Chapter 3 Trapped in a Water Palace

When Jim Chris saw the turtle shell, he felt a slight pain in the healed wound on his right hand. This brought back memories of what had happened half a month ago.

After breaking through to the fifth level of Qi training, Jim Chris's mother took him to her hometown to burn incense in a temple. While burning incense, someone pushed him from behind, causing him to grab a tortoise shell offered in front of the statue. The shell was dirty and had sharp edges, cutting Jim Chris's hand and causing an infection.

Jim Chris's mother argued with the abbot of the temple, demanding the return of 188 points of merit from the first incense stick. However, the abbot refused, offering only two talismans to ward off evil spirits. Jim Chris's mother took the turtle shell, intending to burn it to get rid of the bad luck, but it remained unburned due to the city's ban on making fires.

In the city, discarded resources must be recycled and processed before being buried by geomancers to maintain the earth's spiritual energy cycle. Only licensed alchemy and refining companies are allowed to make fires. Jim Chris rolled his eyes, preparing to throw the tortoise shell away, hoping it would be buried by a geomancer the next day.

As Jim Chris placed his hand on the tortoise shell, a silver light flashed by, catching his attention.

Jim Chris was caught off guard as his body was enveloped in a silver light, and he disappeared from his room. Time seemed to pass, and Jim Chris's consciousness slowly returned. He found himself in a mysterious cave, unsure of its location. However, he was certain that he was underwater.

As he looked around, Jim Chris saw a vast expanse of blue water above him. The cave was surrounded by a thin, semi-ellipsoidal light cover that repelled fish and crabs. Jim Chris waited for nearly ten minutes, expecting a senior expert to appear, but no one showed up.

He decided to explore the cave and discovered that it was a small underwater cave. The area he was standing in seemed to be the front hall, with four pedestals in the corners, each with a formation flag. These flags, along with the one on the main pedestal behind him, formed a simple water-proof formation.

Thanks to his attention in formation lessons, Jim Chris was able to understand the purpose of the formation. It was a second-level, mid-grade formation designed to gather spirits, avoid water, conceal, and protect. Jim Chris carefully tested the formation, using his knowledge from school, and confirmed that it was correct and not lethal after about an hour.

Relieved that the cave didn't seem to be a trap, Jim Chris waited another half hour before deciding to move and explore the cave further.

Jim Chris explored the small cave, finding only three side halls in addition to the front hall. He suspected that the middle side hall was a training room, but he wasn't sure if anyone was inside. To be cautious, Jim Chris took out a "wooden armor talisman" from his pocket, a first-grade intermediate-grade weapon that could block attacks from a sixth-level Qi training cultivator.

With the talisman in hand, Jim Chris felt safer and decided to investigate the side halls. He took out a coin and rolled it towards the door of the middle side hall. A faint blue electric light flashed, vaporizing the coin into a ball of spiritual mist. Jim Chris felt a pang of regret, as the coin was worth one good deed.

Jim Chris only had a limited amount of pocket money and good deeds, which he had earned through hard work. He hesitated, but his curiosity got the better of him. He decided to test the other two side halls, rolling a coin towards each door. The left side hall triggered a similar blue electric light, vaporizing the coin. However, the right side hall showed a deep blue water ripple, which pushed the coin back.

Jim Chris avoided the rolling coin and waited until it stopped before taking out another coin to test for residual forbidden power. Once he confirmed it was safe, he approached the door of the right side hall and began to try to break the restriction.

Jim Chris tried to break the water wave restriction on the door, but he didn't have the necessary talisman or technique. He practiced the basic Five Elements Internal Skills taught in school, which wasn't enough to overcome the restriction. He regretted not taking a picture of the "Water Sword Talisman" he had been eyeing, which could have helped him break the restriction.

The "Water Sword Talisman" was a first-grade mid-quality talisman worth 30 good merits, suitable for Jim Chris's current level. He felt that if he had the talisman, he could break the restriction. However, he didn't have it and couldn't think of any other way to overcome the restriction.

Jim Chris returned to the central flag base, sat down, and began meditating to recover his consumed magic power. As he meditated, he suddenly jumped up, took out his phone, and opened the software to test the concentration of spiritual energy. The result shocked him: the spiritual energy value was 60, indicating a second-level mid-grade spiritual vein.

Jim Chris realized that the water palace must belong to a wealthy family or a high-level cultivator. He worried that if they discovered him, they would not be pleased. He tried to recall how he ended up there and remembered the turtle shell. However, when he searched the front hall, he couldn't find the shell.

Feeling anxious, Jim Chris thought about how he would explain his situation to his parents. He had been trapped in the water palace for what felt like an eternity, and he knew that his parents would be worried sick about him. As the time passed, he knew that his parents would soon be getting off work. They would expect him to be home, safe and sound, but instead, he was stuck in this strange and mysterious place.

With no other options, Jim Chris decided to call 110, hoping that the law enforcement monks from the Wellesley sect could locate his phone and rescue him from the water palace. He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed the emergency number, his heart racing with anticipation.

As he waited for someone to answer, Jim Chris couldn't help but think about how he had ended up in this situation. He had been so careful, so meticulous, in his spiritual practices, and yet, somehow, he had still managed to get trapped. He felt a pang of frustration and disappointment, but he pushed those feelings aside, focusing instead on the task at hand.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a voice answered on the other end of the line. "110 emergency services, how can we assist you?" a calm and collected voice asked.

Jim Chris took a deep breath and explained his situation, trying to remain as calm and clear as possible. "Hello, I'm Jim Chris, and I'm trapped in the water palace. I was practicing my spiritual exercises, and I think I must have triggered some kind of trap. I'm not sure how to get out, and I was hoping that you could send someone to rescue me."

The voice on the other end of the line remained calm and professional, but Jim Chris could sense a hint of surprise and curiosity. "I see," the voice said. "Can you tell me more about your location? Are you in the water palace in the Wellesley sect?"

Jim Chris nodded, even though he knew that the person on the other end of the line couldn't see him. "Yes, that's correct. I'm in the water palace, and I'm not sure how to get out."

The voice on the other end of the line paused for a moment, and then said, "Okay, Jim Chris, I'm going to send someone to rescue you. Can you stay on the line and provide me with more information about your location?"

Jim Chris nodded again, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. "Yes, of course. I'll stay on the line and provide you with any information you need."

As he waited for the rescue team to arrive, Jim Chris couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude and relief. He was going to be okay, and he was going to get out of this strange and mysterious place. He took a deep breath and focused on staying calm, knowing that help was on the way.