Array, was damaged in three places; the fourth layer, the Four Symbols Linking Array, was intact; the fifth layer, the Earth Vein Cauldron Stabilizing Array, was damaged in one place, which was the crack that ran through the three layers.

He began with the shallowest layer. A silver needle grazed the surface of the cauldron, the powder blending into the bronze and extending along the existing patterns. Chen Yu was completely focused, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead, but his wrist remained as steady as a rock.

An hour later, the first layer was repaired.

Two hours later, the second layer was repaired.

Three hours later, two parts of the third floor had been repaired, leaving only the last and most complicated part.

"Take a rest." Su Zhiqing handed over a bowl of water and a piece of dry food. "You haven't moved for five hours."

Chen Yu took the pill and ate it heartily. He'd expended too much energy and needed to replenish it. He had three Qi-Nourishing Pills left; he had to use them sparingly.

After finishing his meal, he closed his eyes and meditated for half an hour before starting again.

The fourth layer is intact and requires no repair. The fifth layer, with its penetrating crack, is the most troublesome—it not only breaks the runes but also damages the bronze body of the cauldron. It requires first filling the crack with a paste made of cinnabar and realgar, and then outlining the runes on top.

Chen Yu prepared the ointment and carefully filled it into the crack with a small spatula. The crack was very deep, and it took three attempts to fill it completely. He waited until the ointment was half-dry before he began to draw the runes.

This sketching took a full six hours.

As the last stroke was completed, the Azure Dragon Cauldron suddenly trembled slightly!

The dark green rust on the surface of the cauldron crumbled away, revealing the dark red bronze beneath. Immediately afterward, a warm aura emanated from the cauldron, instantly filling the entire stone chamber.

Chen Yu sensed that the spiritual energy inside the cauldron began to circulate—from the first layer to the fifth layer, progressing layer by layer, in an endless cycle!

"It's done!" He breathed a sigh of relief, almost collapsing from exhaustion.

Su Zhiqing supported him: "You succeeded?"

"It's a success." Chen Yu looked at the Azure Dragon Cauldron, his eyes filled with relief. "After six hundred years, it has finally awakened."

Abbot Zhou stepped forward, gazed at the Azure Dragon Cauldron, and clasped his hands together: "Amitabha. This old monk has guarded this place for sixty years, and finally this day has come."

He turned to Chen Yu: "Benefactor, the connection between the cauldron and the earth's veins has now been severed, so you can take it with you."

Chen Yu nodded and carefully picked up the Azure Dragon Cauldron. The cauldron was lighter than he had expected, and felt warm and smooth to the touch, as if it were pulsating with life.

"Abbot Zhou, your kindness and virtue are unforgettable."

"No need to thank me, old monk," Abbot Zhou smiled. "This is fate. You bear a heavy responsibility, and I hope you will make good use of this cauldron."

When everyone left the underground palace and returned to the temple, it was already the morning of August 14th.

Chen Yu slept in the temple all day, only waking up in the evening. When he woke up, Su Zhiqing was sitting by the bed, holding the silk scroll from the rolled-up iron tube in her hand.

"Mr. Chen, look at this." She pointed to a line of small characters on the silk scroll. "I didn't notice before, but there's hidden content here."

Chen Yu leaned closer to take a look. On the edge of the silk scroll, there was a line of extremely small characters, as if written with a special potion. They were invisible under normal circumstances and only became visible in sunlight.

"When the four elements gather at the crater of Daying Mountain at noon, the gate to the grotto can be opened by using the Vermilion Bird Lamp as a guide. But be careful: the grotto is fraught with danger and unpredictable, and only those with great fortune can enter."

Dayingshan Crater!

Chen Yu looked out the window. In the distance, the outline of Daying Mountain was faintly visible in the twilight, and a depression could be vaguely seen on the mountaintop—that was the crater.

"Do you want to go?" Su Zhiqing asked.

"Yes." Chen Yu replied without hesitation, "We've come this far, we can't give up halfway."

"Then I'll go with you."

Chen Yu looked at her. Su Zhiqing's eyes were firm, without the slightest hesitation.

"Okay. But there's one condition."

"What?"

"Once inside the cave, if you encounter danger, you must follow my instructions and retreat immediately."

Su Zhiqing smiled: "Deal."

That evening, the two began preparations. Zhao Dezhu helped purchase ropes, flashlights, dry food, drinking water, and two thick coats—the crater was at a high altitude and it would be very cold at night.

When Abbot Zhou learned of their plan, he remained silent for a long time before taking out a copper coin from his pocket and handing it to Chen Yu.

"This was left behind by my master, who said it was a gift from Benefactor Su. Now that it has been returned to its rightful owner, it can be considered that a karmic debt has been settled."

Chen Yu took it, and there was a flame symbol engraved on the copper coin—exactly the same as the one the major from Factory 903 had given him!

He looked at Abbot Zhou, the old monk smiled slightly, and turned to leave.

August 15th, 4:00 AM.

Before dawn, Chen Yu and Su Zhiqing set off. Zhao Dezhu drove them to the foot of the mountain and then waited in the car.

Eagle Mountain isn't high, but the path is steep. The two, using flashlights, climbed along the narrow path trodden by herb gatherers. Chen Yu, with his superior stamina, led the way; Su Zhiqing, though frail, possessed astonishing endurance and followed closely behind.

An hour later, the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

Two hours later, the sun rose, bathing the mountains and forests in a golden glow.

Three hours later, they finally arrived at the crater.

The crater is about 200 meters in diameter, bowl-shaped, with weeds and shrubs growing at the bottom, and a huge black rock in the middle, resembling a crouching beast.

Chen Yu probed with his spiritual sense and sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy beneath the rock—it shared the same origin as the Azure Dragon Cauldron and the Vermilion Bird Bronze Lamp, but was even more ancient and profound.

"That should be it," he said, pointing to the black rocks.

The two carefully descended along the inner wall of the crater, reaching the bottom half an hour later. The black rock was about three meters high, with a smooth surface and no gaps. However, Chen Yu's spiritual sense could "see" that the rock was hollow inside, with a stone door.

He took out the Vermilion Bird Bronze Lamp and infused it with spiritual power. The lamp glowed red, illuminating the rock. A miracle occurred—faint patterns appeared on the rock's surface, forming the outline of a door!

Chen Yu reached out and pushed, and the stone door slowly opened.

Behind the door was a stone staircase leading downwards, its bottom invisible, glowing with a faint blue light in the darkness.

The two exchanged a glance and stepped inside simultaneously.

The stone door slowly closed behind them, isolating them from the outside world.

The gate to the grotto has finally opened.

What awaited them was a mysterious place that had never been set foot in for thousands of years.