novelraw Chapter 412 Treasure Trove
Chapter 412 Treasure Trove
"Next I will upgrade this jindan to top level. Anyway, I have heavenly bead of life... it’s easy to change my fate now. Even if it’s low level, I will make it the top." Lin Lee muttered thoughtfully while clenching his fist tightly,
The Life Bead pulsed once, sinking deeper into his spirit sea, as if acknowledging his words.
He looked toward the mountain far above, hidden behind dawn’s mist. A faint smile crossed his lips. "Now... let’s see what this sect truly hides, with my current strength I can easily sneak into the treasure vault now."
He stood, robe fluttering in the morning wind, and disappeared through the forest like a fading shadow.
Dawn crept slowly across the mountain as Lin Lee returned through the forest, every step measured, every breath held in quiet discipline.
His newly formed golden core pulsed softly inside him. The world around him felt clearer now. The wind brushing the leaves carried subtle hints of qi, and even the distant cry of a hawk echoed with a rhythm he didn’t notice before.
Yet beneath the serenity, a sharp awareness lingered. Jindan realm brought power, but it also brought consequences. Anyone who sensed the sudden spiritual disturbance outside the sect would eventually investigate.
He needed to slip back unnoticed.
He reached the narrow ravine path where the hidden tunnel exited. The vines concealed the opening once more.
Lin Lee crouched, lifting a cluster of leaves as he examined the ground. No footprints except his own. No broken branches or unusual scents from spirit beasts.
’Good.’ A satisfied thought flashed through his mind.
He stepped inside, sealing the entrance behind him with a simple earth-control technique. The underground passage hummed lightly with the flow of qi. As he walked up the tunnel, he dimmed his aura again, forcing the golden core to slow its rotation.
Suppressing a Jindan core was harder than hiding a foundation realm cultivation, but Boundless Heaven Art responded obediently, like a beast bowing to its master.
When he finally reached the stone wall under the sect, he pushed it open with a single breath.
The inner yard above lay quiet. Early morning fog curled between the houses, and faint notes of incense drifted from the elder halls.
Lin Lee stepped out calmly, as if he had just gone for a morning walk.
...
Back in his cabin, he sat beside his bed and let out a long breath. His robe was scorched in places, and dried blood crusted at his collar. He changed into a fresh outer-sect disciple’s uniform before anyone noticed.
He took out water from his pouch and washed his face. His reflection stared back at him from the bowl... calm, sharp, eyes deeper than before.
’No traces. Good.’
He spread a fresh sheet of paper across the table and began reorganizing his plan.
First return to normal routine, second request promotion examination for inner sect, third sneak into sect vault at night, fourth retrieve key resources for future advancement, finally get the hell out of here before sect elders and masters start sniffing around.
But the sect was not an ordinary place. Every building, every corridor, every formation carried history and secrets. He couldn’t simply break in without understanding the internal layout.
He needed subtlety.
...
Two days later, Lin Lee blended into outer disciple training like he had never left. Sword drills. Herb planting. Simple hunting tasks. He completed them all with precision but without drawing attention.
Whispers floated around the training field.
"Did you feel the wild storm that night?"
"Lightning in clear skies... weird."
"I heard someone said it felt like a tribulation."
Lin Lee kept his expression flat and his breathing steady.
’Tribulation? Here? Who would dare?’ He almost wanted to smile, but he didn’t.
At noon, he walked to the main administrative hall where outer disciples applied for inner sect promotion. A stern-faced elder sat inside, quill in hand, his long eyebrows drooping like two dead vines.
"What is your request?" the elder asked without looking up.
"Outer sect disciple Lin Lee, submitting application for inner sect promotion trial."
The elder’s brush paused mid-stroke. He glanced up slowly in surprise. "Lin Lee... hm. Your work record is clean. Your cultivation... foundation early stage?"
Lin Lee nodded. "Yes, Elder."
He focused carefully to keep the golden core suppressed just beneath the surface. Too much power leaking out would tear his disguise apart.
The elder squinted. "You seem... different from before."
Lin Lee bowed respectfully. "I’ve been training hard these past weeks."
A grunt. Then the elder stamped the document and tossed him a jade token.
"Your examination is in three days. Arrive on time or your qualification is void."
"Yes, Elder."
Lin Lee left quietly, but inside, a subtle excitement stirred. Once he entered the inner sect, the path to the vault grew much easier.
Three days... perfect amount of time to prepare.
...
That night, after most disciples fell asleep, Lin Lee activated a small illusion talisman around his body and slipped out of his cabin. The sect pathways were lit with clear white lanterns, their gentle glow bouncing across stone floors. Two patrolling guards walked by, chatting quietly.
"...the vault area has new restrictions. Elder Yao installed a layer of frost mist. Dangerous stuff."
Lin Lee slipped behind a pillar, listening silently.
Another guard nodded. "I heard someone tried to break in last month. A rogue cultivator pretending to be a servant."
"Hah, dead now."
Their voices faded as they walked away.
Lin Lee emerged from the shadows and continued his silent sweep.
The sect was wide... seven peaks, three valleys, and countless halls. But only one place contained the vault: the Moon-Crowned Treasury, a fortified stone building embedded into the southern cliff.
He circled the area from above. ’Five layers of formations, three alert arrays, and a patrol every half hour. A direct approach will be suicide.’ Lin Lee thought to himself and then he started planning different approaches.
After thinking for a while, he sat down touching the ground gently, sending a thin wave of qi through the earth. The pulse came back faint but clear. He sensed a narrow water duct running beneath the treasury.
A tiny smile touched his lips. "Found it. I knew it, water network is spreading through whole mountain. Before Yuan Ying realm, everyone has needs and urgencies like mortals."
After standing up, he quietly returned to his residence.
...
Three days later, Lin Lee stood on the stone platform of the exam arena. Other disciples gathered around, some whispering, others ignoring him.
The elder overseeing the test spoke with a bored tone. "Defeat three spiritual puppets and withstand ten breaths of pressure from the guardian array."
’Simple enough.’ Lin Lee thought as he walked toward the middle of arena.
The puppets attacked first... metal bodies, glowing cores, sharp spiritual blades. Lin Lee stayed still until the last possible moment.
A breath and with a twitch of fingers, he moved.
His movement wasn’t flashy. It was calm, fluid, precise. Each strike hit a puppet’s weak point, disabling them one by one.
Hiss!
Gasps rose from the spectators around, everyone glanced at the frozen puppets in shock. Even elders showed surprised expression looking at him.
The guardian array came next, unleashing crushing spiritual force. Lin Lee’s bones vibrated under it, but he held steady. His golden core spun beneath its concealment, stabilizing him with quiet power.
Slowly ten breaths passed.
The elder nodded approvingly. "Accepted. Welcome to the inner sect."
Applause rippled from the crowd. Some disciples stared with jealousy; others with admiration.
Lin Lee bowed politely, then left the platform. He had no interest in applause. He had a vault to rob.
...
Before shifting to the inner sect, night descended like ink across the mountains.
Lin Lee stood near a pool on the southern cliff, where the water duct began. Few people came here. It smelled faintly of moss and wet stone. Perfect spot for intrusion.
He activated a water movement technique he had copied from a captured bandit’s memory fragment. His body thinned, smoothing into the flow as he slipped into the duct.
Cold water rushed past him, but he kept his breathing controlled. The tunnel narrowed, curved, then widened again. After what felt like several minutes, he reached a large hollow chamber beneath the treasury.
He pushed upward. The ground above softened from decades of erosion. With one palm strike,
Crack!
A stone tile loosened just enough for him to slip through.
He emerged inside a dim hall filled with lantern-lit shelves. Rows of jade boxes, scrolls, herbs sealed in crystal jars. The air was thick with spiritual richness.
Lin Lee inhaled slowly as he fixed the tile back, "What a treasure trove..."
He moved quickly, storing only the most valuable items... rare pills, breakthrough herbs, forging materials. Nothing too large or noticeable. The key to a perfect theft was subtlety.
But as he reached the deepest shelf, he noticed a compartment hidden behind a wooden panel.
’Strange! why hide a regular shelf if everything else is protected by formation?’ A thought flashed through his mind.
... Chapter End ...