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

February 27th, as dawn broke. Chen Yu sat cross-legged on the carpet in his Peninsula Hotel room, finishing his morning cultivation. Having consumed three Qi-Nourishing Pills within three days, and with the combined effect of the Spirit Gathering Array in his small world, his spiritual power had noticeably increased, bringing him just one step away from reaching the fifth level of Qi Refining.

"System, check-in for today."

[Ding! Japanese visa successfully obtained]

[Received: HKD 120, Basic Ship Driving Skill Experience Pack (Small), 1964 Hong Kong Naval Map, Underwater Breathing Talisman (Low Level) x2, Copper Coin Magic Item (Damaged) x1]

The ship handling skills were immediately put to use, and knowledge of steering wheel operation, tide judgment, and basic navigation was added to the mind. The Hong Kong waters map was detailed, even recording the reefs and ocean currents of the outlying islands. The underwater breathing talisman was light blue and allowed one to breathe normally underwater for half an hour after use. The most special item was the copper coin ritual object—round on the outside and square on the inside, about three centimeters in diameter, with the four characters "Jiaqing Tongbao" on the front and Manchu script on the back. The edge was slightly worn, but the coin faintly emitted spiritual energy fluctuations.

"A damaged magical artifact... but it still retains a faint spiritual energy; we can try to repair it." Chen Yu put the copper coin into his pocket. The sign-in rewards seemed to be increasingly meeting his current needs.

"Master, the investigation has yielded preliminary results," the voice of Pseudo-Man No. 7 echoed in his mind.

"explain."

"First, Su Man's family background: Her ancestral home is Chaoshan. Her grandfather, Su Wenli, was a famous antique dealer in Guangzhou during the Republic of China period. In 1949, he moved to Hong Kong with his family property. The family did indeed have a large collection of ancient books, including one called 'Lingnan Yiwenlu' which mentions 'Xuanzhenzi' and 'Seven Star Key'. Su Man took this book out of the family library three years ago and has kept it ever since."

"Second, Xuanmiao Temple on Changzhou Island: It was first built during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty. The current abbot is Jingxuan, the senior brother of Taoist Jingxu. Jingxu came from Xuantian Temple in Keelung, Taiwan three months ago, ostensibly for exchange and learning, but he is actually very active. Our people have observed that he often goes out to sea alone by boat, seemingly to survey the sea area."

"Third, visitors from Taiwan: A group of people will indeed arrive in Hong Kong on March 5th. The leader is named Wang Shizhong, whose ostensible identity is a director of the Taiwan 'Chinese Industrial Development Association,' but his actual background is complex and he has connections with Taiwan's intelligence system. They have booked suites at the Kowloon Hotel, and their itinerary includes visits to factories and technology research and development institutions in Hong Kong."

There was a lot of information. Chen Yu fell into deep thought. Su Man did indeed possess some information, but she might not reveal it all. What was the Taoist priest Jingxu looking for when he frequently went to sea? Could the Xuanzhen Cave be at sea? As for Wang Shizhong from Taiwan... it was probably more than just a business trip.

"Continue to monitor, especially when Jingxu goes out to sea, and try to observe him from a distance."

"Yes."

At nine o'clock in the morning, Chen Yu arrived at the Causeway Bay laboratory. Sir Zhou's order had entered the mass production stage, and the workers were preparing the first batch of fifty gallons of explosion-proof coating raw materials.

"Director Chen!" Zhang Min greeted him, her face showing fatigue but her eyes shining with excitement. "Scale-up production is going smoothly, and the process parameters are stable. This is the test report for the first batch of products."

Chen Yu took the report and quickly glanced at it. All indicators met or even exceeded the sample level, with the impact resistance being 5% higher than expected. This must be the effect of the magic liquid—although diluted hundreds of times, it still improved the microstructure of the material.

"Very good. Produce another 100 gallons today, and start painting test panels tomorrow."

"Understood!" Zhang Min hesitated for a moment, "Director Chen, there's something... This morning, President Lin called and said that Sir Zhou wants to add a request."

"What are your requirements?"

"We hope the coating will have some 'electromagnetic shielding' capabilities. Sir Zhou didn't specify the exact purpose, but he requested that it attenuate radio waves by 30%."

Electromagnetic shielding? Chen Yu frowned. Explosion-proof coating plus electromagnetic shielding—this was clearly for military or special purposes. Could Sir Zhou's shipment be for the British forces stationed in Hong Kong or their intelligence agencies?

Is it technically feasible?

"We could try adding conductive materials, such as graphite powder or metal powder, to the filler. But that would affect the coating's flexibility and adhesion..." Zhang Min pushed up her glasses. "Moreover, conductive materials are prone to oxidation, so long-term stability is a problem."

Materials science knowledge flashed through Chen Yu's mind. In 1964, electromagnetic shielding materials were still in their infancy, commonly using metal mesh or conductive paint. However, metal powder was indeed prone to oxidation, and graphite powder's conductivity was not good enough...

"Have you tried carbon fiber?" He suddenly thought of the Kevlar fiber he got from checking in. "Carbon fiber has good electrical conductivity, is corrosion resistant, and can also enhance toughness."

"Carbon fiber? That's an aerospace material; you can't buy it in Hong Kong, and it's very expensive..."

"Use short-cut carbon fiber, with the dosage controlled within 3%," Chen Yu decided. "I'll handle the material issue; you guys do the basic formulation experiments first."

After leaving the lab, Chen Yu found a phone booth and dialed Lin Wanru's number.

"Mr. Lin, I understand Sir Zhou's additional requirements. It's technically feasible, but it requires a special material that Hong Kong currently doesn't have."

"What materials? I can have someone procure them from abroad."

"Short-cut carbon fiber, 3 millimeters in length, with high purity. At least ten kilograms are needed."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone: "I've contacted the supplier in the UK, but it will take at least two weeks."

"That's too long. Sir Zhou's delivery date is the end of the month."

"That..."

"I'll try other channels." Chen Yu hung up the phone.

In fact, he didn't need to source it from abroad at all. The system's in-game store offered carbon fiber materials for 100 points per kilogram. He currently had 350 points, enough to redeem it. But the problem was, how to explain the material's origin?

Back at the hotel, Chen Yu entered his small world. In the medicinal field beside the spiritual spring, the Purple Gold Grass had already sprouted tiny seeds, and several ordinary herbs nearby were also growing vigorously. He gathered some mature herbs, preparing to refine a new batch of pills that evening.

"Fake Man No. 3," he communicated through telepathy, "find a warehouse in Hong Kong, somewhere remote but easily accessible, the kind that can store chemicals. Rent it for three months."

"Yes, Master. There are a few old warehouses by the sea in Sai Wan. I'll take care of it right away."

At 2 p.m., Chen Yu appeared at the ferry pier in Central. He bought a ferry ticket to Cheung Chau Island, preparing to personally investigate the Xuanmiao Temple.

The ferry slowly pulled away from the pier, Victoria Harbour receding into the distance. A salty sea breeze swept over him. Chen Yu stood by the gunwale, his spiritual eye slightly activated, observing the underwater world. The shallow waters were murky, but schools of fish could be seen swimming. Deeper still, the outlines of sunken ships were faintly visible—Hong Kong's waters had been a shipping route since ancient times, and countless vessels lay dormant on the seabed.

An hour later, Cheung Chau Island came into view. It is a long and narrow island, wide at both ends and narrow in the middle, shaped like a dumbbell. The houses on the island are built against the mountain, and at the highest point is a white lighthouse. Near the pier is a bustling market, where fishermen are setting up stalls to sell the seafood they caught that morning.

After disembarking, Chen Yu didn't head straight to Xuanmiao Temple, but instead strolled around the market. He bought a bag of dried squid and chatted with the stall owner while eating it.

"Uncle, I heard there's a very efficacious Taoist temple on the island?"

"You mean Xuanmiao Temple?" The old man selling seafood was very talkative. "It's halfway up the mountain on the east side of the island, a twenty-minute walk uphill. Master Jingxuan is a highly skilled healer and often treats the islanders. But his junior brother, Master Jingxu..."

"So what?"

The old man lowered his voice: "He's always acting strangely, often going out to sea in the middle of the night, nobody knows what he's doing. Some people have seen him fiddling with a compass on the shore, muttering to himself. There's a rumor on the island that he's looking for underwater treasure!"

A treasure from the seabed? Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat. Could the Xuanzhen Cave be underwater? Or perhaps its entrance is on some island?

After thanking the old man, he walked along the stone path towards the east of the island. The mountain path wound its way through the dense bushes and banyan trees on both sides. After walking for about fifteen minutes, a Taoist temple with green tiles and white walls came into view. Above the temple gate hung a plaque that read "Xuanmiao Temple," the paint of which was already somewhat faded.

The temple was quiet, save for the gentle tinkling of wind chimes rustling in the eaves. The main hall housed statues of the Three Pure Ones, with incense burning in the censer. A young Taoist priest, about ten years old, was sweeping the floor. Seeing Chen Yu enter, he bowed with one hand and asked, "Have you come to offer incense or draw lots, benefactor?"

"Just browsing. Is Master Jingxu here?"

"My martial uncle is meditating in the backyard. Is there something you need, benefactor?"

"I would like to ask some questions about feng shui."

"Please wait a moment, I'll go and inform them."

After the young Taoist priest left, Chen Yu observed the layout of the Taoist temple. Under his spiritual eye technique, he could see that the entire temple was built on a weak spiritual vein node. Although the spiritual energy was thin, it was still stronger than in ordinary places. The statues in the main hall seemed to have been nurtured by incense offerings for many years and had also acquired a faint spiritual quality.

A few minutes later, Taoist Jingxu came from the backyard. He was wearing a gray Taoist robe today, and his grayish-white eyes looked particularly eerie in the dimly lit hall.

"Benefactor Chen, I didn't expect you to come to Cheung Chau Island." Jingxu's voice was calm.

"I was somewhat interested in the suggestion the Taoist priest made that night, so I came to take a look."

Please come with me.

The two arrived at the tea room in the side hall. The young Taoist priest served them tea and then left, leaving only the two of them in the room.

"How much does Benefactor Chen know about the Xuanzhen Cave?" Jingxu asked bluntly.

"Not many, I've only heard that it's the cave dwelling of a senior cultivator from Lingnan."

"Senior Xuanzhenzi was a highly accomplished Taoist master from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It is said that he had reached the Golden Core realm and passed away at the age of three hundred." Jingxu took a sip of tea. "The cave he left behind contains cultivation manuals, elixirs, magical artifacts, and a Spirit Eye Spring—a treasure land that gathers the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which is of great benefit to cultivation."

Chen Yu remained calm: "Master, are you telling me all this because you want to cooperate?"

"Indeed. The Seven Star Keys are scattered in various places, and it would be difficult for one person to collect them all. I already have information on two keys, Su Man has one, and Benefactor Chen has four. Let the three of us work together to collect all seven keys and explore the cave."

"Two?" Chen Yu raised an eyebrow. "Does the Taoist priest know the whereabouts of the other two keys?"

"One is in the possession of a casino owner in Macau, who collects it as an ordinary antique. The other..." Jingxu paused, "is underwater."

"seabed?"

"To be precise, it's in a shipwreck in the southeastern waters of Hong Kong. The ship was a British merchant ship from the late Qing Dynasty, carrying a large number of Chinese antiques, including a Seven-Star Key." Jingxu took out a yellowed nautical chart from his sleeve. "This is the location of the shipwreck that I found in an ancient book I brought from Taiwan, but the exact coordinates still need further surveying."

Chen Yu looked at the nautical chart; the marked location was roughly in the waters between Hong Kong and Macau. If Jingxu's statement was true, then cooperation was indeed necessary—undersea salvage could not be accomplished by one person alone.

"What does the Taoist priest need me to do?"

"Three things," Jingxu said, holding up three fingers. "First, share the information about the four keys you possess, especially their connection to the location of the cave. Second, assist me in conducting underwater surveys to pinpoint the exact location of the shipwreck. Third, once the cave is opened, the cultivation resources inside will be divided equally among the three of us."

"Does Suman agree?"

"She has agreed in principle, but she requires to see my sincerity first." Jingxu's normal eye stared at Chen Yu. "Benefactor Chen, the path of cultivation is fraught with peril. It's always better to have one more friend than one more enemy. Besides, even if you find the cave on your own, you might not be able to break the restrictions."

That makes sense. Chen Yu pondered for a moment: "I can cooperate, but there are a few conditions."

"Speaking."

"First, all actions must involve all three parties; no party may act alone. Second, if any cultivation scriptures are found within the cave, copies must be shared. Third, before all seven keys are collected, we must not scheme against each other."

"That's reasonable." Jingxu nodded. "This humble Daoist can make a Daoist oath."

"A vow?"

"If you swear an oath with a heart devoted to the Dao, and break it, your cultivation will be difficult to advance, and inner demons will arise." Jingxu said solemnly, "This is the most solemn oath among cultivators."

Chen Yu thought for a moment and said, "Okay. But we need to talk as a trilateral meeting and make a joint oath."

"Alright. Three days from now, still at the Treasure Boat, how about it?"

"Can."

It was already four o'clock in the afternoon when Chen Yu left Xuanmiao Temple. Instead of returning immediately, he continued his exploration on the island. He walked to the eastern end of the island, where jagged reefs stood and waves crashed against the shore. With his spiritual eye fully activated, he carefully observed the fluctuations of spiritual energy beneath the surface of the sea.

Sure enough, about 300 meters offshore, there was a faint anomaly in the sea. The spiritual energy appeared and disappeared intermittently, as if it were being obscured by something.

"There's something on the seabed..." Chen Yu noted the location. Whether it was a shipwreck or not, it was worth investigating.

By the time they returned to Hong Kong Island, it was already dark. Chen Yu went directly to Sai Wan, where "Pseudo-Man No. 3" had rented an old warehouse. The warehouse was about 200 square meters in size, with a corrugated iron roof and a cement floor; although simple, it was clean.

"Master, here are the keys and the rental agreement." Pseudo-Man No. 3 handed over the documents. "Monthly rent is three hundred Hong Kong dollars, two months' deposit and one month's rent in advance."

"very good."

Chen Yu entered the warehouse and closed the door. He exchanged ten kilograms of chopped carbon fiber from the system shop, along with some other chemical raw materials. He categorized and put these materials away, then set up a simple "laboratory" in a corner—which was actually just a few tables and some utensils.

At 8 p.m., Lin Wanru called the hotel.

"Mr. Chen, there's progress on the carbon fiber issue. The British supplier says they can ship in as little as ten days, and the price is fifty pounds per kilogram."

"It's too expensive. I found another way, and I can get the samples tomorrow."

"So fast? What channel did you use?"

"There are some issues with relations with mainland China that I can't go into detail about," Chen Yu said vaguely. "Don't worry, Mr. Lin, there won't be any problems with the quality."

"...Alright. Sir Zhou is pressing you hard, so hurry up."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yu returned to the warehouse. He began experimenting with carbon fiber-reinforced electromagnetic shielding coatings. According to materials science, carbon fibers need to be uniformly dispersed in a resin matrix to form an effective conductive network. He tried three dispersion methods: mechanical stirring, ultrasonic dispersion, and... spiritual energy oscillation.

The first two methods were only moderately effective, as the fibers tended to clump together. The third method, however, was surprisingly good—he infused the mixture with spiritual energy, causing it to vibrate at a specific frequency. The carbon fibers, as if alive, automatically and evenly dispersed, forming a perfect three-dimensional network.

"Spiritual power can be used like this..." Chen Yu mused. This might be a new direction, combining cultivation techniques with modern materials science.

The experiment continued late into the night, and a preliminary formula was determined: 2.5% carbon fiber content, combined with a small amount of metal oxide filler, achieved an electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of 35%, exceeding Mr. Zhou's requirements. Simultaneously, the mechanical properties of the coating were also improved.

It was midnight when Chen Yu left the warehouse. Instead of returning to the hotel, he found a secluded spot by the sea, took a Qi-Nourishing Pill, and began cultivating.

The spiritual energy by the sea is richer than in the city, especially at midnight, when the ebb and flow of the tides seem to cause fluctuations in the energy of heaven and earth. Chen Yu circulated the "Tai Xuan True Scripture," and the spiritual power within his body rose and fell like the tides, growing stronger with each cycle.

Two hours later, he suddenly felt a certain barrier in his body being broken through—his spiritual power surged instantly, his meridians expanded, and his five senses became more acute.

Breakthrough to the fifth level of Qi Refining

[The range of spiritual awareness has been expanded to fifty zhang.]

Total spiritual energy increased by 40%

[Unlock basic spell: Water Walk (Beginner)]

Water Movement Technique! Chen Yu was overjoyed. This spell would allow him to move freely in the water, even walking on water for a short period. For the upcoming underwater exploration, it was a godsend.

When he returned to the hotel, the sky was already beginning to lighten. Chen Yu felt no fatigue, but rather full of energy. He stood on the balcony, gazing at Victoria Harbour through the morning mist, pondering his next plan.

He was to have formal negotiations with Su Man and Jing Xu in three days. Before that, he needed to improve his strength and prepare his trump cards.

There's also the carbon fiber issue; the samples need to be sent to the lab tomorrow.

And... a sunken ship at the bottom of the sea. If, as Jingxu said, there is indeed a Seven Star Key there, then it must be salvaged as soon as possible.

However, salvage requires boats, diving equipment, and professional personnel... none of which can be done by one person alone.

It seems that cooperation is indeed a necessary choice.

However, one must be extremely careful when dealing with a tiger.

Chen Yu took out the Jiaqing Tongbao copper coin magic artifact from his pocket and infused it with spiritual power. The coin vibrated slightly, and a pale yellow halo appeared on its surface. Although damaged, it still had a protective effect.

"Not enough," he whispered.

More preparation and more cards to play are needed.

We must make the most of these three days.

As dawn breaks, the city of Hong Kong is awakening.

But Chen Yu's journey has only just begun.