Obtaining a Vast Haul of Treasures

"What is it?!"

"Medicine—precious medicine that can save someone dying from internal injuries!"

"Fine."

"You have to swear an oath."

"Alright. I, Lin Yuanqi, swear that as long as I take all those treasures, once we get out, I will have my family search with all its strength for the relevant medicine. If I break this oath, may I lose all my Soul Power."

Zhuang Xingyu agreed with the arrangement as well. There were so many treasures here. It was just one type of medicine, after all. He had plenty of pills like Detoxification Pills and Great Returning Pills. He could just give her one later. He was not losing out at all.

As for that divine artifact, since it was an opportunity deliberately left by someone's ancestor for their descendants, it would be useless even if he took it.

Instead, it might offend the Huangfu Family and possibly even provoke a deity, which would be detrimental to him before he had fully grown.

No wonder there were so many treasures stored in this Secret Realm. They had been deliberately left behind by someone's ancestor as an opportunity for their gifted descendants.

As for why the opportunity had not been kept within the family, perhaps some accident had occurred.

The Chaos Bead just reported that the divine consciousness within that artifact is truly asleep. Combined with the Chaos Bead's concealment, no one should discover my secret. Still, I need to be more careful from now on, Zhuang Xingyu thought vigilantly.

Seeing that Huangfu Ruiyao had already taken the divine artifact, Zhuang Xingyu stopped hesitating and immediately put away the Spirit Bones.

"Mm, the quality of these Spirit Bones is quite good. They're all complete."

Then, he set to work collecting every treasure from the shelves on both sides.

Huangfu Ruiyao indeed kept her word and even took the initiative to help Zhuang Xingyu gather the treasures. "Hurry and collect them! Once the divine artifact is taken away, this Secret Realm will collapse in two hours. We must get out as quickly as possible."

"What a waste!" Upon hearing that, Zhuang Xingyu completely let loose. Not only did he pry off all the Jade Marrow Treasure Beads, but he even chipped away every diamond, gold, and silver ornament embedded in the carvings.

It could not be helped. His family had many people, and they would still need to forge equipment, expand their legion, provide relief to the common people... all of that required money!

"Huh? These floor tiles are forged from refined steel. They're perfect for making armor."

"Damn, the roof beams are actually the trunks of eighty-thousand-year plant Spirit Beasts—agarwood."

"Holy crap, these tiles are Seven-Colored Glazed Tiles too! Judging by their quality, they're even better than the tiles on the main hall of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

"These curtains are actually ninety-thousand-year Heavenly Silkworm Silk. Look at this elasticity, this texture. I can take them back and make Zihan some silk... cough, silk scarves."

In less than half an hour, Zhuang Xingyu had dismantled the entire hall, which had originally stood over twenty meters tall, stored it in the Young Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Ring, and then transferred it into the Chaos Bead's space.

Huangfu Ruiyao stood beside him, dumbfounded as she watched Zhuang Xingyu dig up the foundation and harvest the precious flowers and plants. Those things were certainly worth a fair amount, but he was a gifted genius with such broad knowledge, and the force behind him surely could not be weak. Why was he acting as if he had never seen money before? At the very least, he should have some grace!

"Your storage space is way too large! Are you really that short on money?" Huangfu Ruiyao asked in confusion.

"I am. Extremely short. Unlike you, a descendant of the gods, all my resources have to be earned through my own efforts!"

Huangfu Ruiyao looked at Zhuang Xingyu, and her mind gradually filled in the blanks. What a magnanimous man, unconcerned with trivialities. Earlier, when I gave him one million Gold Soul Coins, he refused every last coin. He must have been trying to prove his innocence. Now it seems I misunderstood him. His Soul Power must truly have been in turmoil back then. And now, in order to save resources for his family, he does not care at all about empty reputation. He is open and upright, responsible, and dependable. Truly admirable.

If Zhuang Xingyu could hear her thoughts, he would probably not know whether to laugh or cry. He had not thought that much into it at all. He had refused her money before because taking it would mean admitting that he was a "Jia Niao" son. That concerned a man's dignity.

Now that he had found so many treasures through his own labor, and Huangfu Ruiyao did not want them, why would Zhuang Xingyu refuse to take them? If he did not collect them before the Secret Realm collapsed, would that not be a waste?

As for the dignity of a gifted genius, what was a gifted genius? Someone with great personal strength was a gifted genius. On the Douluo Continent, as long as one was strong enough, who would dare say anything? Who would dare refuse to show them respect?

This was probably what psychology called the "halo effect." Because of a strong impression of a certain quality or trait, people tended to judge someone as a whole based on that one aspect, forming a generalized perception.

It was the same principle as loving the house for the sake of its occupant and winning over those far away by treating those near with kindness.

Huangfu Ruiyao had not thought much of Zhuang Xingyu at first, but after seeing his true appearance, his extraordinary talent, and surviving hardship together with him, she had gradually grown closer to him.

"When you bloom, the gentle breeze will come. When your heart rises and falls, smile lightly and remain at peace."

Therefore, if love could not be attained, it was better to turn around and improve oneself. Once one became outstanding, they would discover so much beauty waiting ahead.

Looking back with a faint smile, everything would return to calm; even past regrets would fade into indifference.

A quarter of an hour before the Secret Realm collapsed, Zhuang Xingyu had finished looting everything that could be taken and left with Huangfu Ruiyao.

Fifteen minutes later, the Secret Realm collapsed as well, vanishing into a spatial rift.

What a pity. It would have been great if such a fine Secret Realm could have been merged into the Chaos Bead's space!

Huangfu Ruiyao bowed deeply several times in the direction where Huangfu He and the others had gone, silently swearing vengeance. Afraid of encountering Dugu Bo, she once again suppressed the urge to search for their remains.

Zhuang Xingyu watched from the side, assuming only that she was thanking her ancestors. He did not speak up to ask why. Since Huangfu Ruiyao had not said anything else, he had no intention of prying.

The two did not dare linger in the depths of Sunset Forest. Following the records on his family's Sunset Forest Main Spirit Beast Distribution Map, Zhuang Xingyu chose a short route without any ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts and made it out of Sunset Forest without incident.

Zhuang Xingyu hurriedly put on a new Human Skin Mask.

By then, the sun was about to set.

The two arrived at a nearby town, casually found an inn, rented two rooms, and rested for the night before making further plans the next day.

After bathing, Zhuang Xingyu was happily eating in his room.

"Knock, knock, knock. Young master, please open the door."

Zhuang Xingyu opened the door and saw Huangfu Ruiyao standing prettily outside. She had even put on light makeup, creating a striking contrast with her previous sickly beauty. Each had its own charm.

He sensed the divine artifact with the Chaos Bead and found that the divine consciousness within it was still asleep.

"Miss Huangfu, what can I do for you?"

"Young master, have you forgotten something? You swore earlier that you would help me find precious medicine to treat my internal injuries."

"My mistake, my mistake. Please, come in."

After entering the room, Huangfu Ruiyao immediately released a small barrier that covered the surroundings. She explained, "This is a secret treasure of my family. Its only function is to prevent others from probing us. As long as no one forcibly breaks in, within ten meters, no one below a Super Douluo can detect any movement inside."

She looked like a child who had obtained a treasure and could not wait to show it off to her parents and friends.