After the secret passage appeared, everyone went down without hesitation.
"I didn't expect there to be a secret passage here, hidden in the alchemy room." Shirley Yang said from the side.
"The main reason this secret passage is hidden in the alchemy room is very simple; it's probably more convenient for disciples to enter," Zhang Tian said as he walked.
Soon, the group entered a long corridor. As too much time had passed, the oil lamps in the corridor had long since gone out. Shirley Yang took out a searchlight, and following its beam, they proceeded inside.
Before long, a vast space appeared before them. Inside the space, countless oil lamps hung on the walls. And within the oil lamps, a huge space emerged. In this entire space, Zhang Tian saw many tables, chairs, and benches, as well as many storage racks. On those racks, Zhang Tian spotted some small bottles. However, there were few small bottles, and some had even been overturned, indicating that someone had been here before. Small bottles lay scattered on the floor, and judging by the scale of the shelves, it was clear that these shelves could hold a considerable number of elixirs.
"This is an elixir storage room!" Hu Bayi's voice came, his hoarse tone laced with surprise. This elixir storage was directly beneath the alchemy furnace, so openly displayed. Wasn't it feared that other disciples would steal them?
"It's a pity, the elixirs here can no longer be used, and nine-tenths of them have already been stolen," Zhang Tian said with some regret as he picked up a bottle and poured out the remaining elixir.
"These are all low-grade elixirs," Zhang Qilin also picked up an elixir and crushed it into powder with a gentle squeeze.
"Those placed here probably wouldn't be high-grade. Let's examine them first and see if we can find any clues," Zhang Tian said softly.
The group began searching the entire space. But as Zhang Tian had expected, after their search, they found nothing of value. The ground was littered with pill bottles that had been looted. On the wall, there was also an imprint from a chain, which was likely where a lock had been secured from the outside.
"It seems there's nothing of value here. I wonder who looted this place," Zhang Tian said with some regret. Hu Bayi also shook his head.
Having found nothing of value, Zhang Tian prepared to leave. But as he took a step, Shirley Yang's voice suddenly called out.
"Brother Zhang, Hu, Brother Qilin, there seems to be something here." Shirley Yang was squatting in a corner, her eyes filled with surprise.
"Could there be a second basement level?" Zhang Tian's eyes lit up. He quickly went over.
When he reached Shirley Yang, Zhang Tian saw that it wasn't a passage to a second level, but merely a piece of jade embedded in the ground. The jade was crystal clear, looking like a flawless gemstone. If made into a pendant, it would surely fetch a sky-high price.
"A piece of jade?" Hu Bayi looked at the jade, unsure of what to say.
"This is an alchemy room. A piece of jade appearing here out of nowhere, don't you find it suspicious?" Shirley Yang said.
Zhang Tian nodded. It was indeed a bit suspicious, but the jade was only the size of a fingernail. Shirley Yang's discovery was thanks to her keen observation.
"Miss Yang is right. This mountain is unlikely to be a source of jade," Zhang Tian said. "Therefore, this jade must have been intentionally inlaid. There's probably a mechanism here." Zhang Tian said softly. He decided to investigate, just in case.
Hu Bayi nodded, while Zhang Qilin placed his hand on the ground. After feeling around for a while, Zhang Qilin then moved his hand to the wall. Gradually, Zhang Qilin shook his head. Zhang Tian knew he hadn't found anything.
Without further ado, Zhang Tian plunged his hand into the area of the jade, intending to pry it out. But as his hand touched the jade, Zhang Tian felt something was off. It was quite large, about the size of a thumb, not just a fingernail. It seemed what was exposed was just the tip of the iceberg.
"Boom!" Zhang Tian punched out. A pit immediately appeared on the ground. Then, the white jade fell into Zhang Tian's hand.
"This is a formation stone." Seeing the complete jade, Zhang Tian was shocked. Formation stones were very rare, mostly heard of in legends. The appearance of a formation stone here was clearly unusual.
"Could this stone be part of the formation of that golden peak?" Hu Bayi looked at the crystal.
"It's possible. Let's first try to find more of this stone. Anything placed in this location must be extraordinary," Zhang Tian said. The group searched the room again. But they found no more of this stone.
With no further findings, Zhang Tian and the others left the alchemy room. It was already past six o'clock, and the sky was gradually brightening. Zhang Tian and his companions circled the mountaintop again, searching inside the houses. They eventually discovered three more identical jade stones. These stones were hidden in the dining area, the resting area, and the meditation area.
Looking at the four formation stones in his hand, Zhang Tian looked up at the sky. These four areas corresponded to four constellations in the sky. However, due to the scattered nature of the constellations, it was impossible to determine if it was a complete stellar line.
"Let's go. We'll check the other side," Zhang Tian walked ahead, holding the four crystals. They returned to the central mountain range. Professor Li and Xiao Guang were already awake. They sat by the mountain, and upon seeing Zhang Tian and the others return, they quickly stood up.
"Brother Zhang, did you go to that mountain over there?" Professor Li asked as he watched Zhang Tian and his group descend from the iron chains. Zhang Tian nodded.
"Yes. How did you sleep last night?" Zhang Tian nodded slowly.
"Alas! It's hard to describe. The air on this mountain is poisonous. We might have had hallucinations yesterday," Xiao Guang sighed, somewhat helplessly. They were now hesitant to even eat.
"It's normal. This poison is likely not very potent, not as strong as the poison below. The air and wind have diluted its toxicity," Zhang Tian said. "We're going to check the other side. You guys can start cooking." Zhang Tian said, lighting the nearby fire again.
Professor Li and Xiao Guang nodded and sat aside in silence. Zhang Tian arrived at the iron chains on the other side. The iron chains here were similar to the previous ones. However, these iron chains appeared to be slightly longer than the previous ones. Stepping onto the chains again, with the previous experience, their speed had significantly increased.
Watching Zhang Tian and the others leave again, Professor Li's eyes showed envy. If only they had such abilities, but they were from completely different worlds.
Soon, they reached the end of the chains. When they saw the scene before them, everyone present was stunned. The scene was incredibly spectacular, making the mountain range on the other side seem like a mere trifle!