In truth, the previous life had ended too soon for me to feel much emotion. The only thing that lingered was the pain from the self-inflicted wounds, which felt like a deep muscle ache throughout my body, causing me to groan for a while.
"Ugh... Damn it."
I grumbled as I got up. The method of suicide by severing the heart meridian was not a comfortable one. The pain of death was only slightly less severe than being beheaded. It was something that an ordinary person would not easily choose.
I needed to think this through. The pond where the black and white lotus blooms likely contains the remains of a treasure from the Seven Stars. The spiritual energy emanating from the shining sword is tremendous. However, to obtain it, I must kill the guardian, a giant spider.
I pondered deeply, but ultimately decided to just eat it. If I were to sell this outside, I could gain immense wealth and power, but that is not the goal of this life. If I canāt give it to anyone else, itās better for me to consume it, even if the benefits are minimal.
Whoosh
After completing my qi circulation, I felt something inside me shatter. However, it was not a negative sensation. It felt as if the energy from the spirit medicine, which had previously been obstructing my progress, was now pushing through my meridians. I trembled as I felt my inner strength accelerating.
"Wow...!! It feels like a storm is surging inside my body."
However, this alone did not make me stronger. It felt like a precursor to the next stage. I stood up, satisfied with my progress, and saw the pond where the black and white lotus blooms.
The treasure of the Seven Stars is in there.
"Maybe I should go in one more time, just in case?"
I planned to stay in the Qinglong Martial Hall for several decades this time, and I might not come out for a long while. It wouldnāt hurt to go in once more, and it could even be necessary. With my resolve firm, I entered the pond again.
Splash!
I turned the pearl to open the door and entered the treasure site through the underwater passage. I stepped into the cave where the altar was located. This time, I searched more thoroughly around the altar, wondering if I had missed anything before.
"... Ah! This!"
I discovered a box hidden far behind a pillar. Last time, I was too focused on the altar to notice it, but it was hidden in a very secluded spot. The box was a wooden casket made of an unknown material, seemingly harder and heavier than a stone.
I pondered how to open the wooden casket but quickly decided to use my dagger to slash it open.
Swish!
The sealed wooden casket was cut open with a single strike. My dagger, imbued with my inner strength, was as powerful as a legendary sword, even containing a faint sword qi. I carefully lifted the lid of the casket.
Whoosh
"Wow...!!"
It was a gold ingot!
I donāt have the expertise to judge, but the pure and clear luster left no doubt. I had seen silver ingots at the village chiefās house, but the value of a gold ingot is about twenty times that of a silver ingot. Selling just one of the ten or so gold ingots in the casket would make me incredibly wealthy.
I felt both happy and amazed at this unexpected gain. I had only entered the site again on a whim, and this was a stroke of luck that came from being thorough.
'Wait, what if...?'
I picked up two or three gold ingots and stood up.
I then went to the altar and dripped some blood.
Rumble
The stone wall opened.
Once again, the door leading to the precious sword opened, and the narrow bridge was faintly visible in the darkness. I considered how long it would take to run to the end of the bridge and back, but it seemed too risky to do so before the guardian appeared.
"......"
Instead, I walked to the stone wall and, at the bridge, threw the gold ingots down into the pit.
Clang!
[ Roar!!! ]
Suddenly, a sound like a demon from hell bellowing echoed from the pit, followed by the sound of something rapidly crawling up. The guardian giant spider, likely enraged by the gold ingot I had thrown, was climbing up. I threw the torch I had with me down as well.
"Take this too!"
Whoosh
I saw the torch attach to a vague shape. The guardian thrashed violently, seemingly confused, and the cave shook. Fortunately, the torch seemed to have hit the spiderās eyes.
' Itās slower? Then...'
I saw this as an opportunity and quickly activated Leiling to cross the bridge. My lightness skill temporarily sped up.
Whoosh!
I grabbed the primitive sword quickly and, checking the movements below, started running back across the bridge. After running about ten paces, a massive shadow suddenly shot up from below.
Boom!!
"......!!"
The spiderās leg alone shattered the bridge significantly. Wood splinters fell, and my body was launched into the air. I clenched my teeth, determined to fall towards the exit. I dodged a ball of silk that flew up from below with my dagger.
"Ugh!"
I managed to block and deflect it, but the force was too strong, and my body was flung into the air. Even with my inner strength, the force was overwhelming. For ordinary martial artists, defending against such an attack would be impossible.
Crash
After spinning three times in the air, I rolled and desperately climbed the stairs. After a while, I no longer heard any sounds of collapse or pursuit from below. However, I continued running and finally emerged from the underwater passage.
Whoosh
As soon as I pulled my soaked body out of the pond, I took deep breaths.
"Phew! Hah! Phew..."
I realized I had taken a huge risk.
' Lucky... I was lucky.'
I had only thrown the gold ingot to test if it could harm the guardian, and it somehow worked. The gold ingot had accidentally hit the spiderās eyes, and the torch had intensified the damage. If I were to try it again, the chances of success would be extremely low. If the gold ingot had hit any other part, the spider would not have been affected.
I also realized that it was impossible to quickly retrieve the gold ingots and avoid the battle with the guardian. The guardian giant spider was far more agile and powerful than I had anticipated. Even with the time I gained from the gold ingot and torch, I almost didnāt make it. A direct confrontation with the spider was inevitable.
I lay on the snowy field outside the pond and laughed heartily.
"At least I got the precious sword!! Haha."
I felt satisfied looking at the sword in my left hand.
The primitive sword!
This is likely one of the Seven Starsā treasures.
In this life, I would not only train rigorously in martial arts but also have the opportunity to learn about the origins and value of this sword.
' Unfortunately, I didnāt have the time to bring the wooden casket with the gold ingots, but it doesnāt matter.'
The value of the gold ingots would likely be far less than that of this sword. According to Master Wangliang, the treasures of the Seven Stars are ancient relics passed down from the prehistoric era.
I tried infusing the sword with qi.
Hummm...
"... Characters?"
Strange characters appeared on the surface of the sword. They were not completely indecipherable like the characters on the Tianyan Secret Book or the altar. After a long look, I recognized them.
"Primitive oracle bone script. Itās ancient text."
When I studied the Manja script and the Qimen Dunjia book, I learned many ancient and dead languages. Among them was the basic oracle bone script used during the Yin-Shang period. The characters on the sword were slightly different but similar enough for me to recognize.
This sword was likely crafted by an ancient person thousands of years ago. Fortunately, interpreting the Yin-Shang period oracle bone script was not impossible. With a bit more knowledge, I could decipher it.
' Hmm... What should I do? Should I try to interpret the inscriptions on the sword before going to the Qinglong Martial Hall?'
After some thought, I made a decision.
"Iāll go see Master Wangliang."
Master Wangliang could not only determine if this was a treasure of the Seven Stars but also help me interpret the oracle bone script.