C17 Underwater Immortal Mansion!

Beneath the tranquil waters, hundreds of feet deep, a swift wave cascaded straight down from the lake's surface, a striking sight for miles around. At the end of the wave, through the rising white foam, one could clearly make out a three-meter-long black frog, its back dotted with dozens of bowl-sized gray spots.

Its large, dark blue eyes sparkled with excitement as it gazed upon the underwater mansion drawing ever nearer!

As it approached the mansion, now only twenty feet away, the full view of the structure came into focus. The mansion was cloaked in darkness, its thick walls marred by deep, ancient cracks that spoke of a storied past.

Indeed, as Lin Xuan drew near, the undercurrents he stirred grew stronger. They crashed against the mansion's walls, and the sound of cracking filled his ears.

Boom!

Suddenly, the towering black walls, several feet high, collapsed, stirring up a massive cloud of silt that billowed through the water in all directions.

Lin Xuan was taken aback. He had not expected the seemingly well-crafted mansion to be in such a state of disrepair. He had imagined some legacy might be waiting for him, but now, seeing it up close, he realized there wasn't even a single protective array in place. It was nothing more than a forsaken estate.

With a flicker of hope that something valuable might still remain, Lin Xuan stepped into the ruins. The entire complex was shrouded in black, spanning nearly five kilometers in every direction. Inside, it was eerily silent.

In some of the darkened rooms, giant fish darted back and forth. These demonic fish, upon sensing Lin Xuan's formidable presence, scattered in a panic, fleeing desperately to the far reaches of the mansion.

From a bird's-eye view above the estate, one could see the giant fish scattering in every direction, vanishing into the murky depths below within moments.

Lin Xuan, undeterred, made his way directly toward the only building emitting a faint trace of spiritual energy. It was the sole structure within the complex that remained intact—a palace.

Encircling the palace was a thin, semi-transparent Array Protective Barrier. As Lin Xuan reached out with his frog-like palm and touched the Spirit Energy Protective Barrier, a soft glow emanated from the contact.

Bang!

Just as anticipated.

The Spirit Energy Protective Barrier crumbled with a resounding crash under the slight force exerted by Lin Xuan. The remaining traces of spirit energy from the array protection dissipated into the void.

Lin Xuan pushed open the grand doors of the palace and stepped inside.

The light dimmed considerably.

The palace's interior was modestly furnished.

At the heart of the main hall stood a figure cloaked in a grey robe, revealing nothing but a skeleton beneath the tattered fabric.

A chilling aura of death emanated from it.

Lin Xuan's gaze was drawn to the three black wooden boxes before the skeletal figure, and a spark of excitement flickered in his eyes. He approached the figure and opened one of the boxes.

Inside the box was a white jade porcelain bottle containing two red pills. The faint presence of spiritual energy suggested an array protection on the bottle, indicating the pills' potency.

"These pills are indeed valuable!"

A smile of satisfaction crossed Lin Xuan's face. He then turned his attention to another wooden box nearby and opened it to reveal an ancient half-meter-long Flying Sword. The sword was a deep purple-black, etched with runes upon closer inspection.

Upon opening the box, Lin Xuan was met with an overwhelming sword intent that enveloped him, instilling a deep sense of danger.

Only after the sword intent had fully dissipated did the trepidation in Lin Xuan's heart subside.

As Lin Xuan reached for the diminutive Flying Sword, a strand of sword qi burst forth, slicing his frog-like palm. A single drop of blood emerged and was swiftly absorbed by the short sword, leaving no trace behind.

"Demon Slaying Sword!"

"Third Grade, Low-Quality (Incomplete)!"

"A third-grade artifact!"

As the Demon Slaying Sword acknowledged its new master, Lin Xuan's mind was flooded with succinct information, and a look of astonishment swept through his large, dark blue eyes.

Third-grade artifacts were on par with the Core Formation Stage!

First grade, Qi Refining.

Second rank, Foundation Establishment.

Third grade, Core Formation.

Fourth rank, Nascent Infant.

Fifth grade, Soul Division, and beyond...

Ordinary and high-level monsters were considered inferior, and the magical implements and talismans suited for them were merely pseudo-spiritual in nature.

Grade Three.

The Golden Crystal Water Ape presiding over the Jade Water Hall was merely at the third tier of the Core Formation Stage. Lin Xuan hadn't anticipated stumbling upon such serendipity within the Underwater Mansion, especially right after emerging from the forest!

The flying sword was a giveaway; the two pills nestled in the white jade porcelain bottle were clearly no ordinary concoctions.

Without delay,

Lin Xuan opened the final wooden box to reveal a Blood Jade Lingzhi mushroom nearly half a foot in length. Its entire form was a pale red, and the blood qi within it had dwindled to a faint whisper, evoking a deep sense of melancholy.

The array protecting the wooden box housing the Blood Jade Lingzhi had been compromised, leaving less than one percent of the original blood energy.

Nevertheless,

Even in such a state,

The quality of the Blood Jade Lingzhi still reached the lower ranks of Grade Two.

Lin Xuan's nostrils flared slightly.

The rich blood qi exuding from the Blood Jade Lingzhi was irresistibly enticing. He seized the sizable pale red mushroom and popped it into his mouth.

Boom!

The Grade Two Blood Jade Lingzhi in his stomach

Acted like a searing mini-sun, radiating torrents of blood qi that merged into his limbs and bones. A surge of pure spiritual consciousness also blasted into his Consciousness Sea Space.

This caused his once faint black soul orb to rapidly coalesce, eventually morphing into a palm-sized green luminescent sphere!

Abruptly,

Lin Xuan sensed a refreshing coolness within his Consciousness Sea Space. His spiritual consciousness, previously limited in reach, now enveloped everything within a thirty-foot radius.

Bolstered by the Blood Jade Lingzhi, his soul force had ascended directly to the Qi Refining Stage!

And not just the initial phase, but the mid-Qi Refining Stage.

Thanks to the Thousand Illusion Swallowing Spirit Spell, Lin Xuan's soul force was exponentially stronger than that of other demons at his level, and his recovery capabilities were astonishingly robust. He could likely hold his own against a cultivator at the pinnacle of the Qi Refining Stage, despite being only at the mid-stage himself!

"Blood Qi +1850 points!"

"Spiritual Qi boosted by 500 points!"

In that moment,

The flawed Blood Jade Lingzhi also infused Lin Xuan with an immense surge of blood Qi and spiritual Qi!

His blood Qi alone skyrocketed by nearly two thousand points!