Hidden beneath layers of concealment, Gu Qing felt her breathing become slightly unstable.
Greed.
A greed so intense that even she was shocked by it.
The moment she heard the words cross-continental teleportation formation, countless thoughts exploded within her mind.
Take the box.
Kill them.
Steal the inheritance.
Find the island.
Find the formation.
Find the continent.
Every possibility appeared before her like a dazzling future.
Yet she quickly suppressed them all.
Her fingers silently dug into her palms beneath her sleeves.
Calm.
She needed to remain calm.
The person standing before her was not a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Nor some ordinary Purple Palace junior.
The Qian Family Patriarch was a genuine Purple Palace cultivator.
Someone who had crossed a major realm only recently.
Perhaps his foundation had not yet completely stabilized.
Perhaps his combat experience was lacking compared to older Purple Palace cultivators.
Yet none of that mattered.
He could still kill her.
Easily.
Instantly.
The difference between Foundation Establishment and Purple Palace wasn't something that could be bridged through wishful thinking.
Even with all her treasures.
Even with all her background.
Even with the trump card bestowed upon her by her master.
The result would not change.
Yes.
She possessed a sealed attack.
A genuine Purple Palace strike stored within a treasure.
One attack.
Only one.
If she used it now, she might catch the Qian Patriarch off guard.
She might even injure him.
Perhaps seriously.
Yet after that?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
A wounded Purple Palace cultivator remained a Purple Palace cultivator.
Meanwhile she would become a Foundation Establishment cultivator without any remaining protection.
The Qian Patriarch would destroy her within moments.
Her identity wouldn't matter.
Her background wouldn't matter.
No one would allow such a secret to leak.
Even if her master later sought revenge, she would already be dead.
The dead gained nothing.
Thus she endured.
Silently.
Patiently.
Like a hunter observing prey.
Even stealing the box afterward remained impossible.
The tomb itself contained numerous formations.
The moment the box left its designated location, the formations would likely activate.
A Purple Palace cultivator's inheritance could not possibly be guarded carelessly.
Every path led to failure.
At least for now.
Gu Qing slowly exhaled.
Her gaze returned toward the conversation.
Perhaps information itself held greater value than reckless action.
...
The Qian Patriarch continued speaking.
"The ancestor never fully described that continent."
His voice echoed softly throughout the hidden chamber.
Qian Feng listened attentively.
"The records only mention fragments."
"A few observations."
"A few warnings."
"Nothing more."
The older man shook his head slightly.
"Either he intentionally removed the information or those records disappeared before reaching our hands."
Qian Feng frowned.
"Why would he hide something so important?"
The Qian Patriarch smiled.
"Perhaps to protect future generations."
"Perhaps to protect himself."
"Or perhaps the information itself carried danger."
No further explanation followed.
Yet the answer felt reasonable.
The cultivation world contained many secrets.
Not every secret could be shared safely.
Sometimes knowledge itself attracted disaster.
The Qian Patriarch continued.
"After reaching that continent, the ancestor obtained resources unavailable within our current region."
His eyes became slightly distant.
"Rare herbs."
"Ancient inheritances."
"Lost cultivation knowledge."
"Resources beyond the imagination of ordinary cultivators."
Even Gu Qing felt her heart tremble slightly.
Exactly as she suspected.
How else could a fisherman rise so quickly?
A cross-continental connection.
An entire continent filled with unknown opportunities.
The value was immeasurable.
If one controlled such a route...
One could purchase resources in one place and sell them in another.
Rare items could become common.
Common items could become treasures.
The resulting profits alone could support an entire major sect.
Her thoughts became increasingly chaotic.
At the same time, another realization emerged.
The current cultivation world had become fragmented.
According to surviving records, the Ancient Era had been vastly different.
Countless large formations connected regions.
Continents.
Entire cultivation civilizations.
Travel between distant lands, while difficult, remained possible.
Now?
Most of those formations had vanished.
Destroyed.
Lost.
Or perhaps hidden.
Even the strongest formations currently known could only transport people across provinces.
Anything beyond that became increasingly difficult.
The larger the distance, the greater the cost.
The greater the danger.
Crossing continents?
Almost impossible.
At least according to public knowledge.
Yet the ancestor had possessed a method.
A real method.
Gu Qing's breathing unconsciously became slightly heavier.
Fortunately, the concealment treasure concealed even such subtle changes.
Otherwise she might already have been discovered.
...
Then reason returned.
Her excitement cooled slightly.
Something didn't make sense.
If the formation truly existed...
If the ancestor truly used it...
Then why was the Qian Family still merely a Purple Palace family?
Why weren't they a Golden Core power?
Or something greater?
With access to two continents, they should have become a monstrous force long ago.
The contradiction immediately stood out.
Clearly, there were details she still didn't know.
Meanwhile—
Qian Feng had arrived at the exact same conclusion.
The excitement in his eyes gradually faded.
Replaced by confusion.
Then disappointment.
The Qian Patriarch noticed immediately.
His son was easy to read.
Especially tonight.
A faint chuckle escaped him.
"You finally noticed."
Qian Feng looked toward him.
"If the formation truly exists..."
"Then we should already know where it is."
The older man nodded.
"Exactly."
The excitement completely disappeared from Qian Feng's expression.
The Qian Patriarch sighed.
"The truth is simple."
"We don't know where it is."
The answer felt absurd.
Yet it was also strangely believable.
"The ancestor's records never revealed the exact location."
"No maps."
"No coordinates."
"No directions."
"Nothing."
The older man pointed toward the jade slips.
"Only fragments."
"References."
"Stories."
"Memories."
Qian Feng became silent.
Such information might be enough to inspire curiosity.
Yet it wasn't enough to locate a hidden island somewhere within a vast ocean.
The Qian Patriarch continued.
"The island itself may no longer exist."
"The formation may have collapsed."
"The entire area may have sunk beneath the sea."
"Nobody knows."
The uncertainty weighed heavily upon the chamber.
Even Gu Qing felt disappointed.
A moment ago she imagined endless possibilities.
Now reality had poured cold water over everything.
A hidden opportunity remained just that.
Hidden.
Unreachable.
Perhaps forever.
...
Several moments passed before the Qian Patriarch spoke again.
His expression became unusually serious.
"Do you know why every Patriarch learns this secret?"
Qian Feng shook his head.
The older man smiled faintly.
"To understand fate."
Silence followed.
Then he continued.
"The ancestor was a fisherman."
"A mortal."
"A nobody."
"He stumbled upon an opportunity capable of changing his destiny."
"He grasped it."
"He rose."
His voice remained calm.
Steady.
Yet every word carried weight.
"Many people spend their entire lives searching for opportunities."
"Some never find one."
"Others stand directly beside one and fail to recognize it."
"Some recognize it yet lack the courage to seize it."
Qian Feng listened carefully.
The Qian Patriarch's gaze slowly moved toward the ancient box.
"The ancestor possessed extraordinary luck."
"But luck alone wasn't enough."
"He acted."
"He risked his life."
"He endured hardship."
"He seized every opportunity placed before him."
The older man's expression softened slightly.
"That is why we preserve this story."
"Not because of the formation."
"Not because of the continent."
"But because it teaches something important."
Qian Feng lowered his head slightly.
His father continued.
"Being close to an opportunity doesn't mean possessing it."
"Knowing about an opportunity doesn't mean obtaining it."
"Wanting an opportunity doesn't mean deserving it."
Every sentence struck deeply.
Especially for cultivators.
The cultivation world was filled with opportunities.
Yet most people never obtained them.
Not because they didn't exist.
But because fate often proved unpredictable.
...
Before Qian Feng could ask another question, the Qian Patriarch suddenly spoke again.
"And don't think too much about finding the formation."
The younger man blinked.
The older man laughed.
"You aren't the first."
Qian Feng frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
The answer immediately surprised both him and Gu Qing.
"Many Patriarchs tried."
The chamber fell silent.
The Qian Patriarch's smile gradually disappeared.
"Many."
His voice became heavier.
"The first generation after the ancestor searched."
"The second searched."
"The third searched."
"Several later generations searched."
The older man's eyes carried traces of helplessness.
"They all believed they could find it."
"They all believed they could recreate the ancestor's path."
Qian Feng suddenly felt uneasy.
"What happened?"
The answer arrived immediately.
"They vanished."
The atmosphere became cold.
No one spoke.
The Qian Patriarch continued.
"Some disappeared at sea."
"Some never returned from expeditions."
"Some left behind incomplete messages."
"Others simply vanished without a trace."
The older man shook his head slowly.
"Generations spent resources."
"Generations spent manpower."
"Generations spent decades."
"Nothing."
Not a single additional clue.
Not a single confirmed discovery.
Only losses.
Only failure.
Eventually the family gave up.
Or perhaps accepted reality.
The formation might still exist.
Or it might not.
The truth no longer mattered.
The Qian Family could not afford endless sacrifices chasing a legend.
Thus the secret remained.
Preserved.
Passed from one Patriarch to another.
A reminder.
A lesson.
And perhaps...
A temptation.
Qian Feng stared silently at the ancient box.
For the first time, he understood why his father revealed the secret tonight.
It wasn't an inheritance.
Nor a treasure map.
It was a burden.
A responsibility.
A warning.
Far away, hidden within darkness, Gu Qing's eyes flickered.
Unlike Qian Feng, however—
Her thoughts moved elsewhere.
The Qian Family might have given up.
Many Patriarchs might have failed.
Yet some opportunities were simply too great to ignore.
And somewhere deep within her heart...
A dangerous seed had already begun taking root.