Chapter 9, Collecting Treasures

Breaking off a branch, he carefully pried open the box lid. Whoosh, several small arrows shot out from within, moving at an astonishing speed. At such a close distance, without any preparation, even a formidable cultivator would find it difficult to evade.

Another item is the flying sword, which belongs to the category of offensive spiritual artifacts. Lin Xuan fondly played with it, as both items are high-quality spiritual artifacts, extremely precious.

After moving my somewhat numb hands and feet, I examined my physical condition once more and found no abnormalities. Yesterday's experience felt like a dream, yet how could a dream be so real

His body was dragged over and also thrown into the pit

Zhou Yan rebelled and killed her master solely for the treasures contained within. What exactly are the precious items stored inside?

The so-called talismans refer to the practice where cultivators seal spells within specific talisman papers. This allows them to unleash spells against enemies without consuming spiritual energy and enables instantaneous activation, the benefits of which are evident. However, the production of talismans is quite complex; it not only requires specific talisman paper but also consumes a significant amount of spiritual energy, with a low success rate. The higher the level of the spell, the more difficult the production becomes. Therefore, talismans are considered rare and precious items in the realm of cultivation.

Holding the shell in his hands, Lin Xuan examined it carefully. After a while, the hesitant look in Lin Xuan's eyes became resolute. With a slight exertion of his hands, he opened the shell, for the secret should lie within.

Lin Xuan was happily sorting through his spoils. This senior sister was quite ruthless, but her wealth was indeed substantial. Lin Xuan found six low-grade crystal stones, two spiritual tools, and a jade bottle in his storage bracelet. Upon removing the cork, a fragrant aroma wafted out, revealing two snow-white cleansing pills inside. In addition, there were some talismans.

The small arrow struck the nearby tree, causing it to wither instantly, as it was coated with a potent poison. However, Lin Xuan remained unfazed, not even blinking an eye. As expected, such a treasure must surely have a mechanism.

Regardless of any grievances or grudges you may have had in life, once a person dies, it is as if a lamp has been extinguished; thus, there is no need to mind being buried together in the same grave. Lin Xuan silently offered a prayer, then filled in the earth, carefully erasing all traces around. This place was already rarely visited by people, and after his arrangements, he believed that no one would discover that two cultivators lay to rest here.

Lin Xuan carefully stored the storage bracelet, was about to turn around when suddenly a thought struck him, causing him to stop in his tracks. His gaze fell upon Zhou Yan's left hand; although she was dead, her hand still tightly clutched a small sandalwood box.

In the early morning, as the sun rises, it casts warmth upon the earth. Accompanied by a faint groan, Lin Xuan opened his eyes and looked up at the sky. He clearly remembered losing consciousness at noon; could it be that he had slept for an entire day and night?

This is indeed not an ordinary shell; it contains no pearls, but rather some blue light points that float within. These light points are exceptionally beautiful, resembling the twinkling stars in the sky, slowly rotating, akin to a magnificent sea of stars

Lin Xuan fell silent for a moment, then wordlessly approached Zhou Yan's corpse, suppressing his feelings of disgust as he threw her into the pit. Next, Lin Xuan went to the location where Zhang Yu had been ambushed, first looting his treasures, which yielded a storage belt. There was no time to check the contents; the urgent matter was to leave this place of turmoil.

After completing all of this, Lin Xuan no longer delayed and returned to Floating Cloud Valley. Despite having experienced a thrilling scene, Lin Xuan appeared as usual, showing no signs of anything unusual, as if nothing had happened. Even when people occasionally greeted him or mocked him along the way, Lin Xuan handled it just as he always did.

Sitting up, the unbearable pain has completely vanished; however, Lin Xuan does not feel refreshed, after all, he has spent a night sleeping in the wilderness

Lin Xuan furrowed his brow, unable to discern what these were. Just as he intended to close the shell and study it slowly later, a wondrous event occurred: the starry sea began to change, spinning faster and faster, and then it floated towards Lin Xuan. Instinctively, Lin Xuan wanted to dodge, but the speed of those light points was too swift. Before he could react, they all merged into his body.

Excruciating pain coursed through him, every inch of his skin feeling as if it were about to tear apart. Lin Xuan collapsed to the ground, his consciousness gradually fading, and he lost consciousness. The shell, which had lost its blue glimmer, quickly petrified and then weathered into sand, scattering with the wind. In the canyon, apart from the fainted youth, it seemed as if nothing had ever happened.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Xuan walked over and, with some disgust, took the small box from the corpse's hand. However, he did not open it immediately; instead, he examined it with a serious expression. He then gently placed it on the ground and stepped back a distance of seven or eight paces.

After the lid of the box was opened, he did not approach it immediately. Instead, he waited for another ten minutes, ensuring that there would be no further danger, before carefully picking up the box. However, what was inside left Lin Xuan astonished; it was actually a shell the size of a fist.

Unfortunately, my cultivation is still too shallow; I need to reach the fourth level of the spiritual movement technique to activate the spiritual tools. Lin Xuan packed all the items and books back into his storage bracelet. Although this experience was dangerous, the rewards were quite substantial, and there is also someone else's belongings waiting for me to collect. As a Foundation Establishment expert, Zhang Yu's assets are likely to be even more abundant.

... ...

Thus, Lin Xuan returned to his residence, and the first thing he did was to secure the doors and windows. He took out the storage belt he had received from Zhang Yu and began to take inventory.

Lin Xuan counted and found that there were a total of seven talismans, which included spells of various attributes: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Indeed, among all the spoils, the most precious is the spiritual weapon. It is important to note that even for experts at the Foundation Establishment stage, spiritual weapons are highly valuable. As for Zhou Yan, a disciple at the Spirit Movement stage, she surprisingly possesses two such weapons. One of them is the Golden Chain she used during her act of killing her master. When shrunk, it measures only about one foot in length, but once infused with spiritual power, it can grow at will, serving the purpose of binding enemies.

The shell displays vibrant colors, adorned with peculiar patterns on its surface. Although unfamiliar, it is immediately apparent that it is not an ordinary item

There is no indication of anything unusual in his behavior