You Yu was pleasantly surprised. "Gungun, did you plant all of these?"
"Yes." Gungun's voice echoed in her mind. "I merged with those bits of Void Soil. I originally intended for the land to expand slowly, but since the soil around the tree roots had already grown from Void Soil, it carried the aura of the Void, so it merged directly into a single expanse of land. This land will continue to grow until the divine power of the Void Soil is exhausted."
"This is all the Void Soil left in this little world, so it shouldn't be able to grow much more, right?"
"Hmm, the divine power in this remaining Void Soil isn't vast; it can probably only grow another million square kilometers or so," Gungun said. "It’s a little small, I suppose, but if we can find more Void Soil in the future, we can merge it again."
"Cough, cough—" You Yu choked on her own saliva. "A million square kilometers isn't considered large?"
"It’s not! It used to be even bigger! Wait? What was it like before? I can't remember." Gungun’s voice grew increasingly confused. "Before—before—I can't remember anything from before, so why do I feel like it used to be huge?"
"Gungun, if you can't remember, then don't think about it," You Yu comforted.
"Okay, I won't think about it. Gungun is a brand-new Gungun!" Gungun had a simple mind; if it couldn't remember, it truly stopped trying.
"Right, you’re a brand-new Gungun!" You Yu smiled. "By the way, did you plant these Star Grasses too? You know how to farm?"
"I do, I do! In this world, you and I can control everything with a single thought. Farming is just a small matter, a piece of cake!"
"Wow, Gungun, you’re amazing! There are still some empty spots on the edges. When I find more plants later, can I bring them in and have you plant them for me?"
"Yes, please!" Gungun was delighted. "Master, you must find more things for me to plant. I'll make sure they all grow perfectly for you!"
You Yu withdrew her mental energy. Thinking about all the treasures she had found here, her eyes crinkled with a smile.
Thinking about how You Xueer had only managed to find Soul-Calming Grass and a Roc here, missing out on so many other treasures, she seriously doubted whether You Xueer, as the female lead, was truly favored by the Heavenly Dao.
She felt there was some hidden secret, but she didn't know what it was. However, she felt it had nothing to do with her, so she stopped dwelling on it.
Rong Xuan and the others noticed that You Xueer was in a great mood today, even skipping as she walked. She showed interest in some medicinal herbs without much age to them, digging them all up to keep.
Jin Haochen sighed inwardly: Look at this girl's mindset. Having obtained the Star Grass, the bark of the Cang’er Profound Tree, and the Blood Lingzhi, she hadn't let it go to her head at all; she didn't even turn her nose up at ordinary herbs! Her attitude was worth learning from!
You Yu: *Heh, you’re too kind.*
***
**Chapter 36: The Power of a Bean Sprout**
In the evening, they arrived at a wide valley. Since the terrain was sufficient, Jin Haochen brought out his small courtyard.
They had encountered two Tier-2 Monster Beasts during the day. You Yu had cut off the parts that could be eaten directly, and they gave the rest to her.
As she roasted the meat, she calculated their haul: "Our luck wasn't as good as yesterday; we didn't find anything good."
"That's normal. This Secret Realm appears frequently, and the good things inside were scavenged long ago. We were already very lucky to find so many treasures yesterday!" Jin Haochen said, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the roasting meat in her hands.
"That's right. Just what we found yesterday makes this trip worth it, even if we don't find anything else," Rong Xuan added to comfort her.
"I suppose that’s true," You Yu smiled. "If we run into any Tier-1 Monster Beasts tomorrow, can you let me practice?"
Every time they met a monster today, she hadn't had to lift a finger. She had been here for over half a year, yet she hadn't had a proper fight!
"If we encounter a suitable one, we'll let you practice." Rong Xuan didn't promise outright.
Junior Sister was so young and had only been in the sect for half a year; she had no combat experience. What if they ran into something dangerous and she got hurt?
The next day, You Yu was raring to go, but from morning until night, they didn't encounter a single Tier-1 Monster Beast. Instead, they ran into over a dozen Tier-2 Monster Beasts!
After dispatching three Tier-2 beasts, Jin Haochen said in confusion, "These monsters all seem to be heading East. Is there some treasure over there?"
You Yu didn't know; it wasn't written in the book.
When You Xueer and her group entered the mountains, they didn't seem to encounter a situation like this.
Thinking about the treasures to the East, the greatest one should be that Soul-Calming Grass, right? But the Soul-Calming Grass hadn't just appeared recently, and it hadn't attracted monsters like this before.
If there were those two Tier-3 Monster Beasts, that didn't add up either. According to the book, low-level monsters fear high-level ones to their core. Knowing there were Tier-3 monsters—two of them!—in the East, Tier-1 and Tier-2 monsters should be the first to avoid that direction.
How could they be emboldened to head that way?
She felt something was wrong; something must have happened in the East that wasn't mentioned in the book.
However, she wasn't in a hurry to get there. She only needed to arrive before the final battle. Even if she didn't find a place to fight during this time, it didn't matter. When the Roc and the Serpent began to battle, the commotion would be immense, and they could just follow the noise.
For now, she just needed to find that pool with the Soul-Calming Grass.
A few days later, You Yu finally encountered a lone Tier-1 Green-Furred Wolf and insisted on taking it on herself.
"Tsk tsk, I've never seen a green-furred wolf before; I’m certainly learning new things in this world. This color has taken away three-tenths of your wolfish majesty."
You Yu sighed, formed a fire whip in her hand, and lashed out at the Green-Furred Wolf.
It was her first real combat; she was clearly inexperienced. Because she was nervous, the whip missed, and the wolf leaped aside and pounced toward her.
The three people watching nearby held their breath, itching to intervene.
Fortunately, just as the wolf was about to pounce, You Yu rolled to the side, dodging its claws while swinging the whip back toward the creature.
*Snap—*
The fire whip landed heavily on the wolf's rump and hind legs, causing it to stumble as it landed.
"Awoo—"
The flames from the whip ignited its fur. It rolled on the ground, thinking it could smother the fire, but the flames persisted. The scorching pain caused it to thrash, and since You Yu couldn't maintain the whip, she extinguished it and tossed several small fireballs instead.
The Green-Furred Wolf had just managed to roll out the fire on its rear when its body caught fire again. But this time, it didn't roll; it decided to kill You Yu before putting out the fire. It was an instinct for animals to extinguish fire when in pain, but these monsters could restrain their instincts to kill the person casting the fire—it showed they possessed intelligence and the ability to think.
Seeing the wolf pounce again, Rong Xuan and the others tensed up.
You Yu knew her small frame couldn't afford to be touched; one swipe of those sharp claws would tear her flesh off. She scrambled away, but how could she match the speed of a wolf? A few meters later, the wolf caught up, and just as it was about to reach her, she ducked and rolled to the side.
The wolf’s momentum carried it ten meters forward. It stopped and turned to pounce again. *This wretched human! I’ll bite you to death!*
But before it could get close, a green vine wrapped around its neck.
The vine was incredibly thin, like an extra-long bean sprout. The wolf hadn't paid it any mind initially and kept pouncing, but the "little bean sprout" around its neck tightened, cutting off its breath.
The wolf panicked, clawing at its neck, trying to snap the sprout, but it was embedded deep into its flesh and couldn't be caught.
Taking advantage of this, You Yu pulled out the longsword she had bought and brought it down on the wolf's neck. The wolf's head fell.
This was different from when she used a stone to crush people—that time, there was only blood. Seeing the neatly severed neck and the blood spraying onto her, You Yu froze, then turned and began to retch.
"Junior Sister!" Rong Xuan rushed over, terrified to see her vomiting up her lunch. "Junior Sister, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." You Yu vomited so violently that tears streamed down her face.
She hadn't felt much during the fight, and if she had just strangled the wolf, she might not have had such a strong reaction. But she had to have a sudden brainstorm and chop the poor thing's head off. Now, she couldn't handle it.
Jin Haochen sighed on the sidelines: *The girl is truly too kind; killing a monster makes her feel this way. If she ever encounters a villain and has to kill a person, who knows what will happen.* It seemed he should take this opportunity to have her practice killing monsters more often.
You Yu: *Thanks a lot!*
You Yu gagged for a while, still feeling nauseated, but Rong Xuan had no choice but to pull her away. "Wolves are pack animals. I don't know why this one was alone, but we need to leave before others arrive."
You Yu nodded, letting him drag her away.
After walking for a while, they found a small stream.
"Junior Sister, do you want to wash up?" Rong Xuan asked.
Seeing the water, You Yu felt more spirited. She stored some water in her spatial ring, then waded in to wash the blood off her body.
***
**Chapter 37: Treated Like a Soft Persimmon**
"Girl, I've boiled some hot water for you. Go take a hot bath," Jin Haochen said.
Seeing that he had set up the courtyard, You Yu immediately wanted a warm bath. She sighed to herself that he was actually quite thoughtful. This "Big Brother" was worth acknowledging.
She smiled at him. "Thank you, Brother Jin!"
She went to her room, saw the hot water, tested the temperature, and stepped in after undressing.
As the hot water enveloped her body, she let out a comfortable sigh. Today's fight hadn't been too difficult, much better than she expected for a first battle. If it weren't for that unnecessary stunt at the end, it would have been a perfect conclusion.
At the thought of that bloody neck, she shook her head—she couldn't think about it, or she’d throw up again.
She shifted her focus, a small flame appearing at her fingertip.
"Your power is quite good, but this spiritual technique consumes too much energy."
The fire whip's power had been impressive; that single strike likely wiped out half the wolf's combat strength, which was why the rest of the fight was easy. Her vine technique had also been crucial. It was incredibly tough—despite being thin as a thread, the wolf couldn't tear it.
Yes, the wolf had actually touched the vine, and if it were an ordinary plant, it would have snapped. But even that tiny sprout hadn't broken!
She verified that both her fire and wood spiritual energy were strong, and the techniques were powerful, but they were super draining. Her fire whip could only be swung twice, and the vine couldn't hold on for long.
The reason she had swung that sword at the end was because she felt her wood energy was nearly exhausted and wasn't sure if she could hold on long enough to strangle the beast.
A Tier-1 Monster Beast had combat power similar to the Qi Condensation stage. Though the Green-Furred Wolf was Tier-1, it was stronger than average, comparable to late-stage Qi Condensation. Having dispatched a late-stage enemy in her first fight, she felt quite accomplished.
"The book says the stronger the cultivation method, the more spiritual energy it consumes. When my cultivation rises and I have more energy, will they become even more powerful?" she muttered to herself, then realized that wasn't quite right.
She recalled the book stating that techniques often had level restrictions. For example, some were meant for Qi Condensation but became useless by Foundation Establishment. Some worked in Golden Core but were insufficient in Nascent Soul.
So, how long could she use this one? The book hadn't mentioned it.
She wiped her hands with a towel and pulled out the manual to check. The introduction really didn't say. It was a comprehensive manual containing all five elemental techniques—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Her master had told her to learn what she could. At the time, he didn't know about her hidden spirit root; he just recommended it because the wood and fire techniques suited her. Now, it seemed it was a perfect fit!
And the reason her master said it suited her was precisely because the techniques were powerful and required massive amounts of energy. Her own energy, thanks to her cultivation method, was far greater than anyone else's. Her master really had a sharp eye!
She studied the thin little book carefully but found no mention of level limits.
She tucked the manual away, whispering, "Could it be a technique that can be used forever? Whatever, it’s enough for now."
She didn't soak for long, fearing they would be delayed and the pack of wolves would track them down. She changed into fresh clothes, washed the dirty ones, and hung them to dry inside the spatial ring.
*Gungun: It’s still wet if you put it away, why hang it up?*
When You Yu stepped out, Rong Xuan noticed the scratches on her face and pulled her over to apply medicine. "Don't let them leave a scar."
You Yu hadn't even felt the pain, meaning the scratches were superficial; they wouldn't have scarred even without medicine. But she didn't say anything—the feeling of a Senior Brother caring for her was wonderful!
After applying the medicine, they continued on. It was nearly dark by the time they found a spot far from the mountain and set up camp. Since they couldn't find a suitable shelter, they stayed in tents that night.
Over the next few days, You Yu killed a few more Tier-1 monsters. Once she grew accustomed to fighting, she would also join in when Rong Xuan and the others fought Tier-2 monsters. Once they had beaten the beasts down, they would let her finish them off to gain experience.
During these days, they didn't just meet monsters; they met people. You Yu also experienced her first robbery.
There were only four of them, while the opposing party had eight: three at the Foundation Establishment stage and five at Qi Condensation, the lowest being at the 5th Layer of Qi Condensation. In a Secret Realm dominated by rogue cultivators, this was a large squad.
Seeing their bandit-like demeanor, they clearly had plenty of experience in robbing others.
The opposing party didn't waste time. Each drew a spiritual weapon and surrounded them. "Hand over your spatial rings, and we’ll spare your lives."
"You want to rob us?" Jin Haochen tilted his head, looking at them without a trace of panic.
"Correct. If you don't want to get hurt, be sensible."
"Pah! Just you lot think you can rob us?" Jin Haochen scoffed. "I'll give you a chance: get lost now, and this young master might spare your lives."
He had been traveling for a while, and this was the first time anyone dared to rob him. Did they really think that because there were fewer of them, they were soft persimmons?
Seeing Jin Haochen's arrogance, the others knew they wouldn't hand over their goods willingly. "It seems you won't weep until you see the coffin. Brothers, do it! Life or death doesn't matter!"
Seeing things get serious, You Yu pulled out the defensive spiritual artifact she had received, put it on, drew her longsword, and channeled her energy for battle.
Rong Xuan knew these artifacts could withstand Golden Core stage attacks. Seeing she was protected, he unleashed his own combat power.
Three Foundation Establishment cultivators faced off against three others, while the remaining five didn't move. You Yu didn't move either.
She had expected a four-on-eight battle to be a struggle, but those three Foundation Establishment cultivators were no match for Wang Wei and the others; all three were being crushed.
Seeing this, three late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators immediately rushed to help, and one headed toward You Yu.
That man thought You Yu, at the 5th Layer of Qi Condensation, would be an easy target. To his surprise, the technique she conjured was blocked before it even got close. Seeing the artifact on her body, their eyes turned greedy. They decided they would definitely take it from her later.
Seeing them treat her like a soft persimmon, You Yu didn't get angry. She gripped her sword and charged at him.
***
**Chapter 38: Finding the Soul-Calming Grass**
The man hadn't expected You Yu to use a sword. He was a sword cultivator himself, so he subconsciously drew his own and engaged her.
You Yu's swordsmanship was decent, but it was mostly flashy, showy moves. Her opponent had much more combat experience, so she didn't gain the upper hand at first.
You Yu wasn't anxious; instead, she felt this was a great practice opportunity. Ever since she started practicing with the Eldest Senior Sister, the Third Senior Brother hadn't appeared. No one else in the sect was a sword cultivator, so there was no one to guide her; she could only peck at the Eldest Senior Sister like two chickens, which wasn't very effective.
Now, this opponent was stronger than her but not by an overwhelming margin—perfect for "feeding" her sword moves.
However, since he wasn't an ally, he didn't hold back, and You Yu was soon scratched on her arms and legs. But she didn't stop; instead, she grew bolder as the fight went on. After familiarizing herself with his sword patterns, she began to counterattack.
The man hadn't looked at her with any regard at first, assuming he could finish this "little rookie" within ten moves. Who would have expected her to become more aggressive and her strikes more rapid and cunning? By the end, he had actually been wounded by her!
He realized then that she was using him to practice!
*So annoying!*
He noticed her shifts in technique and realized he had no chance of winning if this continued. He wanted to pull away and use spiritual energy, but You Yu pressed him, never giving him the distance.
The dynamic had shifted—You Yu was on the offense, and he was on the defense.
*Damn it!*
He grew anxious, and cracks in his defense appeared. He watched as You Yu's sword thrust toward his chest, but at the last second, she shifted the blade up two inches, narrowly missing his heart.
You Yu didn't look at his look of disbelief. Seeing that Rong Xuan and the others had already ended their battles, she didn't linger and kicked him, sending him flying.
"Junior Sister, you're hurt!" Rong Xuan saw the wounds on her, a wave of lethal intent surging within him.
His delicate, lovely Junior Sister had actually been wounded by someone!
Thinking he was angry at her, You Yu reached over and tugged his sleeve. "Senior Brother, I'm fine, don't be angry."
Rong Xuan saw her cautious look and, fearing he might scare her, softened instantly. "Does it hurt?"
"A little bit."