“By the way, what are you all planning to do next?”
Shucao looked at Zhang Huaiyu, who was checking the materials obtained from the Cold Water Flood Dragon together with Bai Qiushui, and asked.
“Eh, next… We were thinking of waiting for our other two companions to arrive first. However, they seem to have been blocked by some people. It will still take some time for them to get here.”
“I see. But do you really believe they can make it over?”
“Of course.”
Zhang Huaiyu said with considerable confidence.
“Those are my junior brother and junior sister. Both are experts at the late stage of Qi Refining. How could they be so easily taken out by people from other sects? Even if they can’t win, running far away is more than enough.”
A while later, two sounds of breaking through the air arrived. Two white-robed cultivators stepping on flying swords flew in front of Shucao and the others. They were panting as they spoke to Zhang Huaiyu.
“Sorry, Senior Sister. We’re late.”
Seeing that they had arrived looking relatively safe and sound, Zhang Huaiyu let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. By the way, did something happen on the way?”
After hearing Zhang Huaiyu’s words, the man and woman suddenly became somewhat agitated.
“Senior Sister, you must stand up for us! Those artifact-refining barbarians from the Tai Miao Sect actually blocked people on the road. They even said they would blast us out of the secret realm first so they could have fewer competitors. And with their superior numbers, the two of us were each alone earlier, so they chased and beat us for a long time. We finally shook them off and happened to meet up, which is why we’re late.”
Watching the two speak with anxious faces about their experience of being chased and beaten by several Tai Miao Sect cultivators, Zhang Huaiyu felt like laughing. However, her sense of being the eldest senior sister told her she couldn’t laugh.
She cleared her throat and said.
“Ahem, let’s not talk about that for now. When I encounter Tai Miao Sect cultivators later, I’ll naturally make them give an explanation.”
“Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister.”
After thanking Zhang Huaiyu, the male among the two looked toward Shucao and asked with some confusion.
“Senior Sister, who is this?”
After hearing the man’s question, the other woman also spoke.
“Eh, there’s actually a new face I didn’t even notice. I only just realized.”
“Xiao Er, Xiao San, this is Fellow Daoist Shucao. Although she’s a loose cultivator, she’s now in a cooperative relationship with us. Fellow Daoist Shucao, these two are my junior brother and junior sister. They are Xiao Er and Xiao San respectively.”
“Hold on, Senior Sister. Don’t just because Xiao Si’s name is Xiao Si, arbitrarily call us Xiao Er and Xiao San when introducing us to others, okay? We have proper names too.”
He then looked at Shucao and said.
“Fellow Daoist Shucao, nice to meet you. My name is Tang Kongkong. She is Huang Guilian, my junior sister.”
“Hello, Fellow Daoist.”
After the two each bowed to Shucao, Shucao returned the gesture.
Suddenly, Tang Kongkong sent a voice transmission to Zhang Huaiyu.
“Senior Sister, this person doesn’t seem to have any spiritual energy at all, and she’s a loose cultivator. Are we really going to bring her along to hunt that Cold Water Flood Dragon?”
“I’ll explain it to you right now.”
Hunt the Cold Water Flood Dragon? That’s already in the past! With this fellow Daoist’s help, we should be going after something big now!
She then spoke to everyone in a calm tone.
“The Cold Water Flood Dragon has already been hunted by us.”
“What!?”
After hearing Zhang Huaiyu’s words, Tang Kongkong felt extremely shocked.
“Don’t tell me Senior Sister can already hunt this kind of demon beast now. So strong!”
“It wasn’t me who hunted it. On the contrary, I was almost hunted by the Cold Water Flood Dragon.”
Zhang Huaiyu suddenly stretched out her hand, signaling the two to look at Shucao.
“The one who hunted the Cold Water Flood Dragon was this person, Fellow Daoist Shucao!”
“What? She actually managed to hunt down the Cold Water Flood Dragon!?”
As she spoke, Zhang Huaiyu took out the demon core from the Cold Water Flood Dragon’s body and showed it to the two. This made the shock in their eyes even deeper.
“These two have been in shock ever since they arrived.”
Seeing the two continuously shocked, An Qianhua suddenly spoke.
“I think they should go practice Shock Sword! Maybe then they can achieve great success in the sword dao!”
“What is Shock Sword?”
“It’s a sword dao driven by emotion, called Extreme Emotion Sword Dao. It’s said to strengthen sword dao power according to the user’s different emotions and can even be used to cultivate with emotions.”
“That’s amazing. Sister Qianhua, where did you learn this technique from? I’ve never heard of it before.”
“I read it in a novel.”
“Ah? Things in novels aren’t real, right?”
“Maybe there really is something like that in this world.”
While the two were communicating in the Heart Realm, the pair also looked at Shucao with peculiar gazes.
“Anyway, this fellow Daoist is now our partner. Everyone must treat her well.”
“Senior Shucao!”
“Eek!”
Tang Kongkong’s sudden shout directly startled Shucao.
“W-what’s wrong? I’m not at the level where I need to be called senior yet, am I?”
“This junior Tang Kongkong only respects people stronger than me in this lifetime. Since Senior was able to hunt the Cold Water Flood Dragon alone, you are naturally stronger than me! Welcome, Senior!”
“Ah, o-okay.”
Clap clap!
“Alright, alright.”
Zhang Huaiyu clapped her hands and spoke to everyone.
“Since Xiao Er and Xiao San have arrived, let’s first talk about what we’re going to do next. Earlier, while fighting the Cold Water Flood Dragon, I got injured. Now I need to find a place to recover for a while first. After tomorrow, we’ll head over there while gathering things along the way.”
She took out a compass from her storage pouch. The direction the compass pointed was exactly toward the large mountain where Shucao had earlier seen some faintly visible buildings.
“The place this compass points to is the trial ground that the former Taiqing Sect used to train their Qi Refining disciples.”
“Isn’t this secret realm itself used to train Qi Refining disciples?”
After hearing Zhang Huaiyu’s words, Bai Qiushui asked curiously.
“It is, but to be precise, it’s a specific place within the secret realm.”
Zhang Huaiyu explained to Bai Qiushui.
“This secret realm itself is a small world rich in spiritual energy. There are many demon beasts and spirit materials inside. After the Taiqing Sect discovered it, they planted many spirit herbs that weren’t originally here and raised spirit beasts. However, after the secret realm was closed, the spirit beasts and spirit herbs inside were left unmanaged. The spirit beasts combined with some of the small world’s original demon beasts and turned feral into demon beasts. The spirit herbs also grew wildly. That’s the origin of the spirit herbs and demon beasts in the secret realm. And that large mountain is the place the Taiqing Sect built back then, after discovering this area, specifically to test their Qi Refining disciples.”
She paused, as if wanting to build up the emotion for the next words, then said solemnly.
“That place is — Tianling Mountain.”
“Tianling Mountain?”
Zhang Huaiyu pointed in the direction the compass indicated.
“Tianling Mountain is the core of the spiritual vein in this secret realm and the place with the densest spiritual energy here. The former Taiqing Sect Master, Taiqing True Monarch, discovered a strand of ‘Innate Dao Rhyme’ in this mountain. Thus, he built the Tianling Hall upon that Dao Rhyme and set up three trials. Qi Refining stage disciples who pass the trials can go to the Tianling Hall to comprehend that strand of Dao Rhyme.”
“What exactly is Innate Dao Rhyme?”
Bai Qiushui felt confused about many of the terms in what Zhang Huaiyu said. After all, she was only a Qi Refining cultivator who had been cultivating for a short time and naturally didn’t understand these matters very well.
Zhang Huaiyu patiently continued explaining to her.
“This Innate Dao Rhyme is something that appears when such a small world is born. It is only useful to Qi Refining stage cultivators. It can help Qi Refining cultivators comprehend the path they have chosen, thereby helping Qi Refining cultivators forge their Dao Foundation and increasing our chances of successfully establishing a foundation. It can be said that, aside from collecting the materials one wants, comprehending the Innate Dao Rhyme is the greatest harvest in this secret realm.”
“I see. It looks like we have no choice but to go take a look at what this Innate Dao Rhyme is like.”
Just as Bai Qiushui was getting motivated to go see the Innate Dao Rhyme, Shucao suddenly spoke.
“So are we all going together to that Tianling Hall to comprehend the Innate Dao Rhyme?”
“To be accurate, we’re going together to Tianling Mountain.”
Zhang Huaiyu said again.
“After entering the mountain, the three trials left behind by Taiqing True Monarch will begin. These three trials will select the ten disciples with the highest talent among those who entered, granting them the qualification to comprehend the Innate Dao Rhyme. Sigh, so there are always some people who think of ambushing others to eliminate some competitors. The Tai Miao Sect is exactly like that.”
“Those Tai Miao Sect barbarians have trained their brains into furnaces with artifact refining!”
After Zhang Huaiyu mentioned the Tai Miao Sect, Tang Kongkong suddenly said angrily.
“It’s always like this. Previously, a senior brother I had a pretty good relationship with was beaten out by them the last time the secret realm opened! This time they’ve come to bully me again. Two or three late-stage people brought others to chase and beat me. Do they dare to have a fair fight with me inside the trials? In a one-on-one, I’ll definitely beat them up!”
“Alright, alright, Junior Brother. I know you’re unhappy.”
Seeing Tang Kongkong suddenly get worked up, Huang Guilian quickly patted his shoulder and comforted him.
“I was also chased for a long time. I understand how you feel, Junior Brother. It’s just that now outsiders and Junior Sister Qiushui are watching. Calm down a bit, okay? After we enter the trials on Taiqing Mountain later, you can beat up whoever you meet.”
Shucao on the side didn’t pay attention to the two. Instead, after thinking for a while, she said to Zhang Huaiyu.
“Then I should also count as your competitor, right? Is it really okay to bring me there?”
“Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist Shucao. Although you’re very strong, well, how should I put it. It’s because this place was originally left behind by the Taiqing Sect. And there’s a condition to enter that Tianling Hall — you have to be someone who cultivates the Taiqing Sect’s techniques to enter. Our three sects were originally split off from the Taiqing Sect, and the techniques we inherited are also from the Taiqing Sect, so we have no problem entering. As for other loose cultivators… naturally they can’t get in… Ahaha…”
The further Zhang Huaiyu spoke, the more her tone lacked confidence. In the end, she smiled apologetically while scratching the back of her head.
“Sorry. Fellow Daoist Shucao naturally doesn’t have the opportunity to go comprehend the Innate Dao Rhyme. However! Fellow Daoist, don’t worry. We naturally won’t treat you unfairly. When you get there, after you pass the trials, you can freely explore Tianling Mountain. Because there are many relics there and the spiritual energy is abundant, there will be quite a few good things. Fellow Daoist can take whatever you need. It’s just that I hope Fellow Daoist can help out our Tianqing Sect’s cultivators along the way and during the trials.”
After hearing Zhang Huaiyu’s words, Shucao thought for a moment. Anyway, she couldn’t cultivate. She wasn’t even at Qi Refining, let alone Foundation Establishment. Moreover, following them all the way could also help Qiushui so she could obtain the qualification to comprehend. Thus, she said to Zhang Huaiyu.
“Fine then. Let’s do it that way.”
“Really? Thank you for your help, Fellow Daoist! I hope Fellow Daoist can also obtain what you need on Tianling Mountain.”
Zhang Huaiyu replied in surprise to Shucao’s words. She then immediately turned around and directed her three junior brothers and sisters to find a safe place so everyone could make some preparations.
After setting up a temporary base, Zhang Huaiyu began meditating. With the help of spirit medicines, she completely expelled the Cold Poison from her body. The others, except for leaving Tang Kongkong to guard her, searched the surrounding area for spirit materials with the base as the center during their free time. Early the next morning, everyone set off toward Tianling Mountain.
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