The storage room was neither a treasure house nor an armory, devoid of any treasures or formal weapons.
Rows of cabinets were filled mostly with various strangely shaped vessels and ritual implements, as well as a variety of ancient musical instruments, bells, and cauldrons.
The items were neatly arranged, with some even labeled, indicating when and where these items were found.
An Jing looked at an object that was like a halberd but not, resembling the fang of some ferocious beast.
[Fated weapon, fang halberd, Tianxing Period, Year Two, unearthed in Dust Li's Witch Wilderness, holding it can strengthen bones and sharpen teeth, invigorates blood and boosts vitality. Corresponding fate pattern: 'Rushing Tiger, Charging Ox'—if not fated, holder's mind and spirit will fall into abnormality.]
An Jing then looked at a small bronze bell.
[Fated weapon, rust-patterned bell, Longshuo Period, Year One, unearthed in Hanhai's Baichuan, its vibration can shock the soul, awaken the spirit, and call forth the spirits. Corresponding fate pattern: 'Morning Bell, Evening Drum'—taboo unknown.]
...
An Jing pondered thoughtfully, each item here labeled as a 'fated weapon,' corresponding to a certain 'Heavenly Mandate fate pattern,' each possessing curious properties.
However, only a small portion had discovered specific effects, and for the majority of stored items, although their peculiarities were recognized, their corresponding fate patterns and effects were unknown.
In the center of the storage room, there was an empty cabinet.
[Fated weapon, Life-Nourishing Tray, Heavenly Treasure Period, Year Five, unearthed in Daoxu Ancient Land, gathers essence and converges spirit, using life to nourish life. Corresponding fate pattern: 'Borrowing Spirit to Return Soul'—if not fated, holder ends up with soul and blood both defeated.]
"Gathering essence and converging spirit, using life to nourish life..."
An Jing thought of the medicinal paste in the water tank, his eyes blazing with murderous intent, "It seems this is the tool for refining 'herbs' into 'great medicine.'"
Were those children in the dungeons, then, destined to become such 'great medicine'?
As for the whereabouts of the Life-Nourishing Tray...
An Jing suddenly recalled the dark gold vessel on the Vice Envoy of Medicine's desk in the Medicine Pavilion.
That might be the Life-Nourishing Tray... It had been in the hands of the Vice Envoy of Medicine all along.
He really hadn't hidden it at all.
Taking a deep breath, An Jing, with a profound gaze, continued his observation.
The fated weapons in the storage room were not particularly precious; the Life-Nourishing Tray was the most invaluable among them.
An Jing did not carelessly touch these objects; their taboos had evidently been tested with human lives. He was merely looking to see if there were tools he needed here.
[An Jing]
Ever since entering the storage room, the Sword Spirit had been silent for a while, now continuing to guide: [Left corner]
An Jing looked toward the left corner, where suddenly a streak of cold spiritual light lit up.
This corner of the storage room held various dimly-lit objects, but now, one artifact radiated its own divine light.
It was a broken blade.
The broken blade in the corner had an antique design; apart from the sword hilt, the blade was nearly broken at the base. It was completely dull, heavily corroded, and looked hardly better than junk.
Yet, An Jing was slightly stunned because he could tell that this blade... had a hilt exactly like that of the Rusty Sword from the Tranquil Sword Manual taught to him by the mysterious Sword Spirit!
Only, the Rusty Sword in the Tranquil Sword Manual was still intact, whereas the Rusty Sword in front of him had only its hilt remaining, utterly dilapidated and decayed like waste.
Lowering his eyes, An Jing looked at the nameplate.
[Fated weapon, broken blade, Jingchang Year One, located in the Northern Border. Function unknown, corresponding fate pattern unknown, taboo unknown, presumably related to a martial killing fate.]
Jingchang, which was the most recent reign title of the Da Chen dynasty, was the first year after the Frost Calamity in the Northern Border and also the first year An Jing's family fled as refugees.
The broken blade was unremarkable, with unclear function and corresponding fate pattern, and given its corroded blade, it held no meaning as a weapon; thus, it was considered the lowest grade of fated weapon preserved.
Yet at this very moment, it was glowing.
"Hold me."
The mysterious, spiritual voice—or rather, the voice of the broken blade became clearer, as if resonating next to his ear: "Visualize the 'Tranquil Sword Manual.'"
The broken blade was thoroughly corroded, appearing extremely fragile.
Stepping forward slowly and holding the hilt, a chilling, solemn sensation shot straight from his palm to his heart.
But it wasn't uncomfortable; instead, An Jing felt a connection as if it was an extension of his body, his blood resonating with it.
"Hm?"
Holding his breath in meditation, visualizing the rusty blade, An Jing was astonished to discover that the broken blade had vanished from his hand—yet within him, in the profound depths of his Divine Sea, a shadow of the blade faintly emerged!
In the Divine Sea, the hilt of the broken blade became more solid, the corrosion fell off a bit, the blade regained some sharpness, and flashed with silver light.
"Incredible!"
With another motion of Divine Sense, the broken blade reappeared in An Jing's hand, this mystical scene surpassing his imagination—though considering the Sword Spirit had previously taught him the Thought Preservation Technique from afar, this was not entirely inconceivable.
"Your constitution can actually withstand my Sword Fiend—this is the Metallic Evil of Geng Gold!"
The mysterious voice—or perhaps, the Sword Spirit too—was quite surprised: "What exactly is your physique and fate pattern?"
But soon, it declared indifferently: "This is very good, you won't be eroded by my Sword Fiend, and in the future, you could even use my Sword Fiend for body tempering."
"I was going to ask you to endure it, but now it seems unnecessary."
But at that moment, the sound of bustling footsteps suddenly arose.
"Have they come? Not fast, it must not be a search... must it be a routine inspection?"
An Jing immediately raised his head, intently listening to the direction, his brows furrowed tightly: "I haven't left any traces, but if they search the storage room, I definitely won't be able to hide."
"What should I do."
An Jing clenched the broken blade in his hand, hiding behind the door: "Someone is approaching now, and they will definitely check the storage room."
"Once discovered, I probably won't die, but I will definitely be closely guarded, unable to act as freely as I do now under the identity of Eldest Senior."
"I'm out of options, maybe I could wear a mask and break through by force, but I'm not likely to defeat them."
"Indeed, that's the case." the Sword Spirit said, "Although these followers of the Demon Sect have a shallow foundation, they all possess Inner Breath and are genuine Martial Artists."
"While you have a good foundation and are only a step away from Inner Breath, you ultimately don't possess Inner Breath."
"Handling one might be manageable, but you are not yet a match for them."
"I'm well aware." An Jing responded.
Although the footsteps outside had already reached the courtyard, An Jing still calmed his mind, "You must have prepared for this already, tell me now, and I will follow."
The Sword Spirit was appreciative of An Jing's composure, "Hold the sword. Circulate the 'Tranquil Sword Manual'."
An Jing held the sword and circulated the 'Tranquil Sword Manual', visualizing the Rusty Sword in his mind.
At that moment, the Rusty Sword in his Divine Sea faintly overlapped with the broken blade he was tightly grasping. At the spot where the sword blade had broken, a strand of silver Sword Light vaguely emerged.
It vibrated, spilling a visible halo of light.
"What is this?"
Even with his eyes tightly shut, An Jing could still sense it and was quite astonished, while the Sword Spirit said, "Sense my aura, my fragment."
An Jing recalled the icy aura from the first time he held the sword, using the broken blade as a conduit, and began to sense it.
In an instant, six other light points appeared in his mind, three of which were dim and hidden as if in a far-flung place, one not far but equally dim, and one very close, almost overlapping with An Jing himself but flickering uncertainly as if it was sealed.
Only one shined with a stable brilliance.
"Open your eyes and target the most stable one, strike." the Sword Spirit instructed, and An Jing, without any hesitation, opened his eyes, held the sword, and slashed forward in the air.
Then, he incredulously saw the broken sword slice open a pitch-black crack in the space before him.
Through the profound crack, there seemed to be another world waiting.
"What exactly is happening..."
Even with An Jing's incredibly resolute spirit and the stability of the Tranquil Sword Manual, his mind glitched for a moment, but quickly, he realized that this might be his only chance to escape safely!
"Go in," the Sword Spirit softly instructed, "This is our only chance to break free from this cage."
Click!
At that moment, the key inserting into the lock at the room's door could be heard. Without any hesitation, An Jing stepped forward and crossed into the crack.
Crack!
The room's door opened, and a small squad of cult followers entered, inspecting the traces.
"There's nothing unusual." After looking around, the leader complained, "What's the Vice Envoy of Medicine doing, summoning us for an inspection in the middle of the night... The old man really can't believe someone could escape from the dungeon, can he?"
"It seems like someone tampered with something..." a follower muttered after looking around, only to be immediately countered by his comrade, "Are you stupid? Didn't Team Leader Chen and his team come and take the ritual implements this morning?"
Soon, after confirming no one was inside or outside the room, the group of Heaven's Will Cult followers closed the door and left, "Really, to be so paranoid deep in the mountains, I think the Vice Envoy has gotten a bit neurotic."
"Who isn't? Who would want to stay in this place? I hope we get transferred back to Da Chen soon..."
Meanwhile.
"We are about to head to another world," the Sword Spirit's voice rang clear in his heart, "You can't stay in another world for too long unless you find my fragment and enhance my ability."
"And the fragment closest to you is in the Fate Valley behind the Hanging Fate Manor. Don't worry, the Demon Sect will be holding an initiation ceremony there; you will find an opportunity to enter."
"Hold onto the sword hilt, circulate the Tranquil Sword Manual, swing the ethereal blade, and you'll be able to enter another world or return to Embracing the Void - with your remarkable talent, plus the skills brought by Innate Wisdom, mere followers of the Demon Sect are no match for you as long as you advance your Inner Breath without drawing their attention in another world."
"I don't doubt my ability to break through to Inner Breath, but how could I deceive the Manor Master?" An Jing responded, "He has already reached Inner Strength, and possesses the 'Divine Abnormality' of the Observation Series; breaking through to Inner Breath might not escape his eyes."
"You have learned the Tranquil Sword Manual, maintain 'Tranquility', keep your spirit stable, and I can help you hide, at least beneath the Divine Repository," the Sword Spirit said, "But don't be careless, another world has many resources and dangers I am not aware of, use them, or be killed by them, all possibilities exist."
"Our fates, yours and mine, are in our own hands."
"I understand. I will seize this opportunity." At this moment, An Jing's mind was exceptionally clear. From the moment he stepped towards the crack, he knew that his fate was in his hands, in his own sword.
He crossed through the crack.
The world that appeared before An Jing's eyes was pitch black, then gradually illuminated.
He was in a profound underground relic, supported by a massive iron dome holding up the earth and solid stone walls all around, robust and silent.
Originally being deep underground, it should have been utterly dark, but large patches of fluorescent semi-translucent vines provided a faint glow, allowing one to roughly discern its entirety.
"This place is..."
An Jing surveyed this huge underground relic - its structure was very classical, seemingly a collapsed Heaven's Pavilion hall, sacred and solemn, with rows of five-metal columns leaning over, adorned with a multitude of exquisitely detailed cloud-patterned phoenix seals, embodying a very classical beauty, perfectly integrating grandeur with meticulous detail.
Stepping back slightly to view the full scale of the relic in front of him, An Jing suddenly started, having stepped on something hard yet fragile. Instantly, his Mysterious Steps activated, making no sound, yet thoroughly crushing it.
Looking back, An Jing widened his eyes, because, illuminated by the faint light of the glowing vines, he saw not one, but many... bodies!
Many bodies in uniform, already skeletonized, scattered all around; An Jing had accidentally crushed the bones of one just now.
"Wait a second?!"
But what truly astonished An Jing was not these bone bodies, but what these bodies were holding.
In the hands of these bodies... were items An Jing was very familiar with in his past life, but had never seen in this life.
—Those were guns.
Not spears or staffs, or wooden or iron spears...
—Those were firearms, rifles.