The stone corridor stretched into eternity, its smooth walls carved with ancient runes that seemed to pulse with forgotten power. The air was heavy with water qi, thick and enigmatic, as if an underground river whispered beneath the stone, its voice a low, ominous hum.
I moved cautiously, my sword still clutched tightly, though my arms trembled from the endless battle with the worms. Each step echoed in the silence, a reminder of how far we'd descended into this forsaken place.
Li led the way, his eyes alight with a feverish excitement, undeterred by our near-death escape.
"Ruins? This close to the Fort?" he muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief and greed.
Ryu trailed behind, his gaze lost in the void, as if communing with spirits only he could see. The silence between us was heavy, broken only by the faint drip of water somewhere in the distance.
This place felt wrong—too still, too ancient, as if it held its breath, waiting for us to make a fatal mistake. The spiritual energy pressed against my meridians, a sluggish tide that clashed with my fire qi, making every movement a struggle. My heart pounded, a mix of exhaustion and unease. What had we stumbled into?
"Dangerous?" I asked, my voice low, wary of disturbing the silence.
"Dangerous?" Li laughed, his voice echoing off the stone.
"I thought you'd doomed us, Ryu, but you're a lucky bastard!"
"Care to explain?" I said, my patience thinning.
Li turned, his eyes gleaming like a man who'd found a treasure map.
"You're new, aren't you?"
"Frost Ridge once had its own civilization, or so the legends say."
"I'm no scholar, but ruins like this surface sometimes."
"Never heard of any this close to the Fort."
"We should head back," I said, my voice cautious.
"They might be searching for us, and we could fight through the worms."
"Miss this chance?" Li exclaimed, his voice rising with fervor.
"Unlooted ruins are a gift from the Heavens!"
"If we're lucky, we'll find a spiritual—no, heavenly artifact!"
"The spirits say go forward," Ryu murmured, his voice barely audible.
"See? The spirits are with us," Li grinned, his enthusiasm infectious but reckless.
"Go back to the worms if you want—the treasures are ours!"
"You're insane," I sighed, but he was already charging ahead, heedless of danger.
I gripped my sword tighter, following, my senses alert for traps. The corridor opened into a vast hall, its floor and walls etched with unfamiliar runes, their power dormant but palpable. The air grew heavier, the water qi almost suffocating, as if we'd stepped into the heart of some ancient beast.
"Treasure's behind this door—I feel it!" Li shouted, heaving at a massive stone slab.
The slab groaned, sliding open to reveal a chamber that stole my breath. Bas-reliefs of epic battles adorned the walls, depicting warriors and beasts locked in eternal combat. The floor was a mosaic of paths and garden plots, covered in pale blue grass with glowing veins, like rivers of starlight. Radiant flowers dotted the room, their petals casting a soft azure glow that bathed the chamber in an otherworldly light.
"Impossible… Frostblooms!" Li gasped, his voice trembling with awe.
"Kai, do you know what this means?"
"No," I admitted, my eyes locked on the shimmering blooms.
"Valuable, I assume?"
"Valuable? They're the main ingredient for Meridian Tempering pills!" Li said, his voice rising with excitement.
"Hundreds—thousands—here, fully bloomed!"
"I've never seen them like this!"
"If we escape, we'll have enough points to buy every technique in the Fort!"
"And reach peak Meridian Tempering," I said, a wry smile tugging at my lips.
Li didn't hear, already rushing toward the flowers, his hands trembling with greed.
"Stop!" Ryu shouted, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.
"We can't take them!"
"Why not? Your spirits again?" Li snapped, his patience fraying.
"No, brother. It'll anger him."
A deep hum reverberated through the chamber, the spiritual energy surging like a tidal wave. The lake in the center of the room rippled, and a massive, snow-white dragon emerged, its serpentine body exuding a primal grace. This was no crude beast of Western tales—its eyes burned with malice and intellect, its spiritual energy a crushing force far beyond Golden Core. A creature this powerful, so close to the Frostfort? It could reduce the stronghold to rubble with a single breath.
"Puny mortals, come to steal my flowers?" it growled, its voice a glacier grinding stone, sending an icy chill through my bones.
"Venerable Dragon," I bowed deeply, my heart pounding.
Li and Ryu followed, their movements hesitant but respectful.
"We meant no theft," I said, my voice steady despite the fear.
"We're lost, seeking a way to the surface."
"Liar!" the dragon roared, its power flaring, a wave of spiritual energy that nearly drove me to my knees.
"I heard you two scheming!"
"I'll tear your pitiful souls apart!"
"Venerable Xu Xie, have mercy!" Li dropped to his knees, his voice trembling.
"Forgive our disturbance."
"I'll do anything to live!"
"Humans," the dragon sneered, its contempt a palpable force.
"You meet someone stronger and shed all pride to cling to your wretched lives."
A flash of light, and Li was encased in ice, frozen in his pleading pose, his eyes wide with terror.
"Spirit-walker, you may leave," the dragon said to Ryu.
"I honor the old pact and won't harm Fort disciples unless they covet my treasures."
"Take one flower—you've served me well."
A passage opened behind the dragon, its edges glowing faintly. Ryu nodded, his expression vacant, and walked through without a glance at me or the flowers, lost in his own world. The passage sealed shut, leaving me alone with the dragon's piercing gaze.
"As for you…" it turned to me, its eyes narrowing.
"You didn't seek my treasures—I sense it."
"But Fort disciples tread the Dao of Ice, and you reek of fire."
"Venerable Xu Xie, I'm a Fort disciple!" I said, holding out my jade token with a steady hand.
"Here's proof!"
"Your trinkets mean nothing," it snorted, its breath a gust of frost.
"I trust my eyes, not words."
"You're no Ice Fort disciple."
"And did you think I wouldn't recognize that sword?"
"Sword?" I echoed, my mind racing with confusion.
"What do you know about it?"
"Don't play dumb!" it roared, the chamber trembling.
"His blood runs in your veins!"
"Why have you come to this realm?"
"His blood? You mean Cao Shen?" I said, piecing together fragments of truth.
"So that's his name now?" the dragon mused, its voice a low rumble.
"No matter."
"Bearing his blade, you've doomed yourself!"
A crushing pressure descended, stealing my breath, my knees buckling under the weight. But within me, a spark of defiance flared, mingling with a strange excitement. This dragon was playing a game, and I'd caught a glimpse of its rules.
"You can't kill me," I said, my voice steady despite the strain.
"You want to, but you can't."
"You mentioned an old pact…"
"Correct," it said, its eyes glinting with cunning.
"I made a pact with your ancestor."
"I cannot kill a Fort disciple unless they steal from me."
"But I left myself loopholes."
It paused, its gaze boring into me, as if weighing my soul.
"I must ensure you're truly part of the sect."
"I'll give you a trial."
"I possess a unique Heavenly-rank technique."
"Master it in three days, and I'll let you go, with the technique as your reward."
"Fail, and you die."
The air shimmered, and a stone obelisk rose from the floor, its surface carved with ancient glyphs, their forms alien and unreadable. The dragon's trial was a trap, designed to be impossible.
My heart raced, not with fear, but with a burning resolve. Could I unravel this enigma, or would this chamber become my grave?
Thank you for reading! Please keep supporting to see if Kai can defy the dragon's challenge!