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

Inside the cave, water columns swelled like dragons, and rocks collapsed and the ground cracked.

The dragon turtle's lantern-sized golden eyes reflected the disheveled figures of Chen Yu and his companions. After Chen Yu narrowly avoided the first tentative jet of water with a water escape technique, this Foundation Establishment stage spirit beast clearly became serious. It let out a low roar, and the seepage water from the cave walls, the accumulated water on the ground, and even the moisture in the air began to gather towards its mouth!

"It's gathering a large-scale spell!" Daoist Jingxu's face turned deathly pale. "A Foundation Establishment stage 'Tide Summoning Spell,' once it's fully formed, will flood the entire cavern!"

"Stop it!" Chen Yu gritted his teeth and spat out another mouthful of blood essence onto the Demon-Slaying Sword—this was the third blood sacrifice of the day, and he was already feeling dizzy, but he had no other choice at the moment.

The Demon-Slaying Sword surged with black light, and the blood-red runes on its blade seemed to come alive as they wriggled. Chen Yu poured all of his remaining thirty percent of spiritual power into it, unleashing a life-or-death sword technique recorded in the "Mysterious True Daoist Canon"—"Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique"!

This move emphasizes the instantaneous burst of power after accumulating strength to its maximum. He gripped the sword with both hands, the tip pointing to the ground. His spiritual energy surged into the sword like a vortex, causing the Demon-Slaying Sword to hum under the strain. Fine cracks even appeared on the surface of the sword—forcibly activating a Foundation Establishment stage sword technique with Qi Refining stage cultivation was too much for the sword itself to bear!

"cut!"

With a single shout, the sword light, like black lightning, slashed towards the dragon turtle!

He didn't strike the turtle's body—those thick shells were difficult even for Foundation Establishment cultivators to break—but rather the water sphere that was condensing in the dragon turtle's mouth! Chen Yu's calculations were spot on; the moment before a spell was fully formed was the most vulnerable!

"boom--!"

The black sword collided with the water sphere, unleashing a blinding light! The water sphere was forcefully cleaved in half, and the out-of-control water elemental energy scattered and exploded, transforming into countless sharp water blades that swept across the cavern!

"Pfft!" Chen Yu was the first to be cut, and more than a dozen deep wounds that exposed the bone were instantly cut into his body! He gritted his teeth and swallowed a Rejuvenating Powder. The medicine quickly stopped the bleeding and promoted tissue regeneration, but the pain almost made him faint.

Jingxu and Suman were in no better shape. Jingxu used the Green Bamboo Sword to create a sword barrier, barely protecting her vitals, but her Taoist robe was torn to shreds and soaked in blood. Suman relied entirely on the spirit of the Flowing Moon Sword to automatically protect its master; the sword's blade shimmered with moonlight, blocking most of the water blades, but she had exhausted too much spiritual energy, and her face was ashen.

The dragon turtle was enraged by this sword strike! It never expected that a mere Qi Refining stage ant would dare to interrupt its spell! A hint of anger flashed in its golden eyes, and the mysterious patterns on its shell glowed with blue light—it was mobilizing a more primal power!

"Oh no!" Daoist Jingxu exclaimed, "It's using its innate supernatural power!"

What is the innate supernatural power of the Dragon Turtle? The Xuanzhen Daozang briefly mentions that the Dragon Turtle is a hybrid of a dragon and a turtle, possessing both the power of a dragon and the defense of a turtle. Its innate supernatural power is mostly related to water control or gravity.

The dragon turtle opened its mouth, but this time it didn't spew out a jet of water. Instead, it spat out a fist-sized, azure droplet of water. The droplet seemed insignificant, but the moment it appeared, the gravity in the entire cave increased several times over!

"Thump!" Su Man was the first to give way, collapsing to one knee, her Flowing Moon Sword nearly slipping from her grasp. The Taoist Jingxu barely managed to support himself with his Green Bamboo Sword, but his knees were also trembling. Chen Yu, thanks to his body-refining foundation (from the Marrow Cleansing Pill and long-term nourishment of spiritual energy), could still stand, but his bones were creaking and his internal organs felt as if they were about to be crushed!

"This is... the Profound Water Heavy Pearl!" Jingxu's voice trembled. "A single drop of water weighs a thousand pounds! This pearl probably weighs ten thousand pounds!"

The dragon turtle controlled the Profound Water Heavy Pearl, slowly flying towards the three. Wherever the pearl passed, the air distorted and the ground sank. If someone were hit by it, let alone a Qi Refining cultivator, even an early Foundation Establishment cultivator would suffer shattered bones and broken tendons!

"Hold on!" Chen Yu roared, "Half an incense stick's time has passed! Just a little longer!"

He looked at the incense burner in the corner of the cave—the incense stick had indeed burned two-thirds of its way through, leaving only the last third! But this last third of time seemed as insurmountable as an insurmountable chasm!

In this life-or-death moment, Chen Yu's mind raced. The contents of the jade slip containing the *Mysterious True Escape Technique* flashed through his mind: the Five Elements Escape Technique, using objects of the five elements to conceal and move... The Mysterious Water Heavy Pearl belongs to water, so water escape techniques are ineffective against it; earth escape requires land, and this is a cave with rocky ground, so it's feasible but slow; metal escape requires metal, and the only surroundings are stalactites...

Wait a minute! The main component of stalactites is calcium carbonate, which is also a mineral of the metal element! And there are so many stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the cave...

A crazy plan took shape in Chen Yu's mind.

"Master! Miss Su!" He lowered his voice, "Listen to me: I'll distract the dragon turtle, and you two take the opportunity to move towards the crack. Remember, stay close to the stone wall and don't get completely enveloped by the gravitational field!"

"What are you going to do?" Su Man asked urgently.

"Let's take a gamble!"

Chen Yu stopped explaining. He took a deep breath and stuck the last Mind-Enlightenment Talisman on his forehead—this was what he got from signing in today, originally intended for enlightenment, but now he used it to improve his reaction speed!

With the Mind-Enlightening Talisman in effect, the world slowed down in his eyes. He could clearly see the flight trajectory of the Mystic Water Pearl, sense the fluctuations in the gravitational field, and even predict the dragon turtle's next move.

It's now!

Chen Yu suddenly moved! Instead of retreating, he charged forward—charging towards the dragon turtle! The Demon-Slaying Sword trailed behind him, its tip drawing sparks as it cut across the ground!

A hint of surprise flashed in the dragon turtle's eyes; it hadn't expected this ant to dare approach so readily. Out of pride befitting a Foundation Establishment stage spirit beast, it didn't immediately kill it, but instead wanted to see what this ant was up to.

That moment of hesitation gave Chen Yu an opportunity!

He rushed to within five zhang of the dragon turtle, then suddenly changed direction! Instead of attacking, he leaped towards the top of the cave!

"Golden Release: Stone Concealment!"

This is an application of the Metal Escape Technique from the "Mysterious Escape Techniques," using metal or stone objects to conceal one's form. Chen Yu seemed to merge into the stalactites, disappearing from sight!

The dragon turtle was stunned; it could no longer sense Chen Yu's presence! The Xuan Shui Heavy Pearl lost its target and hovered in the air.

The next second, Chen Yu emerged from another stalactite, his Demon-Slaying Sword aimed straight at the dragon turtle's eye—one of the few places on its body not protected by its shell!

"Roar!" The dragon turtle roared in fury, slamming its eyes shut, its eyelids as hard as steel blocking the sword tip! At the same time, it lashed out with its tail like a steel whip towards Chen Yu!

Chen Yu had anticipated this and once again disappeared into the stalactite. His dragon tail swept across the area, snapping a stalactite as thick as a water bucket in half!

In this way, Chen Yu used the dense stalactites in the cave to constantly change his position by employing the Golden Escape Technique, sometimes feigning an attack and sometimes hiding, making the dragon turtle run around in circles!

He's stalling for time!

"Hurry!" Seizing the opportunity, Taoist Jingxu pulled Su Man towards the crack. With Chen Yu drawing attention, the dragon turtle's gravitational field was mainly concentrated above, greatly reducing the ground pressure.

The two struggled to move, the ten-zhang distance feeling like an insurmountable chasm. Every step required all their strength, their clothes soaked with sweat, which mingled with blood dripping down.

In the incense burner, only a tiny ember remained of the incense stick!

At the top of the cave, Chen Yu's escape technique was also beginning to wane. The Golden Escape Technique was extremely taxing, and he was already severely injured, so he was now relying entirely on his willpower to stay afloat. When he emerged from the stalactites once more, everything went black, and he almost fell straight down.

The dragon turtle seized the opportunity and shot the Mysterious Water Pearl like lightning!

There's no escaping it!

Chen Yu gritted his teeth, preparing to take the hit head-on—but he knew that this blow was enough to kill him!

At that very moment—

"Buzz!"

In the incense burner, the incense sticks burned out, and the last spark went out.

Time is up.

The Mysterious Water Pearl suddenly stopped three inches away from Chen Yu's chest!

The anger in the dragon turtle's eyes dissipated, replaced by a scrutinizing gaze. It stared at Chen Yu for a long time, then slowly opened its mouth and retrieved the Profound Water Pearl.

"Roar..." The deep roar carried a hint of...appreciation?

The dragon turtle's massive body slowly sank into the spiritual spring pool, with only half of its shell visible. It nodded to Chen Yu, then closed its eyes, as if falling into a deep sleep once more.

The test was passed!

"Pfft!" Chen Yu fell from the air, crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out another mouthful of blood. But a smile appeared on his face—he survived!

Jingxu and Suman rushed over and helped him up.

"Mr. Chen! Are you alright?"

"I...I'm not dead yet," Chen Yu said weakly, swallowing another Rejuvenating Pill. "Let's...let's check on those two old guys first..."

The three of them looked to the other side of the cave.

Miserable.

The burly man in black was already a pile of minced meat, crushed flat by the aftershocks of the Xuan Shui Heavy Pearl, utterly dead. The old man in gray was slightly better off, but he was still barely breathing, with 70% of his bones broken, and he lay on the ground convulsing.

He saw Chen Yu and the other two, his eyes filled with resentment and malice: "You...you...the Heavenly Alliance...will not let this go..."

Before he could finish speaking, his head lolled to the side, and he died.

The Taoist priest Jingxu walked over and carefully examined the old man in the gray robe. He found several storage bags in the old man's arms and took his whisk, which was a mid-grade magic artifact.

"Quite a haul." Jingxu handed the items to Chen Yu. "These people are probably peripheral deacons of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, specializing in dirty work like plundering resources."

Chen Yu put away the storage bag; there was no time to inventory it now. He looked towards the stone chamber behind the spirit spring pool: "Let's go in first. It's not safe here. What if there are other pursuers..."

The three of them helped each other into the stone chamber. The stone door closed automatically, isolating them from the outside world.

The spiritual energy within the stone chamber became even denser, almost condensing into a liquid state. Chen Yu sat cross-legged and circulated the healing techniques from the "Mysterious True Daoist Canon," which, combined with the medicinal power of the Rejuvenating Powder, quickly stabilized his injuries.

After an incense stick had burned, he opened his eyes. His injuries had healed by 30%, and he was at least able to move freely.

"Let's check the harvest." Chen Yu emptied the storage bags.

Clatter—there's quite a lot of stuff:

The gray-robed old man's storage bag contained: fifty low-grade spirit stones (spirit stones are the currency of the cultivation world, containing pure spiritual energy), more than thirty talismans of various kinds, more than a dozen bottles of pills, several jade slips of cultivation techniques (all ordinary items for the Qi Refining stage), and a letter.

The black-clad man's storage bag was rather meager: twenty low-grade spirit stones, some gold and silver, and a few ordinary magical artifacts.

The storage bags of Zhao Tieshou and the other two were even worse, containing only a dozen or so low-grade spirit stones and some worldly valuables.

But the greatest gain was that letter.

The letter was addressed to "Senior Brother Zhang," the gray-robed elder, and was signed "External Affairs Hall of the Heavenly Dao Alliance." The gist of it was: Once the location of the Xuanzhen Cave is confirmed, report it immediately; the alliance will send a Golden Core elder to take it over. During this time, consider recruiting or eliminating other competitors. Pay special attention to the "Seven Star Key Holder," as they may possess a special inheritance...

"A Golden Core Elder..." Daoist Jingxu gasped, "That's someone capable of founding a sect! If he really comes, we have no chance of winning."

Su Man, however, focused on another point: "The letter says 'to win over or eliminate as appropriate'... This indicates that the Heavenly Dao Alliance is not monolithic and there are factional struggles within it. This gray-robed elder may have wanted to monopolize the cave dwelling, which is why he didn't report it immediately."

Chen Yu nodded: "This is a good thing for us. The Heavenly Dao Alliance doesn't know the specific situation here, nor do they know that we have already obtained the inheritance. We still have time."

He put away all his belongings and then looked at the three items on the stone table: the jade slip of "Mysterious Escape Technique", the Foundation Establishment Pill, and the Cave Mansion Token.

He had already mastered the basics of the escape technique jade slip, and had three Foundation Establishment Pills, one for each of them. As for the cave dwelling token...

Chen Yu picked up the token and infused it with spiritual power. The token lit up, and his consciousness instantly connected to the entire cave's restrictive system!

He "saw" it: outside the cave, the waterfall illusion array was still operating, but thirty percent of it had been destroyed; at the foot of the mountain, Yang the Cripple was still waiting at the camp; further away, from the direction of Lianshan County, several more auras of cultivators were approaching...

"There's more than one group of pursuers," Chen Yu frowned. "There are at least two more groups, one with three people and the other with two, all heading this way. They'll arrive in half a day at most."

"What do we do?" Su Man asked. "We're in a state where we can't win."

Chen Yu pondered for a moment: "We can't stay in the cave anymore. But we can't leave empty-handed either." He looked at the spirit spring pool, "This spirit spring is the core of the cave; if we could take it with us..."

The Xuanzhen Daozang records a technique called "Pulse Transfer Technique," which can temporarily seal and take away small spiritual veins or springs, but requires a special container.

Chen Yu thought of the system space—his small world was an independent space with the rudiments of a spiritual spring, so perhaps it could be merged?

Without further ado, he stepped out of the stone chamber and went to the edge of the spirit spring. The dragon turtle sensed his approach, opened its eyes, but did not attack—having passed the test, it seemed to have accepted this "destined one."

"Senior," Chen Yu bowed respectfully, "this junior must leave this place, but this spiritual spring is of great benefit to cultivation. I wonder if it would be possible..."

The dragon turtle stared at him for a long time, then suddenly let out a low roar, and the patterns on its shell lit up. The water in the spirit spring began to swirl, forming a vortex, and a fist-sized ball of azure liquid rose from the center of the pool—that was the essence of the spirit spring, liquid spiritual energy!

The dragon turtle pushed the ball of spiritual spring essence toward Chen Yu, then nodded and sank back to the bottom of the pool.

It only provided a portion of the essence, preserving the very core of the spiritual spring. But that's enough!

Chen Yu carefully absorbed the essence of the spiritual spring into his small world, directly integrating it into his own spiritual spring. Instantly, the concentration of spiritual energy within the small world skyrocketed! The originally sparse spiritual energy became three times denser, and the spiritual spring expanded from a small spring into a small pool!

"Thank you, senior!" Chen Yu bowed again.

Back in the stone chamber, he placed the cave dwelling token on the stone table—this token could only control the cave dwelling's restrictions and could not be moved—and took it with him. Then he took the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Jade Slip for Escape Technique.

"It's time to go," Chen Yu said. "Let's leave through the back."

Behind the stone chamber, there was actually a hidden passage, which was the real escape route left by Xuanzhenzi. The three of them walked along the passage for about three miles. At the end of the passage was a hidden cave exit, outside of which was a steep cliff, more than thirty feet above the ground.

"Below is a valley; we should be able to circle back to the outer edge of the Great Fog Mountain," Taoist Jingxu judged.

Chen Yu took out a paper crane with a message on it, wrote a few words, and infused it with spiritual power. The paper crane flapped its wings and flew down to the camp at the foot of the mountain—it was a message for Yang the Cripple, telling him to leave on his own, and that the remaining money had been left at the camp.

Then, he took out a rope from his storage bag and tied it to a stone pillar at the cave entrance: "I'll go down first, you guys follow."

The three rappelled down one by one. It was already evening when they landed, and the setting sun gilded the mountains with a golden edge.

Looking back towards Eagle Cliff, the waterfall remains the same, but the perilous cave seems like a distant memory.

"Where to next?" Su Man asked.

"Let's go back to Hong Kong first," Chen Yu said. "We need to finish up Sir Zhou's orders, and we also need to deal with Boss Li's side. Besides..." He touched the jade slip of the "Xuanzhen Daozang" in his pocket, "We need time to digest the inheritance."

Taoist Jingxu nodded: "This humble Taoist also needs to go into seclusion to attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage."

The three of them descended the mountain under the cover of night. Halfway down, Chen Yu suddenly sensed something and looked back.

From the direction of Eagle Cliff, several streaks of light flew in and landed in front of the waterfall—new pursuers had arrived.

But they were destined to fail.

The legacy of Xuanzhen Cave has already found an owner.

As the night fell, the three figures gradually disappeared into the distance.

The game in Hong Kong is not over yet, and the path of self-cultivation has just begun.

Meanwhile, within Chen Yu's embrace, the essence of the spiritual spring quietly emanated spiritual energy within the small world, nourishing that realm that belonged to him.