Ruins and treasure

Half a year passed in a blink, yet Hong Yue Xian did not spend it idly. After he found out about his cheat, he went around purchasing Silver rank, Gold rank and even Black Gold rank demon spirits, if they were available in the market. Thankfully he was from the wealthy Hong Yue noble family, and the fact that his family owned one of the top three auctions allowed Hong Yue Xian to acquire all he needed.

During this time he also discovered another perk of his cheat. He could see the details of the demon spirits. Things like their growth rate, abilities and mutations. And it was not limited to demon spirits, as he could see the human's details as well. If Hong Yue Xian focused he could see the person's soul realm grade, soul force rank, strength rank, integrated spirit beast, soul form and, most amazingly, root. With this ability he could differentiate the demon spirits he needed, going after quality rather than quantity.

As a result he was able to raise his demon spirit to 5 star Gold rank. He could have upgraded it to Black Gold rank and higher but his own cultivation restricted him. While Hong Yue Xian was able to get his hands on demon spirits, he could not go around devouring other people's soul realms, so unfortunately he had to make do with traditional cultivation. After half a year he was able to increase his soul force to 3 star Silver rank, while his body strength equaled a 2 star Silver rank Fighter.

Hong Yue Xian would have wished to reach Gold rank before venturing to the ruins and getting his hands on some treasures, but alas he could not wait any longer, since after purchasing another harvest of Purple Mist Grass, he was completely out of funds. So Hong Yue Xian made preparations and decided to leave for the ruins.

This was the first time he left the bounds of Glory City and he was excited yet apprehensive. He needed to be very careful along the way, avoiding demon beasts as much as he could. As it was winter Hong Yue Xian dressed warmly as he rushed ahead, snow making crunching noises under his feet. It took him around 10 hours, 8 hours walking and 2 hours resting, to reach a forest where he found big abandoned nests covered in snow.

'This must be the place where the expedition would try to camp, before being warned by Nie Li about Fox Bears. Good thing that it is winter now, so they are currently hibernating in their hideouts. Still it might be best for me to keep going for a bit more before making camp. Let's hope the apes in the ruins are hibernating as well, though unlikely.' Thought Hong Yue Xian as he observed the surroundings before continuing on.

After another hour he found a small hill. He merged with his demon spirit and dug out a hole inside before setting up shelter in the man made cave. He covered the entrance with a thick curtain to keep out the cold wind yet let the fresh air through. Once all was settled he used the flame inscription to start a fire and cook some hot food and hot tea to warm himself up, before going to sleep.

At dawn Hong Yue Xian started off again. Thanks to winter the amount of demon beasts was scarce, allowing him to reach the city ruins in half a day. Unfortunately his hopes were disillusioned when he saw giant apes patrolling the ruins. The only consolation was that due to the cold they were not positioned to cover the whole city, rather it seemed like their patrolling area was structured in a large circle around the tallest tower.

Hong Yue Xian knew that the tower is where the Gold rank demon beast resided, sometimes he could see its form surveying the area. As it was not something Hong Yue Xian could contend with, not to mention the other giant apes, he decided to make a detour and avoid them all together.

After spending the rest of the day he finally found the stone wall where Nie Li and Ye Ziyun would fall down. As it was getting dark Hong Yue Xian quickly tied the rope to the nearest tree, making sure it was secure, before sliding downwards to the tomb. He followed his memories and found the chamber filled with skeletons. He could not help but sigh at their tragic end.

It did not stop him from scavenging the whole chamber, before he approached and opened the coffin. Surprisingly, nothing strange happened, it seemed Nie Li was what triggered the Temporal Spirit Book. Just like in the novel there was a page in the middle of the coffin as well as a pendant made with an abstruse gemstone. For a moment Hong Yue Xian was tempted to take the page, but in the end he decided he was not fated with it, and only took the pendant.

Hong Yue Xian slowly closed the coffin's lid, before searching for the treasure room. Soon he found it and started to fill his storage rings with treasures. After taking 4/5 of the treasure he stopped and reluctantly turned back.

Unfortunately he could not take all of the treasure as some needed to be left for the expedition, similarly he left the Netherworld Lamp with the Shadow Demon Spirit untouched. He did not have a need for that demon spirit as he could only have one at a time. At this Hong Yue Xian could not help but envy Nie Li with his Heavenly God Technique and nine demon spirits.

Hong Yue Xian sighed once again before leaving the tomb and spending the night in one of the ruins. On the way back he was even more cautious, but it seemed it was unnecessary as his journey was tranquil and after two uneventful days he returned to Glory City, a rich man.

The first thing Hong Yue Xian did was to buy up any leftover Purple Mist Grass. Next he passed various treasures to his father, with the intention of auctioning them. Then, after leaving enough money for the last harvest of Purple Mist Grass and the expenses of the farms, Hong Yue Xian invested the rest in wine making, which would bring much profit to him in the long run. Soon he became one of the 3 top wine merchants in Glory City, but he planned to become number one in the future.

After spending all his money again, Hong Yue Xian returned back to his old style, cultivating and training every day. The goal was to break through to Gold rank both spiritually and physically before the first day of school.