The scene before his eyes shifted once again.
Gu Qingfeng suddenly found himself in a massive cave, so vast that it seemed as if the entire mountain had been hollowed out. The ground was unnaturally smooth, as if it had been meticulously chiseled by human hands.
Aside from him, the other hundred individuals were also present in the cave.
However, unlike him, they were all enclosed within glowing barriers, each containing a pill furnace. They appeared to be imprisoned laborers, frantically refining pills as if driven to madness.
“What’s going on? Why are they all locked up?” Gu Qingfeng was utterly confused. Since no guardian spirit appeared to explain the situation, he casually walked past the glowing barriers and approached Li Xiaocui.
Through the barrier, he asked, “Xiaocui, why are you all locked in cages? Did I miss something exciting?”
Li Xiaocui, who had just raised her small hand to smash the pill furnace, froze at the familiar voice. She turned her head with lightning speed and stared at Gu Qingfeng outside the barrier, utterly stunned.
“Gu Qingfeng!?” she exclaimed, her voice almost cracking.
“You... you... how did you get in without a spirit guide?”
Her shout successfully interrupted everyone’s focus on pill refining. All eyes turned toward them, and the entire group was left dumbfounded.
Their eyes widened in disbelief, as if they had witnessed something utterly impossible.
“How is this possible!? Why aren’t you locked up like the rest of us? No, wait—why can you enter without a spirit guide?” someone suddenly shouted in shock.
However, distracted by his outburst, the flames in his pill furnace spiraled out of control.
Boom!
The furnace exploded.
Flames instantly filled the glowing barrier. When the fire subsided, the man’s clothes, hair, and eyebrows were all gone, leaving him a smoking, blackened figure. Before he could react, a white light engulfed him and teleported him out of the secret realm.
Though the man was gone, out of courtesy, Gu Qingfeng replied, “Isn’t it as simple as walking in?”
The others, seeing Gu Qingfeng moving freely, felt their entire worldview being challenged.
Why didn’t he need a spirit guide to enter? And why wasn’t he forced to refine pills like the rest of them?
Did that mean he could simply walk through the light gate and enter the inheritance grounds?
At that moment, the way they looked at Gu Qingfeng was akin to high school students gazing at someone who had been directly admitted to Tsinghua or Peking University—no exams, just a free pass.
“You... just who are you?” someone in the crowd asked, voicing the question on everyone’s mind.
After all, Gu Qingfeng’s actions up to this point had been utterly... incomprehensible.
In the first trial, he drained the lava and controlled a fire dragon, then blocked the entrance to demand tolls.
In the second trial, he obtained all the spirit guides and held an auction.
And now, in the third trial, he was strolling around as if he were at home, completely ignoring the pill-refining process.
“I’m just like you all—someone here to challenge the secret realm,” Gu Qingfeng said with a smile.
The crowd internally screamed in frustration. Like hell you are! We’re the ones challenging the secret realm—you’re just treating it like a vacation home!
“Alright, I won’t chat with you all any longer. This must be the final trial, right? Does walking through that light gate lead to the inheritance? Judging by your expressions, it seems you’ll have to finish refining your pills before you can come out. Well, I’ll take the lead and scout ahead for you, just in case there’s any danger.”
Gu Qingfeng pointed at the light gate embedded in the stone wall not far away.
Li Xiaocui gave him a complicated look, as if she had just found something she thought she’d lost.
“This is indeed the final trial, but it could also be considered the penultimate one. Beyond the light gate lies the inheritance grounds, where there’s a stone tablet inscribed with the introductory chapter of the Divine Refining Technique. Only by comprehending this chapter can one qualify to receive the true inheritance.
You could think of it as the final trial, one that tests your comprehension.”
Gu Qingfeng nodded. “Got it. I’ll head in first, then.”
At that moment, Li Xiaocui suddenly sent him a secret message through spiritual transmission: “Gu Qingfeng, the Divine Refining Technique is incredibly profound and mysterious. Even the introductory chapter is beyond human comprehension—it belongs to the realm of the divine. Every time the Jade Dragon Secret Realm opens, ten individuals are able to enter the inheritance grounds and view the stone tablet. Those who make it this far are all exceptionally talented and brilliant, yet in the past hundred years, not a single person has managed to comprehend the introductory chapter. That should give you an idea of how difficult it is.
Wait for me here for a moment. I’m almost done refining my pill, and once I’m out, we can go in together. I have a way to help you obtain the inheritance.”
Gu Qingfeng gave her a surprised look and replied via the same method: “This is the first time since I’ve known you that you’ve said so much in one go.”
Li Xiaocui’s breath hitched. Why does this guy always focus on the strangest things!?
She took a deep breath and continued her spiritual transmission: “The reason Lord Li sent me here with you was precisely for this final trial. If you listen to me and we work together, we’re sure to secure the inheritance!”
“Xiaocui, you’re being naughty~” Gu Qingfeng teased with a strange laugh.
“By your logic, wouldn’t it be the same if I waited for you in the inheritance grounds?”
“That’s because you’re so unpredictable! I’m afraid you’ll damage the stone tablet if you go in alone and ruin the plan!” Li Xiaocui said urgently.
She was genuinely worried. Throughout the three trials of the secret realm, Gu Qingfeng had become increasingly unpredictable with each challenge. She was terrified that he might cause some unforeseen disaster in the inheritance grounds.
In truth, what she feared even more was Gu Qingfeng himself. He was too enigmatic, too mysterious, and shrouded in too many mysteries. What if... he actually managed to comprehend the introductory chapter of the Divine Refining Technique on his own?
Wouldn’t that mean the inheritance would go to him?
“Oh? Then tell me about this plan of yours.”
“Fine,” Li Xiaocui said bluntly.
“To be honest, I’m like you—exceptionally gifted, with a soul force comparable to that of a grandmaster.”
Gu Qingfeng nodded, showing no surprise.
He had already noticed this when searching for the spirit guides. At the time, he had sensed that Li Xiaocui’s soul force was incredibly powerful, on par with a grandmaster’s.
“And then?”
“The introductory chapter of the Divine Refining Technique is incredibly bizarre. It’s impossible for humans to comprehend—not only that, but it’s also impossible to memorize. That’s why, even though many people have reached the final trial over the past century and seen the introductory chapter, no knowledge of it has ever spread outside.
So, to obtain the inheritance, we have to resort to another method: brute force!”
“Brute force?”
“Exactly—brute force!”
ial death, also known as "shè sǐ" in Chinese, generally refers to... well, never mind, it's not important. My name is Ye Cheng, and I'm about to experience social death firsthand. ... 【Host, your mission is to confess your love to the young lady of the Dongfang family, the current student council president, in a way that will be unforgettable for everyone at the freshman ceremony!】 【Host, assist the girl with a sprained ankle in front of you to reach the infirmary, and fulfill the wicked thoughts in your heart!】 【Host, act on your desires and punish the arrogant young lady before you mercilessly!】 【Host, follow your instincts—abandon shameful surrender, begging, or groveling, and ruthlessly criticize the domineering, ill-mannered young lady in front of you!】 【Host...】 Ye Cheng: "Here, here, you take this host role—I quit!" Wait, why is the girl with a sprained ankle the daughter of a mafia boss? And what kind of punishment method is this for the arrogant young lady? Also, who the heck said anything about wicked thoughts in my heart? Come out here, let’s settle this one-on-one!!! ... The haughty student council president, the scheming mafia princess, the fragile yandere young lady, the airheaded maid-in-waiting, the mixed-blood loli/...
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
