Five years passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the grotto-heaven, a simple grass shelter had been built beneath the shade of a tree. Within it stood a wooden Go board, its intersecting lines covered by a broad spread of stones in two colors.
Seated to the left of the board was a young man wearing only a light inner robe, about seventeen or eighteen years old. His temperament was like jade worn smooth by countless washes in a stream, gentle and rounded, without the slightest sharp edge. He held a pale stone between his fingers, carved from light-colored rock, and was deep in thought.
Opposite him sat a man in white. His form seemed almost insubstantial, yet his aura was extraordinarily sharp, like a sword thrusting straight into the heavens. His bearing, however, was upright, and a cold killing intent lay hidden in his eyes, gathering over the game before him.
The atmosphere between them was peaceful. Though they were engaged in a contest over the board, there was no sense of drawn swords between them; every clash of strategy remained confined to the game.
The white-robed man slightly closed his eyes and remained silent.
The young man in the light robe pondered for a long while before finally placing down his stone and smiling. “Brother Yun, I lost again.”
The white-robed man’s voice was icy. “You have no killing intent. I do.”
The young man’s smile did not change. “Brother Yun’s moves are exquisite and your momentum is razor-sharp. I concede defeat.”
The white-robed man lifted his eyes. The stones on the board rose into the air of their own accord, separated into two streams, and fell into two stone bowls. “Another game?”
The young man shook his head. “No. Chonghua must be getting hungry, and the demon vine should hunt and feed as well. I’ll go out for a while.”
The white-robed man’s expression remained cold and stern. “If a demon beast harms people, kill it when it should be killed. There is no need for mercy.”
The young man smiled with a sigh. “Yes. I’ll remember Brother Yun’s advice.”
The white-robed man said nothing more. In the next instant, his figure vanished without a trace.
Xu Ziqing lowered his head and smiled at the storage ring on the little finger of his left hand. He stroked it once, then stood.
After living in seclusion here for several years, Xu Ziqing had not only advanced greatly in cultivation and reached the seventh layer of Qi Refinement; perhaps his greatest accomplishment was becoming familiar with the white-robed man inside the ring.
He still remembered the day he learned Yun Lie’s name. From then on, Xu Ziqing treated him as a friend. Life at the bottom of the lake was lonely, so naturally he would sometimes seek Yun Lie out and speak with him for a while. Yun Lie was aloof by nature, so Xu Ziqing did not disturb him often. Yet although Yun Lie was not warm toward him, he did not seem to dislike him either, and over time he began responding with a few words.
Later, Xu Ziqing discovered that Yun Lie was not limited to remaining inside the ring and could also manifest a visible form outside it. Whenever the mood struck him, Xu Ziqing would carefully craft a Go board and stones and invite Yun Lie to play, passing the time in considerable ease.
Now that he had grown familiar with Yun Lie, Xu Ziqing increasingly felt that Yun Lie’s character was excellent and counted it a great fortune to have him as a friend. Yun Lie’s killing nature was rather strong, though, which sometimes left Xu Ziqing helpless.
After bidding Yun Lie farewell, Xu Ziqing did as usual and traveled upward against the whirlpool from the bottom of the lake. After years of practice, his swimming ability had become excellent, and before long he reached the shore.
He had only just straightened his clothes when he suddenly sensed that something was wrong.
The secret realm seemed greatly different from usual…
Xu Ziqing calculated the date on his fingers. So it was once again the day when the Linyuan Secret Realm opened every five years. No wonder there were so many more traces of people around. Xu Ziqing released the eagle, and man and eagle both became more cautious. He was only at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement; if he encountered the most outstanding scions of the great families, he might well be no match for them.
He had not gone far when he heard voices. Xu Ziqing thought to himself that his luck was truly poor, then hid behind a tree and quietly observed.
As expected, two women were approaching ahead, both wearing long flowing skirts and possessing attractive features. The moment Xu Ziqing saw them, his heart stirred. This time, he had encountered an acquaintance.
The woman on the left wore a long purple ruqun dress, her hair gathered high into cloud-like coils, and her expression was cold and proud. It was none other than the favored daughter of heaven, Xu Zitang. Spiritual light shone around her and her bearing was refined. Xu Ziqing gathered spiritual power into his eyes and swiftly swept her with his spiritual sense.
Sixth layer of Qi Refinement.
While working in the Hundred Herbs Garden, Xu Ziqing had heard people speak of Xu Zitang. They said she possessed dual spiritual roots, one thick and one fine, and that her aptitude was upper-grade, just like her elder brother’s. Xu Ziqing himself possessed a fine single spiritual root, which by rights was also upper-grade aptitude, but even among upper-grade aptitudes there were differences. No matter how fine a single spiritual root was, it still surpassed dual spiritual roots.
Xu Zitang’s progress was also extremely fast. Only five years had passed since Xu Ziqing last saw her, yet she had already advanced by one layer, showing how diligently she cultivated. Even Xu Ziqing, who had accidentally consumed the Essence of Yi Wood, was only one layer above her.
Although he rather admired her, Xu Ziqing had no desire to show himself before Xu Zitang. They had met several times in the past, and cultivators generally had excellent memories. If she recognized him, he might have to return to the Xu family’s main clan, which was absolutely not what he wanted.
With that thought, Xu Ziqing concealed both breath and presence even more thoroughly. Hidden behind the tree, he merged his own qi with the wood qi so that no one would detect him. This was one of the marvels of the Great Art of Myriad Woods Heart-Planting. As his cultivation deepened, there would be many more wondrous applications he could gradually bring forth.
As expected, Xu Zitang noticed nothing. She continued forward with her close friend without so much as glancing behind the tree.
Only after the two women had gone far away did Xu Ziqing step out.
The Wood-Escape Aura-Concealment Art was indeed useful. He had only been familiar with it for a short time, though, and needed to cultivate it more diligently. Once he mastered it completely, even if he encountered a deadly enemy, as long as there was a single blade of grass or one tree nearby, he could still seize a thread of survival.
With so many people in the secret realm, Xu Ziqing should have returned to the grotto-heaven at the bottom of the lake and waited several days before coming out again, lest he run into others and invite trouble. Yet a thought suddenly moved in his mind. The Linyuan Secret Realm opened once every five years. If he wanted to leave, this was the best opportunity. He was a true member of the Xu family by blood, so perhaps he could find some way to pass through unnoticed.
Having made up his mind, Xu Ziqing stepped forward and continued on.
Normally he noticed nothing unusual, but with so many people in the secret realm today, he could finally sense the difference. Whenever the realm opened, the demon beasts first hid in valleys and stone caves. Even those that usually fought endlessly with one another quieted down, while the violent man-eating kinds concealed themselves in the shadows, waiting for people to approach so they could feast.
Although the secret realm contained many precious things, allowing cultivators to enter once every five years was not necessarily one-sided. It also gave the demon beasts a chance to taste the blood and vitality of cultivators. The Heavenly Dao maintained balance, favoring neither humans nor beasts.
Thinking of this, Xu Ziqing seemed to gain a faint realization.
Just as he entered that state of insight, a wave of blood-scent suddenly reached him and interrupted his thoughts. The trace of spiritual illumination he had just grasped vanished in an instant.
Xu Ziqing did not even have time to regret it before he heard the roar of a fierce beast along with angry shouting. Had a demon beast attacked someone? Without pausing to think further, he circulated his spiritual power and sped toward the sound.
The commotion came from less than ten zhang ahead. There was a steep slope, and below it lay a valley enclosed by mountains on the other three sides. Anyone trapped within would clearly find it difficult to escape. Xu Ziqing stopped at the top of the slope rather than descending rashly. He stood beside a tree and looked down.
There were three people in the valley. One was a burly, middle-aged man at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement whose face seemed somewhat familiar. He shielded a young man behind him while a golden flying sword hovered before him, darting up and down as it clashed with another crimson flying sword. The two blades struck back and forth with continuous metallic ringing.
The owner of the crimson flying sword was a young master from a great family in his twenties. He wore a blue magical robe woven from spirit silk and had a jade-like face, thin lips, and strikingly handsome features. Yet a gloomy cast lingered between his brows, showing that he was no open and upright gentleman. Beside him crouched a yellow tiger with glaring eyes, a white forehead, and a pair of fleshy wings, a demon pet he had subdued called a Two-Winged Flying Tiger. The beast’s roars were the very sounds Xu Ziqing had heard moments earlier.
Xu Ziqing secretly swept them with his spiritual sense. The youth looked only fifteen or sixteen years old. His cultivation was not weak, but he was merely at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement. The young master from the great family was at the sixth layer, yet with a demon pet beside him and numerous magical artifacts on his person, he instead held the overwhelming advantage here.
The young master from the great family sneered. “Xu Chengwu, hand Xu Zitao over so I can kill him. Then this young master may spare your dog life. Otherwise, today the two of you can feed my darling!”
As he spoke, he stroked the tiger’s head. The tiger raised its head and roared, adding considerable menace to his threat.
The burly man snapped angrily, “Tian Kui, what the hell are you? I could crush you with one hand, and you still dare spout such nonsense in front of me!”
Tian Kui replied with biting mockery, “If we met on a narrow road under ordinary circumstances and my darling were not beside me, I might still give you some respect. But today heaven and terrain both favor this young master. No matter how much you flap your tongue, you will not save Xu Zitao’s life!”
Xu Chengwu’s heart tightened. He knew Tian Kui had seen through his intention.
The last time Xu Chengwu entered the secret realm, the Tian family’s arrogance had nearly cost him an arm. Fortunately, a Foundation Establishment expert later bestowed upon him a Flesh-Regeneration Pill, allowing him to recover. Yet during these five years, he had devoted enormous effort to nourishing the arm back to its former condition, so his cultivation had made little progress.
Tian Kui, however, was very different. Like Tian Liang, he was also Tian Cheng’s son, but whether in knowledge or bearing, he far surpassed Tian Liang despite being much younger. He had not entered the secret realm the previous time because he was in seclusion, breaking through to the sixth layer of Qi Refinement. Five years later, his cultivation had already reached the peak of the sixth layer. With that demon pet beside him as well, he was exceedingly difficult to deal with.
If Xu Chengwu encountered Tian Kui alone, he would not fear him. But he also had to protect Xu Zitao, which tied his hands. He had hoped to provoke Tian Kui into making a mistake, but Tian Kui remained extremely calm and refused to take the bait, causing Xu Chengwu’s heart to sink.
Tian Kui paid no attention to what Xu Chengwu might be thinking. He immediately raised two fingers, bit through the tips, and barked, “Hah!”
Two drops of bright red blood shot onto the crimson flying sword with a sizzling sound. A deeper bloody sheen spread across the blade, and waves of heat instantly rolled outward, scorching the face!
Xu Chengwu was shocked. Tempering the sword with blood essence would certainly double its power. He had never expected Tian Kui to be so ruthless merely to kill Xu Zitao. With no time to think of anything else, Xu Chengwu also bit his fingertip and tempered his own sword with blood essence before sending it to clash against Tian Kui’s crimson blade.
But he had been just a fraction too slow. The crimson sword was fire-attributed and already more powerful than Xu Chengwu’s metal-attributed flying sword. By the restraining cycle of the Five Elements, it suppressed the golden sword even further. Before long, the golden flying sword was steadily forced back and left scrambling to defend.
Xu Ziqing had watched for some time and finally made up his mind. He extended his right hand. Fine grass stems sprang rustling from the tips of all five fingers and, in an instant, wove themselves into a mask. He swept it over his face, then launched himself forward and leaped into the battle.