40 Core Chamber

We watched Chi Yan pushed the double doors to the core chamber of the ruin open. He stepped in, brushing past a hot, burning wind that blew from within. I detected pure yang qi blazing not just in the wind but also inside the central chamber.

"Be careful," I told Lan Bei Er, taking her hand. "Set up a barrier to protect yourself if you plan to go inside."

"I understand." Lan Bei Er didn't hesitate to obey, conjuring a small woman-shaped barrier to wreathe her body like an aura. By doing this, she could minimize qi consumption and still be able to guard herself from the potent effects of pure yang qi.

Chi Yan reveled in it, though, dashing inside. The rest of us followed inside shortly after him, and I was treated to an amazing sight.

The ruin used to be a tomb. There was a coffin right in the middle, but it was surrounded by shelves – several of the shelves contained technique manuals, which Chi Yan wasted no time in exploring, searching for his highly sought Nine Yang Divine Energy. The rest were racks that were lined with weapons and treasures.

"I'll be taking this," Hong Yao Yao said, picking up a crimson fan from a rack and expanding it to fan herself. A phoenix was embroidered across its fabric, which was supported by a slender spirit steel frame. She flapped it once and embers danced across the surface of the fan, transforming into fluttering red butterflies. Hong Yao Yao smiled. "This alone will make the trip worth it."

He Shan Jie didn't seem interested in any of the manuals or treasures, and he simply waited patiently for his senior to browse through. When I approached him, he looked at me with a smile.

"Don't worry about me. I have no interest in any of the stuff here. They will be of no use to me."

"You could at least take that fire puppet to replace your golem for now," I suggested and pointed toward a faceless mannequin that lay against a rack. He Shan Jie rubbed his chin, musing to himself, then he shrugged.

"All right then. Since you've said it, I won't be reserved."

I patted his shoulder encouragingly. "We all worked together to get this far. It's only fair that we each get a share."

"What about you?"

"I'm waiting for my wife to choose first."

He Shan Jie laughed. "A gentleman, as always. I'll make sure to learn from you how to treat my future wife."

"Oh? You have a fiancée?"

"Not yet. I'm not as good as you." He Shan Jie chuckled again. "I'll pick up the fire puppet as you suggested and attune it to my qi. You should go help your wife choose."

"Lady Hong Yao Yao is helping her with that." But I was curious as to what they would select, so I took his advice and wandered over.

"This will be best for you right now," Hong Yao Yao was saying when I approached them. She had taken a robe to give it to Lan Bei Er."This is the Vermillion Phoenix Robe. Not only will it make you look like a princess, it has protective properties. It is resistance particularly to fire attacks."

She then turned to grin at me mischievously.

"What do you think? Does it suit your wife?"

"Yeah, it does." I nodded vigorously. "Try it on, Bei Er."

"If husband says so." Lan Bei Er took a deep breath and put the garment on. It fitted her size and form almost perfectly, the fabric thinning and shrinking to adjust to its wearer. As expected of a divine treasure. I could sense the spiritual qi woven into the silky cloth, hardening to provide my wife a layer of protection.

"As a healer, I think this is the most suitable treasure for you." Hong Yao Yao was nodding in approval, her hands on her hips.

"Thank you for the advice, Teacher Hong." Lan Bei Er turned to me. "Have you chosen anything yet, husband?"

"Oh, not yet." I scratched my head. I wasn't a fire technique user either, so like He Shan Jie, I wasn't sure what would be useful for me. I glanced at Hong Yao Yao, who was the one who recommended this to me in the first place. She should have some idea. "Should I look for a technique once Chi Yan is done finding his?"

"That will be a good idea. I'm looking for a technique too." Hong Yao Yao nodded thoughtfully. Then she smiled. "But you should pick a treasure too. A weapon, preferably. It'll help in your hunt for a Ruby Rhino."

I glanced at my spatial pouch, where Abyssal Edge was currently stored at the moment. "I already have a great sword, I'm not sure if any of the weapons here would be as good as Abyssal Edge." It wasn't just enough to pick swords to sell them – I needed one that could improve my combat ability in a way that Abyssal Edge didn't already do so. Otherwise this whole trip was pointless.

Money wasn't important to me. I didn't really have to rely on spirit stones or so-called cultivation resources to grow stronger. I only needed hard work, perseverance and effort. There was nothing I could buy that would surpass Heaven and Earth Formula in terms of helping me improve my cultivation level. This wasn't some fictional cultivation story where I had to ascribe to some never-ending capitalistic system of hoarding, earning money, spending and buying, consuming stuff or refining elixirs or whatever to grow stronger. I was going to achieve it the old fashioned way – by training!

I was pretty sure that was how athletes and martial artists back in my previous world grew stronger. Doping and steroids had serious side-effects and were legally banned for a reason. So the best way was still exercises and diet. Not depending on supposedly miraculous medicines or dodgy pills for breakthroughs or all that nonsense. Would it kill cultivators to just work hard instead of seeking shortcuts all the time?

That said, even martial artists or athletes needed proper weapons and equipment to be at the top of their game. Soldiers couldn't fight if their rifles kept breaking down on the battlefield, and swordsmen couldn't duel with a broken sword or a weapon of poor quality. Sprinters and marathon participants would injure their feet if they weren't wearing god shoes. They say a weapon was only as good as its wielder, but a rifle in the hands of a trained soldier was a lot deadlier than a pistol or a stone.

So weapons I could understand. That was why I took Hong Yao Yao's advice and studied the racks of weapons. I dismissed the swords – while they emanated fiery qi, none of them offered what Abyssal Edge didn't already provide. So I glanced at the spears, but because I wasn't trained to use one, I didn't pay much attention to them.

However, when it came to the bows, I found myself transfixed. I hadn't actually used a bow before, but I had handled rifles and guns in the military. In my previous world, I meant. I only spent two years in mandatory service, but it was more than enough to learn the basics. That said, I knew a bow was very different from a rifle, so I was hesitant to use one.

But a single bow drew my gaze. It looked ordinary at first, but the qi it emitted was breathtaking. Quiet and calm, yet potent and indomitable. I wasn't sure how to describe it…perhaps it was like nuclear fusion taking place unseen within a containment reactor.

I reached out to take it.

"That's the Hou Yi Bow," Hong Yao Yao said, her voice filled with awe. She gaped at me, her eyes wide. "How do you know about that?"

"Huh? Hou Yi Bow?" I blinked in surprise. Then my jaw also dropped. "The godly archer who shot down nine of the ten suns in antiquity?"

"That's right…the very same Hou Yi. This was the bow he used." Hong Yao Yao struggled to keep the quiver out of her voice. She frowned. "You didn't know?"

"No. But I could sense its power. It's…on a different level from all the other spirit weapons here."

I thought to all the statues of the archers arrayed throughout the levels of the tomb. They were all archers. Hou Yi's bow, which he used to shoot down nine suns, was here. No wonder…I was beginning to make all the connections now. Was this Hou Yi's ruin, or a descendant of Hou Yi? Someone who worshipped the now deified Hou Yi? That explained the emphasis on archers.

Prior to the sword, the bow must have been revered…particularly when Hou Yi accomplished such a legendary feat.

"With this, wouldn't it be possible for you to slay a Ruby Rhino?" Lan Bei Er marveled, her eyes wide as she stared at the Hou Yi Bow.

"Yes, it is…but even the greatest weapon would be useless in the hand of an amateur if he doesn't know how to wield it." Hong Yao Yao narrowed her eyes. "Have you used a bow before?"

"Not really, but I'll learn." I suddenly recalled Hui Ying's words. He said that I wasn't suited to a sword, and suggested that I learned ranged techniques instead…that I learn to use a bow. Lan Bei Er frowned.

"You were practicing with a bow back at the Lan manor, right? So you have used it before."

"Yeah, but you saw how bad I was."

"What, you were only practicing for a single day. How good can you get in such a short time? Why don't you practice it more?"

"I will." I remembered getting the hang of it before Jian Shen swaggered in to insult me. Yeah, it might be a good idea to practice more.

"Found it!" Chi Yan's voice rang through the chamber. He had seized a manual with the words Nine Yang Divine Energy printed on the front, and he waved it about excitedly. Without any hesitation, he sat down and began flipping through the scroll to learn it. I raised an eyebrow, but I understood how he felt.

"Our turn." Hong Yao Yao sashayed toward the shelf and began picking out a few manuals, glancing through them and putting them back. It might seem counterintuitive to the usual cultivation story readers, but this world operated on an etiquette much like some cultures back in my previous world. Don't be greedy, take only what you need and leave the rest for others. Greed was not approved of, especially in the orthodox side, and hoarding a bunch of manuals or selling an awful amount of them would simply paint a huge target board on your back. Hell, even the demonic cultivators weren't that greedy. They knew that it would be better to leave most of the treasures they couldn't use behind, otherwise people would go around hunting them instead of raiding ruins.

It was called being considerate. Cultivators knew they had to depend on each other, so sharing was caring. Only selfish idiots hoarded good things and denied other people access to stuff. Imagine going to a ruin after killing all those spirit beasts, only to find it empty and ransacked. Not a very good feeling. Well, of course in all those cultivation stories that you read, they would always be full of treasures for the protagonists to take because…you know, plot convenience, plot armor, and quite frankly, the world of those stories revolved around the protagonists and helping them become overpowered. The authors wouldn't allow a wasted trip or let slip opportunities for them to become stronger and richer, would they?

But reality was different. It was just like in my previous world. Plucking a tree bare would leave no fruits for others. Why should we care about others? You may cry. But then you'll be the ones bitching and whining about other people being selfish and greedy when you're the one who come across an empty tree bereft of fruits. How do I put it, don't exploit nature of all its resources, and make sure you leave a still habitable Earth for future generations. Don't ruin the planet so that your descendants can continue to live in it. That sort of logic.

"I'll take this." Hong Yao Yao picked up a Red Fire Dancing Butterfly (who the f comes up with these names? Granted, in Chinese it was just four characters, but still…) technique book. She then gestured toward a certain row of manuals. "Those might be useful for you if you really plan on mastering the bow."

"Thanks." I singled out a manual, feeling a strong thread of connection between the Hou Yi bow and the scroll. I could literally see the red string of qi linking them. Taking it out, I raised an eyebrow at the pretentious name. "Uh…Nine Suns Slaying Arrow technique? Really?"

"Sounds pretty cool to me." Hong Yao Yao giggled as she sat down to flip through her scroll. She jerked her head toward Chi Yan, who was diligently concentrating on studying his Nine Yang Divine Energy. "Seems like we're going to be waiting a while for him, so I suggest we also make use of the time to start practicing these techniques."