Chapter Twenty-Six: The Underground Palace

Brother Qian is truly a woman as swift as the wind! Especially in the midst of battle, when she wields her spells, she appears particularly valiant. It’s a pity her courage still falls a bit short; when facing the enemy, she hesitates, even as they bully her right at her doorstep. Why bother preaching chivalry to someone like that?

Why not tear her clothes?

So thought Song Yue. If it weren’t for Meng Xudong’s cunning, pretending to be beaten to the ground without sustaining any real injuries, it was clear the opponent was still holding back. Otherwise, that little redhead would have suffered far more than a few lost teeth.

Song Yue glanced at the group, focusing mainly on Qian Qianxue. “Did you miss me?”

The others groaned and booed at him, while Qian Qianxue turned her head away, refusing even to look at him.

Guilty conscience, clear as day!

Song Yue was quite pleased with himself.

Then he addressed the group: “Come on, let me lead you all to find some treasures!”

After this minor skirmish, united against a common foe, the young high-ranking cultivators from the Academy now saw Song Yue in an entirely new light.

Before, he’d been truly insufferable—both feared and resented. He would pick fights every few days, and they couldn’t even refuse. Every time, they’d end up beaten and sore for days, just in time for him to return and start again.

So, when these Academy students first reached the seventh level of Qi Refinement and became high-rank cultivators, each of them cursed the official rule: why couldn’t high-rankers strike back freely? All those years of beatings, wasted in vain?

Now, they finally got to see Song Yue bullying others!

Actually, many had already changed their view of Song Yue after he’d beaten Zhang Zichen. Now, out here beyond the school gates, in a secret realm where the law of the jungle reigned, they finally realized how lucky they were to have someone like Song Yue among them.

Song Yue led the group onward toward their earlier chosen destination.

As the saying goes, “A mountain may look near, but it can kill a horse to reach it.” The region Song Yue had set his sights on looked close, but as they traveled, they realized it was anything but. No matter how far they walked, it always seemed just as distant.

Before reaching Foundation Establishment, most cultivators had rather poor stamina—often worse than ordinary people with good physical fitness. Dual-cultivators like Qian Qianxue were rare indeed.

So they advanced in fits and starts, making slow progress.

Fortunately, treasures were everywhere in the secret realm. The spiritual herbs that the native denizens ignored were, to these students, each worth a fortune. Even if they couldn’t use them themselves, selling them would fetch a handsome price.

In modern society, even a hero is helpless without money; life is impossible without it. Though these young people hadn’t yet faced the harsh realities of society, they understood the joy of spending money. So, each of them was in high spirits, happily collecting every herb they found.

A few lucky ones even discovered valuable metallic ores.

Among them were those who specialized in alchemy or artifact forging, familiar with many rare metals.

One person found a fist-sized chunk of golden-yellow metal and nearly screamed with excitement.

“Mother Copper! It’s Mother Copper!” he shouted in delight.

Someone nearby exclaimed with envy, “That’s worth more than gold! A chunk this size would fetch at least several million!”

Song Yue was a bit baffled. Alchemy and artifact forging were blind spots for him, so he couldn’t help but look at Qian Qianxue.

She whispered an explanation, “Mother Copper—a bit of it added during artifact forging can greatly enhance the power of the piece. It’s extremely valuable. Normally, students use refined copper in class instead. A chunk this size is a true luxury.”

Song Yue felt a surge of envy. Even little Meng beside him sighed, “Knowledge really is power. Xiao Song, why don’t you know these things?”

“Don’t tease me. I’m not an encyclopedia—how could I know everything?” Song Yue retorted. “Anyway, I still know more than you!”

Then someone discovered a spirit swallow’s nest on a cliff—the legendary spirit bird’s nest!

Ordinary bird’s nest is already highly prized, but a spirit swallow’s nest is worth dozens or even hundreds of times more! Five hundred grams could sell for hundreds of thousands, even a million!

Its effects? Not really related to cultivation—mainly for beauty and rejuvenation. It’s said that consuming five hundred grams of spirit swallow’s nest can make you look three to five years younger!

Countless women would bankrupt themselves for such a treasure.

As luck would have it, the one who found it was a young, pretty girl. Without hesitation, she carefully packed it at the very top of her backpack, lest it be crushed and lose value.

“I’m bringing this home for my mother. She’ll be so happy she won’t be able to sleep!”

Song Yue noticed even Qian Qianxue’s eyes flashed with envy. She hadn’t reacted when others found Mother Copper or rare herbs, but now she couldn’t hide her longing.

It just goes to show, when it comes to beauty, age is never a barrier for women—every one of them is susceptible!

After half a day’s journey, they finally reached the area Song Yue had chosen, only to find that someone had beaten them to it!

The person, upon seeing Song Yue and his group, was momentarily surprised, then fixed his gaze on Song Yue and said, “What a coincidence!”

Inwardly, he cursed—how did this conman Song end up here too? A brute like him, who could recognize so many obscure ancient scripts, was already unbelievable. Could it be he also understood geomancy?

Song Yue looked at the man before him and thought, isn’t this the grave-robbing trickster, Little Seven?

He silently cursed his luck. He’d forgotten that this guy, always digging pits and tunnels, would be well-versed in geomancy.

“What are you doing here?” Song Yue asked.

“Heh, it just means fate brought us together!” Little Seven cursed inwardly, but grinned widely.

“Let’s be straight—this place is mine!” Song Yue looked at Little Seven, his expression sincere, as if truly requesting, “How about you pick another spot?”

Little Seven nearly rolled his eyes. I was here first—ever heard of first come, first served?

But he glanced at the crowd. Outnumbered as he was, he’d be no match if it came to a fight. Besides, whatever lay hidden here wouldn’t be something one or two people could handle alone.

He smiled at Song Yue. “No need to be so stingy. How about this—we make a bet. Whoever finds it first wins. How about that?”

Song Yue eyed him. “And if I win? If I lose?”

“If I win, you can’t kick me out. If I lose, I’ll stay by your side as an advisor. I’m only interested for the fun of it—if you don’t give me anything, I won’t ask for it. How about that?”

Song Yue chuckled. “Why would I need you as an advisor?”

Little Seven, five-foot-nine, stood before the taller Song Yue, trying to make himself seem sincere. “Of course! I’m an expert in this field!”

“So, you, an expert, want to compete with me at finding the right spot? Isn’t that a bit shameless?” Song Yue asked.

Everyone present was utterly baffled, unable to follow their conversation. Only Qian Qianxue recognized the slim, average-sized youth as the one who’d once sold old wares at a stall. She couldn’t fathom how, after one meeting, he and Song Yue could talk like old friends.

Little Seven scratched his head, then suddenly grinned sheepishly. “Forget it, no need to compete. Boss, you’re obviously a real powerhouse—daring even to go head-to-head with the natives here. Why bother with a weakling like me? Just don’t kick me out; let’s search together. I can be useful.”

Song Yue feigned innocence. “Natives? You mean when I chased them into the jungle? Oh…”

He suddenly lowered his voice, whispering in Little Seven’s ear, “That was just to show off in front of a girl I liked. I was putting on a show.”

Little Seven: “…You expect me to believe that?”

Who would risk their life just to show off?

Besides, the girl was right beside him, and he didn’t even seem that interested.

Did he think I was blind and couldn’t see the surging bloodlust he’d unleashed back then?

Still, he didn’t say anything. After all, this was the secret realm—who knew if the natives were watching from the shadows?

His elders had taught him from childhood: when you’re out in the world, keep a low profile, never stir up trouble.

Though he could never truly keep a low profile—his nature was too flamboyant to be hidden—he did agree with avoiding trouble.

“So, we’re in this together?” Little Seven’s eyes darted over to Qian Qianxue’s group, and he whispered, “Boss, I’m a top-notch wingman!”

Song Yue considered it. Letting him stay didn’t matter much. He’d already squeezed ten million out of the fellow, and the jade slip’s contents hadn’t even been useful to him—might as well return the favor.

“All right, but you have to listen to me,” Song Yue said.

“No problem!” Little Seven agreed readily.

At this moment, Meng Xudong couldn’t help stepping forward. “Song Yue, what are you two talking about? Is there something special here? Weren’t we looking for spiritual herbs?”

Little Seven scoffed, thinking, typical brute—knows nothing!

“Spiritual herbs? That’s nothing. If I’m right, there’s a giant tomb here…” Little Seven announced, then added, “Or maybe an underground palace.”

A tomb?

An underground palace?

None of those present were ordinary people. At these words, their breaths quickened—even Qian Qianxue’s eyes sparkled.

What is truly most valuable in this secret realm?

That’s hard to say.

To alchemists, herbs are the greatest treasure.

To artifact forgers, rare metals like Mother Copper are most coveted.

Ordinary cultivators want everything.

But the one thing that everyone agrees on—the ultimate prize in the secret realm—is the underground palace!

Only in such places could one hope to find truly priceless, top-tier cultivation manuals.

No resource can compare to a supreme technique.

Even if most can’t master such arts, their value is beyond question.

Someone doubted aloud, “How could there be an underground palace here? The natives have lived here for generations—wouldn’t they have found it already?”

Little Seven smiled faintly. “You think everyone can recognize the signs of an underground palace? And even if they do, without the right knowledge, it’s impossible to enter! Try to force your way in, and you’ll lose your life.”

Someone else added, “Yes, I heard that once, someone led an army of hundreds of thousands to excavate the Empress’s tomb, but never even found the entrance—they flattened a whole mountain and still found nothing.”

“Exactly. And that was just a mortal emperor’s tomb. The tombs and palaces of true cultivators are far more complex. If you’re not an expert, don’t even think about it,” Little Seven said with pride.

Song Yue remained expressionless, ignoring the monkey-like Little Seven. He’d already noticed the anomaly here using the aura-sensing technique taught by his master. After acquiring the Jade Void Celestial Tablet, he’d sensed an even stronger connection with this place.

The closer he got, the stronger the mysterious pull became. When Little Seven suggested a bet to see who’d find the entrance first, Song Yue could have walked straight there—no need to search at all!

But he had no intention of revealing his abnormal abilities. Clearly, the tablet concealed a secret greater than the underground palace itself, and he didn’t want anyone to know.

Since someone else was willing to play the fool in front, he was happy to let them take the lead.

Just then, from the nearby woods came the sound of clapping. “Brilliant! This young man is clearly a true expert. Would you be willing to lead us in exploring this underground palace together?”