101: Chapter 101 The cave finally opens

[Since the "beauty trap" in the side hall that day, Wei Feisen has completely returned to normal—no, to be precise, he is even more fanatical and devoted than before.]

[Every day, he guards Daliang Mountain like a wolf patrolling its territory, personally supervising the progress of the artillery battalion's bombardment. Of the twelve commanders who had originally been in secret contact, he secretly executed three on various trumped-up charges, leaving the rest completely terrified and daring not to harbor the slightest disloyalty.]

[For Wei Feisen, as long as he can marry you, this world is nothing more than a toy to be discarded at any time.]

[The bombardment lasted for three whole months.]

[The fifth year of Great Li, the seventh day of the winter month.]

[You were in the Imperial Study of the temporary palace reviewing memorials when a Black Tiger Division express rider scrambled into the hall, his voice cracking with extreme excitement: "Your Majesty! It's open! The stone gate at Daliang Mountain has been blown open!"]

[You snapped the vermilion brush in your hand.]

[Without a moment's hesitation, you didn't even have time to change out of your bright yellow Dragon robe, instead directly circulating your Peak Great Grandmaster True Qi and turning into a blur as you rushed out of the temporary palace.]

[Daliang Mountain, before the cliff.]

[The originally lush mountain had been forcibly leveled by half by five hundred Divine Might cannons, and the pungent smell of gunpowder smoke mixed with the scent of scorched earth permeated the air.]

[Twelve Black Tiger Division commanders, clad in armor and wielding weapons, led three thousand elite armored troops to surround the area for ten miles, making it impenetrable. Seeing you appear, the three thousand armored soldiers knelt on one knee in unison, the sound of armor plates clashing shaking the mountains and fields.]

["Greetings, Your Majesty!"]

[You ignored them, your gaze fixed firmly on the mountainside.]

[That layer of blue Formation halo that had blocked the secular Dynasty for three months finally shattered completely due to the exhaustion of energy, revealing the pitch-black cave entrance behind it.]

[Wei Feisen hurried up to meet you. His black armor was covered in smoke and dust, but his expression was extremely excited.]

["Wanwan, you're here." He habitually wanted to take your hand, but in the full view of everyone, he forcibly restrained himself, changing it to a cupped-fist salute instead. He lowered his voice and said with a smile as if asking for credit, "I have already sent death soldiers in to check. There are no mechanisms or traps inside. Don't worry, I covered them with three layers of black cloth; no one saw what was inside."]

[You took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the excitement that was almost leaping out of your chest.]

["Well done." You nodded and gave him an approving look.]

[Just these three words swept away the gloom in Wei Feisen's eyes, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.]

[You walked toward the Immortal Cave, and Wei Feisen, pressing his hand on the hilt of his sword, naturally lifted his foot to follow.]

[At this moment, you suddenly turned around, your cold gaze sweeping across the scene, "No one is allowed to enter except me. Those who disobey will be executed."]

[The surrounding commanders trembled, immediately burying their heads deep: "Understood!"]

[Wei Feisen's footsteps froze in place. The smile on his face stiffened slightly, and a flash of instinctive depression and irritation flickered in the depths of his eyes.]

[But looking at your bright yellow Dragon robe, and remembering your words "we will get married" in the mist of the side hall, he took a deep breath and suppressed that violent impulse.]

["Alright." Wei Feisen stepped back half a step and drew the long sword at his waist with a backhand motion, "I will guard the door. Whoever dares to come within half a step, I will chop them to pieces."]

[He comforted himself: Wanwan is just too excited. When she finishes looking, she will definitely share the things inside with me. After all, we are about to become husband and wife.]

[You did not look at him again and turned to step into the dark Immortal Cave.]

[Crossing the shattered stone gate, the scene before you suddenly opened up.]

[The Immortal Cave was not large, only about the size of half a basketball court. It did not have the golden splendor of an Immortal Cave as imagined; the four walls were simply carved from bluestone, exuding a sense of antiquity and deathly silence.]

[You swept your gaze quickly.]

[In the center of the Immortal Cave's floor was embedded a bronze Formation Plate the size of a millstone. The Formation Plate was engraved with complex and obscure patterns, and a circle of gray-white powder was scattered around it—the residue left after the Spirit Stone's Spiritual Qi was exhausted. Clearly, this was the source of the Formation that had blocked the artillery for three months.]

[On the left was a simple bluestone bed.]

[Directly in front, three waist-high stone platforms stood side by side.]

[You lightened your footsteps and walked to the stone bed.]

[The bed was empty; there were no corpses or skeletons, only a vintage, blue-gray Daoist robe laid flat on the stone surface.]

[You frowned slightly. Where did the body go? Could it be that so much time had passed that even the bones had completely weathered into dust? Yet this Daoist robe remained intact, without even a single wrinkle.]

[You did not rashly touch the Daoist robe and turned your gaze to the three stone platforms directly in front.]

[You walked to the first stone platform.]

[Resting quietly on it was a small booklet sewn from unknown animal hide. Having weathered the years, the animal hide still emitted a faint luster.]

[On the cover, four characters were written in the ancient seal script of Great Qing: "qingling notes".]

[Your heart jumped suddenly, and your breathing became heavy in an instant. The characters of Great Qing! You could read them!]

[This was clearly a journal or common knowledge recorded by Master Qingling himself. For a Mortal who was completely in the dark about the Cultivation World, the value of this item even surpassed that of top-tier martial arts techniques!]

[You carefully opened the first page.]

["My name is Tao Wuji, Daoist name Qingling. I have cultivated for two hundred and forty years, finally trapped by my Lifespan, and I am passing away in this land of sparse Spiritual Qi. I leave this journal to those who are fated..."]

[You quickly skipped over the opening sentiments and scanned the main text with thirst and hunger.]

[The first half of the journal provided a detailed introduction to common knowledge about a Cultivation World called the "Nanxuan Region." There, Sects were numerous, Cultivation families were deeply intertwined, Mortals were like ants, and Immortal Cultivators were high and mighty, monopolizing all the spiritual mountains, rivers, and Cultivation resources.]

[Immediately following this was the introduction to the Cultivation Realm that you desired most.]

["The path of immortality is difficult, with every step a chasm. I exhausted my whole life and only managed to catch a glimpse of the first four Realms: Aperture Opening, Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Purple Mansion."]

[Your eyes lit up, and you began to read word by word.]

["The first Realm, Aperture Opening: there are nine hidden spiritual apertures in a Mortal's body that must be flushed with Spiritual Qi to open them one by one. Those who open their spiritual apertures can initially sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, possess strength exceeding a thousand catties, and have a Lifespan that can reach one hundred and twenty years."]

["The second Realm, Qi Refining: the nine apertures merge into one, connecting the eight extraordinary meridians, and drawing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into the Dantian. In this Realm, one can cast Spells and command low-level Magical Artifacts. It is divided into one to nine levels, and at the Peak of Qi Refining, one's Lifespan can reach two hundred years."]

[You nodded to yourself. The Aperture Opening Realm and the Qi Refining Realm were not much different from the cultivation novels you read in your previous life, except for the addition of an Aperture Opening Realm before Qi Refining to lay the foundation, which fit the rigorous power system of this world.]

[You turned to the next page, your gaze landing on the two characters "Foundation Establishment".]

[After just one look, your brows furrowed deeply.]

["Foundation Establishment is the foundation of the Dao. Breaking through to Foundation Establishment in this world is no small matter. Not only does it require taking a Foundation Establishment Pill and forcibly passing through the three barriers of blood and Qi, liquefying spiritual power, and solidifying the Divine Sense, but it also requires the Fusion of a 'source fruit' at the final moment."]

["source fruit?" You stared fixedly at these two words, your mind recalling the scene from your previous simulation where the Ziyu Li Family was searching for the "xiaoyang source fruit".]