Translator: AnubisTL
The two of them walked into the passage and arrived at a massive square. At the end of the square was a wall, covered with crisscrossing grooves that formed an orderly pattern, resembling some kind of array formation. Aside from this, the entire square had no other entrances or exits.
Monk Wu De stood there dumbfounded, turning his head to look at Gu Feng with a pleading expression.
"Nothing strange here. The treasures are actually behind those stone doors on either side of the passage!" Gu Feng said nonchalantly.
"Then why did you...?" Monk Wu De asked, his face filled with confusion.
"I just wanted to see what's at the deepest part!" Gu Feng shrugged, then waved his hand. "Let's head back to the entrance!"
The two of them started running quickly. The coral stone structure was so large that even with Gu Feng and Monk Wu De's agility, it took them the time it takes to burn half an incense stick to return to the original entrance.
"If I'm not mistaken, the destinations behind these eighteen stone doors on either side are where Hua Wenyue and the others entered!" Gu Feng's eyes gleamed with intelligence as he continued, "You take the nine stone doors on the left, and I'll take the nine on the right. Whoever finishes looting first will start helping the other from the end closest to the square!"
"Understood!" Monk Wu De nodded. This was the most efficient way to sweep the area, but there was one problem.
"Gu Benefactor, since the two entrances are connected, what if we run into Hua Benefactor and the others?"
Gu Feng tilted his head, looking at the monk as if he were an idiot. "If they've already looted the place, what treasures would be left? You have your kasaya to hide you. As long as you don't engage with them, how would they even notice you?"
"Hehe, of course, this humble monk wouldn't be discovered, but you, Gu Benefactor..."
Before he could finish, his eyes widened to the size of copper bells, filled with disbelief.
He was shocked to discover that even though Gu Feng was standing right beside him, if he didn't focus his gaze on him, he couldn't sense his presence at all.
There was only one explanation for this: Gu Feng's soul power far surpassed his own.
High-grade soul power exerts a dimensional suppression on lower-grade soul power, effectively shielding itself from detection.
"Gu... Benefactor, what grade is your soul power...?" Monk Wu De didn't dare to ask directly, as this was a cultivator's secret. He merely probed, thinking that if Gu Feng didn't answer, he would pretend not to know.
"Spirit Grade, sixth level. Just one step away from the peak!" Gu Feng said casually, without a care.
"Heavens—Spirit... Spirit Grade... sixth level!" Monk Wu De's lips trembled, and his mind was struck by waves of shock, crashing against his thoughts.
Just like the body, the soul also has grades, roughly divided into Mortal Grade, Spirit Grade, Mystic Grade...
For those who specialize in soul cultivation, Mortal Grade, third level soul power is equivalent to the combat strength of Ninth Level Body Refinement; Mortal Grade, sixth level corresponds to Ninth Level Qi Refinement... and so on. Gu Feng's Spirit Grade, sixth level soul power is equivalent to Ninth Level Nurtured Spirit.
In other words, Gu Feng only needs to stand there and use his soul power to be equivalent to a Ninth Level Nurtured Spirit cultivator. How astonishing is that!
"Gu Benefactor, would you mind if this humble monk asks a presumptuous question? What level has your physical body reached?" Monk Wu De bent his waist, becoming even more humble, using the respectful "you" to express his inner reverence.
"Pretty much!" Gu Feng said with some irritation.
'Pretty much'!
These words, so utterly dismissive, echoed like thunder in his mind, leaving his face pale and his eyebrows trembling.
How could such a formidable existence exist in this world?
The difficulty of cultivating both the soul and the physical body far exceeded that of spiritual power by tenfold, even a hundredfold. It required not only extraordinary perseverance but also heaven-defying luck.
Throughout history, Heaven's Chosen who cultivated both spiritual power and the physical body, or spiritual power and the soul, were already rare. If one excelled in both, they could be called a peerless Heaven's Chosen. The ability of such a Heaven's Chosen to challenge those above their level would be astonishing, and among a hundred thousand Heaven's Chosen, there might not even be one.
As for cultivating spiritual power, the physical body, and the soul simultaneously, even if such a person existed, the odds were one in a million. And if one added the condition of excelling in all three, it would be one in a hundred million.
In that instant, Monk Wu De had already made up his mind. As long as Gu Feng didn't intend to kill him, he would never turn against him, not even harboring the slightest resentment.
This person must not be offended at all costs!
"Gu... Benefactor Gu, you are truly a divine being!" After thinking for a long time, but lacking the eloquence to express it, Monk Wu De could only dryly describe Gu Feng as a divine being.
"If I'm not mistaken, Hua Wenyue and the others will likely act in groups, entering the eighteen stone gates simultaneously. Keep an eye on them to ensure we can leave this place before they appear!" Gu Feng instructed.
"This humble monk understands. Time is of the essence. We should focus on sweeping up the most valuable treasures and not waste time on the trash!" Monk Wu De nodded solemnly.
"But if they proceed simultaneously, we might not gain much!"
"The entrances they are using are not the real ones. Most likely, this treasure will consider their entry as an illegal intrusion and activate its automatic defenses, greatly hindering their progress!" Gu Feng said with a half-smile.
"This... this..." Monk Wu De was utterly shocked.
Only now did he realize that Gu Feng could scheme against others without batting an eye. Fortunately, he was following Gu Feng, or else he would have been caught in the trap as well.
"Proceed according to the plan. This treasure has lost its master, so its automatic defenses won't be too strong. They won't be able to stop them completely, but we must act quickly!"
"Understood!"
The two figures simultaneously flashed into the stone gate.
After entering the stone gate, Gu Feng chuckled and took out a purple-gold robe, putting it on and even changing his hairstyle slightly.
If any disciples of the Military Dao Academy were here and saw that figure from behind, they would likely respectfully call out, "Senior Brother Dugu!"
Hahaha—
The sweep begins!
Behind the stone gate was also a passage, with cave-like spaces appearing at regular intervals.
The entrances to these caves were all protected by restrictions. For ordinary cultivators, the only way to break through was to mindlessly attack and forcefully destroy them.
But when Gu Feng activated his Immortal Eye. Void Break, the weak points of the restrictions were all revealed before his eyes. Combined with his decent talent in runes, it was enough to break through these restrictions in a short time.
Crack—
A faint sound of breaking echoed, and Gu Feng's face lit up with excitement. He reached into his belt and pulled out a storage ring, collecting everything in sight.
When one ring was full, he took out another.
If someone were to remove Gu Feng's belt, they would undoubtedly be astonished. The inner lining of the belt, about ten centimeters wide, was embedded with densely packed storage rings, resembling a sky full of stars, dazzling enough to blind even the most hardened eyes.
An incomplete count revealed that there were over a thousand of them, wrapped around his waist several times.
"Fortune Jade, a Mystic Grade refining material, what a treasure!"
"Withered Wood Stone, a rare find even within the Great Chu Dynasty."
"Thunder Wood Bamboo, abundant in thunder attributes, perfect for Senior Zhu!"
"..."
Clearly, this was an Artifact Crafting Chamber. Though the materials inside were few, each was of exceptional quality.
When Gu Feng saw a massive forging table made of Celestial Stone Wood, he couldn't help but let out an excited roar. He believed that the main reason his weapon crafting skills hadn't improved was the lack of a high-grade forging table.
"This trip was worth it! With this Mid-Grade Mystic Rank Forging Table, my weapon crafting skills are bound to make a leap forward!"
Gu Feng's heart was filled with joy as he worked tirelessly. In the blink of an eye, the entire Artifact Crafting Chamber was spotless, so clean that even a mouse would shed a tear upon entering.
"Next!"
Pop—
"Such a pity, many of the pills are ruined!"
"Continue!"
"..."
As he ransacked the place, Gu Feng noticed something peculiar. These caves were filled with dust, as if no one had entered them for decades.
Another thing that puzzled him was that, given the strength of the 'Blue Cloth Star Glow Squid,' it shouldn't have been difficult for them to enter this treasure trove. So why hadn't they?
Was it because they didn't want to, or didn't dare?
Gu Feng leaned towards the latter, but why? At least from what he could see, there was no danger inside.
When Gu Feng opened another cave, he was stunned by the flashing thunder light inside, his heart pounding.
"Such a rich concentration of thunder attributes!"
Before him, a mountain of Thunder Attribute Natural Treasures was casually piled up.
"Excellent!"
Without hesitation, Gu Feng removed the Thunder Spirit Grass from his chest. Its three narrow leaves extended and grew larger, enveloping all the Thunder Attribute Natural Treasures, then swiftly absorbing them all, beginning the refining process.
Perhaps due to the sheer amount of Thunder Attribute Natural Treasures, Gu Feng faintly heard a satisfied burp and a hint of joyful laughter.
"Senior Zhu, have you finally awakened?" Gu Feng exclaimed in surprise, holding the Thunder Spirit Grass in his hands.
To his disappointment, the thunder patterns on the surface of the Thunder Spirit Grass grew more radiant, and the Dao essence soared, as if ascending, but it never spoke.
"Sigh— how many Thunder Attribute Natural Treasures have been consumed, yet it still hasn't awakened?"
Gu Feng muttered to himself, not dwelling on it too much, and hurried to the next cave.
He swept through the caves like a swarm of locusts. After clearing about four-fifths of the first passage, a figure came into view.
Gu Feng silently retreated and entered the second stone door!
The third stone door—
The fourth stone door—
...
Gu Feng's spirits were highly charged. If not for fear of being discovered, he would have let out a triumphant roar.
After about a day of ransacking, he had cleared all nine stone doors he was responsible for.
Glancing down the main passage and seeing no trace of Monk Wu De, he quickly entered the stone door near the plaza.
...
Gu Feng swept through the passages behind two stone doors and had just entered the third when he ran headlong into Monk Wu De.
Seeing Gu Feng, the monk was slightly taken aback. This speed was simply too fast, twice as efficient as his own.
Thinking of Gu Feng's extraordinary strength, Monk Wu De instantly felt it made sense.
"They should be coming out soon, let's go!"
"Alright, Benefactor Gu!"
The two hurriedly exited the stone door, returned to the main passage, and then silently made their way outside the coral stone.
Returning to the entrance where Hua Wenyue and the others had entered earlier, Gu Feng extended a hand: "Bring out the storage rings, it's time to divide the spoils!"
Monk Wu De chuckled, rubbed his hands together, and took off his kasaya. On the inner lining of the kasaya were densely embedded storage rings.
A rough glance showed there were at least two to three hundred.
"You really are something, you bald donkey!" Gu Feng gave him a meaningful look. This bald donkey was no simple character.
"Heh, just a small trick. Benefactor Gu, what about your harvest?" Monk Wu De spread the kasaya on the ground and asked with a smile.
He wasn't afraid of Gu Feng robbing him, because being afraid was useless—there was simply no way to defend against it!
Gu Feng raised an eyebrow, untied his belt, and extended it. Monk Wu De's eyelids twitched.
The belt, four to five meters long, was already astonishing, but what was even more shocking were the over a thousand storage rings neatly embedded in it.
"I thought I was impressive enough, but compared to Benefactor Gu, it's like a small fish next to a whale!" Monk Wu De exclaimed in admiration.
"Enough chatter, time is tight. Let's divide the spoils quickly, just based on the number of storage rings!" Gu Feng said sternly.
"Got it!"
A rough calculation showed that the two of them had obtained a total of five hundred storage rings!
"Hahaha, what a haul, what a haul!" Monk Wu De danced with joy.
Suddenly, he felt Gu Feng looking at him with a half-smile. His heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran through his body. He thought Gu Feng was going to kill him and take the treasure!
"According to our previous agreement, we'll split it fifty-fifty. I'll give you a chance to pick blindly!" Gu Feng said in a low voice, showing no killing intent. This made Monk Wu De feel a bit ashamed, thinking he had been judging a gentleman with a petty mind.
Benefactor Gu was a righteous cultivator!
"This harvest is all thanks to Benefactor Gu. I dare not hope for a fifty-fifty split. An eighty-twenty split will do, with you taking eighty and me taking twenty!" Monk Wu De also understood that if he had followed Hua Wenyue and the others, he would never have gained so much, so he took the initiative to concede.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure!"
"Fine, I'll save you the trouble of picking. I'll just take them for you!" Gu Feng smiled slightly.
This time, he didn't cheat. Except for the storage ring with the forging platform, which he had marked, he didn't know what was inside the others.
He directly picked ten storage rings and tossed them to Monk Wu De. The remaining four hundred and ninety storage rings were embedded back into his belt, which he wrapped around his waist. Then he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes to rest.
Looking at the ten storage rings in his hand, Monk Wu De was stunned for a moment. Was that it?
"What, is there a problem?" Gu Feng opened his eyes and asked indifferently, seeing the other's dazed expression.
"Benefactor Gu, you must have miscalculated. Twenty percent of five hundred storage rings should be a hundred!" Monk Wu De carefully chose his words and said in a low voice.
"You're the one who's mistaken. My fifty-fifty split means you get five percent, and I get ninety-five." Gu Feng curled his lips.
"Then... with a twenty-eight split, wouldn't that mean Benefactor Gu gets ninety-eight percent, and I only get two percent?" Monk Wu De shuddered, exclaiming in shock. He instinctively bristled, but the moment he looked up and met Gu Feng's amused gaze, he immediately calmed down.
Between life and wealth, he rationally chose life. Having something was better than nothing—why ask for the moon?
"Benefactor Gu, could you perhaps increase the allocation ratio next time? Say, a ten-ninety split, with this humble monk getting nine percent and Benefactor Gu getting ninety-one?" Monk Wu De conjured up a smile as if performing a magic trick.
As he spoke these words, he was crying inside.
What kind of ridiculous split is this? It's such a scam! With this method, the most I can get is nine percent. I can't possibly suggest a ten-zero split to Gu Feng!
Even though a ten-zero split would mean you get ten percent and Gu Feng gets ninety, if you dared to suggest it, you might just get beaten to death on the spot!
If I had known it would come to this, I should have insisted on a fifty-fifty split!
Monk Wu De was on the verge of tears.
"It can be considered, depending on your performance," Gu Feng nodded lightly. "They're coming out now, don't give us away!"
"Understood!"
(End of the Chapter)
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