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

The moment the stone door closed behind them, all sounds from the outside world were cut off.

Chen Yu stood still, letting his eyes adjust to the sudden darkness. A few seconds later, he turned on his flashlight, the beam piercing the darkness and illuminating the stone steps ahead. The steps descended, each one wide, paved with smooth bluestone slabs, flanked by rough rock walls, where faint traces of human carving could be seen.

"The air here..." Su Zhiqing took a deep breath, "is very fresh, without that musty smell of a confined space."

Chen Yu noticed it too. Not only was there fresh air, but also... spiritual energy! Spiritual energy several times more concentrated than outside! He breathed it in greedily, each breath activating the spiritual energy in his meridians.

"This must be a blessed land created by ancient cultivators," Chen Yu said. "It has an independent spiritual energy circulation system."

The two descended the stone steps. After about five minutes, a bend appeared ahead. Rounding the bend, the view suddenly opened up—

This is a huge underground space, about ten zhang high and several hundred meters in circumference. Dozens of fist-sized luminous pearls are embedded in the top, emitting a soft blue-white light, illuminating the entire space as if it were daytime.

At the center of the space stood a magnificent stone palace, its eaves and brackets reflecting the architectural style of the Qin and Han dynasties. A man-made river flowed around the palace, its waters as still as a mirror, reflecting the brilliance of the luminous pearl. Three stone bridges spanned the river, their railings adorned with exquisite cloud patterns and auspicious beasts.

Further away, you can see clusters of buildings—pavilions, terraces, medicinal gardens, and alchemy rooms—resembling a miniature celestial palace.

Su Zhiqing stared blankly at the scene before her, speechless for a long time. Chen Yu was also shocked and speechless. Although he had seen small worlds before, those were just spaces generated by the system, far less real, ancient, and historically profound than the cave heaven before him.

"This is the real paradise..." Chen Yu murmured.

The two crossed the stone bridge and arrived at the stone hall. The hall's entrance consisted of two enormous bronze doors, adorned with exquisite bas-reliefs—surrounded by the four symbols of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, with a large flame symbol in the center.

Chen Yu reached out and pushed the door, but the bronze door remained unmoved. He increased the pressure, channeling his spiritual energy, but the door remained firmly shut.

"We need a key," Su Zhiqing said. "The Four Symbols Ritual Object."

Chen Yu nodded and took out the Azure Dragon Cauldron and the Vermilion Bird Bronze Lamp from his backpack. He placed the Azure Dragon Cauldron in a recess on the left side of the door—the size and shape of the recess perfectly matched the cauldron's body. He then placed the Vermilion Bird Bronze Lamp in the recess on the right side.

The moment the two ritual vessels were placed inside, the four celestial symbols on the bronze door lit up simultaneously! The patterns of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise flashed in turn, and finally, the central flame symbol suddenly blazed brightly—

"Boom!"

The bronze door slowly opened.

Behind the gate was the main hall of the stone palace. The interior space appeared larger than the exterior, with a high platform in the center, upon which sat a jade throne. The throne was empty, but the wall behind it was covered with densely packed characters.

Chen Yu approached for a closer look; it was an ancient seal script, similar to the characters on the silk scroll but even more archaic. He struggled to decipher it:

"I am Huo Lingzi, a Taoist priest from the Qin Dynasty, ordered to guard this grotto-heaven. Emperor Qin Shi Huang, seeking immortality, sent Xu Fu eastward and ordered us to forge the Four Symbols magical artifacts to gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and open the grotto-heaven's gate. However, Xu Fu never returned, Emperor Qin Shi Huang died, and the world descended into chaos. We then sealed the grotto-heaven, leaving it for someone destined to find it..."

A Qin Dynasty alchemist! Huo Lingzi! This grotto-heaven was actually left over from the time of Qin Shi Huang!

Chen Yu continued reading:

"The Four Symbols Magical Artifacts: Azure Dragon represents wood, White Tiger represents metal, Vermilion Bird represents fire, and Black Tortoise represents water. When all four are gathered, the core of the grotto-heaven can be opened, granting access to our lifelong cultivation methods, as well as... the First Emperor's legacy."

The First Emperor's legacy! Su Zhiqing gasped.

The text concludes: "However, the core of the grotto-heaven is perilous, and only those with great cultivation can enter. I have set up nine trials; for each trial passed, one can gain the power of an elephant. Only by passing all nine trials can one see the core. Future generations, be very careful."

Nine trials!

Chen Yu looked behind the throne, where there was indeed a door with nine horizontal bars carved on it, like nine layers of seals.

"Are you going?" Su Zhiqing asked.

Chen Yu pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Now that we're here, we can't give up halfway. But you can't go."

Why?

"It's too dangerous." Chen Yu looked at her. "Although you can endure hardship, you have no cultivation. The first of the nine trials could be fatal."

Su Zhiqing wanted to argue, but she knew he was telling the truth. She bit her lip: "Then you're all alone..."

"I have a fake human, elixirs, and cultivation," Chen Yu said. "You wait outside. If I don't come out in three days, leave here and go back to Hong Kong to find Elder Gu."

"Three days?"

"Yes. If I haven't come out in three days, it means something has happened." Chen Yu took out the flaming copper coin from his pocket and handed it to Su Zhiqing. "Here, take this. If I don't come back, give it to Elder Gu, and he will understand."

Su Zhiqing clutched the copper coin, her eyes slightly red, but she didn't say anything more. She nodded: "You... be careful."

Chen Yu turned around and walked towards the door.

The moment he pushed open the door, a rich spiritual energy rushed towards him—more than ten times richer than outside! He took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Behind the door was a long corridor, with an ever-burning lamp every ten steps on either side, its flickering light illuminating the path ahead. After walking about a hundred meters, the first obstacle appeared—a stone chamber. The chamber was empty, except for a line of words carved on the wall:

"The first test is the trial of wood. Use the power of the Azure Dragon to break the wood formation."

As soon as he finished speaking, the floor of the stone chamber suddenly cracked open, and countless vines surged out from underground, frantically wrapping around Chen Yu!

Chen Yu retreated swiftly, simultaneously retrieving the Azure Dragon Cauldron. Sensing the wood element's energy, the cauldron trembled slightly, and a surge of azure light erupted from it, enveloping him. The vines that touched the azure light withered instantly.

But more vines surged forth, almost filling the entire stone chamber. Chen Yu held the cauldron in both hands, pouring all his spiritual power into it. The azure light grew stronger and stronger, forcing the vines back a zhang away.

This won't do—the vines are endless, but his spiritual power is limited. He must find the core of the formation!

Chen Yu unleashed his full spiritual sense, searching through the dense vines. Finally, in a corner of the stone chamber, he discovered a unique vine—its roots gleamed with a faint golden light.

Under the azure light, Chen Yu struggled to move towards that corner. Each step consumed a great deal of spiritual energy, and the vines lashed wildly at the azure light barrier, causing his blood and qi to surge.

Ten steps, nine steps, eight steps...

Finally arrived! Chen Yu reached out and grabbed the vine at the base of the golden root, then pulled hard—

"boom!"

All the vines withered instantly, turning to ashes. The stone chamber fell silent.

A new line of text appeared on the wall: "First level passed, power of the Azure Dragon obtained."

A beam of azure light shot out from the wall and entered Chen Yu's body. He felt a warm energy flowing through his meridians, merging with his own spiritual power. In his spiritual perception, his affinity for wood-elemental spiritual energy had significantly increased.

"Is this the power of the Azure Dragon?" Chen Yu murmured.

He rested briefly, took a Qi-nourishing pill, and continued on his way.

The second trial was the test of fire. The entire stone chamber was engulfed in flames, the fire scorching him. Chen Yu used the Vermilion Bird Bronze Lamp for protection, located the core of the fire, and extinguished it.

The third trial was the test of metal. Countless golden blades shot in from all directions. He used the power of the White Tiger (although he did not have the White Tiger Cong, he used the power he had gained in the previous two trials) to condense a shield and find the source of the golden blades.

The fourth test: the test of water movement. Amidst the raging flood, he used the power of the Black Tortoise (again without the Black Tortoise Armor) to stabilize himself, submerged to the bottom of the water, and shut off the water's eye.

The fifth trial is the test of the fusion of the five elements. The five forces of wood, fire, metal, water, and earth attack simultaneously, intertwining with each other. Relying on the power gained from the first four trials, Chen Yu struggles to cope, finally finding a balance point and breaking through the trial.

Level 6, Level 7, Level 8...

Each level was more difficult and more exhausting than the last. Chen Yu had long since run out of Qi-nourishing pills and was relying entirely on his willpower to stay afloat. His clothes were soaked with sweat, his hair was disheveled, and his face was pale, but his eyes remained resolute.

By the time he passed the eighth level, he was almost completely exhausted. But then, one last line of text appeared on the wall:

"The ninth test: the test of inner demons. Break through this test to see the core."

The stone door opened, revealing an ordinary, empty stone chamber. The moment Chen Yu stepped inside, the scene before him suddenly changed—

He returned to the courtyard house!

Madam Jia threw a tantrum in the courtyard, pointing her finger at him and yelling, "What right do you, an outsider, have to live here?"

Xu Damao sneered, "Chen Yu, you can't beat me."

He Yuzhu looked disappointed: "Xiao Chen, you've really disappointed me."

Qin Huairu ran away crying, "You lied to me! You don't like me at all!"

Everything was collapsing, and everyone was blaming him. A wave of immense guilt and pain washed over Chen Yu—

But the next second, he came to his senses.

"Inner demons." He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "It's all an illusion."

When I opened my eyes again, the illusion had vanished. The stone chamber was still the stone chamber, completely empty.

A line of text appeared on the wall: "Level 9 passed. Congratulations, you have passed all the trials."

A new stone door opened before him. Chen Yu stepped inside, and before him lay a huge circular hall.

In the center of the hall, a fist-sized bead floated, completely transparent with iridescent light flowing within. Below the bead were four stone platforms, each holding—

Azure Dragon Cauldron, White Tiger Cong, Vermilion Bird Lamp Mirror, Black Tortoise Armor!

All the four ritual vessels are here!

Chen Yu was stunned. It turned out that the Four Symbols Ritual Objects had been collected long ago and had been enshrined in the core of this cave.

He approached the bead and probed it with his spiritual sense. Instantly, countless pieces of information flooded his mind—the cultivation insights of Huo Lingzi throughout his life, the alchemy secrets of the Qin Dynasty alchemists, the methods of controlling blessed lands and grotto-heavens, and... the recipe for a golden pill.

"The Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, once consumed, can lead to successful Foundation Establishment and entry into the Innate Realm."

Chen Yu's heart raced. Foundation Establishment! That was a realm beyond the Qi Refining stage. Only upon successfully establishing the Foundation could one truly step into the gates of cultivation!

He memorized the formula for the golden elixir and then looked at the Four Symbols Ritual Vessel.

Now, all four symbols have gathered.

And he finally stood at the core of this grotto.

The secret of a thousand years is about to be revealed.