The three of them chatted as they walked, and soon arrived at the courtyard where Niu Yuanshan lived.
After going through two consecutive upheavals, Chu Huai Xu finally remembered that he and Han Shuangjiang had originally set out to buy ingredients and cook. They still had not eaten a single bite of hot food.
Since things have come to this, we should eat first.
After Old Niu learned that the two were starving, he instructed the servants in the courtyard to bring them some food.
From his account, Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang gained a general understanding of the situation.
Liu Tianfeng had obtained that Pill King Token by chance. For certain reasons, only three stewards in the Outer Sect knew about it, and Old Niu was one of them.
Back then, Liu Tianfeng had gone to great lengths to obtain the token and had even asked Old Niu for help.
As the Outer Sect's publicly acknowledged good-natured man, he received countless requests for assistance.
Generally speaking, the vast majority of Secret Realms were in the Inner Sect, while there were very few in the Outer Sect.
That made this Pill King Token all the more precious.
Overall, the Dao Sect's attitude toward Secret Realms was simple: those with fate would obtain them.
That was the Dao Ancestor's original intention.
The predecessors who later imitated the Dao Ancestor also upheld the same purpose.
Perhaps in their eyes, this was the true elegance of cultivators like us.
As for fellow disciples slaughtering one another and killing for treasures, such things did not exist. They were absolutely forbidden in public!
A Secret Realm was the dying wish of someone who had passed away.
They had to be shown at least the most basic respect.
Of course, the Dao Sect officially accepted them for repurchase as well. If you gained something inside a Secret Realm, you could choose to sell it in exchange for sect Contribution Points.
Contribution Points could be exchanged for money, Cultivation Methods, and Spirit Pills.
Almost all cultivation resources could be exchanged for them!
When Chu Huai Xu had previously played "Borrowed Sword," he had learned that among the Four Great Sects of the East Continent Mirror Kingdom, the Dao Sect was the one that placed the greatest emphasis on the concept of fate.
Therefore, in the players' eyes, this sect depended most on luck. It suited the chosen few, while the unlucky could get lost.
After the meal, Niu Yuanshan continued, "By the way, I forgot to tell you earlier. There are ten Jade Token Fragments in total, which means that at most ten people can enter together."
"The Secret Realm lies deep beneath a Cold Pool. Even with my cultivation, under normal circumstances, I couldn't withstand that special chill."
"If you two at the Aperture Opening Stage go down there, you'll die without a doubt."
"But over the past two months, the cold seems to have dissipated considerably."
"So you've caught a fortunate moment. The gate to this Inheritance Secret Realm may be about to open."
Chu Huai Xu nodded. "I see."
Niu Yuanshan looked into the distance and said with a smile, "Steward Liu places tremendous importance on this Secret Realm because his son, Liu Chengqi, possesses a High-grade Spiritual Embryo—the Blazing Fire Spiritual Embryo."
"But because of an accident, his Spiritual Embryo was damaged. From then on, his cultivation failed to advance even an inch, and he fell into complete despair."
"This Secret Realm is connected to the Pill King. Perhaps he hopes to find a way to heal the damaged Spiritual Embryo inside."
Hearing this, Chu Huai Xu thought of a High-Grade Spirit Pill called the Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill.
But he wanted to extract more useful information, so he pretended to be ignorant and asked, "Steward Niu, a damaged Spiritual Embryo can actually be restored?"
Niu Yuanshan smiled gently, displaying great patience. "Of course. It's just very difficult. Different situations require different methods. The treatment must suit the condition."
"Steward Liu hasn't found a suitable method yet."
"However, there is a High-Grade Spirit Pill called the Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill, created by the Pill King. According to legend, as long as the Spiritual Embryo isn't completely ruined, taking this pill will restore it completely."
"If one's innate Spiritual Embryo is of a low grade—if it is merely a Low Grade Spiritual Embryo—then taking this pill even carries a very high chance of advancing its grade."
"It is said that after creating the recipe for this pill, the Pill King refined one for each of his official disciples."
"If this departed senior did not take the pill while alive and did not sell it, then it might be waiting in the Secret Realm for someone with fate."
Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang exchanged a glance. They now completely understood why Liu Tianfeng had been so pained earlier, and why Liu Chengqi had become even more anxious.
Niu Yuanshan seemed to want to offer them a few pointers. In an earnest, persuasive tone, he said:
"Since we've touched on a pill like the Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill that can improve one's aptitude, I'll take advantage of my age and say a few more words."
"Let me ask you two this: in your view, is talent more important, or is hard work more important?"
Chu Huai Xu did not directly answer according to his true feelings. Instead, he said, "I've heard it said that hard work determines a person's lower limit, while talent determines their upper limit. But the vast majority of people are unable to reach their own upper limit."
Niu Yuanshan looked at the young man and said with a smile, "There is some truth to that. But the cultivation world is different."
"Because in the cultivation world, so-called talent can be changed."
"It can be changed through Spirit Pills, opportunities, and the transformations of Heaven and Earth!"
"Although I haven't tested your blood to examine your Spiritual Embryos, judging from how you've both opened two apertures in such a short time, I imagine you are exceptionally talented."
"If you were in some other sects, they would probably mobilize the entire sect's strength to nurture you, directly making you True Disciples who would become part of the sect's upper echelons."
"But after coming to the Dao Sect, you have to start as Registered Disciples and receive no special treatment. Do you feel any sense of disparity?"
Upon hearing this, Han Shuangjiang shook her head. She had never considered any of that.
Chu Huai Xu shook his head as well. Since she had shaken hers, there was no way in hell he could nod.
Niu Yuanshan smiled with the comfort of an old man and said, "If you don't feel any disparity, then that's good."
"In the Eastern Continent, sects have risen and fallen countless times over the past thousand years."
"Only the Dao Sect has stood for a thousand years and remains one of the most powerful sects under Heaven."
"Imagine this: over these thousand years, prodigies have appeared in endless numbers, like carp crossing a river. To the Dao Sect, they are nothing unusual."
It was like saying that you were the top scorer in your city's college entrance examination, or that you had graduated from Tsinghua or Peking University. Sorry, our company didn't lack graduates from Tsinghua or Peking University.
"Besides, judging from past experience, flowers raised in greenhouses are often more likely to wither prematurely."
"Many disciples fully nurtured by small sects had poor dispositions and were instead unable to grow. Some went down the mountain to gain experience and never returned. Those who went Going berserk were even more common." Old Niu sighed.
"Some people's dispositions are exceptional. Even with ordinary talent, all they need is an opportunity to ride the winds and transform into dragons, perhaps even leaving their names in history."
In Chu Huai Xu's view, this was much like how some people graduated from prestigious schools, possessed outstanding abilities, and achieved great success. Others rose from humble beginnings, caught the trend, and accomplished glorious deeds.
How could the twists and turns of life be determined at a glance?
The Xuanhuang Realm had its own Waste Path!
Niu Yuanshan continued, "The Dao Sect possesses a thousand years of accumulated foundations and abundant resources. There is enough to let the Sect Leader and Elders nurture many people, and even to defy fate and transform the lives of many."
"But the prerequisite is that you must have the ability to pass through one round of selection after another and stand before them."
After laying so much groundwork, he began to admonish the two of them.
"I know that the Sixth Elder sent you up the mountain. That is treatment the other Outer Sect disciples could never receive."
"I don't know the reason behind it. However, since the Sixth Elder chose to have you start as Registered Disciples, that is already an attitude in itself. Presumably, he wants you to undergo more tempering. I hope you can understand this."
"At the same time, I hope you won't disappoint the Elder's expectations of you."
At this point, Steward Niu looked first at Han Shuangjiang.
The World Protagonist who had received the "Great Female Lead" Script in "Borrowed Sword" gradually grew resolute in her eyes.
Immediately afterward, Niu Yuanshan looked at Chu Huai Xu.
Chu Huai Xu had regarded today's conversation as the earnest guidance of an elder.
But then he suddenly realized: Old Niu is a damn undercover agent!
As a member of the Moon Kingdom's organization, would he sincerely hope for the Dao Sect to produce outstanding talents?
You look so honest and respectable, but you're a traitor, aren't you?
Chu Huai Xu changed his train of thought and began to understand. This was actually Niu Yuanshan, a leader within the organization, assigning a task to him, a newcomer within the organization.
He was hinting that Chu Huai Xu should work his way up from Registered Disciple and infiltrate the Dao Sect's inner circle!
Old Niu, you really think highly of me.
After thinking it over, Chu Huai Xu still said, "Let me first express my loyalty. As a disciple, it was the Sixth Elder and the Dao Sect who gave me the opportunity to cultivate. I will certainly do everything in my power to serve the sect!"
When these words reached Niu Yuanshan's ears, this "sensitive-skinned" man immediately caught the two unusual words.
Thus, in his ears, Chu Huai Xu's words were automatically translated into another meaning.
Old Niu gave Chu Huai Xu a gratified smile, understanding that this clever young man had already grasped his hint.
They exchanged a glance, communicating through their eyes without saying a word.
Though there was no sound at that moment, it was as if two words were ringing deafeningly!
—"Loyal—ty!"
Only Han Shuangjiang sat to the side. Listening to Chu Huai Xu chatter away, she could not help slightly pursing her tender lips beneath her veil.
You're really good with words!
However, neither Niu Yuanshan nor Han Shuangjiang saw Chu Huai Xu lower his head slightly, a trace of confusion flashing through his eyes.
Based on his understanding of the Mission System, he and Old Niu had already discussed things to this extent. It was equivalent to him accepting a mission from Old Niu, this NPC—to infiltrate the Dao Sect's inner circle.
Normally, that should have triggered a side mission related to the organization with absolute certainty.
Yet strangely, the Mission System showed no reaction at all!
(P.S. I woke up from a nap and wondered, "Where the hell did you drag me?" The monthly-ticket rankings actually dragged me all the way to twenty-fourth place.
We only have a little over seventy thousand words! The thought that some of you might misread it as over seven hundred thousand words, click in, and finish it all at once makes me feel like you're all demons. Heh heh heh!
Also, today we have a chance to become the daily monthly-ticket champion. We're only a few hundred votes short. Please give us some monthly tickets. Votes cast within seven days will qualify you for the raffle, where you can share in 100 prizes of 5,000 Qidian Coins.
If seventy thousand words makes it to the daily champion spot... Heh heh heh, you demons, please give us your monthly tickets!)
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