Chapter 2854 - 2916: A World Within a World

The Stone Coffin had mechanisms; Li Yifei attempted to push it twice but couldn’t open it. He had to walk around the coffin twice, searching for the mechanism, while considering if he should forcibly break it open. Summoning the True Qi Blade, Li Yifei ’gently’ made two cuts on the coffin, but discovered it was extremely sturdy. Breaking it by force would likely require considerable effort.

"Tsk! You let me in, but now make it so solid. I could blow it up with explosives, but that wouldn’t protect what’s inside. So you need to give me a way to open it." Having fiddled with the Stone Coffin for over half an hour without success and feeling like he’s turned into a tomb raider unable to solve the problem, he lost a bit of patience and tapped the coffin, confirming it was indeed empty inside.

Sitting down, Li Yifei pondered what to do. He had checked all possible areas; the Stone Coffin seemed seamless, and despite pushing, lifting, bumping, or knocking it, it wouldn’t budge. It was immensely hard, clearly not made of stone but a steel alloy mixed with other substances, looking as though it had been cast in one go. Naturally, there would be no gaps.

The platform beneath the Stone Coffin was the same, devoid of any gaps, which Li Yifei confirmed beyond doubt. He frowned until suddenly jumping up, patting his head, and thinking, "I’m such an idiot, blaming you for not giving me a clue. The hint is right there in the boxing technique."

Running through the entire boxing technique in his mind, Li Yifei found the method to open the Stone Coffin, and he was sure this was the way. However... this method posed some difficulty and required executing four moves in a very short time, each corresponding to one of the coffin’s four sides. As for the specific striking positions, Li Yifei instantly comprehended them, as they were already revealed within the boxing technique. Adjusting his breath, he opened his eyes minutes later, confident after many mental rehearsals.

His footwork was swift, and the technique ran its course. Li Yifei felt that using these four boxing moves simultaneously would probably consume at least half of his True Qi. This was the wonder of the Nameless Boxing Technique, also its fierce nature. As long as he didn’t deplete his Qi entirely, triggering internal injuries, it was fine.

One punch, two punches; Li Yifei executed them in a single breath, completing both the footwork and boxing strikes in an exceedingly fast and brief period. Then came the third and fourth punches, executed with precision and just the right force.

Ah, this force refers to the strength the coffin bore; in fact, Li Yifei wasn’t controlling the force.

After finishing, Li Yifei retracted his moves and waited for the Stone Coffin to react, given this was the method indicated in the boxing technique. If it didn’t work... he would temporarily abandon this attempt to avoid wasting too much time here and delaying his main goals. He could always return with advanced tools later.

With this thought, Li Yifei retreated two steps, waiting for the outcome. Just as he stepped back, the Stone Coffin suddenly showed activity, boiling inside as if water was heating up, and then came a boom... it exploded! A large alloy piece flew toward Li Yifei.

Speed was swift; Li Yifei only managed to raise both arms in front of him, hearing boom as massive force hit him, and he was involuntarily flung away.

Behind was the wall, so the next second, Li Yifei had already slammed against it, caught between front and back. He only had time to utter one "Darn," before being brutally crushed against the wall, vision turning black.

After waking up again, Li Yifei struggled to push aside a few hundred pounds of alloy pieces over him and crawled out with effort. Only he could manage this; anyone else would have been minced meat by now. Even still, he managed to break a few ribs. His other bones and organs suffered damage, coughing up several mouths of blood, Li Yifei felt a slight relief that his backpack left at the doorway remained unscathed. If it had been crushed by dozens or hundreds of pounds of debris, its contents would surely be ruined.

Expelling the clotted blood, Li Yifei felt slightly better, coughed twice, and gathered True Qi to flow throughout his body. After two circulation cycles through his meridians, he regained much vitality. This was the benefit brought by improved cultivation; injuries would heal faster.

Then turning his gaze toward the Stone Coffin, Li Yifei saw its exterior had been blasted open, but there were no imagined bones or burial items. At the blast spot, the stone platform remained intact. Standing up and approaching it, Li Yifei saw a Formation Pattern on the platform, extremely complex and intricate. Just a few glances made him dizzy, and he turned to vomit twice.

"Darn, what kind of wicked thing is this?" After vomiting, Li Yifei couldn’t help but say, "With my level, even if impaired, there’s no way a mere glance at the Formation would make me so dizzy... unless it’s a top-tier Formation."

Thinking of this, Li Yifei also steeled himself, drew a breath of True Qi, and walked back again. The dizziness remained, but he concentrated, just able to keep his eyes open.

A minute, two minutes... After five minutes, Li Yifei stretched out a hand, and his whole body suddenly vanished from the spot. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in a strange space, like being on an island. There was no sun in the sky, but a blue glow. Li Yifei steadied himself and shook his head; staring at the formation for so long had left him still feeling dizzy.

A place resembling Arcadia, this was the world within the Formation Method. But the effort put in by the other party to bring him here, or rather to set several trials, Li Yifei by now understood a bit. That Stone Door was not an ordinary stone door; without True Qi, it might be impossible to enter, even with physical force. This was the first trial.

And the practice of boxing, that was the second trial, which required the entrant to have sufficient skills and to recognize the boxing technique, and then be able to practice it. Remember, when Li Yifei learned it, it took him a whole day and night, enduring much pain to master, and he did not dare claim full comprehension, let alone anyone else.

The third trial was the Stone Coffin. The alloy of such hardness would be useless without correctly understanding the application of the boxing technique.

After passing the three trials, Li Yifei stood there, in a space about the size of half a football field, surrounded by mist. It was within the Formation Space, so Li Yifei could understand. Not far ahead, there was a thatched cottage, with a peach tree full of blossoms in front of it, and petals scattered beneath. The space was filled with fragrance, everything seemed so real. Li Yifei had no doubt about the authenticity of the peach blossoms. He walked over to find a lounge chair under the peach tree, next to which was a wooden table with a wooden bowl on it, free of dust, as if everything was happening now.

"There’s wine." Li Yifei sniffed and caught the scent of alcohol. He searched and found a mechanism under the peach tree, opening it to reveal densely packed wine jars inside, each weighing about ten pounds. Li Yifei grabbed one, noting it marked as Peach Blossom Brew, seemingly brewed from the tree’s peach blossoms. He broke the seal and the rich aroma of alcohol wafted out, mixed with the light scent of peach blossoms, though the alcohol scent was dominant. He directly picked up the wooden bowl and poured himself a bowl.

Within the Formation Method, it was a paradise; everything was real. Just on this point, Li Yifei had to admire the person who formed it, recalling the Formation Methods he had encountered. Modern people could absolutely not create this, not even Su Lio’s grandfather, who deeply studied formations, could not make such a formation.

Draining a bowl in one gulp, Li Yifei sighed in contentment. The sweet Peach Blossom Brew was soothing and refreshing, becoming a cooling sensation in his stomach, rapidly entering his meridians, transforming into Spirit Qi, absorbed and converted by Li Yifei.

"Good wine, this thing is simply too wonderful!" Scanning the underground cellar, Li Yifei roughly estimated there were dozens of jars, unable to contain his delight. If he could take these treasures away, this trip to the Taihang Mountain would be more than worth it.

Drinking four or five bowls in succession, Li Yifei finally stopped, wiping his mouth, and setting down the bowl. He walked towards the small wooden house, its door closed, the windows finely made, concealing the inside from view. Li Yifei knocked twice, asking, "Is anyone inside? May I enter?"

The question was redundant; Li Yifei was just asking rhetorically, naturally receiving no answer. So, he paused for a few seconds, then pushed open the door. With a creak, the wooden door opened, revealing the interior. It was much like the traditional communal houses Li Yifei had seen, if one were to ask what those were like. Have you seen those rural houses in the countryside when you were young? Yes, it’s about the same. Before him was also a large pot, stepping inside, Li Yifei saw it empty, but a bag of rice stood on a nearby shelf. Yet, after so many years, whether the rice was still palatable or whether someone living in such a place even needed to eat remained unknown. Oh, wait, brewing so much wine, how could they not enjoy good food? He thought with a silent chuckle, feeling the owner here was also an amusing person,

The room carried a faint fragrance, resembling a girl’s boudoir, with feminine decor. There was a door leading to what seemed the boudoir. Without stopping, Li Yifei pushed open the second door and entered.

But as he stepped inside and saw the contents clearly, what appeared before him shook him to his core, his eyes widened instantly, pupils dilating. You could see the shock in his gaze.

"How... could this be?" he exclaimed involuntarily.