Ji Yuan and Zhou Lianying ascended the mountain path and arrived at the summit, where they were met by seven individuals with peculiar expressions.
The waiting group showed no displeasure, but rather a deep apprehension in the eyes of two or three of them.
Li Buwei, who had facilitated the gathering, frequently displayed a thoughtful glint in his gaze.
Glancing at the expressions of those present, he strode forward and apologized, "My apologies, I was delayed on the road. I hope you haven't been waiting long."
As he spoke, he casually glanced at the cave entrance a dozen yards away, his mind already forming a guess.
It seemed a single jade token was not enough to enter the cave. He wondered if five tokens together could open the door.
"It hasn't been long at all. We all arrived recently," Li Buwei said with a chuckle.
Hong Lie, standing beside him, nodded and echoed his words.
However, the others paid him no attention, not even bothering to look at him.
He didn't seem to mind, maintaining his smile, though a fleeting trace of ruthlessness flickered in the depths of his eyes.
"Since everyone is here, let's try to see if five jade tokens can open the entrance to this cave," said the middle-aged swordsman Nan Xi, and no one disagreed.
Ji Yuan took this opportunity to examine the cave entrance.
A stone door, carved with layered mountains, was seamlessly integrated into the mountainside, shrouded in a misty luminescence.
The glow appeared as thin as paper, as if a gentle poke would break it.
However, the disturbed earth and residual spiritual energy fluctuations indicated that the seven had likely attempted to force their way through.
Naturally, their efforts were in vain. The luminescence on the stone door remained intact, and the surrounding mountainside was undamaged.
A moment later, the five individuals with jade tokens stepped forward, standing before the stone door.
As they channeled their spiritual energy, their tokens emanated a misty glow, identical to the one on the stone door, as if they were of the same origin.
After four or five breaths, the five mountain peaks carved on the stone door glowed. The jade tokens in their hands seemed to respond, flying out and landing on the carved peaks.
Under everyone's gaze, the jade tokens slowly merged into the stone door. Within moments, the misty luminescence gradually dissipated.
Soon, an ancient stone door stood before them, no longer separated by a thin layer of light.
As the group hesitated, the stone door slowly opened, revealing a bright light.
Ji Yuan looked closely and saw a spacious interior behind the door. Rows of dark brown treasure shelves lined the space, laden with countless rare and precious items.
As everyone stepped through the stone door, their gazes fell upon the treasure shelves, almost overwhelmed by the sight.
Besides gold and silver jewelry, there were numerous agate corals, jade treasures, and various brightly glazed ceramics, ancient artifacts, calligraphy, paintings, and scholarly curios.
Even a cursory estimation suggested that the value of these treasures would not be less than that of one or two magical artifacts.
Certain ancient artifacts, calligraphy, paintings, and uniquely shaped agate corals, in particular, could fetch prices far exceeding market valuations for those who favored them.
"One portion for each area?" Li Buwei asked after a brief assessment.
"I think it's better to divide it by headcount," the Fire Monkey replied with a light laugh.
He cast a pointed glance at Hong Lie, his intention clear.
For the Fire Monkey, Lü Xian, and Ji Yuan, it wouldn't make much difference whether they divided the treasures by area or by headcount.
However, for individuals like Li Buwei and Hong Lie, the difference between the two methods would be substantial.
"Let's divide the treasures here into five equal portions," Nan Xi declared, seeing the tendency for an argument to erupt.
Given the formidable swordsman's power, no one dared to object on such a minor matter.
Besides, it wasn't a significant issue, so they readily agreed.
However, a truly equal division was impossible without spending time cataloging each item.
Instead, the area was divided into five regions, and each person chose one.
Ji Yuan unhesitatingly chose the area with more agate corals and jade treasures. The middle-aged swordsman Nan Xi selected the ancient artifacts, calligraphy, and paintings. Lü Xian and Shi Shan each chose gold, silver, and jewelry.
Li Buwei, the last remaining, took possession of the various ceramics and scholarly items.
Among the group, only Hong Lie, despite his desperate efforts to obtain a jade token and enter the protective formation, came away with nothing.
The others clearly hadn't included him in the division, partly due to their dislike for him, and partly because the jade token he held had been thrown to him by Li Buwei.
After collecting their respective shares of treasures, they all gathered before a section of the mountain wall.
They had already determined that there were no other passages, and only this area, with its deliberately carved scenery, showed a clear flow of spiritual energy.
However, upon closer inspection, they found no clues, as if it were merely a normal stone carving or mural.
Lü Xian, after a period of contemplation, casually took out a piece of silver and tossed it towards the stone carving.
To everyone's astonishment, the silver passed through and then a clinking sound was heard, as if it had landed on the ground.
The group exchanged glances. Nan Xi then stepped forward and passed through the stone carving.
Seeing the others follow suit, Ji Yuan, with Zhou Lianying, also passed through. They discovered a world beyond the stone carving.
They entered a mountain cave, where a surge of spiritual energy greeted them. Practicing here would likely yield results equivalent to several days of hard cultivation elsewhere.
The cave, though not large, had five deep, interconnected passages leading to unknown destinations.
Familiar with the process, they each chose a passage and entered without hesitation.
Li Buwei and Hong Lie ended up in the same passage, suggesting they had already agreed to cooperate within the cave.
Ji Yuan wondered if Li Buwei worried about being betrayed by Hong Lie at the crucial moment.
Shaking his head, Ji Yuan withdrew his gaze and led Zhou Lianying into their chosen passage.
They held specially treated luminous pearls, one illuminating their surroundings while the other cast light ahead, moving steadily through the passage.
"Ling Yu, can you contend with them?" Zhou Lianying suddenly broke the silence, her voice laced with concern.
Ji Yuan understood her question. She was worried he couldn't compete with the others and might lose the spiritual spring.
While he had confidence in himself, he lacked absolute certainty before any confrontation, as almost none of the individuals present were ordinary.
The middle-aged swordsman Nan Xi was exceptionally deadly. He had once forced back several disciples of the Wang Yue Sect with a single sword strike, inflicting varying degrees of injury.
As for Shi Shan and the Fire Monkey, their auras were immensely powerful, far exceeding cultivators of the same realm. Shi Shan, in particular, excelled in Daoist magic, and his Earth Dragon attack had repelled dozens of second-realm cultivators.
The young Daoist couple were formation masters whose techniques could withstand the magical attacks of over ten second-realm cultivators, and they showed no signs of reaching their limit.
Among them, only Li Buwei appeared the most ordinary, with no distinguishing features.
Yet, Ji Yuan harbored the greatest apprehension towards him.
It was an inexplicable feeling. Whenever he faced Li Buwei, he sensed an unfathomable aura, as if the man always held several hidden trump cards.
Successfully claiming that spiritual spring amidst these individuals would undoubtedly be a formidable task.
As he pondered how to deal with them if a confrontation arose, a bright light suddenly appeared before him.
The two put away their luminous pearls and stepped out of the deep passage into a space approximately thirty feet in size.
The space was empty, with nothing but a softly glowing orb suspended in mid-air.
Ji Yuan frowned and slowly walked forward, scrutinizing the surroundings, his spiritual sense at its peak, probing for any anomalies.
However, his efforts yielded nothing. The vast space showed no abnormality.
With lingering doubt, he approached the orb floating in the air. Expecting it to be a spiritual item, he discovered it was merely a luminous pearl.
After a moment of thought, Ji Yuan slowly reached out and grasped the pearl.
In that instant, his vision blurred, and after a few breaths, as everything stabilized, he found himself on a hilltop.
He looked around at the continuous rolling hills. To his left, about ten miles away, stretched an endless forest.
"Where is this place?" Zhou Lianying, who had been teleported with him, asked blankly.
She instinctively looked up and saw an irregular stone ceiling about thirty to forty feet high. They seemed to have arrived in a massive underground cavern.
Ji Yuan's expression shifted. He looked down at the luminous pearl in his hand. A stream of light flashed within it, and then a voice, whose gender was indistinguishable, echoed in his mind.
"Having arrived with the token, you are eligible for inheritance."
For some reason, a bad premonition immediately arose in his heart. He felt that what was about to unfold would far exceed his original expectations.
Ji Yuan relayed the message from the voice in the pearl to Zhou Lianying, observing her reaction.
Seeing her look of astonishment, which didn't appear feigned, he felt slightly relieved and temporarily set aside some of his suspicions.
He had initially assumed that obtaining the jade token would come with some accompanying information. However, Zhou Lianying's reaction suggested otherwise.
"Let's go." He sighed. He detested this kind of blind situation.
However, given the circumstances, whether he liked it or not, he had to press on. He couldn't remain trapped here indefinitely.
After some deliberation, Ji Yuan led Zhou Lianying across hill after hill, heading towards the distant forest.
As they drew closer, the glow emanating from the luminous pearl in his hand intensified.