Secluded Paradise

Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun arrived at Tang Manor, only to be told by the steward that Tang Yuan had gone out to train half a year ago and had yet to return.

Left with no choice, the two headed once more to Azure Mushroom Mountain to search for Tang Yuan's whereabouts.

After all, they currently needed Tang Yuan's strength. Some matters would be difficult to handle with Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun alone, one at the Two Soul Realm and the other at the Three Soul Realm.

"Azure Mushroom Mountain is so vast. How are we supposed to find Brother Tang Yuan?" Jiang Ruoyun asked.

"Let's first check the place where the Sky Rat Swarm was last time. Since Tang Yuan appeared there, he should be training somewhere in that area."

"That is already Azure Mushroom Mountain's core region. There are quite a few second- and third-rank spirit beasts there, so we must be extra careful," Jiang Ruoyun reminded him. If they had not been pursued by the Black-Clad Man last time, why would they have run there and nearly lost their lives?

"When do we leave?" Jiang Ruoyun asked. She suddenly realized that she was clearly the master while he was the servant, yet somehow she had kept wanting to rely on him, respecting his opinions in everything.

"We leave now. The longer we delay, the more variables there will be." Lu Feng did not notice Jiang Ruoyun's unusual thoughts.

They did not have much time left. Prison Manor would surely be unable to endure Yan Manor's pressure for more than a few days.

After traveling for most of the day, Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun finally arrived at the entrance of Tyrant Bear Cave in Azure Mushroom Mountain. The battle scars left behind not long ago still made for a harrowing sight.

"Do you think Brother Tang Yuan will appear again?" Jiang Ruoyun glanced around, but did not spot a single soul.

"Let's write a few words on that clearing." Lu Feng pointed to the open ground before them. That clearing had the broadest view, and Tang Yuan would surely notice it if he passed by.

Jiang Ruoyun nodded in understanding. Taking out her pink long whip, she began to swing it through the air. Her body shifted with nimble grace, light as though she were dancing, yet the blossoms of whip-shadow she lashed out were overwhelmingly fierce, sending dust flying everywhere.

When the soil settled and the dust cleared, sixteen large characters had appeared on the distant clearing: "Brother Tang Yuan, Xue Er is in trouble. Come quickly to discuss matters. —Jiang Ruoyun." The handwriting was elegant and neat, arranged in four rows of four, impossible to miss.

After simply making their meaning clear, the two concealed themselves. They had made such a huge commotion just now; it would be troublesome if they attracted a few third-rank spirit beasts.

Fortunately, apart from startling some birds and beasts, they did not draw any other unusual attention. Hidden in one spot, Jiang Ruoyun spoke up. "Will this really work? How long are we supposed to stay hidden?"

Lu Feng did not dare say with complete certainty whether it would work, but this was the only method they could try for now. In this peril-ridden forest, shouting loudly to find someone was clearly not feasible.

"I'll go see whether the sky rats are still inside that cave." Lu Feng pointed at Tyrant Bear Cave.

"I'll go with you. If anything happens, we can look out for each other," Jiang Ruoyun said. She had experienced the terror of the Sky Rat Swarm herself and naturally did not want Lu Feng to take the risk alone.

After approaching the entrance, Lu Feng probed for a long while without receiving any response from within, so he boldly walked inside.

The Violent Bear's cave was extremely spacious, as it had to accommodate a creature of the Violent Bear's size. Yet despite its size, it was completely empty. Aside from a few scattered stones, there was nothing at all—not even the remains of the Violent Bear's corpse.

"Someone got here before us and took everything from this cave," Lu Feng said regretfully.

Jiang Ruoyun found it equally regrettable. The Violent Bear's beast core alone was worth thousands of soul coins. Shaking her head helplessly, she smiled bitterly. "Let's go. It's getting late. If some other spirit beast comes here to nest, we'll be in trouble."

Lu Feng nodded and turned to leave without the slightest hesitation.

But just as he turned around, an incredibly faint breeze blew against his back. Lu Feng immediately halted, then turned back again to stare at the cave wall.

In the past, Lu Feng would never have sensed such a faint wisp of wind. But after fully mastering the Strength Soul Formation, his perception of force had reached a minute level. He could clearly sense the slightest stir of wind or grass, and his awareness had grown far stronger.

"Wait. There seems to be more to this mountain wall," Lu Feng called out to stop Jiang Ruoyun, then walked toward the wall in the distance.

After tapping and testing it, Lu Feng became even more certain. The mountain wall was hollow. From the sound of the tapping, he could tell that there was a sizable space inside.

Jiang Ruoyun stared at the mountain wall in surprise, then carefully began chipping at it together with Lu Feng. Before they started, Lu Feng had already set up a formation. Even if the other side of the stone wall was a nesting ground for sky rats, they would have enough time to escape.

Before knowing what lay on the other side, neither of them used much force. They only carved out a circular hollow less than half a meter wide.

Peering inside, they were astonished to find a whole different world within. The area it covered was far larger than the bear cave outside. Glimmering phosphor stones on the surrounding walls illuminated the space. Lush vegetation covered the stone walls, while at the center lay a pool of crystal-clear stream water radiating dense spiritual energy. Both sides were filled with all sorts of flowering and fruit-bearing trees.

After confirming there was no danger inside, Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun squeezed through the small hole they had dug, then concealed the entrance again.

Jiang Ruoyun stared blankly at the beautiful scene before her, like a Secluded Paradise. Especially that pool of clear water—if Lu Feng had not been there, she might have been unable to resist jumping in for a playful splash.

"What a beautiful place~" Jiang Ruoyun said joyfully as she wandered around, seeming to adore the peaceful atmosphere here.

"This must be what the fortunate secret realms described in storybooks are like," Jiang Ruoyun said with emotion.

Lu Feng smiled faintly. He had encountered quite a few secret realms before, and every one of them had been fraught with extreme danger. How could they truly be as wonderful as they were depicted in tales?

Seeing the innocence in Jiang Ruoyun's expression, Lu Feng did not wish to shatter the beautiful expectations in her heart. He said, "When you become strong enough in the future, you can consider turning this Secluded Paradise into a true secret realm, to benefit later generations."

At his words, a gleam flashed through Jiang Ruoyun's eyes. She readily agreed, "Good idea. In the future... I want to follow the example of those capable seniors too, leaving behind blessings to protect future generations."

As she spoke, she surveyed the surroundings, then pointed to a smoother stone wall on one side that was not covered in vegetation. "Let's give this place a name. What do you think?"

A trace of tenderness appeared in Lu Feng's eyes. Seeing Jiang Ruoyun acting so childishly made him feel strangely warm, and he could not help indulging her. "How about Cloud Spirit Immortal Realm?"

"Cloud Spirit Immortal Realm..." Jiang Ruoyun repeated it, then immediately felt that it was no good. Shaking her head, she said, "Cloud Spirit Immortal Realm sounds like some kind of trap. No, no."

Jiang Ruoyun pondered for a moment, then suddenly had an idea. "We discovered this place together, so it cannot only bear my name. Besides, it is hidden incredibly well, concealed behind a stone wall. Hmm... let's call it... Wind Cloud Secret Realm."

"What do you think?" After speaking, Jiang Ruoyun widened her eyes and looked expectantly at Lu Feng, feeling that the name was perfect.

With a faint smile, Lu Feng said, "Since it has my name in it too, it seems I'll have to accompany you in leaving some blessings here in the future."

"Of course," Jiang Ruoyun laughed openly. With a flick of her long whip, the small dagger tied to its tip struck the stone wall. With a turn of her wrist, she carved a large character for "Wind" into the wall.

Though she had used a long whip to carve it, the character was as graceful and exquisite as ever, brimming with heroic spirit.

"Your turn." Jiang Ruoyun handed the long whip to Lu Feng.

Lu Feng glanced at the stone wall. Beside the character for "Wind," a blank space had been left behind. Taking the whip, he wrote the character for "Cloud" in sweeping strokes.

"Why didn't we each write our own name?" Lu Feng withdrew his strength and looked at Jiang Ruoyun.

A faint blush flashed across her face. Pretending to be unconcerned, she replied, "This makes it more meaningful." Then she pointed at the character for "Cloud" that Lu Feng had left behind and burst into helpless laughter. Teasingly, she said, "Your writing... is really ugly."

Lu Feng smiled helplessly. With his current strength, it was already good enough that he could leave marks on the stone wall, especially while controlling a long whip that he was not familiar with. If he had used a longsword instead, perhaps it would have looked a little better.

"If future generations see this, they'll surely think the one with Cloud in their name was a man." Jiang Ruoyun proudly pointed at the character she had written. "Look how beautiful mine is."

After comparing them, Lu Feng had to admit the contrast was considerable, and he laughed as well.

"I'm a little thirsty." Jiang Ruoyun walked toward the water pool.

"This water seems to be... exceptionally sweet," Jiang Ruoyun suddenly said in surprise.

Lu Feng scooped up some water, sniffed it at the tip of his nose, then took a few sips. Astonished, he said, "This seems to be wine brewed from fruit."

Seeing the dense fruit trees and flowers on both sides, Lu Feng became even more certain. This pool had been mixed with wild fruits and flowers from the mountain forest, fermenting into a pool of Natural Fruit Wine.

The water was clear enough to see the bottom, without the slightest impurity. Lu Feng took out a wine gourd and filled it, then handed it to Jiang Ruoyun. "This is a rare treasure. The spiritual energy within it can speed up your cultivation considerably."

The spiritual energy in this space was already extremely dense. Added to that were the spirit fruits borne by the surrounding trees, which fell and fermented into this pool of water. It was practically spiritual energy made tangible, capable of promoting the circulation of spiritual energy during cultivation.

While Jiang Ruoyun drank deeply, Lu Feng drank as well. The instant the fruit wine entered his mouth, the spiritual energy in his body seemed to be drawn along as it began circulating on its own. Warmth spread through his entire body, and his spiritual energy revolved beyond his control, absorbing and harmonizing by itself.

"It tastes so sweet, much sweeter than those wild fruits last night." Jiang Ruoyun giggled, her face brimming with happiness. A faint flush appeared on her cheeks, making her even more adorable.

Jiang Ruoyun had only just broken through to the Three Soul Realm, and her cultivation had yet to stabilize. Yet with the aid of this fruit wine, she discovered in delight that not only had her cultivation stabilized at the Three Soul Realm, but she seemed to have drawn considerably closer to the Four Soul Realm. Unable to help herself, she filled another gourd and began drinking again.

Lu Feng drank heartily as well. As more and more fruit wine entered his body, he suddenly realized something was wrong. His mind began to grow hazy, and the wine fumes contained in the fruit brew surged up from his abdomen, leaving him noticeably drunk.