CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60: WHAT ABOUT THE PROMISED LOCKED-ROOM MYSTERY

In the secret chamber, the jade body lays horizontally, the great cauldron emits fragrance.

Yet there is no seductive scent, only the stench of death.

Zhang Ze takes out a few blankets from his all-containing Hundred Treasures Bag and covers them over their bodies.

A black-gold great cauldron is placed at the center of the chamber, smoke swirls around, burning the enchanting fragrance mixed with medicine.

Xiaoqiu wakes up, circles around the great cauldron, filling itself.

Not looking at the few pitiful people, Zhang Ze turns his back to face the corner, begins meditating to adjust his breath.

Exhausted, Zhang Ze takes out a few pill medicines from his Hundred Treasures Bag and swallows them.

Feeling the medicinal power dissolve in his dantian, spiritual qi flowing through every part of his body, finally feeling a bit better.

However, due to not cultivating the ancient technique for a long time, meditating truly feels quite unfamiliar.

Legs are numb.

Zhang Ze feels he should not have whimsically come up with this idea.

"This broken cultivation technique still isn’t right, I’ll personally modify it when I have time."

With a sigh, he stuffs two more pill medicines into his mouth, crunching them like sugar beans.

...

Let’s go back in time by five minutes.

At that time, the streets were crowded and chaotic, just witnessing Li Yueqi performing an escape technique, Zhang Ze felt he found his itch, now not wanting to take a single extra step.

"Why not try it?"

"To be safe, I’d better enhance my cultivation before using it."

"System, enhance, enhance up to Foundation Establishment Second-Layer."

The Divine Movement spell at the Foundation Establishment Stage is not as free as the Golden Core.

Most are limited and quite costly, generally used as a last resort escape technique.

The Sword Sect is a bit lacking in this aspect, they are fairly rigid.

The simplest escape technique requires Foundation Establishment Late-period to execute.

The Five Elements Escape Technique from Dragon Tiger Mountain can be executed at Foundation Establishment Mid-period but requires the support of Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Taoist Sect Heart Method.

However, there is always room for exploitation in such matters.

The Jade Heart Sect bases itself on the Celestial Sect Heart Method, with Sword Sect Technique as a supplement.

The Lingxi Sect combines massage techniques with swordsmanship to comprehend the Lingxi Heart Method.

The Puppet Beast Sect defectors from the Beast Taming Sect only cultivate up to Foundation Establishment, later transitioning to Witchcraft.

These various minor sects and cultivation techniques, long-lasting for thousands of years or as short as a few decades, mostly operate like this.

Though there is no upper limit, there are still some lower limits.

Naturally, sects using Sword Sect Heart Method as primary and Dragon Tiger Mountain Taoist Art as auxiliary exist.

[Divine Movement Sword Control]is indeed the Five Elements Escape Technique driven by Sword Sect Heart Method.

Using the sword as a guide, executing the Gold Escape Technique.

Speaking in terms of cultivation technique, it can be performed just upon entering Foundation Establishment.

After testing it in the trial space, found indeed no issues.

Finding a secluded spot, Zhang Ze raised his sword aligning towards the direction of the market.

"Divine Movement Sword Control, go... what the hell!"

Zhang Ze reconfirmed a truth, there’s a reason some sects struggle to recruit people.

After all, when developing these techniques, they seemingly never considered the lives of their disciples under the sect.

However, presumably, the developers of this technique never imagined a Foundation Establishment disciple would use this move as a means to travel through a bustling market.

To lower the difficulty in usage, the determination layer of this technique is somewhat broad, as long as it is metallic, it will affect the escape technique.

In the trial space with nothing but emptiness, naturally not disturbed.

No issues even during an outdoor escape.

But here in the bustling market, with numerous teahouses and taverns around.

The Gold Escape Technique not only reacted to Zhang Ze’s sword but also to various pots, bowls, knives, and iron pots in the market.

Upon execution, Zhang Ze felt the sword become incredibly heavy, impossible to control.

With a slight tilt, Zhang Ze followed the sword, dragged into the earth slanted.

If not for Zhang Ze lifting the sword tip upwards again, who knows to what depth he would have been buried alive.

Just as Zhang Ze was about to leave the thick soil to return to the surface, a tremendous suction intercepted Zhang Ze halfway pulling him into the secret chamber.

It was the black iron-crafted great cauldron that pulled Zhang Ze in.

...

With spiritual qi filling the dantian, Zhang Ze rises.

Just in time, the enchanting fragrance in the furnace has already burned out, Xiaoqiu hops back to Zhang Ze’s side.

"Hey, what now?" Xiaoqiu asked.

Xiaoqiu is still just a sphere, aside from chatting, sniffing, and intimidating dogs, it has no other divine techniques.

The secret chamber originally had a teleportation array, but now it’s been destroyed.

Since the great cauldron exists in the chamber, Divine Movement Sword Control can’t be used.

Aside from disgracefully crying for help, Xiaoqiu can’t think of any escape methods.

Zhang Ze stares at the great cauldron for a while, "It’s not hard to leave, really."

"Just pack the great cauldron into the Hundred Treasures Bag."

The great cauldron, other than being large and heavy, appears to have no peculiarities, merely an ordinary item, not a magical treasure.

So if the great cauldron is a hindrance, packing it and taking it away is sufficient, no need to overthink.

Xiaoqiu seemed surprised upon hearing this, "This works too?."

"Learn, learning has no limits," Zhang Ze puts Xiaoqiu in his pocket then packs the great cauldron into the Hundred Treasures Bag.

Having figured out a method to escape, Zhang Ze doesn’t rush to leave but proceeds towards the corpses.

One of them looks familiar, he’s seen her somewhere.

Zhang Ze squats beside the corpse, staring for a while, finally recalling her origin.

The City Lord’s Mansion, she was a maidservant within.

Pressing her wrist, still soft, yet can’t determine how long she’s been dead.

Firstly, Zhang Ze in his past life only played games, not familiar with forensic investigation.

Secondly, this is an immortal cultivation world.

Not only can corpses become soft, but they’re ways to make them dance, regrow flesh on bones.

Forensic methods are not very useful.

Zhang Ze notices something clutched in her hand.

Gently prying open the woman’s hand, he retrieves the item.

It’s a jade pendant.

Similar to the one Mu Qiu has.

On picking the jade pendant up, he finds the Jade Heart Sect’s emblem engraved on it.

While this woman is a maidservant in the City Lord’s Mansion.

Zhang Ze feels this is quite coincidental.

"This plot is a bit too melodramatic?"

Just when Zhang Ze was about to leave, a slight sound of mechanisms moving was heard above.

In the next moment, the perfectly sealed stone top silently opens a crack.

Exposing the walkway steps above.

Li Yueqi, Chen Qin, and several cultivators from Sword Hall stood above.

Everyone was at a loss, looking rather awkward.

Zhang Ze calculated the time, it’s nearly dawn.

"Morning, have you eaten?" he asked.

"You..." Chen Qin looks at her senior brother as if wanting to say something.

However, the following story didn’t go as scripted.

There isn’t any melodramatic misunderstanding by the junior sister about the senior brother.

No flashy peacock-like Sword Sect senior brother questioning Zhang Ze why he was in the secret chamber, accusing him of being the killer.

No annoying female supporting character whispering bad things about Zhang Ze in Chen Qin’s ear, fanning the flames.

Nor did Zhang Ze deduce the truth, turning the tides with a domineering aura counterattacking in a classic twist.

The people from the stairs come down, Sword Hall cultivators use specialized magical artifacts to expertly collect the corpses for burial at a later date.

In these matters, Sword Sect has always been considerate.

Chen Qin and Li Yueqi surround Zhang Ze.

"How did you get in?"

This is their sole question.

Zhang Ze thinks for a moment.

He explains how he entered using a method that wasn’t overly embarrassing.

"Turns out there’s no restriction below the chamber, should have known, saved Xiaoqin from dealing with the mechanisms," Li Yueqi thoughtfully.

"Senior brother, teach me that move, I haven’t performed an escape technique myself yet." That’s Chen Qin’s thought.

Zhang Ze is a bit speechless, where’s the secret chamber deduction?

"You aren’t asking about what’s going on with the secret chamber?"

Zhang Ze waves the jade pendant before the two.

Li Yueqi glances at the jade pendant, "It’s Mu Qiu’s, isn’t it?"

Chen Qin has a look of disgust, "That person is already dead, the clue to this chamber was discovered from his room."

"Huh?"