Wang Feng stood side by side with Su Yan, their presence drawing every eye at the front of High Heaven Pavilion's assembled disciples.
Behind them stood the Core Disciples—among them, Xie Hong Chen, whose face was so twisted with suppressed rage and envy that one might think he'd just witnessed his parents murdered and his beloved in the arms of another man.
Why? Because Wang Feng was standing beside Su Yan—publicly, brazenly—and right in front of him no less!
'And if that wasn't enough,' Xie Hong Chen seethed inwardly, 'this wretched mongrel Yang Kai is standing on the same level as me!'
Indeed, Yang Kai stood among the Core Disciples, his expression unreadable.
Behind them, the Elite Disciples and Outer Disciples were arranged in orderly lines, backs straight and faces attentive as the Great Elder addressed the gathering from the platform before them.
The Great Elder, dignified and solemn, was currently giving a lecture—one that wandered from the perils and promises of a cultivator's life into the virtues of teamwork and mutual support among sect members. Though most of it felt like a familiar sermon to many, everyone perked up when his voice took on a weightier tone.
"Now," he announced, his eyes sweeping over the sea of young faces, "listen closely to the conditions for entering the Inheritance Cave. Let it be known—these requirements were not set by the elders, but by the ancient senior who established this inheritance!"
No dramatic pause, no drawn-out mystery. He continued directly, "First—anyone above the age of fifty is forbidden from entering!"
The announcement stirred little response—after all, to most disciples here, fifty was already a lifetime away. Anyone older would have long passed their prime and exhausted their cultivation potential.
But the next words stirred murmurs.
"Second—only those between the True Element Realm and the Initial Element Realm may enter. Anyone below or above that range shall be denied!"
Gasps, whispers, and mutters rippled across the assembly like a gust of wind through dry leaves. A visible wave of disappointment swept through the faces of many younger disciples, especially the newcomers who had come with high hopes of unearthing treasures within.
The Great Elder's expression darkened. His eyes narrowed as he barked sharply, "Silence! I've already spoken on the matter of knowing your place! Cultivation is not built on greed, but on strength and understanding one's limits!"
The chastised disciples quickly lowered their heads, the murmuring ceasing.
At the front, Wang Feng stood still, expression unreadable, his gaze fixed forward without the slightest reaction to the ongoing uproar.
Beside him, Su Yan turned slightly, her eyes lingering on him with a quiet intensity. A faint glimmer sparked in their depths—a mixture of doubt, curiosity, and something deeper.
"Just… who are you, Wang Feng?" she thought, her mind drifting back to the awe-inspiring moment when the Dragon and Phoenix phantoms had erupted into the sky.
...
— Flashback Starts —
Su Yan watched as figures from all corners of Black Wind Market erupted into motion, streaks of light rushing toward the source of the phantom beasts. Yet she halted mid-step, her gaze falling on Wang Feng—who stood perfectly still, a calm, knowing smile tugging at his lips, as if the chaos around him was nothing more than theater.
She thought intently, "Wang Feng ...", she tried to find words, but ultimately didn't know what to ask. Wang Feng saw this and chuckled, "Oh, don't worry. They can rush all they want, they won't get anything yet."
Su Yan looked at him in wonder, the layers of mystique deepening further around him. "How can you be so sure?", she asked calmly.
She figured that since Wang Feng knew all this about the opportunity before it even showed itself, his words held more weight.
Wang Feng hummed, "Well, I just do~", he looked into her eyes, "though, you didn't answer my question", he said with a smile.
Su Yan narrowed her eyes, thinking about it all. "You... Why do you want to enter with me? Also, even if you have guessed it right, there is still a chance that it was only a guess.", she spoke coolly.
Wang Feng laughed slightly and said amusedly, "Man, just how much do you distrust me~", for which he just got a slightly blushing glare from Su Yan.
"Hmm, well you see. When we enter the place, I will need your help with a few things.", he saw her narrowed eyes, knowing that she still wasn't completely sure, Wang Feng continued.
"How about this; I will tell you a little in detail about the opportunity and it's requirements. In return, if they are true, you will help me, alright?"
Su Yan was slightly surprised at his words, 'how can he be so sure about everything... It's all like he was the who uncovered—', her thoughts halted as her eyes widened, her face looking on at him in disbelief.
Wang Feng saw this and chuckled, 'finally realizing it huh.', he thought as he spoke, "the opportunity is an Inheritance Cave. It has a restriction on it; anyone below Initial Element Realm, Above True Element Realm and above the age of 50 can not enter the Inheritance Cave!"
— Flashback Ends —
....
After the Great Elder concluded his speech, he motioned for the disciples to assemble near the entrance of the Inheritance Cave. The directive was mirrored by the other two sects—Blood Battle Group and Storm Manor—whose elders gave similar instructions to their respective disciples.
All three sects had come to the same decision: every disciple would be granted the opportunity to enter. Whatever fortunes or perils awaited within would be theirs to claim or endure. The responsibility—and the risk—belonged solely to the individual.
At the forefront of High Heaven Pavilion's lineup stood Wang Feng, flanked by Su Yan. Hu Jiao'er with Hu Mie'er for Blood Battle Group. Feng Zi Qi and another disciple from Storm Manor. This group had been selected to be the first to step into the Inheritance Cave..
Ordinarily, only Core Disciples would be granted the right to enter the inheritance cave first. But since Wang Feng had a deal with Su Yan and the Elders didn't dare to contradict Wang Feng, because of Meng Wu Ya, they allowed him enterance.
This unprecedented allowance prompted the other sects to adjust their own choices. Not to be outdone, they permitted their leading disciples to bring along members of similar or slightly lower cultivation. Hu Jiao'er naturally chose her sister, Hu Mie'er, while Feng Zi Qi selected another promising disciple from his sect.
Wang Feng stood at the edge of the trench, gazing down into its depths. Though it stretched far below, the chasm shimmered with a strange light—gentle yet blinding—almost as if it was shielding its secrets from the outside world.
Beside him, Su Yan mirrored his stance, her eyes reflecting the same wariness and resolve. Their gazes met, and with a subtle nod of understanding, the two leapt forward, followed closely by the other four disciples. In the blink of an eye, their forms were swallowed by the radiant glow.
The very next moment, a wave of vertigo crashed over Wang Feng.
His head spun violently, breath caught in his throat, and his body felt as if it were being stretched and compressed simultaneously. The sensation was surreal—intense, yet curiously painless. He tried to speak, but only garbled echoes escaped his lips, as if the air itself couldn't carry coherent sound through whatever realm he was passing.
His thoughts grew sluggish, dissolving into static… until, abruptly, everything stilled.
With a thud, his body collided with solid ground.
"Ugh… damn it. What the hell was that?" he groaned, his voice hoarse and disoriented. The ceiling of a dimly-lit cavern swirled above him, the lingering dizziness making it spin like a drunken illusion. "… I don't feel so good."
Wincing, Wang Feng shut his eyes, forcing his breath to steady. Slowly, shakily, he pushed himself upright, limbs trembling as he tried to orient himself. 'Was that… a spatial tunnel?' he thought, brows furrowing. That was the only explanation that made sense—the warped sensation, the compressed flow of time, the eerie disconnection from reality.
A few more moments passed before clarity returned to his vision and mind. He surveyed his surroundings—a vast, empty cavern veiled in silence.
His frown deepened. "Wait… why am I alone?" he murmured to the empty air.
Then it hit him.
Slapping a palm to his forehead, he cursed aloud, "Fuck! How could I forget something so basic!?"
He had completely overlooked a vital fact: when passing through spatial tunnels—be they portals, wormholes, or ancient formation arrays—those who aren't physically connected are almost always separated upon arrival.
Which meant… unless Su Yan and the others had held on to one another during entry, they could've all been cast into separate areas. Or worse—only he had been thrown off course.
Wang Feng let out a low sigh, shaking his head with a wry smile. "Well… at least I won't have to hold back now," he muttered to himself as he rolled his shoulder with a satisfying crack.
"Alright then... let's get this show on the road."
He stepped forward, his gaze scanning the cavern's dim interior. The cave was vast and hushed, its silence broken only by the soft scrape of his boots against the ground. Thin shafts of light filtered in through jagged cracks in the stone walls, casting faint silver patterns across the uneven floor—just enough illumination to see by, yet not enough to dispel the eerie stillness.
Multiple tunnels branched off in different directions, each promising unknown trials and secrets. But Wang Feng already had a destination in mind.
After a short walk through the ancient, dust-laden passage, he found what he was looking for.
A group of stone sculptures stood silently in the distance, lined up tens of meters ahead. To the untrained eye, they appeared plain—almost crude—weathered by time and wholly unremarkable.
But Wang Feng knew better. He knew exactly what they were.
His lips curled into a grin.
Raising one hand, he summoned his weapon with a subtle flick of his fingers. The Celestial Splitter appeared in his grip, its edge gleaming faintly under the dim light. The metallic whisper of its manifestation echoed softly through the cavern like the prelude to a storm.
His footsteps rang louder now in the hollow space as he advanced slowly toward the statues.
When he was just a few meters away—
The statues stirred.
With jerky but precise movements, they animated like awakened sentinels. Limbs groaned to life, stone grinding against stone as they turned their heads and locked onto him with eerie synchrony.
"...Thirty-three, thirty-four… thirty-five," Wang Feng counted lazily, his tone unhurried, as if tallying ingredients for a recipe rather than imminent threats. "A total of thirty-five stone statues."
They moved without hesitation, surging toward him with surprising speed—artificial beings driven by ancient programming, devoid of emotion or fear.
Wang Feng's smirk deepened.
A wave of searing heat ignited around him, as Golden and earthy Brown currents of energy spiraled outward from his body. The air warped from the heat, and the Celestial Splitter shimmered with an intense twilight glow, as though forged anew in the heart of a star.
The statues didn't hesitate. Without fear or thought, they closed the distance in an instant, the lead construct launching a heavy punch straight toward his face.
"This is going to be fun," Wang Feng whispered with a glint in his eyes.
Then—
Hell erupted.
His aura burst forth like a volcanic surge, fierce and unstoppable. In a blur of motion, he met the statue's attack head-on. His blade lashed out with calculated precision, slicing clean through the stone arm in a single stroke. The severed limb clattered to the floor.
But it didn't stop there.
A golden ember clung to the remains of the statue's shoulder, glowing brighter with each heartbeat—until, in a flash, it detonated.
A shockwave rippled through the chamber as half the statue's body exploded in a brilliant flare of light and flame, scattering molten fragments across the cave floor.
And that… was only the beginning.