"Su Xuan, you absorb them so quickly!"

Seeing Su Xuan instantly deplete the Moon Profound Stone, Qi Li exclaimed in astonishment. The stone had lost its luster, turning into a nondescript piece of rock.

"Quick?"

It was Su Xuan's first time absorbing a Moon Profound Stone, and he had no idea if his speed was anything special.

"Very quick, extremely quick!" Qi Li said earnestly. "It takes us at least half a day to absorb a single Moon Profound Stone!"

"Is it..." Su Xuan tilted his head. "Because the Moon Profound Stones are so valuable that you're reluctant to absorb them?"

"No!" Qi Li shook her head. "It's because that's the fastest we can possibly go. Your speed is easily more than a hundred times faster than ours!"

Su Xuan's ability to absorb the Moon Profound Stone so rapidly meant his cultivation speed was also far greater than others. This filled her with a sense of defeat. It's almost as if Su Xuan is the real person from the mountains, not us!

"Well..." Su Xuan scratched his head. "I guess I am a little fast."

This forced him to re-examine his own body. What exactly has the System transformed my body into? It can't just be an enhancement of my physique and willpower!

"Maybe I'm just a natural-born cultivation prodigy," Su Xuan said with a laugh, changing the subject. "Qi Li, look around. This doesn't look like a mineral vein at all!"

As he spoke, he casually plucked another Moon Profound Stone from the wall and began absorbing it. His eyes scanned the walls, estimating the number of remaining stones and wondering if it would be enough for the entry fee to see that Pill Master, Xie Cheng.

"You're right, it doesn't!"

Qi Li had also noticed how strange this place was long ago. It clearly wasn't a naturally formed vein, but man-made.

"This looks like a tomb," Su Xuan remarked, recalling the stone carvings on the wall. "A powerful figure must be buried inside; otherwise, they wouldn't have used so many Moon Profound Stones as grave goods. Your father barging in might have angered its occupant."

Qi Li's gaze fell on the stone door.

"Let's go take a look!" Su Xuan said. He tossed aside the depleted Moon Profound Stone in his hand and cautiously approached the door.

Qi Li followed behind, her eyes widening as she stared at his back. Su Xuan's clothes were bulging, stuffed with the Moon Profound Stones he'd pried from the walls... but if she knew about his actions in the world below, she wouldn't have found this strange at all.

Although Su Xuan was a magnate, he was quite frugal and hated to spend money recklessly, always choosing to save. Yet despite his thriftiness, the things he possessed were far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

The stone door was solid and unremarkable. There were no mechanisms nearby to open it. Su Xuan tapped on the stone door with his finger, then suddenly struck it with a palm.

BANG!

Dust trickled from the stone door, but it didn't open or even crack. Su Xuan, on the other hand, was staggered backward by the recoil.

Looking at the unmoving stone door, Su Xuan mused aloud, "Open, sesame?"

Qi Li was speechless. This isn't some voice-activated appliance from the world below! That's completely useless!

At a loss, Su Xuan looked down at the several rows of neat footprints on the ground. They weren't completely dry yet and led straight *through* the stone door. Yet he and Qi Li could not pass.

What's the secret?

Su Xuan glanced at Qi Li. She grew up in the mountain world, so she should know more about this kind of thing than I do, right?

Qi Li frowned in thought. She tapped and knocked all over the stone door and searched the surrounding area, but eventually just stood before Su Xuan, spread her small hands, and shook her head. Her gesture made it clear they were stuck. This was a dead end.

"Forget it. Let's try the stupidest method."

Su Xuan suddenly walked back to the previous wall and began prying out the embedded Moon Profound Stones. He looked at Qi Li and said, "You help too!"

Qi Li looked at the wall covered in Moon Profound Stones, a little unsure of where to start. However, she wasn't stupid; she understood what Su Xuan was implying. The energy required to operate the stone door was likely being supplied by the Moon Profound Stones in the walls. If they removed all the stones, the door might open! This had to be the "stupid method" Su Xuan was talking about.

To prevent any mishaps while they worked, Qi Li went to the wall Su Xuan was on and began helping him. It was then that she witnessed another astonishing sight.

CLATTER!

Su Xuan lifted his shirt, and all the Moon Profound Stones he had stuffed inside tumbled out. Every single one of them had lost its luster. He had completely absorbed them all.

Qi Li's lips trembled. So fast... He's too fast! At this rate, with enough Moon Profound Stones, he could definitely become the most powerful being in the mountain world! What would that even mean? A titan of the mountains! Someone who could look down upon all other heroes!

And how is he absorbing them with his body like that? Can any part of him absorb Moon Profound Stones?

Question after question flooded Qi Li's mind as she stared at Su Xuan as if he were a monster. She realized that the closer she got to him, the less she understood him. It was as if he were made of infinite secrets.

They worked at an incredible speed, quickly clearing half the wall, and then the entire thing. After they'd cleared the first wall, Qi Li noticed something strange. Su Xuan was no longer stuffing the Moon Profound Stones into his clothes. Instead, he was placing them, consciously or not, in a neat pile on the ground.

Qi Li suddenly understood his intention. He wanted to save some stones to pay for the services of that powerful Pill Master, Xie Cheng.

Her expression inexplicably dimmed. Su Xuan had only come to the mountains to save Alice's father... So what place do I hold in his heart? I desperately want to know, yet I'm terrified of the answer.

But then, a warm smile touched the corners of her lips. After all, didn't he also do everything in his power to save me?

RUMBLE!

RUMBLE!

Just as they started on the third wall, something strange occurred. A heart-shaking, thunderous roar erupted from behind the stone door, as if some colossal creature was about to emerge!

Qi Li dropped her hands and instinctively took a step back from the door. A flicker of despair ignited in her heart. If there really is a terrifying monster behind the door, have Father and the others already become its food? Is there any hope left?

"There's something wrong with this sound," Su Xuan said in a low voice, suddenly grabbing her wrist. "This isn't normal. It's very abnormal."

"Yes, it's not normal," Qi Li said, forcing herself to stay strong. "This place has been sealed for who knows how many years. How could a massive creature still be alive inside?"

"That's not what I mean," Su Xuan said, shaking his head. "I'm talking about..."

He pointed at the stone door, then the walls, and finally the ground.

Qi Li blinked, and then she understood. Even though the sound was immense and soul-shaking, the door hadn't shed any dust, nor were the walls or ground vibrating. This was strange, considering dust had fallen when Su Xuan had simply slapped the door earlier. Whatever was inside was just bluffing, putting on a false show of power.

Suddenly, a domineering voice boomed from behind the door.

"Trespassers of this forbidden place!"

"Die!"

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