Chapter 62

True Sovereign in Exile had no idea that her heartfelt admonitions, rather than quelling her disciple’s resolve, only ignited her determination to obtain what she desired at any cost.

However, she was not truly foolish; she understood that her master had already made up her mind and would not allow her to draw near Wei Qingtong. So, docilely she nodded, “Master, I understand. After we return, I’ll keep my distance from them.”

True Sovereign in Exile nodded in satisfaction and turned to Fairy Yun He, “In that case, you needn’t go back. You advanced to the Golden Core stage long ago yet haven’t progressed further. Though I can procure Longevity Pills for you, it’s ultimately not beneficial for your cultivation. You should enter closed-door training for a while and focus on your practice.”

Fairy Yun He had not expected that her master would forbid her from returning. After all, the opportunity to enter a secret realm was exceedingly rare. Even though she had ventured there during the Foundation Establishment stage, the locations one could access differed depending on one’s cultivation. Besides, once inside, every cultivator had to rely on their own abilities—life and death were left to fate. Each opening of a secret realm was accompanied by rivers of blood from countless cultivators. She absolutely could not give up this chance.

“Master, please let me go. I promise to be obedient and not cause trouble for others. I heard there’s an Udan Flower in the secret realm, an essential ingredient for refining eighth-grade pills, and you’ve been searching for it lately. I just wanted to show my filial respect to you,” she said, gazing up with adoration.

“You’ve raised and cared for me since I was a child. There’s nothing I can give you in return. Please, let me go just this once. I’ve been thinking about it for so long.”

It was not without reason that she had been cherished for hundreds of years—apart from occasional lapses in judgment, Fairy Yun He was basically sound in mind and character.

True Sovereign in Exile’s heart softened at her disciple’s filial piety. “Very well, you may go. But promise me, do not provoke Wei Qingtong or Li Mengze. Will you?”

The promise was easily given, but as she left the Pill Cauldron Sect, Fairy Yun He glanced back at the highest peak with an indecipherable expression, her thoughts unreadable.

The secret realm governed jointly by the three great sects was opened by five Nascent Soul cultivators working together. Only the most elite disciples were permitted entry, though among them were some rather eccentric characters. Li Mengze stood on the flying dragon boat, observing a young man below who was hawking secret realm entry tokens.

He was as thin as a monkey, with a mischievous expression, and daring enough to peddle tokens in front of so many disciples from various sects. Wasn’t he just asking to be beaten? Evidently, everyone knew the rules; despite the crowd, few approached to inquire about prices—most were simply watching the spectacle. The monkey-like youth looked depressed, possibly a disciple from some family, yet strangely, no one stopped him. Perhaps there were too many people and no one had noticed, otherwise he’d surely have been scolded.

Sure enough, before long, a middle-aged cultivator approached with a helpless look, wrapped an arm around the youth’s neck, and dragged him back into the crowd.

Wei Qingtong witnessed this and murmured to Li Mengze, “That’s the third legitimate son of the Bai family—quite the nonconformist. He only started cultivating at nearly thirty, having refused before then, apparently because he wanted to travel the world and admire beauties. He wandered the mortal realm for years.”

Li Mengze scrutinized him; at the Golden Core stage, if he began cultivating at thirty, he couldn’t be more than a hundred years old by bone age—an impressive rate of advancement.

She joked, “Then I suppose he finally turned over a new leaf.”

Wei Qingtong glanced at her and replied with utmost seriousness, “No, he’s as incorrigible as ever. The reason he began cultivating was because his second sister-in-law told him that even the most beautiful women only retain their prime for five to eight years, but with cultivation, a woman’s prime lasts much longer—and after purifying impurities, their beauty becomes even more radiant. If he didn’t cultivate, he’d soon become an old man whom not even ugly women would approach. That’s what spurred him to work hard.”

Shaking her head, Li Mengze mused that oddities abounded in the cultivation world—most of them only had such freedom due to powerful family backgrounds, allowing them to be as unruly as they pleased.

Because the transmission into the secret realm was random, neither of them knew if they’d end up together. Taking advantage of the wait, Wei Qingtong briefed Li Mengze on whom to watch out for and whom they could trust.

As they spoke, a cheerful voice called out, “Greetings, Brother Wei, it’s been a while.”

Following the voice, Li Mengze saw a stranger with a roguish grin, whose bow was anything but proper. Upon seeing Li Mengze, he even winked exaggeratedly, leaving her unsure how to respond; she merely nodded with a polite smile and stood beside Wei Qingtong.

Wei Qingtong was clearly more familiar with the newcomer and seemed slightly embarrassed, though the man himself was quite blunt—blunt to the point of rudeness.

“Didn’t we just meet the day before yesterday? I kicked you off the stage and you’ve already forgotten? Want to relive it?” he teased.

Li Mengze suppressed a laugh as the other’s expression flickered with discomfort before settling back into normalcy, as if he was used to such banter.

“I heard you’ve found a dual cultivation partner, so I came to say hello. At least give me some face in front of your lady,” he said, winking at Li Mengze, his unserious expression bordering on lecherous.

Li Mengze shot Wei Qingtong a look that plainly asked, “How do you know someone like this?”

Wei Qingtong patted her head—a habit he’d recently developed, finding her soft crown soothing and the gesture strangely intimate, unlike before when their closeness was always tinged with formality.

Li Mengze irritably pulled his hand down. Every time he did that, she felt like a pet being petted. She’d protested several times, but he never changed.

“This is Daoist Xia Ruan from the Misty Cloud Sect. I spent some time in their sect as a child,” Wei Qingtong explained, implying that their acquaintance dated back to those days.

Xia Ruan’s cultivation was close to Wei Qingtong’s and a whole stage higher than Li Mengze’s, making it logical to introduce him first—after all, she and Wei Qingtong had yet to formally become dual cultivation partners.

Even so, she offered him a peer’s salute, which he returned before Wei Qingtong continued, “This is Junior Sister Li Mengze. After our journey in the secret realm, you’re welcome to attend our dual cultivation ceremony. Junior Sister Li is the niece of the Sword Peak’s head.”

Xia Ruan was clearly quite close to Wei Qingtong, and he continued chattering animatedly about the Misty Cloud Sect—one moment about being punished by his master to meditate, another about difficulties in his cultivation.

After a while, Li Mengze realized that this was a man who never visited without reason, though whether he was here on his own business or something agreed with Wei Qingtong, she couldn’t guess. After a quick word with Wei Qingtong, she intended to seek out the disciples from Sword Peak.

But Wei Qingtong stopped her. In his mind, Li Mengze was his dual cultivation partner, and as his father often said, once they’d forged their heart-bond contract, the two of them would be the closest in the world, with nothing hidden between them.

He knew why Xia Ruan had come, but saw no reason to conceal it from Li Mengze. While their mission was dangerous, nowhere in the secret realm was truly safe; he preferred to keep her by his side, so it was only natural for her to be included.

Since Wei Qingtong insisted she stay, she didn’t argue, simply standing nearby and observing the lively scene below. The more people, the more excitement—with many hawking spiritual materials, business was booming.

Wei Qingtong and Xia Ruan seemed to be waiting for someone, standing at the rail and chatting idly. Yet to outsiders, their conversation seemed lively and animated, sparking much speculation about Xia Ruan’s identity—anyone who could chat so freely with their usually aloof uncle must be extraordinary, perhaps even a rival for Li Shishu.

With long lifespans, people grew bored and loved to gossip, spinning wild theories in private—none of which would ever reach Wei Qingtong’s ears, or he’d be thoroughly exasperated.

Li Mengze, standing to the side, realized that most of the conversation was carried by Xia Ruan, while Wei Qingtong merely responded with brief acknowledgments: “Mm, ah, really? Okay.” Yet Xia Ruan remained animated, seemingly undeterred.

At dawn, five Nascent Soul cultivators seated themselves in mid-air and together opened a portal in space. Wei Qingtong took Li Mengze’s hand, and their group was among the first to enter the gateway to the secret realm.

Within the Qin Mountain Secret Realm, the inner and outer zones were clearly defined. The outermost areas were more suitable for Foundation Establishment disciples; even if there were demonic beasts, they would not exceed the fifth rank. Early Golden Core cultivators, with a few Foundation Establishment allies, could manage such threats. But the inner realm was different—there were rumors of ninth-rank beasts within, and though unconfirmed, the danger was real.

Li Mengze, being only at the early Golden Core stage, would ordinarily have remained at the periphery. But with Wei Qingtong and the others, her safety was assured, and she would be able to venture deeper.

She also knew that each of them had specific sect missions to accomplish during this expedition, all with considerable risk. That was why they’d chosen to team up with those they got along with. The opening of the Qin Mountain Secret Realm this time was rumored to herald the appearance of the Qin Mountain King’s legacy, which would select an heir. Many had come for this very reason, making the competition fiercer than ever. This was one of the reasons Wei Qingtong insisted on keeping Li Mengze close—before his ascension, the Qin Mountain King had been a sword cultivator of great renown, and many believed the inheritor would also be a sword cultivator. This made Kunlun disciples prime targets for the other sects; the fewer competitors, the better one’s own odds—a consensus among all.

In Wei Qingtong’s group, aside from Li Mengze, all were at the Nascent Soul stage. Xia Ruan, of course, was an elite Misty Cloud Sect disciple who had grown up alongside Wei Qingtong, with an undeniably impressive background.