At the beginning, I cleaned the Sutra Library and completed the incomplete skills.

Chapter 216: The Bet

Xiao Huang had grown up under Li Lan’s care, so he naturally obeyed his master’s commands.

Immediately, he activated a small portion of his innate Divine Ability and began to search diligently.

After a while, he barked twice.

Li Lan was of one mind with him.

Seeing this, he confidently stepped inside.

In a private room,

Tan Sheng had been waiting there for a long time.

Seeing him arrive, he stood up with a smile to greet him.

“Come, come, Fellow Daoist Lin, please have a seat.”

The two sat down, with one taking the host’s seat and the other the guest’s.

After Tan Sheng poured a cup of fragrant Spiritual Tea,

Li Lan stroked Xiao Huang’s head and issued a command through his Divine Sense.

For a moment,

a hint of confusion appeared in Xiao Huang’s clear eyes; he didn’t understand why his master wanted him to completely block his senses at this moment.

Just now, he had been using his innate Divine Ability to explore the area.

Xiao Huang, however, didn’t know that

Li Lan, whose caution had become a habit, wouldn’t even smell the Spiritual Tea offered by an unfamiliar Cultivator, let alone drink it.

Despite not understanding,

Xiao Huang still faithfully complied.

Li Lan stroked Xiao Huang’s furry head with one hand and said indifferently,

“There are no more outsiders here, Fellow Daoist Tan. Now you should tell me, what do you plan to exchange for this Treasure of mine?”

Tan Sheng didn’t keep them in suspense any longer. He drank the Spiritual Tea in one gulp,

and said with a smile,

“Fellow Daoist Lin should know about the Restriction Immortal Cave, right?

High-Rank Cultivators like you and me, to prevent unforeseen circumstances that might cause the treasures we’ve accumulated over half a lifetime to fall into others’ hands for free,

usually don’t carry all their Cultivation resources with them. Most of them are sealed in a Restriction Immortal Cave and only taken out when needed.

This practice has existed since ancient times.

The Immortal Caves of those powerful Cultivators are called Secret Realms or ruins.

Those who dare to venture deep into them often obtain considerable Opportunities from doing so.”

Li Lan had known about this before.

Those Demonic Cultivators who used the 《Rebirth Technique》 to live another life loved to set up these Restriction Immortal Caves.

His Storage Pouch still contained many such Immortal Cave tokens.

Li Lan seemed to sense something and slowly said,

“Could it be, Fellow Daoist Tan, that you mean…?”

Tan Sheng nodded.

“That’s right, I, Tan, am not talented, but I was fortunate enough to discover a Restriction Immortal Cave.

The Restrictions and Formations here are extremely complete, and they seem to have been set up within the last hundred years.

Moreover, each layer of the Formation is divided into very detailed Ranks, ranging from Qi Refining First Level to False Core Stage, all inclusive.

Within each layer of Restriction, there are many Medicinal Pills and Magical Artifacts that can only be used in the next Realm, though I don’t know why exactly.

My Cultivation Realm is limited. So far, I have only barely broken through the Foundation Establishment Stage Restriction.

As for the subsequent Restriction Formations, with my strength alone, I am somewhat helpless.

If I want to break them in a short time, I must find some helpers.”

Hearing this,

Li Lan already understood the other party’s meaning.

“Fellow Daoist Tan’s earlier statement about wanting to find a protective item for your Young Master was merely a pretense.

Your true purpose is to have me help you break the Formation and obtain the Treasure?”

Tan Sheng scratched his head and gave an embarrassed smile.

“It’s not entirely a pretense. My son does indeed have a wood Spiritual Root, and if he can obtain a Treasure, his strength will naturally increase significantly.”

He clapped his hands.

Soon,

a figure wearing a bamboo hat emerged from behind the screen, cupped his hands, and bowed to Li Lan.

“Junior Tan Shun’an greets Senior Lin.”

Li Lan extended his Divine Sense and briefly perceived him.

He found that the other party was indeed a wood-attribute Cultivator, with a Cultivation of Early-stage Foundation Establishment.

He furrowed his brow slightly, pondering something deeply.

At this moment,

Tan Sheng continued to persuade him enticingly,

“Since there is a Restriction Immortal Cave with the power of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, it means there must be treasures within that are highly beneficial to Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivators.

As long as we can break this Restriction Formation,

will Fellow Daoist Lin still worry about lacking the Medicinal Pills needed to Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment Late Stage?

How about it?

Is Fellow Daoist willing to join forces with me, Tan, and take this gamble?”

Li Lan did not rush to answer the other party,

but instead carefully analyzed the cause and effect, weighing the pros and cons.

Tan Sheng seemed to have anticipated this scene long ago.

He refilled his Spiritual Tea and savored it with a shallow sip,

and said indifferently,

“Fellow Daoist Lin, there’s no need to rush. This matter is of great importance, and it’s not too late to consider it slowly.

However,

I, Tan, feel it’s necessary to remind Fellow Daoist that

although the Restriction Immortal Cave will always be there and won’t run away, the original owner of the Immortal Cave might not be as predictable.

If the other party has already perished, then naturally everyone will be happy. But if they haven’t died and return to find their carefully prepared Restriction Immortal Cave completely ruined, that would be unfortunate.

Fellow Daoist Lin is not yet involved, so it’s wise to consider it carefully.”

Li Lan narrowed his eyes,

and unaffected by his words, he calmly asked,

“How will the benefits within be divided after this Restriction Formation is broken?”

Tan Sheng was also at the Foundation Establishment Stage,

and likewise needed Medicinal Pills to Breakthrough to the Late Stage.

Li Lan naturally didn’t believe that the other party would willingly share such an important item with others for free.

If he didn’t have a reasonable explanation,

no matter how tempting the conditions were, Li Lan would unhesitatingly give up this seemingly Heaven-Defying Opportunity.

Tan Sheng’s expression remained unchanged, and he looked at him with appreciation.

“Fellow Daoist Lin is not only young and promising, but his caution is also truly rare.

Indeed, while the Treasure is good, it pales in comparison to the Opportunity to Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

If Fellow Daoist Lin intends to participate in this matter, you must first agree that after the Restriction is broken,

the contents within must be distributed by me according to contribution.

Rest assured,

regardless of whether the Restriction is successfully broken or not, I, Tan, will later use a Condensing Origin Pill to trade for that Treasure with Fellow Daoist.

I, Tan, am different from Fellow Daoist.

I have been at the Foundation Establishment Stage for dozens of years,

and I have accumulated some Cultivation resources needed for Breakthrough.

At least, using them to trade for the Treasure in your hands will not be a problem.”

Tan Sheng’s explanation was reasonable and seemed flawless.

Li Lan pondered for a moment and asked again,

“Will it only be the two of us exploring this Immortal Cave Restriction?”

“Of course not. To ensure a successful Breakthrough of that Restriction,

I, Tan, have also invited several Fellow Daoists at the Foundation Establishment Stage, all of whom you have met at the Red Plum Minor Gathering, so you could say you know them.

The remuneration I’ve promised them for their assistance is entirely different from yours, and there’s no conflict, so Fellow Daoist Lin can rest assured.

If things go smoothly this time, we might even be able to try to wear down the power of the False Core Stage Restriction.

With good luck, it’s also possible to obtain some resources needed for Core Formation in the future from within.”

After Tan Sheng finished speaking, Li Lan quickly made a decisive decision.

“Good, I, Lin, will participate in this matter. Where is that Immortal Cave Restriction located? When shall we depart?”

Although this matter seemed quite risky,

if it succeeded, he would no longer have to worry about the Medicinal Pills needed to Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

If he continued to attend various Foundation Establishment Minor Gatherings,

whether he would encounter Cultivators with such resources was one thing, and whether they would be willing to trade was another.

Judging from the current situation,

the Treasure was very attractive to Early Stage Cultivators, but its allure was somewhat insufficient for Middle Stage Cultivators.

Although Li Lan still had several other valuable items like pseudo-Treasures and Talisman Treasures,

he naturally wouldn’t be willing to trade them for just a few Medicinal Pills.

After much thought,

it was more practical to agree to Tan Sheng’s proposal and try his luck in that Restriction Immortal Cave.

Having witnessed many schemes, Li Lan naturally didn’t fully believe the other party’s words.

The exact degree of truth and falsehood, and the latter’s true purpose, still needed analysis.

However,

Li Lan wasn’t overly worried about this.

With various escape techniques at his disposal, even a typical Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator might not be able to keep him.

Even if there truly was a trap, he could just slip away when the time came.

It was precisely because of this that

he agreed to the other party so readily.

The two agreed on a time and discussed some cooperation details,

then Li Lan stood up and bid farewell.

Five days passed in a flash.

An ancient immortal boat sailed out of Dragon Gate Pass and flew into the Great Wilderness.

On the deck of the immortal boat,

five Cultivators in various attires were chatting and laughing.

Upon closer inspection, it was not difficult to see that

all five of them were at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

What Tan Sheng said was true: besides the two of them, all the others were Cultivators whom Li Lan had met once at the Red Plum Minor Gathering.

Among them was the sparse-haired old man holding half of a tiger talisman pseudo-Treasure.

“This journey is quite perilous, Brother Tan, why did you bring your Young Master along? Aren’t you afraid of an accident that might lead to the extinction of the Tan family?”

One Yellow-Robed Female Cultivator asked curiously.

“We Cultivators walk the Heaven-Defying Path. If we retreat at the first sign of trouble, avoiding it whenever possible, how can we achieve greatness?

This old man intends to teach him that Cultivation is like sailing against the current; one must press forward bravely to have a glimmer of hope.

This journey seems dangerous, but if you think about it differently, it might even be my son’s Opportunity.”

Tan Sheng explained with his hands behind his back.

“Fellow Daoist Tan truly lives up to his reputation as a Senior who has been at the Foundation Establishment Stage for so long. Such a clear understanding is truly enlightening; I am taught.”

“Like father, like son. It seems this Young Master Tan will also be able to carve out his own world, just like Fellow Daoist.”

The three Foundation Establishment Cultivators offered a few polite compliments,

then quickly brought the topic back to the main point.

“The Spiritual Qi in this Great Wilderness is unusually sparse. Why would this Senior set up a Restriction Immortal Cave here? It’s truly peculiar.”

“Even more peculiar is that within the Immortal Cave, each minor Realm has a corresponding Restriction of appropriate strength.

It looks as if it was done intentionally.

Brother Tan, how long ago did you discover this Immortal Cave? Do you have any thoughts on this?”

Tan Sheng also seemed stumped.

He stroked his rounded chin, pondered for a moment, and then said,

“Perhaps it was to mislead others.

As you all know, in recent years, because of Li Jiangchuan’s matter, Jiuchi Commandery hasn’t been very peaceful.

Those fellows from the Human Emperor Hall, under the guise of the Demon Hunting Token, have secretly unearthed who knows how many Restriction Immortal Caves.

This Senior might have foreseen such a day and therefore set up the Restriction Immortal Cave in a place beyond the reach of the Human Emperor Hall’s eyes and ears.

As for the layers of Magical Artifact Restrictions with varying powers, perhaps they were intentionally left behind to allow future Cultivators to Cultivate without hindrance?”