Chapter 84 The Light at the End of the Corridor

Chapter 84: Chapter 84 The Light at the End of the Corridor

The pale light at the end of the corridor grew brighter as the 10 Lin Clan youngsters approached.

The deeper they went, the quieter their surroundings became.

There were no footsteps beyond their own, no rustling from hidden creatures, and no distant clashes of weapons.

Yet Lin Zhen could still hear that strange sound.

It was faint, hollow, and rhythmic.

Almost like something breathing.

"Everyone, wait a moment," Lin Zhen said.

The others stopped.

"What is it?" Lin Chen asked.

Lin Zhen tilted his head slightly, concentrating.

"That sound I heard earlier. It’s getting clearer."

They fell silent.

For several breaths, nothing happened.

Then—

Thump.

A faint vibration traveled through the stone beneath their feet.

Lin Zhen’s expression changed.

"Did you feel that?"

Lin Qing nodded. "Yes."

Lin Mo glanced toward the corridor ahead. "Whatever is making that sound, it’s probably connected to this place."

"Then we should proceed carefully," Lin Chen said. "We don’t know what’s waiting for us."

Nobody objected.

They continued forward, maintaining a formation that allowed them to respond quickly if anything appeared.

Soon, the corridor widened, revealing a large stone chamber.

The moment they entered, everyone paused.

Rows of ancient stone platforms stood throughout the chamber. Some were intact, while others had cracked surfaces covered in faint inscriptions. Several old jade tablets rested upon the platforms, their surfaces marked with characters that had survived countless years.

At the center of the chamber lay a circular pool.

Its water was unusually clear, yet a faint glow emanated from beneath its surface. Wisps of spiritual energy rose from the pool, spreading throughout the chamber like a thin mist.

The entire place carried an ancient, mysterious atmosphere.

Lin Yuexin looked around in amazement.

"This place doesn’t look like an ordinary tomb."

"She’s right," Lin Yu replied, studying the arrangement of the platforms. "Look at how everything is positioned. The platforms face the pool, and the jade tablets are arranged around them."

Lin Qing approached the nearest stone platform but stopped before touching it.

"These arrangements resemble a place used for cultivation or comprehension."

Lin Chen nodded.

"Rather than a burial chamber, this may have been a place where ancient cultivators studied techniques and comprehended their Dao."

His words immediately caught everyone’s attention.

A place used by ancient cultivators to comprehend techniques could contain insights that had survived from an era long forgotten.

Even incomplete insights could prove valuable.

However, nobody rushed forward.

Lin Chen glanced at the others.

"Don’t touch anything carelessly. Inspect the surroundings first. We don’t know whether the formations here are still active."

"Understood," everyone replied.

They spread out cautiously, examining the platforms and jade tablets without disturbing their arrangement.

Lin Chen was the first to notice something unusual.

A jade tablet resting on a platform near the left wall contained several sword diagrams. The inscriptions were faint, but the sword intent lingering around them had not entirely dissipated.

He stopped a few steps away from the platform, careful not to touch it.

From that distance, he focused his spiritual sense on the tablet, and a faint sensation stirred within his mind.

He could almost see a sword moving through the air.

One strike followed another, each movement simple at first glance but containing a profound principle.

Lin Chen’s eyes narrowed.

These aren’t ordinary sword techniques.

He did not immediately attempt to comprehend them. Instead, he studied the tablet from where he stood, carefully observing the remaining inscriptions.

A short distance away, Lin Yu discovered another tablet.

Unlike Lin Chen’s discovery, this one contained diagrams of a figure moving across different terrains. The images showed movements through narrow passages, over broken rocks, and across seemingly empty space.

Lin Yu examined them with growing interest.

"This appears to be a movement technique."

He traced the sequence of diagrams with his eyes, trying to understand the principles behind each step.

The technique was incomplete, but even the fragments he could understand suggested a method of movement that relied on precise control of spiritual energy rather than speed alone.

He committed the visible diagrams to memory.

Meanwhile, Lin Qing had discovered a tablet containing a series of intricate markings.

At first, the markings seemed disorganized. But after examining them for a while, she realized they described the circulation of spiritual energy throughout the body.

Her expression became serious.

"This is a technique for controlling spiritual energy."

She studied the inscriptions carefully.

The method appeared to emphasize precision, stability, and the reduction of unnecessary energy loss. It was not a technique that would directly increase someone’s offensive power, but its principles could improve the efficiency of many other cultivation methods.

Lin Qing immediately understood its potential value.

Elsewhere, the others continued their examinations.

Lin Lian found a tablet near the pool that described how to draw spiritual energy from water and use it to soothe the body. She studied it with quiet interest, noting how closely it matched her own cultivation path.

Lin Haochen discovered a tablet covered with defensive diagrams. They showed layers of spiritual energy shaping into barriers, each one absorbing and redirecting an impact. He tilted his head, already thinking about how he might use it.

Lin Mo, Lin Xuan, Lin Yuexin, Lin Jue, and Lin Zhen each found tablets of their own. Some contained fragments of cultivation techniques. Others recorded insights into combat, spiritual energy control, or movement. A few had deteriorated so badly that only scattered characters remained.

Nevertheless, the chamber seemed to contain something suitable for each of them.

Nobody attempted to claim the tablets immediately.

They had all heard Lin Chen’s warning, and the strange sound beneath the chamber remained unexplained.

After some time, Lin Yu moved toward a section of the wall behind several stone platforms.

He had initially assumed the markings there were ordinary inscriptions. However, the longer he examined them, the more something seemed wrong.

Most of the wall bore the same weathered appearance.

The stone was darkened by age, and the inscriptions had faded unevenly. Some characters were barely recognizable, while others had been worn down by the passage of time.

But a small section near the bottom of the wall looked different.

Its markings were sharper.

The grooves were cleaner, and the surrounding stone appeared less weathered than the rest.

Lin Yu crouched slightly to inspect the area more closely.

"That’s strange."

Lin Chen turned toward him.

"What did you find?"

Lin Yu pointed at the wall.

"Look at these inscriptions. Most of the markings in this chamber are heavily worn, but this section looks newer."

He frowned.

"Why would only this part look so clean, when everything around it has aged for so long?"

The others gathered around, leaving enough space for Lin Yu to continue examining it.

Lin Qing studied the wall carefully.

"Now that you’ve pointed it out, I can see the difference."

Lin Xuan frowned.

"Could it have been repaired?"

"Possibly," Lin Yu answered. "But I can’t tell whether the inscriptions were added later or whether something else caused them to look different."

Lin Chen examined the surrounding stone without touching it.

There were no obvious signs of recent damage, and the newer-looking markings did not follow the same pattern as the inscriptions nearby.

He could not determine their purpose.

"Don’t make any assumptions yet," he said. "We should remember their location and inspect the rest of the chamber before deciding what they mean."

Lin Yu nodded.

Nobody attempted to erase, trace, or activate the markings.

They had come here to explore the ruins and search for opportunities, but that did not mean they should interfere with something they did not understand.

For a while, the chamber remained silent.

The 10 youngsters continued examining their surroundings, paying closer attention to the stone platforms and the central pool.

Then Lin Zhen suddenly raised his head.

"Wait."

Everyone turned toward him.

His gaze was fixed on the pool.

"The sound..."

Before he could finish speaking, the water at the center of the chamber rippled.

A single circle spread across its surface.

Then another followed.

The spiritual mist above the pool began to move, slowly drawing toward the center as though something beneath the water had disturbed the flow of energy.

Lin Qing’s expression changed.

"The spiritual energy is moving."

Lin Chen immediately stepped away from the nearest platform.

"Everyone, be careful!"

The ripples widened.

For a brief moment, the entire pool became perfectly still.

Then—

Thump.

The hollow sound echoed through the chamber.

This time, it came from beneath the stone platform at the center of the room.

The vibration traveled through the floor, making the jade tablets tremble slightly.

Lin Zhen stared at the platform.

"It’s coming from underneath us."

Nobody answered.

A faint glow spread across the ancient markings carved into the stone floor.

One line illuminated.

Then another.

The light traveled outward from the central platform, following patterns that had remained dormant for countless years.

Lin Chen’s eyes narrowed as he watched the markings connect.

"Everyone, get away from the platforms!"

The 10 youngsters moved immediately.

Behind them, the pool began to ripple again.

And deep beneath the ancient chamber, something answered the sound.

The formation was awakening.