Finally, Luo Ming stepped inside the Main Treasury, following closely behind High Elder Qisi.
The moment they did, the door behind them slammed shut with a loud bang, making the ground feel as though it were writhing beneath them.
Luo Ming nearly lost his footing, only avoiding an embarrassing stumble by using his arms to correct his balance.
"Follow closely behind me." High Elder Qisi said, glancing back at him over her left shoulder, "Step where I step, and only where I step. One wrong step, and the formations will kill you."
He frowned immediately, feeling the terrible danger surrounding him. The darkness itself smelled wrong, so wrong that Luo Ming felt it pressing against his skin, as if trying to seep inside his body.
It was eerie. And he hated it.
But he pushed his feelings aside and focused on his path.
He could only see through the darkness thanks to the lamp in High Elder Qisi’s hand, where a blue flame burned without a single flicker.
There was no wind around him.
’How am I even breathing, then?’ Luo Ming swallowed hard, realizing just how truly he was in another world, one with real power.
Already, he was eager to return and keep cultivating, to learn more about the powers of this world called Pengu.
"Isn’t all of this...a bit much?" Luo Ming finally spoke, looking down to make sure he was stepping exactly where she had.
It was easier because High Elder Qisi used her Qi to make her footprints visible to the naked eye.
Her control was outstanding.
"A bit much?" Qisi clicked her tongue, "Should I remind you that this is our Main Treasury, Luo Ming? This is where the artifacts, the pills, the formations, and...the Rare Martial Arts, Concepts, and Cultivation Techniques — the best and the most exotic — are stored. It wouldn’t be wrong to call this one of the foundations of our clan. And the fact that you’re here..."
She glanced at him again,
"...is thanks to me. Don’t forget that."
"I would’ve said it’s because you feel bad about my situation, but I suppose your version works too."
High Elder Qisi’s lips twitched, but she decided not to waste any more time on Luo Ming.
She was starting to learn that he always had a comeback ready, and his tongue had a maddening ability to knock her off balance.
’It would be such a shame to blast his face off with my Martial Concept. Maybe I should destroy his body and leave only the face?’ Luo Qisi thought absently, before her eyes widened in startled shock, catching herself slipping into dark thoughts again.
She pressed her lips together, gripping the lamp tighter,
’I’m losing control more and more lately. I need to find a way to purge these thoughts staining my Dao Tree. Should I visit the Temple of Abstinence?’
She had never liked those bastards. But their methods might actually help her.
’Heavens have mercy.’ She muttered inwardly, then finally came to a stop.
Behind her, Luo Ming did the same, mimicking her. He tilted his head, looking around and seeing nothing but the same darkness, wondering why the High Elder had stopped.
That question was answered before he could voice it, as the darkness melted away like ink dissolving in water, revealing a wide, high-ceilinged room lined with tall, dark shelves.
The ceiling stretched high above, gray, with the symbol of the Luo Clan — a screeching black raven with red eyes — neatly inscribed on it in jade.
Luo Ming sucked in a breath of amazement, taking in the countless books on the shelves, the boxes of pills, and the artifacts.
The air smelled of aged books and the residual scent of alchemical pills layered upon each other, forming a scent Luo Ming couldn’t quite describe, yet found oddly pleasant.
It looked exactly like a treasury. A luxurious one.
"You may choose two of everything here." High Elder Qisi said, interrupting his daze, "and you have exactly ten minutes. After that, we’ll be automatically teleported out of the Main Treasury through the formation."
"Ten minutes is hardly enough to properly look through all of this and choose, High Elder."
She smiled coldly behind her veil, "That’s exactly the point. And the countdown has already begun."
Luo Ming didn’t bother arguing further. He’d already thought through what he needed in that moment.
Most of all, he needed information about the world and everything that made it up. On top of that, a way to grow stronger faster, but with a solid foundation.
He could achieve that through Martial Arts, Cultivation techniques, or special artifacts and pills.
With that in mind, he headed straight for the books and activated his Soul Record.
Everywhere his eyes swept, Luo Ming saw panels pop up, explaining the items before him.
Some descriptions were detailed, others just a single line, making it easy to tell the strong from the weak.
Yet he didn’t choose any of them.
He passed over cultivation techniques like the Heavenly Star Technique, the Law of Absorption, and various others without picking any.
None of it was what he was looking for. They were either riddled with prerequisites, or simply incomplete.
There were also Martial Arts, which he noticed were distinct from Martial Concepts.
Martial Arts were techniques without attributes — pure Qi — that anyone below the Ironbark rank could learn.
Only at Ironbark could one learn Martial Concepts, which were tied to affinities like Fire, Lightning, and other unique elements.
Luo Ming found this strange and asked High Elder Qisi why.
"It’s obvious." She said with condescension, "Only at Ironbark do you unlock your affinity and your Dao Marks. So don’t bother with Martial Concepts. You don’t even know your fighting style yet, let alone enough to understand one."
Luo Ming simply nodded. It hadn’t been his intention to choose one anyway.
He continued his search, moving faster now as time slipped away, and turned his attention to where the artifacts were kept.
His silver eyes darted relentlessly across every shelf, trying to take in each item. All he wanted was something that could be truly useful for his current situation.
’Come on, Heavens, or whoever governs this damn world! Give me something, will you? Just one—!’
His relentless pleading came to a sudden halt when his eyes landed on an object.
An artifact. A silver ring, set with strange, deeply twisted runic inscriptions carved into a small white crystal.
Luo Ming’s eyes narrowed, reading the description that appeared via Soul Record.
[Lost Ring of Pengu]
[Rank: Unranked.]
[Description: To most, this ring appears to be nothing more than a strange artifact that helps its wearer avoid ever getting lost in life. However, to the one who cracks open the crystal and binds it to their Origin Blood, it will become their greatest treasure.]
’Oh my,’ Luo Ming exclaimed, staring at the ring intently, ’Did the Heavens actually answer my prayer?’
No matter how many times he looked at it, Luo Ming felt certain he’d found exactly what he wanted.
"You have three minutes left." High Elder Qisi spoke again, adding to his sense of urgency.
’Okay, Luo Ming, you only got the Soul Record yesterday, but since when has it ever lied to you? Never! At least, I don’t think so! But the point is, it’s your most trustworthy companion here! Trust it!’
And trust his Soulblade, he did.
Taking a leap of faith, he grasped the ring and instantly felt how strangely cold it was. Far too cold.
Cold like pure frost.
Still, he ignored the sensation and tucked it into the pocket of his robe. He snapped his head around, searching for one more thing to take before time ran out.
"Two minutes."
"Slow down, please!"
He hurried forward, appraising items, then clicked his tongue.
"One minute." High Elder Qisi said after another minute passed, clearly enjoying Luo Ming’s desperate expression.
In the end, knowing he’d hardly have time to find something he truly wanted, Luo Ming decided to simply take whatever caught his eye.
He wasn’t about to leave empty-handed after what he’d been promised.
’If it’s not useful, I can just sell it later!’
With that, he turned toward the box of pills and picked one that was entirely black, marked with slithering, hissing snake patterns all over it.
Instinctively, he reached out and grasped the black box. And then...
"Time’s up."
Without any warning, Luo Ming and High Elder Qisi vanished from the Main Treasury as a teleportation formation flared beneath them, depositing them back just outside the closed door.
The teleportation was so abrupt and sudden that Luo Ming found himself slamming hard onto the ground.
He swallowed a curse and winced in pain, rubbing his backside.
Qisi stood in front of him, unbothered, looking down at him through her veil,
"Luo Ming, this marks the end of your company."
"Was I pleasant company?"
"The most unpleasant I’ve ever endured."
"I appreciate the honesty."
"Tsk."
—End of Chapter 14—