Chapter 363: 363

When the huge metal doors slammed shut behind him, Yan Liqiang jumped . He couldn’t help but stop and turn around to look behind him .

The metal doors were tightly shut and would only open after a week . Hence, he had to stay inside the Sword Cavern for another seven days before he could exit .

Many disciples in the sect yearned for the opportunity to enter Sword Cavern because if they were fortunate enough, they would be able to obtain a powerful sword technique in the cavern within a week . If they were unlucky, not only would they walk away empty-handed, they might even need to trouble the elders to rescue them from the Sword Cavern and that would be extremely mortifying .

No one told Yan Liqiang what was inside the Sword Cavern . When Elder Guo briefed him on the apprentice ceremony yesterday, he only told him that everything would depend on his luck after he entered the Sword Cavern . He also informed him that there was a stone table not far from the cave’s entrance . On the stone table was a medicine bottle which contained seven Inedia Pills, concocted with Divine Sword Sect’s secret recipe . Taking each pill a day would enable him to spend seven days in the Sword Cavern . Events that transpired inside the Sword Cavern were considered classified information that must not be divulged to anyone .

Recalling Elder Guo’s instructions in his mind, Yan Liqiang calmed himself down before he proceeded to venture deeper into the Sword Cavern .

The Sword Cavern’s passage was a downward slope . From the looks of it, the entire cavern seemed to be inside the Tiankui Peak mountain range . Although it was freezing cold outside the Sword Cavern, it was not cold at all inside .

There was no light in the Sword Cavern . However, one would notice the countless blue sparkling lights on the cavern walls if they walked a little further . Those were probably some kind of residual ores like fluorite that looked like blue fireflies, illuminating the Sword Cavern and giving it a mysterious atmosphere .

“This place kinda looks like the night club I went to once in my previous life…” Yan Liqiang looked at the glowing blue Sword Cavern before his eyes and mumbled to himself . He then smiled and wandered deeper into the Sword Cavern with great curiosity .

Not long after that, a stone table came into Yan Liqiang’s view . As expected, there was a medicine bottle on it . Yan Liqiang picked it up, shook it twice, and heard the pills inside it . He stashed the medicine bottle and continued walking . After walking about ten li along the winding passage and reaching the center of the mountain, a huge underground cave appeared before Yan Liqiang .

Yan Liqiang’s jaw dropped when he saw the massive cave because it was surrounded by colorful crystals . The entire cave looked as though it was a crystal house out of a fantasy realm . Walking into the cave, his reflection was on the dome ceiling and everywhere beneath his feet . As soon as he arrived, Yan Liqiang sensed that the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth here seemed to be a hundred times more abundant than the outside world for some unknown reason . Just by standing here, the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth quietly moisturized and entered his body through his skin and pores . Even if he was breathing normally, he felt the energy brimming inside his body . The burst of energy was extremely refreshing .

In the middle of this cave was a translucent, nine-layered lofty pagoda sculpted out of a crystal . The structure that was like the work of the Gods sparkled brilliantly .

Yan Liqiang was stared at this crystal pagoda in a daze for a long while . He looked around the cave and didn’t notice any other exits either . This place seemed to be the end of the Sword Cavern .

He circled around the pagoda while carefully observing it . The pagoda was really massive . He wondered what kind of skills it took to construct it . The massive pagoda had four sides . There was a door on each side, each labeled with a single word above them — ‘Life’ , ‘Separation’ …

‘Death’ and ‘Parting’ .

“What does that mean?” Yan Liqiang mumbled to himself . He walked around the pagoda for three rounds, looking at the four doors, but he couldn’t make any sense of it . He only had a hunch that since he was here and the pagoda was here, he should take a look inside . The four doors outside the pagoda seemed to represent choices, but he had no clue what would await him behind the doors .

Yan Liqiang wandered around the pagoda a few more times indecisively before he finally clenched his teeth . “I’ve lived two lives and died once in this life! To be able to survive through all that is all thanks to great fortune . Therefore, I shall walk through the Death door . After all, there’s this thing called Heidegger’s conception of being-toward-death . So I’m going to see what is behind that door . In any case, Elder Guo also said that the Sword Cavern won’t kill me!”

After he decided his next course of action, Yan Liqiang made a beeline toward the ‘Death’ door .

The Death door was tightly shut . Yan Liqiang pushed it lightly to find that it didn’t even budge . He had no choice but to take a deep breath, focus, his Qi on hands, and place them against the icy crystal doors . Pushing with the force from his entire body, the door finally creaked open…

The moment it opened, a thought flashed across Yan Liqiang’s mind . The door was extremely heavy . If it were someone else, they might not be able to open it . It would seem like those who came out of Sword Cavern empty-handed after a week might just be those who couldn’t even push the door open .

It was pitch black behind the door . Even if Yan Liqiang had trained his eyes to be able to see in the dark, he still couldn’t see a thing beyond the door .

However, since he had opened the door, there was no way for him to retreat . Without any hesitation, he stepped through the door . The moment he got in, the door shut behind him with a bang . Yan Liqiang put on his guard, but he suddenly felt as though he had been hit on the head . The darkness before his eyes then lifted as colors burst into his vision…

……

“Achoo…!” Yan Liqiang woke up with a sneeze . A young and beautiful face came into view . The person had an adorable smile on her face while she was tickling his nose with a green foxtail grass .

He could hear the ocean waves . Apart from the familiar beautiful face, he could also see the blue sky over his head and the gently swaying coconut trees . He was lying on a hammock, enjoying the rare sunshine, the sandy beach, and the companionship of the beautiful girl .

Everything before his eyes seemed so familiar . The girl before him was none other than Lu Jiaying . When Yan Liqiang saw her lovely face, nothing but tender sweetness gushed forth from his heart .

“Hahaha, come chase me…!” When Lu Jiaying saw that Yan Liqiang had woken up, she ran away with laughter that rang out like melodious silver bells, leaving behind a trail of footsteps on the beach…

Yan Liqiang got up from the hammock and habitually gave chase . As soon as he took two steps, he felt a sudden, cold pang in his mind . It shook his sea of consciousness . Part of the frozen memories in his brain suddenly thawed at this very moment .

He reacted at once and made a clever move by stopping .

This scene was from the time he took Lu Jiaying on an October trip to Phuket in Thailand . Like any man who was madly in love, he felt as though he was the happiest man in the world back then . In his eyes, Lu Jiaying was the most beautiful woman in the world . That was the happiest and most unforgettable time of his life .

…What’s going on? Isn’t everything in the past now? Am I dreaming? How can a dream feel so real?

No, this isn’t a dream! This is… an illusion…!

“Oh, what’s wrong, dear? Do you feel unwell?” Lu Jiaying came running back again when she realized that Yan Liqiang didn’t chase after her . Her gaze on him was filled with deep concern .