Volume One: The Beginning of the Path Chapter 102: The Lost City

Page (1/3)

Upon hearing this, Ye Junze’s eyes revealed confusion as he questioned, “The Lost City?”

The doctor nodded and said, “Yes, but the story behind this is quite long.”

“Please, Doctor, do enlighten me,” Ye Junze replied earnestly.

“Hmm.” The doctor nodded, about to say more, but then his gaze shifted toward the two beds beside Ye Junze, and he said, “No rush. It seems your two friends are waking up as well. Perhaps we should wait for them.”

At this, Ye Junze immediately turned to look. He saw Wen Yu, who had been sound asleep, furrowing her adorable brows. She clenched her small fists and rubbed her eyes repeatedly, like a little girl reluctant to get out of bed. After a while, she finally opened her eyes and began scanning her surroundings.

When Wen Yu saw Ye Junze beside her, she exclaimed joyfully, “Brother Junze!”

Ye Junze smiled gently and said, “You’re awake.”

“Mm-hmm,” Wen Yu nodded vigorously, then asked, “Where is this place? And where’s Brother Qi? I don’t see him.”

“This is the Lost City, and it’s thanks to these two beside me that we were rescued,” Ye Junze said, pointing to Dr. Kong Qing and Captain Wu Jiang as he introduced them to Wen Yu.

Wen Yu immediately nodded obediently and said, “Wen Yu thanks Dr. Kong and Uncle Wu Jiang for saving my life.”

Kong Qing and Wu Jiang both waved their hands, indicating there was no need for thanks.

Seeing this, Ye Junze continued, “As for your brother, he hasn’t woken up yet. He’s right next to you.”

He pointed toward Qi Yi’s bed.

Following Ye Junze’s finger, Wen Yu saw Qi Yi still lying on the bed. It seemed the noise had disturbed him, as his eyelids twitched slightly—signs of awakening.

The others, all cultivators with keen observation, immediately noticed the change in Qi Yi.

Before anyone could speak, Wen Yu’s excited voice rang out, “Look, look! Brother Qi moved! Is he waking up too?”

Ye Junze nodded. “Yes, his breathing and pulse are quickening. He’ll be awake soon.”

“Mm-hmm, since Brother Junze says so, it must be true,” Wen Yu said with a silly grin.

It was as if Qi Yi heard her words; his eyelids twitched violently, and then he suddenly opened his eyes and sat up.

Still dazed from waking, Qi Yi’s eyes showed confusion as he shook his head lightly. Then he saw Wen Yu looking at him with concern.

Upon seeing her, Qi Yi exclaimed joyfully, “Yu Mei! How are you? Are you alright?”

Wen Yu’s smile could no longer be contained. She shook her head and said, “Brother, I’m fine. It’s so good that you’re awake.”

Page (2/3)

Qi Yi seemed to recall something and immediately asked, “By the way, where is this place? How did we end up here? And what about Senior? Where is he?”

Before he finished, a light cough sounded. “I’m right here,” came Ye Junze’s voice.

Qi Yi looked a bit embarrassed and said, “Senior, how are you? Are you alright?”

Ye Junze waved his hand. “I’m fine. This time, it’s thanks to Dr. Kong Qing and Captain Wu Jiang that we were rescued.” He then introduced them to Qi Yi.

Qi Yi clasped his fists and said gratefully, “Thank you both for saving us. If there’s ever anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask. I, Qi Yi, will do my utmost to help.”

Kong Qing and Wu Jiang waved their hands dismissively, as before, indicating it was nothing. They paid little attention to Qi Yi’s earnest words.

Seeing the three fully awake, Kong Qing said, “Since you’re all awake, you should be fine. Here is your spaceship.”

With that, Kong Qing produced the spaceship, which had been miniaturized, from somewhere and handed it to Ye Junze.

Ye Junze took the small spaceship and looked at it in puzzlement. “Is this really our spaceship? It looks exactly the same, but how was it shrunk like this?”

Before Kong Qing could answer, Qi Yi took up the thread. “Senior, our spaceship is actually portable. I hadn’t had a chance to tell you before. I’m sure Dr. Kong noticed this too and used some method to shrink it.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Junze nodded slowly. “I see. In that case, it’s better if you keep it. You understand these things better than I do.”

With that, Ye Junze tossed the small spaceship to Qi Yi, who caught it carefully, as if afraid of damaging it.

Once secure, Qi Yi muttered inwardly, “Senior really doesn’t know the value of things—how can you just throw this around?”

Kong Qing, recalling Qi Yi’s words, explained, “This young man is right. After your spaceship fell into the sea, it activated emergency protocols, sealing the cabin completely. I connected to the ship’s system remotely and rescued you from inside. Since you’d need it again, and after discovering it was portable, I shrunk it. I’m sure this young man knows how to restore it, so I won’t embarrass myself by explaining.”

“I see. Doctor, you’re truly remarkable,” Ye Junze sincerely praised. Although it sounded simple when the doctor explained it, Ye Junze knew the process must have been complex and difficult. His gratitude toward the doctor deepened.

Kong Qing waved his hand. “It’s nothing. I’ve spent my life studying these things. Oh, and don’t worry—I’ve deleted the program I input into the spaceship’s system. You can use it with confidence.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Qi Yi said sincerely.

Kong Qing shook his head and said no more, then continued, “Now that’s settled, I imagine you’re curious about this place.”

All three nodded eagerly, their eyes filled with curiosity.

Ye Junze spoke directly, “Doctor, what exactly is this Lost City you mentioned?”

“The Lost City?” Qi Yi and Wen Yu echoed, puzzled.

“That’s right. This place is the recuperation room of the Mihai Research Institute, and I am its director, as well as an honorary doctor,” Kong Qing explained.

The three nodded, acknowledging this.

Page (3/3)

Kong Qing went on, “As for the city we are in, it is called Yizhu, which is the Lost City you mentioned earlier. This city may differ from any city you have known before—Yizhu is a city in the sea.”

“A city in the sea?!” The three exclaimed in unison, astonished.

Kong Qing nodded. “If I’m not mistaken, you all come from the Shangyang Continent, correct?”

Qi Yi answered, “Yes, we come from Shangyang Continent.”

Kong Qing continued, “Then it’s as I thought. Many years ago—nearly eight hundred years—the city of Yizhu, like all other cities on Shangyang Continent, was originally situated on the mainland. Back then, it was not called Yizhu but Qinghua. However, one day, something unknown happened. Qinghua suddenly disappeared from the land and descended into the current sea area.”

“Qinghua?” Qi Yi murmured, then suddenly recalled something. “Right, Qinghua. I once saw in a book that many years ago, a city on Shangyang Continent vanished without a trace, along with all its inhabitants. The book said that city was called Qinghua. People investigated many times but found no results. It became a mystery in Shangyang Continent’s history. I never expected the truth to be this.”

Kong Qing nodded appreciatively. “I thought this city had vanished from Shangyang Continent’s history forever, but I’m glad someone still remembers us. After Qinghua was swept into this sea area, our ancestors tried repeatedly to return to Shangyang Continent but failed to escape. They realized that, despite being in the sea, life here continued as if on land. It seemed this sea held some special life force that did not affect them; they could farm, produce, and even cultivate normally here. So, the ancestors abandoned the idea of returning and settled here. To remind themselves they had left their homeland, they renamed Qinghua to Yizhu, meaning ‘the lost pearl in this sea.’ Over the past eight hundred years, Yizhu has developed into what you see today.”

The three took some time to absorb Kong Qing’s words and nodded slowly.

Qi Yi’s eyes showed deep thought as he said, “Based on what you said, Doctor, and my own observations, this city’s technology clearly surpasses that of Shangyang Continent by decades.”

Kong Qing praised him, “Exactly. Though the ancestors decided to settle here, they still hoped to return to their homeland one day. Many united to conduct research and established the Mihai Research Institute, which continues to this day.”

“I see,” Qi Yi nodded in understanding.

Ye Junze, overhearing the conversation, admitted he didn’t comprehend it fully but had a pressing question.

He said, “Doctor, sorry to interrupt, but may I ask something?”

“Of course, go ahead,” the doctor smiled, looking at Ye Junze.

“Our spaceship, when passing over this sea area, suddenly detected a strange gravitational magnetic field. Then it lost control and descended straight here. Do you know what caused this?”

Kong Qing’s eyes darkened thoughtfully. “A gravitational magnetic field? It seems that is indeed the case.”

“What did you say, Doctor?” Ye Junze asked.

Kong Qing replied, “I believe I may know the reason behind this.”

Ye Junze said eagerly, “Oh? Please, Doctor, tell us.”