The narrow alleyway leading back to the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Tomes remained tranquil and somber. As the heavy ebony doors closed behind him once more, all the clamor and chaotic auras of the Black Market seemed to be left behind in another world. The profound silence and the familiar scent of ancient knowledge enveloped Tran Kien, allowing his racing heart to gradually calm.
The chess match in the Black Market, with its myriad layers of schemes, had taught him a profound lesson. He realized that this world of cultivation was not merely about training and slaughter; it was also filled with bloodless wars, where a single misstep on the chessboard could doom one to eternal damnation.
Elder Wei did not speak immediately. He unhurriedly walked over to the ancient tea table and brewed a pot of fragrant lotus tea. His movements were slow and measured, yet every gesture contained a profound harmony with Heaven and Earth. Only when the fragrance of the tea wafted through the first floor did he place the newly acquired beast-skin map upon the table.
"Open it," he said, his voice placid. "Let us see what kind of fish we 'fishermen' have dredged up tonight."
Tran Kien took a deep breath. With thoroughly cleaned hands, he stepped forward and gently unrolled the beast-skin scroll.
This map was clearly vastly different from the forgery that had sparked the chaotic melee in the Black Market. It was crafted from the hide of an unknown magical beast, soft as silk to the touch yet incredibly resilient. Despite weathering untold years, it showed no signs of decay, only bearing the dark yellow patina of time.
The map did not feature ordinary painted lines. The contours of mountains and rivers were outlined using an incredibly fine silver thread, embroidered with masterful precision. However, what truly seized Tran Kien's attention were the ancient symbols and text penned in a blood-red ink. Though long dried, they still exuded an aura of wild, primordial mystery.
"This is..." Tran Kien knitted his brows. These characters were incredibly ancient and complex, unlike any script he had ever encountered within the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Tomes.
"These are Shamanic runes," Elder Wei said, his profound eyes staring at the map. "It is the script used by the Shamans of the Lac Viet era to commune with gods and spirits, and to record forbidden arts. To the eyes of an ordinary mortal, they are merely meaningless drawings. But if a cultivator who does not understand their laws attempts to probe them with Divine Sense, they will suffer a backlash from the primordial aura within. At best, their soul will be injured; at worst, they will suffer Qi Deviation."
Tran Kien instantly retracted his urge to probe the map with his Divine Sense. He focused his gaze on the terrain. The silver threads outlined a familiar, majestic mountain range.
"The Endless Mountain Range!" he cried out in astonishment. This was the very mountain range where his home, Fallen Leaf Town, was located.
"Indeed," Elder Wei nodded. "The most dangerous place is sometimes where the greatest secrets are hidden. But this map does not merely point to a specific location. It is a riddle."
The old man pointed to the largest string of Shamanic runes at the center of the map. Even without comprehending them, Tran Kien could feel a majestic pressure radiating from the strokes.
"If translated into the tongue of the ancients, this line reads: 'Where the dragon's navel coils, where the sun rests, where a hundred clans share a single heart.'"
Where the dragon's navel coils? Where the sun rests? Where a hundred clans share a single heart? Tran Kien froze. To anyone else, these three phrases would sound impossibly vague. But to him, who had comprehended the initial concepts of the Lac Viet Heavenly Cycle Array, they echoed like thunderclaps in his mind.
"'Where a hundred clans share a single heart'!" Tran Kien muttered. "Is this not the core principle of the Earth Realm within the array's diagrams?"
"And 'where the sun rests'..." He pulled the bronze metal fragment from his robes. "This fragment belongs to the Core: Sun Essence Guardian, and the 'Sun Essence' is the Sun itself. Could 'where the sun rests' be the location where the remaining fragments of the array core are hidden?"
"An excellent analysis," Elder Wei nodded, a look of praise in his eyes. "Then what about 'where the dragon's navel coils'? This is the most crucial clue to pinpointing the location."
Tran Kien fell into deep thought. The dragon was the symbol of emperors, of Dragon Veins. The "dragon's navel" could be the nexus or origin of a massive Dragon Vein. But the Endless Mountain Range was unimaginably vast; where could one even begin to search?
He closed his eyes, his mind rapidly flipping through the thousands of tomes he had read. History, geography, legends... pages flew by like the wind. He was searching for a connection.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
"It's Lam Kinh!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling with excitement.
"It is recorded in the Complete Annals of Great Viet and the Unified Geography of Imperial Viet! Lam Kinh is the ancestral homeland of the Later Le Dynasty. Geomancers consider it a land where 'the dragon coils and the tiger sits,' the very origin point of one of the Great Viet's primary Dragon Veins. And that place," he pointed to a spot on the western slope of the Endless Mountain Range on the map, "is exactly where Lam Kinh is located!"
The location the map pointed to was not a specific cave or tomb, but a vast expanse of land holding tremendous historical and spiritual significance!
Elder Wei smiled, a look of true satisfaction on his face. "Not bad. It seems your time buried in those ancient texts was not wasted. Wisdom is, in truth, the most precious map of all."
"Then... is the tomb of that Shaman located in Lam Kinh?"
"Perhaps it is, or perhaps it isn't," Elder Wei replied. "A tomb might merely be a trap to deceive the eyes of the world. What we truly need to find is likely the ruins of that ancient Lac Viet sect, the place where they forged the Lac Viet Heavenly Cycle Array. And it is highly probable that it was constructed directly upon the 'dragon's navel' to borrow the power of the Dragon Vein."
Tran Kien clenched his fists. The path forward had once again become clear.
"Then, we must go to Lam Kinh!"
"Not we," Elder Wei shook his head. "You must go alone."
"Alone?" Tran Kien was stunned. "But... the Divine Weapon Pavilion, the Black Dragon Stronghold..."
"It is precisely because of them that you must go alone," Elder Wei said, his expression turning solemn. "Their target is no longer just you, but me as well. If we travel together, the target will be too large, drawing only more trouble. Furthermore, you are no longer the naive boy from Fallen Leaf Town. You have strength, you have wisdom, and you have the ability to protect yourself. This is your trial, and it is a path you must walk alone."
The old man stepped forward and placed a hand on Tran Kien's shoulder. "Remember, the journey to Lam Kinh will be fraught with peril. Your enemies are not only those who show their faces but also those who hide in the shadows. Do not trust anyone easily. Use your mind to judge, and use your strength to carve your path."
"When should I depart?"
"Right now."
Elder Wei gave him no time to prepare. He turned and walked up the stairs. "If you remain in the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Tomes, you will forever be a sheltered seedling. Only by stepping outside and facing the tempest can you truly mature into a towering ancient tree."
Tran Kien stood alone on the first floor. He looked at the map on the table, then at the tightly shut ebony doors. He knew that once he stepped through those doors, he would be facing a world teeming with danger all by himself.
Yet, within his heart, there was no fear. There was only a raging inferno of resolve.
Lam Kinh. He muttered the name under his breath. Ancestral legacy, here I come!