Chapter 99: Inheritance [Seeking monthly tickets! Seeking subscriptions!]

Zhou Yi hurriedly took out the jade pendant and placed it in the gap to test it. Before he could push it all the way in, it suddenly snapped in like a magnet. Fortunately, the rope on the jade pendant was still in his hand. Zhou Yi suppressed his shock, tugging at the rope and waiting for the wooden wall to respond. Yet everything remained perfectly still, as if nothing had occurred.

He grew even more puzzled. Was the method flawed, or did the jade pendant require a drop of blood to recognize its master before activating?

Before he could ponder this further, rhythmic clanging echoed from behind the wooden wall, like enormous gears churning. The noise was so loud it terrified him. Zhou Yi wanted to retreat, yet he could not release the rope. He found himself trapped in an agonizing dilemma.

In the next instant, the clanging ceased. The wooden wall split apart with a soft thud, sliding open to reveal the interior. The jade pendant tumbled down, and Zhou Yi quickly stuffed it into his pocket before turning to inspect the room.

It resembled a study. At the center stood a statue of an elderly man seated in meditation. The wooden carvings of his sleeves seemed to ripple as though stirred by an unseen breeze, every fold rendered with exquisite detail.

The old man's hands hung suspended on either side, resting atop his crossed legs. A luminous pearl occupied the hollow space between them, bathing the entire chamber in soft light.

No windows pierced these walls, and the faint glow seeping through the wooden door was insufficient to illuminate the room. Only the pearl provided sufficient radiance.

Zhou Yi stepped cautiously inside. Having survived previous worlds and witnessed the upheaval of the base and real world, his capacity for adaptation had grown remarkably strong.

Bookshelves lined every wall. Zhou Yi casually withdrew one volume. They proved to be compendiums of martial arts—sword techniques, fist methods, cultivation manuals—varied in style and abundance. Though written in archaic script and illustrated, he could still discern their meaning.

After examining the collection, he realized these must have been assembled by successive sect masters of Qingcheng Mountain. The differing fonts and varying degrees of wear confirmed their antiquity.

He circled the shelves once more and arrived at a rack bearing a technique designation. Fewer volumes occupied this shelf than the formation stand beside it, yet they numbered several.

The word technique stirred something in Zhou Yi.

Each book bore a single character on its cover: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Thunder, Wind. Two unnamed titles completed the set—one black, one white.

Unnamed. The color sparked a memory of the two attributes he had obtained from his first spirit stone. Neither had manifested in the Five Elements Tomb, nor had he uncovered any means of advancement.

Although they sounded formidable, they yielded no progress. Their utility was limited to eavesdropping or observing the room's layout, which made them almost useless.

Intrigued, Zhou Yi opened the black volume. The hue matched the spiritual attribute that had appeared when he activated his power.

The second page began with a single word.

Sleep!

Following it came an explanation of the technique. Broadly, it could induce slumber in the target. The duration depended on the caster's skill and the opponent's resilience. The text then detailed finger movements and incantations.

Zhou Yi's pulse quickened.

Good heavens. Who could have imagined the spiritual technique would prove so potent?

If he faced an opponent as formidable as the guardian of the tomb, he might simply render them unconscious and pursue his own objectives.

Yet he shook his head. The manual made its limitations plain: the outcome hinged on both parties' abilities. Even so, a brief nap or momentary paralysis would grant him an extra measure of advantage.

Turning the pages revealed more techniques, increasingly intricate.

The Return Mirror could deflect incoming strikes. The Soul-Binding Town Formula induced a dissociated state in the foe. The Chaos Mix Thousand Kill Array temporarily scrambled the minds of multiple adversaries.

The remainder were merely names followed by blank pages: Soul Chaos Decree, Soul Search Technique, True Eye Technique, Illusion Puppet, Primordial Spirit Egress, Thought Shield, Heavenly Tribulation.

Zhou Yi could scarcely contain his astonishment. Although he could not view the details, each name was followed by two to five blank pages.

Perhaps his current limitations prevented deeper inspection. Once he truly began cultivating and improving, the secrets would likely unfold gradually.

In that moment, all previous despair and unease vanished without a trace.

He set the books aside and lifted the white-covered volume. Having confirmed the black one as spiritual in nature, he wondered if white might represent space.

A quiet unease settled over him. This era was ancient, and its grasp of spatial concepts appeared limited.

Zhou Yi flipped the cover. The first page held a single word: Leap.

A detailed explanation followed. The technique divided into levels. The first, Jump, allowed short leaps of several meters or a dozen. The second, Migration, enabled long-distance travel, such as the instantaneous span between two cities. The third, Shift, granted control over objects to fly like telekinesis.

The rest described finger movements and incantations.

Zhou Yi had no words. Mastering such arts would be godlike. Even the first level, once perfected, would render Sophia's constant carrying obsolete, restoring his dignity.

He turned to the next volume, identical in structure to the black one: names only, followed by blank pages.

The remaining titles consisted of single characters: Press, Store, Shield, Separate, Collapse, Pursue.

These felt more intuitive. Press likely meant spatial compression.

He recalled the laboratory experiments on air pressure. Altering the pressure within a single cubic decimeter had flattened a mouse, rupturing organs and shattering bones.

The thought made him shudder. Clutching the books, he slid them into his storage box.

These volumes were not concealed; they were fully written. He could simply copy them. The other two were different—only the initial technique visible, the rest names alone. Content would unfold with rising ability.

He examined the formation shelf. Its three books proved far more obscure, rendered through artifacts and runes. The final one featured the Demonic Subduing Array.

Zhou Yi's spirits surged. He studied the array's prohibitions, noting it required heart blood and soul essence as its core. Explanations also detailed eligible users.

Flipping through dozens of pages yielded nothing on the array or its runes. Confusion clouded his thoughts.

Was his mark the Demonic Subduing Array?

Only two souls in the real world bore it: the Time-Space City Lord and himself. What demon did it subdue? Was it the ruler of their world?

He dismissed the notion. Sophia had explained that those possessing the mark were seeds planted by the main brain across worlds, chosen by fate. The main brain would not cultivate enemies for him.

The logic failed to hold.

With a sigh, he set such speculation aside. What mattered was becoming strong. When opportunity arose, he would return to seal what must be sealed. The old sect master had perished, leaving this inheritance. It could not be ignored; at minimum, it would avenge him and purge this world of monsters and evildoers.