Chapter 158: Discovery

Cave Jia-28 is about five meters wide, its depth unknown, and inside it is pitch-black, with no end in sight.

Pan Yun leaned on her waist and walked step by step inward; the deeper she went, the wider the cave became, already more than five meters wide.

She counted her steps; when she reached fifteen steps in, the ceiling lowered, and even though she was short, she had to slightly bow her head to pass—adults would have to bend over completely.

After bowing her head for four more steps, she entered another, much larger space, with a sudden sense of openness.

Only faint light entered from the cave entrance.

Pan Yun pulled out a fire-starter, blew it alight, and barely illuminated this space—it was an irregular circular chamber.

There was a stone platform, covered with straw, clearly indicating the previous cave owner had slept here.

Not far from the platform, several stone stalactites hung down, beneath which lay a stone basin; Pan Yun knew at a glance that water had once dripped here, though she didn't know why it was now dry.

A shallow water channel emerged from the edge of the basin; Pan Yun held the fire-starter and followed the channel forward until she reached a pool.

The pool, too, was formed by water seeping from the rock, and its bottom still held a thin layer of water.

Pan Yun leaned close with the fire-starter, searched for a long time, and finally found a tiny crack high on the pool's side—clearly, this pool had an outlet.

She clicked her tongue in wonder, just as the fire-starter burned out.

Pan Yun tucked away the burnt-out fire-starter, pulled out another, blew it alight, then took out a candle, lit it, and walked around the cave, finally finding a protruding rock on one wall where she placed the candle.

"Lucky I brought an oil lamp—if I'd only burned candles, how much money would I have spent?"

The cave lit up, and Pan Yun began pulling out her belongings.

She rolled up the straw and other debris on the stone platform, set them aside, wiped the platform clean, then laid down a mattress and bedding.

Outside, it was hot—after all, it was May.

But inside the cave, it was cool; she estimated she'd still need a blanket at night, since the stone platform was cold and hard, so padding was necessary.

Pan Yun carefully arranged her sleeping spot, then took out the pillow she'd packed and placed it properly.

"Indeed, the two great matters in life are eating and sleeping—once your sleeping spot is set, half of life is already fulfilled."

"Meow—" Pan Xiaohei called out, reminding her of its presence.

Pan Yun looked around but found no suitable spot to build it a nest, so she placed its bed at the foot of her bed, "You'll sleep with me."

Pan Xiaohei jumped onto her pillow, tapped the spot beside it, signaling her to put it there.

Pan Yun shook her head, "No, you know I toss and turn in my sleep—my hands move a lot. If you're there, you'll be flying through the air before dawn."

"Meow, are you threatening me?"

"No," Pan Yun said with sincere expression, "I'm stating facts."

Pan Xiaohei stared at her, then they compromised—Pan Yun placed its bed in the center of the stone platform's inner side, right where her waist would rest.

After all, the stone platform was large enough for one person and one cat with plenty of room to spare.

After arranging her sleeping spot, Pan Yun turned to arranging her eating area.

She walked around leaning on her waist, then decided to separate eating from sleeping—she'd place her meals and cultivation in the outer cave.

The outer cave had plenty of space too.

Pan Yun hung two insect-repelling herb pouches near her bedding, then blew out the candle and dragged the bundled straw outside.

The outer cave didn't need candles—most of it was brightly lit.

Pan Yun quickly found one large stone and two smaller ones, perfectly arranged together; she suspected previous cave owners had used them as table and chairs. Nearby were several discarded pottery jars, which she glanced at and set aside.

She liked only these three stones.

Pan Yun happily used them as her dining table and stools.

She took out her stove and placed it nearby—this spot was well-lit yet shielded from wind by a protruding rock; she set the stove in the shadowed space behind it, then sat sideways in the bright area—perfect.

Pan Yun busied herself everywhere; when the sun set and darkness gradually fell, she finally paused to truly feel the differences of Sigu Cliff.

It was very quiet—even the sound of Pan Xiaohei walking was inaudible. No, not entirely quiet.

Pan Yun looked toward the cave's mouth; outside rolled the mighty Dahe River, wind howling with a mournful wail, deeply desolate.

In the dim night, the roaring of the Dahe River and the wind's wailing were crystal clear.

Pan Yun lowered her voice, murmuring, "Listen—doesn't it sound like ghosts are about to appear? Wahhh…"

Pan Yun suddenly turned around and shrieked "Wahhh!", startling Pan Xiaohei, whose paws flailed wildly as it tumbled backward, rolling twice before stopping.

Pan Xiaohei screamed angrily, "Meow—"

"Pan Yun—you idiot!"

Pan Yun threw her head back and laughed heartily, "You're a realm spirit and you're scared of ghosts? Hahaha…"

Pan Xiaohei growled, "Do you think I'm scared of ghosts? I'm scared of you… Pfft, I'm scared you'll turn stupid."

Pan Yun leaned on her hips, "Relax—I won't turn stupid, not even if everyone else does."

Pan Yun took out the oil lamp, found a sheltered spot, hung it up, and lit it.

After finishing all this, she placed a wooden basin outside the cave and released a large covered wooden barrel full of water.

She scooped some water into the basin, washed her hands thoroughly, then placed two meditation cushions at the cave entrance, sat down solemnly in lotus position, opened her eyes to the dim night outside, and smiled faintly, "Let us now experience this place that strikes fear into all who hear its name."

Pan Yun calmed her mind, half-closed her eyes, and her awareness of her surroundings sharpened—the wind's howl and the river's flow grew louder, and she even heard faint insect chirps…

It seemed no different from the outside world, yet when she activated her cultivation method, she found not a single trace of spiritual energy in the air.

How could a place have absolutely no spiritual energy?

Even in her past life, during the late Dharma Decline era before spiritual energy revived, though energy was nearly gone, careful meditation still revealed faint traces scattered in the air.

But here, after searching long and hard, she found none.

Not finding any, she didn't cling to it—she simply cycled her cultivation method again and again, refining her body's essence into yuan energy.

As her awareness of her body deepened and her inner observation became clearer, she saw tiny threads of yuan energy seeping out through her pores.

The rate was extremely slow; she wasn't surprised, merely watched quietly.

After counting sixty breaths, Pan Yun knew—if this leakage rate held, then over twelve hours here, the yuan energy she lost would equal the force of one palm strike delivered at thirty percent strength.

Not many.

But if she strikes outward with a palm every day, and her Upper Dantian receives no replenishment, how many strikes can her stored Yuan force sustain?

The more you think about it, the more terrifying it becomes. Indeed, many things simply shouldn't be thought about too deeply.

Pan Yun opened her eyes, glanced at her palm, then smiled faintly after a moment, sinking back into meditation. This time, she carefully observed the Yuan force leaking from her body, trying to trace its path—but found she could not follow it.

The Yuan force vanished instantly upon leaving her body.

Truly vanished, leaving not a single trace.

Pan Yun challenged it head-on, determined to find its trail…

Pan Xiaohei at first propped his head up to watch; seeing her motionless for a long while, he lay down to watch, then paced around the stone cave, finally crouching beside her feet, then slumping at the very mouth of the cave, gazing down at the raging Dahe River below…

Pan Xiaohei heard the noise and shot upright.

A shadow flashed past the cave entrance—shoo, shoo—then a clay jar flew in and landed at the mouth, followed immediately by three steamed buns, neatly stacked atop the jar.

"Huh?" The shadow had already flown past, yet with a sudden shoo, it zoomed back. Beneath his feet was a sword; he stood on it with one foot forward, one back. He leaned close to inspect the tense Pan Xiaohei, his gaze passing over it to land on Pan Yun. "You've been sitting still all night? Good, good—this is how one should reflect on one's faults. Unlike other disciples who come to the Reflection Cliff and either scream and shout or wail like wolves and jackals—so noisy."

"She's performing well. I'll give her an extra bun." With that, Brother Cheng Lingzi pulled another bun from the bamboo basket behind him and tossed it—landing precisely atop the stack.

He waved at the wide-eyed black cat, then shooed off to the next cave to deliver another jar and buns.

!. Read

Pan Xiaohei stepped forward, leaning out to peer over the cliff—and saw Brother Cheng Lingzi riding a sword, speeding from cave to cave, hurling jars and buns inside.

Pan Xiaohei thought for a moment, turned, walked to the jar, pried off the topmost bun with his paw, clamped it in his mouth, leapt onto the stone table, and began eating slowly.

"Tasty?" A soft voice sounded.

Pan Xiaohei froze, looked up—and saw Pan Yun had awakened. She sat on the mat, eyes sharp as she watched him.

Pan Xiaohei instantly suppressed his guilt, held the bun proudly, nodded, and said, "Tasty."

Pan Yun sat still, waiting until he finished before saying, "Come help me up. My butt is stiff."

Pan Xiaohei stared at her. "During cultivation, when qi flows smoothly, does stiffness still happen?"

Pan Yun: "... I fell asleep behind."

Pan Xiaohei silently mocked her.

Pan Yun snapped: "I'm still so young—isn't it normal to fall asleep? Come here now, or you won't get lunch today."

She threatened: "Brother Cheng Lingzi only brought three buns—clearly didn't account for yours. Do you have anything to eat?"

Pan Xiaohei rolled his eyes, jumped off the table, walked to her side, arched his back so she could lightly lean on him.

Pan Yun needed only that little push—once she had it, her hips moved, then she flipped over onto her knees, hands on the ground, huffing and puffing as she rose.

Pan Xiaohei grinned silently at her contorted face.

Pan Yun stood, her legs numb, and wiggled her toes in place.

Pan Xiaohei: "You don't act nine—you act ninety."

"Shut up. Next time, pay attention—if my breath changes, that means I've fallen asleep in meditation. Wake me up and drag me back to bed."

Pan Xiaohei hadn't realized he had this duty. "If I weren't forbidden to stray far from you, I'd never have come up this mountain with you."

"Too late," Pan Yun muttered. "You refused to sleep when I asked you to."

Pan Xiaohei: "That wasn't sleep—that was sealing!"

Pan Yun: "Same thing."

She softened a bit, carried the buns and jar to the table, pulled a bowl from her Spirit Realm space, placed the buns inside, opened the jar—inside was clear, cold water.

Pan Yun shook her head. "Still raw water. Don't you know drinking raw water is unhealthy?"

She pulled a teapot and teacup from her space, glanced at the black cat, then pulled out another bowl, filling both with water.

Pan Xiaohei leapt onto the table, lowered his head, and drank from the bowl.

For once, human and cat were harmonious—sipping slowly, finishing the water, eating the buns. Only then did Pan Xiaohei ask, "What did you discover after meditating all night?"

"Isn't it strange? I discovered nothing."

"You pondered all night… and found nothing?"

Pan Yun sighed. "Have you ever played block games—or Match-Three? Super simple, yet never boring. When I play, I won't stop until I clear the level."

"Last night's sitting seemed dull—but I watched my Yuan force continuously leak out, then vanish—no clues at all—and yet I couldn't look away…"

Pan Yun turned her stiff neck. "If my body hadn't been too exhausted to stay awake, I could've watched longer."

Because it was truly fascinating.

They were like tendrils growing outside her body, stretching outward endlessly—until their tips vanished as if into another dimension.

Pan Yun's eyes gleamed. "I love the Reflection Cliff—but my cultivation level is too low. Staying here too long truly damages my foundation."

Pan Xiaohei was about to speak, when she added: "But it's not entirely hopeless."

Pan Xiaohei asked, "What's the solution?"

"Didn't Fourth Sister say cultivators of Yuan force last longer than those who rely on Nei Li?"

Pan Xiaohei nodded. And then?

Pan Yun glanced at him. "I want to test the rate at which Nei Li leaks out. I suspect—whether Yuan force or Nei Li—the leakage speed is identical. The reason Yuan force cultivators last longer is because they can convert Yuan force into Nei Li."

"And the volume when converting Yuan force to Nei Li is vastly different."

Pan Yun was eager. "After I sleep, I'll try it."

Pan Xiaohei stared, dumbfounded, as she cheerfully went to wash up, slowly practiced the Eight Brocades in the cave's entrance under the sun, then yawned and went to sleep.

Pan Xiaohei followed behind, incredulous. "You finished the Rising Sun technique—and you want to nap?"

"It's called deficiency triggering a response. I'm lacking sleep—so naturally, I want to sleep."

The inner cave was cooler. Pan Yun pulled back the quilt and slipped inside.

She sighed contentedly. "The bed is so much better—especially this one, with a mat laid over the stone in the cave."

As soon as Pan Yun finished speaking, her breathing grew slow and steady, and she fell asleep.

Pan Xiaohei still wanted to tell her that Brother Cheng Lingzi had high cultivation and could ride a sword through the air.

Seeing her asleep, it leapt back into its nest and grumbled inwardly: It's not that I didn't tell you—I just didn't get the chance.

(End of Chapter)