186: Chapter 186 Unraveling the Secret

The days of confinement passed faster than Li Changsheng had imagined.

Deep within the mine, there was no distinction between day and night.

There was only that dim yellow oil lamp and the unchanging clinking sounds. However, he did not find it difficult to endure.

On the contrary, this rare tranquility allowed him to devote himself entirely to his cultivation.

On the seventh day after Su Qianxue left, he discovered an anomaly.

It was at the deepest part of the mine, behind a massive rock.

There was a natural fissure there, so narrow that one could only pass through sideways.

He had discovered it by accident, but when he squeezed through that crack, the sight before him left him stunned.

It was a naturally formed underground space, roughly three zhang square.

Countless tiny Crystals were embedded in the surrounding rock walls, emitting a faint fluorescence.

And what shocked him most was that the concentration of Spiritual Qi here was at least ten times that of the outside!

"This is..."

He took a deep breath, feeling a thick surge of Spiritual Qi pour into his lungs, instantly refreshing his entire being.

To think such a treasure land existed deep within the ore vein!

Without overthinking, he immediately sat cross-legged and began to Cultivate.

In the days that followed, he spent almost every day in that spiritual land.

He would Cultivate by day, attempt to crack the Jade Slip by night, and occasionally lie beneath those Crystals in a daze when he was tired.

His days were monotonous yet fulfilling, and his cultivation level steadily rose without him even noticing.

A month later, he reached Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Perfection; it was time to charge toward the Foundation Establishment Late-Stage.

Three months later, the Bottleneck began to loosen.

Several days later, as he was cultivating cross-legged, he suddenly felt a throb in his Dantian.

That throbbing grew stronger and stronger, as if something was brewing.

He opened his eyes and took a deep breath, knowing the moment for a Breakthrough had arrived.

He closed his eyes and sank his entire consciousness into his Dantian.

Spiritual power surged wildly within his body, battering against that invisible barrier.

Once, twice, three times...

Every impact was accompanied by a tearing pain.

He gritted his teeth and held his mind firm, refusing to let any stray thoughts intrude.

He remembered many things.

He remembered Zhou Yuan's gaze before death, Elder Li Ran's figure as he sacrificed himself, the Jinyang Sect Disciples lying in pools of blood, and True Lord Three Swords' words: "Guard your own heart."

He also remembered every step he had taken on this journey.

From Qinghe Town to the Qinglan Sword Sect, from the General Affairs Hall to becoming an Inner Sect Disciple, from the Qi Refining Stage to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

Every Breakthrough had been earned with sweat, blood, and tears.

This time was no different.

He didn't know how much time had passed—it might have been an instant, or perhaps an entire day.

With a loud boom, that barrier finally shattered.

An unprecedented surge of powerful strength erupted from his Dantian, flowing through his entire body.

Foundation Establishment Late-Stage.

Li Changsheng opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them.

He looked down at his hands, feeling the surging power within him, and a faint smile touched the corners of his mouth.

Finally, a Breakthrough.

He stood up and walked to the edge of the spiritual land, gazing at those shimmering Crystals.

Six months to go from the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage to the Late Stage.

If word of such speed got out, no one would likely believe it.

But he knew this wasn't luck.

This was what he had traded countless days and nights of bitter cultivation for.

He took a deep breath, looking at the Crystals.

"These remaining Crystals still contain ample spiritual power. I can dig them up to set up a small cultivation area to increase my cultivation speed."

No sooner said than done.

In a short while, Li Changsheng used his sword to hack off the entire surface layer of Crystals and placed them into his Storage Pouch.

Returning to his quarters in the mine, Li Changsheng took out that Jade Slip from the Blood Fiend Sect.

After his Breakthrough, his spiritual power was several times stronger than before.

Perhaps now he could crack that Restriction.

He held the Jade Slip in his palm and slowly injected his spiritual power.

This time, the Restriction did not rebound violently as before; instead, it trembled slightly.

It was working!

He felt a surge of joy and increased his spiritual power output.

The Restriction's trembling became more and more intense, as if it would shatter at any moment.

Li Changsheng gritted his teeth and poured all his spiritual power into it.

Finally.

Crack!

With a faint, crisp sound, a crack appeared on the Restriction.

Then a second, a third...

The cracks spread like a spiderweb until it finally shattered completely!

Li Changsheng opened his eyes and looked at the Jade Slip in his hand.

The light on the surface of the Jade Slip had dissipated, revealing the contents within.

It was dense text, carved in an ancient script.

He carefully identified the words, finally recognizing a few fragments:

"...Ling Cang... poisoning... framing... Blood Fiend Sect... corruption..."

His pupils suddenly constricted.

Poisoning?

Framing?

Ling Cang?

He continued reading downward, but the text that followed was even more blurred, as if it had been deliberately erased.

Vaguely, he could only see a few words.

"...truth... cannot be spoken... await the opportunity..."

The contents of the Jade Slip ended there.

Li Changsheng held the Jade Slip, remaining motionless for a long time.

Poisoning. Framing.

The fall of the Blood Fiend Sect was no accident.

It was orchestrated.

Was it Ling Cang's doing?

He remembered Elder Li Ran's dying words, the look on True Lord Three Swords' face when he saw the Jade Slip fragments, and Zhao Kun's bizarre behavior of collecting Blood Fiend Sect relics on the battlefield.

A massive web was gradually taking shape in his mind.

He had to find True Lord Three Swords and get a clear answer.

The next day, he decided to explore the depths of the ore vein.

Since such a spiritual land existed here, there might be other secrets.

He continued deeper along the mine tunnel. After walking for about half an hour, a stone door suddenly appeared ahead.

The stone door was half-ajar, covered in dense carvings of runes.

He had seen those runes before.

On the Stone Tablet at Jingxin Cliff.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Behind the door was a small Stone Chamber. It was empty except for a Stone Tablet standing in the center.

That Stone Tablet was exactly the same as the one at Jingxin Cliff.

The runes on it were also identical.

He approached the Stone Tablet and reached out to gently touch the carvings.

The moment his fingertips touched the stone wall, a strange sensation flooded his heart.

That feeling was ancient and desolate, as if it had traveled through a thousand years of time, resonating with the Stone Tablet at Jingxin Cliff.

What exactly were these runes?

What was their connection to the Blood Fiend Sect? And what was their connection to the Qinglan Sword Sect?

He didn't know.

But he knew that there must be an answer to all of this.

And that answer lay with True Lord Three Swords.

He took a deep breath. Once his confinement ended, he would go to True Lord Three Swords and find out the truth.