With Zhao Ya’s strength and stamina, digging through the soil was astonishingly fast.
In just half a cup of tea’s time, Zhao Ya had dug over a meter deep, and the soil below became noticeably different, clearly re-filled and compacted.
Zhao Ya dug even more vigorously.
Finally.
After digging more than three meters deep, the shovel suddenly struck something hard.
Clearing away the loose soil on the surface, what appeared below was a large stone slab.
Intricate carvings adorned the stone slab, making it clear it was no ordinary object.
Zhao Ya didn’t rush to lift the stone slab but instead dug around it until the edges were exposed, then used the shovel to pry up a corner and slowly pressed down.
The stone slab revealed a slight gap, but nothing unusual occurred.
Only then did Zhao Ya wedge his fingers into the gap and quickly pulled upwards.
At the same time, Zhao Ya’s muscles tensed, prepared to dodge.
After all, no one knew what was under the stone slab; there could be hidden traps.
As it turned out, everything was normal, with no scene of countless arrows shooting forth as imagined.
Beneath the stone slab was a pitch-black passageway sloping downward, with even the steps made of stone.
The key detail Zhao Ya noticed was the faint cool breeze emanating from this passage.
This suggested that the air inside was fresh, indicating a connection to other places.
Zhao Ya took out a fire lighter, ignited it, and proceeded into the passageway.
The initial part of the path was very dark, requiring the fire lighter to barely see the path underfoot. However, as he walked, a faint light appeared ahead.
Zhao Ya hurriedly walked forward and soon came to a fork in the road.
One path exuded a cool breeze with faint sounds of water, while the other seemed to emit a faint glow.
Without hesitation, Zhao Ya chose the lighted path and soon arrived at a stone chamber.
The entire stone chamber was crafted from unknown jade, emitting a soft white glow in the darkness.
The door to the stone chamber was ajar, and Zhao Ya exerted force to push it open.
With a creak, the stone door opened in response.
Upon entering the stone chamber, the interior was quite simple, with only a stone bed, a stone table, and stools.
On the stone bed, a person sat cross-legged.
At first glance, even Zhao Ya was startled.
This was because the person’s skin and hair were intact, seemingly only asleep.
However, upon close inspection, Zhao Ya realized this person had been dead for a long time, with even the clothes decayed, indicating how many years he had been sitting there.
Could this be the so-called Eastern King?
Zhao Ya surveyed the surroundings but didn’t find the imagined glittering treasures.
The arrangement in this stone chamber was very straightforward, so there was realistically no place to hide anything.
The only place to hide something was within the body of the deceased.
Zhao Ya stepped forward and gently touched the corpse.
Whoosh.
The clothes on the corpse instantly disintegrated into dust, along with the skin and hair rapidly withering away.
This scene was terrifying, but Zhao Ya’s attention was not on this; he immediately noticed a book placed at the bend of the corpse’s knees.
Zhao Ya’s heart leapt with joy.
To be honest, even a room full of gold and jewels wouldn’t appeal much to Zhao Ya at this moment.
Only secret manuals, which contained recorded knowledge, fascinated Zhao Ya the most.
Fearing the book might have deteriorated as well, Zhao Ya carefully picked it up with utmost care.
Once he held it in his hands, Zhao Ya breathed a sigh of relief.
This was because the material of the book was clearly exceptional, remaining shiny and new even after all those years.
Opening the first page cautiously, Zhao Ya began to read attentively.
Moments later, Zhao Ya’s face lit up with joy.
This was because the first page contained the self-narrative of the corpse sitting on the stone bed.
It turned out this person’s surname was also Fu, named Fu Dongjun, a martial artist renowned in the Jianghu of Great Yan three hundred years ago.
At the age of forty, through his effort, he succeeded in reaching the Meridian Opening Realm, a natural-born talent, and was respected as the Eastern King.
If it were just this, that would be fine, but Zhao Ya discovered an astonishing piece of information from Fu Dongjun’s account.
That is, Meridian Opening was not the end; above it existed a realm known as the Primordial Sea Realm.
"Primordial Sea Realm..."
Zhao Ya murmured these words, his eyes shining with excitement.
This was the first time he had heard this name.
According to Fu Dongjun’s account, the Primordial Sea Realm involved further cultivating the Foundation of True Power in the Dantian after opening all major meridians, forming a connection with a mysterious power in the world, thus reaching this realm.
Upon reaching this realm, one truly transcends the mortal category; although not reaching the heavens, techniques existing only in myths and legends could be realized.
After reaching the Meridian Opening Realm, Fu Dongjun was initially content, believing he had reached the peak. However, by a stroke of luck, he encountered an elusive master of the Primordial Sea Realm.
Upon learning of the Primordial Sea Realm above Meridian Opening, Fu Dongjun wasn’t disheartened. Instead, he was overjoyed and confidently aimed to achieve the Primordial Sea Realm.
Yet, unexpectedly, the seemingly natural promotion faced obstacles.
No matter how hard Fu Dongjun tried, even after having opened all twelve meridians, he failed to sense any opportunity for breakthrough.