Li Pingyi shuddered with fright and quickly patted his chest to calm his nerves.
The content that followed was an introduction to Blessed Lands. Li Pingyi patiently began to read:
"Blessed Lands are even rarer, seen perhaps once every few years... Their opportunities far surpass those of Grotto-Heavens..." Li Pingyi read word by word, his brow gradually furrowing.
"Magnificent gates, the doorframes corresponding to realms, the void within... pitch black? Not colorful like a Grotto-Heaven, but rather resembling a giant mouth waiting to devour anyone who approaches."
"When opened, the six regions shake, with the human, monster, and demon races entering together? Goodness gracious, this is about to turn into a chaotic brawl of the three realms!"
Information poured in line by line, and Li Pingyi's expression grew increasingly grave.
When he saw "Strictly prohibited to enter unless at the late stage of a realm, this is a consensus across the continent" and "A Blessed Land lasts for a full two days, twice as long as a Grotto-Heaven," he finally couldn't help but slap his thigh:
"Ha! I get it. A Grotto-Heaven is just a 'regular dungeon,' while this Blessed Land is definitely a 'hard-mode dungeon'! I'm familiar with this, I just wonder if the drop rate is high..."
He habitually thought of games, but his smile froze shortly after. This was no game with infinite respawns.
Soon, he was drawn to the author's commentary within the Jade Slip:
Despite Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands being filled with opportunities everywhere, endless dangers were hidden behind them.
Each time they opened, numerous cultivators swarmed in, yet only a lucky few returned with a full load.
The Canglan Continent had never lacked legends of people making a fortune overnight after returning from within.
Some cultivators entered full of anticipation, only to be ambushed by sentient Monster Beasts while cautiously moving forward, losing their lives before they even realized what was happening;
Some cultivators, lacking sufficient strength, were killed by others while fighting for a Spirit Object, their souls ultimately scattering;
Even worse, some were trapped by powerful restrictions within the Grotto-Heaven or Blessed Land, struggling bitterly without a way out, and finally becoming nutrients for the Grotto-Heaven or Blessed Land.
Monster Beasts at or above the Foundation Establishment Stage would develop sentience, while those at the Golden Core Stage possessed intelligence comparable to ordinary humans, or even higher.
Murder for treasure and dark conspiracies emerged endlessly.
Yet even so, countless cultivators would rush in without hesitation the moment a Grotto-Heaven or Blessed Land opened, fighting for their path of cultivation.
The opening times and locations of Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands were unpredictable, but the locations where they were teleported out upon closing were mostly around the gates.
Within the control range of sect forces, when a Grotto-Heaven was discovered, people were specially dispatched to guard the outside, ensuring safety upon exit most of the time in a relatively orderly and peaceful manner.
However, outside the control of sects, scenes of murder and treasure-snatching were frequently staged, revealing the cold ruthlessness of the Canglan Continent.
At the end of the Jade Slip, several lines of blood-red characters came into view once more, seemingly carrying a trace of chill: "Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands: opportunity and crisis coexist, a thread between life and death, a narrow escape! Remember, entering a Grotto-Heaven is already difficult, but a Blessed Land is far from a blessing!"
Li Pingyi gave a start. The senior who wrote this Jade Slip had quite a bit of lingering resentment; it seemed they had suffered a massive loss.
He put down the Jade Slip, massaged his glabella, and let out a long breath: "People die for wealth just as birds die for food; that saying holds true everywhere. It seems that from now on, the art of 'turtling up' must not only be carved into my heart, but also embroidered onto my underwear."
After a self-deprecating chuckle, his expression turned serious again: "In case I get slaughtered like a fat sheep and the hard-earned wealth I saved benefits someone else, I'd really be losing to the core."
Putting down the Jade Slip in his hand, he began to ponder his own affairs in detail:
"The first difficulty is how to get in. This is the sphere of influence of the Qingxuan Sect, and Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands are strictly controlled. Unless I have explosive luck like today, I basically won't be able to get in.
The second is the issue of self-preservation. The strict control actually turned out to be a good thing; rogue cultivators have fewer quotas to enter, and everyone basically knows each other's background. Evil Cultivators and bandit cultivators wouldn't even dare to show their faces, as they'd be slapped to death the moment they pop up.
Still, one must guard against others...
And there's another thing: it would also be troublesome if I bumped into acquaintances once inside. Li Youdao's nickname as the social butterfly of the Qingxuan Sect wasn't earned for nothing, and he knows a lot of disciples from both the Outer Sect and Inner Sect, including me. It's truly worrying.
Sigh, hard to handle."
Li Pingyi yawned and continued pondering:
"Assuming the first two problems are basically solved, the third problem comes up.
Once teleported out after the Grotto-Heaven ends, it's hard not to be discovered by the Qingxuan Sect cultivators holding down the fort. At that time, if I say I was here catching game, would they believe me? Probably not. If I add a bit of sincerity and kindness to my eyes when I say it, would they believe it?"
Distracted and annoyed by the numerous problems, Li Pingyi simply shook his head, temporarily casting them to the back of his mind, and picked up another Jade Slip labeled "Records of Rare Treasures."
"The biggest difference between Spirit Objects and spiritual plants, spiritual minerals, and spiritual materials is their spirituality..."
"I know this already. The old man already told me just now, yawn—"
Yawning, Li Pingyi manipulated his spiritual sense to flip downward.
"The following is the classification of known Spirit Objects..."
"As a lazy student at the Qi Condensation 4th Layer, this is way too far from me. Skipping..."
"Above Spirit Objects are Heavenly and Earthly Treasures.
Heavenly and Earthly Treasures generally contain mysterious power similar to the power of rules, mostly possessing independent consciousness, mobility, and even attacking capabilities, requiring careful handling.
Interesting. You have successfully caught my attention."
Li Pingyi put down the Jade Slip, deep in thought:
"In other words, after going through all kinds of hardships to defeat the guarding boss, I might still get slapped to death by the treasure itself when I open the treasure chest? Isn't this way too brutal?"
Thinking of this, Li Pingyi couldn't help breaking out in lingering fear: "Good thing I only ran into a Spirit Object today. If it had been some Heavenly and Earthly Treasure, and I got slapped to death the moment I went in, wouldn't I have become the Qingxuan Sect's biggest tragedy in a thousand years?"
"Sigh... That being said, that girl Ning Susu is also unreliable. I need to stay away from her next time. A Spirit Object appears as a purple beam of light, so what color would a Heavenly and Earthly Treasure be? Huh, what is this?"
Sensing something, Li Pingyi hurriedly sat up.
"Brother Chess, what...?"
Li Pingyi discovered with astonishment that the small yellow dot representing his position on the chessboard within his Consciousness Sea was still displayed, except that it had appeared in the center of the chessboard, and in the blank area outside the grid, a snow-white chess piece had abruptly appeared.
He observed it carefully for a while without finding anything unusual, and then tried to cautiously probe it with his spiritual sense, discovering that the chess piece seemed capable of being moved.
However, until he exhausted all his spiritual sense, he only managed to lift the chess piece slightly.
After persisting for a few breaths, Li Pingyi felt his Consciousness Sea showing signs of collapse, scaring him into stopping immediately.
In an instant, a wave of intense exhaustion struck, and already drowsy, he could no longer hold on and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Li Pingyi woke up amid a strong wave of hunger.
Rubbing his still throbbing temples, he felt his whole body sore and weak, as if he had been trampled in turn by a dozen bull monsters.
"Starving... I'm starving..." Struggling to get out of bed, he broke his usual habit of lingering in bed, and after a simple wash, drawn by a rich aroma, he drifted toward the kitchen on weak legs.
On the stove, a casserole was bubbling and giving off steam.
Li Pingyi lifted the lid, and an indescribable fresh fragrance rushed over him. Inside the pot was a snow-white, delicate, thick soup resembling nectar. He eagerly ladled out a large bowl, too impatient to mind the heat, blew on it twice, and began devouring it wolf-style.
The thick soup entered his mouth, rich, smooth, and incomparably fresh. What was even more peculiar was that it actually contained wisps of warm Spiritual Qi, which slid down his throat into his belly, rapidly transforming into a warm current that nourished his parched Consciousness Sea and exhausted body.
"Mom! What is this fairy soup made of? It's so delicious! Is there any more?"
He shouted into the inner room with slurred speech, his hands not stopping for a moment as he polished off another bowl in two or three bites.