Secret Realm Observations (1)

"So this is the phenomenon of Core Formation. In the past, I could only glimpse it through miscellaneous records, never expecting to witness it firsthand. I wonder when I'll be able to achieve such an honor," Zhang Tie muttered softly, his face filled with envy and yearning. The fervor and longing in his gaze seemed to absorb all the phenomena in the sky.

Just then, Zhang Tie suddenly sensed an unusual fluctuation from his storage bag. He quickly opened it to check and found that his Second Senior Brother's transmission jade slip had moved. It clearly read: Master summons you, come quickly.

Zhang Tie didn't dare to delay. With a flash, he leaped like an arrow loosed from a bowstring. In just a few leaps, he disappeared into the vast mountain forest.

In the main hall of True Man Miao's cave dwelling, True Man Miao was calmly seated on a stone chair. All his disciples, except for Senior Disciple Brother Mo Feng and Senior Brother Ye Chen, had already gathered.

"I've summoned you all here today, and I'm sure you have your own guesses as to why," True Man Miao said, his brows relaxed and his complexion ruddy, appearing extremely pleased. He continued, "Your Senior Disciple Brother has unparalleled talent. He successfully broke through to Core Formation at the young age of one hundred and ten. This is a joyous occasion for our Jing Ling Peak. In one month, we will hold the True Man Title Conferment Ceremony. Duan Feng is fully in charge of this ceremony, and all of you must cooperate with him wholeheartedly."

"Yes, Master!" everyone replied in unison, cupping their fists. Their voices were uniform, loud, and firm.

"Zhang Tie, I heard you are in dire need of spirit stone resources, even borrowing spirit stones from your Senior Brothers and Sisters?" True Man Miao's gaze shifted to Zhang Tie as he asked.

Zhang Tie's heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, What must come will come, but thankfully I was prepared.

Thinking this, he didn't dare to hesitate at all and quickly replied, "Reporting to Master, that is indeed the case. As I only have a four-element spiritual root cultivation aptitude, the chances of me achieving Foundation Establishment in this lifetime are slim and distant. I happened to see a method in an old miscellaneous record that said if one cultivates to the ninth level of Qi Refining and then disperses their cultivation to re-cultivate, repeating this process three times, it can increase the chance of Foundation Establishment. I plan to attempt Foundation Establishment within the Secret Realm after we enter it."

True Man Miao's expression was as calm as still water, making it impossible to discern his emotions. After a few breaths, he slowly spoke, "I am very pleased that you have such a desire for progress. However, you must understand that human lifespan is ultimately limited, and the path of Body Cultivation is many times more difficult than that of Qi Cultivation. Trying to grasp too much might lead to nothing. Do not let haste lead you astray."

"Yes, this disciple has learned his lesson!" Zhang Tie replied respectfully, his expression full of awe and piety.

"The Sect's Secret Realm Grand Competition is imminent. If you still need any other resources, tell me now," True Man Miao said, nodding slightly as he observed Zhang Tie's attitude.

"This disciple wishes to request more third-tier spirit beast blood to bring into the Secret Realm, attempting to break through to the Meridian Casting late stage within the realm," Zhang Tie replied truthfully, his gaze firm and persistent.

"Good, I will prepare it for you. This is information about the Secret Realm. It details the rules of the Secret Realm Grand Competition, the map of the Secret Realm, and many other crucial points. In the coming days, you must study it diligently to ensure you are fully prepared," True Man Miao said, handing a thick book to Zhang Tie.

"Yes, Master!" Zhang Tie took the book with both hands and replied respectfully.

"If none of you have any other urgent matters, you may all leave. Duan Feng, stay behind," True Man Miao said. The disciples cupped their fists in agreement and then, except for the Second Senior Brother, everyone quickly left the cave dwelling.

As soon as he left the cave dwelling, Fifth Senior Sister tossed a storage bag to Zhang Tie, saying, "Junior Brother, Senior Sister's recent mission consumed a lot. This is a small token of my affection. Please don't think it's too little."

"Thank you, Senior Sister," Zhang Tie cupped his fists and thanked her. "If Senior Sister ever needs my help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. As long as it's within my capabilities, I will not refuse."

"Junior Brother is very thoughtful," Fifth Senior Sister smiled slightly, then bid farewell and flew away.

After bidding farewell to his other Senior Brothers and Sisters, Zhang Tie moved like a phantom, leaping a few times, and disappeared from their sight in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Tie returned to his cave dwelling and opened the storage bag given by Fifth Senior Sister. It contained only two thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Although the amount was not large, Zhang Tie knew it was not easy for his Senior Sister to produce these spirit stones under such difficult circumstances. Zhang Tie carefully put away the spirit stones, deciding not to refine them for the time being. Instead, he turned and took out the book about the Secret Realm given by his Master.

Zhang Tie took out the book from his storage bag. It was thick, nearly two fingers wide at the back, suggesting it contained a wealth of information. Zhang Tie sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion, fully immersing himself in it, lost in thought. Unknowingly, three days passed. It wasn't that Zhang Tie had finished reading it, but he received a message from his Second Senior Brother Duan Feng via transmission jade slip, asking him to gather at his cave dwelling.

Zhang Tie pondered for a moment and realized it must be related to the Senior Disciple Brother's conferment ceremony. Though reluctant, Zhang Tie put away the Secret Realm book and walked out of his cave dwelling.

In Second Senior Brother Duan Feng's cave dwelling, Zhang Tie and his Senior Brothers and Sisters sat around the stone table, holding their breath and listening intently to Second Senior Brother's arrangements. Regarding the conferment ceremony, they were not assigned many complex or repetitive tasks.

The Sect's External Affairs Hall would handle most of the basic work properly, with dedicated personnel carrying out various tasks in an orderly manner according to established procedures. Zhang Tie and his Senior Brothers and Sisters were only responsible for some key core tasks.

These tasks mainly included meticulous inspection and strict supervision, enthusiastic reception of important personnel, and flexible handling of unexpected situations. Since Zhang Tie had only recently joined the Hundred Skills Sect and was the Junior Brother, he was not assigned any specific duties. He was mainly on standby, ready to be deployed at any time to deal with potential emergencies.

The entire arrangement and discussion lasted for about two hours before everyone dispersed.

After returning to his cave dwelling, Zhang Tie continued to read the contents of the Secret Realm book. This reading continued for another two days. Only then did Zhang Tie finally understand the true nature of this Secret Realm. To be precise, the full name of this Secret Realm should be the Ancient Space Secret Realm.

Simply put, in ancient times, a powerful being had opened up a vast and boundless secret realm in this mysterious space, specifically for the disciples' trials and tempering.

Over countless long years, this Secret Realm had become a treasure trove.

According to the records in the book, even now, the area explored and discovered by all the Sects is less than one-tenth of the total area. Currently, over a hundred types of rare spirit medicines, previously unknown to the outside world, have been discovered. The oldest spirit medicine is over ten thousand years old, containing immense and pure spiritual power. Besides spirit medicines, there are also some unknown exotic spirit fruits, precious spirit ores, and other valuable resources.

According to the book's records, a disciple of the Yan Fire Sect once fortunately consumed a blue spirit fruit within the realm, which granted him a special ice-elemental physique. From then on, cultivating ice-elemental cultivation techniques became twice as effective, and his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.