Return to the Sect

In short, Lu Yu felt a sense of relief at this moment.

However... even if Chen Xuan was telling the truth, she was still reluctant to reveal the function of the Secret Realm Seal.

Lu Yu fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan deliberately said, "Senior Sister, I have already been honest with you. If you cannot give me an explanation, then for the sake of the sect, I will have no choice but to report this to the Supreme Elder."

"Don't... fine, I can tell you, and I can even take you with me. Whether you choose to go or not is up to you, but regardless of your decision, you must not let anyone else know."

Lu Yu took a deep breath, and after much consideration, she decided to tell Chen Xuan.

She wanted to avoid reporting this to the sect at all costs.

"Agreed."

Chen Xuan nodded in acceptance.

"Since you know about the Secret Realm Seal, you must also know that it can be crafted into a Secret Realm Token. Several years ago, I stumbled upon an ancient ruin, and after some exploration, I discovered it was a cave dwelling left behind by an ancient cultivator. The appearance of this cave dates back even further than the founding of the Cloud Sea Sect. After years of research, I finally found a way to open it: it requires three 'keys,' and those keys are precisely the Secret Realm Tokens of the three great Heavenly Dao Secret Realms within Jing Province."

Lu Yu revealed her true objective.

Chen Xuan nodded slightly upon hearing this; if that were the case, it was plausible. After all, if a Secret Realm Token could serve as a token of identity, it was reasonable for it to also act as a key to an ancient ruin or cave dwelling.

Yet, there were still some doubts. According to Lu Yu, she had discovered the ruin by chance and found the method to open it after only a few years of research. If it were truly that easy, had no one else discovered the ruin or found a way to open it before her? It was possible that this ruin was a trap left by an ancient cultivator, or perhaps the cave had already been explored and stripped of anything valuable.

Chen Xuan voiced his suspicions directly to Lu Yu.

"I was able to find the method to open the ruin because of the various records in the sect's Library Pavilion; had it been someone from an ordinary faction, it wouldn't have been so easy to uncover the secret. As for whether it has already been explored, I cannot say for certain, but regardless, I must go. If you are worried, Junior Brother, you don't have to come—just keep this a secret for me," Lu Yu said with a firm tone.

She did not possess a special constitution. Within the Cloud Sea Sect, cultivators with a Mortal Body who reached the Dao Foundation Realm were few, those who reached the Purple Mansion Realm were extremely rare, and Nascent Souls were even rarer. If she wanted to go further, she needed resources and opportunities. Having finally encountered an ancient ruin that required the keys from the three great Heavenly Dao Secret Realms of Jing Province, she held high expectations for it.

For the sake of this opportunity, she had been working on her own, not even reporting it to the sect. While reporting it would certainly bring rewards, she might gain much more by exploring it herself. To put it bluntly, she had a bit of a gambler's mentality. But what if the gamble paid off? As a cultivator with a Mortal Body, if one did not fight, strive, or gamble, how could one reach the Purple Mansion, form a Nascent Soul, or go any further? Who wouldn't want to be like those disciples with special constitutions, whose cultivation levels soared just by practicing steadily?

"I understand, Senior Sister. Please allow me some time to consider this," Chen Xuan nodded, not committing to a decision immediately.

He was interested in the ancient ruins and the cultivator's cave, but he also feared there might be something sinister afoot. Thus, he remained undecided for the time being.

"Very well, you may take your time to consider it. I am not in a rush; I still need at least half a year before I officially set out to explore the ruins," Lu Yu said with a nod.

At least half a year? Chen Xuan pondered. By then, he should be close to reaching the Purple Mansion Realm. If he prepared some life-saving measures, he might actually consider going to explore it. Forget it, he would think about it later.

Chen Xuan stopped dwelling on it.

The two finished their patrol and returned to the exit of the secret realm. On the way, Lu Yu asked Chen Xuan about the Cloud-Observing Divine Eye. She truly had not expected this Junior Brother Chen to be so formidable. Not only had he achieved success in body tempering, but he had even cultivated the Cloud Sea Heaven-Observing Technique to the point of manifesting the Cloud-Observing Divine Eye. This was, in fact, one of the reasons why she had decided to share the secret of the ruins with him.

If possible, she truly wanted to explore the secret realm together with Chen Xuan.

After all, Chen Xuan possessed formidable strength and also wielded the Heaven-Observing Divine Eye.

She was well aware of the power of the Heaven-Observing Divine Eye; with Chen Xuan's assistance, the chances of obtaining fortuitous encounters would be significantly higher.

"Senior Sister, I hope you can keep the matter of the Heaven-Observing Divine Eye a secret for the time being."

Chen Xuan did not forget to add this reminder.

"No problem."

Lu Yu nodded in direct agreement.

The two of them could now be considered to have caught onto a little secret of the other.

Although the exposure of either of their secrets wouldn't actually lead to any major catastrophe, it gave Lu Yu the feeling that they had become teammates fighting side by side.

This feeling was quite nice.

Compared to the times when she had always planned for ruins alone, she felt much more relaxed.

Furthermore, she had also prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Even if Chen Xuan ultimately did not accompany her, and she encountered an accident in the ruins, perhaps it would be a consolation to know that she wouldn't die in total obscurity; at least someone would know where she had perished.

Thinking of this, Lu Yu said with a touch of sentimentality, "Junior Brother Chen, if you don't go, and I encounter some accident in the ruins and fail to return for a long time, I hope you will report the location of the ruins. When the sect explores the site, perhaps they will be able to recover my remains, or if I am lucky and merely trapped, I might even survive."

Lu Yu even managed a smile as she spoke.

Chen Xuan nodded without saying a word.

He knew clearly that Lu Yu was not joking.

Although the Cloud Sea Sect was powerful, its disciples often met with accidents and perished while out in the world.

Those who cultivated could not expect to always have a smooth and safe journey.

The two soon returned to the exit of the secret realm.

Wu Xun and the others had already arrived.

"Everyone, our mission is complete. Let's go."

Wu Xun said with a smile on his face.

Although they had been sent on a patrol mission, they hadn't come away empty-handed this time.

The Supreme Elder had personally promised that since they had stepped in to assist the Flying Sword Sect, there would certainly be rewards upon their return to the sect.

The rewards would surely not be meager.

The seven of them soon departed from the secret realm.

After leaving, the seven went to see the Supreme Elder to inform him before heading back to the sect.

After being notified, the Supreme Elder told the seven that he had already reported their deeds to the sect, and someone would bestow their rewards once they returned.

On the way back, the seven steered the Flying Boat at full speed.

They were all quite looking forward to what rewards the sect would bestow.

Even Chen Xuan was no exception.

He believed that his performance during the process of assisting the Flying Sword Sect had been quite commendable.