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

Chapter 82 Still Alive

Wushan, City God Temple.

Jiang Xun and Tuoba Feng climbed over the courtyard wall and collapsed into the woodshed, panting heavily.

Moonlight streamed in through the broken window, illuminating two ashen faces.

One was covered in dust, the other had grass clippings all over his head; they were a complete mess.

They looked at each other and suddenly laughed.

"Hahaha—" Jiang Xun laughed so hard he almost fell over, which aggravated the injury in his chest, causing him to grimace in pain. "It was worth it! This trip was totally worth it!"

Tuoba Feng also laughed, although it was only a slight upturn of the corners of his mouth. Compared to his previous cold and aloof demeanor, it was a hearty laugh.

He took something out of his pocket and handed it to Jiang Xun.

It is about the size of a fist, crystal clear, and glows faintly in the moonlight.

It resembles a gemstone, or a frozen drop of water, with something seemingly flowing slowly inside.

Dragon crystal.

Jiang Xun took it; it was cold and heavy to the touch.

He examined it closely, turning it over and over, and clicked his tongue in amazement: "This is something that so many people are fighting tooth and nail for?"

He held the dragon crystal, and suddenly a strange feeling surged into his mind—like something exploding in his brain, or like a lightning bolt streaking across the night sky.

Countless images flashed before my eyes, too fast to see clearly, yet so real as if I were experiencing them firsthand.

In just a moment, he regained consciousness, panting heavily, with fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"What the hell is this thing?" He looked at the dragon crystal in his hand with lingering fear.

"It is said that only special people can unlock its secrets." Tuoba Feng shook his head. "Ordinary people can only use it as a decoration, and it may even affect their minds. Those righteous sects have been researching it for so many years, but they haven't figured it out at all."

Jiang Xun nodded, examined the dragon crystal over and over again, but still couldn't figure it out.

Tuoba Feng suddenly stared at him, his gaze scrutinizing him: "Is what you're practicing the Unbound Heaven Guiding Technique?"

Jiang Xun was taken aback, and his heart skipped a beat.

How did this person figure it out?

Tuoba Feng seemed to see his doubts and said calmly, "There are two extraordinary internal skills in the world. One is the Buzhou Tianyin Technique, which has domineering internal force that is inexhaustible; the other is the Great Nirvana Heart Sutra, which has sinister internal force."

Both of these internal cultivation techniques place extremely high demands on the practitioner's physical condition, and eventually, there is a risk of death from body explosion. Therefore, although they are powerful, very few people practice them.

He paused, his gaze falling on the dragon crystal in Jiang Xun's hand: "But both of these internal cultivation techniques are sensitive to the dragon crystal. I sensed it back at the Meng residence; you were sensitive to the dragon crystal—so it's not hard to guess."

Jiang Xun paused for a moment, then simply nodded: "That's right, I'm practicing the Unbound Heaven Guiding Technique."

Tuoba Feng then asked, "What is your relationship with the Dasheng Dynasty?"

Jiang Xun was taken aback: "The Great Sheng Dynasty?"

Tuoba Feng retorted, "Don't you know that the Buzhou Tian Yin Jue is a unique martial art of the Dasheng Dynasty's royal family?"

"I really don't know." Jiang Xun opened his mouth, the old man's face flashing through his mind. "This cultivation technique was passed down to me by an old man who adopted me. I don't know if he was a member of the previous dynasty's royal family."

Seeing that his expression didn't seem to be faking it, Tuoba Feng nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Jiang Xun shook his head, suppressing his chaotic thoughts for the time being, and asked Tuoba Feng instead, "What you're practicing is the Great Nirvana Heart Sutra?"

"Yes," Tuoba Feng didn't deny it, "I obtained it by chance."

He paused, then said, "Sword God Lu Qingfeng practiced the Unbound Heaven Guiding Technique. He shouldn't have lived past thirty, but he didn't pass away until he was fifty."

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes simultaneously landing on the dragon crystal.

This thing is their chance to change their fate.

Jiang Xun thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Since both of our cultivation techniques are sensitive to the dragon crystal, there might be some connection. Why don't we try channeling our internal energy into it?"

Tuoba Feng glanced at him: "How do we try?"

"One person tries it, and the other protects them. That way, if anything happens, they can take care of each other."

Tuoba Feng thought for a moment and nodded.

Jiang Xun, being bold, went first.

He sat cross-legged, held the dragon crystal in his palm, and slowly circulated his inner energy, sending it into the crystal bit by bit.

The dragon crystal remained completely still.

He applied even more force, but there was still no reaction.

I added more, but there was still no response.

After nearly an incense stick's time of fussing, the dragon crystal remained as cold and indifferent as ever, not even flashing a single light.

Jiang Xun was deflated and handed the Dragon Crystal to Tuoba Feng: "You give it a try."

Tuoba Feng took it and continued to send his internal energy into it.

There was still no response.

He tried various methods—sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes forceful, sometimes gentle—but Long Jing remained unresponsive.

The two looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Could this thing be fake?" Jiang Xun muttered.

Tuoba Feng shook his head, about to say something, when Jiang Xun suddenly slapped his thigh: "How about we both give it a try?"

Tuoba Feng was taken aback: "Together?"

"Yes, both of us put our internal energy in at the same time." Jiang Xun felt more and more that he made sense. "It must be that our skills are not strong enough, but if the two of us work together, we might be able to stimulate something."

Tuoba Feng thought about it and felt that although the idea was a bit risky, it wasn't entirely unreasonable. He nodded and sat down cross-legged again.

The two faced each other, each placing one hand on the dragon crystal.

"Are you ready?" Jiang Xun asked.

Tuoba Feng nodded.

The two simultaneously channeled their inner energy, pouring their true qi into the dragon crystal.

At first, there was no sound at all.

Just when Jiang Xun thought this method wouldn't work, the dragon crystal suddenly lit up.

It wasn't the faint glow it had before; instead, it suddenly burst forth with a blinding light, like a small sun exploding in the woodshed.

Immediately afterwards, a tremendous force surged out from the dragon crystal, like a flood bursting its banks, and crashed into Jiang Xun's body.

Jiang Xun felt a jolt, as if a violent energy was surging through his meridians, threatening to tear him apart.

A sweet taste rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

That force raged through his body for a moment, then surged towards Tuoba Feng.

Tuoba Feng also groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Energy collided back and forth between the two, wave after wave, each wave more intense than the last.

Jiang Xun felt like a rock being repeatedly battered by waves, his internal organs shifting, and his vision blurring in waves.

After an unknown amount of time, that force finally subsided.

Jiang Xun lay sprawled on the haystack, feeling completely exhausted, too lazy to even move a finger.

He glanced at Tuoba Feng—that guy wasn't doing much better, leaning against the wall with blood at the corner of his mouth and his face as white as a sheet.

"Is he still alive?" Jiang Xun asked weakly.

Tuoba Feng didn't speak, he just nodded.

Those usually cold and stern eyes now held a hint of weariness from surviving a disaster.

The two lay there, neither of them having the strength to move.

Jiang Xun drifted off to sleep, and when he opened his eyes again, it was already daylight.

Sunlight streamed in through the broken window, warming my face.

He blinked and suddenly realized something was wrong—his vision was much clearer than before.

The dewdrops on the spiderweb in the corner of the woodshed were distinct, and even the texture of the spider silk was clearly visible.

The veins on the leaves on the trees outside the window are so clear they look like they were painted on.

He sat up abruptly and found himself feeling light as if he had unloaded a heavy load.

The pain in my chest has subsided, and my breathing is incredibly smooth. Every breath feels like a refreshing breeze from a mountaintop, filling my lungs with indescribable comfort.

"This is..." He looked down at his hands, then at Tuoba Feng beside him.

Tuoba Feng also woke up and was sitting cross-legged, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

The morning light shone on his face, softening his usually stern features.

After a while, he opened his eyes, a hint of joy flashing in them.