The fierce palm wind howled.
Xu Ziqing's performance of the [Eight Desolates Roaming Dragon] was extremely standard; he had already grasped its full essence.
Chu Huaixu watched from the side, his eyes narrowing slightly. He wasn't particularly surprised, just a little bit resentful.
"Damn it! Truly damn it!"
He seriously suspected that Xu Ziqing's character panel read: [Pseudo Spirit Embryo], but [Comprehension: 10].
This was a cultivation world, not a martial arts world, so there was no such thing as true qi. Mundane martial arts were really just about learning the moves. But to learn it just by watching a few times...
At this thought, he once again said in his heart, "Damn it, truly damn it!"
"Should I charge him ten taels for tuition?"
After retracting his palm, Xu Ziqing secretly sized up Chu Huaixu from the corner of his eye. The youth had a little plan, intending to show off his abilities. As a result, all he got in return was a lukewarm, "Mm, pretty good."
Han Shuangjiang, standing to the side, had also noticed what was happening over here and was secretly surprised. But the cold-faced girl had always been good at hiding her emotions, always keeping a straight face, so you couldn't tell anything.
This made Xu Ziqing feel a sudden sense of disappointment.
"As expected, in front of a cultivator, this is nothing."
"You only learned a mundane martial art at a glance. It's not like you can grasp a cultivator's [Art] in an instant. What's so special about that?"
Xu Ziqing was very distressed, not knowing how he could get a chance to cultivate. Bearing a blood feud, his heart was in a complicated state, his thoughts in a mess, and he wanted to show off his strengths more. He was even getting a bit desperate, trying anything he could.
Chu Huaixu could actually guess what he was thinking. But now was not the time. He himself was just an in-name disciple and had no authority to teach cultivation techniques to others. That would be a major sect taboo!
"I wonder if Old Niu can pull some strings?" he thought.
At this moment, Chu Huaixu felt quite emotional. If it weren't for a series of coincidences where he took Xu Ziqing's spot to come up the mountain, then he would either have to find another way or, according to the original plan, be an undercover handyman in the outer sect.
"If it came to that, I'm afraid I would also try my best to show off, to fight for a chance to cultivate."
He looked at this World Protagonist, and something else came to mind.
"He's a Pseudo Spirit Embryo, just like I was."
"Plus, according to the original character arc, he will be the one to draw that sword."
"Then, the 'Sword Tempering Art', which has a high compatibility with me, could it possibly be a good fit for him too?"
Chu Huaixu began to let his imagination run wild, but the more he thought, the more plausible it seemed.
—Misery loves company.
The extremely dejected handyman knew nothing of this.
"Maybe I should just go back to cleaning the latrines," he thought.
...
...
The sun was about to set.
Although there was now a handyman in the house, the meals were still Han Shuangjiang's responsibility. The reason was simple: Xu Ziqing only knew a little about cooking, his food was truly terrible, and he had no talent for it.
Fortunately, she no longer had to wash the dishes; that was the handyman's job. This kind of situation perfectly matched Chu Huaixu's standards for recruiting a follower: Follow me, and as long as I have a bite to eat, you'll have a bowl to wash.
Xu Ziqing's bedroom was, naturally, arranged in Chu Huaixu's bamboo hut. There was one large and one small room in the hut. Don't be fooled by the decent living conditions for in-name disciples; don't forget, starting next month, they had to pay rent to the sect...
This night, Chu Huaixu did not cultivate the 'Sword Tempering Art'. He had just leveled up three times in a row, was still a bit traumatized, and didn't want to suffer again in the middle of the night. But now there were no entertainment options, which made him feel a little bored.
"No wonder cultivation depends on Wealth, Technique, Companion, and Land."
"With a Dao companion, perhaps one wouldn't be so lonely."
With nothing to do, Chu Huaixu began to do some planning based on his experience as a player. But he was still in the aperture-opening stage, and the things he could do were limited.
"I still have to get to the first realm as soon as possible."
The night grew deeper. Chu Huaixu took off his robes, accustomed to sleeping naked.
At midnight, he suddenly opened his eyes on the bed and looked at the storage token he had placed on his clothes. A mysterious and indescribable aura was emanating from it.
Chu Huaixu got out of bed naked, picked up the token, and took something out from within. The Pill King's Token fragment, like mutton-fat jade, was placed in his palm. At this moment, it was emitting a very, very faint glow.
"Is the secret realm about to open?" Chu Huaixu's pupils shrank, his heart beginning to race.
He put on his robes and pushed the door open. At the same time, Han Shuangjiang also walked out of the hut next door, also holding a fragment of the Pill King's Token.
"Perfect. I was just about to find you to confirm," Chu Huaixu said to her.
"It seems that this secret realm is really about to open!" He smiled slightly.
Han Shuangjiang nodded slightly, glanced at the jade tablet fragment in her palm, her mood a little excited, but also a little nervous.
"Then shall we go to that cold pool now?" she asked.
"I didn't expect you to be such an impatient person," Chu Huaixu chuckled.
Hearing this, Han Shuangjiang pursed her lips and said no more, afraid of being laughed at by him again.
"No rush. We need to prepare. Who knows how many days we'll be in the secret realm," the experienced companion said.
In the past, many rich sisters loved to order him for dungeon runs because he was strong and could carry them, and the atmosphere was good when they were alone. It was a bit like teaming up to play a cultivation world version of an escape room.
"Didn't Deacon Niu say that the secret realm can only be opened when all the pieces of the Pill King's Token are gathered?"
"So we don't need to rush. Without the two of us there, they can't get in either," Chu Huaixu said with a wave of his hand.
At this point, his eyes narrowed, and he said, "What's more, those surnamed Liu probably need to have a little meeting to discuss how to act in the secret realm."
...
...
Medicine Mountain, the Liu family residence.
Liu Chengqi was still not asleep because he had just finished his activities. A soft, warm, and fragrant body was lying in his arms, the tips of the woman's jade-like feet gently circling his calf.
"Senior Brother Liu, you're amazing," the woman said, her breath like an orchid, as she gently rubbed against his neck, her voice soft and tender.
"Am I? Junior Sister Chen, who's better, me or him?" Liu Chengqi asked, his palm sliding down her spine to the raised curve below. It had to be said, this Thief Cao's tastes were as consistent as ever; he just liked this sort of situation.
"Of course, you're better! How could he compare to you! You were even better tonight than the last few times, it was like... it was like..."
"Like what?" Liu Chengqi squeezed her pert rear, his tone filled with pride and anticipation.
"Like you took a pill."
Hearing Junior Sister Chen's words, Liu Chengqi's large hand suddenly stiffened, and his face couldn't help but darken. Because he had indeed taken a pill.
Just then, he suddenly felt that something was wrong. Finally, his gaze also fell upon his storage token.
Liu Chengqi quickly got up and took out the jade tablet fragment from within. Looking at the faint, mysterious 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, long time. He just hadn't expected Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang to be so lucky that the secret realm would open right after they got the Pill King's Token.
"If it had been a few days earlier, they wouldn't have even had a chance to enter!" Liu Chengqi's eyes were filled with gloom.
He really 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 got up and said with a beaming smile, "Congratulations, Senior Brother Liu!"
Clearly, she also knew about the secret realm. The reason was simple: this female disciple at the peak of the aperture-opening stage was one of the nine people carefully selected by Deacon Liu to accompany his beloved son into the secret realm. They would be given token fragments at that time. However, since two fragments had been given to others, nine protectors were no longer needed. Only seven could go down.
"You wait here... on second thought, you should go back for now. I need to report this matter to my father," Liu Chengqi began to shoo her away.
He had already taken a pill; normally he wouldn't let a junior sister leave after just one round. But now, important business took precedence.
"I have an innate Blazing Fire Spirit Embryo, which is high-grade!"
"As long as I recover, what awaits me is the supreme Great Dao!"
"So what if this Chu Huaixu has the Sixth Elder backing him now? As long as I can enter the inner sect and my cultivation soars, I might even become an elder's disciple! Or even the Sect Master's apprentice!"
"As for Han Shuangjiang..." Liu Chengqi, still under the effects of the pill, licked his lips.
Now, it all depended on whether the secret realm had what he wanted.
Liu Chengqi immediately set off to find Liu Tianfeng. As it turned out, Liu Tianfeng was not at home. He had 7 fragments in his storage token; he had long since discovered something was wrong.
At this very moment, the old man was standing by that cold pool. Even with his cultivation, he couldn't resist the cold energy at the bottom of the pool for too long. Right now, Liu Tianfeng's Spiritual Sense probed downwards, and he immediately noticed something.
"The cold energy... it has indeed mostly dissipated."
"No, that's not right. The cold energy has been completely sucked away!"