Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, the Complete View of the Underground Cavern

“No wonder the Frost Cannon doesn’t require elemental stones—it was waiting for this… Damn it, ten Azure Water Stones, that’s my entire stock!” Fang Tang ruffled his hair, wincing with pain as he stared at the synthesis tree.

He had been frantically gathering elemental stones these past few days and had managed to store over forty. In one go, fourteen were used up, and with the Frostheart’s requirements, more than half of his reserves were gone. Spending money really is easier than making it!

Fang Tang put away the newspaper, not rushing to craft the Frostheart just yet. After all, he didn’t need it for now; he hadn’t even obtained the blueprints for Memory Metal or Ecological Bronze Liquid. Making it now would be pointless.

Weighed down by his thoughts, he picked up his pickaxe. Golden text flashed before his eyes.

[Wow… my goodness, what is going on today? Did you become Lady Luck’s consort? One surprise after another. Wooden chest, iron chest, copper chest, silver chest… and next is a golden chest. Can you guess what’s inside the golden chest?]

“Gold!” Fang Tang’s eyes lit up. He hurriedly asked, “Where is it?”

[On the right.]

He strode quickly to the wall on his right, opened a hole, and rushed into Cave No. 81.

He glanced around Cave 81 quickly, and in the left-hand corner, resplendent in gold, stood a large treasure chest. The golden chest was massive, about the size of the chest monster he’d encountered before. Fang Tang’s heart skipped a beat. He asked, “Was the golden chest always this big, or is it because of a chest monster?”

[Golden Chest—Intermediate resource in the cave. If you’re lucky, you might even find special items inside.]

“Hm?” Fang Tang caught a keyword.

Special items.

Eyes never lie—this meant that chests of gold and above might contain items forged by the rules of the cave itself. Items like the Frost Cannon and the Mechanical Claw Arm?

With long strides, he reached the golden chest and pulled it open with both hands.

You obtained: Bolong ×3, rice ×1 bag, lard ×1, breadfruit seeds ×3, glass ×10, iron-copper-silver ingots ×10, fiber ×10, cotton ×10, longsword ×1.

Fang Tang: “…”

He was stunned by the abundance of resources inside.

So this is a golden chest? The resources here were equivalent to three silver chests.

A true windfall.

He even unlocked a bag of rice—a full thirty pounds, enough to last him a long time.

Moreover, there were breadfruit seeds. One seed could grow into a breadfruit tree, which would yield sweet, delicious bread every three days, tastier than any toast. Although Fang Tang didn’t need this right now, he could always sell them—someone would want those three breadfruit seeds.

Then there were the Bolong fish, each one as long as Fang Tang’s forearm, making his mouth water—he could hardly wait to roast one.

Happily, he packed away the resources and turned his gaze to the remaining blade.

About a meter long, the sword resembled a Tang horizontal saber, its craftsmanship both elegant and imposing. The hilt was carved with a golden, outstretched feathered sparrow. The guard was a piece of bronze, its patterns delicately hollowed, and the motif extended onto the blade’s surface—a dragon’s head gripping the steel, adding a touch of fierce majesty.

Fang Tang knew this blade’s name.

The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow.

[Do you like it? The pinnacle of cold weapon craftsmanship—both exquisite and formidable. I’m fond of it, too. But more than its appearance, I value its ability. As a product of the rules, its power is invaluable to you.

Spirit-binding ability—Beheading: In combat, there is a ten percent chance to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.]

“???”

Fang Tang was instantly bewildered.

It seemed he had triggered an extraordinary clue.

And this clue pointed straight to the heart of the cave.

“What is spirit-binding ability?” Fang Tang asked urgently.

[Hah! Finally, I can speak freely about certain things—what a relief! The cave’s existence is peculiar. You can think of it as a human sanctuary. You’ve noticed, haven’t you? There are many strange, even contradictory rules here—hard to make sense of, right? Actually, it’s not so difficult to understand. This place is only the cave’s outskirts. Here, you encounter a sliver of the outside’s twisted rules, and it’s these twisted rules that allow for spirits to bind with objects.

You’re lucky—upon opening the golden chest, you encountered a spirit-bound item, which is why I can say this much. I thought you’d only learn about this from the level-two shop, after buying the intel.]

The information the eyes provided was extensive—and a little shocking.

The cave is just a sanctuary?

Then how vast must this refuge be? To toss billions of people inside, like a stone in a lake, barely making a ripple—how absurd.

Fang Tang’s mouth hung open, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.

“Then what did you mean before—about power recognized by the cave’s rules?”

[That question—I can’t decrypt it yet. The cave’s rules are like a building. If you want to know what’s in each room, you’ll need to find the keys and open them, one by one. Forcing the doors open is impossible.]

Fang Tang: “…”

So much talk, yet what use are you?

He rolled his eyes coldly and lowered his gaze to the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow in his hands.

“So, the rules outside the cave are twisted, and this is the outer region of the cave world, bordering the outside, which is why the twisted rules have influence and contradictory phenomena like you appear.” Fang Tang analyzed carefully, hoping for confirmation from the eyes.

Unfortunately, he was disappointed.

Not a single word appeared.

“You’re silent… Is it the rules binding you?” Fang Tang smiled meaningfully. “Or do you simply not want to speak?”

“No matter. We’ll unravel the cave’s rules bit by bit. Now that I’ve found a special item, perhaps I’ll discover special abilities in the future. If so, doesn’t that mean I’m uncovering the cave’s rules?”

Fang Tang’s expression turned feverish. He continued, “About that ‘sequence’ you mentioned—if I’m not mistaken, it should be a Sequence, right? If not, then at least some kind of sequence ability.”

[You figured it out? Good thing I didn’t say it, you guessed it yourself—now the rules can’t hold it against me.]

Fang Tang’s face grew solemn as he asked, “Will the cave’s rules erase you?”

[Of course. The rules can strip cave creatures of their levels and erase anything existing within the cave, including humans.]

Fang Tang fell silent, his excitement abruptly gone.

That was not good news.

If the cave’s rules could erase humans, was this place a sanctuary or a prison? There was nothing humane about it…

No, these are rules—what humanity could there be?

“This cave… ha!” Fang Tang scoffed coldly, tightening his grip on the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow.

Rules can erase, but they can also recognize.

That means strength is the hard requirement for resisting the rules.

If you’re strong enough to defy the rules, wouldn’t you be able to survive?

With this thought, Fang Tang’s mood improved a little.

But how to grow stronger?

Rely on weapons?