Xuan Yangzi's Astonishment

Gu Changge's figure suddenly paused, his heart skipping a beat.

Not good.

This old geezer loved joining in on the fun the most; he had probably already seen through the trick.

Shi Wanshan smacked his lips, suddenly slapped his thigh, and turned around to run toward Qingyue Peak.

Gu Changge watched his retreating back, then looked toward the distant Qingyun Peak, suddenly feeling his temples throbbing.

He slapped his forehead. Well, his peaceful days were probably coming to an end.

"You little brats! Come out right now! Tomorrow, you're coming with me to Zizhu Peak to 'visit' your Uncle-Master Gu—"

"Detected that the host has not signed in today. Would you like to sign in?"

Gu Changge was sitting by the window of his bamboo house when the system's prompt suddenly echoed in his mind.

He silently chanted in his heart, "Sign in."

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing today's sign-in. Reward: Five thousand years of cultivation!"

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Cangyun Secret Realm!"

At the same time, a golden light appeared, transforming into a palm-sized bronze token that materialized in the system space.

The token was engraved with layers of clouds and towering mountains, and the four seal script characters for "Cangyun Secret Realm" shimmered faintly on its surface.

The Cangyun Secret Realm was sealed within the token and could be released and placed at any time.

If he wanted to move the secret realm, he could simply withdraw it back into the token.

Gu Changge grasped the token. A warm aura transmitted from it, and the system's annotations immediately surfaced in his mind.

Inside the Cangyun Secret Realm was a million miles of spiritual land, with a spiritual energy concentration a hundred times higher than the outside world. Ancient treasures and immortal legacies were hidden deep within it.

This secret realm was not only an excellent place for cultivation but could also be used to store living creatures and artifacts, acting just like a portable pocket world.

Gu Changge toyed with the bronze token in his hand, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Today's harvest was quite good.

Qingyun Peak Main Hall!

Xuanyangzi was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, occasionally standing on his tiptoes to look outside the hall.

Hearing the hall doors open, he spun around so quickly he nearly tripped over the threshold.

"How was it? How was it?"

Xuanyangzi dashed over to Li Xuanfeng in a few strides, grabbing his arm and shaking it vigorously.

"You didn't make your Uncle-Master Gu angry, did you? What did you gain at Zizhu Peak? You didn't get into a conflict with Ruobai, right?"

The barrage of questions made Li Xuanfeng dizzy. He glanced around and lowered his voice.

"Master, is your cave dwelling... secure?"

"What do you mean secure or not?"

Xuanyangzi looked puzzled.

"I've set up three layers of soundproofing arrays in this Qingyun Peak main hall. Let alone whispers, even if you set off a heavenly tribulation lightning bolt, the sound wouldn't leak out!"

His eyes darted around, and he suddenly leaned in closer.

"What is it? Did you pick up some treasure at Zizhu Peak?"

Li Xuanfeng and Shen Jinghong exchanged a glance and simultaneously removed their disguises.

The majestic spiritual energy of the middle stages of the Purple Mansion Realm erupted like a volcano, and a pale golden spiritual energy vortex swirled around Li Xuanfeng.

Shen Jinghong's side was even more astonishing. The clear radiance of an awakened Innate Sword Body radiated from him, and the sword qi of the peak Foundation Establishment Realm shot straight toward the ceiling, rattling the hanging glazed lamps.

Xuanyangzi's mouth opened wider and wider until you could fit a fist inside.

He pointed at the two of them, then jerked his hand back to scratch his head. After repeatedly verifying it three times, he suddenly jumped three feet in the air and slammed his palm onto the stone table—

"Crack!"

A crack actually split across the hard bluestone table.

"Middle Purple Mansion Realm! Peak Foundation Establishment!"

Xuanyangzi's voice trembled as he circled the two of them eight times.

He suddenly grabbed Li Xuanfeng's wrist to check his pulse, then peeled back Shen Jinghong's eyelids to take a closer look. Finally, he collapsed onto the grand armchair and muttered.

"You two... crossed an entire major realm in just one day. Quickly, tell me what happened!"

"Master, steady yourself first."

Li Xuanfeng supported him and recounted the day's events in detail.

"Uncle-Master Gu first let us eat breakfast, then he brewed a pot of tea, and we each drank a cup..."

"Mhm, your Uncle-Master Gu does have good tea."

Xuanyangzi suddenly sat up straight.

Shen Jinghong added, "Later, Uncle-Master Gu crushed a glittering golden pill, took a bit of the powder, and blended it into the spiritual energy. He also added a few drops of a milky-white spiritual liquid, saying it was to help us solidify our foundations..."

"To think there was such a miraculous pill, and a mysterious spiritual liquid?"

He suddenly stood up and frantically paced in circles around the hall, at one moment grabbing his hair and laughing foolishly, and at the next bowing to thin air.

"I knew your Uncle-Master Changge was hiding treasures! Sending you to be his 'sparring partners' was the right move!"

"After drinking that tea, the bottleneck of the late Core Formation Realm that your disciple was stuck at was broken through as easily as piercing window paper."

Li Xuanfeng still felt lingering awe when he thought of that cup of tea.

"That golden pill powder was even more divine. All the impurities in my spiritual energy were completely purged. Now, when I circulate it, it's clearer than colored glaze."

Shen Jinghong also nodded. "When my Sword Body awakened, those few drops of spiritual liquid traveled along my meridians, as if washing away the dull pain buried deep in my bones. Now, a casual swing of my sword can draw upon the sword intent of heaven and earth."

As Xuanyangzi circled the two, clicking his tongue in wonder, he suddenly froze in place as if struck by heavenly lightning. His eyes widened sharply, and he frantically began rummaging through his robes.

"Wait! That's not right!"

He muttered while searching, "Your aptitudes..."

Before his voice faded, he clutched a palm-sized grayish-white stone in his hand. The stone's surface was covered in fine, dense spiritual energy patterns—it was exactly a Spirit Testing Jade, used to measure aptitude.

"Quick! Put your hands on it!"

Xuanyangzi's voice tightened as he shoved the Spirit Testing Jade in front of Li Xuanfeng, a thin layer of sweat actually breaking out on his palms.

Back when Li Xuanfeng tested as Heaven-grade Mid-rank, he had already been very satisfied. Now that this kid had crossed a major realm in a single day, if his aptitude truly had changed, what kind of spectacle would it be?

Li Xuanfeng and Shen Jinghong exchanged a glance, both seeing the nervousness in each other's eyes.

Li Xuanfeng took a deep breath, placed his palm over the Spirit Testing Jade, and circulated the spiritual energy in his body.

The next second, the Spirit Testing Jade abruptly erupted with a dazzling purple-gold light. Stars seemed to swirl faintly within the radiance, and four ancient characters surfaced on the stone: Saint-grade Low-rank!

"Buzz—"

The light from the Spirit Testing Jade illuminated the entire main hall. Fortunately, Xuanyangzi was always cautious, so the light did not leak out of the cave dwelling.

The Spirit Testing Jade in Xuanyangzi's hand dropped to the floor with a clatter, but he remained completely oblivious. He only stared fixedly at those four characters, his lips trembling, unable to make a sound for a long time.

The words "Saint-grade Low-rank" struck his heart like a heavy hammer—it was a realm that even the sect's ancient records only dared to mention vaguely, a legend standing above the Heaven and King grades!

"Saint... Saint-grade?"

He muttered to himself, then suddenly snatched up the Spirit Testing Jade like a madman and shoved it in front of Shen Jinghong.

"You! You test it too! Jinghong, you're a Heaven-grade High-rank! The only Heaven-grade High-rank among the sect's younger generation!"

Shen Jinghong's fingertips trembled slightly as he pressed his hand onto it.