Treasure Seeker

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...

The relentless, dull thunder echoed deep within the cavern, one after another. At last, four explosive bursts sounded in quick succession—then all was silent.

Jiang Feng collapsed beside the Fire-Eyed Shadow Lizard, utterly spent. He had lost count of how many times, in recent days, his inner force had been completely exhausted. Yet now, all he felt was relief. Had he not fully replenished his strength before coming here—if not for testing his recovery time—he would never have been a match for this sixth-rank black lizard.

If the fifth rank marked the line between low and high grades, the sixth was truly the threshold of advanced spirit beasts.

Spirit beasts possessed natural gifts surpassing those of humans. Humans, only after reaching the Dawn Realm, could begin to combine martial techniques with their core energy, using their inner force to perform special skills. A sixth-rank spirit beast’s force reserves were roughly equal to a human with all six apertures unlocked. But from this level onward, they could already wield skills of their own.

The Fire-Eyed Shadow Lizard’s particular skill was Shadow Stealth.

Jiang Feng was highly alert, his senses keener than most, yet even he only sensed something amiss when the creature was a mere step away. The lizard lunged without warning, sinking its teeth into his shoulder before he could react.

Fortunately, his force was at its peak, and he had just mastered some new techniques for controlling it. In a flash, he struck four times in succession, channeling all his strength into the lizard’s skull—blasting it apart instantly.

He touched his shoulder, still a little shaken. The Mole Rat breastplate covered his chest and back, hanging over his right shoulder. The lizard’s jaws clamped down on that very spot—its teeth stopped short by the armor, biting in only slightly, barely breaking the skin.

He’d been incredibly lucky—killing a sixth-rank Shadow Lizard in a single blow and emerging unscathed.

But now his force was entirely depleted, not a drop left to sustain even basic combat. For the next half-hour, he was completely vulnerable.

After a short rest, he forced himself to his feet, cut open the lizard, and quickly extracted its heart.

No sooner had he pried out the core from the heart than his ears twitched. The cave was deathly quiet—only the occasional drip of water and his own breathing. But now, far off, he heard the scrape of a stone being kicked, followed by faint shuffling—someone was approaching from a distance.

The sounds drew closer. Jiang Feng didn’t hesitate. He swiftly gouged out the lizard’s eyes, hacked off its four claws, stuffed them into his leather pouch, and slipped away, squeezing himself into a narrow crevice and holding his breath.

From his hiding place, a fissure in the rock gave him a view of the lizard’s corpse.

Moments later, a small group hurried over and stopped by the lizard. Jiang Feng could only see their feet, not their faces.

“Fire-Eyed Shadow Lizard?” an older man said thoughtfully, naming the corpse. The voice was unfamiliar; Jiang Feng was sure he’d never heard it before.

One of them squatted to inspect the lizard’s remains, muttering, “The core and the eyes are gone. The claws too. Whoever did this had a sharp eye.”

Without looking up, he explained, “Other than the core, the most valuable parts of a sixth-rank Fire-Eyed Shadow Lizard are its eyes and claws. The eyes hold fierce fire energy—set them in a weapon, channel your force, and it’ll carry the power of flame. The lizard is famed for its stealth, and its special ability lies in these four claws. Fashioned into boots, they let you move without a sound. But only a master artificer can handle that—ordinary craftsmen wouldn’t manage it.”

He spoke in detail, as though instructing students.

A young voice asked, “Teacher Li, what’s an artificer?”

Jiang Feng’s heart skipped; a suspicion dawned on him about this group’s identity. For one, the title used made it clear—a teacher leading students on a field exercise. For another, he recognized that youthful voice—it was Jiang Huaixiao!

Jiang Huaixiao was a year older than him; at sixteen, he had merged with a double-ring Spirit Seed, and when last they clashed, he’d just unlocked his first aperture. The double-ring Spirit Seed absorbed force slowly; opening the first aperture took three months, and the second could take six months to a year, depending on talent.

Yet after Jiang Feng fused with the Heaven Spirit Seed, he’d beaten Jiang Huaixiao senseless that very day, and took less than two days to surpass him in rank.

By rights, Jiang Huaixiao shouldn’t have unlocked his second aperture yet—so why was he here, in a den of fifth-rank spirit beasts?

Apparently, Jiang Huaixiao was this Teacher Li’s student. He asked, and the teacher answered: “Artifacts are special weapons and equipment that require inner force to wield—only martial cultivators can use them. An artificer is the craftsman who makes them.”

Jiang Huaixiao’s eyes lit up. “Teacher Li, you’re so skilled—you must have some artifacts. Give me a couple to try!”

Teacher Li was momentarily speechless, then said, “Out of ten thousand martial cultivators, maybe one is an artificer. Even artificers below the third tier can fail making artifacts. That tells you how rare they are…”

Jiang Huaixiao scoffed, “So you don’t have any either?”

Li was stymied again. “Actually, I do have one…”

Jiang Huaixiao brightened, “Only one? That’s fine, let me have it for a bit!”

Teacher Li refused him without hesitation. “No. Only those who’ve reached the Dawn Realm can use artifacts. You’ve only unlocked four apertures—coming here is already a stretch. How could you handle an artifact?”

Four apertures? Jiang Huaixiao?

The cave was so quiet that Jiang Feng heard every word distinctly. A chill ran through him. How could Jiang Huaixiao, with only a double-ring Spirit Seed, have opened four apertures so quickly?

After being refused, Jiang Huaixiao was clearly annoyed, muttering under his breath. Another spoke up to defuse the tension: “Teacher Li, you said this lizard was killed by someone—who could it be? Another team like ours?”

This voice, too, was familiar, but Jiang Feng couldn’t place it. The speaker, however, was clearly much more respectful toward the teacher.

When in Luming Town, Jiang Feng had heard Uncle Dong say the Jiang family had hired a teacher for the family’s heirs, to prepare them for the great exam.

Hearing Jiang Huaixiao’s address, Jiang Feng had guessed this Li must be that teacher. But now he doubted it. Firstly, Jiang Huaixiao’s attitude was too flippant. Though spoiled, Jiang Huaixiao knew when to yield and when to press—he most feared his father.

Jiang Tengqing had hired someone to help his children succeed in the great exam—a matter of utmost importance for the family. If Jiang Huaixiao dared show such disrespect to the teacher, his father would have thrashed him soundly.

Secondly, there was this man’s level. Clearly above Jiang Feng’s, and able to use artifacts—so at least in the Dawn Realm or higher.

But from his gait, his reactions, and his awareness of the surroundings, he seemed only barely at the initial stage of Dawn—no higher. Only those in the Dawn Realm could take the great exam, and Jiang Tengqing would never pin the family’s hopes on someone of such modest level.

Whatever his true strength, the man’s eye for detail was sharp. He examined the corpse again and murmured, “Interesting!”

The youth by his side immediately asked, “What is it?”

Li considered. “This Fire-Eyed Shadow Lizard wasn’t slain by a team like ours—it was killed by a lone fighter!”

A chorus of gasps. “Alone? Could he be a master like you, Teacher Li, at the initial stage of Dawn?”

Jiang Feng’s heart leapt—so it was the Dawn Realm!

Li shook his head. “No, his level shouldn’t be that high. Most likely, he hasn’t reached the realm yet. He must have used some special method to kill this advanced spirit beast. That’s why, when he heard us coming, he fled at once.”

His deduction was eerily close to the truth.

Jiang Feng knew, too, he’d left plenty of traces. Whether a beast was slain by one or many was easy to judge. With keen enough observation and knowledge of the Shadow Lizard, it was clear the corpse had been stripped in great haste.

Given these clues, the conclusion was obvious.

Li then inspected the lizard’s wounds and declared, “The battle happened not long ago—the killer can’t be far.”

Jiang Huaixiao immediately yelled, “He’s not that strong? Let’s chase him down and finish him off—maybe we can snatch the core and the eyes!”

In the world of martial cultivators, the strong prey on the weak—robbery by force is common. But few had both Jiang Huaixiao’s lack of skill and his ruthlessness.

Li frowned, but said nothing. Instead, he began scanning the surroundings intently.

From Jiang Feng’s position, he could only see part of the man’s body, not his face.

Gradually, Li seemed to notice something and started moving toward Jiang Feng’s hiding place. Sensing danger, Jiang Feng slipped out the other side without hesitation, hitting the ground running.

His hiding spot was well chosen, precisely between two tunnels. Unless someone crawled through the narrow fissure he’d used, they’d have to detour a long way around. The crevice itself was truly narrow—Jiang Feng, still not fully grown and slight of build, could just squeeze in. An adult could never make it.

Cries rang out behind him. “There really is someone!” “Hurry, after him!”

Footsteps echoed as all five—one adult, four youths—set off in pursuit. Two of them, like him, squeezed through the fissure and took the shortcut, trailing him from afar.

Jiang Feng heard their footsteps clearly. At the next bend he pressed himself against the rock wall and came to a sudden stop.

The one in front—a youth of seventeen or eighteen, short and agile—had made it through the fissure first, even ahead of Teacher Li. He chased Jiang Feng around the corner, only to feel a sharp pain in his shoulder as he was grabbed, then the world spun and he was slammed hard into the ground.

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Unable to fix it, deleted and reposted—take two!