As Su Yen cautiously walked into the destroyed Celestial Astral Pavilion, a sense of reverence and anticipation enveloped him like a shroud.
The air within the ancient ruins was thick with otherworldly energy.
A palpable aura seemed to echo with whispers of ages long past.
Vines, like serpentine sentinels of time, intertwined with the remnants of the once-proud structure.
Crumbling pillars and fractured walls bore witness to the ravages of time, hinting at the grandeur that this pavilion had once exuded.
After walking for a couple of minutes, Su Yen sighed continually upon seeing the grandeur of the ancient building.
Reaching deeper into the destroyed building, the vines and shrubs grew thicker and stronger.
"The qi is getting richer and denser," he murmured.
Just as he was shocked by the dense qi, a sudden creak came from his left.
Huh!
Su Yen took a deep breath and looked to his left. On his left, there was a half-destroyed building with a slightly open door, cracks spreading everywhere.
Stepping into the half-destroyed building, an eerie silence enveloped him in the dimly lit room.
Whoosh!
Just then, a sudden shadow attack came from his side.
Su Yen was not flustered by the attack; he was already on guard against any threat.
Turning his body swiftly, he swung his sword, and a bright starlight lit up the dim room.
Looking at the female Shadowstripe tiger, Su Yen understood this was the home of the tigers.
But that didn't make him lower his attacking power.
Bang!
Howl!
The Female Shadowstripe tiger was sent flying, crashing into the wall, leaving a deep crack behind.
The female tiger looked at Su Yen fiercely, not caring about the deep cut on its body as it prepared to launch another attack.
"Just die quietly," Su Yen shook his head.
Whoosh!
Bang!
With another sword strike, the tigress was killed with deep hatred on its face.
Shaking his head, Su Yen looked at the dead tigress before looking at the dim room.
Just as he wanted to step out of the room, he discovered a hidden door in the corner.
Squinting his brow, Su Yen walked closer to the hidden door and discovered the door was covered in a formation.
But the formation was almost out of power, allowing him to discover it in the first place.
"What type of formation is this that could still be functioning?" He thought out loud, with confusion and astonishment written on his face.
Arriving in front of the formation, he scrutinized it for a moment but couldn't understand a thing about it.
"Forget it," he dismissed his intention of understanding the formation.
Bang!
A powerful sword strike landed on the formation, only for it to flicker for a moment before regaining its tranquility.
"Even though it's almost out of juice, it's still this strong!" He wondered out loud.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Panting profusely, sweat gathered on his forehead, Su Yen looked at the formation in a daze.
'Will I have to come back when I'm stronger before I know what is behind the formation?'
'No! I must destroy the formation.'
For the next couple of hours, the continuous sound of attacks came from the ruins.
[Your experience in Seven Starlight Blossom Slash has increased.]
[Your experience has increased.]
[Your...]
Looking at the continuous notifications, Su Yen was pumped with adrenaline and continued to battle the formation.
[Ding!]
[You've leveled up.]
[You've comprehended the second form of the Seven Starlight Blossom Slash.]
At once, a series of memories appeared in his brain on how to use the Blossom Slash.
His understanding of the technique deepened with a look of realization on his face.
'So...that's how it is,' he mused with a knowing smile.
Now, he looked at the formation still standing firm with renewed vigor.
"Seven Starlight Blossom Slash -- Second Form."
Two powerful bright stars came out of his sword, twisting the air and leaving a line of light behind.
The air crackled, vibrating vehemently.
Boom!
The dilapidated building shook to its core as if it were about to crumble to pieces.
Huh!
Su Yen panted, sweat dripping from his forehead. He looked at the formation that was now filled with cracks.
'I can't use the second form casually; it's taking a toll on my body.'
But the fierce look on his face showed he was going to gamble on using the second form once again.
Taking a deep breath and gathering his qi and blood, he attacked once again.
Boom!
Crack!
Su Yen fell to the ground, out of breath, panting profusely, his chest rising and falling.
But the smile at the corner of his mouth showed happiness.
'Finally.'
After an hour, Su Yen regained a bit of his strength and ventured into the hidden door.
Huh!
Opening the door, a thick, dense qi rushed out, assaulting his nose.
Even though he was not cultivating, his cultivation had risen a lot in the span of hours that he spent in the Celestial Astral Pavilion.
'I guess it won't be long before I break through,' he thought happily.
Entering the room, Su Yen was flabbergasted by what lay in front of him.
'Is this a hidden vault?' He cried in astonishment and excitement.
On his left were rows of shelves, filled with books.
He couldn't contain his excitement and rushed toward the shelves, picking up one of the books.
He opened it quickly and began to read.
"What! A Mortal rank skill!" He cried with his mouth wide open in incredulity.
In the Lotus World, since the arrival of the Bloodmoon Envoys, every clan and sect had lost all their previous precious heritage.
The Bloodmoon Envoys hadn't just killed the strongest cultivators in the world; they had destroyed the path of cultivation in the Lotus World.
They plundered what could be plundered and destroyed all that they couldn't.
Now, it was rare to find any Mortal Cultivation and Techniques in the world.
This wasn't only limited to cultivating techniques and martial techniques; all auxiliary professions were not left out.
They had all been destroyed.
The Bloodmoon Envoys had crippled the Lotus World, leaving no path to progress anymore.
Now, for him to see martial skills was way beyond happiness.
This wasn't for him but for his clan's growth.
Quickly, he checked a couple of books only to find that the shelves contained other auxiliary profession-related books.
"hahaha. I hit the jackpot."
Leaving the shelf, he looked at the two big boxes at the center of the room with anticipation.
'Since I can find low mortal rank to high mortal skills on the shelf... What would be in the boxes?'
He rubbed his palms together, his eyes burning with excitement.
Creak!
He opened the biggest box and a blinding light flashed in his face.
Quickly, he covered his eyes with the back of his palm. After a couple of moments, the blinding light receded, and he saw what was inside the box.
'Oh, My World!'
He froze for a moment, unable to process what he was seeing.
Hahaha.
He closed the box and began to laugh hysterically. The calm and composed Su Yen was now laughing like mad in the middle of a forest.
If any member of the Su Sacred Clan saw their clan master, they would think he was going insane.
However, if they knew what was in the box, they would understand his joy.
After a couple of seconds, he recovered from his laughter and wiped the traces of tears from the corner of his eyes.
He opened the box once again, looking at the small shiny stone with a wild grin.
'Spirit Stones I'm rich!' He exclaimed in his heart.
Spirit stones were even rarer than techniques and skills since all the spirit stone mines had been destroyed.
With no room for them to recover again, the world went back to trading with ancient money -- Copper, Silver, and Gold.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the last box. This time, there wasn't any blinding light.
Inside the box were two objects, a ring, and a pagoda.
He picked up the ring first and checked it. Suddenly, his consciousness entered the ring.
'A spatial ring?' He was shocked and excited for a moment before regaining his calm.
He was far too shocked today for him to lose composure over a spatial ring.
Although spatial rings were rare, they could still be found in some sacred clans.
Even his father had a spatial ring. Thus, he was not that shocked, even though the grade of the ring was not low at all.
He bound with the ring immediately and looked at the last object in the box.
A pagoda.
He reached out and picked up the strange pagoda and beheld...
'No...!' He cried, realizing his mistake, but it was too late.
He fell to the ground, darkness descending on his soul as life drifted out of his body.
'How can I die like this?'