Chapter 80: Smashing the Bottle

The fog ahead had thinned considerably, allowing everyone to clearly see the various buildings, a clear sign that they had arrived at the ancient sect within the Dead Lands.

As they gazed at the numerous structures before them, everyone felt a bit lost, unsure of where to begin.

"Although the fog has dissipated somewhat and the withered trees are no longer a concern, it's best if we don't split up for now," Lin Qian said, withdrawing his external red-gold thunder soul power. He pointed to the nearest courtyard. "Let's start by checking that one."

Everyone nodded in agreement and followed him toward the courtyard.

The courtyard walls had partially collapsed for some unknown reason, fully exposing the structures inside.

Stepping over the ruins and through the broken courtyard, Lin Qian, who was leading the way, reached out to push open the door.

However, before he could apply any force, the door shattered with just a light touch.

Seeing this, Lin Qian couldn't help but sigh at the relentless passage of time. Even though the door was made of high-quality spiritual wood, designed to resist decay for thousands of years, it had still succumbed to the long passage of time.

After crossing the threshold, the group curiously examined everything inside the building.

This house, once home to a disciple of the ancient sect, might still contain some valuable items.

Once inside, the group dispersed, each searching for anything useful.

"The quality of these ancient sect disciples' residences is quite impressive," Ye Xin remarked as she scanned the surroundings. "Even after all these years, it hasn't collapsed."

Lin Qian nodded, admiring the sturdy construction. "I wonder what materials they used. It's quite remarkable."

The house wasn't very large, and soon, everyone had finished their search and regrouped around Lin Qian.

"We didn't find anything worthwhile," Lei Qian said with a sigh, holding up a worn-out cushion. "This is the only thing we found that might still be of some use, but it's in pretty rough shape."

The cushion Lei Qian held wasn't anything special—just a common meditation cushion often used by soul warriors during training. It helped focus the mind and improve cultivation speed.

These types of cushions were plentiful, and the one in Lei Qian's hands was in poor condition, making it even less valuable.

The others also shook their heads, indicating they hadn't found anything significant.

Only Wang Lanxin managed to find a few old manuals, but they were basic soul warrior techniques and skills. The manuals were made from special paper crafted from soul beast fur and reinforced with inscription techniques, allowing them to survive the passage of time.

However, the techniques recorded in these manuals were quite low-level. Everyone present had already mastered far superior techniques.

"Wang Lanxin, if you don't need those manuals, would you mind giving them to me?" Lin Qian asked. "They might not be of use to you, but I could still find them helpful."

Wang Lanxin handed the manuals over, and Lin Qian stored them in his Tianhen.

"These techniques are so basic. What could you possibly use them for?" Zhu Xiaojia, a disciple from the Divine Sword Sect, asked, puzzled.

Li Letian, eager to show off, explained, "Our Wuxiang Sect's young emperor is a genius. He's even created his own cultivation techniques. He likes to study all sorts of methods to see if they inspire him."

Hearing this, Liu Yueqian and Zhu Xiaojia looked at Lin Qian with astonishment. Even Ye Xin gazed at him with admiration. "Xiao Qian, I didn't know you were so incredible!"

Creating one's own cultivation technique was something no one in Linhai Prefecture had ever accomplished.

"I'm just okay, haha," Lin Qian said, smiling awkwardly under Ye Xin's gaze.

In reality, he relied on the vast knowledge of the Huaxia Empire's brain trust, led by Zhuge Ming, rather than his own abilities. The manuals were something he had requested for the Empire's scholars to study.

Zhuge Ming had advised that the more information they could gather about this world, the better. Of course, Lin Qian couldn't reveal the truth, so he had come up with this excuse.

"Since we didn't find much here, let's move on to the next building," Lin Qian suggested. "We might get lucky in the next one."

Seeing the logic in Lin Qian's words, everyone agreed and followed him to the next house.

To their surprise, Lin Qian's words proved prophetic—they found valuable items in the next house.

In total, they discovered seven manuals containing high-level techniques and soul skills. Even if they couldn't use them themselves, they could exchange them for considerable sect contributions.

In addition to the manuals, they found ten jade bottles, each containing a significant amount of pills.

The jade bottles had preserved the pills' potency, and the pills were of the highest third-tier quality.

Whether for personal use or sect exchange, these pills were a valuable find.

As the group gathered to discuss how to divide the spoils, Zhu Xiaojia suddenly shrieked, pointing toward the door. "It's that child!"

"Hmm?" Everyone turned to look at the door in surprise, only to see Zhu Xiaojia suddenly smirk and produce a jade bottle from her sleeve, which she then smashed onto the ground.