Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 123 Blood Bodhi

The last stone chamber was small, only a few feet square.

Inside was a stone table with a stone box on it.

Jiang Xun walked over and opened the stone box. Inside lay half a lock—half of a copper lock.

The lock body is crescent-shaped with a clean break, as if it had been deliberately split open.

The surface of the copper lock is engraved with an intricate pattern, which is an orchid.

Jiang Xun picked up the half of the lock and examined it from all angles.

Two lines of small characters are engraved on the back of the lock—

"A long sword cuts through a thousand mountains of snow, yet it cannot match the sound of a wild goose in autumn."

He read it aloud and felt that it sounded somewhat familiar.

Suddenly I remembered—Hongyin, Fu Hongyin, the head of Mirror Lake Sect.

Is this a love poem that the Sword God wrote to Sect Leader Fu?

Jiang Xun's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at the half lock again.

Lock... Mirror Lake Sect Leader... Sword God... He seemed to understand something.

This half of the lock was left to Fu Hongyin by the Sword God.

The other half should be in Fu Hongyin's hands.

A lock split in two, each half now at opposite ends of the earth.

This is a token of love between the Sword God and the Master of Mirror Lake.

Jiang Xun sighed, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart.

A legendary swordsman, so glorious, yet in the end he didn't even have the freedom to be with the one he loved.

"No wonder the Sword God entrusted the Dragon Crystal to Mirror Lake for safekeeping," he muttered. "So that's why."

He carefully tucked the half of the lock into his pocket.

The Sword God's dying wish was to deliver it to Fu Hongyin.

Although he wasn't exactly a saint, he was still willing to do things that helped others achieve their goals.

After the lock was removed, a hidden compartment was revealed at the bottom of the stone box.

It wasn't big, just a square shape, and inside was a white porcelain bottle.

Jiang Xun uncorked the bottle and peeked inside—three pills lay quietly at the bottom.

Pour out a pill and place it in your palm. The pill is pale gold, round and smooth, with a faint medicinal fragrance that invigorates the senses. It is definitely not an ordinary product.

He put the porcelain bottle into his pocket and then glanced at the bottom of the hidden compartment.

There are a few lines of small characters engraved below, crowded together, but still legible.

Jiang Xun leaned closer and read it out word by word—

"The body of Taiyin, the essence of Kunwu. The balance of Yin and Yang can prolong life. However, this is a practice against the will of Heaven, and those who use it will surely suffer its backlash. Be careful, be very careful."

Jiang Xun frowned.

The body of Taiyin? The crystal of Kunwu? The balance of Yin and Yang?

What is all this?

He read it aloud again, memorizing those words.

You might need it someday.

Time is up.

Suddenly, the sound of a mechanism came from the wall of the stone chamber, and a hidden door popped open.

Jiang Xun took a deep breath, stepped over, and pushed open the door to go out.

Outside was the cave hall, where Chen Lei was already waiting.

His clothes were torn in several places, and there was a faint bloodstain on his face. He looked a little tired, but his spirits were still good.

Upon seeing Jiang Xun, he smiled and asked, "You're out?"

"I'm still alive," Jiang Xun said. "And you?"

"I almost didn't make it out." Chen Lei smiled bitterly, touching his ribs. "I took three sword blows and almost died inside."

Ye Qingying emerged from another cave entrance, her fur coat now bearing several tears and her hair somewhat disheveled, but her aloof and otherworldly air remained.

She saw the two of them, nodded slightly, walked to the side, sat down, and closed her eyes to regulate her breathing.

"What's going on?" Jiang Xun leaned closer and asked.

"It's Qimen Dunjia..." Ye Qingying was about to explain when she suddenly stopped.

She saw that Tuoba Feng had also come out.

His expression was calm, and his clothes were neat, as if nothing had happened.

However, he seemed to have some difficulty walking in his right leg, which was obviously due to an injury.

Xiao Rui was the last to come out.

Gone was his usual calm and composed smile; his face was ashen, and his eyes still held a trace of lingering anger.

Huang Hu emerged from the shadows, his gaze sweeping over the five people.

"They're all out." He nodded. "Very good."

"What's so good about it?" Xiao Rui's voice turned cold. "Senior Huang, shouldn't you give us an explanation?"

"What explanation?"

"Not only does it contain the sword energy of the Sword God, but it also tests your divine sense!" Xiao Rui's tone was furious. "A single misstep could turn you into an idiot! Why didn't you tell us beforehand?"

Huang Hu remained calm and composed: "The legacy of the Sword God is no ordinary thing. If you can't even pass this test, you are not worthy of this legacy. If I had told you beforehand, you would have been timid and hesitant once you went in, which would have made it easier for something to go wrong."

"So you kept it from us?" Xiao Rui sneered. "You're gambling with our lives!"

"In the martial world, what isn't a gamble?" Huang Hu's tone remained calm, as if soothing a sulking child. "The path of martial arts is inherently defying the heavens. If you don't even dare to gamble on this, how can you achieve great things?"

Xiao Rui stared at him for a long time, his chest heaving violently, like a ball of fire about to burst out.

But he ultimately held back.

Although the others didn't speak, they all looked at Huang Hu with more wariness.

Huang Hu didn't seem to care. His gaze slowly swept across their faces as he asked with a smile, "Gentlemen, what did you all receive?"

silence.

Xiao Rui spoke first, his tone indifferent: "I didn't get anything."

Tuoba Feng glanced at him and shook his head: "No."

"I've gained some insights that are beneficial to my cultivation," Ye Qingying said, without specifying what they were.

Chen Lei hesitated for a moment, then said, "I obtained the Blood Bodhi."

"Blood Bodhi?" Xiao Rui couldn't help but raise his voice.

Jiang Xun, unaware of the situation, asked Ye Qingying, "What is the Blood Bodhi?"

"Legend has it that the Blood Bodhi grows in extremely yin places. After taking it, one's internal strength can be instantly doubled, and even break through bottlenecks. Moreover, because the medicinal power cleanses the marrow, it also has the effect of prolonging life." Ye Qingying's words revealed a rare hint of envy.

Jiang Xun's eyes widened in surprise.

Chen Lei is already an outstanding young talent. If he obtains the Blood Bodhi, wouldn't he immediately become a grandmaster?

But he wasn't too envious—his own internal energy was already growing too fast due to the Bu Zhou Tian Yin Jue technique. If he were to consume the Blood Bodhi, wouldn't that accelerate the growth and make him wish he were dead sooner?

"Congratulations, Young Master Chen. Obtaining the Blood Bodhi signifies your affinity with the Sword God." Huang Hu nodded, his smile deepening. "May I take a look?"

Everyone looked at Chen Lei, eager to see what was happening.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Chen Lei's face as he smiled wryly and said, "I've already eaten."

"have eaten?"

"At first I didn't know it was a blood bodhi seed, I just thought it was an ordinary wild fruit and ate it."

"..."

The expressions on everyone's faces varied, and it was unclear whether they believed Chen Lei's words.

"Hehe, since it belongs to Young Master Chen, how to handle it is naturally up to him." Huang Hu nodded indifferently, then looked at Jiang Xun with a hint of inquiry in his eyes, "Young Master Jiang, what about you?"

Jiang Xun spread his hands, looking dejected: "I didn't get anything. It was full of sword energy; I couldn't even dodge it, let alone dare to touch anything."

He spoke frankly, even with a hint of self-deprecation.

Huang Hu looked at him with a smile, but didn't say anything.

His gaze lingered on Jiang Xun's face for a few moments, as if weighing something, before he looked away.

"It's good that you're out safe and sound." He faced the crowd, looking completely harmless. "Everyone's tired. Rest here tonight and go down the mountain early tomorrow morning."