Those nine celestial suns bathed the world in yellowish tones. The gray ground reflected small orange points of light across its surface, making it appear as if it were covered in shards of something burned.
Upon seeing that, Lu Yan had only one thought:
How can this world withstand the heat emitted by nine suns? And why did he still feel cold inside the cave?
Stepping out of the cave to test it, Lu Yan placed his foot on the gray ground and immediately felt his feet burn with searing heat. His body temperature rose rapidly.
Retreating, he felt the cold from the cave walls neutralize that intense heat.
"These unknown lands are beyond comprehension… a level of understanding that no study from my world could clearly explain, beyond mere theories."
The simplest theory that came to his mind was that the rocks within the cave possessed cooling properties, acting like a kind of natural freezer.
Reaching that conclusion, Lu Yan turned toward the wall and, using the light coming from outside, examined the stones more closely. Setting the pot on the ground, he crouched down to inspect them carefully.
He soon realized it was not a smooth wall. Between the gaps, there were several black stones stacked together.
That indicated the cave was not natural, but constructed—either by someone who carefully stacked the stones or by someone who excavated the place.
"This cave is connected to the circle… so it's impossible for it to be the work of a simple miner. The most likely answer is that the same creator of the formation in the Tai Huang Tomb built this place as an arrival point for those who came from another world."
"These rocks maintain my body temperature. If I go out unprepared, I'll definitely die—especially being naked."
At the end of that thought, Lu Yan clenched his teeth.
Why hadn't the damn creator of the formation preserved his clothes during the transmigration?
"Haa… going out like this is embarrassing… but I can't stay here forever."
With a sigh, he stopped talking to himself and drove his hands into one of the rocks. With a pull, using all the strength in his arms, he tore it from the wall, opening a small gap.
With the stone in hand, he immediately felt a comfortable breeze run through his body, bringing a sense of peace.
Snapping out of that state, he carried the stone outside the cave and observed it.
Crack!
As soon as it was exposed to the light of the nine suns, the stone began to fracture, like glass hitting the ground. Within seconds, it shattered completely, scattering fragments down the gray mountainside.
"An ice cream without ice turns into liquid… this stone is the same. Outside, it can't withstand the heat."
Reaching that conclusion, Lu Yan, unwilling to become a corpse in that cave, pulled another rock from the wall. This time, he put it in his mouth.
Immediately, he felt that same peaceful sensation again and decided to test it.
Stepping outside the cave, the heat beneath his feet no longer burned him as before. However, in his jaw, he felt the stone slowly dissolving, turning into something like water.
Retreating, a smile appeared at the corner of Lu Yan's lips.
He could leave the cave without dying under the nine suns.
"I'll do some reconnaissance first."
Decided, he pulled another stone and placed it inside the pot. After a quick glance, he went to grab a second one.
But when he removed it and was about to place it in the pot, he felt a shock run through his body, like an electric wave.
The container, which previously held only one stone, suddenly filled with multiple black stones.
Startled—and at the same time excited—Lu Yan turned the pot upside down, dumping several stones onto the ground. Then, he placed just one stone inside again.
With attentive eyes, he saw the stone inside multiply, like kernels popping into popcorn. Within seconds, the pot was full of stones.
"A treasure! A true treasure! Emperor Qin Shi Huang, thank you!"
Lu Yan felt a surge of gratitude.
"My instincts never fail! Haha! I knew this pot was a treasure. Good thing I didn't report it."
At that moment, he felt satisfied with his earlier recklessness and greed.
This pot was far too valuable to reveal. Even on Blue Star, he dared not imagine what would happen if something like this were discovered—especially considering the existence of inexplicable phenomena such as immortals and spatial distortions.
"Does the pot generate anything… or only these special stones?"
Lu Yan still didn't know. But he was certain he would find out.
Along with that desire, another concern arose:
How could he carry the pot without drawing attention?
As he thought about it, he found the answer when the pot suddenly disappeared from his hands.
His heart raced for a moment. But when he thought of it again, the pot reappeared before his eyes.
"Nice!"
He repeated the process several times—making the pot disappear and reappear at will.
"Problem solved."
Lu Yan let out a relieved sigh.
After everything that had happened—disappearing from one world and appearing in another—this no longer seemed so absurd.
If there was a central figure behind all of this, it could only be one:
Qin Shi Huang.
Only by understanding the true story of this man would he be able to unravel all these mysteries—something that would certainly take a long time.
Lu Yan had the feeling that he would only uncover the truth when he became someone of great standing in this world.
"Reconnaissance is the first step."
Setting aside thoughts that wouldn't help him at the moment, he decided to act.
He thought of a stone, and soon saw it appear in his hand. Swallowing it, he stepped out of the cave and began descending the gray mountain.
From afar, there was nothing but a vast desert.
With another stone in his mouth, he continued walking without stopping.
Ten stones…
One hundred stones…
At the one hundred and twentieth, something different finally appeared on the horizon.
It was a patch of green, visible to the naked eye.
Drawing closer, Lu Yan saw the green transform into trees with dark green leaves, aligned on both sides of a trail leading away from the mountain.
Upon reaching the trail, he did not continue forward. Instead, he veered west and, quickening his pace, ran toward a tree similar to a banana tree. He tore off a large leaf and covered his private parts.
Then, skilled in climbing, Lu Yan ascended the tree until he reached a bunch of bananas, ready to pluck it.
The moment he touched the bunch…
A growl echoed through the leaves, coming from the center of the tree.