The next morning.
Just as Qin Changsheng was about to have Hu Nan invite Wu Yong for drinks, a series of knocks came from outside Hu Nan's cave.
"Junior Brother Hu, I am Wu Yong!" Wu Yong's voice came from outside.
Hearing Wu Yong's voice, a hint of joy flashed in Qin Changsheng's eyes.
He had already planned to find Wu Yong to inquire about the Qingfeng Ruins.
Qin Changsheng quickly controlled Hu Nan and opened the door.
"Senior Brother Wu, what brings you here today?" Hu Nan said.
"Junior Brother Hu, to be honest, I have a favor to ask of you," Wu Yong said.
"Oh? Senior Brother Wu, please speak." Hu Nan stepped aside, gesturing for him to come in.
Wu Yong quickly bowed in thanks and went inside.
The two sat down at the stone table.
Hu Nan reached into his storage space, took out a teacup, and picked up the spirit teapot on the table, slowly pouring a cup of spirit tea for Wu Yong.
"Senior Brother Wu, please have some tea." Hu Nan handed the tea to Wu Yong.
Wu Yong accepted the teacup with both hands, took a small sip of the spirit tea, and then slowly spoke: "Junior Brother Hu, I've recently been planning to refine my own natal magic weapon, but I'm struggling because I lack any experience in the process. I've been trying for a long time, but I'm still clueless. I'd like to borrow your experience in refining natal magic weapons!"
Hearing Wu Yong's words, Qin Changsheng was overjoyed.
He already needed Wu Yong's help.
He wanted Wu Yong to tell him some information about the Qingfeng Ruins, including its opening time.
This would greatly increase Qin Changsheng's chances of obtaining a fragment of the Heavenly Dao.
While the insights into refining a natal magic weapon were valuable, they weren't exactly secrets. Lending them to Wu Yong wouldn't be a problem.
Having made up his mind, Qin Changsheng controlled Hu Nan and slowly said, "Senior Brother Wu, you flatter me. The insights into refining a natal magic weapon aren't secrets. Lending them to you is no problem."
Upon hearing this, Wu Yong's face instantly lit up with ecstatic joy, and he quickly stood up, "Thank you so much, Junior Brother Hu!"
Hu Nan raised his hand, gesturing for Wu Yong to sit down: "Senior Brother Wu, there's no need for such formality. On the path of cultivation, mutual learning is essential for mutual progress. However, I also have a matter I'd like to ask you about."
Upon hearing this, Wu Yong nodded quickly, his tone firm: "Junior Brother Hu, please speak! Whatever I know, I will tell you everything without reservation! Even if it were ten or a hundred things, I would certainly do my utmost to help!"
Hu Nan picked up his teacup and took a small sip: "It's about the Qingfeng Ruins that Senior Brother mentioned at Qingyun Tower yesterday. I'm quite curious about it. When exactly will the Qingfeng Ruins open? And what is its layout like?"
Wu Yong took a sip of tea before speaking: "The Qingfeng Ruins will open within the Misty Forest, at the third quarter of Chen hour (7:45 AM) one month from now!"
"At that time, a rift of spiritual light will appear deep within the Misty Forest; that will be the entrance to the ruins. The rift will only last for one day; if you miss it, you'll have to wait another twenty years."
"Because the ruins are so vast and the duration is so short, perhaps some treasures will remain!"
Hearing Wu Yong's words, Qin Changsheng instantly understood why the fragment of the Heavenly Dao hadn't been discovered.
It must be that the fragment of the Heavenly Dao is deep within the ruins.
Those who explored the ruins dared not venture deeper for fear of its closure.
Qin Changsheng, however, had no such concerns.
He possessed the Golden Word Exchange ability; he only needed to exchange locations with his avatar to escape.
Alternatively, he could send his avatar, Hu Nan, into the ruins to explore.
After finding the fragment of the Heavenly Dao, he could then have Hu Nan commit suicide.
Wu Yong continued, explaining the general layout of the ruins in detail: "Junior Brother Hu, the Qingfeng Ruins are roughly divided into three layers."
"The first layer is the outer area, mostly abandoned stone paths and dilapidated houses. There's no real danger; at most, you'll find the remains of some low-level demonic beasts or withered common spiritual herbs. It's the outermost buffer zone."
"The second layer is the middle area, with a few simple restrictions, mostly mazes and illusion arrays. Their power isn't strong; Foundation Establishment cultivators can easily break them with a little attention. Occasionally, you'll find fragments of low-level magic artifacts usable by Qi Refining cultivators."
"The third layer is the core area. The restrictions are relatively tight, but after being opened several times, most of them are no longer effective. However, time is very tight, and few people search here."
He paused, then added, "However many times the Qingfeng Ruins have been opened, there's no way there could be any valuable treasures."
"Moreover, there's a special restriction within the Qingfeng Ruins that prevents flying on a sword!"
Hearing Wu Yong's words, Qin Changsheng concluded that the Heavenly Dao Fragment was in the core area.
After all, if they were on the outskirts, they would have been found long ago by the cultivators who entered the ruins.
Wu Yong reached into his storage space, fumbled for a moment, and took out a yellowed animal hide map. He slowly pushed it towards Hu Nan: "Junior Brother Hu, this is a map of the Qingfeng Ruins that I obtained by chance. It marks the approximate route of the ruins, the location of the restrictions on each level, and some markings left by cultivators from previous generations. Perhaps it can help you, Junior Brother Hu. I'm giving it to you today as a way of repaying your kindness in lending me my refining experience."
Hu Nan raised his hand and gently picked up the animal hide map.
The map was rough in texture, but it was drawn very clearly. Black lines outlined the contours of the ruins. The stone path on the first level, the restriction nodes on the second level, and the core area on the third level were all clearly marked. There were even a few places marked with "No treasures" and "Restrictions ineffective," clearly the experience left by predecessors.
Qin Changsheng scanned the map with his divine sense and was overjoyed. With this map, he could avoid many troubles after entering the ruins and go directly to the core area to find the fragments of the Heavenly Dao.
"Senior Brother Wu, you've gone to so much trouble. This generous gift is too much for me to refuse," Hu Nan said gratefully.
Wu Yong quickly waved his hand and laughed, "Junior Brother Hu, you're too kind. It's just an old map, nothing to mention. Compared to Junior Brother Hu lending me his refining experience, this is nothing at all."
Hu Nan waved his hand and took out the jade slip.
"Senior Brother Wu, this is the experience of refining a natal magic weapon!" Hu Nan handed the jade slip to Wu Yong.
"Thank you, Junior Brother Hu!" Wu Yong happily accepted the jade slip.
Wu Yong stood up, then, as if remembering something, said to Hu Nan, "Junior Brother Hu, the sect leader has studied the great formation within the ruins. If you have any questions, you can ask him!"
Meanwhile, inside the courtyard...
Qin Changsheng fell into deep thought.
He knew very well that a fragment of the Heavenly Dao was contained within this ruin.
There was no room for error; the slightest carelessness could lead to missing the opportunity or even exposing his own secrets.
Firstly, this was an ordinary ruin, rarely visited by Foundation Establishment cultivators.
However, Hu Nan's reputation within the Heavenly Sword Sect was extremely high.
Furthermore, Li Hu and the Blood Demon Sect had been keeping a close eye on Hu Nan.
Sending Hu Nan there would inevitably attract Li Hu's attention.
If Li Hu were to intervene, unforeseen events would surely occur.
"I'd better go to the ruin myself!" Qin Changsheng immediately decided.
Qin Changsheng had always remained hidden in this secluded courtyard, never revealing his abilities within the sect. Aside from his alias Hu Nan, almost no cultivator knew his true strength.
Even if he went to the Qingfeng Ruins, no one would recognize his identity, and he would not attract attention, allowing him to enter the ruins silently and seize the fragment of the Heavenly Dao.
More importantly, he held multiple trump cards, so he had no need to worry about the dangers within the ruins.
Among them, the three abilities—Substitute Death, Rebirth, and Exchange—could safeguard his safety, practically life-saving artifacts.
The Substitute Death ability would automatically trigger when he encountered mortal danger, sacrificing himself in exchange for his own safety;
The Rebirth ability would allow him to be reborn in Beihai County after an accidental death, preventing a tragedy;
The Exchange ability could allow him to switch places with Hu Nan in a critical moment, instantly escaping danger.
Even if the ruins closed, Qin Changsheng could easily escape.
With these three abilities, even if there were undiscovered dangers within the Qingfeng Ruins, even if he encountered unexpected situations, he could calmly deal with them, ensuring his safety and ensuring his life was not in any danger.
In addition to these, he also possessed attributes like Instant Spell Casting and Cultivation. Instant Spell Casting allowed him to instantly unleash spells, making it much more efficient at breaking restrictions and dealing with dangers.
However, he still needed to prepare, as there were numerous formations within the ruins.
To enter the core of the ruins, he had to break those core formations.
Qin Changsheng knew that although his many attributes made him more than capable of dealing with low-level restrictions, he simply couldn't break complex and difficult formations on his own.
To ensure success, he needed to devise a method to break the formations in advance and find someone with profound knowledge of formations as a backup plan.
And that person was the sect leader, Xuan Yangzi.
Xuan Yangzi was a recognized array prodigy of the Heavenly Sword Sect's outer sect. He had studied array formations since childhood, possessing exceptional skill in both breaking restrictions and setting up arrays. Many cultivators within the sect would consult him when encountering array problems, and even some elders highly regarded his array techniques.
"Moreover, Xuan Yangzi has also done some research on the great arrays within the ruins." Qin Changsheng immediately made a decision.
That is, if his main body entered the Qingfeng Ruins and encountered a particularly difficult array, he would have Hu Nan find Xuan Yangzi.
With Xuan Yangzi's array formation expertise, he could definitely break the array easily.
Having resolved his concerns about breaking the array, Qin Changsheng's worries completely dissipated. Then, his gaze slowly fell upon the animal hide map.
Qin Changsheng's gaze was fixed intently on the map.
He knew that the terrain of the Qingfeng Ruins was directly related to his ability to quickly find the Heavenly Dao Fragment and escape safely. He had to memorize every detail, leaving no room for error.
Qin Changsheng's gaze slowly moved from the outer area of the map to the middle layer, and then to the core area, meticulously planning the route:
After entering the ruins through the spiritual light rift, he would first traverse the abandoned stone paths on the outer perimeter, avoiding the remains of low-level demonic beasts, and head directly to the middle layer. Following the safe route marked on the map, he would decipher the simple mazes and illusion arrays, without pausing, and proceed straight to the core area.
The Heavenly Dao Fragment was most likely hidden there, and it was his sole objective for this expedition.
As he observed, he mentally rehearsed the route, silently memorizing the location of every restriction, the direction of every stone path, and the approximate extent of the core area, as if etched into his mind, daring not to overlook anything.
He even carefully noted several hidden corners marked on the map, which would be excellent hiding places in case of an emergency.