Tasks entrusted by the City Lord's Mansion in the most prominent spot on the bulletin board:
"Obtain the Heavenly Spirit Fruit and have my daughter, Zhou Rui, consume it. Sixty mid-grade spirit stones."
Zhou Rui wore a pink dress, exquisitely featured—a stunning beauty in the flesh.
She was said to possess some rare spiritual body, which made acquiring the Heavenly Spirit Fruit necessary to purge the impurities from her body. This was why the City Lord's Mansion had posted the task.
An elder at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage followed at her side. The elder carried a magical treasure on him that suppressed his cultivation realm.
The treasure remained unactivated; its purpose was simply to let all cultivators know: I am the young miss's guardian, I can enter the secret realm, so don't harbor any evil intentions toward my young miss.
Of course, those who had entered the secret realm before knew this, but they always feared some newcomer who had never been here before might lack eyes.
The Heavenly Spirit Fruit was said to dissolve upon encountering metal, sink into the earth upon encountering soil, burn upon encountering fire, and spoil upon encountering water.
No matter what magical treasures or spells were used, it could never be successfully plucked and consumed.
Stretching out one's mouth to eat it directly would also cause it to dissolve into a puff of air and disperse.
Every time the secret realm opened, it bore hundreds of fruits.
Yet no one had ever successfully eaten one.
After reading the annotations in the *Auspicious Records of Yin and Yang of the Six Harmonies*, Zhu Wu felt he could give it a try.
Since the Heavenly Spirit Fruit was unaffected by anything it encountered, perhaps the unification of the five-element true qi would work.
Anyway, there were no special conditions for entering this secret realm; it would be foolish not to go.
At the entrance of the secret realm, there were roughly two or three hundred people.
Many knew they wouldn't be able to eat it, but they were unwilling to give up without trying it themselves, so they all came with a mindset of giving it a try.
Some felt their cultivation realm hadn't been high enough the year before, so they came again after making a breakthrough.
Some felt their luck had been bad the year before, and this year they would surely succeed.
Some were purely there to cause trouble: if I can't eat it, you shouldn't even think about it either.
A steward from the City Lord's Mansion loudly explained the rules to all the cultivators.
In principle, killing people and seizing treasures within the secret realm was prohibited.
Yet everyone knew that creating an alibi was easy.
Still, everyone present was in the Golden Core Stage; although the gap between the Early Stage and the Late Stage was vast, the winning party would still lose a chunk of flesh, potentially affecting their breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage.
As for the few in the Foundation Establishment Stage, most were wealthy young masters or scions of prominent families, accompanied by guards, making them even harder to deal with.
"Eh? It's Zhu Wu!" The seven disciples of the Clear Moon Sect, led by an elder, spotted Zhu Wu.
"Yo, isn't that the odd-job worker? Isn't he only in the Foundation Establishment Stage? How does he even want to enter the secret realm?" one disciple said arrogantly.
"Senior Brother Zhang, you came out of seclusion recently so you don't know, but he's actually ninth place in the inner sect grand competition," another disciple said.
"Oh? Is that so? It looks like any stray dog or cat can participate in the sect grand competition these days," this Senior Brother Zhang said with disdain.
"Speaking of which, can he just come here without the elder's permission?" a disciple asked.
"Their elder is in seclusion, so nobody's keeping an eye on him," a disciple said.
"Then it seems we, as senior brothers, need to teach our junior brother some manners," another said.
Zhu Wu had originally intended to greet them, but seeing how his senior brothers were acting, he simply ignored them.
"This is our City Lord's Mansion's eldest young miss, Zhou Rui. Many of you probably already know her, but let me say it again: if anyone can obtain the Heavenly Spirit Fruit and have our young miss consume it, the City Lord's Mansion will offer a heavy reward."
The disciples were just about to continue saying something when they were interrupted by the steward's words.
Everyone cast sidelong glances at Zhou Rui.
"Whoa, she's practically a fairy descending to the mortal realm..."
"If only she could become my cultivation partner..."
"Obtain the Heavenly Spirit Fruit, and maybe you actually could."
"Stop dreaming like a toad trying to eat swan meat; she's already betrothed to a prominent family disciple from the major capital."
"So what if she's married? Dual cultivation doesn't depend on family background," a rogue cultivator joked.
"Get real. They're a prominent family; a flick of their tongue could cost you your life."
"That's hard to say. Maybe after dual cultivation I'll break through, and I won't even put a prominent family in my eyes."
"Keep bragging. You're only in the Golden Core Early Stage, while her fiancé is already in the Golden Core Middle Stage. And he's here today too."
"Only Golden Core Middle Stage? I happen to be able to fight opponents above my realm."
"Her fiancé isn't the only one—didn't you see those Golden Core Late Stage guards behind her?"
"Besides, prominent families might have magical treasures that conceal cultivation realms; that person you see at the Golden Core Late Stage might actually be at the Nascent Soul Stage."
"By the way, have any of you thought of any methods? That Heavenly Spirit Fruit apparently hasn't been eaten by anyone for the past few hundred years."
"I heard people ate it frequently in ancient times, so why can't anyone eat it nowadays?"
"..."
The crowd chattered and discussed animatedly.
Zhou Rui also swept her gaze across the crowd.
Perhaps due to the effect of her special constitution, she caught sight of Zhu Wu and paused for a moment.
The surrounding cultivators followed Zhou Rui's gaze and also saw Zhu Wu.
"The Foundation Establishment Stage?? All by himself?" The crowd's reaction was almost identical.
"Could he be concealing his cultivation realm, playing the pig to eat the tiger?"
"Judging by his clothes, he doesn't look like a rogue cultivator. Is he a disciple of that prominent family here for trial training?"
"Earlier, someone from a sect seemed to be talking to him; they looked like acquaintances."
"Could it be that the sect members are operating in the open, while he plans to act in the shadows..."
"..."
The crowd's discussion about the City Lord's Mansion's young miss instantly shifted to Zhu Wu.
"Uncle Luo," Zhou Rui called out softly to the elder beside her.
"Did you notice something?" the elder asked.
"I feel like he's a bit different. It's not a matter of his cultivation realm; I can't quite put my finger on it. If we get closer, maybe I'll sense something," Zhou Rui said.
"You think he has a chance at the Heavenly Spirit Fruit?" the elder asked.
"Among this entire group, he's the only one who gives me a different feeling. If we're talking about a chance, it should probably be him," Zhou Rui said in a low voice.
"You stared right at him just now, making everyone else notice him. With such a low cultivation realm, I'm afraid it's uncertain whether he can even make it out alive," the elder said.
"Inside the secret realm, if it's possible, I'd have to trouble you to keep an eye out, Uncle Luo," Zhou Rui said, looking somewhat apologetic.
"He might not even make it to the center of the secret realm," the elder did not explicitly refuse.
"How about you follow him for a bit..."
"I am here to protect you," the elder cut Zhou Rui off.
"I have Young Master Li and the others with me; nothing will happen," Zhou Rui said.
"Young Master Li is no good man," the elder said.
"At least on the surface, they won't do anything to me." Zhou Rui glanced at Zhu Wu once more, then said to the elder.
This glance once again drew everyone's attention to Zhu Wu.
"Strange, it's one thing for her to look at me, but why are all the others staring too?" Zhu Wu muttered inwardly.
People naturally possessed a herd mentality.
Zhu Wu found himself inexplicably targeted by the crowd's stares, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Who is that punk? He actually dirtied my Rui'er's eyes—someone gouge his eyes out for me in a moment," Young Master Li said through gritted teeth.
"He looks like a rogue cultivator," a Golden Core Late Stage man beside him said.
"Young Master Li, this small place isn't worth getting angry over. Let's try to get the Heavenly Spirit Fruit first in a moment," another said.
"Don't let me run into him!" Young Master Li stomped his foot.
"After the secret realm opens, Miss Zhou will head to the stone hall near the center of the secret realm. If anyone manages to obtain the Heavenly Spirit Fruit, you may deliver it there."
"The secret realm inheritance goes to those fated to receive it. When the time comes, please refrain from fighting over it."
"The secret realm will open automatically in half an incense stick's time and close in three days. Time inside the secret realm flows twice as fast as outside, meaning the time you spend inside will be nearly six days."
"However, there is no night in this secret realm; it remains daytime throughout. Therefore, those seeking the inheritance must still keep track of time."
The steward of the City Lord's Mansion continued his explanations.
"The secret realm is open!" Someone shouted, and the crowd scrambled to summon their swords, instantly flying into the entrance.
Zhu Wu channeled his true qi and ran quickly inside.
Zhou Rui and the others walked leisurely behind.
Young Master Li whispered something beside Zhou Rui, then entered a step ahead.
The entire secret realm was filled with forests, with over a hundred small puddles scattered across different areas.
Various monster beasts came to the puddles to drink, and one would run into them if not careful.
Near the puddles, there was a chance of finding a Heavenly Spirit Fruit tree.
The Heavenly Spirit Fruit trees were about twice the height of a person, generally bearing three to five fruits each.
Other trees mostly stood dozens of people tall, making it very difficult for cultivators in the Golden Core Realm to fly on swords within.
Flying too high on a sword made it hard to spot puddles and Heavenly Spirit Fruit trees, while flying too low and weaving through the forest canopy made it easy to crash into trees.
Calculated by time, flying from the very edge to the center of the secret realm took about ten days.
As long as one wasn't randomly teleported to the absolute edge, rushing to the center was not a problem. There was no need to worry too much about failing to discover the Heavenly Spirit Fruit, unless someone intentionally sabotaged the path all the way through.
There were no special zones in the secret realm; various spiritual herbs were distributed relatively evenly. As long as one wasn't too greedy, the resources everyone obtained in the end wouldn't differ by too much.
Zhu Wu had decent luck: his location was close to the center, and it happened to be right beside a Heavenly Spirit Fruit tree.
A Tier 6 white-foreheaded tiger was currently drinking water.
"Running into an old friend here, huh," Zhu Wu mocked himself.
To a Golden Core Stage cultivator, a Tier 6 monster beast wasn't a major problem.
This one was uninjured. Feeling slightly nervous, Zhu Wu quietly scattered some spiritual hemp powder.
The white-foreheaded tiger was still drinking water.
It took a few sips, raised its head to rest, and then took a few more sips.
Driven by true qi, a portion of the spiritual hemp powder was swallowed into the tiger's belly.
"Great!" Zhu Wu rejoiced inwardly.
The white-foreheaded tiger licked its lips and began to turn toward Zhu Wu.
Four eyes met.
The white-foreheaded tiger's claws twitched gently.
"It's coming!" Zhu Wu's heart tightened as he circulated his true qi.
"Swish!" A blur of white light lunged straight at him.
"Crescent Moon!"
"Yueying!"
"Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon!"
Zhu Wu controlled two figures to release illusion techniques simultaneously.
The white-foreheaded tiger began to crouch on the ground, licking its paws.
"Dragon-Roaming Step!"
Zhu Wu dashed instantly in front of the white-foreheaded tiger, stabbed his short sword directly into its eyes, and then instantly leaped away.
"Roar!" The white-foreheaded tiger sprang up the moment it was injured, eyeing Zhu Wu and the five figures with one remaining eye.
Zhu Wu could now divide himself into five forms, two of which could attack.
The two figures could only execute ordinary true qi attacks, which felt like an itchy scratch to the white-foreheaded tiger.
Thus, the beast soon discovered Zhu Wu's true body.
"Yueying!"
"Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon! Crescent Moon!"
Zhu Wu repeated the actions once more.
"Roar!" With both eyes injured, the white-foreheaded tiger ignored Zhu Wu entirely and bolted into the forest.
Having consumed over half of his true qi, Zhu Wu hurriedly sat cross-legged to rest.
At the same time, he stared at the Heavenly Spirit Fruit tree, contemplating how to harvest the fruit.
Three Heavenly Spirit Fruits hung on the tree.
Before even half an incense stick's time had passed, Zhu Wu hadn't fully recovered.
Considering someone might show up, Zhu Wu quickly rushed to try and harvest the Heavenly Spirit Fruit.
"The five elements unite, yin and yang combine..."
Zhu Wu gathered his true qi to wrap around his palm and reached out.
"It worked!" Zhu Wu almost jumped for joy. "Is it really this simple?"
"I'll eat one first to test it," he said, shoving it toward his mouth.
"Huh?..."
The moment it left his hand and was fed to his mouth, the Heavenly Spirit Fruit vanished.
"Could it be that my true qi has to wrap around it until I finish eating? No, it should be refined thoroughly with true qi."
Zhu Wu thought for a moment, circulated his true qi, and reached out again, carefully coating the Heavenly Spirit Fruit in true qi to deliver it to his mouth, letting it slide down into his stomach.
Zhu Wu sat cross-legged, his true qi flowing uninterrupted.
Half an hour later, Zhu Wu felt the Heavenly Spirit Fruit transform into juice that seeped into his true qi.
His true qi seemed to become as wispy as silk, as dreamy as smoke, as gently rippling as water, as scorching as fire, and as sturdy as iron.
Zhu Wu carefully guided the true qi back into his dantian.
His dantian churned and expanded by a circle.
The five supporting petals blossomed even more vividly.
One Heavenly Spirit Fruit remained.
"Should I keep eating?" Zhu Wu hesitated for a moment. "Forget it, I'll go trade for spirit stones first. Being too greedy will bite you in the end."
Carrying the Heavenly Spirit Fruit in his right hand, Zhu Wu executed the Dragon-Roaming Step and dashed toward the center.
Zhu Wu didn't want to use Yueying, fearing he wouldn't have enough true qi if an emergency arose.
The journey went smoothly.
Almost too smoothly.
At the stone hall near the center, only Zhou Rui and the elder were present.
Zhou Rui spotted Zhu Wu from afar.
"Uncle Luo, he really came!" Zhou Rui cried out happily.
"This kid?" The elder found it hard to believe.
"Miss Zhou, I've brought the Heavenly Spirit Fruit. But how are you supposed to eat... refine it?" Zhu Wu asked.
"I heard your name is Zhu Wu? May I call you Young Master Zhu?" Zhou Rui asked.
"Um, as you like."
"You've already refined one, haven't you? Just help me refine it using your method," Zhou Rui said with a smile.
"Uh... my method?" Zhu Wu was puzzled.
The method Zhu Wu had used himself was the unification of the five elements, but he wasn't clear about Zhou Rui's true qi.
"Only the true qi that can pluck the Heavenly Spirit Fruit can refine it," Zhou Rui explained.
"But my true qi and your true qi..." Zhu Wu asked doubtfully, "What is your spiritual root?"
"Do you know about dual cultivation?" Zhou Rui countered.
"Dual cultivation? Uh..." Zhu Wu was momentarily dazed.
*Could it be she wants to dual cultivate with me?* Zhu Wu thought to himself.
"Yes, dual cultivation. It might be slightly different from what you imagine, but there's not much difference either."
As the daughter of the City Lord's Mansion, possessing a spiritual body and recognized by major sects and prominent families, Zhou Rui had access to plenty of resources and information, and she knew quite a bit.
"Most physical-body combination methods of dual cultivation are adopted by demonic cultivators; we of the righteous path are not like that."
"Your true qi merging with my true qi—that is dual cultivation," Zhou Rui explained simply.
"True qi merging? Under normal circumstances, don't true qi types repel each other? Even our own true qi is hard to merge internally, so how can it merge with yours?"
Zhu Wu asked, puzzled.
"This is the function of my spiritual body; my spiritual body can merge with almost anyone's true qi," Zhou Rui replied.
"This... Is there any benefit for me?" Zhu Wu asked uncertainly.
"Of course. It's equivalent to giving my true qi to you and your true qi to me, meaning you will possess a portion of my spiritual body's power," Zhou Rui replied.
"Wouldn't a lot of people want to dual cultivate with you then?" Zhu Wu asked.
"Not necessarily that many. My true qi isn't infinite; for cultivators above the Nascent Soul Stage, obtaining this tiny bit of true qi of mine is at most just icing on the cake," Zhou Rui replied.
"Then it doesn't seem very useful to me either," Zhu Wu remarked.
"It's different. Your true qi can pluck the Heavenly Spirit Fruit; when combined with my true qi, it can truly unleash its effect."
"For instance, if your true qi can cut down one tree, adding my true qi will allow you to cut down two," Zhou Rui explained.
"Are you sure? Have you dual cultivated before?" Zhu Wu asked.
"No. But the records from ancient times related to my spiritual body describe it this way," Zhou Rui answered.
"Does dual cultivation have any side effects?" Zhu Wu thought for a moment and asked.
"Side effects... yes," Zhou Rui replied.
"What are they?"
"It's that you might become regarded as an enemy by Young Master Li and the others," Zhou Rui said softly.
"Just that? Then it's not a big deal. But if we dual cultivate, right here?" Zhu Wu looked at the stone hall and asked.
"Mm. There is a secret room ahead, follow me."
"Uncle Luo, I'll trouble you to stand guard."
Inside the secret room.
Zhou Rui lit an oil lamp, then took a pile of pills out of her storage ring and placed them to the side.
Having finished her preparations, she began to take off her clothes.
"Huh? We need to take off our clothes too?" Zhu Wu was surprised.
"What are you thinking? Just the outer garments, you need to take yours off too."
"Later when we exchange true qi, we need to have a rough idea of where the other person's points are. It's hard to see clearly wearing outer robes," Zhou Rui explained.
"Then strip naked..."
"In your dreams," Zhou Rui hurriedly cut Zhu Wu off.
The two sat cross-legged facing each other.
Four palms touched. Four eyes met.
Thin inner garments. The scent of cosmetics and powder. The smell of sweat. The fragrance of the Heavenly Spirit Fruit floating between them.
Their palms brushed, body temperatures mingling. The pulse at their fingertips reached straight to their hearts.
Instantly. Before the true qi moved, their minds were in turmoil. Their heartbeats raced.
"Ah..."
The two pulled their hands back, somewhat at a loss.
Zhu Wu was around fifteen or sixteen, while Zhou Rui was seventeen or eighteen.
Two strangers suddenly found themselves so close.
"Um... um..." Zhou Rui suddenly didn't know what to say.
Zhu Wu also turned his head away and took a deep breath.
They tried dozens of times, feeling as though a full day had passed.
Finally, after half an incense stick's time, Zhou Rui consumed the Heavenly Spirit Fruit.
Zhu Wu closed his eyes, feeling the true qi enter Zhou Rui's body, and began to refine the Heavenly Spirit Fruit.
Another half an incense stick's time passed. Zhu Wu opened his eyes and saw Zhou Rui staring right at him.
Zhou Rui gave a start, almost ruining all their previous efforts.
"Slow..." Zhu Wu said hurriedly.
Zhou Rui took a light breath and began to circulate her true qi.
Zhou Rui's palms gradually turned cool, while Zhu Wu's palms grew warm.
A chilling sensation swept through Zhu Wu's body, while a warmth coursed through Zhou Rui's.
An hour passed.
A core-like shape formed inside their dantians: Zhu Wu's resembled an ice core, while Zhou Rui's looked like a colorful embroidered ball.
The true qi inside their dantians circulated automatically, expanding by a circle.
The true qi then surged through their entire bodies, wrapping them both in colorful radiance.
The skies were clear and the earth bright, birds chirped and flowers smelled sweet. Small bridges and flowing streams, the sovereign walking at the center. Sharing the same blanket of stars and moon, the candlelight warming the chamber.
The two felt as though they were immersed in an illusion, drifting with happy expressions as their four palms melted into two hands clasped together.
Another hour passed.
The core formed completely, and the true qi slowly settled.
Finally waking as if from a dream, the two found their faces flushed with rosy hues.
"Did it work?"
"It worked."
The two slowly let go of each other's hands and put on their outer garments.
"Will we ever meet again in the future?" Zhu Wu asked.
"Perhaps," Zhou Rui knew she certainly wouldn't marry Young Master Li. Thus, she had no way of knowing how things would turn out afterward.
"After we go out, you must be careful of Young Master Li and the others. Don't clash with them," Zhou Rui said with concern.
"I'll try my best to avoid them," Zhu Wu replied.
"You wouldn't happen to want the inheritance, would you? The secret realm's inheritance is quite ordinary; I'll have Uncle Luo send you out first," Zhou Rui worriedly suggested.
"Don't worry, I'm confident in my ability to protect myself," Zhu Wu said softly.