The crowd buzzed with speculation, a cacophony of overlapping voices, but the experts from all three factions had pushed everyone back to a hundred-zhang distance, forming a great ring around the central area of the Blood Battle Gang's mining site.
Yang Kai squinted toward the center and spotted the five Grand Elders of Lingxiao Pavilion heatedly debating something with another group of people — it looked more like a shouting match than a discussion, with faces flushed red and necks bulging.
One burly, bear-like man was particularly worked up, spittle flying from his mouth with every word, while a scholarly-looking middle-aged man beside him tried to calm things down with reasonable words.
Voices drifted over from nearby: "That big fellow who looks like a bear — that's Hu Man, the leader of the Blood Battle Gang. The scholar type is Xiao Ruohan, the Tower Master of Wind and Rain Tower."
"What exactly happened here? Why did the experts from all three factions show up?"
"Heh, I got here early and was close enough to hear. The experts over there are saying an Inheritance Grotto-heaven has appeared!"
"What's an Inheritance Grotto-heaven?" The other person was clearly in the dark.
Yang Kai didn't know either, so he cupped his hand to his ear and listened carefully. Many people around him were doing the same.
The speaker chuckled and went on to describe the many benefits of an Inheritance Grotto-heaven in vivid detail. The crowd's blood boiled with excitement, emotions running so high they wanted to charge into the place right then and there to inherit the treasures left behind by some ancient master.
So that's what it was! Yang Kai suddenly recalled the unusual sensation he had felt here two months ago. At the time, he had assumed some kind of yang-attribute treasure was buried underground, which was why he had repaid a kindness by sending Hu Meier to investigate.
He had never expected that what lay hidden beneath was an Inheritance Grotto-heaven.
Even back then, Yang Kai had sensed that the yang energy was being blocked by something. Thinking about it now, it must have been the restriction array here!
This was quite a surprise. One could say that the appearance of this Inheritance Grotto-heaven was closely tied to Yang Kai himself — he had unwittingly set it in motion.
The knowledgeable speaker nearby was still going on and on, but Yang Kai stopped listening. He was thinking about what the experts from the three factions would do now that an Inheritance Grotto-heaven had appeared.
No single faction could swallow it alone. Even if one wanted to, the other two would never allow it.
The Blood Battle Gang was undoubtedly that kind of faction!
The remaining possibility was that the Blood Battle Gang would compromise, and all three factions would explore the secrets within together — though the Blood Battle Gang would definitely get first pick of the rewards. After all, they were the ones who had discovered it. They had to get something out of it first.
Just as Yang Kai was lost in thought, the experts from the three factions seemed to have reached some sort of agreement. Each side called forth one highly skilled disciple and sent them into the Inheritance Grotto-heaven to scout the situation.
From Lingxiao Pavilion came Su Yan. From the Blood Battle Gang, Long Jun. And from Wind and Rain Tower, Fang Ziqi.
The three of them arrived at the edge of the great pit and jumped in together.
A long wait followed.
Half a day later, Su Yan was the first to return — her figure suddenly materialized beside the pit — and she walked up to the three factions' experts to report her findings.
A little while after, Long Jun and Fang Ziqi also came back.
After hearing all three reports, the experts from the three factions held another hurried consultation. They nodded to one another and dispersed in three different directions.
Before long, voices could be heard summoning the disciples of each faction.
Yang Kai and a group of Lingxiao Pavilion disciples headed toward the five Grand Elders. The three groups clustered together, each keeping to their own.
"Senior Brother Yang!" Just as Yang Kai was waiting for Wei Xitong to speak, Su Mu walked over with Li Yuntian and the others in tow.
"You came too?" Yang Kai smiled faintly.
Su Mu grinned. "Something this big — of course we had to come see the excitement."
Li Yuntian asked, "Where did you go the other day, Senior Brother? You disappeared for twenty whole days."
Yang Kai explained, "I had some matters to attend to outside. I should thank you all for sweeping my cabin for me."
Li Yuntian and the others looked stunned. "We only swept the floor — we didn't clean the cabin!"
"He's just a bunch of lazybones. He doesn't even make his bed when he wakes up. You think he'd clean a cabin?" Su Mu laughed.
"He didn't?" Yang Kai's mind stirred. Then why had his cabin been so neat and spotless?
"Silence! Everyone silence!" Wei Xitong suddenly barked, his expression turning stern. The nearly two thousand Lingxiao Pavilion disciples gathered there immediately fell quiet, all raising their eyes toward him with eager anticipation.
Everyone knew that whatever the Grand Elder was about to say had to be connected to the Inheritance Grotto-heaven.
Sure enough, Wei Xitong cleared his throat, swept his gaze across the assembly, and spoke: "You should all know by now what has happened here, and what kind of opportunity this represents. An Inheritance Grotto-heaven — such things have been spoken of for ages, but let alone having seen one myself, not a single one has appeared anywhere in the entire Han Dynasty in the past thousand years. We have no way of knowing what kind of heaven-defying cultivation the master who condensed this Inheritance Grotto-heaven possessed. But... this is truly a treasure hoard that could rival the wealth of a nation! Inside, there are spiritual pills and wondrous medicines, martial arts manuals and secret techniques, rare natural treasures, and most importantly — the legacy of that ancient master!"
The disciples erupted in astonishment, their eyes burning with fervor, their breathing quickening.
Wei Xitong continued: "But what coexists with all of this are countless hidden restrictions and dangers. One misstep, and your soul will be annihilated beyond recovery!"