152: Chapter 152 Treasure Hunt

News travels faster than Lin Tian's footsteps.

Before he had even stepped out of the mountain gates of the Qixia Sect, word of that sword strike on the arena had already spread throughout Zixia Peak.

The new Disciples gestured excitedly, describing how fast and sharp that strike was, and how five sword lights had lit up simultaneously to knock Zhao Mingyang off the arena in a single move.

The senior Disciples went into more detail—Lin Tian's Xiaguang Sword Technique had already reached the Mastery Realm, and not just barely; he had taken a significant step forward within the Mastery Realm.

The sword light was solid and sharp, his Internal Energy was retracted and released with ease, and such a foundation was top-tier even among the senior Disciples.

When the Elders heard the news, they were drinking tea in the council hall.

They held their teacups to their lips, forgetting to drink, and glanced at each other, seeing an undisguised astonishment in each other's eyes.

The Xiaguang Sword Technique at the Mastery Realm was nothing rare; there were plenty of Disciples on Zixia Peak who had practiced it to the Mastery Realm.

But how long had Lin Tian been a Disciple? A year and a half at most.

In a year and a half, going from being personally judged a waste by the Peak Master to achieving five sword lights in one strike—this reversal was more dramatic than any play.

When the news reached the Peak Master's Hall, Peak Master Su Hanyan was standing by the window, holding a scroll of documents she had just reviewed.

Mountain breezes poured in from outside the window, causing the strands of hair on her forehead to sway gently.

After the reporting Disciple finished speaking, her hand holding the documents paused for a few moments, then she put the documents down and turned around.

On that face, usually as cold as frost, a rare and distinct ripple of emotion appeared—her brows lifted slightly, and her lips moved, as if she wanted to say something but swallowed it back.

One strike, five sword lights.

Xiaguang Sword Technique at the Mastery Realm.

She remembered clearly that two months ago, when testing Lin Tian's Thunderclap Sword Technique in the main hall, he had only demonstrated the Xiaguang Sword Technique with three sword lights—at the Proficiency Realm.

At the time, she had sighed to herself, thinking that for this kid to practice the Thunderclap Sword Technique from Entry to Proficiency in one month was already fast enough, and reaching Proficiency in the Xiaguang Sword Technique was also not bad.

But how much time had passed since then?

Two months.

Two months from Proficiency to Mastery?

"Have him come here."

Peak Master Su Hanyan's voice returned to its cold state, but the urgency in her tone could not be suppressed no matter how hard she tried. "I want to see for myself."

The Disciple acknowledged the order and retreated, running quickly down the mountain.

Peak Master Su Hanyan stood by the window, her fingers unconsciously stroking the wood grain on the window lattice.

She calculated silently in her heart—from Proficiency to Mastery, how long did it take under normal circumstances?

Disciples with good talent, one year.

Average Disciples, two or three years.

The slower ones might not reach a Breakthrough even after five or ten years.

Lin Tian used two months.

Even if he were truly a late bloomer and his Cultivate speed increased as he went on, this speed was simply too fast.

So fast that even someone who had been a Peak Master for so many years felt it was unreal.

Not long after, the reporting Disciple returned.

He hurried through the hall doors, stood still before Peak Master Su Hanyan, his face showing a hint of difficulty.

"Reporting to the Peak Master, Lin Tian has already left the Sect."

Peak Master Su Hanyan's fingers stopped on the window lattice.

Leaving so soon? She furrowed her brows slightly.

He must have gone back to the Yunhai Fishery.

The team escorting the Treasure Fish was returning tomorrow; having returned a day early, naturally, he would go back with the team once his task was complete.

She was silent for a moment, then waved her hand, her tone carrying a faint, almost imperceptible disappointment: "Never mind then. When he returns next time, have him come see me directly."

Lin Tian had indeed left the Qixia Sect, but he had not returned to the Yunhai Fishery.

After coming down from the arena, he first went to find Senior Brother Sun Heng, who was escorting the Treasure Fish.

Senior Brother Sun Heng was organizing boat equipment on the dock with several guards.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Lin Tian walking over with the cold moon bow on his back and the autumn water sword hanging at his waist, dressed neatly as if preparing for a long journey.

"Senior Brother Sun, I have some private matters to attend to."

Lin Tian cupped his hands, his tone sincere. "I won't be returning to the Fishery with the ship tomorrow. You all go ahead; I will return on my own after I finish my business."

Senior Brother Sun Heng looked at him.

The task of escorting the Treasure Fish was complete; having one person more or less on the return trip didn't affect anything.

He nodded and asked if he needed to leave a boat for him.

When Lin Tian said it wasn't necessary, he waved his hand and told him to be careful on the road.

Lin Tian turned and left the dock.

He did not take the main road but instead turned into a small path behind the Qixia Sect.

That path led outside the Sect and was rarely traveled; the gravel road was covered in a thin layer of moss, and branches from both sides reached out, forming a dark corridor above the path.

As he walked, he took the yellowed sheepskin scroll from his bosom, unfolded it, and looked at it by the moonlight filtering through the leaves.

The location marked on the map was in the northwest direction of the Qixia Sect, not very far away.

He compared the orientation on the full map of Yunzhou Prefecture and used his finger to measure the distance on the map.

At his pace, he could arrive in half a day.

If everything went smoothly, he could scout the treasure location tonight and hurry back to the Yunhai Fishery by tomorrow morning, delaying nothing.

He put the map away and quickened his pace.

Cloud Shadow Step was used in the night, and he transformed into a blurry shadow, sweeping silently along the mountain path.

Pines, cypresses, mountain rocks, and streams retreated rapidly from both sides of his body, and the mountain wind whistled in his ears.

The fourth grade Middle Stage Internal Energy poured endlessly into his legs; every step he took landed steadily, making not a sound even when stepping on the gravel.

He walked from dusk to late night, and from late night to the darkest time before dawn.

The moon shifted from overhead to behind the western mountain ridge, and the starlight was blocked by increasingly dense tree crowns; the mountain forest was so dark that he could barely see his own fingers.

Lin Tian took the lantern from his pack and lit it, the dim light casting a small halo in the dense forest, illuminating the rugged mountain road at his feet.

At dawn, when a line of fish-belly white appeared on the horizon, the terrain ahead suddenly changed.

The dense forest came to an end, and his view suddenly opened up; a steep mountain range rose from the flat ground, the mountain body covered in thick vegetation, and the rocks presented a dull, rusty color.

At the foot of the mountain, a thin stream seeped out from the rock crevices, flowing downwards along the terrain.

Lin Tian followed the stream upstream, his footsteps crunching on the gravel by the stream, startling a few frogs squatting on the stones, which jumped into the water with a splash.

The end of the stream was a water pool.

The pool was not large, only about ten zhang in circumference, surrounded by steep mountain walls, with only the path he had come from allowing entry and exit.

The mountain walls were covered with thick moss and hanging vines, the tendrils of which hung down to the water's surface, swaying gently with the breeze.

The pool water was deep green, so green it was almost black, and the water surface was as calm as a polished piece of ink jade, without waves, without ripples, not even the wind could stir a wrinkle.

Standing by the pool and looking down, he could only see his own reflection on the water's surface; he could see nothing else.

Lin Tian stopped at the edge of the pool, took out the sheepskin map from his bosom again, and compared it with the terrain before him.

The map depicted a circle of mountain walls, with a blackened area in the middle, and a tiny red dot marked with cinnabar beside it.

The shape of the mountain walls matched the ones before him perfectly, the blackened area was the pool, and the location marked by the red dot—was inside the pool water.

He folded the map and put it away, bent down to pick up a fist-sized stone from the edge of the pool, and threw it into the center of the pool.

With a splash, water sprayed up, blooming into a white spray on the dim pool surface.

Ripples spread out from the point of impact, circle by circle, breaking against the stones on the shore.

Then the water surface returned to calm.

He stared at the water surface and began to count. One, two, three, four, five. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. Fifty. By the count of fifty, that stone should have reached the bottom long ago.

But he stood by the pool and listened intently for a long time; there was no dull sound of a stone hitting a hard object coming up from the bottom.

He counted to one hundred and waited for a good while longer, but the water surface remained quiet.

Lin Tian gasped. This pool was far deeper than he had imagined.

It wasn't just deep; it was so deep that he couldn't even hear a sound after throwing a stone into it.

Not to mention ordinary people, even a Martial Artist with good swimming skills would inevitably feel apprehensive upon reaching such a bottomless body of water.

The deeper the water, the more complex the underwater currents, and the greater the water pressure.

Without sufficient Internal Energy to protect the body, the water pressure alone could squeeze the air out of his lungs.

Not to mention what kind of Vicious Beast might be hiding in the water—in deep mountains and old forests, such bottomless pools were often places where great, fierce creatures lurked.

No wonder Zhao Mingyang had this treasure map but didn't go treasure hunting.

It wasn't that he didn't want to; he couldn't go down.

Even if he managed to go down, without underwater skills, he wouldn't even be able to protect himself at such a depth, let alone find anything.

No wonder he was willing to bring out the treasure map as a wager—in his eyes, it was originally just a piece of useless paper.

Lin Tian stood by the pool, looking at the deep, dark green water beneath his feet, his lips curling slightly.

Just because Zhao Mingyang couldn't go down didn't mean he couldn't.

Divine Turtle Breathing Technique practiced to the Minor Achievement Realm, holding his breath underwater for half an hour was not a problem.

White Dragon in the Waves also practiced to the Minor Achievement Realm, and his speed and agility underwater were not much worse than on land.

With these two techniques combined, this bottomless pool was not a dead end for him; it just required a bit more effort.

However, deep water had its own requirements.

Diving by just kicking his feet and paddling with his hands was too slow, and the deeper he went, the greater the water pressure, and the faster his stamina would be consumed.

The best method was to use a heavy object to speed up his descent, saving his stamina to deal with any trouble that might appear at the bottom.

He scanned the edge of the pool, his gaze landing on a stone the size of a millstone.

The stone was half-buried in the mud and sand on the shore, its surface smoothed by the stream water, and it felt like it wasn't light.

He walked to the stone, bent down to test its weight, summoned the Internal Energy in his Dantian, exerted force with both arms, and pulled the stone out of the mud and sand.

The stone in his arms was heavy, pressing the sand and gravel beneath his feet down by an inch.

He checked his equipment again.

The autumn water sword hung at his waist, the copper clasp on the scabbard fastened tight, so it wouldn't fall off in the water.

The cold moon bow and quiver were placed on a stone on the shore; the bowstring feared water, so it would be ruined if taken down.

The pack on his back contained dry rations and the lantern; the dry rations didn't fear water, and the lantern was wrapped in several layers of oil paper and sealed well.

The knife pouch at his cuff was pressed tightly against the inside of his forearm, and the thirty-two moyuan flying daggers remained motionless.

The Internal Energy of the Dragon Roar Iron Shirt had already spread throughout his body, and the layer of "copper skin" beneath his skin tightened, ready to withstand underwater rocks and possible collisions at any time.

He stood facing the pool and took a deep breath.

The Divine Turtle Breathing Technique went into operation, and his breath was drawn in through his throat like a long, thin thread, sinking into the Dantian, rotating slowly for a dozen turns, permeating every corner of his body with Spiritual Qi.

Then he hugged the millstone-sized rock to his chest, tightened his arms, leaned his body forward, and leaped violently toward the center of the pool.

With a loud boom, the water exploded.

The millstone rock, added to his own weight, hit the water surface like a cannonball the moment it entered.

The spray splashed up higher than a person, crashing against the surrounding mountain walls and falling back with a splash.

Lin Tian, hugging the rock, sank rapidly, and the water surged from all directions, swallowing him whole.

His ears were filled with the gurgling sound of water, the water pressure increased rapidly on both sides of his body, and his skin was pressed until it felt slightly tight.

The Dragon Roar Iron Shirt operated automatically, the layer of "copper skin" beneath his skin heating up slightly, steadily blocking the water pressure outside.