Chen Guan held the sword hilt of Miao Sha Sha with his ten fingers in a very strange manner, then exerted force in different directions, according to a particular sequence.
The sword hilt of Miao Sha Sha appeared seamless, as if crafted from a single piece of refined steel. However, under Chen Guan's ten fingers, the hilt began to twist and turn, and places previously thought to be seamless started revealing spider-web-like gaps, finer than hair strands.
As Chen Guan continued to apply force with his fingers, the hilt twisted and shifted, and those gaps gradually widened until finally, with a click, the hilt broke into several small pieces, while something fell out from within.
"Truly a masterpiece, it's unimaginable how this hilt is assembled from so many small pieces. Before opening, it seemed to be a whole, with the naked eye unable to spot the seams. Such precision and ingenious design, without knowing the mechanism, it would be impossible to open," Gongsun Zhuo exclaimed.
Earlier, he was somewhat skeptical about Chen Guan's judgment; now, it seemed Chen Guan was indeed right.
Chen Guan didn't care about these comments; he carefully examined the object that fell from the hilt and discovered it was something that resembled a cold medicine capsule.
"What is this? How is it used?" Chen Guan asked Wang Lian.
Wang Lian dared not stay silent and said reluctantly, "That's a Spiritual Energy Capsule, made by extracting energy from some special Secret Spirits. Swallowing it can greatly enhance one's Primordial Energy in the short term, while also activating body potential, making one almost unbeatable at the same level, with cross-level battles possible. But it has side effects, heavily depleting the body, and if unlucky, it might cause irreversible damage to one's body. If it weren't for these many side effects, I wouldn't have kept it hidden and unused."
Chen Guan was a bit disappointed; he didn't expect Wang Lian's trump card to be such a thing. Compared to using this, his own Spirit of the Cheerleaders would be more effective, at least without major side effects.
"Now tell me, after killing the Water Burial Buddha, what can you gain that makes you confident in defeating other World-Defying Secret Spirits?" Chen Guan saw that Qin Ziyu and Yanzhi were struggling but not in life-threatening danger; they could hold on for a while, so he continued questioning.
Wang Lian knew that even if she remained silent, she couldn't withstand Chen Guan's torture; eventually, she had to speak. Rather than endure torture first, it was better to speak directly—she was genuinely frightened.
"I wasn't lying before; the Seven Treasure Glaze Fruit does increase wisdom. Additionally, it has a very powerful ability to increase Levels. If you can eat all seven Seven Treasure Glaze Fruits, you can directly level up," Wang Lian said.
Gongsun Zhuo and Chen Guan were both a bit surprised. Improving a Level may sound insignificant, but it requires consuming all seven Seven Treasure Glaze Fruits.
However, on this island, due to the absence of Secret Spirits above Level ten, Ji Nanhong and the others had been here for a year, unable to surpass Level ten.
If the Seven Treasure Glaze Fruit could indeed help one break through a Level, wouldn't it facilitate reaching Level eleven and directly becoming a Second Awakening Cultivator?
On this island, Second Awakening Cultivators hold great advantage, significantly increasing victory odds against those top-tier World-Defying Secret Spirits.
Going deeper, if the Seven Treasure Glaze Fruit truly has no limitation on use, at higher Levels, when some need ten or even dozens of years to advance a Level, using the Seven Treasure Glaze Fruit would spare decades of hard practice.
"Is there any use restriction with the Seven Treasure Glaze Fruit's effect?" Chen Guan quickly asked for the answer he most wanted to know.
Wang Lian naturally knew Chen Guan's implication, coldly saying, "Everything here is orchestrated by Emperor Ancestor; the Seven Treasure Glaze Fruit, a divine item, has virtually no use limitation, but you can only use it here because, without its help, you can't kill other World-Defying Secret Spirits. It's a tightly interwoven mystery, leaving no room for concealment."
"Besides the Seven Treasure Glaze Fruit, is there anything else?" Chen Guan squinted at Wang Lian and asked.
Although the effect of the Seven Treasure Glaze Fruit seems heaven-defying, there's more than one person who came here. How can one ensure that a single person obtains all Seven Treasure Glaze Fruits? And a mere Level up doesn't guarantee defeating World-Defying Secret Spirits. If this place is truly designed by Emperor Ancestor, why would there be such great uncertainty? Thus, Chen Guan was sure Wang Lian's real reliance was not the Seven Treasure Glaze Fruit.
Wang Lian's expression grew varied; she had revealed the real effect of the Seven Treasure Glaze Fruit readily not just due to fear of Chen Guan's continued torture, but to hide another item.
Unexpectedly, Chen Guan thought of it again. Wang Lian felt as if Chen Guan was a devil who could read her soul, making her feel extremely vulnerable and uneasy.
"The Gaba Necklace worn by the Water Burial Buddha, that Secret Treasure modified by Emperor Ancestor, holds a restraining effect over another World-Defying Secret Spirit," Wang Lian sighed, closed her eyes, and said.
Her last secret was extracted by Chen Guan; she no longer held any value. Knowing Chen Guan's behavior, he likely wouldn't spare her life.
But even with death, Wang Lian wished to avoid further torment and at least meet a swift end.
"Your meaning is that the necklace can restrain another World-Defying Secret Spirit rather than restrain all World-Defying Secret Spirits here. So does that mean, after killing another World-Defying Secret Spirit, one can obtain another Secret Treasure capable of restraining other World-Defying Secret Spirits; hence killing the Secret Spirits follows an order? What's the order?" Chen Guan pondered aloud.
Although phrased as a question, it seemed he'd already concluded this was correct.
"Yes." Wang Lian, resigned to fate, revealed the order for killing the World-Defying Secret Spirits: "Now, I've told everything I know, kill me swiftly; just give me a quick death."
"You still have much information untold, like how your elder was transported away, or your origins," Chen Guan said as he fixed his gaze on Wang Lian.
He had to figure out Wang Lian's true background; with her capabilities, her status within her family remained precarious, indicating her family was certainly extraordinary.
Should Chen Guan kill Wang Lian before Gongsun Zhuo and Qin Zifeng, there'd be no guarantee news wouldn't leak, potentially causing huge trouble. He must eliminate such possibilities.
In this era, a common man without background or high Level encountering a powerful family would face dire consequences.