You Yu thought about it and realized it was true; her knowledge of this world was extremely limited. Aside from alchemy and cultivation, she would be nothing but an illiterate outsider if she were to step out into the world. Knowing that one could encounter treasures anywhere in the cultivation realm, she decided to pause for a while and pay a visit to the library.
She planned to start by reading through all the books on medicinal herbs to ensure she wouldn't miss any rare ingredients if she encountered them. Beyond herbs, she needed to study books on other heavenly treasures, as well as general knowledge of the cultivation world. Once she started, she couldn't stop. Of course, she couldn't neglect her cultivation, her alchemy practice, or her farming duties. As a result, her daily schedule became so packed that she often went weeks without being seen.
Naturally, she didn't want to be the only one working hard, so she dragged Ji Qing into the mix. "Eldest Senior Sister, look, my talent is so great—what if I get targeted out of jealousy once I go out? Our sect has so few people; you have to protect me!"
"Of course I will protect you," Ji Qing replied.
"But what if you run into someone really powerful and can't beat them?"
"Ah—"
"So, Eldest Senior Sister, you can't just focus on alchemy; you need to work hard to raise your cultivation level, right?"
"……Hmm, you’re right."
She shoved a book on swordsmanship into Ji Qing’s arms. "Eldest Senior Sister, I found this sword manual in the library. It feels perfect for you. Why don't you start practicing it?"
"Sword… sword manual?" Ji Qing shrank back. Practicing the sword sounded so exhausting.
You Yu looked at her with wide, watery eyes. "Eldest Senior Sister, if someone bullies me in the future..."
Facing that gaze, Ji Qing had no resistance. She gritted her teeth and said, "I'll practice!"
"Eldest Senior Sister, you’re the best! Let’s practice for two hours every day."
"T-two hours?"
"Eldest Senior Sister, if someone bullies me in the future..."
"…Fine, two hours it is!" To protect her Junior Sister, she had to work on improving herself.
"Eldest Senior Sister, I love you to death!" You Yu pounced, hugged Ji Qing tightly, and rubbed her face against her chest. It was so soft and comfortable.
Ji Qing’s talent for alchemy was unquestionable, and her cultivation level wasn't low, but she had relied heavily on pills to get there. Lacking real-world experience, her actual combat effectiveness was weak. Thinking of how she had been killed by a Level 4 Monster Beast while trying to pick herbs for You Xueer, You Yu was desperate to boost her combat ability. She didn't need to become a sword cultivator like the Third Senior Brother, but learning some swordsmanship would certainly help.
At first, Ji Qing only practiced to keep You Yu company, but she soon found it fun. She developed an interest of her own and began practicing with even more enthusiasm. Seeing her so dedicated, Ji Qing, who had been on the verge of giving up, picked up her sword again.
...
When Rong Xuan finished researching the array formation and went to deliver it to You Yu, he didn't know where she was. He went to ask Ji Qing, only to find she wasn't there either. The entire Taiyi Sect was deathly quiet; from the outside, one couldn't even tell a sect existed there.
It was only after he used a communication talisman that Ji Qing returned. He was shocked to see the Eldest Senior Sister, who always wore pristine white clothes, return covered in dirt. Knowing she had a touch of germophobia, he asked, "Eldest Senior Sister, did someone come to make trouble for the sect?"
"No," Ji Qing waved her hand and sat down. "The Junior Sister beat me up."
"The Junior Sister can beat you?"
"Yes, she was practicing swords with me and suggested we spar without using spiritual energy."
Ji Qing couldn't understand it; despite how small You Yu was, and the fact that they had been practicing together, why was You Yu able to corner her like that when they didn't use spiritual energy?
Rong Xuan was surprised. "The Junior Sister asked you to practice swords with her?"
"No, the Junior Sister was practicing with me." Ji Qing covered her face—she couldn't even beat her Junior Sister; it was so embarrassing!
"By the way..." Before Rong Xuan could finish, the entrance array shifted. Ji Qing made a few gestures, and an image of the sect entrance appeared before them.
Rong Xuan frowned. "Why is he back again?"
Jin Haochen had only left half a year ago; why was he back so soon? Could he have discovered the secret behind the Junior Sister’s rapid plant growth? Regardless, they welcomed him in.
Jin Haochen didn't mince words. After seeing You Yu, he stated his purpose: "Little sister, I know a small secret realm that’s about to open. Do you want to go take a look and broaden your horizons?"
"A small secret realm?" You Yu’s eyes lit up. She loved those things; in novels, secret realms were always filled with treasures. And she loved treasures!
"Yes, the Sanyuan Secret Realm. Fellow Daoist Rong should know of it," Jin Haochen said.
"The Sanyuan Secret Realm?" You Yu blurted out in surprise.
Jin Haochen didn't realize her outburst was from shock, assuming it was just curiosity. "Yes, the Sanyuan Secret Realm is an ancient one. Only those below the Foundation Establishment Great Circle can enter."
You Yu nodded; she was familiar with this trope from novels.
"The Sanyuan Secret Realm opens every fifteen years or so, and the entrance is different each time. Because it appears quite frequently, it doesn't contain many rare treasures anymore," Rong Xuan explained.
"Sixth Senior Brother, have you been there?"
"I went fifteen years ago," Rong Xuan replied. "I was only at the third level of the Qi Condensation stage then, following the Eldest Senior Sister. We didn't gain much on that trip."
"Exactly. While it’s not overflowing with treasures, it’s a good place for those just stepping into the world of cultivation to gain experience," Jin Haochen said. "How about it, little sister? Do you want to go?"
"Go! I definitely want to go!" You Yu said, then realized Jin Haochen and Rong Xuan were both staring at her. She scratched the back of her head, realizing her reaction had been too intense. "Hehe, I haven't left the sect since I joined; I want to go out and see the world."
Jin Haochen and Rong Xuan both laughed; after all, she was just a child, and it was normal for her to yearn for such places.
"However, we still need to ask the Eldest Senior Sister," Rong Xuan said.
"If you want to go, we need to hurry; the entrance is about to open," Jin Haochen added.
"Let's go, let's go! I'll tell the Eldest Senior Sister and then we’ll head out." You Yu impatiently pulled Rong Xuan toward Ji Qing.
The Sanyuan Secret Realm! She couldn't miss it. She might not know about other secret realms, but the Sanyuan Secret Realm had been a key location described in the book. The entire novel was written from You Xueer’s perspective, and the Sanyuan Secret Realm was the first place she went for training.
There were many low-level Monster Beasts inside and some medicinal herbs that weren't very old—a perfect place for training. What excited You Yu most was that You Xueer had contracted a Roc with a pure bloodline in there, which became her excellent transport tool. That Roc was of a high grade, already at Level 3—the Golden Core stage—and was one of only two Level 4 Monster Beasts in the realm.
Normally, such a beast was far beyond the reach of a beginner, but since You Xueer was the heroine, she had incredible luck. She encountered the Roc and a Serpent, both of which were severely injured after a great battle. When she arrived, both sides were incapacitated and on the verge of death. She took a fancy to the Roc’s flight abilities and, taking advantage of its weakness, used a secret technique to bind it to her.
The binding method was incredibly domineering; even after the Roc regained its strength, it dared not harbor any thoughts of retaliation. Later, when You Xueer encountered a Qingluan with an even higher bloodline, she abandoned the Roc, eventually sending it on a suicide mission that killed it.
After it died, that scoundrel of a male lead and You Xueer merely remarked that its cultivation was no longer good enough for her and that it was better to free up the contract spot for another spirit beast. They never knew the Roc actually belonged to a powerful clan, and had they known, they could have used its bloodline to obtain benefits. You Xueer even used her past connection to the Roc to gain advantages from that clan later.
Reading that part had made You Yu furious, and she was determined to ruin this opportunity for You Xueer. As for the person who taught You Xueer that binding technique... he should already be inside You Xueer’s body by now. He was no good, either.
That’s right—You Xueer had the typical heroine’s luck. On her way to the sect, she had encountered the soul of a powerful expert who had taken up residence in her sea of consciousness. He taught her many things and gave her powerful cultivation methods. Once, when You Xueer encountered a high-level cultivator, he took over her body and unleashed a powerful attack to save her. You Xueer had promised that once she ascended, she would help him reshape his body and be reborn. She constantly sought treasures to repair his soul, and by the later stages, he could even emerge from her body and act freely like a demon cultivator.
While it seemed like a standard lucky encounter, that soul was not a good person. Later, You Xueer discovered his true identity: he was a powerful demon cultivator from ten thousand years ago. Once he could act independently, he went out and fed on the essence of many people to boost his own cultivation. When You Xueer finally discovered his actions, he left her and became the novel’s greatest villain, ultimately killed by the joint efforts of You Xueer and the male lead. Of course, even such a powerful person couldn't escape the "heroine halo"; he had fallen in love with You Xueer, and his ultimate failure was due to his inability to kill her, allowing the pair to finish him off.
Thinking about how that soul had slaughtered an entire city of people after leaving You Xueer, You Yu decided that she wouldn't let him grow. She would crush him while he was weak!
In this secret realm, You Xueer would obtain a Soul-Stabilizing Jade that helped the old ghost solidify his soul. You Yu had a clear goal: find the jade first, then mess up You Xueer’s deal with the Roc. If she could get the Roc to follow her, that would be best. If not, it didn't matter; the Roc should soar in the free sky!
Ji Qing knew about the Sanyuan Secret Realm and understood it wasn't particularly dangerous. Besides, she knew You Yu had many treasures from the Master and her Senior Brothers, so even if she ran into someone at the Golden Core stage, she could retreat unscathed. She agreed to let her go. Worried about You Yu getting hurt, she stuffed her with all the Rank 4 pills she had brewed recently before sending them off.
Setting aside those in seclusion, only the three of them were left in the sect. Ji Qing couldn't leave, so she had Rong Xuan go along. Rong Xuan was still at the Foundation Establishment Great Circle, so he could enter. Jin Haochen was also at the Foundation Establishment stage and would naturally join them, along with a bodyguard who was at the Foundation Establishment Great Circle.
The secret realm didn't have many good items, so large sects rarely arranged for disciples to train there. Most who went were groups of loose cultivators. Thus, three Foundation Establishment cultivators and one Qi Condensation cultivator were actually quite a formidable force entering the realm.
You Yu and Rong Xuan followed Jin Haochen to Heyue City, where they met the two guards waiting there. One was Wang Wei, the Foundation Establishment Great Circle guard who would enter the realm, and the other was Wang Liang, the Golden Core bodyguard for the trip. They were brothers and men under Jin Haochen’s father. After the last incident, his father didn't dare let him wander around alone anymore.
"The entrance to the Sanyuan Secret Realm is in Danxia City this time. It’s quite far, so we can go through our teleportation array," Jin Haochen explained to You Yu.
"Heyue City is so small, does it have a teleportation array?" You Yu asked.
"Others don't, but Wangyue Pavilion does," Jin Haochen smiled. "If we didn't have one, our supply runs would be very troublesome. It’s just that the array hasn't been open to the public."
Of course, the Taiyi Sect were Jin Haochen’s saviors, which was why they enjoyed such treatment. Naturally, Heyue City was too small, and Danxia City wasn't particularly large either; there was no direct teleportation array between them, but fortunately, there was a major city in between to transfer through. The group spent ten days arriving in Danxia City.
...
Despite it taking ten days, the Taiyi Sect’s slow-moving flying ship would have taken half a year. Thinking about how a single family had so many teleportation arrays, then thinking of the Taiyi Sect’s slow ship, she once again felt the poverty of the Taiyi Sect.
After exiting the array, Wang Liang felt the air and said, "The spatial fluctuations are quite large; the entrance should open within ten days."
"Looks like we arrived just in time," Jin Haochen smiled. "Little sister, the Jin family has a manor here. Let’s stay there."
"Alright!" Since she was already mooching off his teleportation array, mooching a place to stay wasn't a big deal.
The teleportation array was in the backyard of the Wangyue Pavilion, some distance from where they were staying. Since it was still early, the group walked over slowly. Jin Haochen led them to a house; after he knocked, someone quickly opened the door and welcomed them inside.
Just then, a group of people passed by. One of them stopped.
"Junior Sister, what are you looking at?"
You Xueer came back to her senses and smiled at the people in front of her. "Senior Brother Yu, I thought I just saw my sister."
"The sister you lost in the mortal world? Didn't you say she went into the mountains and ran into danger?" Yu Feng was one of those who had gone to the mortal world to test for talent; he had a good impression of the Junior Sister who was so worried about her sister before leaving.
You Xueer tilted her head slightly, her eyes showing disbelief and more confusion. "Maybe I was mistaken. My mother said she went to find medicinal herbs for my father and someone saw her fall off a cliff. It's unlikely she would appear in the cultivation world."
"Junior Sister, it’s almost dark. Let’s find an inn to stay in," said Li You, another Senior Brother. "I didn't expect to run into the Sanyuan Secret Realm opening while we were out on a mission, and with so little time left, it’ll be hard to find a room."
"Senior Brother Li, Senior Brother Yu, let’s go find an inn quickly, otherwise we’ll be sleeping on the streets tonight."
"Yes, let's go." Yu Feng, the one with the highest cultivation among the three, was their leader.
...
You Yu hadn't noticed You Xueer passing by, and even if she had, she wouldn't have been surprised. After all, the book mentioned she and her two Senior Brothers were on a mission and happened to arrive in Danxia City just as the entrance to the Sanyuan Secret Realm opened there.
"Little sister, shall we go to the Wangyue Pavilion tomorrow to stock up on supplies?" Jin Haochen suggested.
"Alright!" You Yu thought about how in the books, everyone always stocked up before entering a secret realm, so she agreed without thinking. Only after she said it did she remember—she didn't have much money! And did she even need to buy anything?
She had plenty of medicinal pills; she hadn't even used the ones the Eldest Senior Sister gave her upon joining, let alone the extra dozen she’d been given before leaving. The defensive spirit artifact from her Fifth Senior Brother could block attacks below the Golden Core stage, and she had the array from her Sixth Senior Brother. If she was lacking anything, it would be an offensive weapon. If she really needed to buy one, the spiritual stones Huangfu Yuan gave her should be enough.
Wait, no—the Master had given her an offensive weapon as an entrance gift, though she hadn't recognized its grade or studied it much. She would study it tonight; maybe she wouldn't even need to buy one tomorrow. She also needed to study the spiritual techniques her Master had given her; besides "Bean Sprout," she could only cast fireballs and condense water droplets in her palm. Her life in the sect had been too comfortable, and she had focused on other things, neglecting her spiritual techniques. Now that she was heading out to train, it was time to learn them.
After telling Rong Xuan, she went to her room to rummage through what Jiang Wenji had given her. Rank 6 pills, a dharma robe that could block attacks below the late Nascent Soul stage, several advanced array discs...
"Ah, found it. This short whip."
Previously, she hadn't been able to discern the grade of the whip, but after studying it for a night, she realized it was at least a top-grade Immortal Artifact. If she took this out, many would be unable to resist killing her to seize the treasure. She had thought she wouldn't need to buy a spiritual weapon, but it seemed she still needed to buy something more ordinary. The Master’s gifts were few, but they were all high quality!
Early the next morning, she put on the dharma robe. She didn't know what it was made of; it looked no different from ordinary clothing. Once she put it on, it automatically adjusted its size to fit her small body perfectly. One could see it wasn't of a low grade.
"Master is so good!" You Yu was moved. "I must find more good things for Master!"
"Little sister, are you up?" Jin Haochen’s voice came from the courtyard.
"I’m up. I’m preparing some breakfast. Brother Jin, do you want some?"
"Alright!" Jin Haochen replied happily. He had come over early in the morning—his intention to mooch a meal was not subtle at all.
Jin Haochen thought: I haven't eaten the little sister’s cooking in months; what’s wrong with wanting to have some? Although he and Rong Xuan were at the Foundation Establishment stage and could abstain from eating, why wouldn't they eat if there was good food?
After breakfast, they went straight to the Wangyue Pavilion. It was the largest store in Danxia City, much bigger than the one in Heyue City. They sold everything—pills, spirit weapons, arrays, cultivation techniques, tamed spirit beasts, and even extremely rare talismans.
"Little sister, go pick what you like. Tell your brother what you fancy, and I’ll get it for you!" Jin Haochen said grandly. He said "get it," not "buy it." As the young pavilion master of the Wangyue Pavilion, what problem could there be with taking something from his own store?
But You Yu didn't intend to get a freebie. Jin Haochen originally had no interest in the Sanyuan Secret Realm; he only came to tell her and accompany her because he thought it would be good for her training. He had already been generous enough; how could she possibly take his things for nothing?