WWWASTJWTCAT?

21-25

Chapter 21

After going through Qi Shaochen’s storage bag, she finally remembered the artifact she had acquired through great difficulty. At the time, she hadn’t the chance to examine it closely but felt certain that anything so fiercely contested, shimmering with golden light, must be of great value. Now, taking a closer look, she discovered it was a spindle-shaped octahedron, pitch-black and mysterious in material, cool to the touch, making it apparent that it wasn’t just some common item.

Just as she was about to infuse it with spiritual energy, she suddenly paused, considering the risks. What if it were a weapon as devastating as an atomic bomb that would explode upon activation? Or perhaps it contained a demonic cultivator sealed for five hundred years, on the brink of a dark transformation, ready to claim her life upon release? Or even, what if this was actually the entrance to a dangerous realm, leading her into a world of peril…

Her experience with stories and comics from her past life urged caution. Xu Nian prepared herself, holding three ice-sealing talismans in her mouth, a stack of swift wind talismans strung on her tail, and an assortment of magical artifacts in front of her that seemed capable of blocking attacks. Only after ensuring there were no more defensive measures to take did she tentatively channel spiritual energy into the mysterious black box.

Suddenly, Xu Nian felt a force drawing her in. Before she could react, her surroundings blurred, and she found herself in an unfamiliar, small world. The sky was a clear azure blue, the grass swayed with the breeze, and the air was fresh, reminiscent of her diligent cultivation days in the Xiao Cang Mountain, striving to avoid being bullied by other demon beasts.

After a moment of stunned realization, Xu Nian understood she had entered the black box artifact. But she also felt puzzled. Qi Shaochen already possessed such a luxurious spatial magical artifact as the courtyard; why did he desperately seek this black box? This black box’s space was much smaller than the courtyard, and although the scenery was pleasant, it hardly seemed worth risking one’s life for.

Xu Nian recalled how, even in the face of mortal peril from the rising snake venom, Qi Shaochen had not given up on killing her to retrieve this black box.

Moreover, the box had attracted a thunder tribulation and emitted the golden light characteristic of divine treasures. She felt certain it had some extraordinary qualities she hadn’t yet discovered. However, this black box clearly had a less advanced version compared to the courtyard; after much contemplation, Xu Nian couldn’t find a way to use it. It lacked the sophisticated control center of the courtyard, and despite her efforts to figure it out by jumping and thinking, she found no clues, even after thoroughly exploring the boundaries of the space within the box.

She then took out a wide-bladed knife from her storage bag to use as a makeshift shovel. Coiling her tail around the handle, she began to dig into the ground, hoping to uncover hidden treasures. She continued until the pile of excavated soil was as high as a small hill, but her efforts yielded nothing.

Exhausted from her digging, Xu Nian tossed aside the wide-blade knife and rolled around on the grass, her mind racing with confusion. She couldn’t fathom the purpose of this black box. Surely, it wasn’t just a glorified storage bag; that would be an underwhelming use for an artifact of such apparent significance.

Wait, since all cultivators were after this black box, could it possibly enhance one’s cultivation?

With this thought, Xu Nian sprang up from the grass like a carp leaping out of water. She adopted a posture specifically for cultivation, set up a spiritual stone formation, and began to focus intensely on her practice. She cultivated diligently for five full hours, trying to sense any changes in her spiritual energy. To her disappointment, she found no effect; her progress was almost identical to her usual cultivation sessions. In fact, her efficiency even dropped slightly in her eagerness to discern the artifact’s influence.