Volcanic Age

The trip to the world, which was both short and long, finally came to an end. First, they participated in wars where conflicts occurred all the time. Then, they were ambushed but miraculously survived.

Just when things seemed to be over, and they were about to return to Mount Hua, they were attacked by the Nine Water Gangs and one of the Hundred Experts Under Heaven, and they went missing in the process.

After barely coming back alive, another expert from the Evil Valley, albeit not a well-known expert, came looking for trouble as they were heading back.

Although the Lotus Pavilion's trip to the world was a yearly event, this one was unlike any other since its founding.

Aside from that, there were other events that Zhou Xuchuan could not reveal to others, such as meeting the Posthumous Genius and the Merchant King, who would become key figures later. Thanks to them, he was able to raid the Three-Eyed Godly Thief's treasury.

"Hm, It's good that I didn't get much attention. It's just as I predicted."

Normally, his achievements would have received quite a bit of attention, but right now, the entire martial world was focused on the treasury, including Mount Hua. Even Qiu Feng, whose concern for Zhou Xuchuan rivaled Liu Zhengmu's, was forced to head to Chongqing.

Bringing back a member of the Lotus Pavilion was important since it concerned Mount Hua Sect's pride, but it was nothing compared to the treasury. Just the mere existence of the ownerless Three-Eyed Godly Thief's tomb was enough to make them send all of their main forces to investigate.

This was the perfect opportunity for Zhou Xuchuan to avoid unnecessary attention and bothersome visits from people. He wouldn't be able to obtain everything in the treasury anyway, so he used its existence to his advantage.

"Junior brother!" A familiar, joyful voice called out. He turned to see two tearful fellow disciples."Senior brother, senior sister."

It was Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen.

"You brat!"

His eyes teary, Zhang Hong playfull put Zhou Xuchuan in a headlock, ruffling his hair until it resembled a bird's nest.

Zhang Xuen cried as she looked at both of them. From her expression, Zhou Xuchuan could tell how worried she had been about him until now.

"We should've looked out for you until the end…" Zhang Hong muttered, his voice shaky. Zhou Xuchuan could tell he was desperately trying to hold back tears.

Although they hadn't spent a long time together, they had still gotten pretty close to Zhou Xuchuan. Zhang Hong was also feeling a sense of responsibility and guilt as the senior apprentice.

But the junior brother they thought was dead had returned. The joy they felt couldn't be described in words.

"It's okay. It's not your fault."

Zhou Xuchuan hugged them both, patting their backs. The scene almost made it seem like they were the junior apprentices.

"How did you survive?"

"I want to hear the details."

There seemed to be a lot to say.

"So—"

Zhou Xuchuan was interrupted just as he began to speak.

"Senior brother!"

Still in Zhang Hong's arms, Zhou Xuchuan turned his head to see a familiar face.

Her eyes glistened with tears and her beautiful face had become more dazzling during the past year. She was rubbing toward him, gasping for breath.

"Junior sister."

It was Luo Xiaoyue.

Luo Xiaoyue rushed over in an instant. Zhang Hong was caught off guard and let go of Zhou Xuchuan.

"Senior brother!" Luo Xiaoyue jumped into Zhou Xuchuan's arms.

"Yes." Zhou Xuchuan smiled in resignation.

"I'm… glad… you're still a-hiccup-live…"

Luo Xiaoyue couldn't hold back and started sobbing. She might be mature for her age, but she was still a child in the end. The death of someone she cherished was too much to handle for a girl who hadn't even reached adulthood.

"It's good to see you again." He patted Luo Xiaoyue, who was crying in his arms.

I didn't know a day like this would come…

Something like this happened in Zhou Xuchuan's previous life. He had participated in a battle where his allies ended up losing and managed to survive by a stroke of luck. However, not once did someone react like this. Back then, he just stayed in bed for a few days receiving treatment.

Only a few fellow disciples he was familiar with greeted him before returning. Ever since he lost his master, he had been alone.

An emotion welled up inside him, but it wasn't a bad feeling.

That day, he learned the true meaning of affection between fellow disciples.

*

The Three-Eyed Godly Thief's treasury, Chongqing.

"Aaack!"

The exploration wasn't going smoothly. This was to be expected since there was no one skilled in mechanisms. People ran into traps frequently, resulting in a large number of injuries. Both people from the Martial Alliance and the Evil Valley were injured.

It had been three months since the treasury became publicly known, but they hadn't even gone halfway. Every time a treasure was discovered, a fresh wave of challengers came in. People of both factions, as well as wandering cultivators, flocked to the treasury. Sometimes, cultivators acquired the martial arts of a historical expert, which caused commotion every time it happened.

As the exploration dragged on, the nearby Yanchang region bustled, with roads becoming wider and more polished and barracks being built.

As more people streamed in, merchants naturally followed suit. They sold various items in the base camps built in areas near the treasury.

With the appearance of hidden experts, curious onlookers gathered. Yanchang, which used to be deserted without the slightest sign of life, was now bustling with people.

However, it didn't look like a village would be formed. There was nothing around other than the treasury, so those setting up businesses there would starve once the exploration was over.

"You son of a bitch!"

"I'll see you inside the treasury!"

With two opposing factions gathering in one place, conflicts were bound to occur. To prevent this, the Martial Alliance and the Evil Valley signed a peace treaty called the Treasury Treaty, forbidding fights during the exploration until the main forces of each side returned to their domains.

Thanks to the Treasury Treaty, fights were suppressed during the exploration of the treasury, as everyone was careful.

However, that only applied outside of the treasury. It was a completely different story inside the treasury, where things were hellish. Getting lost and falling into traps was all too common, so people took advantage of those mechanisms and committed murder. Tossing a corpse into a trap would erase any evidence, so there was no need to fear any backlash.

Above all, there was no way cultivators could stay still in the face of treasure. Killing others to monopolize treasure was a common occurrence. Even the Martial Alliance and the Evil Valley could not realistically do anything about what happened inside the treasury.

This delayed the exploration even further. There were many dangers inside the treasury, but bringing just one piece of treasure out could change one's life forever. Naturally, cultivators risked their lives to win against the competition.

"The Dark Heaven Association is the one profiting off all this," Zhou Xuchuan remarked.

The Dark Heaven Association was the organization that reintroduced the art of mechanisms to the world of cultivators. Although it wasn't as good as Zhuge Shengji, it was more knowledgeable than any other organization.

"Shengji isn't with them, so the Martial Alliance shouldn't get much either."

In his previous life, the Orthodox Faction managed to secure a considerable amount of treasure thanks to Zhuge Shengji's participation in the exploration. Back then, the Evil Faction lost more than they gained because of their lack of knowledge in mechanisms.

That pushed all factions to research mechanisms later.

"Still, it's better than handing over the Ten Thousand Convergence Art, the Divine Phantom Art, and the Lesser Circulation Pills to the Dark Heaven Association."

He wasn't wrong, especially concerning the Ten Thousand Convergence Art, since it elevated the Dark Heaven Association Leader's monstrous power to the realm of a martial god.

"How would this affect the future?"

The treasury of the Three-Eyed Godly Thief would have a great influence on the future, although not as much as the Ominous Demon's tomb. However, due to his interference, it was opened two years earlier than it had been originally, and the Orthodox Faction ended up with fewer treasures than they originally did.

In the original history, the treasures discovered in the treasury weren't used for luxury by the Orthodox Sect; they were used to prepare military supplies because the discovery of the Ominous Demon's tomb triggered the Seven Swords War not long after.

The early opening of the treasury would have a ripple effect on countless conflicts, big and small. Now, Zhou Xuchuan truly couldn't tell what would happen in the future.

You gain some, you lose some. It was just a matter of equal exchange.

*

A year flew by, and Zhou Xuchuan was now thirteen.

The exploration of the treasury was still ongoing. Although he wasn't given any details, the exploration seemed to be about halfway done.

"I knew the absence of Shengji would delay the exploration, but I didn't think it would take over a year. This was unexpected."

In his previous life, complete exploration took about a year. However, he was told that they were only halfway done. He couldn't help but appreciate how amazing Zhuge Shengji was.

"Savior, it's been a while."

A familiar figure made a visit.

"Ooh, if it isn't Gale Sword."

"You embarrass me."

Wang Yi, who now had the title "Gale Sword," scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"You're now among the Peak Realm experts, so you do not need to feel embarrassed. Show off all you want," Zhou Xuchuan chuckled, crossing his arms.

"This is all thanks to you, Savior." Wang Yi expressed his gratitude, eyes brimming with respect. Before leaving Guizhou a year ago, Zhou Xuchuan had handed over some of the martial arts manuals he obtained from the treasury to Li Yicai. They were the Agile Sword Art and Storm Steps. He didn't leave them in Li Yicai's care for no reason. He instructed Li Yicai to distribute them to trustworthy cultivators who participated in the exploration with him.

After that, Li Yicai handed the manuals to the cultivators— all ten of them. He didn't do so indiscriminately. He made that decision after observing all of them for a while.

In the first place, the cultivators that had tagged along with Zhou Xuchuan were those he had hand-picked. They might lack skill, but they were definitely trustworthy. Their personalities weren't bad, and because of their circumstances, there was no risk of betrayal either.

Li Yicai was not an amateur merchant. His meticulous personality was even stricter when it came to calculating benefits and losses. He was the type to rustle every bush before walking past it and maybe even have everything checked before going into a forest.

In any case, the ten cultivators, including Wang Yi, were given the martial arts manuals. Their reactions were naturally overwhelming. They immediately kowtowed in the direction of Shaanxi. Both Agile Sword Art and Storm Steps were first-class martial arts manuals. It may not be significant to large sects, but for people like them, it was worth more than their lives.

Even Wang Yi had yet to learn a proper martial art and managed to reach First-Class with talent alone. The other cultivators didn't even need to be mentioned.

At best, they would reach First-Class in their lifetime, and most of them would stay Second-Class or Third-Class for the rest of their lives. Being taught a first-class martial art wasn't just a joyful thing. They treated Zhou Xuchuan like their savior and swore genuine loyalty to him.

The ten cultivators had wholeheartedly focused on training the past year, almost as if they wanted to make up for the frustrations of not receiving proper education. Among them, Wang Yi managed to break through the barrier of the First Class and reach Peak Realm.

"What happened to Sheng… I mean, Shengji?"

Naturally, Zhou Xuchuan and Zhuge Shengji's identities were revealed. This wasn't a problem since it would be known sooner or later.

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