Outside the secret chamber.
Uncle Luo stood completely still.
Young Master Li paced back and forth angrily.
A cultivator at the Golden Core Late Stage stood off to one side.
"You brat—" Young Master Li pointed angrily at Zhu Wu, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Young Master Li," Zhou Rui called out.
"You... you've refined it?" Young Master Li looked at the gentle Zhou Rui standing nearby, her complexion rosy, her bearing graceful, as picturesque and ethereal as when they first met.
"Mn," Zhou Rui replied simply.
"The two of you, for all that time... dual cultivation?" Young Master Li asked, gritting his teeth.
"Mn." Zhou Rui looked toward the old man. "Uncle Luo, let's take a walk."
"I'll accompany you—" Young Master Li started to say.
"No need, I have other matters to attend to," Zhou Rui coldly refused.
Zhu Wu, meanwhile, hurried away toward the woods, firstly to avoid Young Master Li, and secondly to make another attempt at refining a heavenly spirit fruit.
Zhou Rui simply strolled along, heading toward the center of the secret realm.
"Hmph, I'll make you pay for this!" Young Master Li watched Zhou Rui's receding figure, his teeth grinding. "And as for that so-called... how long before Wang San and the others get here?"
"If they all hurry, it should still take about a day," the Golden Core Late Stage cultivator said.
"Then I'll let you strut around a bit longer! Don't let him leave this secret realm alive!" Young Master Li said, glaring in the direction Zhu Wu had gone.
"Dual cultivation, is it? Once you've completely refined the heavenly spirit fruit, I'll make you cough up every ounce of your true qi!" Young Master Li glared once more in the direction Zhou Rui had taken.
The grand hall at the center of the secret realm was vast and spacious.
The interior was rich with Spirit Qi; even without seizing any great opportunities, simply meditating here was far better than being outside.
This was especially true for rogue cultivators who struggled to find locations rich in Spirit Qi; cultivating here could significantly accelerate their progress.
Zhou Rui found a corner near the exit and sat down cross-legged.
"Uncle Luo, I'll have to trouble you from here on."
"I'll wait in the center until the secret realm closes. With so many people about, I doubt Young Master Li will pull any stunts." Zhou Rui took the old man's hand and spoke in a coquettish tone.
"Alright, alright, I will protect him from the shadows until the secret realm ends."
"I shall split off a wisp of primordial spirit—if only I can fool them."
With that, an identical replica of the old man stood up behind him, and then his true body vanished.
"I am off. If anything happens, run toward where there are crowds; many rogue cultivators will surely lend a hand." A voice audible only to Zhou Rui echoed in her mind.
Zhu Wu passed several heavenly spirit fruit trees, but none of them bore any fruit.
He continued searching the surrounding area.
High above in the air, a concealed figure watched Zhu Wu.
After a few hours, Zhu Wu finally found a tree with two heavenly spirit fruits.
It seemed someone had already tried their hand here.
Zhu Wu observed his surroundings, circulated his true qi, and feeling that no one was near, approached the tree.
"Five elements united..."
Zhu Wu circulated his true qi, and the heavenly spirit fruit fell into his palm.
Looking around, Zhu Wu leaped up into a large tree and sat cross-legged in a thick fork of the branches.
In less than half an incense stick's time, the refinement was complete.
Zhu Wu's own true qi remained unchanged, but the core within his Dantian had doubled in size and become much denser.
"Is this Zhou Rui's true qi... eating more doesn't seem to do much, let's try again."
Zhu Wu returned to the heavenly spirit fruit tree, retrieved another fruit, and leaped back up into the tree to sit cross-legged.
Refinement complete.
It felt as though his true qi had increased by just a tiny sliver, or perhaps not at all.
"Useless after all, otherwise I could keep dual cultivating with Zhou Rui..."
"Pui, what on earth am I thinking? She's about to marry someone else," Zhu Wu hurriedly cut off his own train of thought.
"There should still be a few days left. Should I go to the center and check out the legacy?"
Zhu Wu hesitated, thinking of all those Golden Core stage experts—he didn't like his odds.
"Hmm? Someone's here?" Zhu Wu quickly held his breath.
"Careful, there was a breath just a moment ago."
"This is the right direction, isn't it?"
"Everyone stay alert, I'll go scout ahead."
Three Golden Core stage cultivators communicated among themselves.
"Found him!"
Although Zhu Wu suppressed his breath, he had never learned any specialized cultivation techniques, making him easy to spot for cultivators skilled in tracking.
The three of them stared at Zhu Wu, who was leaning against the tree.
"There he is."
"Yo, hello there."
"I heard you dual cultivated with the eldest young miss?"
"Foundation Establishment Middle Stage? Didn't they say dual cultivation boosts your cultivation? Why are you still at the middle stage?"
The three of them chattered away all at once.
"Looking for me?" Zhu Wu remained seated in the tree and asked in a deep voice.
"We do need a small favor from you. Wonder if Your Excellency would grace us with your presence?"
"What is it?"
"Lending us your head for a moment."
One Early Golden Core, two Middle Golden Core.
Zhu Wu carefully observed the three of them.
They moved slowly, forming a circle to cut off his escape.
Zhu Wu cast a sidelong glance at the surrounding woods.
"Don't even think about running; no bird targeted by this young master has ever flown away."
Judging by their attire, they didn't look like disciples of any major sect.
"Fading Moon!" Zhu Wu quietly cast an Illusion Technique.
"I have no enmity with any of you, can't you grant me some convenience..." Zhu Wu said, feigning panic.
The Illusion Technique wouldn't control them, but it could disrupt their judgment.
"We want convenience too, which is why we came looking for you."
"You really are a lucky brat, worth ten top-grade spirit stones."
"But I want to stay alive," Zhu Wu said, and sprang off to the side.
"Trying to run? No way!"
"Yueying!"
"Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon!"
Zhu Wu suddenly veered toward a Middle Golden Core cultivator, a short sword flashing across the latter's neck.
"Soaring Dragon Stride!"
In an instant, Zhu Wu leaped onto a tree branch, dodging a blast of true qi.
"You brat are quite slippery."
Zhu Wu kept up his footwork, running at high speed.
The Middle Golden Core figure stumbled forward for a short distance before collapsing.
"Hey? What's wrong with you, hurry up and chase!"
The other shouted as he pursued, already opening up some distance.
"Hmm? Dead? Impossible, there's a whole major realm between us." The other Middle Golden Core cultivator thought to himself, closing the distance to Zhu Wu rapidly.
"Fading Moon!"
The Middle Golden Core cultivator saw Zhu Wu sweating and panting.
"Hmph, nothing special." The Middle Golden Core cultivator channeled his true qi, ready to unleash an attack.
"Big brother, wait!" shouted the Early Golden Core cultivator.
The Middle Golden Core cultivator paused for a fraction of a second, just long enough to see a flash of a black sword like a ray of light charging straight at him.
"Yueying!"
Daring not to be careless, Zhu Wu hurried to deploy his footwork and fled instantly.
Two ordinary bolts of true qi grazed the Middle Golden Core cultivator; two figures surged forward, and four figures darted about in all directions.
"Can't tell, you actually have some tricks up your sleeve. No wonder you dared to come to the secret realm." The Middle Golden Core cultivator wiped the blood off his neck.
"That was too close. An Illusion Technique?" the Middle Golden Core cultivator thought to himself, recalling everything that had just happened.
"I never expected your mastery of illusion to be so high—seventh realm, was it? To actually be able to affect me! Now that I'm on guard, you won't get another chance!" The Middle Golden Core cultivator's true qi surged, and the five phantom figures instantly vanished.
The two Golden Core cultivators once more chased in Zhu Wu's direction.
"Looks like the gap in cultivation realms still makes a huge difference..." Zhu Wu pulled out a few pills and shoved them into his mouth.
"Good thing I scattered some spirit hemp powder just now, let's see how long you can chase." Zhu Wu glanced back at the two men drawing ever closer.
In less than half an incense stick of time, the Middle Golden Core cultivator rushed to the front to block Zhu Wu, trapping him between two ends once again.
"Thousand Feathers Sword Technique!"
A single beam of sword light multiplied into thousands, hurtling straight toward Zhu Wu.
"I won't give you another chance to use your illusions. Hand over your life obediently."
"Yueying!"
The five phantoms instantly vanished; Zhu Wu leaped aside to dodge the sword light, his chest now heaving as he truly began to pant.
"Let's see how many times you can dodge, Thousand Feathers Sword..."
"Who says villains talk too much? This Middle Golden Core guy isn't playing by the script at all!" Zhu Wu muttered inwardly, hurriedly deploying Yueying.
"Raging Flames Scorching the Plains!" The Early Golden Core cultivator didn't hesitate either, surrounding Zhu Wu with a wall of fire.
"Setting fire to the mountain, my little life is done for," Zhu Wu cursed, seizing the moment to cast an illusion: "Crescent Moon!"
"Yueying!"
"Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon!"
A sword flash swept past, and a spray of fresh blood erupted.
The Early Golden Core cultivator seemed to have broken through only recently and was hardly any stronger than a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator.
"Yueying!"
Dodgeing the Middle Golden Core cultivator's sword light, Zhu Wu hastily pulled out two more pills and swallowed them.
"Crescent Moon!"
"Big brother, I have ten top-grade spirit stones right here, see if you can let me go?" Zhu Wu said to the charging Middle Golden Core cultivator.
"Hmph, you think I don't know what you're plotting? Treat me like a three-year-old child!"
"Fire Meteor!"
The sword light transformed into a spell, shooting forth at high speed.
"Yueying!"
"Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon!"
"Soaring Dragon Stride!"
Zhu Wu had run dangerously low on true qi.
"Ah!" the Middle Golden Core cultivator let out a cry as the arm holding his sword was sliced clean off.
"Miscalculated! What on earth are you, brat?" The Middle Golden Core cultivator hurriedly circulated his true qi to seal the blood vessels in his arm.
"A man," Zhu Wu panted heavily.
He'd heard that after dual cultivation, a boy became a man.
"Hahahaha! You've got guts. I guess today's my bad day, let's call it quits here, how about that?" the Middle Golden Core cultivator proposed.
Silence.
A moment passed.
"If I said that, would you let me go?" Zhu Wu asked, looking somewhat composed.
"How about this, my magic treasures are all yours, take a look." With that, he held up a storage pouch and began moving toward Zhu Wu.
"Oh, sure!" Seeing that the man was unwilling to accept defeat, Zhu Wu played along.
"Thirty steps... twenty steps... ten steps..."
"Fire Meteor!"
"Crescent Moon! Soaring Dragon Stride!"
The short sword slashed diagonally across the Middle Golden Core cultivator's chest.
"Hmph... you... won't... escape..."
The Middle Golden Core cultivator slowly collapsed to the ground.
Zhu Wu pulled out his short sword, scooped up the storage pouch, and resumed panting.
"This place is no place to linger," Zhu Wu thought to himself. He retrieved the Early Golden Core cultivator's storage pouch as well and dashed back into the forest.
"Looks like the young miss was worrying over nothing," the concealed figure in mid-air murmured to himself.
"Can the heavenly spirit fruit restore true qi?" His true qi thoroughly depleted, Zhu Wu stood before a heavenly spirit fruit tree and looked around.
"Screw it, let's try." Zhu Wu refined another heavenly spirit fruit.
Sure enough, his true qi was instantly replenished.
"Too bad I can't take them with me." Zhu Wu shook his head at the two remaining fruits on the tree.
"Is that Zhu Wu?"
"Yo, Junior Brother Zhu, what a coincidence!"
Seeing three senior brothers from Bright Moon Sect approaching from the direction of the secret realm center, Zhu Wu sighed. "Three more..."
"Oh, greetings Senior Brothers, what a coincidence indeed!" Zhu Wu replied.
"Indeed, we happened to want to ask Junior Brother Zhu for a favor, wonder if Junior Brother would be willing?"
"If Senior Brothers have a request, Junior Brother naturally obeys. I wonder what Senior Brothers wish to do?"
"We heard Junior Brother Zhu can refine heavenly spirit fruits. Could you perhaps offer some pointers?"
"About that... it might be related to my special constitution, but telling Senior Brothers won't hurt." Zhu Wu seemed to deliberate for a moment before speaking.
"Oh, then do enlighten us, Junior Brother."
"I possess a Wood Spirit Body, capable of manipulating certain plants." Zhu Wu answered.
"A Wood Spirit Body? Weren't you a Wind Spiritual Root?"
"I have dual Wind and Wood spiritual roots," Zhu Wu replied.
"Wood Spirit Body, and Wood spiritual root? There have been such people in the past, but we've never heard of anyone being able to refine heavenly spirit fruits?"
"It might have something to do with cultivation techniques as well." With that, Zhu Wu circulated his true qi, displaying the technique from the "Compendium of Materia Medica".
"Earth-grade? Medium quality?"
"Crescent Moon!"
Taking advantage of the three senior brothers who seemed lost in thought, Zhu Wu quietly gathered his breath.
"Yueying!"
"Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon!"
"Ugh..." The closest Middle Golden Core senior brother didn't even have time to react before his blood splattered on the spot.
"Zhu Wu, you—!"
"Raging Flames Scorching the Plains!"
"Yueying!"
"Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon!"
Another senior brother went down.
"You... you..." The last one stammered in shock.
"Don't think I didn't know what you guys were plotting," Zhu Wu said, his face dark and his voice deep. "Wasn't it better to just honestly hunt monster beasts and gather spiritual herbs? Did you really think ten top-grade spirit stones were that easy to claim?"
"You... we are fellow disciples..."
"I should really thank heaven we're fellow disciples, otherwise it wouldn't have been this easy to kill you." Zhu Wu stared hard at the Early Golden Core senior brother.
"You thought you could use our sect ties to make me lower my guard. And what made you think I wasn't doing the exact same thing?"
"Crescent Moon! Yueying!"
"Making me look like the bad guy here. Sigh. How am I supposed to explain this when I get out?" Zhu Wu muttered, collecting their storage pouches.
"Almost at the center of the secret realm. With so many people there, surely not all of them want to kill me, right?" Zhu Wu looked far ahead toward the grand hall.
"The only place in this secret realm rich enough in Spirit Qi for cultivation is the grand hall. With my current realm, I stand zero chance against Young Master Li and his group."
All four of Young Master Li's bodyguards were at the Golden Core Late Stage.
Taking on even one required a lot of luck; facing all four was completely out of the question.
Zhu Wu weighed his options for his next move.
"The secret realm legacy? I wonder what it could be? Can I sneak inside?"
"There's a seventh-rank monster beast to the southeast, let's check that out first." Zhu Wu formulated a plan, bypassed the center, and sprinted away.
The seventh-rank Gale Leopard was only half the size of a White-Browed Tiger, but its speed was several times greater, making it one rank higher than the tiger.
Yet, to cultivators at the Golden Core Late Stage, it wasn't particularly dangerous.
Fourth-rank Fire Spider. Fifth-rank Crimson Flame Monkey. Fourth-rank Azure-Patterned Snake.
Zhu Wu checked his distance from the center, then looked around, dividing his spirit hemp powder into several pouches. He concealed them among the branches of nearby trees before heading toward the center of the secret realm.
Many cultivators cared nothing for the legacy; most came purely for resources and cultivation.
It was said that the legacy only consisted of ordinary yellow-grade techniques, weapons, or magic treasures, and an earth-grade one appeared only once every few centuries. Spending time fighting over it was far worse than just cultivating outside a bit longer.
Zhu Wu felt the legacy shouldn't be that shabby; he wanted to try his luck anyway.
Inside the grand hall, dozens of cultivators currently meditating looked at Zhu Wu in astonishment.
They knew dozens of people had gone out to hunt Zhu Wu down.
Zhou Rui also looked at Zhu Wu with a mixture of excitement.
Ignoring them completely, Zhu Wu walked straight toward the legacy entrance.
Stepping through the entrance, he was teleported to another space.
There was no Spirit Qi here.
The interior was utterly ordinary: a small tree bearing dozens of bean-sized fruits, and a yellow-grade superior cultivation technique compatible with earth spiritual roots, the "Golden Bell Shield".
Zhu Wu plucked one fruit and popped it into his mouth.
No true qi harmonization required.
Flipping through the "Golden Bell Shield", Zhu Wu sat cross-legged right there and began cultivating.
An incense stick's time later, the Golden Bell Shield reached mastery at the entry level.
Zhu Wu circulated the technique, and his body seemed enveloped by a thin golden film.
He plucked a few more fruits and continued practicing the Golden Bell Shield.
An hour later, the "Golden Bell Shield" reached the small-success stage.
Bringing any technique from entry level to small-success was simple. But going from small-success to great-success was as vast as heaven and earth. Going from great-success to perfection even more so.
Zhu Wu harvested all the remaining fruits, stored them in his pouch, and exited the small space.
Information about the legacy was displayed within the grand hall, and everyone saw that Zhu Wu had obtained a yellow-grade superior technique.
Only the specific name of the technique wasn't shown.
Young Master Li and three Golden Core Late Stage cultivators were outside the hall, with one inside.
Zhu Wu glanced at them, knowing that what was meant to come would eventually come.
"Soaring Dragon Stride!"
The moment Zhu Wu stepped out of the grand hall, he burst into footwork and bolted at full speed toward the southeast.
"Now this is going to be a good show!"
"A Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator who can refine heavenly spirit fruits—is he of some special constitution?"
"Never heard of any special constitution that can refine heavenly spirit fruits."
"They said dozens of people went looking and couldn't find him; does this brat know how to turn invisible?"
"Pity, those ten top-grade spirit stones... I just don't have that kind of luck."
"What's there to pity? Several Golden Core guys have already died. You're only middle stage yourself."
"Four middle stage, two early stage—how on earth did this kid pull that off?"
"Could someone be helping him from the shadows? Like that old man Luo, who suppressed his realm to sneak in?"
"Young Master Li and all four late-stage guys went just now. He's dead for sure this time, right?"
"Tell me, should we go help out and build a good connection?"
"Maybe he really does have someone powerful backing him."
"You already know what happens to anyone who offends Young Master Li."
"We're bound to run into Young Master Li when we go to the Metropolis later anyway, offending him is inevitable. Might as well take our chances now while they both end up battered..."
"True, I've long despised Young Master Li's sort. Better offend him sooner than later."
"..."
Inside the grand hall, the cultivators murmured amongst themselves.
Zhou Rui forced herself to remain calm, pretending to cultivate with her eyes closed, while her ears twitched as she eavesdropped on the gossip.
Several figures walked out of the grand hall.
In the territory of the Gale Leopards, four or five beasts watched Zhu Wu and the five pursuers behind him with sharp vigilance.
"You lured us here hoping to use monster beasts against us? Hahahaha!" Young Master Li laughed aloud.
The four Golden Core Late Stage cultivators shifted positions, surrounding the four sides.
"What, scared?" Zhu Wu taunted.
"Scared? Hahahaha! That's the funniest joke this Li has ever heard in his life."
"I'll make you experience every single torture method in my Li Family's Penal Hall, so you know what happens when you cross me!" Laughter dying away, Young Master Li's face turned dark and ruthless.
"Don't let him die too quickly," Young Master Li instructed Wang Yi, Wang Er, Wang San, and Wang Si. (Naming is hard, so background extras get these placeholders.)
"Yo, Young Master Li is in high spirits!"
Four rogue cultivators stepped out, one of them speaking up.
"What kind of trash are you lot, stop interrupting me!" Young Master Li said in a deep voice.
"Oh? Trash am I?" A rogue cultivator's face darkened as he raised his sword and charged at Wang Yi.
The other two charged at Wang Er.
"Little brother, this is as much as we can help you," the remaining one said before charging toward Wang Yi as well.
"Ignorant fools courting death!" Young Master Li roared and charged at Zhu Wu. "Kill them all, leave none alive!"
Wang San was about to move when a hand suddenly pressed down on his shoulder. "Luo..."
"Crescent Moon! Yueying!"
"Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon!"
Zhu Wu charged straight toward a Gale Leopard, then spun around to face the pursuing Wang Si.
"Astonishing Thunder! Astonishing Thunder!"
"Golden Bell Shield!"
Zhu Wu was knocked to the ground by Wang Si, though the Golden Bell Shield absorbed part of the impact.
"Yueying! Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon!"
Wang Si channeled his true qi to fend off four Gale Leopards.
Spitting out the blood at the corner of his mouth, Zhu Wu seized the opportunity to thrust his sword at Wang Si.
"Audacious!" Young Master Li, at the Early Golden Core realm, followed his voice with a flash of sword light.
Zhu Wu's left arm was pierced, but Wang Si went down as well.
"Soaring Dragon Stride!"
Zhu Wu hurriedly leaped up into a large tree.
Even with triple illusions, they could only affect a Gale Leopard or a Golden Core Late Stage cultivator for a split second.
The Gale Leopards charged at Young Master Li, who hurriedly took flight on his flying sword.
Young Master Li took in the surrounding situation with a single glance.
"Uncle Luo? The City Lord's Mansion's doing? I'll make sure not a single dog or chicken is left alive in your City Lord's Mansion!" Young Master Li thought bitterly to himself.
"Those rogue cultivators don't look like they're a match for Wang Yi and Wang Er." Weighing his options, Young Master Li charged at Zhu Wu.
"A Thousand Pounds Drop!" A talisman shot toward Zhu Wu.
Zhu Wu instantly crashed down to the ground.
"Fire Meteor!" Followed closely by a barrage of interwoven sword qi.
"A hundred steps... fifty steps... Crescent Moon!"
Zhu Wu harmonized his true qi, casting an illusion directly into Young Master Li's eyes.
"Ten steps... five steps... three steps... Excellent!"
A single sword thrust, straight through the heart.
Suddenly, a bright light flared from Young Master Li's body as a jade pendant shattered to pieces, and Young Master Li vanished on the spot.
"Crescent Moon!"
Zhu Wu targeted another charging Gale Leopard, taking the opportunity to scramble back up into a tree while the talisman's effect hadn't yet worn off.
Wang Yi, Wang Er, and the four rogue cultivators were all injured, though the four rogues were in worse shape.
Even fighting two-on-one, the potential boost that resources gave to one's capability could not be underestimated.
Wang San looked uninjured, but he was completely paralyzed—the old man hadn't decided to deliver the killing blow yet.
Zhu Wu circulated his true qi to counter the remaining influence of the talisman, then charged at Wang Yi.
"Yueying!"
"Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon!"
Three against one, the outcome was without suspense. Wang Yi died.
Zhu Wu's true qi was also scraping the bottom. He panted and said, "Go help them..."
"Crescent Moon!"
Zhu Wu deflected another charging Gale Leopard.
Four against one, Wang Er perished shortly after.
Seeing all three dead, the old man sighed, channeled force into his palm, and Wang San died.
"Crescent Moon!" Zhu Wu turned his attention back to the Gale Leopards.
The four of them hurriedly rushed forward and finished off the remaining Gale Leopards.
Then they sat cross-legged, panting heavily as they regulated their breath.
"Little brother, you've really stabbed a hornet's nest. And you lot, far too reckless."
"Young Master Li isn't dead yet; he was teleported somewhere else within the secret realm. But whether you kill him or not, people on the outside will find out sooner or later," the old man said helplessly.
"Screw all that, as long as I can drag someone down with me to the grave, it's worth it. We've all got cheap lives anyway," a rogue cultivator said excitedly.
"Little brother, can't tell, you've really got skills. A Foundation Establishment stage daring to take on Golden Core Late Stage—if we hadn't shown up, what were you planning to do?"
"Thank you all for looking out for me today, and thank you, Senior Luo. Anything Zhu Wu can do in the future, I will not refuse!"
With a flick of his true qi, a pouch of spirit hemp powder dropped down from a tree branch.
"You planned this all along? Though spirit hemp powder is useless against Golden Core Late Stage."
"This old man will head back first. Little brother, if the young miss ever faces trouble in the future, I hope you'll pay a little more attention." With that, Elder Luo vanished in an instant.
"Normally, spirit hemp powder is useless. I infused my true qi into it. When inhaled, it detonates—though very weak, it disrupts the opponent's true qi circulation."
Zhu Wu had no intention of hiding it from strangers who had just saved his life; telling them could also help improve their chances of survival.
"So that's how it is. But this method requires extremely precise control over true qi, not suited for me," said a bulky man.
He was a physical body cultivator and lacked the finesse to manipulate delicate threads of true qi.
"What are your plans next, little brother?"
"See if I can find that Young Master Li."
The time for the secret realm to close arrived, and everyone was automatically teleported out.
Activating his magic treasure, Young Master Li found himself a thousand miles away in an instant.
Zhu Wu gained eighty middle-grade spirit stones, twenty of which Zhou Rui had given him extra.
Combining several storage pouches yielded less than ten middle-grade spirit stones—they had all been impoverished cultivators.
Zhu Wu entered the black market, intending to liquidate the contents of those storage pouches.
Sadly, they weren't worth much, and he ultimately managed to scrape together only ninety middle-grade spirit stones.
The stall owner thought for a moment and said, "How about this: if I ever have a request in the future, I hope little brother can lend a hand. Of course, nothing outside little brother's principles."
Zhu Wu obtained the mysterious-grade technique "Nirvana Myriad Thunders".
Zhu Wu's reputation quickly spread outward from Mobei City.
Clear Moon Peak.
Elder Chen emerged from seclusion.
"Little brother, if I've done something to wrong you, would you still be willing to call me 'older sister'?" Elder Chen asked softly.
"Little brother will always know he has a Chen elder sister." Zhu Wu knew the matter could no longer be undone.
"What realm is your illusion technique at?"
"Sixth realm."
"Haven't broken through recently?"
"It might be difficult to break through for quite a long time."
"Is that so. Have you ever heard of the tenth realm?"
"Tenth realm? Aren't there only nine realms?"
"Keep this safe. Your sister has nothing else, only this." Elder Chen tossed over a piece of paper.
"Right, don't let anyone else know."
"Thank you, Sister! Oh, I have some fruits here, have a taste." Zhu Wu produced the fruits he had picked earlier in the secret realm and handed them all to Elder Chen.
"You may leave."
"Zhu Wu has murdered a fellow martial brother. In consideration of his past contributions to Jiyue Peak, his dantian is hereby crippled and he is expelled from the sect, with Elder Chen to personally carry out the sentence. Let all disciples take this as a warning..."