186: Chapter 186 Spirit Vein, Old Monster Tangtang

Chu Sheng returned to his stone hut, his backside barely touching the seat before a buzzing sound echoed in his mind.

It wasn't Old Grandfather—it was the wendao bell.

Ever since he refined that broken bell by ten percent, it had been like having a tracker installed in his head.

Usually silent, but every now and then it would emit a faint 'buzz,' as if reminding him.

Here. Come here.

Closing his eyes, Chu Sheng followed that sensation deeper.

Beneath Wendao Peak, deep, deep underground, at the convergence point of the Spiritual Veins.

Something was waiting for him there—or rather, that bell was guiding him toward it.

'Old man,' Chu Sheng opened his eyes, 'what lies beneath Wendao Peak?'

Old Grandfather drifted out from the ring, stroking his beard thoughtfully. 'The convergence point of the Spiritual Veins. The Foundation of Wendao Palace, the source of the Spiritual Veins of the thirty-six peaks.'

'I'm going,' Chu Sheng declared.

Old Grandfather glanced at him but didn't stop him.

He knew this brat's temper—there was no holding him back.

Wendao Peak was heavily guarded, its oppressive aura directly deterring Chu Sheng.

Chu Sheng spent the afternoon flipping through ancient texts in the Duty Hall, finally finding a line of fine print in a dust-covered 'Record of Wendao's Mountains and Waters.'

'Beneath the Sixth Peak lies an ancient mining tunnel connecting to the main vein. Abandoned. Entry strictly forbidden.'

Beneath the words 'Entry strictly forbidden,' someone had written another line in delicate, charming vermilion script: 'Trespassers bear the consequences, which may include severe punishment such as expulsion from the Sect.'

Closing the book, Chu Sheng thought, 'Expulsion? So be it. I'm here to leech, not to retire.'

That night, Chu Sheng changed into black attire and slipped out through the stone hut's window.

Old Grandfather remarked, 'What's the use of wearing black? A sweep of Divine Sense reveals everything.'

'It's for psychological comfort,' Chu Sheng replied.

Old Grandfather fell silent.

Unlike the towering grandeur of Wendao Peak, the Sixth Peak was steep, its Spiritual Qi dense as fog.

Chu Sheng skirted the foot of the mountain and finally discovered the mining tunnel entrance hidden behind a thicket of shrubs.

The entrance was blocked by a massive boulder, overgrown with moss, looking untouched for centuries.

Chu Sheng pushed the Taixu True Scripture to its limit, transforming into a phantom as he passed through the boulder.

The mining tunnel was narrow, barely wide enough for one person.

Chu Sheng descended deeper into the tunnel, the air growing colder with each step.

The Spiritual Qi grew denser, so thick that a single breath felt sweet in his lungs. He sensed he was nearing the main vein.

After walking for nearly half an hour, the tunnel abruptly widened.

Chu Sheng stood in a naturally formed underground cavern, facing a stone wall.

The wall was covered in densely packed runes, each glowing faintly with golden light.

Chu Sheng reached out to touch it. The moment his fingertip brushed the wall, a powerful recoil flung his hand back.

He shook his hand, wincing in pain.

Old Grandfather drifted out from the ring, studying the runes intently. 'This is an ancient Seal. The one who laid this formation must have been at least at the Dao Completion Realm.'

Chu Sheng paused. 'Dao Completion?'

Chu Sheng fell silent.

At his Sea Opening stage, even grazing the Seal was a struggle.

He summoned the zhu xian sword from his Dantian—a single blade—and cautiously prodded the stone wall.

The Sword Qi collided with the Seal.

The stone wall rippled faintly, the runes' glow shifting almost imperceptibly.

Withdrawing the sword, Chu Sheng thought, 'This thing is even harder than the wendao bell.'

As he pondered how to break the Seal—whether to unleash all four swords, though he hadn't mastered them yet and the commotion would be too great—a voice suddenly came from behind.

'What are you looking at?'

A cold sweat instantly broke out on Chu Sheng's back.

He whirled around, the zhu xian sword already in hand, Sword Qi poised to strike.

But when he saw the figure behind him, he froze completely.

A little girl, about seven or eight years old, was crouching in a corner of the mining tunnel.

She wore her hair in twin buns, dressed in a faded Daoist robe and cloth shoes with a hole in the toe, revealing her skin.

She held a candied hawthorn stick, licking it with relish, the syrup glinting red in the tunnel's faint light.

She stared at Chu Sheng with large, round eyes like black grapes, filled with curiosity.

Chu Sheng swept his Divine Sense over her—and felt nothing.

It wasn't that her cultivation was concealed; she simply had none.

Like an ordinary person—a seven- or eight-year-old girl—crouching in an abandoned mining tunnel deep beneath Wendao Peak, eating candied hawthorn.

Old Grandfather's voice exploded from the ring, trembling with unprecedented fear. 'Dao... Dao Completion Realm!'

Chu Sheng felt his heart skip a beat.

Dao Completion Realm.

The Realm of Wendao Palace's founding Ancestral Master.

The current Sect Master, Ye Cang, was only at Spirit Nurturing; Ye Gucheng was also at Spirit Nurturing; Feng Qingyang had just reached Palace Building.

And this little girl, who looked seven or eight, wore tattered cloth shoes, and ate candied hawthorn—was at the Dao Completion Realm?

Taking a deep breath, he sheathed the zhu xian sword and tried to keep his voice steady. 'Who are you?'

The girl tilted her head, bit off a hawthorn, and mumbled, 'I'm the Peak Master of the Sixth Peak. You can call me... Tangtang.'

Chu Sheng's lip twitched.

Sixth Peak Master? Dao Completion Realm? Eating candied hawthorn?

A thousand retorts swirled in his mind, but now was not the time.

Standing before him was an old monster at the Dao Completion Realm, someone who could crush him to dust with a single finger.

'I really regret not divining a hexagram to save that bit of lifespan.'

This time, he might end the simulation early without advancing a single Realm. That would be truly pathetic.

Tangtang pulled the candied hawthorn from her mouth, licking the syrup from her lips. 'I guard what's down there. You can't go.'

Chu Sheng asked what she guarded.

'The Spiritual Vein,' Tangtang said plainly. 'Wendao Palace's lifeline.'

Her tone was casual, but Chu Sheng could tell she wasn't joking.

As he pondered how to respond, Tangtang suddenly leaned closer.

Rising on her tiptoes, she sniffed at his chest.

Chu Sheng's heart leaped into his throat. The four swords of zhuxian in his Dantian surged, Sword Qi tightly wrapping his aura.

Tangtang sniffed again, wrinkled her nose, then stepped back and shook her head. 'Never mind. You're not a bad person. The wendao bell didn't speak ill of you, so I won't bother.'

She waved her hand.

Chu Sheng's vision blurred. The mining tunnel, stone wall, and runes vanished.

He found himself sitting at the entrance of his outer Sect stone hut, a sky full of stars overhead.

The night wind blew, cool and crisp, as if nothing had happened.

But Wendao Palace's profound depth only strengthened his resolve to leech.

'No. I'm bound to Wendao Palace. Not even the Heavenly Dao can stop me.'

'I'll find another chance to sneak in.'