156: The Second Cave

As Candle Kite's voice fell, Qin Jin's gaze narrowed.

The mere phrase "top secret" already represented a wealth of information.

As the artificial intelligence in charge of Wu Yuan, Candle Kite possessed extremely high authority, yet even she couldn't obtain clearer information, highlighting the importance of this matter.

Thoughts flashed through his mind as Qin Jin formed a vague guess. He nodded and said, "I understand."

"The message conveyed that they will come to pick you up at ten o'clock in the morning, five days from now."

"At that time, Qin Jin, you can just head directly to the docking area inside the academy."

"Mhm."

"If anything comes up, you can contact me at any time."

After leaving those final words, Candle Kite's Clone faded away.

The barrier around Qin Jin dissipated. He scanned his surroundings and continued walking toward the dormitory.

As a student of Wu Yuan, there were only a handful of matters that could bypass the academy to find him.

In Qin Jin's view, among the people he was involved with, only two could merit a "top secret" classification that even Wu Yuan's AI couldn't access.

The first was His Excellency the Star God from his hometown.

However, the Star God's main body was in a deep slumber, and Wu Yuan knew of his origins. If he wanted to contact Qin Jin, there was no need for such a complicated method.

Thus, only one candidate remained for this top-secret matter.

The Gui Xu Martial God!

Qin Jin's figure receded... At the same time.

Inside the academy docking area.

Accompanied by a roar, a starship landed. On one side of the ship was a peculiar emblem—what looked like a stick figure trapped inside a Möbius strip.

Two figures stepped down from the starship.

A man and a woman, both wearing the same uniform with a badge matching the starship's emblem on their chests.

Ahead, Candle Kite's Clone had already appeared and was waiting quietly.

The two didn't say much and followed Candle Kite onto a transport vehicle.

In the vehicle, the woman looked back at the other person. "Do you think Wu Yuan will let anyone go to participate?"

"Whether they let them go or not, we have to try. After all, using the Civilization Ruins for this Po Xian Cup was inherently a potential selection process. Now that the most outstanding talent has been found, we can't just ignore him."

The man's voice replied.

The two didn't avoid Candle Kite; in fact, it seemed they were speaking for her benefit.

After a pause, the man continued, "The higher-ups have agreed that if Wu Yuan is willing to release him, then Wu Yuan will also be allowed to participate. The upcoming opening of that ancient civilization ruin will also become a Wu Yuan Academy mission, and Wu Yuan can arrange the other candidates themselves."

Hearing this.

The woman's eyes narrowed slightly.

She weighed her words. "The higher-ups are willing to pay such a high price? Although the risk is not small, the value inside..."

"Of course."

"When facing a mountain of treasure that can't be extracted, the priority is to get the items out first."

"As for who gets the first bucket of gold, that's secondary. After all, we all belong to the Federation."

Having said this, the two fell silent and spoke no more.

Led by Candle Kite, the two took the vehicle deep into the academy, finally arriving outside an office.

They pushed the door open and entered.

Inside, a figure was already waiting.

It was a woman in casual clothes with a mature, elegant face. She was currently at her desk, scrolling through a light screen, seemingly processing documents.

Upon seeing her, the man who had arrived looked solemn and said respectfully, "Lin Xishi from the Ancient Civilization Exploration and Development Headquarters, greetings to Vice Principal Fang."

Vice Principal Fang.

In the current term of Wu Yuan Academy, there was one Principal and three Vice Principals.

The mature woman before them was one of them, Wu Yuan's Vice Principal, Fang Hanmei.

Hearing the voice, Fang Hanmei waved her hand, and the light screen vanished. She looked up at the two, her voice steady and pleasant: "I already know the purpose of your visit."

"Wu Yuan will not agree to this cooperation."

As her voice fell, both the man and woman showed looks of surprise. Lin Xishi's thoughts raced as he quickly asked, "Why?"

"Our department has had many successful collaborations with Wu Yuan. Principal Fang, you should be able to see our sincerity this time."

"For this Po Xian Cup, the Director even brought out the department's private collection specifically for this selection. Principal Fang, you must have known this for a long time."

"Principal Fang, can you give me a reason? I need to give an account to my superiors when I return."

Hearing his words, Fang Hanmei's expression remained unchanged as she calmly uttered two words.

"Insufficient."

Her voice was calm. "Everyone has their own responsibilities. To you, cracking an ancient civilization's legacy site is a success, worth any sacrifice."

"But our Wu Yuan is a place for cultivating Martial Artists."

"The academy deems the risk factor of this operation too high, making it unsuitable for an academy mission. Therefore, we decline this cooperation."

"Those are my exact words. When you go back, you can relay them directly to your superior."

"Please leave."

After saying those final words, Fang Hanmei lowered her head and continued browsing her files.

Lin Xishi wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent. He followed Candle Kite and turned to leave.

They walked out of the building.

The woman looked at him, her brows furrowed. "Wu Yuan actually refused outright."

"They should have seen all the relevant data. The ruins involved this time, according to previous assessments, belonged to a former overlord-level civilization. Its value is immeasurable."

"Don't Wu Yuan's academy missions already carry danger? I heard there's even a fixed quota of sacrifices every year."

Hearing this, Lin Xishi looked at her and shook his head. "You only know half the story."

"Wu Yuan's academy missions do indeed harbor danger, but the preparations are equally thorough. Very few actually lose their lives."

"Exploring ancient Civilization Ruins is different; everything is unknown. They likely rejected us based on that consideration."

"But in the past, Wu Yuan has collaborated with us in this area."

The woman said quickly.

"Then that's the second reason."

Lin Xishi shook his head and said solemnly, "Don't forget who we came here for."

"We came to Wu Yuan because we discovered a good prospect in the Po Xian Cup's hidden selection."

"But looking at it now..."

"In the eyes of Wu Yuan's higher-ups, Qin Jin—the champion of the Po Xian Cup—and several other Genius students are of greater importance than the treasures within an ancient civilization. They are likely unwilling to let them take this risk, which is why they refused."

...The Great Wilderness.

Qin Jin sat cross-legged inside the cockpit of the azure lightning dark halberd.

With the end of the term approaching, academy classes had lightened up significantly, giving Qin Jin more time to cultivate in The Great Wilderness.

Currently.

Inside the Spirit Ruins, the Enlightenment Grotto-Heaven stood tall. Compared to when it first formed, the grotto-heaven had grown, surrounded by swirling clouds. The four characters for [Enlightenment Grotto-Heaven] radiated light, truly giving it the feel of an immortal realm.

Qin Jin devoted himself entirely to cultivation. Behind him, the Secret Treasury scenery appeared. The Fire God and Reze within the Spirit Ruins both acted in supporting roles, aiding his cultivation and consolidating the grotto-heaven.

At a certain moment.

The name of the grotto-heaven shone brilliantly, and a sense of Perfection flooded his heart.

Enlightenment Grotto-Heaven, Perfection!

Cultivation within the Spirit Ruins was unlike any other. After the Enlightenment Grotto-Heaven formed, the Spirit Ruins were constantly being consolidated. Even during academy classes, the Spirit Ruins cultivation never ceased. This grotto-heaven could be called extraordinary, and now... the first grotto-heaven had finally reached Perfection.

Exhaling a long breath, a sense of fulfillment rose within Qin Jin.

Both the Heavenly Azure Method and his Martial Dao had reached the threshold of a Breakthrough.

"Perfect. I'll complete the Breakthrough before going to see what 'top secret' matter Candle Kite mentioned."

With a thought, Qin Jin opened his eyes. He took out two items, which hovered before him, enveloped in Original Power.

The seed of termination and the core of origin star.

These were the treasures he had shortlisted as candidates for his Grotto-Heaven Divine Object.

Sinking his mind, Qin Jin looked toward the Ling Xu Fire God.

One out of three.

Thoughts flashed through his mind.

"The Fire God is destined to be one of the Grotto-Heaven Divine Objects, but it can be placed later in the sequence."

"With the Fire God situated in the Spirit Ruins, it can provide me with a buff. Moreover, according to the information in the Carefree View of Fire Mystic Scroll, as I continue to nourish this Ling Xu Fire God and let it grow, using it as a Foundation to shape a grotto-heaven will become increasingly smooth. The stronger the Fire God, the faster that grotto-heaven will grow in the future."

"Given that there are other options, I can completely continue to nurture it for later use."

"That leaves two choices."

Qin Jin's gaze turned toward the objects in front of him.

This wasn't his first time shaping a grotto-heaven, so he had some understanding and made a deduction.

"Opening a grotto-heaven with the core of origin star should be somewhat simpler."

"In comparison, opening a grotto-heaven with the seed of termination might harbor some danger."

A Breakthrough into the Cave Heaven Realm wasn't always smooth sailing. Divine objects could contain hidden powers that, once they erupted, had to be completely subdued and dissipated before the next step could be taken.

"When subduing and refining the seed of termination, the dormant power inside might erupt, posing a danger."

"However, this is also an Opportunity."

"Contending with the power contained within a divine object while opening a grotto-heaven is a form of tempering for both the Spirit Ruins and oneself. Often, the grotto-heavens created from such divine objects produce Treasure Techniques with even greater killing power."

"Furthermore, the seed of termination is a Visualization Object. If successful, the combination of the Heavenly Azure Method and Martial Dao within me can go a step further."

"This is the one."

Qin Jin made his decision.

He was never one for hesitation. Once the thought arose, he put away the core of origin star. Enveloping the seed of termination with his own power, it turned into a streak of light and entered the Spirit Ruins.

Qin Jin breathed steadily. During the process, he activated his Power Of Will. A thick mist of Power Of Will swirled around him and the azure lightning dark halberd, extremely abundant.

The Si Huo Tribe continued to grow and expand, but Qin Jin himself was also constantly improving. He was using his own means more often, so the consumption of Power Of Will was minimal. It had been accumulating and could be considered one of his deepest trump cards.

Now, surrounded by Power Of Will, he could initiate healing the moment any accident occurred.

After making all the preparations, Qin Jin closed his eyes.

His mind didn't sink into the Spirit Ruins. Instead, with a slight movement of his will, the Original Power surging within his body began to vibrate!

Amidst the vibrations, the Original Power poured out from his body in strands and layers, covering Qin Jin to form a light cocoon—an external protection during his transformation.

The cocoon formed.

His third transformation officially began at this moment.

An Innate transformation occurs spontaneously and doesn't require control. Because of this, Qin Jin had the idea of breaking through two realms simultaneously. As the sensation of transformation washed over him, Qin Jin's mind became increasingly clear, and he sank directly into the Spirit Ruins.

Within the Spirit Ruins, spiritual power surged in waves.

High in the center, the seed of termination hovered, standing there quietly without any movement.

The power within it was silent and stable, which was why it could be offered as a reward by the Dengxing Arena.

If it were too active, a Congenital Realm Martial Artist might suffer an accident while trying to visualize it.

As the thought flashed through his mind...

Above and below the sky of the Spirit Ruins, spiritual energy converged in the void, transforming into chains. One side connected to the Spirit Ruins, while the other swept toward the seed of termination.

The seed of termination did not move.

In an instant, the palm-sized seed of termination was wrapped in chains of spiritual energy, performing the act of subduing a divine object.

However, the seed of termination remained very quiet, seemingly without the slightest intention of escaping.

"This seed of termination is a bit too stable."

"Extraordinary items produced from the Star Sea are still somewhat different from the divine objects within the The Great Wilderness."

The thought flickered past.

Qin Jin did not lower his guard. The chains remained, and at this moment, his Secret Treasury was activated. With the Enlightenment Treasure Art augmenting him, his mind became clear to the extreme. In this instant, the Spirit Ruins began to tremble.

When opening the first grotto-heaven, he had used the Spirit Ruins as a furnace, transforming fire to melt the divine object.

But now, having practiced the Legacy Scripture from the Tiancang Immortal Dynasty, he had a more efficient and effective method!

His mind sank in. At this moment, Qin Jin's spirit projected into the Ling Xu Fire God, and he suddenly opened his eyes.

In an instant, his perspective expanded, as if he were looking into the distance from a high vantage point.

The Fire God stood tall in the Spirit Ruins. Under Qin Jin's control, it strode forward within the Spirit Ruins, reaching out to grasp the void with each step.

At the far end of the Spirit Ruins.

The Reze shook.

Thunder roared as rampaging lightning surged from within the Reze, transforming into the forms of various Divine Beasts. They galloped together, howling as they rushed toward the Fire God's hand.

Thunder falls into fire.

The moment it fell into the Fire God's hand, the lightning evolved, first forming a handle, then extending and expanding, drawing in spiritual energy from the Spirit Ruins. Within just a few breaths, the lightning transformed into a giant hammer held in the Fire God's hand.

The hammer swung lightly, producing a thunderous sound.

Qin Jin became the Fire God, wielding the thunder hammer. Flames intertwined, climbing up the handle. At this moment, thunder and fire fused together.

Looking closely, Divine Beasts evolved from lightning were vying to emerge from the hammer, their heads crowded together on the hammerhead, looking quite ferocious.

Body turned to fire, hand wielding the hammer.

Qin Jin's spirit looked toward the seed of termination bound by the spiritual energy chains. The giant hammer was raised and then crashed down!

The hammer fell!

Boom!

Under the impact of the power, a spiritual energy storm erupted within the Spirit Ruins, its aftershocks rippling in all directions. However, with the level Qin Jin had reached in his cultivation, his Spirit Ruins Dao Foundation was incredibly resilient and easily withstood it.

With one strike, the soft light enveloping the exterior of the seed of termination shattered.

Qin Jin did not stop; the second strike fell.

Boom.

With the second strike, cracks appeared on the seed of termination.

The third strike followed immediately after.

As this strike fell, under Qin Jin's watch, this remnant left behind by a shattered star completely split apart and exploded.

The moment it shattered, a blood-colored power emerged from its position, constantly pouring out and expanding into the surroundings.

To be precise, this power was not blood-colored, but in Qin Jin's perception, it manifested as such. This was likely because, in Qin Jin's own heart, he believed blood-red represented abnormality, pain, and terror.

The moment the blood-red color emerged, fragmented images suddenly flashed across Qin Jin's spiritual plane.

Those images were broken and incomplete. Some reflected the Star Sea, some showed the interior of a planet, and others displayed peculiar sights within a world: a giant egg suspended in the sky, blotting out the sun.

The final scene of these fragmented images was the giant egg shattering, yet nothing was born. The planet turned to dust in a massive explosion.

The various images were inexplicable.

But Qin Jin understood everything.

That was precisely the origin of the seed of termination.

A planet that had failed to give birth to a Star God and was itself destroyed.

Everything happened in an instant. While the fragmented images continued to flash, Qin Jin's spirit had already completely immersed itself in cultivation. As the blood-colored power spread, it seemed to contain resentment, dissolving Qin Jin's spiritual energy and corroding everything around it. The giant hammer in Qin Jin's hand had not dissipated; now, power gathered, and another strike fell, smashing into the void.

This scene was like forging a weapon.

With one strike, the blood-red color diminished.

Qin Jin did not stop. The giant hammer continued to fall, and the surrounding spiritual energy converged, restricting the blood-colored power to a certain area so it could not spread further.

With every strike that fell...

...that blood-red color grew a bit fainter.

If one were to describe this blood-red color, it would be... the slight resentment left behind by that Star God who had failed to be born, which was now being continuously worn away.

Within the Spirit Ruins, the Fire God held the hammer and dispelled the resentment.

Through continuous hammering, the blood-red color became increasingly thin, and the power erupting from the seed of termination gradually turned transparent.

This power was extremely peculiar. In Qin Jin's perception, it held a sense of new life, yet also an intent of destruction.

The birth of a Star God is a supreme Opportunity for a planet's ascension. But as it was about to manifest, it met with destruction, and everything came to naught, resulting in a creation like the seed of termination.

It was named after termination, but was this not also a new beginning?

With another strike, that power became completely pure.

Compared to when he broke through to the first grotto-heaven, his efficiency had greatly improved; this was the effect of an extraordinary true scripture.

The scene of the Fire God wielding the hammer was the manifestation of power control into a tangible scenario.

Once it was no longer stained by the blood-red color, this power calmed down and remained quietly in place.

With a calm mind, Qin Jin surrounded this peculiar power with his own and moved it within the Spirit Ruins.

This time, he chose the west, facing the Enlightenment Grotto-Heaven across the east and west.

Using intent as the brush and power as the ink, he began to write.

During the writing process, a steady stream of assistance came from the Fire God and the Reze.

A ten-thousand-foot building rises from the ground. Within the Spirit Ruins, a new grotto-heaven established a solid Foundation and rose tall... In the outside world.

As the cultivation within the Spirit Ruins continued, his own transformation also persisted.

Outside the cocoon of light formed by the Original Power, another layer of spiritual energy cocoon had now formed. Within the Sacrificial Spirit Hall, the spiritual energy was incredibly dense.

That was the spiritual energy drawn from heaven and earth during his cultivation process. Most of it poured into the Spirit Ruins, while a small portion formed the cocoon.

At this moment.

Outside, within the Si Huo Tribe, as Qin Jin broke through, the wonders created by spiritual energy reappeared.

But the tribesmen of the Si Huo Tribe were not seeing this for the first time. The sounds of commotion were much fewer, but those tribesmen who truly understood the potential meaning of such an omen could not help but show joy on their faces.

Lord Sacrificial Spirit seemed to have made another Breakthrough.

For the entire Si Huo Tribe, this was a joyous occasion.

Near the hall.

Inside Shi Cang's residence, he was sitting cross-legged in his stone house, tempering his spirit using the method contained within the Fire God.

Just then.

With a flash of light, the figure of the wudao stele appeared.

After it appeared, the word 'Enlightenment' flickered. It looked out through the empty window of the stone house toward the direction of the Sacrificial Spirit Hall.

"I..."

"I seem to have a premonition that I am about to receive another repair."

...From day to night.

The Golden Crow fled far into the sky, and the The Great Wilderness fell into darkness, but the Si Huo Tribe was extremely bright, more brilliant than usual.

The source of it all was the Sacrificial Spirit Hall.

Looking from the outside, spiritual energy of various colors intertwined and poured into the hall. It was multi-colored and quite dreamlike.

Time passed.

At a certain moment, the spiritual energy pouring into the Sacrificial Spirit Hall seemed to diminish slightly.

At the same time.

Inside the hall, the azure lightning dark halberd was surrounded by spiritual energy and Power Of Will. Qin Jin's mind was deep within the Spirit Ruins, and at this moment, he sketched the final stroke.

In the west of the Spirit Ruins, a majestic grotto-heaven took shape, standing tall and echoing the Enlightenment Grotto-Heaven.

The second grotto-heaven!

From the outside, the color of this grotto-heaven was quite dark, looking instead like a Star Sea from another world, cascading down like a waterfall. Within this dark Star Sea, points of starlight would light up and dim from time to time.

Every once in a while, they would even gather together, then suddenly explode and fly to various parts of the grotto-heaven.

If one observed closely...

...one would find that these star points were exactly the shape of the seed of termination, but no longer solid—they were illusory.

It seemed that this grotto-heaven was constantly demonstrating the scene of a planet's destruction.

Qin Jin's spirit withdrew.

He did not stop his cultivation, but a part of his perception left his body at this moment, passing through the hall's dome and looking toward the night sky.

After a few breaths.

His spirit jolted: "It's here!"

In his perception, everything outside was reflected in his spirit. From the sky, a brilliant light shone, like the only faint starlight lighting up the sky of this eternal night. The radiance fell from the heavens, descending continuously until it reached the Si Huo Tribe.

Qin Jin was no stranger to this scene.

Heaven and Earth Bestowing a Name!

When a grotto-heaven takes shape, Heaven and Earth bestow a name upon it.

But seeing it again, and combining it with the information he knew, many thoughts arose in Qin Jin's heart.

"Is it this piece of heaven and earth above the The Great Wilderness that is bestowing a name upon me?"

"Or is it that the Mountain and River Divine Cauldron did not block this type of cultivation reward, and in fact, the one bestowing the name upon me is the true heaven and earth that has been repaired and ascended by the Immortal Dynasty, beyond those fragments of the divine cauldron?"

"It is precisely because of this that the wudao stele will receive repairs."

The thoughts flashed through his heart.

The radiance fell extremely fast, and in an instant, it plunged into the Si Huo Tribe and entered the Sacrificial Spirit Hall.

The radiance enveloped his body.

Qin Jin himself was still in a state of transformation. Under the shroud of this radiance, a subtle sensation suddenly came from his physical body.

At the same time.

That radiance had already entered the Spirit Ruins, shining upon the newly formed second grotto-heaven.

A sense of curiosity arose in Qin Jin's heart.

What kind of name would Heaven and Earth bestow upon the second grotto-heaven shaped by the seed of termination?

As the thought flashed, under the reflection of the divine light, ancient characters appeared on the Star Sea scene of the second grotto-heaven, arranged from top to bottom.

The first to be displayed were the characters for 'Grotto-Heaven'.

As the characters for 'Grotto-Heaven' formed, under Qin Jin's gaze, there seemed to be two positions left above them. At this moment, the divine light converged, and the ancient characters displayed were actually constantly changing.

The speed of change was extremely fast.

Qin Jin was silent for a moment.

"Is the Divine Light of Heaven and Earth thinking, deliberating?"

"Has it never seen a seed of termination before?"

The thoughts flashed through his heart.

After changing for several breaths...

...the ancient characters at the top froze. However, at a glance, the characters at the very top were illusory and transparent, while the others were all normal.

Qin Jin's expression turned slightly solemn as his perception fell upon them.

The true name of the second grotto-heaven... [Divine Advent Cave Heaven]