Dashing Student Chapter 1371 1371: Immortal Dynasty and Immortal Palace

The moment the jade slip was opened, an air of anticipation hung heavy between master and disciple. Chen Nan and Zhong Ling found themselves leaning in, their breaths catching.

Despite their focus, the ancient script on the jade slip remained utterly foreign to them. Their only recourse was to press the slip to their foreheads, channeling their divine senses to unlock its secrets, a method crucial for deciphering legacies across changing eras, akin to a profound, soul-deep connection.

It wasn't long before Chen Nan absorbed the jade slip's recorded information.

"Master, what did you find?" Zhong Ling inquired, his curiosity evident.

"The Tian Gang Body Refinement Art, Fifth Grade," Chen Nan stated, the name of the body-refining technique revealed.

This Fifth Grade method would normally ignite a fierce competition, a veritable storm of strife. Yet, Chen Nan remained unfazed. His own technique, the "Mountain and Sea Spirit Casting Record," was of an unknown grade, but undoubtedly surpassed Fifth Grade.

Chen Nan then examined the other jade slips, one by one. His brow furrowed with disappointment; they too contained body-refining techniques, all of Fifth or Sixth Grade. These likely had been stored together, collected inadvertently by him.

"It's truly frustrating! Couldn't those fools have looked again before stashing them?" Chen Nan grumbled, a hint of exasperation coloring his tone as he thought of Qing Qing and the others.

Zhong Ling, though also disappointed, offered comfort. "Master, please calm yourself. We don't truly need so many techniques, do we?"

"Sigh," Chen Nan responded with a rueful chuckle, stowing the jade slips. "You're right. Even if we can't cultivate them, selling them could yield a good number of spirit stones."

He then retrieved the scroll that had been bundled with the jade slips. After disabling the restriction with his identity token, he unfurled it. An image bloomed before their eyes.

The scroll depicted a celestial city, seemingly suspended amongst the highest heavens. The departing sun cast a golden radiance across a sea of clouds, bathing the entire metropolis in a shimmering, opulent glow.

Intricate runes etched into the city walls and structures blazed with vibrant light under the sun's touch. The colossal city gates, reaching a thousand feet high, emanated a noble, almost regal, purple aura.

At the heart of this immortal capital stood a palace complex, grander than any mountain range, resembling a celestial court. It radiated an aura of immense, heavenly majesty. Its rooftops appeared studded with countless stars, emitting a soft, starlit luminescence.

Totemic carvings of awe-inspiring designs adorned the inner palace walls and floors. Figures were depicted ascending grand staircases towards the main hall, their journey suggesting a solemn pilgrimage.

Above the city, powerful cultivators soared through the sky on fearsome demonic beasts. Some guided flying swords or magical treasures, their movements precise and orderly. The inhabitants below seemed unperturbed, evidently accustomed to such spectacles.

As the image began to fade, Chen Nan and Zhong Ling were left in stunned silence. The depiction perfectly matched their wildest imaginings of an immortal dynasty.

Majestic jade towers reached toward the sky, with throngs of immortals offering their homage.

"Master, how could such a powerful immortal dynasty possibly fall?" Zhong Ling’s voice, hushed with awe, broke the quiet.

Chen Nan’s gaze grew profound as he mused, "Prosperity inevitably leads to decline; it's a fundamental law of the Heavenly Dao, impervious even to a mighty immortal dynasty."

"What a shame. I can only imagine what it must have been like to live within the immortal dynasty," Zhong Ling mused wistfully.

The establishment of such an empire must have included a sophisticated system to ensure the well-being of cultivators with lesser cultivation levels.

Chen Nan offered no verbal reply, his attention drawn back to the scroll. He realized it was no mere illustration; it was a map.

Furthermore, this map possessed the remarkable ability to record spiritual auras. Swiftly, Chen Nan’s and Zhong Ling’s auras were registered, manifesting as two distinct red dots on the map's surface.

"We are here now," Zhong Ling exclaimed with delight, pointing to a red dot on the map.

Chen Nan nodded in agreement. Their current position was accurately marked as a cemetery on the map. Scanning backward, he easily located the sites they had previously visited.

The location where they had obtained the Xuanyuan Immortal Embryo Fruit was identified as the Spirit Medicine Garden. The map was ingeniously centered on the Immortal Palace, with surrounding regions clearly delineated.

The Spirit Medicine Garden and the Library Pavilion were situated to the southeast and southwest of the Immortal Palace, respectively, with the cemetery positioned nearby the Spirit Medicine Garden. Also revealed were the Alchemy Room and the Artifact Refining Pavilion, located in the southeast and southwest extremities. Zhong Ling’s excitement surged as he exclaimed, "Master, let’s hurry and explore! Perhaps there are still immortal pills remaining from the ancient immortal dynasty!"

Chen Nan offered a wry smile, stating, "Even if they were immortal pills, their potent effects would have long since faded. We might as well focus our attention on the Immortal Palace instead!"

He directed his finger towards the map's center, which caused Zhong Ling's expression to brighten considerably. "Yes, yes, the Immortal Palace must hold countless treasures!"

Observing his disciple's somewhat covetous gaze, Chen Nan affectionately patted her head. Subsequently, they followed the map's guidance, heading towards their destination: the Immortal Palace.

Even in its dilapidated state, the Immortal Palace retained an air of magnificence, appearing as imposing as a mountain from a distance.

It wasn't solely Chen Nan and his disciple who were drawn to this place; numerous others harbored similar intentions. While the exact nature of the location remained unknown to many, the sheer prominence of the ruins hinted at its former grandeur.

"Quick, look! It's a Star Stone!"

A cultivator, clutching a stone he had just unearthed, shouted out in elation.

The Star Stone was identified as a high-grade material for crafting artifacts. Even a small piece, no bigger than a thumb, commanded a significant price in spirit stones. This revelation prompted envious glances towards the stone in his possession, fueling a more fervent search among the assembled cultivators within the ruins.

"Master, aren't those the same stones that adorned the roof of the Immortal Palace?" Zhong Ling inquired.

Chen Nan affirmed, "Indeed. These are the very stones once employed by the immortal dynasty for their opulent rooftops. Now, they are rare spiritual materials, serving as a potent reminder of their past splendor."

Without delay, the master and disciple duo continued their trek deeper into the Immortal Palace. Based on the imagery they had previously seen, they anticipated a long stone staircase that appeared to ascend towards the celestial hall of the palace.

Before long, they discovered the fabled stone staircase nestled amidst the ruins. Looking upwards, the steps were thoroughly obscured by a dense growth of weeds and trees, giving the appearance of a verdant, overgrown mountain.

By this point, other cultivators had also taken notice of the unusual steps and were already scrambling to ascend.

"Master, we must hurry! We cannot let them get there first!"

Zhong Ling tugged at Chen Nan, urging him to dash forward. This marked her inaugural entry into such a relic-filled secret realm, and her heart pounded with exhilaration at the prospect of amassing a fortune in treasures.

For Chen Nan, however, the notion of claiming every single treasure was improbable, though he deemed it worthwhile to pursue the most significant opportunities.

Yet, upon reaching the expansive stone steps leading to the outer plaza of the Immortal Palace, they were met with a scene of active combat among cultivators.

Those who had managed to navigate their way to this point were evidently of considerable cultivation. Chen Nan even observed some individuals deliberately suppressing their own cultivation levels to gain entry into the ruins.

Their adversaries were stone statues, each brandishing a long spear and equipped with a sword at its side. They bore the unmistakable resemblance of soldiers from the immortal dynasty, fiercely repelling any who dared to intrude!