Moments later, Chen Jinshu finally emerged from the dark cave through a narrow gorge. Ahead of her flowed an emerald-green stream. Embedded in the riverbed were moonstones that glowed with a faint luminescence.
All around grew thick, dark-green grasses, giving the place the air of an otherworldly sanctuary. Peacock-blue tree trunks seemed to ooze golden resin. In the air, golden-beaked butterflies fluttered by, their wings dusted with sparkling golden powder. No more melodies echoed in her ears.
"Am I already outside the range of the Tianyin Valley?"
Chen Jinshu calculated the distance she had traveled through the dark tunnel. It was barely five li—surely not far enough to have completely left the valley?
Just as she stepped toward the stream, her foot caught on a raised, tumor-like lump on the ground. A lotus-shaped spirit fungus suddenly sprouted beneath her feet, its surface occasionally flashing with blood-colored patterns.
Startled, she stepped back a few paces.
"The Xuanyin Secret Realm truly hides danger at every turn," she murmured, frowning slightly.
She seemed to recall encountering this type of spirit fungus before. A moment later, the memory clicked—she had seen them growing in a corner of her master's courtyard. She had never asked about their specific use, but she had a vague guess—they likely served a defensive purpose.
Either poisonous or capable of casting illusions. She looked toward the stream and saw similar tumor-like growths lining its banks.
"Are they protecting the stream?"
Her lips curled into a small smile. That wouldn't stop her. She had no intention of leaving without investigating the stream. The emerald water glinted with moon-colored stones and looked nothing like an ordinary brook. There was no way it was natural.
A moment later, she levitated her water flask over the stream and activated her spiritual tool to draw the water. Once it was nearly full, she brought the flask to her hand. The water inside was now a lighter shade of green.
"So the original color must have been dyed by the dark green grass nearby."
She took a small sniff—there was a faint, pleasant aroma, tinged with medicinal notes. What's more, the water carried a notable amount of spiritual energy.
"There must be a spiritual vein nearby!"
At that realization, her heart skipped a beat. Where there was spiritual energy, there were likely valuable spiritual items. A prime spot for treasure hunting. She looked upstream, where a foggy mist obscured the source.
"Definitely worth investigating."
The cavern would remain open for a full month. On the very first day, she had already acquired the Qingluan Resonance Pendant—a good start. But now wasn't the time for exploration. She still had to meet her two senior brothers at Songjiang Forest.
Exploring Tianyin Valley had already delayed her.
She mounted Xiao Yin, rose into the air, and had it memorize the current location before directing it to fly toward Songjiang Forest. By her calculations, her senior brothers should already be heading there. Earlier, she had instructed her mount to memorize their spiritual signatures to help locate them more easily.
Two quarter-hours later, Chen Jinshu finally arrived at the forest. Beside the forest ran a normal stream—nothing unusual about it, completely unlike the emerald one she had just seen. From her storage bag, she pulled out her sect's token. After infusing it with spiritual energy, the token emitted a warm glow.
"My senior brothers should be nearby!"
These sect tokens could sense other disciples once infused with energy—the stronger the glow, the closer the others were. Soon, she spotted two figures sitting cross-legged in meditation beneath a massive pine: Du Yi and Jiang Daoyu.
"Senior brothers!" she called out.
The two weren't fully meditating—just resting with their eyes closed. Upon sensing her presence, they ceased their cultivation.
"Did you run into trouble?" Du Yi asked.
"I stumbled into an illusion trap. Fortunately, I had plenty of talismans or I would've been stuck. But I did find a rather interesting place worth exploring," she admitted, somewhat sheepishly.
"No worries! You're here now, that's what matters. We only arrived less than an hour ago," Jiang Daoyu replied with a gentle smile.
"How far is this place you discovered?" Du Yi asked.
"Roughly thirty li?" Chen Jinshu gave a rough estimate.
"Thirty li? While searching this forest, we came across a stone cavern about twenty li away. Why don't we check that one out first?" Du Yi suggested.
"A stone cavern?" Chen Jinshu's curiosity piqued.
Stone caverns could either be naturally formed or man-made. In either case, they often held unpredictable fortunes. And since its location was known, it was more convenient than her earlier discovery.
"Alright, let's explore that one first!"
"It's getting late though. Why not wait until tomorrow to investigate?" Jiang Daoyu proposed.
Though the cavern had no sun or moon, creatures still followed day-night rhythms based on temperature shifts. When it was cold, the creatures rested; when warm, they were active. They had entered the cavern around midnight, and most cultivators had waited long outside before entering. Without proper rest, rushing into action would be risky. After some discussion, the three found nearby spots to rest.
The Next Day, Songjiang Forest.
Following their previous markings, the three finally arrived at a stone cavern hidden in a patch of wild grass. The grass outside was unusual—fragrant spiritual herbs, but lacking in medicinal effect or poison.
"Senior Brother, is there any information about this place?" Chen Jinshu asked.
The site clearly bore distinctive traits and smells—it had to have some known significance.
"It's called the Incense-Burning Cavern. According to records, it often emits a strange, unpleasant aroma—like burning incense," Du Yi explained.
"The inner tunnels are winding and unpredictable. But every section hides unexpected resources. The cavern shifts with the space, making it hard to find or map. Most locations inside this realm are unstable—searching requires unique identifiers."
Chen Jinshu nodded slightly in understanding.
Every elder possessed slightly different intel—unique knowledge kept to themselves. That was precisely why she had chosen to form a team for this exploration.
"Let's go, Junior Sister!" Du Yi called.
With a nod, Chen Jinshu followed her senior brothers into the cave. As they walked deeper, the light faded and the stone walls grew wider. Their footsteps echoed around them.
Strangely, they also seemed to hear footsteps coming from within, sending a slight chill down their spines.
A quiet tension hung in the air.