Hu Nan followed Mo Chenzi for over half an hour before arriving at an ancient and grand hall.
Several disciples stood guard at the hall's entrance.
"This is the Heavenly Sword Sect's treasury. It contains treasures, cultivation techniques, and magical artifacts passed down through generations. Remember, do not touch them carelessly, lest you trigger the restrictions."
Mo Chenzi stopped and turned to Hu Nan, giving him solemn instructions.
Seeing Hu Nan nod, Mo Chenzi raised his hand to form a hand seal, sending a beam of spiritual light into the main entrance of the treasure vault.
"Boom—" With a muffled roar, the ancient treasure vault doors slowly opened.
Qin Changsheng looked up, and the scene before him instantly stirred his emotions, almost overwhelming him.
The treasure vault was incredibly spacious, its ceiling inlaid with countless luminous pearls, emitting a soft glow that illuminated the entire vault as if it were daytime.
A dense array of jade platforms lined the walls, each bearing a treasure, its light shimmering and its spiritual energy palpable.
There were swords gleaming with sharp sword energy, scrolls of cultivation techniques engraved with ancient patterns, top-grade spirit stones with a lustrous sheen, and all sorts of uniquely shaped magical artifacts, elixirs, and even rare and precious herbs brimming with life force—a dazzling array, countless and overwhelming.
Qin Changsheng's gaze was fixed on these treasures, his eyes instantly igniting with intense greed, his breathing becoming rapid.
In all his years of cultivation, he had never seen so many rare and precious items; each one held a fatal allure for him.
At this moment, a crazy idea quietly sprouted in his mind: if he could steal all these treasures, his cultivation would surely skyrocket, far surpassing his current level, and he might even be able to break free from the Heavenly Sword Sect's constraints and live a carefree life!
All Qin Changsheng needed to do was sacrifice Hu Nan's avatar.
However, Mo Chenzi's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the greed in Qin Changsheng's heart.
"Young friend Hu Nan, these are all the treasures of my Heavenly Sword Sect!"
"Each treasure is protected by a restrictive formation!"
"To obtain these treasures, you need a special key!"
"If you see a treasure you like, place the key below you!"
Mo Chenzi explained.
Hearing Mo Chenzi's words, Qin Changsheng's greed completely vanished.
"Alright, go and choose your treasures!" Mo Chenzi walked to one side of the treasure vault, stood with his hands behind his back, giving Hu Nan enough space to choose for himself.
Qin Changsheng controlled Hu Nan, carefully selecting treasures.
Qin Changsheng knew that his purpose this time was to choose the Spirit-Suppressing Pearl and then seize the secret treasure within Qingyun Lake.
A few minutes later, Qin Changsheng's gaze fell upon a jade platform at the innermost part of the treasure vault.
On that jade platform lay a round, milky-white bead, its surface smooth and covered with fine spiritual patterns.
"That is the Spirit-Suppressing Bead," Mo Chenzi's voice rang out at the opportune moment, his tone tinged with approval. "This bead is no ordinary spiritual object; it is the magic weapon of the first sect leader of our Heavenly Sword Sect. It was with this bead that the first sect leader suppressed countless ferocious beasts surrounding the sect, protecting the Heavenly Sword Sect's peace for ten thousand years."
"Its core function is to instantly release ancient spiritual light, suppressing the cultivation level of demonic beasts. Even Nascent Soul level demonic beasts can be suppressed to Golden Core."
"Unfortunately, to protect the sect, the first sect leader used his own spiritual power to activate this pearl against the demonic beast tide, causing severe damage and depletion of its spiritual power. It has long lost its former divine power."
"Even after the repairs by successive elders of the sect, it can only be used one last time. After that, it will completely lose its spirituality, becoming just an ordinary rock, utterly useless."
"Elder, I choose this spiritual pearl!" Hu Nan said.
Mo Chenzi looked at his choice and reminded him, "You must think carefully. Once you choose, you cannot change your mind!"
"This disciple has thought it through!" Hu Nan said.
"Place the key on the stone platform, and you can take the Spirit-Suppressing Pearl!" Mo Chenzi pointed to the stone platform.
Qin Changsheng slowly stepped forward and placed the key on the stone platform.
The array on the stone platform vanished in the next instant.
Hu Nan reached out and took the Spirit-Suppressing Pearl.
At the same time, the description of the Spirit-Suppressing Pearl appeared on Qin Changsheng's attribute panel.
[Spirit-Suppressing Pearl: High-grade Earth-level magic artifact, damaged, can suppress the cultivation of demonic beasts, usable once, repairable!]
Looking at the description, Qin Changsheng was somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected that the Spirit-Suppressing Pearl could actually be repaired?
However, Qin Changsheng had absolutely no idea how to repair the Spirit-Suppressing Pearl.
...
Qingyun Tower.
Inside a private room on the second floor.
Hu Nan, dressed in the white robes of an inner disciple, walked in from outside.
At this moment, Qin Changsheng was controlling this body.
Qin Changsheng had brought Hu Nan here to attend Chen Erniu's banquet.
"Congratulations, Brother Hu, on winning the competition!" Seeing Hu Nan enter, Chen Erniu stood up with a smile.
Qin Changsheng chuckled and said, "It was just good luck, nothing special."
"Brother Hu, please have some tea!"
"This is spiritual tea that I got for myself!" Chen Erniu picked up the spiritual tea on the table, poured a cup for Hu Nan, and then poured one for himself.
"Please..." Chen Erniu raised his cup.
"Please..." Qin Changsheng raised his cup.
After the two had drunk their tea, Chen Erniu asked, "Speaking of which, I have another question?"
"Brother Chen, please ask without hesitation," Qin Changsheng said with a smile.
"Why didn't Li Hu go to the arena yesterday?" Chen Erniu asked, putting down his teacup.
Qin Changsheng picked up the spiritual tea on the table and took a sip. "Who knows? Perhaps he really encountered some urgent matter and had no choice but to miss the finals."
"Oh, is that so?" Chen Erniu glanced at Hu Nan, observing his expression.
That glance was meaningful, seemingly containing many things—doubt, disbelief, inquiry, and a subtle understanding, as if he had already seen through everything but hadn't revealed it, hiding all his thoughts in that single glance.
Qin Changsheng put down his teacup and took out a token. "Brother Chen, this is the token you requested!"
Qin Changsheng had already carefully examined this token yesterday.
Qin Changsheng examined it for a long time, but no matter how he investigated, the token was no different from an ordinary magic artifact. It only had a faint aura of spiritual energy surrounding it, and nothing else special about it.
A hint of joy flashed in Chen Erniu's eyes. He quickly put down his teacup and carefully picked up the token.
The moment Chen Erniu picked up the token, his breathing became rapid.
His eyes were filled with fervor, even his gaze became bright.
However, Chen Erniu quickly regained his composure and carefully put the token away.
"Thank you, Brother Hu!" Chen Erniu cupped his hands in thanks to Hu Nan.
"Brother Chen, no need to be so polite. We've simply gotten what we needed!" Qin Changsheng waved his hand.
Although Qin Changsheng understood that the token was a treasure,
he didn't know its purpose.
Moreover, Qin Changsheng had also obtained a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, a defensive magic weapon, and the championship of the competition.
They also extracted a lot of information from Chen Erniu.