The elders rose into the sky and flew toward the tomb. For several tense minutes, only the shimmering lights of the complexes lit the night, until the elders finally returned.

Their announcement was brief but monumental.

"Four more complexes are opening. They will be accessible tomorrow morning. For tonight, remain in camp. We will conduct preliminary assessments to ensure there are no immediate dangers."

The crowd erupted again, though this time in excitement rather than fear. Han Yu caught snatches of conversation around him—

"Four at once? What does that mean?""Could it be the central formation activating?""More treasures… the heavens are smiling on us!"

Han Yu's companions were no different. Wu Shuan's eyes gleamed with curiosity, while Fatty Kui's mouth was practically watering as he imagined piles of spirit fruits, weapons, or stones waiting for them.

Han Yu, however, kept quiet.

His mind churned.

Four new complexes… each one unexplored, untouched.

What secrets would they hold? Would they rival the Spirit Garden, or would they be even greater?

Eventually, the elders dismissed everyone. The camp quieted once more, though now the silence was uneasy, charged with anticipation. Han Yu returned to his tent and lay down, though true rest eluded him.

He might have dozed for an hour when the sudden buzzing of his Communication Jade Slip jolted him upright.

Han Yu immediately activated it. A frantic voice rang in his ears: it was Meng Jueyan.

"Han Yu!" she whispered sharply, her tone urgent. "The complex I told you about—it's opened!"

Han Yu's drowsiness vanished in an instant, his heart lurching.

"What?" he hissed. "The alchemist's repository?"

"Yes!" she said. "The Mist Eye Sect is moving to claim it tomorrow morning."

Han Yu's grip tightened on the slip, his pulse racing. He scrambled out of his bedroll, nearly knocking over Fatty Kui in the process.

"Mm? Where're you going?" Fatty Kui mumbled groggily, rubbing his eyes.

"Toilet," Han Yu muttered quickly.

"Oh. Don't take too long, only two hours till morning," Fatty Kui yawned, flopping back onto his side.

Han Yu hurried into the shadows toward the outhouses, making sure no one was within earshot before pressing the jade slip again.

"Meng Jueyan," he whispered. "Did you know this would happen? You told me about the repository—wasn't that supposed to be my reward for helping you?"

Her reply came quickly, laced with frustration. "I didn't know either! I thought it would remain sealed for a while more or at least until we finished our work. But when the four complexes flared just now, our elders immediately reassigned teams. They're focusing everything on these new ones."

Han Yu's gut tightened. "So the Mist Eye Sect will enter tomorrow?"

"Yes. Not just that one. All four." Her voice was bitter. "They're pulling exploration groups from the older complexes. Everyone is being redirected."

Han Yu leaned against the outhouse wall, his mind racing. "Is there no way to change it? Can't they choose a different one?"

"No," Meng Jueyan said firmly. "They've already decided. The Mist Eye Sect is mobilizing to enter all four complexes at dawn. If the repository is truly there… they might stumble across it."

Han Yu closed his eyes, a storm of thoughts colliding in his head. The alchemist's repository. his one hope for rare materials, techniques, maybe even the secrets he needed not just for his own growth but also for the future uses of Undying Life Charm.

And now it was slipping into the hands of the Mist Eye Sect.

His fingers drummed nervously against the jade slip.

Meng Jueyan's voice softened slightly. "Han Yu… I told you because you needed to know. But what you do with this information is your choice. Just be careful. If the Mist Eye Sect really has chosen that place, things will get complicated. Our mission might be compromised."

The line went silent.

Han Yu stood in the night, the faint glow of the tomb still lighting the horizon, and for the first time in days he felt a bead of anxious sweat run down his back.

The heavens had opened new doors. But whether they would lead to fortune or ruin… he could not yet tell.

Han Yu remained leaning against the rough wooden wall of the outhouse, the cool night wind brushing against his face as he silently pondered Meng Jueyan's words.

His fingers tightened around the jade slip until his knuckles whitened. The temptation of the repository weighed on him like a mountain, yet the danger of stepping foot into the same complex the Mist Eye Sect was targeting pulled at him with equal force.

For a long while, he didn't speak. His mind was a whirlpool of scenarios, each one shifting, collapsing, and being rebuilt again.

"Too risky…" he muttered under his breath, the first thought that surfaced with clarity.

The Mist Eye Sect wasn't to be underestimated.

Even if the sect was full of corruption and hidden filth that many despised, their disciples and elders still carried power that rivaled his own sect on some level. Since the Mist Eye Sect was an unorthodox sect, they weren't in the normal ranking of sects.

But that didn't mean they were weak. Unofficial rankings would place them just under the Twin Leaf Peak Sect. Plus thier illusion and hypnotic arts made them extra dangerous for disciples that could not resist them.

To walk into the same tomb complex as them would be to place himself on the edge of a sword. If they discovered him, suspicion would surely rise.

If they confronted him… blood might flow.

For a moment, the rational path gleamed before him like a narrow bridge—avoid that particular complex. Take another. Claim whatever treasures or texts might be hidden elsewhere.

Why risk stepping into a deathtrap when opportunity lay all around?

But then Han Yu shook his head and laughed quietly, the sound bitter at first before turning sharp. "No… that would be the mistake."

His eyes narrowed, glinting beneath the faint glow of the distant tomb lights.

If he gave up here, if he let fear dictate his steps, then what was the point of everything he had endured?

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