Chapter 554: The Test Begins

As for the direction of the earth veins…

"Mingmu" continued, pulling out a specially crafted black jade slip glowing with faint ghostly light, pressing it to his forehead, imprinting the information with his spirit sense, then handing it to Chen Mu.

"This is the known, relatively complete map of the Youming Mountain Range, including the outer regions beyond Jiuyou Sect's core-controlled territory. But within a hundred li around the secret realm, the earth veins have been forcibly rerouted and concealed by a grand array—the map is incomplete, showing only rough outlines. Value: ten pieces of Xuan Yin Jade Marrow."

Chen Mu took the jade slip, swept it with his spirit sense, confirmed the information was vast and detailed; though lacking the core, it was already precious enough.

He paid ten pieces of Xuan Yin Jade Marrow without hesitation.

"Finally, regarding the ancient, unrecorded passage…"

"Mingmu" paused, as if organizing his words, or weighing the risk, "There is an unverified rumor. It is said that before Jiuyou Sect was founded, deep within the Youming Mountain Range, there existed a natural waterway connecting to a tributary of the underground 'Youming Yin River,' known as the 'Yellow Spring Dark Flow.'"

"This dark flow branches everywhere; some tributaries may even reach the deepest parts of the mountain range. After Jiuyou Sect was founded, most known entrances were sealed or brought under control."

"But rumor claims that deep underground in the 'Heishadong' testing zone, during the past excavation of a certain yin-aligned mineral vein, a fissure was accidentally opened into a minor branch of the 'Yellow Spring Dark Flow.'"

"This fissure is extremely unstable, filled with spatial chaos and yin-poisonous sha qi, and its location is hidden—few know of it, and it may not have been fully recorded or sealed by Jiuyou Sect."

"But this is only rumor, and even if the fissure exists, it must be perilous beyond measure—whether it leads near the secret realm remains unknown."

Dark flow?

Abandoned mine fissure?

Chen Mu rapidly analyzed in his mind.

Heishadong was precisely where Lu Zhangyao would soon take the test.

If the rumor was true, that fissure might be an unmonitored entry point beyond Jiuyou Sect's tight surveillance.

Though dangerous, it offered a sliver of possibility compared to forcing the sect gate or facing the trial head-on.

"How much is this rumor worth?" Chen Mu asked.

"This rumor is vague and involves sect secrets—extremely high risk."

"Mingmu" said slowly, "Fifty pieces of Xuan Yin Jade Marrow, plus you must swear a Heart Demon Oath: never reveal the source of this information, and regardless of outcome, you have no further ties to me."

The Heart Demon Oath carried strong restraint over cultivators, especially high-level ones.

Chen Mu hesitated briefly, then swore as instructed.

What he lacked most right now was clues—money was secondary.

He paid the remaining Xuan Yin Jade Marrow; the transaction was complete.

"Guest, good luck."

"Mingmu" gathered his treasures, his figure slowly merging into the shadows behind the stone wall, vanishing—apparently skilled in some advanced earth or shadow technique.

Chen Mu did not linger, swiftly leaving Mingmu's cave, winding through the dark ruins, confirming no one followed, then quietly returning to the surface and departing from Heimeng City.

…

Outside the city, a desolate mountain hollow.

Chen Mu revealed his true form, gripping the black jade slip containing the earth vein map, combining it with Mingmu's three pieces of information on the secret realm's anomalies and the rumor of the 'Yellow Spring Dark Flow' fissure, rapidly deducing in his mind.

"The Sword Soul is highly likely deep within the 'Mingyuan Secret Realm.' Recent anomalies may be tied to the Sword Soul. Jiuyou Sect's increased patrols serve both to suppress and study it—and possibly to trace the anomaly's origin."

Chen Mu's gaze sharpened, "Entering the dark flow via the abandoned mine fissure beneath Heishadong might bypass some guards and approach the secret realm. Dangerous, but worth attempting."

"But Heishadong is Jiuyou Sect's testing ground—many disciples are gathering now, and patrols are stricter than usual."

"I must wait until the test begins, when most attention and manpower are drawn to the trial itself… then slip quietly into the abandoned mine area…"

Chen Mu calculated the time—Lu Zhangyao's memories placed the test in three days.

At that time, the 'Heishadong' zone on Jiu Feng Ridge would be crowded with people—perfect for slipping through the chaos.

"Before then, I must first map the outer terrain of Heishadong, especially the likely location of the abandoned mine…"

Chen Mu looked at the jade slip in his hand, sank his spirit sense into it, and began studying the Youming Mountain Range in detail, especially the earth vein patterns and known mine locations around Jiu Feng Ridge.

…

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Jiu Feng Ridge, located on the northeastern periphery of the Youming Mountain Range, was a desolate range covered in black strange rocks and sparse, twisted, wailing trees.

Year-round yin winds howled, whipping black sand into the air, producing sounds like ghostly wails—hence its name.

This place was thick with yin-sha qi, but impure and chaotic, with disrupted geomagnetic fields, breeding numerous yin-loving poisonous insects and strange beasts—it was one of Jiuyou Sect's traditional training grounds for outer disciples.

"Heishadong" lay deep within Jiu Feng Ridge, a bottomless cavern continuously spewing black sha qi.

Inside, the terrain was complex, riddled with countless branching paths, some plunging deep underground and connecting to yin veins, forming a uniquely treacherous environment.

On this day, hundreds of Jiuyou Sect outer disciples gathered outside Jiu Feng Ridge, each radiating cold qi, expressions tense, excited, or cold.

Several inner-disciple stewards and elders, clad in black robes with embroidered patterns, hovered in midair, overseeing the test.

Many Jiuyou Sect patrol squads also guarded the surrounding areas, preventing unauthorized access and preparing for possible test-related incidents.

Chen Mu had long disguised himself as an ordinary-looking, gray-robed wandering cultivator with Qi at Sixth Stage Innate, hiding among distant ridge shadows, concealing his form and aura.

His Heaven Palace-level spirit sense spread like an invisible web, quietly covering a vast area of Jiu Feng Ridge, observing the test while meticulously scanning the locations of the abandoned yin-mineral mines marked on the earth vein map.

The test had begun—the first batch of disciples, under the stewards' orders, entered Heishadong through various entrances.

Soon, sounds of combat, shouts, and beast roars echoed from within.

The outer stewards and patrol squads focused their attention on the test's progress and maintaining order.

Chen Mu waited patiently.

Until the sun passed its zenith, when most disciples had entered the cave and the outer guards' vigilance had slightly lowered from prolonged inactivity—he slipped out like a phantom from his hiding spot.

Along a preselected, hidden path, avoiding main patrol routes and concealed by scattered rocks and dead trees, he crept toward a long-abandoned mine marked on the map as "abandoned, risk of collapse."

The journey was tense but uneventful—he evaded two patrol squads.

Half an hour later, Chen Mu reached his destination.

It was a mine shaft buried at the bottom of a shaded valley, half-concealed by a collapsed mine entrance and a mountain of black waste slag.

The pit's mouth was deep, continuously exhaling cold air reeking of sulfur and decay.

Around him, silence reigned, broken only by the wailing wind.

From the traces, this place had been abandoned for at least a hundred years, long forgotten by the Jiuyou Sect.

Chen Mu extended his spiritual sense into the mine shaft; its interior structure was complex, many passages collapsed and blocked, yet deeper regions still seemed to hold space.

Comparing it with the Earth Vein map, he carefully sensed the faint flow of yin energy and spatial ripples rising from beneath the ground.

"This is it… The Earth Vein shows a faint, unstable fluctuation deep below, slightly diverging from the main yin vein's flow—resembling the 'Underworld Dark Current' described in 'Mingmu'."

A flash of sharp light gleamed in Chen Mu's eyes as he transformed into a faint gray shadow and vanished into the abandoned mine shaft…