The Identity of Di Wei, The Immortal Spirit Cave Appears

"Why did it take you so long to come out?" Du Chen, Cang Hai, and Xiao Yue were all gathered around, talking in front of the archway.

Tong Xin Fen, her eyes red with exhaustion, drifted out like a ghost, but her face was full of excitement and energy. Her cheeks were flushed in a way that was totally unnatural, making the three guys jump back in surprise.

"So that's how it works! This is way more interesting than I thought!" Tong Xin Fen didn't seem to realize how crazy she looked at the moment. She was still buzzing from the extreme mental high she was on. As soon as she came out, she made a beeline for Cang Hai.

She grabbed onto his collar and with her eyes shining brightly, said, "Did you know? Turns out, formations and talismans are basically the same thing! The only difference is the scale. Talismans are just smaller versions of formations. When I was studying them, I always thought there were so many similarities, like how the Concealment Formation and the Invisibility Talisman have these lines—"

Tong Xin Fen was rambling nonstop, pulling out a talisman brush and a few sheets of paper. She rolled up her sleeves and immediately knelt down, starting to draw frantically. Cang Hai, crouching next to her, adjusted his glasses and leaned in to focus, nodding along. They were so deep in discussion that every now and then, they'd stop to exchange a few words. Not long after, Cang Hai pulled out his own talisman brush and began sketching beside her.

"Hey, shouldn't you at least tell us what happened in there first, before you two get lost in your own world?" Du Chen, feeling a bit left out, raised his voice.

But the two research geeks were completely oblivious to him as they lay flat on the ground, deep in their discussion.

"Hey..." Du Chen called out again, but got no response. He turned to Xiao Yue, shrugging helplessly.

"Hehehehe... How about I go in first?" Xiao Yue looked uncertainly at the fourth archway, then said.

"Isn't that mechanism technique supposed to have been lost for a long time? Sure, the system says it can be learned, but do you even know how to make anything?" Du Chen asked, feeling a little doubtful.

Xiao Yue awkwardly laughed. "I... don't know how to make anything."

...

Du Chen awkwardly laughed and broke the uncomfortable silence, "Well, even if you don't know anything, the important thing is to participate, right? Besides, it's not like it says you can't go in again later."

Xiao Yue smiled and nodded, the two of them now turned back, watching the still-animated discussion between Cang Hai and Tong Xin Fen. They could vaguely hear terms like "functions," "variables," "vectors," and "matrices" being tossed around, which reminded both of them of the painful memories of struggling through higher math a few years ago. Both of them involuntarily shuddered.

They'd heard that studying math could cause physical pain, and sure enough, just thinking about it brought a stabbing feeling to their hearts.

Du Chen patted Xiao Yue on the shoulder, "Go ahead, make your move. Just don't bomb it completely. Do something, and who knows? Maybe the trial-giver will be touched by your sincerity."

Xiao Yue nodded, then squatted down to ask the still-meditating figure of Di Wei, "Are you coming with me?"

Di Wei opened his eyes. "No, you go on your own."

Xiao Yue sighed a little disappointedly. "Ah, well, guess you'll be alone here then."

Seeing Xiao Yue resolutely head toward the fourth archway, Du Chen took a quick glance at Sang Tian, still deep in her sleep, then looked back at Cang Hai and Tong Xin Fen, who were still lost in their heated discussion. He sat down, feeling bored, and before long, he nodded off.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed, but eventually, Du Chen was shaken awake by Cang Hai. "Hey, wake up, where did Xiao Yue go?"

Du Chen snapped out of his dream with a start. He rubbed his tired eyes and saw Cang Hai's face right in front of him. Peeking over Cang Hai's shoulder, he saw Tong Xin Fen lying on the ground, fast asleep.

"Xiao Yue... Oh, we saw you guys were deep into your research, so we decided to let him give it a try. We figured, it's all about participation." Du Chen shrugged.

Cang Hai adjusted his glasses and nodded. "True. Mechanism arts are something no one really understands anymore. How long has he been in there?"

Du Chen looked down at the system time, noticing it was already past midnight. He realized he hadn't paid attention to the time when Xiao Yue went in. "Uh, I think he went in after you guys started discussing. Not long after."

Cang Hai furrowed his brows. "That long? We've been talking for two hours."

According to their past experience, a minute outside was like a whole day in the dungeon. Tong Xin Fen had been in there for over a month, but she was a mage, so she could take care of herself. Xiao Yue, on the other hand, had been inside for almost two hours, which was like three months. Did he have enough food and water?

Du Chen started to worry too. He checked Xiao Yue's profile on the team interface. His health and mana bars were still full, so it seemed like he was okay, but three months was a long time.

"Maybe we should ask Di Wei? You know, they can probably communicate with each other," Du Chen suggested.

Cang Hai agreed. The two walked over to Di Wei, who was meditating. As soon as they approached, Di Wei opened his eyes and casually glanced at them. Without waiting for them to speak, he said one word: "Nothing."

Then, he closed his eyes again.

The two of them understood that the conversation was over. If Di Wei said there was no problem, then there was no point in worrying. They sat down and Cang Hai began to explain about Tong Xin Fen:

"After Xiao Fen went in, a voice asked her some questions about ancient talismans and formations. She didn't know most of the answers, but she was able to make connections and think critically. The voice was actually impressed by her and gave her some jade slips to study. During that time, Xiao Fen came up with some creative ideas and ran some experiments, which is why she ended up staying in there so long. What we were discussing earlier was her discovery that the patterns of talismans can be broken down using mathematical methods. Eventually, you can get basic elemental symbols... We also figured out that by using principles of 3D geometry, you can combine several talismans into a complex array in three-dimensional space..."

Cang Hai was talking non-stop about applying mathematical principles to talismans, and Du Chen couldn't help but cringe at the memories of his painful experiences in university. He half-listened, then couldn't hold back and interrupted: "Wait, does this mean Xiao Yue's also been learning mechanism arts in there?"

Cang Hai nodded. "Most likely. But, after so much time has passed, I'm starting to worry... what if he's starving in there and can't get out?"

Du Chen managed to hold back a laugh and said with a forced grin, "Heh, yeah."

Another ten minutes or so passed, and suddenly, a flash of light appeared at the fourth archway. Du Chen, who had almost dozed off from boredom, was instantly wide awake. Just as he was about to stand up and greet him, a dark figure suddenly lunged at him, knocking him to the ground.

"Got any food?! Got any food?!" Xiao Yue's eyes were glowing green as he leaned in close to Du Chen's face, making Du Chen panic and stretch his neck backward, nervously swallowing. He let out a nervous laugh, "Food? Uh, food?" His brain was still on pause from the shock.

Cang Hai fought back a smile, yanked Xiao Yue up, and shoved a bun in his mouth. Xiao Yue devoured it in two bites, then stared at Cang Hai with those green, hungry eyes, looking for more. Cang Hai twitched his mouth, then tossed two more buns to him.

After Xiao Yue had devoured about ten big buns, he finally let out a loud burp, snapping out of his "werewolf mode."

Du Chen, his brain finally working again, sympathetically handed him a glass of water. "Kid... how long have you been hungry?"

Xiao Yue took a sip of water and glanced at the sky as if trying to calculate the time. "Uh... Well, I haven't eaten since I went in. I didn't realize at first, but later I found out my bag didn't have any food in it."

Du Chen and his friends were stunned. "How did you survive all that time?!"

Xiao Yue was completely calm. "Oh, the voice in there gave me a few bottles of pills that stop hunger. He told me to take one every ten days." He then pulled out a slender jade bottle from his bag, about the size of a finger, and showed it to the two. "This is it. Once you take it, you don't feel hungry. I've had two bottles already. This one's the last one."

Cang Hai took the bottle, opened it, and peered inside. He handed it to Du Chen and asked, "With something this good, why the hell are you still starving?"

Xiao Yue scratched his head and flashed a cute grin. "Well, my stomach's not hungry, but my mouth is."

Du Chen sniffed the bottle before sealing it again. He asked, "So, what exactly were you doing in there all this time?"

Xiao Yue began explaining. "After I went in, I ended up in a room full of mechanisms and devices. At first, I thought I'd just go in, participate a bit, and that would be it. But the voice seemed to know that mechanism arts had been lost for years, so it handed me a few jade slips to study. Then, it tested me, and after talking to me for a bit, it seemed pretty satisfied with my answers. It said it wanted to take me on as a student. I thought, hey, free learning's not bad, so I agreed. And then, the voice got so excited, it kept teaching me non-stop until I finished everything. Only then did it let me out."

Du Chen patted him on the back, offering a few comforting words. Cang Hai, adjusting his glasses, said, "Honestly, I feel more sorry for the teacher who taught you. Who knows how many years they waited for someone to come, so when you showed up, they probably grabbed you and wouldn't let go."

--- (Both Du Chen and Xiao Yue couldn't help but think silently: "So now you're the one doing all the complaining?")

"Ha, can we leave now? The house should be ready to use," Xiao Yue quickly changed the subject.

Cang Hai glanced at the two girls lying on the ground, still fast asleep. His face showed some hesitation, but Du Chen just chuckled. "Don't worry about them. I've got a plan."

As soon as Xiao Yue stepped out, a black door appeared at the other end of the white-light space. It was positioned opposite the four beast-shaped arches. Xiao Yue, holding Di Wei, led the way, while Cang Hai and Du Chen guarded the rear. The other two, Sang Tian and Tong Xin Fen, were floating in the air, wrapped in cloaks, following behind Xiao Yue.

Cang Hai glanced at the large, bed-sized support structures under the two girls, then looked at Du Chen, who was grinning. He was speechless. "Using a big sword as a stretcher... You're really creative..."

Once they passed through the black door, they found themselves back at the large entrance. Du Chen approached and pushed the door ring, and this time it opened smoothly. It was already past midnight, and though the courtyard was lit up by strange lanterns, making it bright as day, everyone was too tired to explore. They simply picked two random rooms and collapsed for the night.

________________________________________

In the dark space:

A woman in palace attire hovered in the air, her body glowing with a faint red light. She had a half-smile on her face as she lazily leaned on her hand and spoke with a strange drawl, "So, are you satisfied?"

Next to her stood a pitch-black figure, motionless, as if it had melted into the darkness. Only when the woman's red light touched it did a faint metallic gleam reflect from its surface.

The figure remained silent.

The woman let out a soft laugh. "After all these years, you're still the same. I wonder why they still care so much about you… You've been missing for so long. Where exactly have you been?"

The figure finally spoke in a cold, deep voice. "The Land of No Ashes."

The woman's expression changed. She asked anxiously, "So, that old man's words were true? You really found it? What's it like? And what about that person? Did you find them?"

The figure shook its head. "I searched the Land of No Ashes for ten thousand years, but found nothing."

The woman frowned. "Then why did you come back?"

The figure didn't answer but simply stared at the exit.

The woman looked in the same direction and lightly stroked her lips. "Could it be... you mean those people?" She shook her head slightly. "Those people may not belong to this realm, but I've seen others from other worlds before. They're not much use."

The figure whispered a few more words.

The woman's face changed in surprise. "Is that so?—If that's the case, maybe this really will depend on them after all." She gazed forward, letting out a long sigh.