Chapter 37: Secret Realm Opens
Fierce palm wind whistled towards them.
Xu Ziqing’s palm, Roaming Dragons of the Eight Desolations, was extremely standard, having grasped its entire essence.
Chu Huaixu watched from the side, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He wasn’t particularly surprised, just grinding his teeth in frustration.
“Damn it! Utterly damnable!”
He strongly suspected Xu Ziqing’s character panel was: Although [False Spiritual Embryo], he has [Comprehension 10].
This was a cultivation world, not a martial arts world, so there was no such thing as internal energy. Mortal martial arts were essentially about learning the forms. But he had learned it just by watching a few times.
With this thought, he muttered to himself again, “Damn it, utterly damnable!”
“Should I charge him ten taels for tuition?”
After retracting his palm, Xu Ziqing secretly sized up Chu Huaixu with his peripheral vision.
The young man harbored a few small thoughts, intending to show off.
However, the only response he received was a lukewarm, “Mmm, pretty good.”
Han Shuangjiang, standing nearby, also noticed them and was secretly surprised.
But the cold-faced girl always kept her emotions well hidden, maintaining a stern expression, so nothing could be discerned.
This left Xu Ziqing feeling greatly disappointed.
“As expected, compared to cultivators, this is nothing.”
“You can learn mortal martial arts just by looking at them, but you can’t pick up cultivators’ [Spells] so easily. What’s so remarkable?”
Xu Ziqing was troubled, unsure how he could get an opportunity to cultivate.
Carrying the deep-seated hatred of his family, his emotions were complicated, his mind was a mess, and he wanted to showcase his strengths more.
He was even resorting to desperate measures.
Chu Huaixu could actually guess what he was thinking.
But now was not the time.
He was merely a registered disciple, unauthorized to impart cultivation techniques to others. That would be a grave offense to the sect!
“I wonder if Old Niu can pull this off?” he mused.
At this moment, Chu Huaixu felt quite emotional.
If it weren’t for the fortunate coincidence of him taking Xu Ziqing’s place to ascend the mountain, he would have had to find another way out, or follow the initial arrangement and work as a spy in the outer sect.
“If that were the case, I probably would have racked my brains trying to show off and earn an opportunity to cultivate.”
He looked at this world’s protagonist, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.
“He’s also a False Spiritual Embryo, just like my past self.”
“And according to the original storyline, he will draw that sword.”
“Then, could the Sword Refining Art, which is highly compatible with me, also happen to be very suitable for him?”
Chu Huaixu began to fantasize, but the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
— Better to suffer alone than let everyone suffer.
The clean-faced handyman, in a state of extreme dejection, was unaware of any of this.
“Perhaps I should go clean the latrines instead,” he thought.
The sun was nearing its descent.
Although a new handyman had joined their household, the meals were still prepared by Han Shuangjiang.
The reason was simple: Xu Ziqing was only a mediocre cook, his food was truly awful, and he had no talent for it.
Fortunately, the dishes no longer needed to be washed by her; the handyman was responsible for that.
This situation was perfectly in line with Chu Huaixu’s standard for taking in subordinates: Stick with me, and if I have food to eat, you’ll have a bowl to wash.
Xu Ziqing’s bedroom was naturally arranged in Chu Huaixu’s bamboo house.
The bamboo house had one large and one small room.
Despite the decent living conditions for registered disciples, one must remember that starting next month, rent would have to be paid to the sect.
That night, Chu Huaixu did not cultivate the Sword Refining Art.
He had just leveled up three times consecutively and still felt the lingering trauma, not wanting to subject himself to further torment in the middle of the night.
But there were no entertainment options available, which made him feel a bit bored.
“No wonder cultivation emphasizes resources, techniques, companions, and location.”
“If I had a dao companion, perhaps I wouldn’t be so lonely.”
With nothing else to do, Chu Huaixu began making plans based on his experience as a player.
However, he was still in the Meridian-Opening Stage, and his options were limited.
“I need to reach the First Realm as soon as possible.”
As the night deepened, Chu Huaixu removed his clothes, accustomed to sleeping naked.
At the Hour of the Rat, he suddenly opened his eyes on the bed and looked at the Storage Token placed on his clothes.
An indescribable, mysterious energy was spreading outwards from it.
Chu Huaixu got out of bed naked, picked up the token, and took out an item from it.
The Pill King’s Token fragment, like mutton-fat jade, was placed in his palm.
At that moment, it emitted a very faint light.
“The Secret Realm is about to open?” Chu Huaixu’s pupils contracted, his heartbeat quickening.
He put on his robes and pushed the door open.
At the same time, Han Shuangjiang from the adjacent bamboo house also walked out, holding a fragment of the Pill King’s Token in her hand.
“Perfect timing, I was planning to find you for confirmation,” Chu Huaixu said to her.
“It seems this Secret Realm has truly opened!” he said with a slight smile.
Han Shuangjiang nodded slightly, glancing at the fragment of the jade token in her palm. She felt a mix of excitement and nervousness.
“Then shall we head to that cold pond now?” she asked.
“Didn’t expect you to be so impatient?” Chu Huaixu chuckled.
Hearing this, Han Shuangjiang pursed her lips and remained silent, afraid of being teased by him again.
“No rush, we need to prepare. Who knows how many days we’ll be in the Secret Realm,” the experienced ‘escort’ said.
In the past, many wealthy women enjoyed booking him for dungeon runs because he was strong, could carry them, and the atmosphere was good when it was just the two of them.
It was a bit like forming a team for a dungeon escape room in the cultivation world?
“Didn’t Steward Niu say that the Secret Realm can only be opened by gathering all the Pill King’s Tokens?”
“So there’s no need to worry, they can’t enter without us. Chu Huaixu waved his hand.”
Speaking of which, his eyes narrowed, “Moreover, those surnamed Liu are probably also having a small meeting to discuss their actions within the Secret Realm.”
Medicine Mountain, Liu Family.
Liu Chengqi was still awake because he had just finished his activities.
A soft, jade-like warm body lay in his embrace, the woman’s delicate feet gently circling his calf.
“Senior Disciple Liu, you’re so powerful.” The woman exhaled fragrantly, her voice soft as she gently brushed against his neck.
“Is that so? Junior Disciple Chen, am I more powerful, or is he?” Liu Chengqi asked, his hand tracing her spine downwards towards her curves.
It had to be said, this scoundrel’s taste was as consistent as ever; he simply liked this kind of style.
“Of course, you are more powerful! How can he compare to you! Tonight, you are even more powerful than before, like… like…”
“Like what?” Liu Chengqi squeezed her buttocks forcefully, his tone filled with pride and anticipation.
“Like you’ve taken a pill.”
Upon hearing Junior Disciple Chen’s words, Liu Chengqi’s large hand suddenly stiffened, and his expression couldn’t help but darken.
Because he had indeed taken a pill.
At that moment, he suddenly felt something was amiss.
Finally, his gaze fell upon his Storage Token.
Liu Chengqi quickly got up and took out the jade token fragment from it.
Looking at the mysterious faint glow, endless joy appeared in his eyes, and he couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Finally! The Secret Realm has finally opened! Hahaha!”
He had waited for this day for a long time.
It was just that he hadn’t expected Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang to be so lucky, that the Secret Realm would open just as they obtained the Pill King’s Token.
“If it had been a few days earlier, they wouldn’t even have a chance to enter!” Liu Chengqi’s eyes were filled with shadows.
He truly didn’t want to share such an opportunity with others, but there was nothing he could do.
The woman who had been lying on the bed immediately sat up, her face beaming, and said, “Congratulations, Senior Disciple Liu!”
It was clear that she also knew about the Secret Realm.
The reason was simple: this female disciple, at the peak of the Meridian-Opening Stage, was one of the nine people carefully selected by Steward Liu to accompany his beloved son into the Secret Realm. At that time, they would be distributed token fragments.
However, two fragments had generously been given to others, so the nine were no longer needed as guardians, and only seven could descend.
“You can wait here. You should go back first; I need to report this matter to my father,” Liu Chengqi began to dismiss her.
Normally, after taking consumables, he wouldn’t simply let his junior disciple leave after one round, waiting only to stop when his ‘purse’ was dry.
But now, the important matter took precedence.
Besides, she was already slightly loosened.
“I am a innate blazing fire spiritual embryo, ranked first-grade!”
“As long as I recover, supreme enlightenment awaits me!”
“What if this Chu Huaixu has the backing of the Sixth Elder now? As long as I enter the inner sect and my cultivation soars, I might even become an elder’s disciple! Or even apprentice to the Sect Master!”
“As for Han Shuangjiang…” Liu Chengqi, still affected by the medicinal effects, licked his lips.
Now, it all depended on whether there was anything he desired within this Secret Realm.
Liu Chengqi immediately set off to find Liu Tianfeng.
To his surprise, Liu Tianfeng was not at home.
His Storage Token still contained 7 fragments, and he had discovered the anomaly long ago.
At this very moment, the old man was standing by that cold pond.
The chilling air from the bottom of the pond, even for someone of his cultivation level, could not be resisted for too long.
At this time, Liu Tianfeng probed downwards with his Divine Sense and immediately detected something.
“The cold air has indeed almost dissipated.”
“No, all the cold air has been absorbed!”
