Over the next few days, Gu Yanqing and Lin Zhixue took on two more Rank C missions.
One was to help the Pill Hall harvest an urgent batch of spirit herbs from the medicinal fields, while the other was to accompany a team in clearing out several roaming demon beasts along the mountain path west of the sect.
Neither mission was difficult, and their teamwork grew increasingly seamless, allowing them to accumulate points much faster than anticipated.
By the time the point rankings updated again two days before the opening of the secret realm, both of their ranks were firmly in the middle tier.
...
On the day the secret realm opened, before dawn had fully broken, a sizable crowd had already gathered in the square.
They were not just disciples of the Yunxiao Sect.
This time, the sect had also allocated a number of slots to key disciples from other sects.
Here and there across the square, unfamiliar faces dressed in different robes could be seen—some clustered in small groups conversing in hushed tones, others standing alone in corners sizing up their surroundings.
Standing among the crowd, Lin Zhixue’s gaze swept over the unfamiliar disciples one by one.
She spotted a late Golden Core cultivator leaning against a stone pillar at the edge of the square, arms crossed and expression aloof, while the surrounding disciples subconsciously kept their distance from him.
“That’s Lu Yuan from the Cangyun Sect. Late Golden Core, one of the highest-cultivated individuals entering the secret realm this time.”
Jiang Yinglan had walked up beside her at some point, following her gaze.
“Don’t be nervous. The secret realm disperses everyone randomly. Once inside, everyone goes their own way, so you might not even cross paths with him.”
Lin Zhixue withdrew her gaze.
She was not nervous; looking at the back of that late Golden Core cultivator, a certain thought simply surfaced in her mind once again.
Not enough. She was still far from that realm.
A clear, melodious chime of a bell echoed from afar, and the clamor in the square gradually died down.
The teleportation formation for the secret realm slowly illuminated in the center of the square. Concentric rings of silver formation patterns emerged from the ground, spiritual light rippling along the lines and casting flickering shadows across the entire square.
The elder in charge of opening the secret realm stood atop the formation dais and briefly laid out a few rules.
Positions upon entry would be randomized, offensive formation plates were forbidden, and deliberately harming fellow disciples was strictly prohibited. The secret realm would remain open for three days in total, after which the teleportation formation would automatically activate to send everyone back.
Gu Yanqing stood beside her, watching the increasingly brilliant teleportation formation. He offered no hollow words of encouragement, merely murmuring a quiet “Be careful” before she took her step forward.
Lin Zhixue gave a gentle nod and stepped into the teleportation formation. Silver light swallowed her vision.
When the silver light faded, Lin Zhixue found herself standing in a dense forest.
Towering trees formed a canopy that blotted out the sky, letting only scattered beams of light filter through the gaps between leaves.
The damp scent of earth and the fragrance of unknown flowers drifted through the air. The surroundings were so quiet that only the faint chirping of distant insects could be heard.
“Left!” Xiaoyu darted out from the jade pendant, spinning in midair.
“I just sensed it—the spiritual energy is much denser to the left! Good stuff is usually where the spiritual energy is thickest!”
“Trust me, I have experience with this.”
“Since when do you have experience?”
“I was born with experience!” Xiaoyu drifted ahead, brimming with self-righteous confidence.
“This way, this way! We don’t know where to go right now anyway, so heading toward denser spiritual energy can’t possibly be wrong.”
Following the direction Xiaoyu indicated, she traversed the dense forest. After walking for about half a shichen, the undergrowth grew sparser, and light gradually broke through ahead.
Then, she caught the faint sound of footsteps.
Grasping the hilt of her sword, she slowed her pace, peering from behind a tree to see a familiar figure.
Xu Muhe was squatting on the ground, holding a talisman between her fingertips and carefully sticking it onto a tree trunk before her.
The moment the talisman touched the bark, a faint silver light flared and promptly died, crumbling into a small pinch of ash that drifted down from between her fingers.
She sighed, dusted off her hands, and stood up, locking eyes with Lin Zhixue.
“Miss Lin?” She froze momentarily, then her almond eyes crinkled into a smile.
“What a coincidence! Looks like we were assigned to the same area. This works out great—it’s rather boring wandering alone anyway. Shall we go together?”
Lin Zhixue nodded and walked over.
Xu Muhe drew several talismans from her storage bag and held them out to her.
“Take these. This one is a protective talisman; just stick it inside your lapel. It’ll trigger automatically upon being attacked, capable of blocking a blow from an early Foundation Establishment demon beast.”
“And this is a haste talisman. Stick it on your leg to run a bit faster. Your swordsmanship is superb, so you probably won’t need it, but having extra precautions never hurts.”
...
Lin Zhixue took the talismans and looked down at them.
The spiritual patterns on the talismans were drawn meticulously. The strokes were fluid, though a few transitions showed slight unpracticed roughness. Yet the spiritual energy flowed smoothly, making their efficacy even better than the standard talismans sold in the sect.
She turned the talisman over to inspect the alignment of the runes on the back, then looked up at Xu Muhe’s hands.
Those fingers, currently straightening the talismans, were covered in tiny cuts—some scabbed over, others still fresh—and thin calluses coated the spots worn down by repeated work with a carving knife.
“Did you draw all these talismans yourself?”
Xu Muhe paused, then smiled softly. “Yeah. Is it that obvious?”
“Your hands told me.”
Xu Muhe looked down at her hands, curling her fingers inward with a light squeeze as her voice softened slightly.
“Buying finished talismans is too expensive; drawing them myself is cheaper. But I’m still practicing and they aren’t very good, so please bear with them.”
Lin Zhixue carefully put the talismans away and looked up at her.
“I said their efficacy is good. They aren’t bad at all.”
Xu Muhe froze. Looking at Lin Zhixue’s earnest expression, she suddenly did not know how to respond.
Then, lowering her head, she smiled gently.
The corners of her lips curled up slightly, and something in the depths of her eyes slowly melted away.
The two continued onward.
At the end of the dense forest lay an open gravel beach, where an early Foundation Establishment stone-armored lizard stood at the far end.
Reacting quickly, Xu Muhe pinched a talisman between the fingers of each hand, took a step back, and began assessing the situation.
The spiritual fluctuations on the demon beast were gradually intensifying, suggesting it was likely guarding something. The safest route would be to skirt around the gravel beach from the left.
In her mind, she swiftly calculated the landing points, travel path, and angles to throw her talismans, mapping out a complete tactical response.
Then, Lin Zhixue drew her sword and charged.
Lin Zhixue closed the distance to the stone-armored lizard in an instant.
Xu Muhe subconsciously threw the talismans she had prepared in her hands.
The two explosive talismans landed accurately on the stone-armored lizard’s front left leg, bursting into twin blasts of fire. Howling in pain, the beast’s movement stuttered.
Instantly seizing this opening, Lin Zhixue thrust her sword into the seam between the scales on its neck. The tip of her blade pierced through the soft under-scales, killing it in a single strike.
The entire process was clean and decisive; from drawing her sword to sheathing it took no more than ten breaths.
Xu Muhe stood in the rear, still holding up the third talisman she hadn’t had time to throw.
Watching Lin Zhixue walk over from the carcass of the stone-armored lizard, the Guilan Sword still stained with fresh beast blood, she suddenly felt a bit dazed.
“Your talismans worked well just now,” Lin Zhixue said.
...
Gu Yanqing picked up a third piece of raw Red Gold Sand ore from the ground and held it up to the light to inspect its quality. Not bad.
The random teleportation of the secret realm had dumped him halfway up a mountain. The area was surrounded by jagged rocks and low shrubs; while the visibility was expansive, not a single soul was in sight.
After walking along the mountain ridge for a while, he discovered several exposed ore outcrops, among which happened to be the Red Gold Sand needed for cultivating 《Black Iron Body》.
Stowing the ore into his storage bag, he continued onward, though his mind was not occupied with how many more materials he needed.
The cultivation technique she obtained in the secret realm in the original novel was nowhere near this mountain.
She was likely on the opposite end of the secret realm.
Stuffing the last piece of ore into his storage bag, he brushed the stone dust from his hands and quickened his pace.
This secret realm was not small. He needed to find her quickly.
Rate on N.U.
