Chapter 253: Shaoyang Zhenren

"Hello, Teacher Qin." Chen Mobai greeted politely.

"Follow me. The formations protecting the Myriad Treasures Grotto are quite powerful; only a Golden Core True Master can lead you inside." Qin Beichen sized up Chen Mobai, nodded slightly, then turned and led the way forward.

The two arrived at the back of Mount Chicheng, one following the other. This was a valley nestled among mountains. Looking around, streams flowed down from the mountain peaks, and lush green trees dotted the landscape. Amidst the verdant grass, colorful small flowers could be seen blooming everywhere.

"We've arrived." Qin Beichen led Chen Mobai to the very center of the valley. Looking down, they saw an enormous, bottomless pit. The cave entrance was about a hundred meters in diameter, with steep walls. Numerous excavated tunnels could be seen, leading to unknown destinations.

"Is this the Myriad Treasures Grotto?" This place was only legendary online, with no visual records whatsoever. Seeing it for the first time, Chen Mobai found it somewhat ordinary.

"This was originally an abandoned spirit stone mine from an ancient Daoist sect. Although the spiritual energy was abundant, it initially only contained a third-tier spiritual vein. Ancestor Yunya, one of the Five Ancestors of the Immortal Sect, discovered this place. He detected deeper mysteries beneath the spirit stone mine, so he used a powerful spell to pierce through the mining layers, reaching an underground current where he found the first Vermilion Fruit Tree. Below the underground current, he discovered a cinnabar iron ore vein. Not content, Ancestor Yunya continued to pierce through the Earth's crust, finally reaching the core of Mount Chicheng's spiritual vein and unearthing a fifth-tier Earth Vein Spirit Pearl. Subsequently, Ancestor Yunya established the Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments here, passing down his lineage and grand spells." As Qin Beichen spoke, he stretched out his hand, unfurling a cloud-like mist that enveloped both himself and Chen Mobai. The two then ascended and began to descend into the underground cave.

Just then, a fiery red glow ascended from the depths of the Myriad Treasures Grotto. Chen Mobai felt a terrifying temperature that could turn him to ash. "This is the Fire-Element Divine Light, a defensive restriction passed down in our Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments, personally set up by a Soul Transformation Ancestor. Even a Nascent Soul Grand Master would not dare trespass." As Qin Beichen spoke, Chen Mobai watched as the fiery red divine light enveloped them. The former displayed his teacher's ID, and Chen Mobai immediately took out his student ID from his bag. After scanning their identification, the Fire-Element Divine Light paused in front of them. Qin Beichen immediately produced the recommendation form with the official seal. The Fire-Element Divine Light, seemingly sentient, scanned the document, confirmed its authenticity, and then slowly dispersed.

A spark of fire ignited with a 'hiss'. Chen Mobai saw the recommendation form in Qin Beichen's hand suddenly burst into flames. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. This meant his identity had been imprinted within the Fire-Element Divine Light, allowing him free access to the Myriad Treasures Grotto with his student ID for the next year.

"Let's go. I'll take you to meet the Myriad Treasures Grotto administrator." Qin Beichen enveloped them in his misty aura as they began to descend. Chen Mobai felt the spiritual energy around them becoming increasingly dense. After descending three hundred meters, he checked with his gold-rimmed glasses and saw that the spiritual energy was already at the third tier. And this was just the beginning.

The two continued their descent. After reaching a thousand meters, Chen Mobai noticed the spiritual energy value displayed on his lens was already at the middle-grade third tier. They continued until they reached a depth of three thousand meters, where the spiritual energy value reached the lower-grade fourth tier. The outside temperature grew hotter and hotter. Even with Qin Beichen's misty aura protecting him, Chen Mobai couldn't help but sweat.

They still hadn't reached the bottom. At twenty-eight thousand meters, a crack suddenly appeared down the middle of the right lens of Chen Mobai's glasses. The maximum spiritual energy value this pair of glasses could measure was the upper-grade fourth tier. Clearly, the spiritual energy concentration here had exceeded the fourth tier, reaching the fifth tier. Chen Mobai dared not act rashly, staying obediently under Qin Beichen's protection, only able to watch the crack in his lens grow longer and longer.

"We've arrived." Finally, Qin Beichen's voice rang out. Chen Mobai breathed a sigh of relief, stopping just as he was about to take off his glasses. With a 'snap'! The lens finally couldn't withstand the pressure, shattering into pieces, with one half flying out of the misty aura. Then, Chen Mobai watched as the lens instantly vaporized. The temperature outside was already beyond what a human body could endure. He floated in mid-air, looking down to see rolling lava beneath his feet. A scorching aura filled the surroundings. Chen Mobai finally understood why a Golden Core True Master was needed to descend here. In the depths of this Myriad Treasures Grotto, a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator could genuinely be in danger if they weren't careful.

Qin Beichen manifested his misty aura, carrying Chen Mobai towards the center of the lava. Soon, they arrived above a dark red island standing within the molten rock. Strangely enough, Chen Mobai, who had been feeling somewhat hot, felt a hint of coolness upon stepping onto the island. Looking around, the island was not large, perhaps only two to three thousand square meters. At its very center was a fiery red Vermilion Fruit Tree, laden with plump vermilion fruits, astonishing Chen Mobai repeatedly. "Is this the Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments' only fifth-tier Vermilion Fruit Tree?"

He followed Qin Beichen to a stone hut beneath the tree. A woman with fiery red hair stood there. Upon seeing her, Qin Beichen respectfully bowed. "Teacher Duanmu, long time no see." The woman with fiery red hair had an ordinary appearance and slightly dark skin, but a prominent figure, a slender waist, long legs, and was exceptionally tall, about the same height as Qin Beichen. She was indeed the administrator of the Myriad Treasures Grotto and the vice-principal of the Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments, Duanmu Longrong.

"Hmm, so this is your student." Duanmu Longrong turned her head, observing Chen Mobai, who immediately bowed and greeted her.

"Take it." A thumb-sized, dark red iron tablet flew from Duanmu Longrong's hand and landed in front of Chen Mobai, who immediately took it and thanked her. This was a 'Qi-tablet'. It was a key used to unlock magic artifacts nurtured within the Myriad Treasures Grotto. One 'Qi-tablet' could unlock one magic artifact. As for what kind of artifact could be unlocked, it depended entirely on luck and destiny.

"Thank you, Teacher Duanmu. I'll take him up now." After completing his task, Qin Beichen didn't linger. He immediately unfurled his misty aura again, enveloped Chen Mobai, and returned the way they came, flying back to the cave entrance at the back of Mount Chicheng.

"Since I am your mentor, and this is a rare opportunity, I shall fulfill my responsibilities." Qin Beichen led Chen Mobai to a pavilion in the back mountain. After they sat down, he proactively asked if Chen Mobai had any questions.

"Isn't it rumored that the Myriad Treasures Grotto nurtures tens of thousands of magic artifacts? Why didn't I see any?" Chen Mobai immediately asked. Before coming, Che Yucheng had only told him some basic things, such as the 'Qi-tablet' and the 'Fire-Element Divine Light'. His mentor was clearly an old resident of the back mountain, so he couldn't miss this opportunity to seek guidance.

"Then you should know the origin of the Myriad Treasures Grotto, right?" Chen Mobai nodded. Qin Beichen conjured a head-sized white jade orb out of thin air and handed it to him. It seemed this mentor also possessed a storage space. He just didn't know if it was a magic artifact or a personal void refined directly from Aether Stone. While thinking about other things, Chen Mobai curiously asked about the origin of the white jade orb. "What is this?"

"This is an artifact-nurturing orb, made from spirit stone fragments mixed with other spiritual ore materials. After sealing a special spiritual water inside and then placing a magic artifact within it, the artifact can be preserved from decay and degradation, even without a cultivator's refinement." Chen Mobai had never seen such a thing before. He took it and turned it around in his hands, and sure enough, he found a fingernail-sized groove on one part of the nurturing orb. It was perfectly sized for the Qi-tablet to be inserted.

"The magic artifacts in the Myriad Treasures Grotto are all placed here personally by cultivators who graduated from the Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments. Before their lifespan ends, they seal their prized artifacts and return here to deposit them. As for the exact location of the artifacts within the Myriad Treasures Grotto, the academy does not deliberately search for them. Thus, over thousands of years, an artifact-nurturing orb could potentially be found anywhere in the grotto. The way to unlock an artifact-nurturing orb is with a 'Qi-tablet'. For this year, as long as your body can withstand it, you can go down an unlimited number of times to search. However, you only get one chance to choose; you can only take away the nurturing orb you wish to open after making your decision."

Chen Mobai listened, his face showing realization. However, another question immediately surfaced in his mind. "This Qi-tablet doesn't seem difficult to replicate. Has no one tried?" According to the experience of previous cultivators from the Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments, a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator can generally find four or five artifact-nurturing orbs within the Myriad Treasures Grotto in a year. Many typically wait until the end of the term to choose the one they are most confident in opening. "So, has anyone ever tried to decipher or counterfeit this Qi-tablet?"

"Do you think this Qi-tablet is what actually opens the nurturing orb?" Qin Beichen shook his head. Suddenly, another Qi-tablet, similar to Chen Mobai's, appeared in his hand. He then directly inserted it into the artifact-nurturing orb in front of them. With a 'click'! A fiery red radiance ascended from afar, like a long dragon of flame, immersing itself into the artifact-nurturing orb. Subsequently, the head-sized white jade orb instantly turned to ash, scattering across the ground, revealing a palm-sized crimson mist.

"It's 'Crimson Cloud Mist Gauze' again." While Qin Beichen shook his head and sighed, Chen Mobai was already dumbfounded. "Teacher, was that just now..." If he wasn't mistaken, the Qi-tablet just now was real, which meant the nurturing orb he had been handling earlier was also real?

"A full professor at the academy can earn twenty credits each year. I saved up for five years, which was just enough to exchange for one Qi-tablet. But my luck seems to be average; I opened a duplicate magic artifact." To demonstrate the principle of the Qi-tablet opening an orb, Qin Beichen performed a live demonstration. Within the Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments, Qi-tablets could also be exchanged for credits, valued at 100 credits.

"The artifact-nurturing orbs are one of the masterpieces of our Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments' Artifact Forging Department. However, most of the restrictions inside are set by the cultivators who sealed the artifacts themselves, making them incredibly diverse. So, after inserting the Qi-tablet, both it and the orb attract the Fire-Element Divine Light from the back mountain to clear away the internal restrictions."

At this point, Qin Beichen reached out, retrieved the crimson mist, and tossed it directly to Chen Mobai. "Take it. I already have a better one."

"How can I accept this!" Though he said this, Chen Mobai's hands involuntarily reached out, wanting to take the mist, but a scorching heat made him retract them.

"'Crimson Cloud Mist Gauze' is also considered one of our Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments' signature magic artifacts. It's refined from spiritual energy vapor streams, cinnabar iron chunks, fire jade crystal fragments, and molten rock ejected from the lava at the bottom of the Myriad Treasures Grotto. Besides serving as a flying tool, it possesses remarkable defensive capabilities, especially against fire-element spells, which it can largely block." After Qin Beichen finished speaking, Chen Mobai recalled the misty aura that had carried him to the very bottom of the Myriad Treasures Grotto earlier. At a depth of over twenty thousand meters within the Earth's crust, it could even block out that terrifying high temperature, only causing him to sweat slightly. This demonstrated the artifact's power.

"Thank you, Teacher." He uttered the word 'teacher' with exceptional clarity and volume.

Qin Beichen nodded and gave two more instructions. "When you descended, you must have seen the tunnels excavated into the cave walls. Those were dug out by ancient cultivators when this was still a spirit stone mine. They are interconnected like a spiderweb, spread throughout the upper three thousand meters of the Myriad Treasures Grotto. Generally, the range for students' activities is here. Beyond three thousand meters underground, you'd need to excavate your own paths, and there's no guarantee of finding anything. You can choose a tunnel as your resting place. If you get thirsty, come up for some mountain spring water. If you get hungry, eat some grain-abstention pills. The spiritual energy here is the most abundant in all of Mount Chicheng. A century ago, the principal signed a contract with the Immortal Sect to renew the lease of the Myriad Treasures Grotto for six hundred years. Since you cultivate the Pure Yang Scroll, don't waste the powerful fire-element spiritual energy here."

After saying all this, Qin Beichen stood up, preparing to leave.

"Teacher, let's add each other as friends." Chen Mobai immediately took out his phone. After saving Qin Beichen's contact information, the latter instantly vanished from the spot. He was off to seclude himself for cultivation of the Pure Yang Dharma Body.

Chen Mobai looked at the 'Crimson Cloud Mist Gauze' in his hand, feeling a slight sense of guilt. After all, he had established his foundation using the Everlasting Life Sutra, while his Pure Yang Scroll was still stuck at the perfected Qi Refining stage. It was fortunate that the Immortal Sect highly valued personal privacy and wouldn't actively probe others' cultivation levels or techniques. Thus, Qin Beichen still thought Chen Mobai had established his foundation using the Pure Yang Scroll.

Speaking of the Pure Yang Scroll, at the end of last year, when Ming Yihua attempted to establish his foundation by condensing Qi into ten drops of liquid spiritual power, he had to use a critical method to halt his breakthrough. However, compared to Chen Mobai, Ming Yihua was indeed exceptionally talented. It should be known that Chen Mobai only condensed two drops of liquid spiritual power during his first attempt at Foundation Establishment. For Foundation Establishment with the Pure Yang Scroll, one needs to condense fifteen drops of liquid spiritual power to complete the Qi-to-Liquid condensation step. Compared to him, if Ming Yihua wasn't cultivating the Soul Transformation cultivation method of the Pure Yang Scroll, he could have at least reached the Spirit Excursion stage, perhaps even succeeding in one attempt.

Thinking of this, Chen Mobai called Ming Yihua. He described the situation at the Myriad Treasures Grotto to him. Ming Yihua, upon hearing it, became restless with anticipation; as an artifact refiner, he wished he could immediately come and open an artifact-nurturing orb. Unfortunately, he couldn't get in.

"Oh, right, brother, how do I refine this 'Crimson Cloud Mist Gauze' magic artifact?" Finally, Chen Mobai asked about the main reason for his call.