Unveiling the Hidden Realm

Seeing that Gu Changge said no more, the crowd knew that pressing him further would yield no results. By unspoken agreement, they dropped the subject of his cultivation level.

However, their hearts were far from calm, each of them swirling with endless speculations.

The First Patriarch stroked his beard, his gaze lingering on Gu Changge for a long time. He discreetly extended his peak Quasi-Saint divine sense, yet he could perceive absolutely nothing.

He pondered inwardly, "He said it's about the same as a Quasi-Saint, but is it a bit less or a bit more? Or has he already reached the Saint Realm?"

The Third Patriarch continued eating beef, his mind filled with a single thought: "This kid hides his strength way too well."

Xuanyangzi was itching with curiosity even more, desperate to see right through Gu Changge.

Gu Changge took in everyone's thoughts but didn't tease them any further. He simply picked up a jade spoon and added a scoop of spirit pepper sauce to the iron griddle. The sizzling aroma of the meat instantly masked the heavy atmosphere on the stone peak.

Xuanyangzi suddenly slammed his hand on the stone table, finally remembering the main event of their visit. He hurriedly took out a bronze token engraved with "Cangyun Secret Realm" from his storage ring.

The four seal script characters of "Cangyun Secret Realm" on the token shimmered in the morning light. As soon as it was taken out, the surrounding spiritual energy spontaneously surged toward the token.

"Patriarchs, Junior Brother Changge's token seals an entire Connate Secret Realm!"

Xuanyangzi's voice trembled as he pointed at the token and spoke urgently.

"Inside, there are a million miles of spiritual land, the spiritual energy concentration is a hundred times that of the outside world, and there are even ancient legacies hidden within!"

"Junior Brother Changge and I have discussed it. We want to place the secret realm in the void of the forbidden ground, using formations to overlap it with the forbidden ground so that the Patriarchs can reside within the secret realm on a daily basis."

"A Connate Secret Realm?!"

The First Patriarch was stunned at first, then reached out to feel Xuanyangzi's forehead. His withered fingers touched the warm skin, and then he touched his own forehead.

"I say, Xiao Xuanzi, your alcohol tolerance is lacking. How much have you drank to start talking nonsense?"

"A secret realm has a territory of at least ten thousand miles, and this token is only the size of a palm. How could it hold one? Could it be that you mistook some formation token for it?"

The Second Patriarch also laughed while stroking his beard.

"Exactly. We've lived for over a thousand years and have only heard of secret realms hidden within mountains, rivers, and earth veins. We've never heard of one being sealed inside a token. Xuanyang, you must be so desperate for a secret realm that you've gone mad!"

Looking at the reactions of the Patriarchs, Xuanyangzi wore an expression that showed this was exactly what he expected.

He then deliberately frowned and shoved the token into the First Patriarch's hands, speaking in an urgent tone, "Patriarch, don't disbelieve me! Try injecting your spiritual energy into it yourself!"

He was already blooming with joy inside—just wait until you perceive the scene inside. I guarantee you'll be too shocked to speak!

Urged on with no way out, the First Patriarch half-believingly took the token. The moment his fingertip injected a sliver of Quasi-Saint spiritual energy, the otherwise ordinary token suddenly erupted with dazzling golden light.

The vastness of a million miles of spiritual land, floating stone peaks wreathed in clouds and mist, spiritual springs capable of growing moss on solid gold and stone...

Countless scenes flooded into his sea of consciousness like a tidal wave, and even the spiritual energy in the air, so dense it was almost tangible, could be clearly felt!

"This... this is..."

The First Patriarch's fingers suddenly gripped the token tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. His peak Quasi-Saint aura exploded outward, causing the spiritual veins on the stone peak to tremble, and even the bluestone slabs beneath their feet cracked with fine lines.

"There really... really is a secret realm! And it's actually inside the token!"

Seeing his unusual reaction, the Second Patriarch quickly leaned in. The moment his fingertip touched the token, he was so shocked by the spiritual pressure transmitting from within that he stumbled half a step back. He rubbed his withered hands together in excitement, his knuckles turning white.

"Good heavens! A million miles of spiritual land! It's as large as several Xuanzhou provinces put together! If this is real, our Azure Profound Sect has truly struck it rich!"

Watching the two of them, the Fifth Patriarch snatched the token to feel it. The moment he perceived the scene within the secret realm, his previously smiling face instantly froze, and his voice choked with emotion.

"A world-creating Connate Secret Realm... So many sacred grounds with eternal legacies would fight to the death over this and still fail to obtain it!"

Seeing the Patriarchs all dumbfounded and incoherent, Xuanyangzi could no longer hide his smugness.

Look at you now. You just said I was talking nonsense, but aren't you scared half to death now?

The First Patriarch cradled the token for a long time before he finally recovered his senses. The way he looked at Xuanyangzi had completely changed.

"To think there really is a token in this world capable of holding a secret realm. It seems this old man's horizons were too narrow!"

Watching their excitement, Gu Changge lightly tapped his fingertip in the void. A pale azure spiritual light flashed, and faint formation runes suddenly rippled around the stone peak before vanishing into the void an instant later, further concealing the aura of the forbidden ground.

"Regarding the placement of the secret realm, the Sect Master and I have already made a rough plan."

"We want to divide the secret realm into three sections for its layout!"

"Divide it into three sections?"

The First Patriarch grew a bit more expectant. "Tell us, how exactly will it be divided?"

Gu Changge took over the conversation, lightly tapping his fingertip in the void, and a phantom image of the secret realm unfurled in the air above the stone peak.

In the phantom image, the secret realm was divided into three regions by two invisible barriers, with each region wreathed in a different spiritual light.

"The deepest part of the secret realm has the richest spiritual energy and harbors a natural Dao Enlightenment Platform. It can serve as a living and cultivation area for the Patriarchs."

Gu Changge pointed to the innermost region of the phantom image, where clouds and mist swirled, faintly revealing several floating stone peaks.

"The spiritual energy here contains connate Dao rhythms, which will be of great benefit to the Patriarchs when breaking through to higher realms. Furthermore, its location is hidden and unlikely to be disturbed."

The First Patriarch stared at the Dao Enlightenment Platform, his breathing growing heavy. His peak Quasi-Saint spiritual energy rippled slightly from excitement.

"Excellent! A wonderful place! With this Dao Enlightenment Platform, I will soon be able to break through to the Saint Realm!"

"In the central part of the secret realm, although the spiritual energy is not as rich as the deepest part, it is still hundreds of times denser than the outside world."

Gu Changge's fingertip moved to the middle region.

"It can serve as a forbidden cultivation area for the Peak Masters and core elders. On ordinary days, if any senior brothers wish to enter secluded meditation for a breakthrough or study cultivation techniques and martial skills, they can come here. Not only can they use the spiritual energy to accelerate their cultivation, but they can also avoid being disturbed by mundane sect affairs."

"However, entering and exiting this forbidden ground must be authorized and opened by the Sect Master or the Patriarchs."

"As for the outer periphery of the secret realm, its spiritual energy concentration is also a hundred times that of the outside world, and it contains many demonic beast lairs and fragments of ancient legacies."

Gu Changge finally pointed to the outermost region, which was covered in dense forests with occasional flashes of spiritual light.

"We can select one hundred disciples to enter, and the sect will cultivate them in isolation. Once they enter, they will not be allowed to leave easily, serving to nurture the sect's reserve forces."

The First Patriarch suddenly thought of something and asked, "What about the selection criteria for the disciples? Should we set an entry threshold?"

"Naturally, we must," Xuanyangzi took over the conversation and said.

"We will prioritize disciples with steady temperaments and clean backgrounds. Before entering the secret realm, they must sign a concentric contract and swear a Heavenly Dao oath, absolutely forbidding them from leaking any information about the secret realm. If the Patriarchs have free time, you can also occasionally offer some guidance to the disciples within the secret realm."

The First Patriarch agreed repeatedly. His hands cradling the bronze token were trembling, his knuckles white from the force of his grip, filled with uncontrollable excitement.

"Then let us begin immediately and strive to completely set up the secret realm as soon as possible!"

With that said, he raised his hand to gather spiritual energy, intending to first use his cultivation to reinforce the barrier around the periphery of the forbidden ground.

"Before setting up the secret realm, we must reinforce the forbidden ground's formations by another three layers!

"This secret realm concerns the very future of our sect! If even a sliver of aura leaks out during the setup and attracts the prying eyes of peak factions, all of our prior preparations will be completely ruined!"

The patriarchs nodded in agreement, each of them gearing up and eager for action...