Qingluan Peak, inside the cave residence halfway up the mountain.
Lin Shu and Wu Qinglong stood by the entrance of the secret realm, their gazes fixed, anxiously awaiting.
Wu Qinglong clenched his tiny fists nervously.
This was the first trial of the “Qi-Introduction Secret Realm 2.0,” a groundbreaking scientific innovation.
From the moment Lu Zhiyun entered until now, only about half an hour had passed.
One must know, even among other supreme immortal sects, without relying on a secret realm, the “Qi-Introduction” stage usually takes about a month—those with outstanding talent may manage in a week.
Yet now, with the blessing of the secret realm, Lu Zhiyun had entered the Qi Refining stage in less than an hour.
This experiment would change Qingluan Peak’s reputation, restoring its honor!
We at Qingluan Peak are not just about abstract thinking—we genuinely care about the future of cultivators!
Look! Junior Sister is the best proof!
Wu Qinglong had already decided to make a grand banner about Junior Sister being the fastest to step into the Qi Refining stage.
The Script for this secret realm she used could also be mass promoted.
As for Lin Shu, he was just praying for Junior Sister’s safe return.
He had forgotten just how unreliable this group of oddballs could be.
A moment later, a graceful figure flashed out from the secret realm’s entrance.
Lu Zhiyun’s eyes widened slightly, beads of sweat rolling down her pale chin and finally dropping onto the back of her hand.
She survived!
The deep-seated terror brought by the secret realm still lingered, but at this moment, Lu Zhiyun was more aware of something else.
Her body felt light, as if she was brimming with inexhaustible strength.
Spiritual energy flowed endlessly through every part of her body, coursing through her meridians.
So this is the Qi Refining stage?
Does this mean she’s now a cultivator?
Lu Zhiyun smiled faintly, a genuine sense of satisfaction.
At last, she had the qualifications to face off against demonic cultivators!
“Junior Sister, are you alright?”
Lin Shu hurried forward, concern in his voice.
Supported by Lin Shu, Lu Zhiyun rose to her feet.
She glanced at Lin Shu, then at Wu Qinglong, feeling a million wild horses galloping through her mind, not knowing where to begin her rant.
You two really don’t know if I’m alright?
This Qi-Introduction Secret Realm was like encountering a ghost.
If she, Lu Zhiyun, hadn’t been sharp enough to realize the key to clearing it was facing one’s inner fears head-on and bravely eating that bowl of shit, who knows how much longer she would have been trapped.
“Senior Brother, I’m fine. It seems I’ve already entered the Qi Refining stage!”
Lin Shu noticed Lu Zhiyun’s slightly weak tone and felt a surge of guilt.
Originally, he wanted Junior Sister to choose her preferred method for Qi-Introduction.
Who could have predicted they’d run into Wu Qinglong and that he’d suggest the secret realm, thinking it was safer—who would’ve thought things would turn out like this?
Wu Qinglong, hearing that Lu Zhiyun had succeeded and entered the Qi Refining stage, immediately whipped out a small notebook and started bombarding her with questions:
“Junior Sister! What did you encounter in the secret realm? How did you manage to succeed at Qi-Introduction so quickly?”
“Was my Qi-Introduction Secret Realm 2.0 fun and full of exploratory desire?”
“Did the secret realm spirit follow the Script? If not, just tell me—I’ll dock her pay!”
“Calm down, calm down! Junior Sister just came out, give her a chance to breathe!”
Lin Shu shielded Lu Zhiyun behind him.
Though Lu Zhiyun had reached the Qi Refining stage, she never let her guard down.
Looking at this honest-faced Senior Brother, Lu Zhiyun felt a growing wariness.
To design such a disgusting secret realm—surely he was in league with the demonic cultivators!
And if she remembered right, this secret realm was upgraded under Lin Shu’s guidance?
All these signs confirmed Lu Zhiyun’s suspicion.
She just needed to speak honestly, share the difficulties she faced inside the secret realm, and showcase her own wit.
That way, she’d earn their trust and gain access to deeper demonic circles, eventually capturing them all in one net!
“After I entered the secret realm, I ran into Lin Elder from the neighboring Shuiyun Peak!”
Lin Yingxue?
Wu Qinglong was obviously stunned, unable to comprehend why it would be her.
“Ahem! Junior Brother, Junior Sister just ate Uncle Master’s cooking yesterday!”
Lin Shu reminded softly.
Oh~ no wonder!
Wu Qinglong suddenly understood, his face full of realization.
That made sense—he himself had once foolishly eaten Lin Elder’s cooking and suffered nightmares for a week.
Now, whenever he saw Lin Yingxue, he avoided her at all costs.
“And then?”
Lin Shu asked curiously.
“Lin Elder was holding a bowl of rice…”
Lu Zhiyun replied, her expression turning odd as if recalling some unpleasant memory.
Wu Qinglong immediately understood and clapped his hands.
“Let me guess—she was holding a bowl of rice, wandering up and down the corridor, and you had to dodge her, refusing to eat her cooking, trying to outmaneuver her. Then you realized that by endlessly circling the corridor, you could break the secret realm, find the exit, and at the moment you escaped, you managed to draw in spiritual energy and enter the Qi Refining stage!”
Lu Zhiyun gave Wu Qinglong a look of disdain.
And this guy’s the secret realm’s designer?
So timid!
Lin Shu had already told her that to successfully draw in spiritual energy, one had to conquer their inner fears and face them directly!
Sure, demonic cultivators were sinister, but their thinking was definitely advanced—none of those basic puzzle-clearing tricks!
“No! The moment I stepped in, she was right in my face, so I just ate the bowl of rice!”
Lu Zhiyun replied coolly, feeling an odd sense of relief.
Lin Shu and Wu Qinglong exchanged glances—was this girl really this reckless?
Honestly, Lin Shu’s idea was to solve puzzles gradually.
Who would’ve thought Lu Zhiyun would just eat the shit straight away?
What willpower! In Qingluan Peak—no, in the entire Tianque Sect—no one would be that brave!
Fortunately, Junior Sister is on the righteous path; otherwise, with that determination, she’d be the toughest kind of demonic cultivator to handle!
Lin Shu nodded approvingly, while Lu Zhiyun smiled faintly, realizing she’d earned the demonic cultivators’ recognition!
“Wait a second? That’s not right. If you cleared it that way, then what’s the point of all the other stages I designed?”
Wu Qinglong scratched his head.
“Who cares about that! Junior Sister successfully reached Qi Refining, we should celebrate! Come on, let’s go roast some meat!”
Lin Shu put his arms around Lu Zhiyun and Wu Qinglong, leading them straight outside.
***
At the same time, deep in the palace of Great Qian.
In a resplendent hall, densely carved with arrays, a petite young girl sat at the center of a magic circle.
Her lips murmured ceaselessly, like the whispers of an ancient god.
“Heaven’s pit… Earth’s calamity… A fledgling phoenix enters the world, surely an auspicious sign!”
“Hiss—But why does the divination come out entirely red?”
Jiang Chenyin stared at the hexagram in the water mirror before her, muttering to herself.
She was divining the fate of Tianque Sect.
Her master once taught her: “Of all the poisons in the world, within five steps you’ll always find the antidote.”
Similarly, for a scoundrel like Lin Shu, Heaven would always send someone to subdue him.
Jiang Chenyin had already calculated that the person who could punish Lin Shu was in Tianque Sect, but for some reason, today’s divination was odd.
Logically, the sign for a fledgling phoenix should be a brilliant gold, yet this was even redder than Lin Shu’s own.
Jiang Chenyin thought for a moment, then came to a chilling possibility.
“Could it be that the demonic cultivator is also adept at divination and plans to corrupt Heaven’s chosen one?”
With that in mind, Jiang Chenyin started a new divination, the magic circle spinning again.
“Just as I thought! The demonic cultivator truly intends this!”
“What! Heaven’s chosen managed to reach Qi-Introduction in under half an hour?”
“I must find a way to have little Lu keep an eye on this person! She is the key to breaking the impasse!”
After everything was done, Jiang Chenyin began grinding ink, preparing to write a letter to Lu Zhiyun.
“Little Lu, how have you been lately? That task I gave you is not urgent for now. Listen to me: in half a year, a female disciple will enter Tianque Sect. Her cultivation will soar, and she’ll be able to draw in spiritual energy within half an hour…”
Once the letter was finished and sent out via her spirit pet, the dark crow, Jiang Chenyin finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She was just about to lie down and rest when the enormous doors were flung open by a single palm.
“Xiao Bai, come, accompany me on an undercover inspection!”
Standing outside the doors was a tall figure, at least two meters high, with flaming red hair that radiated her unrestrained spirit.
The dragon robe draped on her was rolled up, revealing snowy white arms and long legs.
At this moment, she was looking at Jiang Chenyin with a sweet, dazzling smile.
“Your Majesty, I’ve told you, you can just call for me—you don’t have to open the doors yourself!”
Jiang Chenyin felt helpless.
Feng Qingli, the current empress of Great Qian, ascended the throne early eight years ago when the former emperor set out to travel the world.
Perhaps because she trusted Jiang Chenyin and the ministers, or perhaps because she believed in her daughter’s bloodline power, the former emperor had no qualms about her early succession.
Yet this daughter of the previous emperor was carefree and uninhibited—eighteen years old and still as innocent as a child.
Jiang Chenyin had had it tough these past years, worrying over state affairs and raising a child at the same time.
“But you always say you’re busy! Are you doing divination again?”
Feng Qingli leaned in and scooped Jiang Chenyin into her arms.
“Your Majesty, there should be boundaries between ruler and minister!”
Jiang Chenyin was exasperated. Sure, she was short, but not quite a doll, right?
“Aiya, you must be divining about Brother Lin Shu again. I’ve told you, your divinations are never accurate—he’s definitely a good person!”
Feng Qingli trusted Lin Shu completely, sure of her own judgment.
That “undercover inspection, slapping faces and then revealing the emperor’s identity” trick was taught to her by Lin Shu himself—what an interesting man!
Feng Qingli had used that trick to discipline many officials, to the point that the people were calling her a wise ruler!
“Your Majesty, I must tell you…”
Just as Jiang Chenyin started to nag, Feng Qingli quickly cut her off.
“Xiao Bai! I watched your master chase you around with a ruler when you were young—you must have been punished for not studying hard!”
“Nonsense! I… I was just…”
Jiang Chenyin’s cheeks flushed red; she didn’t dare say more.
She couldn’t very well admit she’d once divined an affair between her master and the former emperor, and that the former emperor abdicated just to travel with her master, could she?
What was this? Ruler and minister turning into besties overnight?
“Then divine for me: when will I get my period next month? If you get it wrong, you’re coming with me to Tianque Sect to play!”
Feng Qingli grinned mischievously.
There was no need to divine such regular matters—Jiang Chenyin knew the answer without calculation.
“The middle of the month.”
“You’re sure to lose!”
After saying that, Feng Qingli turned and left, planning to stay up late tonight reading storybooks.
Jiang Chenyin seemed to realize something and called out to the maid outside.
“These next two days, make more food to help Her Majesty sleep. Oh, and make sure to confiscate all her storybooks!”