After packing up the spoils of battle, Lu Chen prepared to rest and wait until Nantian Yijian's injuries improved a little before setting out. Seeing that the atmosphere had eased considerably, Nantian Yijian began chattering away again, asking this and that.
"Big Brother, Big Brother, when do you think I'll become as powerful as you?"
"When you cultivate diligently, it'll happen soon enough."
"Then, Big Brother, can you guide my cultivation? I want to learn your moves too."
"As long as you cultivate diligently, I'll teach you."
"Big Brother, Big Brother..."
"..."
Feng Tiancheng watched the two of them talking and burst into hearty laughter. He had originally worried that the vicious resentment Lu Chen had accumulated after her entire village was destroyed would cloud her eyes, leaving her knowing only revenge and affecting her future cultivation. But with Nantian Yijian by her side, the resentment clinging to Lu Chen was gradually fading away.
Seeing the two youths chatting and laughing, Feng Tiancheng was finally reassured.
For the entire afternoon, Nantian Yijian surrounded Lu Chen, asking endless questions. In the end, Lu Chen could no longer endure it and gave Nantian Yijian a Sword Control Technique manual obtained from the Secret Realm. It was meant to be used alongside the qin, so she told Nantian Yijian to practice it properly so he could be of use in the future. Then, without even caring that Nantian Yijian was still injured, she ran to one side and sat down cross-legged to cultivate.
The night passed just like that. When Lu Chen finished cultivating, she discovered Nantian Yijian reading the ancient book she had given him yesterday.
With Nantian Yijian's company, Lu Chen's path of cultivation became much more interesting. Although Nantian Yijian's mouth never stopped asking questions all day long, he brought Lu Chen even more joy. Every day, Lu Chen hunted demons while Nantian Yijian practiced the Sword Control Technique behind her and cleaned up the battlefield.
Time flowed swiftly. Lu Chen had already slain seven hundred great demons, and her cultivation had reached the seventh level of the Qi Gathering Realm. Nantian Yijian had also reached the beginner level in the Sword Control Technique, while his cultivation had reached the sixth level of the Qi Gathering Realm.
Moreover, he had combined the Sword Control Technique with the Qiankun Thirty-Six Sword Qin and given it a pleasant name—Nantian Thirty-Six Swords. However, Nantian Yijian could currently control only one sword, which happened to correspond to his name, Nantian Yijian.
That day, Lu Chen and Nantian Yijian were hunting demon beasts when a blue-green beam of light suddenly shot into the sky in the distance. Countless cultivators rode their magical artifacts toward that area.
Seeing this, Nantian Yijian shouted excitedly, "Big Brother, Big Brother, it looks like some treasure has appeared over there. Should we go take a look?"
Lu Chen shook her head as she listened to Nantian Yijian. Judging by the timing, the Secret Realm she had heard about two days ago must have appeared. The weakest cultivators there would be in the Breath Regulation Realm, and people from major sects would be present as well. One of them was at the seventh level of the Qi Gathering Realm and the other at the sixth; entering the Secret Realm now would be nothing but courting death. They might as well cultivate properly.
At that moment, Feng Tiancheng's voice entered Lu Chen's mind. "I think you should go take a look. This aura feels extremely familiar to me—or rather, the blood in this body finds it extremely familiar. It is sending out a summons. You can try sensing it."
Listening to Feng Tiancheng, Lu Chen closed her eyes and carefully felt for it.
After Lu Chen closed her eyes, she could clearly sense that from the place where the Secret Realm's beam had appeared, there seemed to be a voice calling her over.
"Save me, save me."
Lu Chen opened her eyes, then closed them again to sense it. That voice was still there, and the sensation had grown even stronger.
"Is that you? Hurry and save me. I can't hold on anymore."
"..."
Lu Chen immediately decided to go take a look. Even observing from afar would be fine; she wanted to see what was calling to her.
Lu Chen opened her eyes and was about to tell Nantian Yijian that they should go take a look when she saw him pulling a fierce face and imitating her by closing and opening his eyes. She immediately laughed and walked over to smack him on the head.
"Let's go. We're going to take a look."
"Yes, Big Brother."
Nantian Yijian rubbed his head, answered, then followed Lu Chen while still rubbing his head.
Suddenly, a group of cultivators flew past just above them. Nantian Yijian looked at them and spoke.
"Big Brother, when will we be able to fly through the air like them?"
"Soon. As long as we cultivate properly, one day we'll be able to soar through the skies too."
Watching cultivators fly overhead one after another, Lu Chen and Nantian Yijian were deeply envious. Aside from flying artifacts specially powered by Spirit Stones, the only other way to fly on magical artifacts was to reach the Breath Regulation Realm and gain sufficient control to release spiritual energy outward. Since they were only in the Qi Gathering Realm, they could only make their way there step by step.
Two days later, Lu Chen and Nantian Yijian finally reached the location of the light beam.
The Secret Realm had not yet opened. The vegetation in the center of the site had already been cleared away, leaving behind only a massive deep pit. The beam shone out from its center. Once the beam vanished, the gate to the Secret Realm would appear, and then they could enter.
All they could do now was wait. Lu Chen looked around and saw that the area was already packed with people. The major sect forces occupied the best positions, their sect banners planted outside to prohibit outsiders from entering.
Unaffiliated Rogue Cultivators remained at the outermost edge. Their purpose was the same as Lu Chen's: to see whether they might have a chance to trail behind those sects and pick up some scraps.
Lu Chen was still looking for a place where she and Nantian Yijian could stay for a while.
She looked over the various forces. Some were holding pill furnaces and refining medicine, some were sitting cross-legged cultivating, and some were discussing matters.
Just then, a voice called out to her. Lu Chen followed the sound and saw a large banner bearing the character "Feng."
Looking farther inside, Lu Chen realized that the one calling her over was the youth from yesterday—Young Master Jun. She still remembered him vividly.
At that moment, Young Master Jun was waving at her and shouting loudly, "Come over here! Have you forgotten? I'm Young Master Jun!"
The people around Lu Chen had been about to get angry, but when they saw that the caller was from Fengtian Prefecture, they promptly shut their mouths and forced smiles onto their faces.
"Young brother, hurry over. There's an important person calling for you."
Lu Chen looked at these people and felt that life was truly strange. Just moments ago, they had worn foul expressions, yet now they were all smiles.
After all, the three greatest forces in this place were Fengtian Prefecture, Medicine King Villa, and Purple Flame Fortress. These Rogue Cultivators could only bully ordinary cultivators; upon encountering people from major sects, each fled faster than the last.
Lu Chen looked toward Young Master Jun and felt that this was a good opportunity. She would be going to Fengtian Prefecture afterward anyway, so she might as well go now. Perhaps she could even enter the Secret Realm with them.
"Let's go. We're going to Fengtian Prefecture to find Young Master Jun." With that, Lu Chen led Nantian Yijian running toward Young Master Jun.
The people around them watched Lu Chen with boundless envy. Without a sect to shield them, Rogue Cultivators like them could hardly ever obtain anything good.
Lu Chen brought Nantian Yijian into the tent where Young Master Jun was staying. The moment they entered, they found a whole new world within. From outside, it appeared to be only four meters square, but once inside, the space instantly expanded several hundredfold, with rooms of every function.
Young Master Jun led Lu Chen and Nantian Yijian into the main camp's reception tent, where everyone from Fengtian Prefecture had gathered.
The main camp was extremely lively. Everyone was raising cups and drinking freely, their cups passing back and forth as they awaited the opening of the Secret Realm.
Young Master Jun brought Lu Chen and Nantian Yijian to the center of the tent and introduced them to everyone.
"They are all inner disciples of Fengtian Prefecture. They have been trained together since childhood and are people who can entrust their lives to one another."
Young Master Jun turned to the crowd and said, "These are my friends. They were the ones who saved me last time. From today onward, they are our brothers."
Upon hearing Young Master Jun's words, everyone in the tent rose to their feet in unison and cupped their fists toward Lu Chen and Nantian Yijian. "Yes, greetings, brothers."
This group seemed to hold Young Master Jun in particular respect.
Lu Chen looked at the people in the tent. They were seated in neat rows along both sides, their movements perfectly uniform.
Lu Chen felt that this group's identities were far from simple. Thinking back to how that servant had interrupted Young Master Jun earlier, she had become somewhat curious about Young Master Jun's identity. If anyone said Young Master Jun was an ordinary person, she would never believe it.
"Come on. I'll take you to meet my second uncle. He'll definitely like you."
After the three of them left, everyone resumed their lively revelry.
Young Master Jun then led Lu Chen and Nantian Yijian before the seat of honor and introduced someone to Lu Chen.
"This is my second uncle, Jun Wudi. When he was young, he was incredibly formidable. Cultivators called him a Celestial Being. Later, though, he was injured in a war and stayed here. Ever since I was little, I've wanted to become someone like him. He is now the Second Elder of Fengtian Prefecture, mainly responsible for the sect's expeditions and trials. This time, I came to seek refuge with him."
Young Master Jun suddenly called out, "Second Uncle!"
The person seated above raised his head, looked at Young Master Jun, and burst into laughter.
"I was wondering who had come. So it's Little Junzi. Why aren't you drinking with them? What are you doing here with me?"
"Second Uncle, these are Lu Chen and Nantian Yijian. A few days ago, Uncle Zhong and I were being hunted down, and they were the ones who saved me. I brought them to meet you."
Lu Chen looked at the man seated in the place of honor. His features bore some resemblance to Young Master Jun's. He wore a green robe with a broad patterned belt around his waist. He was powerfully built, with a pair of sharp black eyes, yet there was a trace of sorrow amid the kindness in his expression. Lu Chen had seen such an expression on her grandfather's face when she was young. She felt that the person before her was surely a hero among men.
Lu Chen bowed to Jun Wudi in the manner of a junior. "This junior is Lu Chen. Greetings, Uncle Jun."
Jun Wudi immediately laughed heartily. "What a fine 'Uncle Jun'! Fortunately, you saved Little Junzi. Otherwise, I would never have seen him again. Come, sit down. If you have any requests, feel free to make them."
"Come, come, sit and talk. Sit and talk."
As he spoke, he pulled the three of them over to sit at the same table beside him.
Nantian Yijian felt that the atmosphere here was far too serious. He casually found an excuse to drink two cups, then pretended to be drunk and ran down to join the crowd in laughing and fooling around. Before long, Nantian Yijian had brought the atmosphere in the tent to a fever pitch.
On Lu Chen's side, she took out the token from before and asked Jun Wudi, "Uncle Jun, do you recognize this token?"
Jun Wudi took the token and examined it carefully before saying, "I seem to have seen this token before, but I cannot recall where for the moment. Still, I do know the style of the token."
As he spoke, Jun Wudi took a token from his robes. This token was exactly the same as Young Master Jun's.
Jun Wudi began explaining the purpose of identity tokens. Every sect and force had a kind of token used as a symbol of identity. First, it ensured that one could recognize allies; second, it could be used to call for help in the event of mortal danger. There was another purpose as well: after someone was killed, it could serve as proof of their identity.
The seven great Aristocratic Clans on the continent each occupied different regions. Their token styles were all the same, but there would be certain principal markings on the front. Within the territories governed by the seven great Aristocratic Clans, the identity tokens of their subordinate forces would develop different variations based on those markings.
Apart from these standardized ones, the rest belonged to certain neutral sects and forces, each with its own identity token."
Thus, there was an unwritten rule across the continent: when cultivators fought, regardless of victory or defeat, they would not seize one another's identity tokens.
Before you continue