Treasure Vault!

Elder Jiang made an excuse and left the scene. He didn't want to be involved in this embarrassing situation.

Zen once again thanked his senior brothers and went to his residential quarters. The crowd also dispersed, leaving behind the senior brothers who begged for help.

Sadly, none bothered to heed their requests now that they were crushed.

✺✺✺

A few hours later, as evening arrived and outer court disciples entered the mess, Zen was joined by Alan.

When Zen was confronted by Ken and others, he was carrying out a chore, and he only learned about it some time ago.

"I'm sorry…" started Alan as they sat for dinner.

He has been to the sect for two years and achieved the third layer of the Body Tempering stage. He has also suffered under Ken's hands in the past, and despite that, he failed to warn Zen with whom he was close enough to be called best friends.

"Sorry for what?" asked Zen.

"About the bullies… I should have warned you."

"What bullies?"

Zen blinked in confusion.

"…." Alan froze.

Thinking about it, the bullies weren't bullies but victims. The real bully was before him.

The mess suddenly turned pin-drop silent. Startled, he turned towards the entrance and saw the reason.

Two disciples in red robes.

"Justice Enforcement Division!"

He sucked a breath of cold air. He even knew them – Walan and Troy.

They were already in the second stage of cultivation - Energy Refining! Unlike him and other Body Refining cultivators, they were capable of using magical techniques.

Seeing them here, his back turned cold.

"Hmm?"

Zen followed Alan's line of sight and saw the two disciples walking towards them. Even he knew them and their presence surprised him.

"You are Zen?" asked Walan.

"Yes," replied Zen.

"You are under arrest!" announced Walan. "For using underhanded attacks and landing fatal injuries on your senior brothers!"

Without waiting for Zen to respond, he nodded to Troy, and the latter grabbed Zen.

"Wait! You are misunderstanding!" explained Alan. "Zen was---"

"We didn't ask you, so shut up!" Walan cut in by unleashing his imposing presence. "The preliminary investigation has given us enough evidence to arrest him."

The imposing presence turned into a tidal wave and slammed into Alan. He crashed onto the wall, his body numb from fear. Still, he tried his best to muster up the courage to continue.

"Alan, it is fine." Zen stopped him with a smile. "I always wanted to check jail, and this is a nice opportunity."

Not only Alan, but even Walan and Troy were dumbstruck. They have never seen anyone looking forward to being arrested!

Surely, he must be aware jail wasn't for sight-seeing!

"Let's go!" Taking a slice of bread, Zen stepped forward.

"Ah!"

Walan got out of his trance, thinking, "This wasn't how things were supposed to turn out!"

He arrested Zen because Ken and others promised him pseudo artifacts.

Naturally, he dared as the rules allowed him, and Zen was at fault, even if it was due to a technicality. Otherwise, with Elder Jiang in the picture, he wouldn't even dare to think of such a thing.

Of course, he knew Zen will be set free in a few days, or maybe in hours if Elder Jiang came to know of it.

But none mattered as the process of arrest would be humiliating enough! Being imprisoned was an extra bonus.

At least that's what he initially thought. Now seeing Zen happily walking between the rows of outer court disciples, he regretted arresting him in front of everyone.

This kid was taking arrest as a badge of honor!

✺✺✺

Ten minutes later, Zen was pushed inside a jail cell.

"Wow! This is bigger than the room I share with Alan!" Exclaimed Zen as he looked around. "And I don't even have to share it with anyone!"

Walan and Troy: "...…"

Dark lines appeared on their faces, and they took their leaves. They had a feeling if they stayed any longer, they would pass out from anger.

Zen was genuinely impressed by the cell. While it only had a stone bed and a small window, it was far better than the accommodation he had in his village.

"If the cells are so big, what about cultivation caves allotted to high-ranking disciples?"

He wondered as he made himself comfortable on the stone bed.

He would spend his time cultivating in normal times, but beating Ken and others had exhausted him. While he wasn't injured, his muscles and bones ached even though he has targeted the weak spots.

Soon, sleep overtook him.

✺✺✺

Midnight arrived, with stars casting their beautiful radiance on the world. Some of that radiance entered the jail cell through the window.

Zen continued to be in sleep. On its own, his right sleeve slipped up, revealing his wrist with the illusory tattoo.

Swoosh~!

A blinding glow erupted from the tattoo and splashed on his face. The sudden glow broke his sleep, and he jumped up.

The glow vanished, and by the time his eyes regained vision, he was astonished.

A brush has appeared in his hand!

Its handle was pure crystalline white as if made from precious gemstones. The bristles were pitch-black as if made from darkness itself.

He flipped his hand, but the brush didn't fall. Instead, it floated and arrived between his thumb and index finger.

"What's going on!?"

He felt a strange connection with the brush. Like it was a part of his very existence.

It was a feeling that made him doubt his sanity, and yet, he couldn't help but grab the brush.

An urge to paint a door flooded his mind. Subconsciously, he followed it by stroking the brush on the wall behind the bed.

There was no paint, but as he moved the brush, a magical radiance burst forth. Before he knew it, the radiance covered the outline of the door he has drawn.

A creaking sound followed, and the "door" opened, revealing a boundless treasure vault.

Powerful fluctuations emerged and bathed him, making his hair float. He felt he was about to break through to the second layer.

"This is…!"

Zen gasped as he saw the source of the fluctuations inside the vault.

Energy Stones, Spiritual Shards, Profound Essence Ores, pills, and countless other items he couldn't identify; despite attending all theory classes.

"Who owns this vault?"

He wondered as he stepped into the vault.

Whistle~!

Just as he entered, five puppets materialized in thin air, their mechanical eyes locking on him. They opened their mouths, and orbs of energy started condensing.

"Guardian Puppets!"

Zen was shocked, to say the least.

The elder responsible for theory has taught him about these types of puppets. Not only were they costly, but they also required powerful cultivation to make.

Now such puppets aimed at him. They were capable of destroying hundreds of Energy Refining cultivators, much less someone like him.

Their gazes made him feel as if he was dropped in an icy cave, and he couldn't even move, no matter how he struggled.

The orbs burst out of their mouths and shot at him. Death was ready to take him in her soft arms.

Just then, from his forehead, Scroll of Eternity flew out. The scroll expanded, from the size of a nail to the size of the vault.

Whoosh~!

A powerful attraction force rippled out of the scroll, sucking not only the rushing orbs, but even the puppets and 99% of the treasure vault.

No restriction or mechanism seemed to work in the face of the horrifying attraction force.

Zen has only blinked once, and in that time, the vault was almost empty.

He didn't see the empty vault as his vision was shrouded by the scroll. He looked at the mystic patterns and runic drawings engraved on it.

"Scroll of Eternity…"

Its name escaped his mouth, even though it was the first time he saw it. He then gazed at the brush and knew it was called Brush of Creation.

"I must be hallucinating!"

He thought as he ran his other hand on his head. He found no injuries, but then again, there might be internal wounds.

That would explain why he was experiencing an event that could only be described as otherworldly.

"Or maybe I suffered cultivation deviation and turned crazy!"