Chapter 169: Dividing the Spoils_1
Back to his cave abode, Lin Tianming set aside all minor matters and started taking Qiuxing Fruit, wholeheartedly beginning his closed-door cultivation.
Time flew by, and a month had passed.
In the secret chamber, Lin Tianming, who was sitting on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes, shooting out a bright light.
"Exhilarating..."
Feeling the strength in his body increase yet again, his heart surged with excitement, full of praise for the effect of the Qiuxing Fruit.
Before this, he had been consolidating for almost two years, with extremely slow progress in his cultivation.
After a month of closed-door cultivation, he had refined two more Qiuxing Fruits, and the effects of cultivating with Qiuxing Fruit were surprisingly good, whether it was because he had consolidated for too long, or the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage was naturally not difficult to cultivate in.
At this moment, he was getting closer and closer to the Foundation Establishment Second Layer. If he were to cultivate in closed-door isolation for a long period and consume a large number of Qiuxing Fruits, he was confident he could break through to the Foundation Establishment Second Layer.
However, now was not the time for long-term closed-door cultivation. Today, Lin Shilu made a brief exit from his own cultivation retreat and specifically convened him to discuss sect affairs.
He stood up and left the secret chamber, appearing in the small courtyard.
Lin Shilu was already sitting in the courtyard waiting; he stepped forward and respectfully bowed, then the two of them took their seats.
Over the month, Lin Shilu's complexion had improved a lot, seemingly well on the way to recovery.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lin Shilu began speaking:
"My injuries have healed considerably, and now there are two important matters to address!"
Finished speaking, Lin Shilu took out a dark green storage bag, which belonged to Gu Tong, and casually tossed the storage bag to Lin Tianming, motioning him to do an inventory of the items within.
Lin Tianming received the storage bag, wiping away the remaining Divine Sense on it. He then extended his own Divine Sense to check the items inside.
He hadn't thought it important, but upon examination, he couldn't help but take in a sharp breath—they were so numerous that it was staggering to comprehend what Gu Tong must have done to accumulate such wealth.
Seeing the color rise to his cheeks, Lin Shilu quickly pressed him with questions.
Without beating around the bush, Lin Tianming upended the storage bag and poured out its most important contents.
In no time at all, a multitude of treasures—Spirit Stones, elixirs, Spiritual Medicine materials, and Artifact Refining materials—were spread out before them.
"What on earth did Gu Tong do, to have such an overwhelming collection of treasures on him?" Lin Shilu exclaimed with an agitated tone.
As Lin Tianming looked over the vast treasure, he began to tally them up, while Lin Shilu sat beside him taking notes.
"Thirty-one thousand two hundred and a bit Spirit Stones, one hundred and fifty bottles of First Order Elixir, thirty bottles of Second Order Pills."
Lin Tianming recited the quantity and type of the treasures, while Lin Shilu recorded them on a piece of Beast Skin.
"A combined total of several hundred First and Second Order Spiritual Medicine Materials, three pieces of Third Order Spirit Medicine Material, four Second Order Magical Artifacts, sixteen First Order Spiritual Tools..."
After half an hour, Lin Tianming and Lin Shilu had finally finished taking the inventory of Gu Tong's storage bag.
Looking at the quantity and types noted on the Beast Skin, they took another sharp breath.
There were simply too many treasures, with an estimated value of at least a hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
Included among the more valuable items were Third Order Spiritual Medicine, Second Order Magical Artifacts, various amounts of elixirs, as well as seven corpses of Demonic Beasts at the Second Order Initial Stage, and two bodies of Demonic Beasts at the Second Order Middle Stage, well-preserved enough for Artifact Refining and Talisman Making.
After inspecting the basic treasures, Lin Tianming and his companion turned their attention to the remaining three Jade Slips and one grey-brown Token.
"What is this?" Lin Shilu picked up the Token, a puzzled expression on his face, before something seemed to dawn on him.
"Tianming, doesn't this Token look similar to the Mysterious Moon Order you acquired several years ago?" Lin Shilu inquired.
Reminded by Lin Shilu, Lin Tianming took the Token and then opened his Eye of Five Colors to inspect it.
Looking at the familiar text inside the Token and the lifelike Spirit Beast patterns on its surface, Lin Tianming retrieved the first Token he had acquired and compared them side by side.
After comparison, he was certain it was indeed the Mysterious Moon Order he had obtained previously.
Fiddling with the two Orders, Lin Tianming said with a sense of frustration:
"Fifteenth Grandfather, it is indeed the Mysterious Moon Order, but the specific use of this Token is still unknown."
Hearing this, Lin Shilu started to reassure him.
"In the Cultivation World, many Secret Realms require either Bloodline Power or a Token to enter. Given how extraordinary this Mysterious Moon Order is, it must be one such item. Although we are not clear on which Secret Realm the Token belongs to, nor do we know the timing and requirements to activate it, it is undeniable that this item is invaluable. You must take good care of it."
"Besides, since Gu Tong died at our hands and we gained this Mysterious Moon Order, remember that this matter must not be disclosed. Forget the bounty offered by the Meng Family; you only need to inform Elder Wu and the others, so they are aware of the situation!"
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Lin Tianming nodded and then pondered over Lin Shilu's elucidation of the Mysterious Moon Order.
In the Cultivation World, Secret Realms were exceedingly rare, existing within special spaces. It was said that within them lay treasures of the world, but also filled with immense dangers. Those who could enter and emerge alive often brought back precious items, catapulting their status skyward.
However, Secret Realms were not easy to enter. Many imposed restrictions on the cultivation level of the entrants. Some Realms' spaces were unstable and could only withstand a certain number of Qi Refining Cultivators, while others were extremely robust and could even permit Divinity Transformation Stage old monsters to enter.
The timing and location of a Secret Realm's opening were unfathomable, with some being suppressed by powerful factions through Formations, fixing their locations for thousands or even tens of thousands of years without moving. Meanwhile, ownerless Secret Realms would shift their locations after every opening, retrieving the Tokens that allowed entry and subsequently scattering them anew along the moving path of the Realm.