I Have A Cultivation World Chapter 3 - 3 Water Mansion_1
Previously on I Have A Cultivation World...
Chapter 3: Water Mansion_1
Translator: Atlas StudiosEditor: Atlas Studios
Chen Mobai felt a sharp, phantom sting in the healed scar on his right hand the moment he looked at the turtle shell.
Everything had started because of this object.
Two weeks prior, right after he successfully reached the fifth level of Qi cultivation, his mother—who was quite superstitious—was so overjoyed that she took him to a supposedly sacred temple tucked away in the mountains of their hometown. She wanted him to offer incense to ensure his future academic success.
However, while he was showing his devotion, an unexpected shove from behind made him lose his footing. Reaching out to steady himself, he grabbed a turtle shell that sat as an offering before the statue of the deity.
The shell was ancient, covered in years of incense soot, and far from clean; its jagged edge sliced a deep wound into Chen Mobai’s palm. The injury became infected, leaving him bedridden and requiring a fourteen-day hospital stay.
His mother was furious that her beloved son had ended up in a hospital bed. She engaged in a fierce argument with the temple’s head cultivator monk, demanding a refund of the 188 Good Deed Points she had contributed as an incense donation.
The old cultivator monk proved stubborn, or perhaps the temple’s finances were truly dire. No matter how much she yelled, he refused to return the points, offering only two Evil Warding Talismans as a gesture of goodwill.
Eventually, seeing she wouldn't back down, the old monk made a final concession.
He permitted Chen Mobai’s mother to take the turtle shell itself, suggesting that burning it might help wash away her son's streak of bad luck.
To this day, however, the shell remained unburnt.
In the city, open flames were strictly prohibited. All discarded or unused materials had to be recycled and treated by an Earth Master before being interred into the local Spiritual Pivot. This system was vital for sustaining the flow and production of Spiritual Energy on Earth Elemental Star.
Only licensed organizations and specialized firms with permits for alchemy or artifact refining were legally allowed to ignite fires.
Feeling frustrated, Chen Mobai picked up the shell, intending to dump it in the trash so that an Earth Master would bury the cursed thing the following day.
But the moment his skin brushed against the turtle shell, a burst of silver light erupted.
Before he could react, Chen Mobai was swallowed by a shimmering silver radiance, vanishing instantly from his bedroom.
...
Chen Mobai lost all sense of time.
When his mind finally cleared, he pushed himself up from the ground.
Scanning his surroundings, he realized he was no longer at home. Instead, he found himself inside a strange, hidden cave dwelling.
He had no idea where this place was, but one fact was immediately obvious.
He was currently deep underwater.
Looking upward, he saw nothing but a vast expanse of blue.
A translucent, dome-like barrier protected the entire cave dwelling. Whenever fish or crabs drifted toward it, they were gently bounced back by the shimmering surface as if hitting a wall of rubber.
He waited for ten minutes, expecting some powerful senior expert to appear, but the silence remained unbroken. Finally, he turned to inspect the area more closely.
After a thorough look, he confirmed it was a modest underwater cave dwelling.
He appeared to be standing in the front hall. Array flags were set into pedestals at the four corners, with a primary pedestal situated behind him, all working together to maintain a basic Water Avoidance Array.
Fortunately, Chen Mobai had been a diligent student during his formation studies classes. He recognized the setup as a Rank-2 intermediate-grade Array. Its primary functions were spirit gathering, water exclusion, stealth, and protection. It lacked any obvious offensive traps.
Drawing on his academic knowledge, he cautiously tested the formation. After an hour of careful observation, he determined it was safe and finally let out a breath of relief.
Once he felt certain the dwelling wasn't a death trap, he waited another thirty minutes before venturing further.
The site was quite small. Beyond the main hall, there were only three side chambers.
The middle chamber appeared to be a cultivation room. Uncertain if someone was inside, Chen Mobai gripped a "Wood Armor Talisman" from his pocket. This was his primary means of defense.
As a Rank-1 intermediate-grade charm, it could withstand a strike from a sixth-level Qi Cultivator once activated.
Holding the talisman gave him a small sense of security.
He then pulled a coin from his pocket, set it on the floor, and flicked it toward the door of the central hall.
Zing!
The moment the coin reached the threshold, a spark of blue electricity crackled, instantly turning the metal coin into a puff of spiritual vapor.
Chen Mobai felt a pang of distress at the sight.
That one-dollar coin represented one Good Deed Point.
The currency on Earth was minted from pulverized spirit stones mixed with jade and metal ores, infused with a specific spiritual value to prevent counterfeiting.
With a weekly allowance of only five dollars plus what he earned from cutting talisman paper, he had only managed to save eighty Good Deed Points in total.
Losing a coin made him hesitate.
The triggered ward made no further sound, and his patience began to wear thin. Searching his pockets, he found one more coin to use as a test and painfully rolled it toward the other side chambers.
Zing!
Splash!
The two distinct sounds and light effects caused Chen Mobai’s eyes to go wide.
The ward on the left-side door was identical to the central one; it released the same blue electricity that vaporized the coin.
However, the right-side door reacted differently. It manifested a ripple of dark blue water, which simply pushed the coin back like a gentle wave.
Chen Mobai stepped aside to let the rolling coin pass.
Once it stopped, he sent another coin toward it with precision. After confirming there was no lingering harmful energy on the coin, he retrieved it.
He approached the right-side door, conducting several more tests. Once he was sure the ward was non-lethal, he considered how to bypass it.
Unfortunately, he didn't own any ward-breaking talismans. His own cultivation was limited to the basic Five Element Inner Cultivation taught in public schools.
“I really should have bought that ‘Water Sword Talisman’ I was looking at.”
After several failed attempts to penetrate the water-ripple ward, he felt a wave of regret. There were so many things he wanted in his digital shopping cart on the Immortal Gate’s virtual market.
That Water Sword Talisman cost 30 Good Deed Points and was a Rank-1 intermediate-tier item—the perfect tool for a fifth-layer Qi cultivation disciple like him.
He estimated the strength of the door's ward; it seemed comparable to his own "Wood Armor Talisman." A "Water Sword Talisman" likely would have sliced right through it.
Having used up all his tricks, Chen Mobai was stuck.
He decided to return to the central hall and sit at the base of the main array flag where he had first arrived. He began to meditate to replenish the magic power he had spent testing the door.
“Wait, what?”
The moment he began his cultivation, he was stunned. He quickly pulled out his phone and launched an app designed to measure spiritual energy density.
[Spiritual Energy Value: 60]
“This place is built on a Rank-2 intermediate-grade spirit vein!”
Chen Mobai was shocked. This wasn't just some minor retreat; it was the residence of a high-level cultivator. If the master of this house returned to find an intruder, things would end badly.
“How did I even get here? ... The shell!”
He suddenly remembered the catalyst. He searched the entire mansion again, even checking among the decorative plants, but the turtle shell was nowhere to be found.
“What am I going to tell my parents?”
He waited another hour. Realizing his parents would be returning home soon, Chen Mobai decided it was time to use his final option.
He dialed 110.
He prayed that the Law Enforcement Cultivators of the Immortal Gate could ping his phone’s signal and pull him out of this mysterious mansion.