Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

209: Enter the secret chamber of Miaoling PavilionThe night was as dark as ink, yet the myriad lights of Southeast Market Town illuminated the sky as if it were daytime, and the shimmering protective Formation resembled a giant glass bowl inverted over the town.

Lin Jingyu stepped in, and the familiar warm fragrance assailed him, yet it failed to dispel the chill and urgency in his heart.

Behind the counter, Qin Yue was playing with a jade abacus, her slender fingers flicking the beads, producing crisp clicking sounds.

Hearing Lin Jingyu’s voice, she immediately looked up.

Seeing him, dusty and with a hint of urgency, her brows furrowed slightly.

“Jingyu?”

She put down the abacus and quickly walked out from behind the counter, her dark brows slightly furrowed.

“Such a panicked expression… did something happen to the Liu Family again?”

She instinctively thought of Black Wind Stockade or the Liu Family causing trouble again, and her heart couldn’t help but tighten.

Although Lin Jingyu was young, she knew his Heart-Nature was stable; for him to lose his composure to this extent, it was definitely not a small matter.

Moreover, he immediately asked for the First Manager Feng Xixi, which indicated there must be something she couldn’t resolve either.

Lin Jingyu took a deep breath, his voice extremely low but every word clear, carrying an undeniable resolve:

“Sister Yue, the Lin Family is fine for now. But I have an extremely urgent matter concerning life and death, and I must see Shopkeeper Feng Xixi immediately! Not a moment can be delayed!”

His gaze was like tempered cold iron, fixed tightly on Qin Yue, and deep within his pupils, a storm seemed to roar and brew silently.

Qin Yue was shaken by the unprecedented anxiety and determination in his eyes, and her breathing hitched slightly.

Since she had known Lin Jingyu, through market competitions and Family crises, she had never seen him so outwardly emotional.

A huge sense of unease instantly gripped her.

Without the slightest hesitation, she immediately nodded: “Good! Sister Xixi is cultivating in the underground secret chamber, I’ll take you down right away!”

She quickly turned to Yun Momo, who was curiously peeking out with wide, blinking eyes, her tone unprecedentedly solemn and serious, “Momo!”

“Here! Sister Yue!” Yun Momo saw Qin Yue’s expression and immediately straightened her small face.

“Immediately guard the front hall and activate the highest-grade ‘Silence’ Formation! If anyone forces their way in, or if there’s any suspicious prying, no need to ask for instructions, directly activate the highest alert! Understand?”

Qin Yue spoke very quickly, her instructions clear.

“Understood! Sister Yue, don’t worry!”

Yun Momo nodded heavily, without the slightest delay, and immediately ran to a wall-mounted Formation Plate behind the counter, embedded with numerous Spirit Stones, and her small hands quickly and precisely pressed several core runes on it.

Buzz!

A barely audible but incredibly deep hum sounded, and a transparent ripple, almost imperceptible to the naked eye but slightly distorting the air, instantly spread out from the Formation Plate, gently yet firmly enveloping the entire front hall of Miaoling Pavilion.

The subtle noise within the pavilion and the clamor from the street were instantly cut off, and the light also seemed to dim a few shades, plunging into an eerie stillness.

This “Silence” Formation was one of Miaoling Pavilion’s foundations; once fully activated, even the Divine Thought of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator would find it difficult to penetrate easily, and it could also isolate sounds from inside and out, forming a powerful protective barrier.

Seeing this, Qin Yue felt a little relieved and quickly said to Lin Jingyu, “Follow me!”

The three quickly passed through the hall, bypassing several rows of shelves displaying glowing Magical Artifacts and Medicinal Pills with their fragrant aura, arriving at a curio cabinet in the back hall that seemed to hold antiques.

Her fingertips glowed with spiritual light, and like a butterfly flitting among flowers, she conjured several complex and hidden incantations, the spiritual power fluctuations precisely sinking into several inconspicuous corners of the curio cabinet.

Click… clack… clack… After several almost inaudible clicks of mechanisms, the curio cabinet, along with the wall behind it, silently slid open to the side.

Revealing a deep stone staircase behind it, only wide enough for one person, extending downwards.

A surge of Spiritual Qi, several times purer and richer than outside, carrying a faint, cool lotus scent and an ancient sandalwood aroma, rushed out like a long-accumulated tide.

While invigorating the spirit, it also brought an invisible and heavy pressure.

Moonstones were embedded in the walls on both sides of the stone steps, emitting a soft and cool glow, illuminating the descending path.

“Watch your step.”

Qin Yue said in a low voice and led the way down. Lin Jingyu followed closely.

The secret chamber was deep underground in Miaoling Pavilion, not spacious, and sparsely furnished, yet everywhere revealed its extraordinary nature. The four walls were made of a dark spirit-absorbing wood, effectively containing Spiritual Qi fluctuations.

The floor was paved with smooth, mirror-like black jade bricks.

In the center of the secret chamber, a huge Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Jade, continuously emitting a chilling white mist and pure Spiritual Qi, occupied most of the space, and a cold jade cushion was placed upon it.

Feng Xixi, dressed in an elegant moon-white long dress, sat cross-legged on the cushion with her eyes closed. Spiritual Qi swirled around her, as if she were enveloped in a faint mist.

During her breathing and exhalation, the sound of tides rising and falling faintly echoed in the secret chamber, clearly indicating her cultivation had reached an unfathomable realm, and she was in a deep state of Cultivation.

Feeling the entrance Restriction being repeatedly triggered, her long eyelashes trembled imperceptibly, and the flow of Spiritual Qi around her showed a minuscule stagnation. She slowly opened her eyes.

When they first opened, her eyes seemed to hold the rotation of starlight, then transformed into clear mountain springs, and finally settled into bottomless ancient wells.

Between opening and closing, they seemed to reflect people’s hearts and discern all illusions.

Her Cultivation was interrupted, and a faint displeasure flashed across her jade-like, flawless face, but upon seeing that it was Qin Yue.

And Lin Jingyu, whose expression was solemn and breathing slightly hurried behind her, that hint of displeasure turned into surprise and inquiry.

“Sister Xixi, it’s an emergency, I apologize for the abrupt interruption.”

Qin Yue was the first to curtsy, her tone filled with sincere apology. She knew that Feng Xixi’s Cultivation Technique was special, and every deep meditation was extremely important.

“Shopkeeper Feng.”

Lin Jingyu also cupped his hands in greeting, his movements maintaining courtesy, but his straight back, slightly pursed lips.

And the burning, almost bursting urgency in his eyes, all conveyed an unsuppressable sense of urgency.

Feng Xixi’s gaze swept over the two of them, lingering for a moment especially on Lin Jingyu’s almost overflowing solemn aura.

She smiled gently, her smile like a spring breeze turning rain, instantly dispelling the slight pressure and displeasure that had permeated the secret chamber due to her waking:

“No need for formalities. Young friend Jingyu, to return so urgently and with such a panicked expression, have you encountered some difficulty?

You have been kind to Miaoling Pavilion and righteous to Momo, so speak freely. If it is within my power, I will not refuse.”

Her voice was warm and gentle, possessing a peculiar magic that calmed the heart and spirit, attempting to soothe the young man who was clearly in a state of high tension.

But Lin Jingyu’s subsequent words were like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, instantly shattering that tranquility.