C18 The Tao Arts of the Three Pure Deities

"Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully unlocking the Tao Arts Grand Red Envelope!"

"Tao Arts Grand Red Envelope contains: one copy of the High Level Cultivation Method 'Tao Arts of the Three Pure Deities,' a Taoist robe, a Soul Suppression Bell, a peach wood sword, a compass, an Eight Trigrams Mirror, and several pieces of talisman paper..."

"Reminder: The spatial ring is full. Host, please clear it as soon as possible."

"Would you like to learn the High Level Cultivation Method 'Tao Arts of the Three Pure Deities' now?"

"Am I on track to becoming a Taoist priest?" Yun Chen muttered to himself, stunned by the system's introduction.

"The 'Tao Arts of the Three Pure Deities' sounds pretty impressive!"

"But I like it! Hehe..."

With that, Yun Chen gestured grandly and said with excitement in his heart, "System, I want to learn the 'Tao Arts of the Three Pure Deities'!"

"Ding! You have successfully learned the 'Tao Arts of the Three Pure Deities'!"

As the system notification chimed, Yun Chen felt a torrent of ancient and complex knowledge continuously pour into his mind.

Despite the complexity of the information, Yun Chen absorbed it effortlessly, as if he had known it by heart for ages, which was truly wondrous.

Simultaneously, Yun Chen sensed a peculiar energy converging in his dantian, growing stronger by the moment.

Soon, Yun Chen felt his dantian was saturated, and the gathering of this peculiar energy ceased.

"Magical power?!" The phrase suddenly flashed through Yun Chen's mind.

"Indeed, this is mana!" In an instant, Yun Chen fully grasped that the mysterious force within his dantian was mana!

The 'Tao Arts of the Three Pure Deities' in his mind had informed him that cultivating the method would generate mana in his dantian!

At the same time, the sense of restriction from the Celestial Eye Technique and the Celestial Thunder Technique began to fade away.

A bit dazed, Yun Chen then spoke calmly to himself, "System, I've learned the cultivation method and have mana now. Can the assigned task be canceled?"

The system responded, "Ding! The mission cannot be canceled!"

"Damn it!" Yun Chen exploded in anger!

After a half-minute of silent mourning for his past foolishness, Yun Chen managed to regain his composure.

What's done is done; regret was pointless. The real question was how to tackle the upcoming mission!

Armed with the Tao Arts of the Three Pure Deities, my chances of completing the mission have significantly improved!" Yun Chen murmured, gazing up at Celestial Dragon Mountain.

Just then, Yun Chen felt a nudge on his body. Turning around, he saw Wang Dadao staring at him with a puzzled look.

"What's with the push?" Yun Chen inquired, confused.

"Everyone's left, and you're still asking me why?" Wang Dadao gave his deskmate a bewildered glance, thinking he was acting oddly.

He had been zoning out for over ten minutes, his face cycling through a series of bizarre expressions. And now, with everyone gone, he was still questioning why he'd been pushed.

Is he daydreaming about romance? Wang Dadao wondered.

Only then did Yun Chen notice that the others had moved on quite a distance ahead, leaving just him and Wang Dadao behind.

Feeling bewildered, Yun Chen had been so engrossed in conversation with the system that he hadn't noticed what was happening around him.

"So, where is everyone headed now?" Yun Chen asked, still not quite following.

"We're off to the inn!" Wang Dadao said, slapping his forehead in exasperation.

"The inn? I thought we were going mountain climbing. Why are we heading to an inn now?" Yun Chen questioned.

"You're unbelievable!" Wang Dadao was at a loss for words, now certain that his deskmate hadn't been paying attention.

He explained, "An officer came out earlier and said the mountain is off-limits today. He told us to return tomorrow and that our tickets would still be valid. Consequently, the school administration decided to send all the freshmen and sophomores back to school and reschedule their autumn outing for next Tuesday."

"We, the seniors, will continue our outing tomorrow. But since we're quite a distance from the school, they've arranged for us to stay overnight at the inn at the base of the mountain, and we'll resume our climb tomorrow."

Wang Dadao finished his explanation and shot Yun Chen a curious look.

"Oh, I see!" Yun Chen, feeling slightly awkward under Wang Dadao's probing gaze, touched his nose and sheepishly responded.

He hadn't expected that simply accepting a mission and learning a High Level Cultivation Method would make him feel as though he had severed all ties with the world.

Thus, Yun Chen wasted no more time and quickly caught up with Wang Dadao.

"Perhaps tonight I can seize the opportunity to explore this ancient tomb..."

Yun Chen mused as he ran.

...

As Yun Chen and his companions were settling into a hotel, an event unfolded at a location on Celestial Dragon Mountain.

"Report to the commander, the police have blocked tourists from entering the mountain, and we are now clear to proceed with the excavation of the ancient tomb!"

A soldier reported to a middle-aged man who bore the appearance of an officer.

The middle-aged man was clad in a military uniform adorned with a green epaulet featuring golden foliage and two golden star insignias.

This middle-aged man was none other than a lieutenant general!

Upon receiving the report, the lieutenant general's brow furrowed as he said, "Our duty is to ensure security. The task of excavating the ancient tomb falls to the experts; we shouldn't interfere."

"Furthermore, relay my command: our personnel must not take any rash actions. I have a suspicion that there's something unusual about this so-called ancient tomb."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldier snapped to attention with a salute upon hearing the lieutenant general's orders and then hurried off to execute them.

After the soldier departed, the lieutenant general's gaze shifted to a large mound in the distance, beneath which lay the ancient tomb.

"Let's just hope nothing goes wrong," he murmured.

After watching the mound for a few moments, he sighed and made his way to a nearby tent that had been erected as a temporary command post.

His assignment was to protect the arriving archaeologists due to reach Celestial Dragon Mountain by the afternoon.

The first group of experts who had attempted to excavate the tomb had long since perished.

Their bodies were being temporarily held at a mortuary at the base of the mountain, awaiting forensic examination and analysis.

The thought of the deceased experts brought a flicker of concern to the lieutenant general's eyes, deepening the furrows on his brow.

...

Meanwhile, Yun Chen's class had been accommodated in a hotel, courtesy of the school's planning.

They were now congregated in a restaurant, ready to partake in lunch.

Life as a senior in high school was incredibly stressful and exhausting. So, the prospect of an autumn excursion was met with great enthusiasm by the students, especially when they learned that they would be spending a night at the base of Celestial Dragon Mountain and continuing their trip the next day. This promised them a much-needed respite from their rigorous schedules, and they were visibly excited at the thought of two days of relaxation.

The dining area buzzed with animated conversations and laughter. Yun Chen, however, sat apart from the festivities, his head bowed and brow creased in thought. Noticing his friend's detachment, Wang Dadao approached him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Yun Chen, what's up? You seem down," he called out with concern.

His voice drew the attention of their classmates, who turned to look at Yun Chen. Feeling their eyes on him, Yun Chen looked up, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before he shook his head and replied, "I'm fine."

With a dismissive "Tch!" the others quickly lost interest and returned to their own conversations. To them, Yun Chen was just another student with mediocre grades and little presence—hardly someone to hold their interest.

Yun Chen shrugged off the lack of attention. He preferred to keep a low profile, and now, with the acquisition of the system, he was even more content to go unnoticed.

"But something about this place feels off," he mused silently, his head bowed once more. "And I can't shake this sense of danger..."

Upon arriving at the inn at the mountain's base, Yun Chen had sensed that something was amiss. It was as if the entire area was shrouded in an invisible miasma that was antithetical to his well-being, making him feel exceedingly uncomfortable. Thankfully, he found that by channeling the mana within his body, enveloping himself in its protective embrace, the discomfort would dissipate.

"It's daytime now, and there's nothing to see. I'll take a closer look tonight to figure out what's going on," Yun Chen mused.

He glanced at the lively crowd and sighed inwardly, "Ah, they're all my classmates. I can't just stand by and let them get into trouble, can I? I wouldn't be able to live with myself..."

"Besides, Siyu is staying at one of these hotels. For her sake alone, I need to get to the bottom of this."

"After all, according to the Tao Arts of the Three Pure Deities, places where miasma appears without reason usually herald the emergence of ghosts..."

While Yun Chen was pondering his investigative plans for the evening, Wang Dadao, who was sitting next to him, suddenly stood up and announced, "The weather is so nice this afternoon, and since we're all free, I suggest we all go rafting together!"

After a pause, noticing everyone's attention, Wang Dadao added, "My treat!"

At those words, the whole table erupted into excitement.

"Wow! Big spender!"

"Who would have thought? Wang Dadao, you're actually a secret tycoon!"

"Tycoon, be my sugar daddy!"

"..."

In that moment, everyone saw Wang Dadao in a new light. They hadn't expected this classmate, who had always kept such a low profile, to be wealthy!

Yun Chen was also taken aback as he observed Wang Dadao.

Ever since high school, the guy had kept things understated. Only because Yun Chen was his deskmate did he have a slight inkling that Wang Dadao came from an extraordinary family.

But what was happening today? Was he trying to flaunt his family wealth in their final year of high school?

"Who cares?" Yun Chen shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Even though he was closer to Wang Dadao than anyone else at school, it wasn't his place to meddle in others' affairs.

He decided to focus on where to begin his investigation tonight.