The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 169 - 168. Doors of Fortune

Chapter 169: 168. Doors of Fortune

Tyler stood in the heart of the labyrinth, staring at the shrine he had stumbled upon in the middle of the green field. The transformation from the desert maze outside to this lush, almost serene environment puzzled him. The ruin had appeared abandoned from the outside, with sand and time eroding its walls. Yet now, standing in front of it, the structure looked pristine, untouched by age or decay.

"Okay... The shrine is definitely not in the desert anymore," Tyler muttered to himself, cautiously stepping forward.

Inside, the air was cool and still. Shadows clung to the corners, but a faint light illuminated the massive Buddha-like statue at the far end of the room. Its face, however, was obscured. Tyler frowned, feeling a strange dissonance. He could sense the presence of a face on the statue, but no matter how hard he looked, his mind refused to comprehend it. It was as though the face existed in a different realm, beyond his perception.

The walls of the shrine were adorned with murals of people and creatures, all bowing in reverence to the statue. Some were kneeling, others praying, their postures expressing deep devotion. Tyler felt a twinge of unease as he stepped closer to the statue. The atmosphere in the room was thick with an ancient, reverent energy. Was this place meant for worship? Or was it guarding something more sinister?

Tyler tried bowing to the statue, half out of respect, half out of curiosity. Nothing happened. He knelt, mimicking the gestures of the figures in the murals, hoping to trigger some hidden mechanism. Still, nothing.

"Sigh... Well, that was pointless," he muttered, getting back on his feet.

His eyes caught on a faint crack running along the right hand of the statue. The hand, though damaged, appeared to be pointing toward the ground. Tyler crouched, following the direction of the gesture, and noticed a small, hidden door at the base of the statue.

"Interesting..." Tyler whispered. Without hesitation, he pried the door open, revealing a ladder that led down into darkness. He peered into the void, but it was impossible to see how deep the shaft went.

Shrugging off any lingering doubts, Tyler gripped the ladder and began his descent. Halfway down, the ladder abruptly ended, leaving him suspended above a seemingly bottomless pit of blackness.

"Well, here goes nothing," Tyler said, letting go and dropping into the abyss.

He fell for what seemed like an eternity before his feet hit solid ground with a soft thud. Tyler straightened, brushing off his clothes. He summoned his **Angel Ring**, which floated above his head, bathing the room in soft light. He dialed up the brightness, illuminating his surroundings.

The room was entirely sealed off, except for a wall at the far end that held nine doors arranged in a 3x3 grid. Each door was identical, made of solid stone, with intricate engravings that Tyler couldn’t immediately decipher. In the center of the room stood a stone slate, covered in ancient symbols and arrays.

"This is cool..." Tyler mumbled, his curiosity piqued. He knelt beside the slate and began examining the engravings more closely. It was a complex array, but it became clearer as he focused on it. He poured **Aura** into the slate, and one side of the engravings flickered to life, glowing softly before dimming again.

"Hmm... It needs more than just Aura," Tyler mused. He decided to pour **Prana** into the slate as well, and this time, the other side of the engravings lit up.

The entire slate glowed with power, and a flood of information poured into Tyler’s mind:

**"9 doors – 3 Fortunes. Don’t be greedy and choose wisely. Hope the luck is on your side."**

The mention of ’luck’ made Tyler shudder. His luck had always been... unpredictable. It had saved him from certain death before, but it also had a nasty habit of leading him into complicated situations. And yet, here he was, in a shrine where luck seemed to play a pivotal role.

"Great, just great," Tyler muttered sarcastically.

He stood up, taking in the sight of the nine doors again. Each door seemed to whisper of both promise and peril. Tyler approached the first door cautiously, placing his hand against the cold stone.

As soon as his hand touched the door, more information flashed in his mind:

**[Behind this door is water. If you open it, the room will fill with water.]**

Tyler frowned. "Water? Why would I want to flood the room?"

He moved to the second door.

**[This door contains an ancient beast. It has been trapped here for more than a thousand years. The only way to defeat it is by using the water from the first door.]**

Tyler narrowed his eyes. The doors were clearly interconnected, each one tied to the next. He checked the third door:

**[This door houses a sealed hive of bees that produce Moon Honey. The seal will break once the door is opened.]**

Moon Honey? That sounded like a valuable resource, but it also came with the risk of unleashing a horde of angry bees.

Tyler moved to the fourth door, high up on the wall, and tried to pull out a paper crane from his storage to fly up to it. But nothing happened.

"Storage treasures are blocked, huh? Guess I’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way," Tyler muttered.

Tyler jumped up, effortlessly reaching for the fourth door. As his hand brushed against the cold stone, more information flooded into his mind.

**[The 4th door contains poison gas that can paralyze the Moon Honey Bees.]**

Tyler nodded thoughtfully. "Useful, but only if I want to deal with those bees." He shrugged and moved on, leaping to the fifth door.

As his fingers grazed the stone, the familiar rush of knowledge filled his mind.

**[The 5th door has a treasure that can make you Immortal, but you will be locked inside with it. You have to wait until your loved one opens it.]**

"A trap disguised as a treasure," Tyler muttered. The allure of immortality was tempting, but being trapped for an eternity was a cruel twist. He had no desire to become a prisoner of time, even for the promise of endless life.

Ignoring the temptation, he hopped to the sixth door, eager to see what it held.

**[A sound transmission charm that can send a message to anyone in the Labyrinth. Can be used only once.]**

Tyler’s eyes lit up at the description. This charm was undoubtedly connected to the fifth door, probably meant to help someone trapped inside the Immortality Room. But Tyler had no intention of touching that door. Instead, he was excited about the potential of this charm. It could help him find his crew.

"This is definitely useful," Tyler thought, already making plans to claim the charm once he’d explored the other doors.

He leaped higher to the seventh door, his curiosity still driving him. As his hand pressed against the door, the message appeared again.

**[Exit this Shrine.]**

"Straightforward," Tyler mused. "But why leave now when I’m just getting started?"

He jumped again, reaching for the eighth door.

**[Exit this Labyrinth.]**

His brows furrowed. "So there is a way out."

Finally, he ascended to the ninth and highest door. As he touched it, a message appeared that stopped him cold.

**[Exit this Planet.]**

Tyler’s jaw dropped. "What the heck?"

Tyler touched his chin, deep in thought. He could only choose three doors, and he wasn’t sure what would happen if he opened more than that. He didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks in this strange place. The rules were clear—he could open up to three doors, gain one treasure, and then use the 7th, 8th, or 9th door to escape. But beyond that, the consequences were unknown.

The ninth door, in particular, intrigued him. **Exit this Planet.** Would that really throw him into space? The curiosity gnawed at him, but it was too dangerous to test. He’d much rather avoid such a fate.

His mind began to race, considering his options. He needed to choose wisely, as greed could easily lead him into a trap. Tyler was confident in his decision-making, but even he knew when to be cautious

He then decided to proceed his plan.

With all the doors surveyed, Tyler turned his attention back to the sixth door. The sound transmission charm was still the most practical choice, especially in this maze-like labyrinth. He could worry about exiting later. For now, it was more important to gather useful tools and see what else this place had to offer.

He approached the sixth door once more and, with a firm press of his palm, opened it. Inside was a simple pedestal, and sitting atop it was a glowing charm. Tyler stepped forward, gingerly picking up the charm and examining it closely.

"Perfect," he whispered. It allowed him to communicate with anyone within the labyrinth—but only once. Tyler smirked at the simplicity of the problem.

Quantity is never an issue for Tyler.

He took out his copper pot hanging on his waist.