Chapter 18: Secret Realm Turmoil

Hidden Sword Mountain.

The peak of Wuyou Peak.

Master Wangyou paced back and forth on the bluestone at the edge of the cliff, his hands behind his back.

His white beard twitched up and down.

It had been nearly a day.

‘Why hasn’t that silly girl returned yet?’

The old man’s heart was burning with anxiety.

Recently, a major event had occurred in the Xuanzhou Continent.

On the southern edge of Hidden Sword Mountain, a sect disciple searching for potential recruits had suddenly discovered an unknown Secret Realm.

Every major sect was in an uproar.

According to the unwritten rules of the Xuanzhou Continent, whenever such a masterless new Secret Realm appeared, the major sects would first send their disciples inside to scout the way.

The ownership of the Secret Realm and the future distribution of its resources would be determined by who brought out the most treasures and collected the most abundant resources.

Only after the major sects had their fill of the meat would the realm be opened to rogue cultivators, who would pay spirit stones just to get a taste of the leftover soup.

This was a massive opportunity.

And yet, at this critical juncture, the Eldest Senior Sister of Hidden Sword Mountain had vanished.

Master Wangyou stopped in his tracks and slapped his thigh.

‘Oh no.’

He suddenly remembered something.

A few disciples who had gone down the mountain with Ling Xiyue for training had returned to report that a thief of unknown origin had tricked the Eldest Senior Sister out of her Cold Pith.

She had gone to seek revenge.

Countless plots from cheap romance novels instantly flashed through Master Wangyou’s mind.

A naive female sword cultivator goes down the mountain and encounters a smooth-talking little rogue.

She gets swindled out of her money and her virtue.

Finally, she returns to the mountain with a bulging stomach, kneeling before him while sobbing.

‘Master, I’ve met my true love, but the child is innocent.’

Master Wangyou shuddered, goosebumps erupting all over his body.

It was over.

It was all over.

He quickly pulled out a Communication Jade Talisman and contacted those disciples who had been training down the mountain.

“Did you see what that thief looked like back then? Was it a man or a woman? How old?”

The submissive voice of a disciple came from the other side of the talisman.

“To answer Grandmaster, it was a woman. She didn’t look very old, but she was quite mischievous.”

*Hoo —*

Master Wangyou exhaled a long, heavy breath.

‘A woman?’

‘A woman is good!’

The old man’s racing heart finally settled back into his chest.

*Dong — Dong — Dong —*

At high noon, the assembly bell of Hidden Sword Mountain’s main peak rang out.

The dull tolling echoed through the peaks.

This was the signal to summon the elders and core disciples of each peak to the sect’s main hall for a meeting.

Master Wangyou sighed.

The restriction on that new Secret Realm was extremely powerful.

According to the calculations of the sect’s formation masters, it would take at least six months to completely break through the outer barrier and send in a large group of disciples.

Six months.

He hoped that silly girl could make it back within those six months.

Missing out on such a once-in-a-century opportunity would be a true shame.

With a wave of his sleeve, Master Wangyou transformed into a brilliant streak of sword light and charged toward the sect’s main hall.

—

Inside the Secret Realm.

Outside the cave dwelling.

Ling Xiyue had been in seclusion for more than half a day, and there hadn’t been the slightest movement.

Luo Qingchen rubbed her stomach.

‘I’m hungry.’

At the Early Foundation Establishment Stage, she couldn’t fully sustain herself without food yet.

After a hard-fought battle, her physical energy was severely depleted.

The formation covered a large area, so she decided to do some simple exploring nearby.

It didn’t take long before she returned, carrying two low-level demonic beasts that looked like pheasants.

Plucking, gutting, and cleaning.

Her movements were incredibly agile.

In her past life, her only hobby on weekends was watching wilderness survival videos.

She never expected to use all that knowledge in this life.

Luo Qingchen started a fire and propped the pheasants up to roast.

Meat alone wasn’t enough without seasoning.

She ran toward the riverbank and the edge of the woods again, plucking a bunch of colorful leaves.

These leaves had a peculiar, fragrant scent.

Luo Qingchen pinched a bit and put it in her mouth.

She only took a tiny taste.

She didn’t drop dead, and her tongue didn’t go numb.

Good enough.

She found two flat stones, placed the leaves between them, and crushed them into a green juice.

*Sizzle —*

The fat from the surface of the roasting meat dripped into the fire, sending up puffs of white smoke.

Luo Qingchen brushed the green juice evenly over the meat.

A rich, exotic fragrance instantly filled the air.

The scent was so dominant that it even masked the bloody stench of the solitary Scale-Horned Beast’s carcass outside the formation.

In a corner of the main hall.

Xiao Bai, who had been napping on the ground, suddenly twitched its nose.

It snapped its eyes open and scampered out of the cave dwelling on its four short legs.

Following the scent, it arrived by the fire.

Xiao Bai sat by the fire, staring intently at the roasted meat.

Drool dripped from the corner of its mouth, nearly forming a continuous string.

Its tail wagged behind it like a propeller.

“Want some?” Luo Qingchen raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Bai nodded frantically.

Luo Qingchen used the Five Elements Blade to cut off a greasy, succulent chicken leg, skewered it with a branch, and held it out to Xiao Bai.

“Here, the first bite is yours. You’ve worked hard too, Xiao Bai.”

Xiao Bai froze.

It looked at the chicken leg, then at Luo Qingchen.

Its eyes actually reddened slightly.

‘Has this little girl changed her nature?’

‘She’s not keeping all the food for herself and even gave me the first bite?’

Xiao Bai was deeply moved.

‘I was wrong about you,’ Xiao Bai whimpered.

‘You’re a truly good person.’

With that, it opened its large mouth and bit into the leg.

In a few quick bites, it crunched through the meat and bone, swallowing everything into its stomach.

“The taste isn’t bad at all!” Xiao Bai licked its lips, wanting more.

Luo Qingchen smiled and cut a piece of meat for herself.

Before she could even bring the meat to her mouth…

*Gurgle —*

An incredibly loud sound erupted from Xiao Bai’s stomach.

The expression on Xiao Bai’s face froze.

It squeezed its hind legs together, using its front paws to clutch its stomach.

“Ow…”

With a pathetic yelp, Xiao Bai collapsed and started rolling around on the ground.

Its white fur was instantly covered in mud and grass.

“It hurts, it hurts! My stomach is going to explode!”

Luo Qingchen’s hand shook, and her meat fell to the ground.

She watched Xiao Bai rolling around and then looked at the stone bowl of green juice next to her.

She sighed.

‘It seems this stuff isn’t edible.’

Luo Qingchen tossed away the branch in her hand.

“It might be poisonous. Luckily, Xiao Bai took the lead. You truly are a hero among dogs.”

Xiao Bai was twitching in pain, but after hearing those words, its eyes went wide.

“You… you used me to test for poison!”

*Hum —*

A ripple appeared at the entrance of the cave dwelling.

Ling Xiyue stepped out.

She had changed into a clean set of purple robes, her hair tied up loosely with a wooden hairpin.

The aura around her was much more refined than before.

Her steps were light, and the air around her seemed almost as if it were being sliced by invisible sword intent.

As soon as Ling Xiyue exited the cave, she saw the white dog rolling on the ground and Luo Qingchen standing nearby with an innocent expression.

She frowned, her gaze landing on the stone bowl of green juice by the fire.

“You used Azure Cloud Grass?”

Luo Qingchen blinked.

“What grass?”

Ling Xiyue walked to the fire and used her scabbard to pick up a piece of a leaf that hadn’t been crushed yet.

“This grass is extremely fragrant, but the juice has a powerful laxative effect.”

Ling Xiyue looked at Luo Qingchen.

“However, it’s not a major issue. He’ll be fine once he’s… emptied himself.”

Luo Qingchen had a sudden realization.

“So that’s how it is. I’ve learned something new.”

She turned to look at Xiao Bai.

Xiao Bai couldn’t hold it in any longer.

With its tail tucked, its four legs blurred into an afterimage as it bolted toward the depths of the woods.

As it ran, it let out a shrill cry.

“Luo Qingchen! You’re really not human!”

“Thinking about how you’re human and I’m a dog makes me want to cry!”

“There is so much injustice in this world!”

Xiao Bai’s voice grew more distant until it finally vanished into the forest.

Luo Qingchen picked at her ear, choosing to be selectively deaf.

She stood up, patted the dust off her clothes, and approached Ling Xiyue.

She looked her up and down.

‘Mastering the Core Formation Stage in just half a day… is it really that easy?’

Luo Qingchen was full of curiosity.

This speed was simply too fast.

It took her several hours just to meditate and recover her spiritual power.

Ling Xiyue shook her head.

“Not quite yet.”

She raised her hand, and a clump of green spiritual power condensed in her palm.

Sword shadows flickered faintly within the spiritual power, but the edges were still a bit blurry and not solid enough.

“The medicinal power of the Blood Soul Flower is indeed vast. My internal injuries are fully healed, and my cultivation has reached the peak of the mid-stage Core Formation Stage.”

Ling Xiyue retracted her power.

“But to break through to the late stage, I still need a catalyst. Meditating in seclusion isn’t enough.”

Luo Qingchen nodded.

‘I get it. The experience bar is full, but the quest is stuck.’

Ling Xiyue flicked her wrist and pulled a Jade Slip from her storage bag.

She tossed it directly to Luo Qingchen.

Luo Qingchen scrambled to catch it.

“What’s this?”

“The Xuanzhou Compendium of Herbs,” Ling Xiyue said flatly.

“It records the properties of various common spirit herbs and poisons on the Xuanzhou Continent.”

She glanced at the roasted meat on the ground.

“Read it more often so you don’t poison yourself one day.”

Holding the Jade Slip, Luo Qingchen felt a wave of warmth.

This Eldest Senior Sister might be cold on the surface, but she was actually quite kind-hearted.

She pressed the Jade Slip against her forehead and delved in with her divine sense.

A massive amount of herbal knowledge instantly flooded her mind.

The shapes, scents, properties, and growth environments of various plants became crystal clear.

Luo Qingchen tucked the Jade Slip away, cupped her hands, and gave a mockingly solemn bow.

“Then I must thank Fairy Xiyue for her guidance!”

Seeing her playful antics, the corner of Ling Xiyue’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

She quickly regained her cold composure.

“Let’s go.”

Ling Xiyue turned toward the depths of the forest.

“Where to?”

“Since this Secret Realm is masterless, there won’t be just this one cave dwelling.”

Ling Xiyue hung the Green Scale Sword at her waist.

“We’ll look around to see if there are other opportunities elsewhere. And… to find the catalyst for my breakthrough.”

Luo Qingchen’s eyes lit up.

Searching for opportunities was good.

With a powerhouse at the mid-stage Core Formation Stage protecting her, she could just follow behind and pick up the leftovers.

“Alright!”

Luo Qingchen quickly stored the formation tools from outside the cave into the Jade Slip’s storage space—just in case.

Then, she shouted toward the forest at the top of her lungs.

“Xiao Bai! Are you done pooping yet? Time to get to work!”

A weak bark came from the woods.

“Stop rushing me… my legs have gone soft…”

Luo Qingchen grinned and quickly caught up with Ling Xiyue.