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

On the night of March 5th, the sea off Macau was shrouded in heavy humidity. The "Far East" ferry cut through the waves, leaving a phosphorescent white trail in its wake. Chen Yu and the Taoist priest Jingxu stood side by side in the shadows of the foredeck, away from the other passengers. The sea breeze, carrying a salty tang, whipped at their clothes, making them flutter loudly.

"System, second sign-in for today," Chen Yu silently announced to himself. Today's situation was special, and he used the "emergency situation second sign-in" permission allowed by the system—limited to once per month.

[Ding! Second check-in successful (consuming this month's privilege)]

[Received: Basic Ancient Astronomy Knowledge (Small), Detailed Topographic Map of Northern Guangdong Mountain Area in 1964, Recipe for Fasting Elixir ×1, Jade Amulet for Protection (Intermediate) ×1, Spiritual Ink 50 ml]

Ancient astronomical knowledge flooded his mind: the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Twelve Zodiac Signs, ancient calendar conversions... exactly what he needed to decipher the cave's coordinates! The topographic map was a military-grade precision survey, marking every mountain path, stream, and altitude in Lianshan County. The recipe for the fasting elixir recorded a method for refining a food substitute using common medicinal herbs. The protective jade talisman was round, made of bluish-white jade, and carved with a Tai Chi pattern; its protective power was three times that of copper coin talismans. The spiritual ink emitted a faint sandalwood fragrance, a superior material for drawing talismans.

"Master, do you still remember the coordinates?" Chen Yu asked in a low voice.

The Taoist priest Jingxu closed his eyes and recalled, tracing his fingers in the air: "The Horn constellation is three degrees, the Neck constellation is seven-tenths, the Chariot constellation... no, it's the Wing constellation at its first degree..." Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. "The situation was urgent at the time, and there was also interference from the green light, so I only remembered the general outline."

Chen Yu handed over paper and pen: "Write down everything you remember, and we'll work together to deduce it."

The two entered the cabin and found a quiet corner. Jingxu wrote down seven sets of ancient astronomical terms from memory, each set corresponding to a constellation and degree. However, three sets were obviously contradictory, and two sets were vague.

"Ancient astronomical positioning requires four complete elements: constellations, degrees, solar terms, and times." Jingxu frowned. "We only have constellations and degrees now, but we are still missing the most crucial elements: solar terms and times."

Chen Yu looked at the terminology, his newly acquired knowledge of ancient astronomy racing through his mind: "Master, in the ancient calendar, the degrees of constellations often correspond to solar terms. For example, 'three degrees of the Horn constellation' corresponds to 'three days after Rain Water' in the Star Classic. We can deduce it in reverse."

"That makes sense!" Jingxu's eyes lit up. "But we need to consult ancient texts..."

Chen Yu had already taken out paper and pen from the system space and began to calculate rapidly. His knowledge of ancient astronomy, combined with his advanced mathematics foundation from his previous life, allowed him to perform complex coordinate conversions. With his spiritual eye slightly activated, he could even see the energy trajectories of those terms in the air—when the seven keys resonated, the coordinates were presented in the form of spiritual energy, and spiritual energy itself had predictable patterns.

Twenty minutes later, Chen Yu drew an intersection on the paper: "The approximate location is determined. Southern part of Lianshan County, northern Guangdong, deep in the Dawu Mountain. The specific location..." He looked at the topographic map, "Here, at an altitude of about 800 meters, there is a place marked 'Eagle Cliff,' next to a waterfall."

Jingxu consulted the map, his finger moving along the contour lines: "The Great Fog Mountain... is indeed a place where the spiritual veins of Lingnan converge. It makes perfect sense that Senior Xuanzhenzi chose to cultivate here."

"But a general area isn't enough," Chen Yu said. "We need to be precise down to within a hundred meters. The entrance is obscured by an illusion array; even a slight difference could mean missing it."

"Then we'll need to go to the actual location and use the Seven Keys to sense things." Jingxu looked at Chen Yu. "When do we set off?"

Chen Yu didn't answer immediately. He looked out the porthole; the lights of Hong Kong were already appearing on the horizon, like a string of scattered pearls. Exploring the cave was no small matter and required thorough preparation. Moreover, back in Hong Kong, Boss Li, having lost the keys, would certainly not let it go easily.

"Let's go back to Hong Kong first and prepare for a week. I need to refine some elixirs and talismans, and you also need to recover your strength," Chen Yu said. "In addition, we need to finish up Sir Zhou's order and stabilize the foundation here."

Jingxu nodded: "Very well. I have suffered considerable losses these past few days and need to go into seclusion to recuperate."

It was already nine o'clock in the evening when the ferry docked. Su Man's car was already waiting at the pier. She was wearing a beige trench coat today, and leaning against the car door, she quickly went to greet the two as they disembarked.

"Did you succeed?" Her eyes were filled with anticipation.

Chen Yu nodded and patted his briefcase.

Su Man breathed a sigh of relief: "Let's talk in the car."

The car drove towards Causeway Bay. Inside, Chen Yu briefly recounted the events of their trip to Macau, omitting the details of Ho Hung-cheung's demand for a share of the profits—that matter required further consideration.

"Master Huang is Boss Li's man..." Su Man's expression turned grave. "Then he must already know that we took the key. Boss Li is a vengeful man, and he will definitely retaliate fiercely next."

"Fake Man No. 7," Chen Yu communicated via telepathy, "What's going on with Boss Li's side?"

"Master, Boss Li went to the Kowloon Hotel at 7 PM tonight for a two-hour private meeting with Wang Shizhong from Taiwan. Wang Shizhong looked very unhappy when he left. Also, Zheng Yurong was waiting outside the hotel, but he couldn't get in."

"Continue monitoring."

"Yes."

Su Man pondered for a moment and said, "Wang Shizhong's trip to Hong Kong and Macau is ostensibly for business, but news from Taiwan says he came with a mission—to find 'special resources,' which likely refers to things related to cultivation. Boss Li's cooperation with him is probably not just for commercial gain."

Taoist Jingxu suddenly spoke up: "There is a force called the 'Heavenly Way Alliance' in Taiwan. It is a Taoist organization that migrated from the mainland to Taiwan during the Republic of China era. It specializes in collecting cultivation resources for the use of the upper echelons. Wang Shizhong is very likely one of their peripheral members."

Heavenly Alliance... Chen Yu memorized the name. It seemed the cultivation world was more complex than he had imagined.

It was nearly midnight when Chen Yu returned to the Peninsula Hotel. Upon entering his room, the first thing he did was set up a soundproof barrier, then retrieved the Seven Keys.

Seven keys were laid out on the bed, arranged according to the Big Dipper: Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, Tian Quan, Yu Heng, Kai Yang, and Yao Guang. The silvery-white Yao Guang key was in the center, generating a faint energy flow with the other six keys, its brightness alternating rhythmically like breathing.

Chen Yu sat cross-legged, his hands hovering over the seven keys, slowly channeling spiritual energy into them. He wanted to try to establish a deeper connection with the keys and explore more information about the cave.

The moment the spiritual energy touched the key, the scene before my eyes changed drastically!

No longer a simple mirage of mountains and rivers, but an immersive experience as if one were actually there: he "stood" in a valley, surrounded by towering ancient trees and chirping birds. Directly in front of him was a waterfall thirty feet high, its roar echoing, the mist refracting rainbows in the sunlight. Behind the waterfall, a cave entrance was faintly visible, obscured by a pale blue light curtain—that was the illusion array.

The view zooms in, penetrating the light curtain. The interior structure of the cave is revealed: a front hall, an alchemy room, a scripture pavilion, a cultivation chamber, a medicinal herb garden... and a seated stone statue, likely an incarnation or remains left by Xuanzhenzi.

In the deepest, most secret chamber, there were three stone platforms. On the central platform lay a jade scroll, on the left a pill furnace, and on the right a scepter embedded in stone. The jade scroll, the furnace, and the sword all emanated intense spiritual energy, far surpassing any magical artifact Chen Yu had ever seen!

"Inheritance, elixirs, magical treasures..." Chen Yu was thrilled. This was indeed a complete cultivation inheritance!

But just as he tried to see the details clearly, the scene suddenly blurred. A warning thought entered his mind: "Seven keys resonate, opening the cave. Those who force their way in will suffer a backlash from the restrictions."

The scene faded, and Chen Yu returned to reality, his forehead covered in sweat. The exploration he had just conducted had consumed nearly 30% of his spiritual energy, but the gains were enormous—he had at least learned the layout of the cave and the location of important items.

He swallowed a Qi-Nourishing Pill to regulate his breathing, while pondering: the cave has three layers of restrictions. Su Man mentioned the outer illusion array, the middle killing array, and the inner core restriction. What he had just seen was only the entrance behind the illusion array; to truly enter the core area, he must break all the restrictions.

"More preparation is needed..." Chen Yu took out the Bigu Pill formula to study. The ingredients required for the formula are all common herbs: Polygonatum, yam, Poria, wolfberry... but the refining method is special. It requires using spiritual power to control the fire so that the medicinal properties can be completely integrated to form a pill that can provide energy and nutrition.

"Tomorrow I'll go to the pharmacy to buy medicinal herbs and refine a batch of fasting pills. We don't know how many days the cave exploration will take, so we need to solve the food problem."

He then looked at the protective jade talisman. The defensive power of a mid-grade magic artifact was sufficient to withstand a full-force attack from a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator, but it required a blood oath to become its master. Chen Yu bit his fingertip, and a drop of blood fell onto the jade talisman. The talisman absorbed the blood, emitting a warm white light, automatically levitating and settling against his chest. Then, the light subsided, as if it had merged into his body.

"It can be automatically activated at crucial moments..." Chen Yu nodded in satisfaction.

It was late at night, but he couldn't sleep. Standing by the window, looking at the Hong Kong night view, his thoughts drifted northwards.

Qin Huairu should have received the remittance by now. The baby is due in less than two months... He must complete the cave exploration and acquire sufficient resources before the baby's birth. Then, he can return to Beijing, settle his family, and plan for future developments.

But he can't abandon his business in Hong Kong. Sir Zhou's order is due at the end of the month; it's his foundation in Hong Kong. Zhang Min's team is in the lab, so there shouldn't be any problems. As for Lin Wanru... he needs to talk to her; he might have to go on a business trip next week.

Just then, the voice of Pseudo-Man No. 7 came through his mind: "Master, emergency. Boss Li and Wang Shizhong just went to Zheng Yurong's residence, and the three of them are having a secret talk. Our people managed to get close and overheard fragments of their conversation."

"explain."

"They are planning two things: First, Boss Li will use business means to suppress Sir Zhou's orders, possibly starting with the supply of raw materials; second, Wang Shizhong has contacted Taiwan, and it is said that the 'Heavenly Alliance' will send experts to Hong Kong, with the target being the Seven Keys and the Cave Mansion."

"Expert? What level?"

"The specifics are unclear, but Wang Shizhong said it was 'at least the late stage of Qi Refining'."

Late stage of Qi Refining! Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat. He was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and his chances of winning against a late stage Qi Refining cultivator were slim.

"Do you know when you're coming?"

"Within a week. Wang Shizhong said he would first go to Hong Kong, and then to northern Guangdong."

One week...which coincided with the time he planned to go to the cave!

Chen Yu's eyes turned cold. It seemed he had to speed things up and enter the cave before the Taiwanese experts arrived to obtain the inheritance. Once he acquired Xuanzhenzi's legacy, he would have the opportunity to rapidly increase his strength.

"Continue monitoring. Also, check with the Hong Kong suppliers of medicinal herbs; I need to purchase a batch tomorrow."

"Yes."

After ending the communication, Chen Yu re-entered the small world. Time was of the essence; he had to make the most of every moment.

In the medicinal field beside the spiritual spring, the Purple Gold Grass had matured, producing more than twenty seeds. Chen Yu carefully harvested them, leaving half to continue propagating. Purple Gold Grass was the main ingredient for refining Qi-Nourishing Pills, and the more the better.

He took out the spiritual ink and began drawing talismans. With better materials, the quality of the talismans could be improved significantly. He focused intently on drawing: a protective talisman, a water escape talisman, a fireball talisman (for attack), a lightness talisman (to increase movement speed)...

By the time he finished the tenth drawing, he had used up most of the spiritual ink and felt mentally exhausted. But looking at the rows of colorful talismans in front of him, he felt much more at ease.

"These should be enough." He sorted and put away the talismans, then took out a spiritual pearl and held it in his palm to absorb its water elemental energy. The spiritual energy in the pearl was gentle and pure, quickly replenishing his energy.

When he exited the small world, dawn was breaking. Chen Yu felt no fatigue, but rather was full of energy—this was the advantage of a cultivator.

At 8 a.m., he first went to the Causeway Bay laboratory. Zhang Min's team was working overtime to produce Zhou Jueshi's order, and the progress had reached 70%.

"Director Chen!" Zhang Min greeted him, her eyes bloodshot but her spirits high. "The third batch of samples all passed the inspection! Sir Zhou is very satisfied and said that there will be no problem with delivery by the end of the month."

"Very good." Chen Yu nodded. "I may be going out on business for the next week, so you'll be in full charge of the lab. Contact General Manager Lin if you have any questions."

"Going out? How long?"

"About a week. If all goes well, I'll be back before the end of the month."

Although Zhang Min was curious, she wisely refrained from asking further questions: "Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on things."

Leaving the lab, Chen Yu went to Lin Wanru's office. She was working on some documents; seeing Chen Yu enter, she put down her pen and asked, "I heard the trip to Macau was a success?"

"Yes, we secured the order from He Hongchang, but it also caused some trouble." Chen Yu sat down and briefly explained the possibility of retaliation from Boss Li, omitting the part about cultivation.

Lin Wanru frowned: "Boss Li is a despicable man, and he might indeed try to cut off the raw material supply. However, Sir Zhou's order has already been 80% completed, and I have backup suppliers for the remaining 20%, so he can't stop us."

"That's good. Also... I need to go to the mainland next week to take care of some personal matters."

"Mainland China?" Lin Wanru asked in surprise, "At this time?"

"It's urgent, I have to go," Chen Yu said sincerely. "But I'll definitely be back before the end of the month, it won't affect order delivery."

Lin Wanru stared at him for a few seconds, then finally nodded: "I believe you. Go ahead, I'll take care of things here."

"Thanks."

After leaving Lin Wanru's place, Chen Yu went to several pharmacies to purchase the medicinal materials needed to refine the Bigu Pill, as well as some other commonly used herbs. Upon returning to the hotel, he immediately started refining the pill.

The bronze alchemy furnace was placed beside the spiritual spring in the small world, and the earth fire talisman was lit. The medicinal materials were added in sequence: sliced ​​Solomon's Seal, powdered yam, pieces of Poria cocos, wolfberries... and three drops of spiritual spring water as a "guide ingredient".

Refining pills requires patience. Chen Yu controlled the heat and used his spiritual eye technique to observe the changes in the medicinal materials. Two hours later, the furnace was filled with the fragrance of herbs, and thirty pale yellow pills had formed.

[Successfully crafted: Fasting Pill (Common)]

[Efficacy: One pill can keep you from feeling hungry for three days, replenishing fluids and essential nutrients]

[Quality: Ordinary (First-time refinement, 60% of medicinal efficacy retained)]

Thirty pills are enough for him and Jingxu to use for half a month.

For the next three days, Chen Yu handled miscellaneous matters in Hong Kong during the day and cultivated, drew talismans, and refined pills in the small world at night. His cultivation level steadily improved, and his talisman reserves reached fifty. In addition to the Bigu Pill, he also refined twenty Qi Nourishing Pills and ten Hemostatic and Muscle-Regenerating Powders.

Taoist Jingxu was also in seclusion recovering. When the two met on the fourth day, he looked much better.

"Benefactor Chen, I have recovered to 80%. I am ready to depart at any time."

"First thing tomorrow morning," Chen Yu said. "Tonight will be the final preparation."

The two checked the equipment list: seven keys, talismans, pills, compass, map, compass, rope, knife, water bottle, dry food (as a disguise)... and Chen Yu had specially prepared a miniature camera and recorder—he wanted to record everything inside the cave.

In the evening, Su Man arrived at the hotel. She brought news: "Boss Li has made a move. He met with Sir Zhou's deputy today, trying to use his connections to put pressure on him to postpone the order acceptance. But Sir Zhou ignored him."

"They're desperate." Chen Yu sneered.

"Also, Wang Shizhong went to Shenzhen today, supposedly for an inspection, but I suspect he was paving the way for people from Taiwan."

"Experts from the Heavenly Dao Alliance..."

"You also know about the Heavenly Alliance?" Su Man asked in surprise.

"Master Jingxu mentioned it." Chen Yu looked at her. "Miss Su, do you have any more detailed records about the restrictions on cave dwellings in your family's ancient books? For example, methods to break them?"

Su Man hesitated for a moment: "Yes, there is, but..."

"But what?"

"Master Huang secretly read that book. I suspect he has already told Boss Li and Wang Shizhong its contents."

Chen Yu's eyes narrowed. This meant that the other party might know the weakness of the restriction!

"However, that book was incomplete, missing the three most crucial pages," Su Man added, "so they only knew the general outline."

"Where are those three pages?"

"My grandfather tore it off and hid it somewhere else back then." Su Man took out three yellowed pages from her bag. "I found them this morning in a hidden compartment in the old house."

Chen Yu took the paper, which was written in neat small regular script with a brush, detailing the methods to break the three layers of restrictions on the cave! It included the movement of the illusion array, the trigger points of the killing array, the order of opening the core restrictions... and even a warning left by Xuanzhenzi: "Those with evil intentions will die if they enter."

"This is..." Daoist Jingxu also came over to look, his expression changing. "This is the master plan of the cave's mechanisms! With this, our success rate can increase by fifty percent!"

Su Man looked at the two of them: "Is my sincerity enough? I want 30% of what's in the cave."

Chen Yu and Jing Xu exchanged a glance and nodded: "Okay."

It was late at night, and everything was ready.

Chen Yu stood by the window, taking one last look at the Hong Kong night view.

Tomorrow, I will embark on the true path of spiritual practice.

Mysterious Cave, a place of inherited opportunities.

There are also enemies lurking in the shadows, watching with predatory eyes.

But he was fearless.

He had to take this path.

Outside the window, the crescent moon hangs like a hook.

Chen Yu's eyes were brighter than moonlight and sharper than a sword.