"Brother Wuchen, do you have a way?"
Huang Shenyi looked at Ling Chen in surprise. Even Leng Wu Xue was at a loss here, yet Ling Chen proposed to give it a try. He believed Ling Chen wouldn't say this without some confidence.
"This mechanism, I'll see if I can figure it out."
Ling Chen approached the stone door and began to observe his surroundings. He had read the Secret of Mechanisms written by Master Yi, which detailed various types of mechanisms, switches, and methods for disabling them. If this stone door's mechanism hadn't been damaged, it should still be nearby.
Tearing off a small piece of his sleeve, Ling Chen wiped the stone slab under his feet clean. Soon, he noticed something peculiar.
On one stone slab, a complex pattern was clearly visible. The pattern connected several floor slabs and extended towards the stone door.
Ling Chen extended his middle finger, concentrated a wisp of True Qi at its tip, and infused it into the pattern.
HUM. The pattern suddenly lit up, emitting a bronze glow.
RUMBLE!
After the entire pattern illuminated, the tightly closed stone door thundered open.
"It actually opened!"
Both Huang Shenyi and Leng Wu Xue were astounded, looking at Ling Chen with newfound respect.
"I didn't expect Brother Wuchen to have studied mechanisms as well. I'm impressed."
A look of admiration flashed in Huang Shenyi's eyes. He was amazed that Ling Chen could solve the mechanism that had stumped them both, offering a solution to their urgent predicament.
Leng Wu Xue was even more surprised. Not only did Ling Chen possess Sword Intent, but he also understood the art of mechanisms. What kind of person is he? Initially, Leng Wu Xue suspected that Dustless might be Ling Chen. But now, it seemed less likely.
This person is far more formidable than the Ling Chen he had imagined.
"The stone door is open. We should go in and get the treasures immediately."
Ling Chen looked at the two men. He had revealed this skill both to intimidate them and to put them in his debt. This way, they likely wouldn't dare to act against him rashly. After all, they were all Righteous Path Disciples, not treacherous villains.
"Brother Wuchen is right. Let's go in quickly, the three of us."
Huang Shenyi nodded, then turned to the other Pupils of Sky Void Palace. "You all wait outside. No one is allowed in."
Seeing this, Ling Chen also turned his head to Xiao Muyu. "You wait here for a moment too. It shouldn't take long."
"Yes, Young Master Wu Chen."
Xiao Muyu cupped her hands respectfully. Ling Chen was using the alias Dustless, and as his supposed serving girl, she naturally had to play her part convincingly.
Ling Chen exchanged glances with Huang Shenyi and Leng Wu Xue before they entered through the stone door.
The secret chamber was surprisingly spacious, filled with numerous pill furnaces. However, these pill furnaces, large and small, had long been abandoned and were covered in a thick layer of dust.
Gourds adorned with Yin and Yang patterns lined the walls of the secret chamber.
All three focused their attention on the gourds. They each opened one, and instantly, a rich fragrance of Elixirs wafted out.
"It's Solid Reality Pills!"
A look of joy crossed Ling Chen's face.
This gourd was entirely full of Solid Reality Pills, at least ten of them. However, because these Elixirs had been stored for a long time, their Medicinal Power had greatly diminished; two or three of these pills only possessed the Medicinal Power equivalent to a single, normal Solid Reality Pill.
But even so, the quantity made up for the reduced quality. As long as he had enough Solid Reality Pills, his Cultivation would inevitably advance by leaps and bounds.
"These are Yun Ling Pills!" An excited exclamation came from Huang Shenyi's direction.
The Yun Ling Pill, a top-tier Second Grade Elixir, could temporarily allow warriors to enter the Kongming Realm during their Cultivation. In this state, whether comprehending secret manuals or practicing martial arts, their efforts would yield twice the results.
"It seems there's more than one type of Elixir in this chamber."
Ling Chen glanced around. There were at least twenty gourds here. If they were all filled with Elixirs, it would be an astonishing haul.
However, when Ling Chen opened the second gourd, the smile on his face froze. The gourd was empty.
Ling Chen couldn't help but laugh mockingly at himself. Indeed, it was too optimistic to think all these gourds would be filled with Elixirs.
After a thorough search, the three of them quickly gathered all the Elixirs in the room.
In the end, they had obtained a total of fifty-six Solid Reality Pills, thirty-three Yun Ling Pills, twenty-seven Forging Body Pills, and about fifty other Elixirs for healing, replenishing blood, and restoring vital energy.
All of these were Second Grade Elixirs. In addition, the three of them found four Grade-3 Spirit Pills: Wind Movement Pills and Thunder Spirit Pills. Both were powerful auxiliary Elixirs.
Wind Movement Pills temporarily increased speed, while Thunder Spirit Pills could temporarily infuse True Qi with the thunder attribute, significantly boosting a warrior's combat power.
"Gentlemen, of the Second Grade Elixirs, I only want the Solid Reality Pills. Of the Grade-3 Spirit Pills, I will take one Thunder Spirit Pill. What do you think?"
Ling Chen calculated. The Solid Reality Pills were most useful to him, as his current greatest weakness was his Cultivation level. The Solid Reality Pills could help him rapidly improve his Cultivation. As for the other Elixirs, although valuable, they would have a much smaller effect on him. As for Grade-3 Spirit Pills, he already possessed Wind Shadow Step, so the Wind Movement Pill wasn't particularly useful to him. This request wasn't unreasonable. After all, both Leng Wu Xue and Huang Shenyi were Martial Artists of the Nine Heavy Realm, and Solid Reality Pills had little effect on them.
"Brother Wuchen's contribution was indispensable for us to enter this secret chamber. I have no objection to this division."
Leng Wu Xue nodded. The Solid Reality Pills are useless to me. It's only right for him to take a Thunder Spirit Pill. Ling Chen's request is not excessive at all; in fact, I feel somewhat indebted to him.
"I have no problem either."
Huang Shenyi shared the same sentiment. His nickname was Speed Surpassing Dust; he naturally wasn't a stingy person. Moreover, Ling Chen's contribution had been crucial for them to enter this secret chamber and obtain these Elixirs, so his share was not excessive.
Shortly thereafter, Leng Wu Xue and Huang Shenyi finished dividing the remaining Elixirs.
Then, the three of them shifted their gaze from the gourds around the secret chamber to the central area up ahead.
There, two tightly sealed bronze coffins were conspicuously placed.
"Why are there coffins in this Elixir chamber?" Huang Shenyi looked somewhat surprised.
"Who knows? Perhaps it's where the alchemist who owned this place was interred. We'll find out once we open them."
CLANG! Leng Wu Xue unsheathed the Blood-colored Sword from his waist. He then thrust it into the seam of a coffin, gave it a sharp twist, and pried the lid open.
The moment the coffin lid opened, an incredibly potent medicinal fragrance wafted out, making Leng Wu Xue and Huang Shenyi overjoyed. Could it be that this coffin held a large quantity of Elixirs?
However, Ling Chen frowned. The instant the coffin lid opened, he felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding, an instinctual urge to get away from these coffins.