Treasures in the Secret Realm

The stone door before the spirit disk remained motionless.

"Why didn't the door open?" Chu Huai Xu frowned.

Han Shuangjiang stared at the stone door, then turned to look at Chu Huai Xu still soaking in the pool. The two exchanged bewildered glances.

"That doesn't make sense." He looked up at the towering stone door.

"This person clearly has spiritual embryo discrimination, otherwise why set up a spirit disk here?"

"You're a Profound Yin Physique, a super grade spiritual embryo that appears once in a hundred years, on par with the Dao Ancestor's Pure Yang Physique!" Chu Huai Xu's frown deepened.

Could the spirit disk be broken?

"Wait for me a moment." He said to Han Shuangjiang. "I'm almost done absorbing."

The Body Tempering Potion in the pool was nearly gone, and the Water Blade that had been honing his flesh had vanished, slowing the growth of his Cultivation Technique Experience Points considerably.

After about five more minutes, the experience points stopped increasing entirely.

Chu Huai Xu checked his character panel. The "Sword Refining Art" cultivation technique experience points had risen to 2131 points!

Just 200 more and he could level up twice.

He climbed out of the pool with some regret, casting a thoughtful glance at the four holes beneath it.

Chu Huai Xu was certain there was still Body Tempering Spiritual Medicine inside.

"After all, this dungeon is a ten-person instance, and only the two of us have entered so far." He thought to himself.

But there were more important matters now; this wasn't the time to study it.

"Splash--!" Chu Huai Xu staged a handsome man's exit from the bath.

Han Shuangjiang glanced at him, then immediately averted her eyes.

His clothes were far too tattered.

Fortunately, the cuts from the Water Blade weren't very long, allowing the robe to barely hold together.

But judging by the look of it, if Han Shuangjiang walked over and gave a hard tug, it would definitely tear completely apart, all those fragile connections snapping at once.

Even so, many places that should and shouldn't be exposed were now fully visible.

Chu Huai Xu noticed Han Shuangjiang quickly scan him before turning her head away, and silently complained: "Ah, she's seen all my good looks."

"Alright, we're even."

"Not for free, none of it for free."

With that thought, Chu Huai Xu took a spare robe from his Storage Token and draped it over himself.

He walked to the spirit disk and looked down.

"I was planning to exchange this thing for Contribution Points, so it better not be broken." He muttered.

In the Dao Sect, disciples could obtain Aperture Opening Stage techniques and First Realm techniques for free.

But not techniques.

Moreover, techniques of higher realms required Contribution Points to exchange.

Hearing this, Han Shuangjiang immediately moved closer and said, "It shouldn't be broken."

"The pointer landed on ten, proving you're a super grade spiritual embryo. That's right." Chu Huai Xu looked at the stone door and said, "Could it be that opening the door has nothing to do with the spirit disk?"

At this moment, the blush on the cold-faced girl's face had completely faded, returning to her usual icy demeanor.

She turned her head to look at Chu Huai Xu and suggested, "Why don't you give it a try?"

Chu Huai Xu: "?"

You want me to pull out my embarrassing low grade spiritual embryo for you to sample?

He had thick skin anyway and didn't care at all.

This bro was walking the Waste Path!

"Slap--!" Chu Huai Xu slammed his large hand onto the spirit disk.

A mysterious aura spread out. The spirit disk's pointer returned to its starting point, then moved forward one notch with extreme difficulty.

But then, the next moment.

--The door opened!

"Rumble--!"

Amid a roar, the stone door slowly swung open.

Chu Huai Xu looked at the spirit disk again, realizing he might have been mistaken.

He had been through too many dungeons, and sometimes fell into habitual thinking.

Many inheritance-type dungeons tested a person's aptitude.

That was one reason players were so keen on improving their Spiritual Embryo Attribute.

But he hadn't expected that this somewhat eccentric old predecessor had no spiritual embryo discrimination at all.

"That's not right either—a Super Grade Spiritual Embryo can't open the stone door, but a Low Grade one can?"

At this thought, Chu Huai Xu's gaze sharpened, and a guess took shape in his mind.

A flicker of heat stirred within him, and he began to look forward to the treasure that might lie inside.

Chu Huai Xu turned his head to glance at Han Shuangjiang, only to find her still staring at the Spirit Disk, fixated on the mark of one.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, annoyed.

Without another word, he picked up the Spirit Disk and stowed it into the Storage Token.

Han Shuangjiang was a bit surprised. She hadn't expected their two Spiritual Embryos to be such extremes.

Thinking back, she realized she'd never really gotten a clear picture of Chu Huai Xu's Spiritual Embryo.

"Then his cultivation speed..." The cold-faced girl felt a chill of realization.

She began to reflect on herself, wondering if she hadn't been working hard enough.

Once she returned, she would train even more fiercely!

"Let's go. Let's head inside and take a look." Chu Huai Xu pointed ahead. "There shouldn't be any more trials."

"Alright."

The two walked side by side forward, stepping through the stone door.

"Rumble." The stone door immediately closed behind them.

This was a hidden chamber, with nothing inside but a stone table and a stone stool.

On the stone table sat a wooden box, and in front of the box lay a scroll.

Chu Huai Xu glanced at the wooden box first.

It was rectangular, about thirty centimeters long, twenty wide, and roughly the same in height.

Its surface was carved with intricate patterns, and the wood was a dark, reddish-black.

"A Spirit Pill Treasure Box?" He recognized it at once.

Normally, spirit pills were stored in porcelain or jade bottles.

That was how Liu Tianfeng had given him the Qi Gathering Pill.

But High-Grade Spirit Pills were typically kept in a Spirit Pill Treasure Box.

A Formation was carved inside to ensure the medicine's potency wouldn't fade, allowing it to be stored for years or even decades without any loss.

A Spirit Pill Treasure Box wasn't cheap to make, so using it for ordinary pills would be a complete waste.

Seeing this object, Chu Huai Xu's heartbeat quickened slightly.

It only confirmed his earlier guess.

He lifted his gaze to Han Shuangjiang and said, "There's likely a High-Grade Spirit Pill in here. Are you sure everything in this Secret Realm goes to me, and we don't split it?"

Big Ice Block kept her face cold, but her eyes carried a serious resolve as she nodded firmly.

"Alright, then I'll take it. The Contribution Points from the Spirit Disk—we split evenly." He made the decision outright.

Chu Huai Xu opened the Spirit Pill Treasure Box. Despite its size, it held only a single pill, about the size of a longan.

Inside the wooden box, a line of small characters was carved.

—Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill!

Chu Huai Xu's breath caught. Everything had gone as he'd guessed—there really was a High-Grade Spirit Pill inside, the Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill!

A Level 7 Spirit Pill, capable of healing a damaged Spiritual Embryo. For a Low Grade Spiritual Embryo, there was even a high chance of improving its rank.

And if nothing was off, this pill had been personally refined by the Pill King himself!

After he created the pill formula, he had refined one for each of his formal disciples.

"This senior... never took it before passing away?"

"Did he never have a chance to use it?" Chu Huai Xu wondered.

He quickly closed the Spirit Pill Treasure Box to preserve its potency.

"That's the Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill Steward Niu mentioned the other day," he said to Han Shuangjiang.

The cold-faced girl's eyes lit up. "Then it's perfect for you."

"Right." Chu Huai Xu hadn't expected such a huge gain from this instance.

He picked up the scroll in front of the box and unrolled it.

Inside was no inheritance, only lines of small text:

"First trial: Test of Fortune. Those with deep fortune may pass within two hours; those who exceed the time will be expelled from the Secret Realm."

"Second trial: Test of Mind. Those with sharp minds may see through it within two hours; those who exceed the time will be expelled from the Secret Realm."

"As for the third trial, it tests one's nature—tests the Dao Heart."

"Only those with a Dao Heart as firm as a rock may pass the trial."

"This old man is named Lei Wenyen. With merely a third-grade Low Grade Spiritual Embryo, I have attained the realm of Great Cultivator."

"The hardships and trials along the way are known only to myself."

"I was fortunate to meet my master, the Pill King, who pioneered the formula for the Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill, capable of improving the grade of one's Spiritual Embryo."

"However, my time is short; my Lifespan is nearly spent."

"Young one, since you bear fortune's favor, possess keen intellect, and hold a steadfast Dao heart, even with only a Low Grade Spiritual Embryo, you may still achieve great things."

"But the path is long and arduous—of this, this old man has many insights."

"Thus, I have set up this Spirit Disk here, yet to take this pill."

"For later generations of juniors, the Great Dao lies right beneath your feet. May you not lose your courage to advance simply because your Spiritual Embryo's quality falls short."

"This old man bestows upon you a stroke of destiny!"

(PS: Second update, last day for monthly vote lottery. Request monthly votes.)