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

At five o'clock in the morning on the second day of the Lunar New Year, the sky was still a thick, inky blue. Chen Yu stood at the entrance of Guangxiao Temple, his breath condensing into a fine mist in the cold air. He carried a worn military green canvas bag on his back, containing pills, dry rations, a water bottle, and essential tools. A spiritual energy storage device hung at his waist, and the protective jade pendant close to his body gave off a warm, smooth feel.

"System, check-in for today." The more critical the moment, the more you need to accumulate knowledge and experience.

[Ding! Japanese visa successfully obtained]

[Received: 5 compressed biscuits (compatible), 1 military compass, a small basic wilderness survival skills experience pack, and 10 yuan in cash]

The wilderness survival skills came at just the right time. After using them, he gained knowledge of navigation, finding water sources, building shelter, and treating snake and insect bites. Chen Yu checked his equipment, and after confirming that everything was in order, he headed towards Liwan.

At exactly six o'clock, in front of the Victory Hotel in Shamian, a dark green Jiefang brand truck was parked on the side of the road, white smoke billowing from its rear. Five people were loading the truck—they were members of the Dragon Seeking Society. Chen Yu sat down at a breakfast stall on the opposite street corner, ordered a bowl of congee, and observed the scene through the steam rising from the hot porridge.

The leader was an elderly man in his fifties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a dark gray Zhongshan suit, and a military overcoat—the very "elderly man with a Shanghai accent" that Huijue had described. He directed two young men to move boxes labeled "Geological Exploration Instruments."

The two young men were of different heights. The taller one was about 1.8 meters tall, with a strong build and nimble movements. His arm muscles bulged when he moved the boxes, indicating that he had trained. The shorter one was lean and wiry, with alert eyes that constantly scanned his surroundings.

The other two were rather unusual. One was a woman in her forties, wearing blue overalls, her hair tied up in a bun at the back of her head, holding a notebook as if she were taking notes; the last one was a man in his early thirties, wearing a leather jacket and a camera around his neck, looking like a reporter.

"A geological team?" Chen Yu sneered inwardly. Their disguise was quite convincing, but the details gave them away—when the tall man carried the boxes, a sliver of black leather inadvertently peeked out from his waist; it was the shape of a gun holster. How could an ordinary geological team be armed?

At 6:15, the truck started. Chen Yu quickly finished his porridge, paid, and rode off on the bicycle he had rented beforehand. He possessed a special ability that enhanced his vision, allowing him to track targets 300 meters away undetected.

After leaving the city, the truck headed west along the Guangzhao Highway. Chen Yu kept his distance, mentally planning the route. It was about 100 kilometers from Guangzhou to Zhaoqing. The road conditions were poor back then, and the truck traveled at about 30 kilometers per hour, taking more than three hours.

The road was sparsely populated, mostly with trucks carrying goods and the occasional passenger bus. Chen Yu rode for an hour before stopping to rest at a tea stall in Nanhai County. He bought two sticky rice chickens and ate them while having the fake No. 7 report on the situation.

"Master, we've found some information. The elderly man with glasses is named Gu Wenyuan, from Shanghai, and claims to be a researcher at the East China Geological Institute, but there's no such person at the institute. The tall man is named Zhao Gang, a retired soldier; his file shows he served five years in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. The short man is named Sun Xiaoliu, a local from Guangzhou, and has a prior conviction for theft."

"What about the women and the photographers?"

"The woman's name is Li Xiuzhen, an accountant at the Guangzhou Textile Factory. She has taken half a month of sick leave. The photographer's name is Zhou Ming, a correspondent for the Yangcheng Evening News. He is here on 'accompanying the team for the interview'."

"These are all just cover identities," Chen Yu pondered. "Continue investigating; I need to find out their real backers."

After a 20-minute rest, Chen Yu continued on his way. The further west they went, the more undulating the terrain became, with hilly landforms appearing. Around nine o'clock, the truck entered Gaoyao County, and the distinctive peaks and forests of karst landforms could already be seen in the distance—the Seven Star Crags were approaching.

Seven Star Crags in Zhaoqing is a cluster of seven limestone peaks arranged like the Big Dipper, surrounded by Star Lake, and is known as the "Number One Wonder of Lingnan". Chen Yu had visited it during his travels in his previous life, but in 1964, Seven Star Crags was still in its original state and did not have many tourist facilities.

The truck stopped at the entrance to the scenic area. There was only a simple wooden archway at the entrance, with a sign that read "Seven Star Crags Scenic Area." An old man was dozing in a small hut next to it. Gu Wenyuan got out of the truck, handed the old man a cigarette, and took out a few documents. The two exchanged a few words, the old man waved his hand, and the truck drove in.

Chen Yu hid his bicycle in the roadside woods and circled around into the scenic area from the side. The area was almost deserted, with only a few local children playing by the lake. He found a high spot to conceal himself and observe the Dragon Seeking Association's movements.

The truck stopped at the foot of Tianzhu Rock—the highest peak in Qixingyan, shaped like a jade pillar reaching to the sky. Gu Wenyuan directed the group to unload the cargo. Besides the "exploration equipment," several long wooden crates were also unloaded. Zhao Gang and Sun Xiaoliu opened the crates; inside were tools such as shovels, pickaxes, ropes, and miners' lamps.

"They really aren't here for geological exploration," Chen Yu thought to himself. He used a miniature camera to take continuous photos, recording this evidence.

Li Xiuzhen took out her notebook and map and discussed something with Gu Wenyuan. Zhou Ming was taking pictures around with his camera, but Chen Yu noticed that his angle of taking pictures was very strange - he didn't take pictures of the scenery, but only of the texture and cracks of the mountain rocks.

The discussion lasted about half an hour. Gu Wenyuan moved his finger across the map, eventually pointing to a location between Tianzhu Rock and Shishi Rock. The group, carrying their tools, headed in that direction.

Chen Yu quietly followed, maintaining a distance of fifty meters, using rocks and trees for cover. He activated his Spiritual Eye Technique, clearly seeing the movement of the five people ahead and hearing their hushed conversation.

"...Mr. Gu, are you sure this is the place?" Zhao Gang asked.

"The Records of Jiulong Mountain and Water states, 'Seven stars accompany the moon, and the jade toad hides in the abyss.' The seven stars refer to Seven Star Rock, the moon to the moonstone, and the jade toad..." Gu Wenyuan pointed to a depression in front of him, "Look at the shape of that cave, doesn't it look like a toad with its mouth open?"

Chen Yu looked in the direction he pointed, and sure enough, there was a natural cave at the bottom of Tianzhu Rock. The entrance was wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, and the rock texture formed a pattern similar to a toad's mouth.

"But what does 'Cangyuan' mean?" Li Xiuzhen asked.

"Abyss means deep water. There is a body of water nearby..." Gu Wenyuan looked around. "Star Lake is right next to us, but it's too shallow. I suspect that the real 'abyss' is underground—there might be an underground river or a deep pool deep in the cave."

Everyone nodded. Zhou Ming had already set up his tripod and was using a telephoto lens to photograph the details of the cave. Zhao Gang and Sun Xiaoliu began clearing away the weeds and vines at the cave entrance.

Chen Yu observed from the shadows, quickly analyzing in his mind: "Seven Stars Accompanying the Moon" was indeed a clue, but would Master Xuanzhen so simply place his cave in such an obvious location? Moreover, "Jade Toad Hiding in the Abyss" sounded like a feng shui term, not something a cultivator would do...

Just then, a cry of surprise suddenly came from inside the cave!

"There's something here!" It was Sun Xiaoliu's voice.

Chen Yu immediately focused his attention. He saw Sun Xiaoliu scrambling out of the cave, his face deathly pale. Zhao Gang drew his pistol and aimed it at the cave entrance.

"What happened?" Gu Wenyuan asked in a deep voice.

"There are snakes in the cave! So many!" Sun Xiaoliu gasped for breath. "They're not ordinary snakes; their heads are triangular, and they're brightly colored..."

Venomous snakes? Chen Yu frowned. Limestone caves were indeed suitable for snakes to inhabit, but the temperature was low in January, and snakes should be hibernating.

Gu Wenyuan thought for a moment, then took out a small cloth bag from his bag and poured out some yellow powder: "Realgar powder, sprinkle it at the entrance of the cave. Zhao Gang, shine your headlamp on it before going in."

Zhao Gang took the miner's lamp and went back into the cave. This time he was much more careful, first using a shovel to probe the way. A few minutes later, his voice came from inside the cave: "It's safe! The snakes have been driven away by the realgar, but... Old Gu, you'd better come in and take a look."

Gu Wenyuan, Li Xiuzhen, and Zhou Ming entered the cave one by one. Chen Yu waited for a while, and only after confirming that no one was on guard outside the cave did he approach silently.

The cave entrance was about the height of a person, and it was pitch black inside. Chen Yu took out a headlamp from his canvas bag—he had prepared it the night before at Guangxiao Temple. The light came on, revealing the scene inside the cave.

This is a typical karst cave, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling and stalagmites on the ground. But to Chen Yu's surprise, there were traces of human excavation on the cave walls—although they were very old, the chisel marks were still visible.

Twenty meters ahead, the members of the Dragon Seekers' Guild were gathered together. Chen Yu turned off his miner's lamp and used his Spirit Eye Technique for night vision, approaching silently.

Gu Wenyuan was squatting on the ground, shining a flashlight on the cave wall. There were some patterns carved there, already blurred and indistinct, but they could be vaguely made out to be star charts.

"This is... the Big Dipper?" Li Xiuzhen asked, trying to identify it.

"Not only that." Gu Wenyuan moved his finger, "Look here, there are four more small stars... These are the Auxiliary Star and the Assistant Star. The nine stars of the Big Dipper, this is a Taoist star chart!"

Zhou Ming quickly took photos. Zhao Gang kept watch over the surroundings, while Sun Xiaoliu checked other areas inside the cave.

Chen Yu was shocked. The nine stars of the Big Dipper are indeed recorded in Taoism, but ordinary people wouldn't know about them. This Gu Wenyuan really does know something about them.

"Old Gu, there are words here!" Sun Xiaoliu shouted from the other side.

The crowd gathered around. Several lines of ancient characters, in seal script, were carved on the cave wall. Chen Yu looked at them from afar, his spiritual eye allowing him to clearly see the characters: "Seven stars arrayed, nine luminaries shining together. The moon hidden in the clouds, the gates of the Moon Palace open."

"What does this mean?" Zhao Gang asked, puzzled.

"It's a riddle, but also a guide." Gu Wenyuan adjusted his glasses. "The Seven Stars Formation is easy to understand; it's the layout of the Seven Star Rocks. The Nine Luminaries... refers to the nine major stars, but here it might refer to nine specific locations. The Moon Hidden in the Clouds—when the moon is obscured by clouds... the Moon Palace is the Moon Palace, the door opens..."

He fell into deep thought. Li Xiuzhen suddenly said, "Old Gu, could it be related to time? Does the moon being obscured by clouds indicate a specific weather condition or time of day?"

"That makes sense!" Gu Wenyuan's eyes lit up. "Check the lunar calendar! Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year, the moon phase..."

"Today is the second day after the new moon, and the moon should be a thin crescent, appearing in the western sky at dusk," Zhou Ming said.

"But 'the moon hidden in the clouds' isn't a lunar phase, it's weather," Gu Wenyuan shook his head. "You have to wait for a cloudy or overcast day, when the moon is obscured by clouds..."

Chen Yu listened from the shadows, already having an answer in his mind. These riddles were tests set by Master Xuanzhen, but the true entrance to the cave was probably not here. He quietly retreated and began searching other parts of the cave.

Using his spiritual eye technique to scan the cave walls, he could see traces of energy flow invisible to ordinary people. Soon, he discovered something unusual behind an inconspicuous stalagmite—there were faint fluctuations of spiritual energy within the stone wall there.

He gently tapped the stone wall; the dull sound indicated it was solid. But the spiritual energy fluctuations detected by his spiritual eye technique were unmistakable...

Chen Yu thought for a moment, then took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and poured out a few drops of liquid—this was a "developing solution" modified with Qingxin San, which could temporarily enhance the effect of the Spirit Eye Technique.

The liquid dripped onto the stone wall and quickly seeped in. Under the Spiritual Eye Technique, faint outlines of runes appeared inside the stone wall!

"A hidden formation!" Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat. This stone wall had been disguised with a formation; there was more to it than met the eye!

But how do we open it? Forcibly breaking it will trigger a counterattack from the formation and alert the Dragon Seeking Society...

As he was pondering this, the sound of a car engine suddenly came from outside the cave. Zhao Gang immediately became alert: "Someone's coming!"

Everyone quickly turned off the lights and hid in the shadows. Chen Yu also concealed himself behind a thick stalagmite.

Footsteps sounded outside the cave; there was more than one person. Then, the beam of a flashlight shone into the cave.

"Is anyone here? We're from the scenic area management office!" came the voice of a middle-aged man, with a heavy Zhaoqing accent.

Gu Wenyuan gestured for everyone to stay still. But the flashlight beam had already illuminated the tools they had left behind.

"Who's in there? Come out!" The voice became stern.

Gu Wenyuan sighed and turned on his miner's lamp: "Comrade, don't be nervous. We are from the East China Geological Research Institute and we have an exploration permit."

He went out and handed over the documents. The park manager was a man in his forties, followed by two young men, all wearing blue work uniforms.

"Geological exploration? Why weren't we notified in advance?" The administrator took the documents and examined them carefully.

"Time is tight and the task is heavy, so the Spring Festival holiday is a good time to catch up." Gu Wenyuan said with a smile, "We promise not to damage the scenic area environment."

The administrator glanced at the documents, then at the tools in the cave, and frowned. "Exploration is allowed, but some areas are protected and cannot be entered. This cave... there seem to be ancient stone carvings inside?"

"Yes, we have discovered some ancient stone carvings, which are being documented and studied."

"We have to wait for the cultural relics department to come and inspect before we can continue," the administrator insisted. "You all come out first, and we'll report it to our superiors."

Gu Wenyuan's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his smile: "Comrade, we're really pressed for time... How about we conduct our research near the cave entrance, without going deeper in, is that alright?"

As he spoke, he quietly slipped a package to the administrator. The administrator felt it; it was cigarettes, and more than one package...

"Well... you're only allowed in the area near the entrance, not deeper." The administrator's tone softened. "Also, don't carve or draw anything."

"Definitely! Definitely!"

The administrator left with his men. Gu Wenyuan's face darkened. "We can't delay any longer. Zhao Gang, Sun Xiaoliu, you two take turns keeping watch. Li Xiuzhen, Zhou Ming, speed up the recording. We need to find the entrance within two days."

Chen Yu watched from the shadows, knowing his opportunity had arrived—the Dragon Seekers were confined to the cave entrance area, allowing him to explore further.

While the five people focused their attention on the cave entrance, Chen Yu silently moved deeper into the cave. This cave was deeper than expected. After walking about fifty meters, a fork in the road appeared ahead—three entrances: left, middle, and right.

Using his spiritual eye technique, Chen Yu detected faint fluctuations of spiritual energy at all three entrances, with the strongest energy coming from the middle one. He chose to enter through the middle entrance.

The passageway was narrow, requiring one to stoop to move forward. More signs of human intervention began to appear on the cave walls, with some areas bearing charred marks—as if burned by torches.

After walking twenty meters, the cave passage suddenly opened up, revealing a natural stone hall. The hall was about thirty square meters in size, with a stone platform in the center, upon which sat a jade box the size of a palm!

Chen Yu was overjoyed, but immediately became wary. The things left behind by Master Xuanzhen couldn't be obtained so easily.

He first used his spiritual eye technique to carefully scan the stone hall. Sure enough, there were complex array patterns around the stone platform, and runes on the ground, ceiling, and walls. It was a complex array that included three functions: alert, defense, and attack.

"I need to break the formation..." Chen Yu recalled the formation chapter in "The True Explanation of Xuanzhen Refining". This kind of complex formation usually has a core; destroying the core will disable the formation.

Under his spiritual eye technique, the flow of energy within the array was clearly visible. He followed the energy flow and eventually discovered a hidden compartment at the bottom of the stone platform—the location of the array's core.

However, to reach the core of the formation, one must pass through its protective barrier. Chen Yu took out three talismans—these were "formation-breaking talismans" he had drawn in advance, which could temporarily create gaps in the formation.

"Go!" The talisman flew out and stuck to the energy node of the array. A flash of spiritual light appeared, and a gap appeared in the array, just wide enough for an arm to pass through.

Chen Yu quickly reached into the hidden compartment. His fingers touched something cold, which he grabbed and pulled out.

It was a black token, neither gold nor jade, and heavy in the hand. The front of the token was engraved with the Big Dipper pattern, and the back had the character "玄" (Xuan).

With the array's core removed, the array's light within the stone hall quickly dimmed. Only then did Chen Yu walk to the stone platform and carefully open the jade box.

Inside the box were no magical treasures or elixirs as one might expect, only a roll of animal hide. Unfolding the hide revealed a landscape painting drawn with cinnabar, covered with dense symbols and text.

"This is... a detailed map of Seven Star Crags and the surrounding area!" Chen Yu's eyes lit up. The map was marked with seven red dots, which were the seven peaks of Seven Star Crags. But in addition, there were two blue dots, one in Star Lake and the other in the more distant direction of Dinghu Mountain.

The caption beside the picture reads: "Seven stars are the key, twin lakes are the gate. When the moon is full in the sky, the cave will appear."

"Seven stars as the key..." Chen Yu pondered, "Seven things need to be collected? Two lakes as the gate—Star Lake and Cauldron Lake? A full moon in the sky, that's the night of the full moon..."

He suddenly realized that the Dragon Seeking Society had only found superficial clues; the true entrance to the cave would only appear at a specific time and under specific conditions. And it required a "key"...

Just then, gunshots rang out from outside the cave!

"Bang!"

Then came Zhao Gang's roar: "An ambush!"

Chen Yu quickly put away the animal hide map and token, turned off his miner's lamp, and moved silently toward the cave entrance.

The area around the cave entrance was in complete chaos. Flashlight beams darted about, figures jostled, and the sounds of fighting and shouting filled the air.

Chen Yu observed from the shadows. He saw seven or eight strangers at the cave entrance, all dressed in black and wielding clubs and knives, attacking the members of the Dragon Seeking Society. Zhao Gang had already shot and knocked down one, but the other side outnumbered them and seemed to be trained fighters as well.

"Who are you people?" Gu Wenyuan, protected by Li Xiuzhen and Zhou Ming, asked sternly.

One of the men in black sneered, "Gu Wenyuan, do you think only your Dragon Seeking Society is looking for that thing? Hand over the map, and we'll spare your lives!"

Another group! Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat. The secrets of the Xuanzhen Cave were indeed being contested by more than one force.

Zhao Gang fired another shot, but this time the other side dodged it. Suddenly, a tall, thin man among the men in black flung out several flashes of cold light—throwing knives!

"Watch out!" Sun Xiaoliu pushed Zhou Ming away, but was cut on the arm by a flying knife.

The battle reached a stalemate. Suddenly, Gu Wenyuan shouted, "Stop! The map can be shared! But you have to stop fighting first!"

The leader of the men in black raised his hand, and his men stopped their attack: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"But the map isn't on me," Gu Wenyuan said. "The real clues are in the cave; we need to find them together."

"Are you kidding me?"

"I wouldn't dare," Gu Wenyuan said, pointing to the depths of the cave. "There are ancient stone carvings inside, recording crucial information. But only someone knowledgeable in Taoist astrology can decipher them—and I happen to know a little about it."

The man in black hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, let's go in together. But don't try anything funny, or else..."

At that moment, Chen Yu made a decision. He couldn't wait for the two groups to join forces; he had to create chaos and seize the opportunity to escape.

He took out two calming pills, crushed them into powder, and sprinkled them on the stalactites above the cave entrance. Then he picked up a stone and threw it with all his might towards the cave ceiling!

"Bang!" The stone hit the top of the cave, and powder flew everywhere.

"What's that sound?" Both sides became alert.

The powder of Qingxin San has a calming effect, but in this tense environment, inhaling it can actually cause a slight feeling of dizziness. Taking advantage of the situation, Chen Yu used his lightness technique to slip out through a hidden little hole on the side of the cave—the backup exit he had found when he came in.

Angri shouts and the sounds of fighting came from behind, and the two groups started fighting again.

Chen Yu left the cave area without looking back. It was already two o'clock in the afternoon, and the winter sun dappled through the trees.

He found the place where he had hidden the bicycle, got on, and sped off towards the city of Zhaoqing.

The animal hide map was in his bosom, the token was at his waist, and the psionic storage device was still working.

Although we didn't find the cave on this trip to Seven Star Crags, we did obtain crucial clues and tokens.

The bigger gain was that they learned there was another force vying for the Xuanzhen Relics.

The curtain of this world of cultivation is slowly being drawn back before him.

As the outline of Zhaoqing city came into view, Chen Yu glanced back at the direction of Seven Star Crags.

The mountains are silent, shrouded in mist.

The real contest has only just begun.