Without any resistance, as if breaking through a layer of water curtain, Mu Yun's figure instantly disappeared within it. In a daze, he had already stepped into a completely different world.
This was a spacious plaza. Above the plaza, figures crisscrossed, and it was exceptionally lively. Looking around, green stone slabs paved the ground neatly and smoothly. The stone slabs were mottled, as if they had carried the flow of countless years. On the four sides of the plaza, four stone pillars stood majestically. Each stone pillar was carved with an exotic beast, the beasts lifelike, as if they could leap from the stone pillars at any moment and shatter the sky.
Mu Yun took a deep breath, his gaze falling upon a pavilion not far away. The pavilion stood tall, grand and ancient, with a black plaque hanging above it. On the plaque, three vigorous characters were strikingly carved—"Treasure Gathering Pavilion!"
His eyes flickered slightly, a faint smile curved on Mu Yun's lips, and he quickened his pace, walking forward.
The entrance to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion was extremely wide, with four green stone archways beneath the main door. Unlike the strict security of ordinary large powers, there were no martial artist guards here. Only a white-haired old man sat on a wooden chair, leaning against a green stone wall, his eyes slightly closed, seemingly dozing.
Mu Yun's steps paused slightly. His gaze lightly swept over the old man. Without much delay, he followed the flow of people and entered through the archway.
As Mu Yun's figure completely disappeared, the old man's eyelids trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.
"Qi Condensation..." His voice was low, carrying a mysterious meaning, as he slowly uttered these two words, then closed his eyes again, as if he had never awakened.
...
After entering the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, Mu Yun's gaze moved slightly as he looked around. The pavilion was brightly lit and immensely spacious, like an independent realm. Inside, there were glittering treasures, remarkably magnificent. Many people in lavish clothes moved through it, either pausing to observe or conversing in low voices. On the counters, gold, silver, and jewels shimmered brilliantly, dazzling the eye.
Mu Yun withdrew his gaze, his expression calm, and walked slowly forward.
Soon, his brows furrowed slightly, and he thought to himself: "Although these items are all rare and precious, enough to make mortals flock to them, they are of no benefit to us martial practitioners. Could it be that this Treasure Gathering Pavilion only contains such mundane objects?"
He pondered for a moment, and another conjecture arose in his mind: "Or, is it because I have not yet embarked on the path of cultivation, and therefore, what I see are only these worldly things?"
Thinking this, he couldn't help but shake his head and was about to head out of the pavilion. However, just as he took a step, Elder Zhu's past words suddenly flashed through his mind—"If you enter the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, you can seek out a person named Huang Zhuo. Now that the items I sought are all prepared, why not take this opportunity to meet this person and inquire a little?"
But no sooner had the thought arisen than Big Brother Yumo's admonition reappeared in his mind—"Do not easily inquire about matters of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion." As a cultivator, Yumo's strength was unfathomable, and his words certainly held deep meaning. If he acted carelessly, he feared he might attract unnecessary trouble. Thinking this, he sighed slightly inwardly, and finally suppressed the thought, deciding to simply wander around the pavilion like everyone else, so as not to attract attention.
Amidst his swirling thoughts, Mu Yun walked to the entrance and saw the old man by the door looking at him. He nodded slightly, cupped his hands respectfully in greeting. Just as he was about to leave, a low, yet meaningful, elderly voice suddenly reached his ears—
"Young man, the second door on the right might be of some benefit to you."
Mu Yun's steps paused. He turned back to look at the old man, who had deep eyes and a half-smile. His heart trembled slightly, then he cupped his hands in a bow, offered a word of thanks, took a deep breath, and turned to walk towards the second door on the right...
Upon entering, the scene before him instantly changed. This was an inner chamber with a circular floor, narrowing upwards. The surroundings were divided into four major areas. In each area, countless books floated in mid-air. The books were transparent, faintly glowing with a soft white light, and seemed to have tiny golden characters moving within them, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing.
The pavilion was silent, with only six people scattered in different areas, engrossed in reading the books in their hands. Mu Yun's arrival startled a few of them; some looked up at him briefly and then returned to their reading. The others didn't even divert their attention, remaining immersed in their books.
Mu Yun's gaze swept around, quickly drawn to a floating area of books. Above these books, the words "Brief History of Immortal Dao" (仙道略闻) were suspended. His heart trembled, and he immediately quickened his pace, heading straight for that section of books.
Just then, a light laugh, with a hint of sarcasm, suddenly echoed in the quiet pavilion. The person laughing was a lavishly dressed young master, with a playful expression. Not far from him, a short-haired boy, similar in age to Mu Yun, opened his mouth as if to speak, but ultimately said nothing.
Although the light laugh was not loud, it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly drawing the gaze of everyone in the room towards Mu Yun. However, Mu Yun was currently engrossed by the books in the "Brief History of Immortal Dao" area and had no time to spare for his surroundings. His gaze fell upon an ancient-looking handbook with a simple cover, "Cultivator's Notes" (仙者笔录).
Mu Yun's heart suddenly pounded. He reached out without hesitation to grab it. In an instant, the book trembled slightly, a white light flashed, and a phantom image projected from it. Mu Yun's expression subtly shifted. When he came back to his senses, the "Cultivator's Notes" was resting steadily in his palm. The pages felt cool to the touch. He eagerly opened the first page, his gaze greedily scanning, utterly immersed.
As the pages turned, a massive torrent of information surged into Mu Yun's mind like a tide, shaking his spirit and making him unable to extricate himself. The matters recorded in the book far exceeded his imagination. Every word, every sentence, seemed to contain an irresistible attraction, making him eagerly absorb it all.
However, he did not realize that his face had turned pale, his eyes were bloodshot, his gaze filled with a fanatical fervor, and his entire aura became extremely unstable, like a drowning person clinging tightly to the last piece of driftwood, unwilling to let go.
Those in the pavilion, seeing this, shook their heads and sighed, their eyes showing a hint of pity. Clearly, they had witnessed such a scene before. The lavishly dressed young master, seeing this, his sarcastic smile deepened, his eyes carrying a hint of mockery, as if waiting for a certain outcome. And the short-haired boy, looking at Mu Yun, slowly clenched his fists, a hint of hesitation appearing in his eyes. Finally, he gritted his teeth and stepped towards Mu Yun...
And Mu Yun, at this moment, seemed to have fallen into another space. Here, the heavens and earth were clear, and the mountains and rivers were like a painting. A small path paved with green stone stretched endlessly, ancient trees stood tall on both sides, their branches and leaves gently swaying with the wind, rustling softly. Streams babbled, birds chirped ethereally, and a gentle breeze brushed his face, as if carrying the spiritual essence of the world.
Mu Yun's spirit trembled, and he even had the illusion of soaring into the sky and dancing with the wind.
As if guided by some inner call, Mu Yun couldn't help but quicken his pace, moving through the forest. Gradually, a misty area appeared ahead, and a cliff suddenly came into view. Below the cliff, it was bottomless, with occasional strong winds howling, echoing like sounds from the underworld. The other side of the cliff was shrouded in thick fog, indistinct, seemingly with vehicles moving and towering buildings.
That was the scenery of Earth.
"Dream?!"
Mu Yun stood at the edge of the cliff, looking at the opposite shore. His brows furrowed slightly, his mind shaken. Suddenly, a deafening roar came from the depths of the cliff. A pitch-black gale, like ink, appeared out of thin air, forming a vortex that wildly swept through! Heaven and earth instantly darkened. The black wind seemed to devour everything in its path; where it passed, vegetation shattered, dirt was ripped up, and even the mountain itself began to peel away layer by layer, falling into the black wind vortex!
Mu Yun's face drastically changed. His heart was terrified. He reacted almost instantly, sharply retreating, his feet leaving afterimages as he dashed back the way he came!
In this shaking world of mountains and rivers, Mu Yun felt everything around him was in chaos, as if heaven and earth were collapsing. Every step he ran was like struggling in a swamp. Gradually, his legs became heavy as if filled with lead, unable to move forward any further.
He turned back and gazed, and the sight before him sent a shock through his heart—the world behind him spread out in darkness, seemingly devouring everything. Soon, the surrounding landscape became blurred, as if torn apart by an invisible force, leaving only the isolated patch of land beneath his feet.
Gradually, the ground beneath Mu Yun's feet also began to crumble inch by inch. He felt an irresistible force pulling him into the abyss. His vision went black, and his body plunged straight down.
However, just at the moment of falling, a voice suddenly sounded in Mu Yun's mind.
"Warning! Spirit on the verge of collapse, life threat level 100%." "Genesis Genesis Neural System activating." "Antimatter armament system activating." "Nuclear arc reactor activating."
At the same instant, the old man who had been dozing at the entrance suddenly opened his eyes, which shot out frighteningly sharp light.
"Which Daoist friend brings a heaven-piercing spiritual treasure here?!"
"Boom!" Mu Yun's consciousness returned. Immediately, he issued a command in his mind.
"All systems shutting down!"
At the very instant all systems shut down, Mu Yun felt a chill envelop his entire body, as if he had plunged into an ice cave. This chill lingered on him for several breaths, then disappeared.
"Doesn't seem like this kid..."
"Hmph! He runs quite fast. But... can he really get away? If not for that coming event, I would surely drag you out," the old man retracted his spiritual sense, a cold smile gracing his withered face. He closed his eyes again.
"That was close!" Mu Yun wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and slowly let out a breath of relief.
"This chill feels very familiar; I experienced it before on the Genesis spacecraft. At that time, it was accompanied by the temporary malfunction of the ship's instruments."
"Could this be a method for cultivators to remotely observe external objects? Like radar?"
Mu Yun pondered, then sat cross-legged and began to regulate his breath. When he recalled the contents of the book, he was horrified to find that he hadn't remembered a single thing he had read. A chill involuntarily rose in his heart, making him even more wary of this cultivation world.
Soon after, Mu Yun felt his heart gradually lighten, and he then opened his eyes.
"Brother, you're amazing..." The short-haired boy stepped forward and greeted him proactively. He flashed a brilliant smile, his tone carrying a hint of genuine admiration: "To actually be able to consciously walk out of the book..."
Mu Yun heard clearly that the boy was referring to him. He smiled faintly and asked, "I wonder what's special about reading this book? Why did I feel dizzy and remember nothing after reading it?"
As soon as his words fell, everyone around cast strange glances at him, as if looking at an innocent person who didn't understand the ways of the world.
The short-haired boy took down a book, flipped through it, then lightly flicked it, and the book silently flew back to its original place. He casually said, "Everyone in this pavilion wants to read all the books in this area, but..."
He paused, his gaze complex as he swept over the surroundings, then whispered, "It's just that if your strength isn't enough, reading them is useless."
Mu Yun was slightly startled, his confusion deepening. He couldn't help but ask, "Then what kind of strength is needed to read them? And how does one purchase these books?"
The short-haired boy glanced at Mu Yun, a strange look in his eyes, but then he still began to explain: "All the characters in the books here are condensed from powerful thought power, not something ordinary people can comprehend."
"Being able to enter this place means you at least possess Qi Condensation stage strength," the short-haired boy continued, his tone slightly solemn. "But the books here, the minimum requirement to view them is Foundation Establishment cultivation. If your strength is insufficient and you forcibly read books you shouldn't, you will suffer a backlash."
"Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment are separated by a chasm!"