"River Lord's Cavern?"

Shuro gazed at the scene before him, his face filled with disbelief.

Two stone doors, each over ten yards high, seemed to be the work of giants, wide enough to accommodate ten chariots side by side, exuding a majestic aura. On the towering stone plaque above the doors, there was engraved an ancient inscription: Southern Wilderness, River Lord's Mansion!

If not for Shuro possessing the memories of the Nine-Dragon Sovereign, he would not have been able to comprehend these five characters. Although the colors of these characters were dim and lacked luster, the profound and ancient atmosphere, the majestic spirit, and a hint of ethereal fragrance made it impossible to doubt their authenticity.

The doors were partially open, with blurred and mottled textures, having experienced who knows how many years. On the left side of the doors stood a black stone statue of a dragon turtle, lifelike and towering, easily twice the height of Shuro.

Chinese people love the Dao of immortality, the more elusive, the more they appreciate it, and such tendencies were especially strong in Caelius Capital. Who would have thought that beneath the noses of the young and old masters of the capital, there hid an ancient immortal cave.

However, at this very moment, when Shuro saw the row of vertical characters on the right side of the stone doors, his mood instantly changed.

It boldly declared: Celestial Caelius Capital, Twelve Towers, and Five Cities!

"Celestial Caelius Capital, Twelve Towers, and Five Cities... Isn't this the verse recited by the Nine-Dragon Sovereign? Could it be that the Nine-Dragon Sovereign also visited this place?"

Shuro suddenly realized that the wandering of the Nine-Dragon Sovereign's divine sense to Caelius Capital was by no means accidental. Perhaps, his own arrival at the River Lord's Mansion was also influenced by the memories of the Nine-Dragon Sovereign.

Could there be some secrets hidden in Caelius Capital?

Although Shuro possessed the memories of the Nine-Dragon Sovereign, it was a memory spanning over two thousand years, and without a century or two, Shuro could not fully integrate.

For a moment, due to the influence of the Nine-Dragon Sovereign, the sense of urgency brought by Leonard's pursuit diminished somewhat.

"Tera Dynasty's Shuro, requests an audience with the senior."

Imitating the mannerisms from theatrical scripts, Shuro bowed deeply to the stone doors.

After three repeated calls with no response, Shuro entered the cavern.

Shuro had never seen what the Tera Palace looked like, but he had heard descriptions of the grandeur of the Tera Palace. Standing in the River Lord's Mansion at this moment, Shuro vaguely felt that, impressive as the Tera Palace might be, it was probably not much different.

Twelve jade columns, taller than even the Tera Palace, supported the dome of the cavern. Directly in front was a steaming hot spring, covering an area of over ten acres, about half the size of a York family's secondary mansion. Beyond that, there stood a jade mural as tall as a city wall, and through the misty haze, the inscriptions on the mural appeared faintly.

Thinking of those adventurous stories from theatrical scripts, Shuro's heart pounded, speculating that today's turning point might just be here!

With a light tap of his toes, Shuro glided across the lake to reach the mural. When he saw the four characters at the top, his body stiffened.

"The Sevenfold Art of Concealment..."

Shuro was astonished. He had never imagined that the profound secret hidden in this immortal cave would be nothing more than the grand Tera Dynasty's national skill, "The Sevenfold Art of Concealment."

Shuro felt that something was amiss and continued reading down. At the bottom of the mural, there was an inscription in Tera script, evidently left by later generations, stating:

"At the end of the Yan Dynasty and the beginning of the Tera Dynasty, amidst the chaos of the world, a green snake descended from the heavens, causing havoc and calamity. It demanded a hundred boys and girls to practice dark arts. The Tera Emperor sent a thousand warriors to slay the snake, but they were all killed by the green serpent. Seeking help, the emperor sought out cultivators, but they were all defeated... I learned of the calamity befalling my hometown and, after wandering for millions of miles, returned. Originally intending to slay this demon, I pitied its millennium-long cultivation, so I spent a hundred days teaching and a thousand years sealing it to serve as a warning. To prevent the emergence of similar demonic beings, I left 'The Sevenfold Art of Concealment' here... Interpreting my teachings, it has become a seventh-grade Daoist art. Those destined to cultivate it can travel thirty million miles to the northeast and enter the immortal abode beneath the lake.

Signed: Written by Bruno."

"Bruno!"

Upon seeing the last name, Shuro was startled.

He had attended a school and had some knowledge of Tera Dynasty history. Bruno was a well-known figure in history, an elder statesman of the founding of the Great Tera, honored as the Grand Tutor. Although the title of Imperial Tutor is often mentioned in folklore, Shuro never expected that Bruno would also possess profound Daoist arts. As for the calamity caused by the green snake, although it was not detailed in official history, it frequently appeared in unofficial historical records, often used by adults to scare children.

"The national skill 'The Sevenfold Art of Concealment' of the Great Tera Dynasty has actually been evolved into Daoist arts by him. The integration of martial arts and Daoist arts is inconceivable!"

Shuro muttered to himself. His mind was clear, and just by deducing 'The Sevenfold Art of Concealment,' it was enough to confirm the terrifying cultivation of Bruno. In terms of proficiency in Daoist arts, he had at least reached the level of a master, not far from the monstrous being like the Nine-Dragon Sovereign that only appeared once in a thousand years.

This emperor tutor, known for his love of wine and poetry in history, unexpectedly possessed such profound cultivation. Under the dust of a thousand years of history, how many unknown secrets were still hidden?

The mural only contained seven illustrations of practicing techniques, but it had incorporated the methods of cultivating the seven arts of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and thunder. The Dao was at its simplest, and these seven illustrations were evidently much more sophisticated than the Great Tera Dynasty's circulated "The Sevenfold Art of Concealment."

Shuro was intrigued, but then he shook his head.

Even the Great Tera Dynasty's "The Sevenfold Art of Concealment" required the condensation of true qi to practice, let alone the authentic Daoist arts that had become the "The Sevenfold Art of Concealment."

What a pity.

In that moment, Shuro suddenly froze, realizing that there was an unusual change in the operation of the Primordial True Water and Primordial True Fire. With a curious heart, Shuro looked again at the jade mural. As his gaze passed over the two illustrations of "Water Daoist Art" and "Fire Daoist Art," the rotation of Primordial Water and Fire accelerated, becoming lively and agile.

"Could it be that these two arts have a certain connection with the Primordial Water and Fire within me?" Shuro pondered, finding the possibility more plausible with each passing thought.

A few hours ago, when Shuro condensed the True Water and True Fire, it surprised even himself. Although the Nine-Dragon Sovereign's extensive memories included Primordial True Fire and Primordial True Water, the details were not explicitly mentioned. However, Shuro instinctively felt the vibrant vitality brought about by the Primordial Water and Fire, as well as the power that, although still weak, held infinite potential.

Perhaps it was possible to cultivate the Water and Fire Daoist Arts using Primordial Water and Fire instead of True Qi!

Once this thought emerged, Shuro could no longer suppress it. The question remained: Water Daoist Art or Fire Daoist Art? His peripheral vision fell on the pool of spring water in front of him, and Shuro quickly made a decision, understanding that even in cultivation, one must consider the opportune moment and circumstances.

Channeling Primordial True Fire into the Lower Dantian, Shuro guided the Primordial True Water, following the cultivation route through the meridians.

Unbeknownst to Shuro, his actions were challenging the norms of the cultivation world. Each orthodox technique was the result of centuries of deconstruction, derivation, and the accumulated insights of generations of immortal disciples. Unless one was a true pioneer or a grandmaster of a school, like the Nine-Dragon Sovereign, no one dared to make alterations, even minor ones, to a cultivation technique.

Shuro was still light-years away from being a grandmaster, yet he took this step inadvertently, risking failure but potentially gaining invaluable insights for his future cultivation.

Before long, pores all over Shuro's body began to open, emitting a faint, elusive sound resembling the whispers of the wind. The water vapor from the hot spring enveloped Shuro, and soon, he was covered in countless glistening water droplets. In the blink of an eye, all the water droplets were simultaneously drawn back into Shuro's body, flowing beneath the skin like a small stream. The water vapor thickened, and the formed droplets increased, continuously entering Shuro's body. The tiny flows under the skin, originally like small streams, expanded and transformed into a vast sea, roaring and surging.

From a distance, Shuro appeared like a transparent statue, gleaming with scales, ethereally flowing.

As time passed, the spring water gradually diminished, and Shuro's body became more fluid and agile. Not only his torso and limbs but even his facial features and hair became crystal clear and translucent. His eyes were like pools of water, resembling jade, devoid of human characteristics when seen from a distance.

At this moment, Shuro breathed a sigh of relief, feeling fortunate. To cultivate an immortal version of the "Sevenfold Art of Concealment" required alignment with the "geography." Without this hot spring, he couldn't have progressed so smoothly. Perhaps, this was one of the reasons Bruno left the "Sevenfold Art of Concealment" here.

In the River Lord's Mansion, a youth resembling a river deity.

Shuro, entirely transformed into a water-like figure, shimmered with scales, gracefully flowing.

He was immersed in the comprehension of the Water Daoist Art, unaware of the subtle yet eerie sounds.

As the spring water reached its bottom, the green snake sealed at the pool's base slowly opened its eyes.

It seemed as though it had just awakened from a millennium-long dream, its gaze vacant, then dreamy. Soon, its eyes focused, and its tail gently swept through the spring's water at the bottom, hissing and spitting snake-like signals.

The spring water completely dissipated, and the green snake's eyes, sealed with paper talismans on its forehead, ignited into ashes that dispersed into the air.

Lifting its head, the green snake saw Shuro, squinting its eyes and revealing a human-like expression, as if a woman were smiling. It swam behind Shuro, curiously circling twice, then entwined around Shuro's arm, slithering upwards. The snake signals sprayed from its mouth as it licked Shuro's earlobe.

The green snake's body was lush and translucent, radiating a halo, akin to a green jade carving.

Shuro, likewise crystalline, resembled a Caelius Capital sculpture.

A human and a snake entwined in the depths of the River Lord's Mansion, beyond the reach of daylight, silent, mysterious, and enchanting.

Suddenly, the green snake saw the jade mural, and its pupils contracted sharply. Without hesitation, it swung its tail like a whip, creating an arc of green light toward the jade mural.

Clang!

A crack appeared on the jade mural, spreading and diffusing in all directions. With a thunderous sound, the mural shattered into pieces.

Opening its mouth, the green snake blew a breath, turning the remnants of the walls into fine powder, dissipating into nothingness.

Glancing at Shuro once more, the green snake slid down swiftly, flying out of the cavern.

Shuro opened his eyes to find only two bare stone pillars before him. Turning back, he observed the dried pool bottom, devoid of anything except a few peculiar flowers and plants.

"What's going on?" Shuro wondered aloud.

Just as Shuro was perplexed, hysterical laughter echoed from outside the cave. Shuro's expression shifted, and the water ripples receded from head to toe, restoring his original appearance.

Leonard, almost trembling, walked into the scene.

"The Mansion of the River Lord in the Southern Wilderness..."

"The legendary abode of immortals!"

"Miracles do happen! Miracles do happen! I, Leonard, have actually encountered the fate of immortality!"

Standing beneath a jade pillar taller than the palaces in Caelius Capital, Leonard laughed heartily, gesticulating wildly, completely immersed in ecstasy.

Shuro knew that the water level had dropped, revealing the cave entrance, allowing Leonard to discover this ancient sanctuary.

Glancing over Leonard, Shuro spotted a chubby figure.

Well, Lee had also joined them.

Observing the cave in the same ecstatic state as Leonard, Lee's lips trembled, silently mouthing who knows what. When he noticed Shuro, his gaze suddenly became clear.

Hurry! Lee tensed his face, urgently signaling Shuro to move quickly.
Witnessing Shuro motionless, Lee felt the urge to cry out in desperation. The existence of an immortal abode, only found in mythical legends, further convinced Lee that Shuro was the disciple of the celestial sect he sought. He discerned Shuro's modest cultivation, with strength hovering between the realms of Minor Ethereal Spirit and Major Ethereal Spirit, nowhere near a match for Leonard. If they didn't escape now, once Leonard regained his senses, everything would be lost.

"Run quickly!"

In the midst of winter, Lee found himself sweating profusely, yet no matter how he raised his eyebrows or gestured, Shuro seemed oblivious.

"Killing Pang Guan; isn't it your business too, you fatso?"

Leonard turned around, an evil smile fixed on Lee.

Lee shuddered, his face turning pale. Discovered twice in a single day, he could only imagine his frustration.

"Good kill!" Leonard's fierce roar startled Lee.

"If you hadn't killed Pang Guan, I wouldn't have discovered this place. Hahaha, it seems destined for me, Leonard, to forge a bond with immortality."