Picking Up an Egg at Midnight

Chu Zeming looked at the disciples watching him and Xuan Mo on the training grounds, a genial smile appearing on his face. "Come, junior brothers, let's practice together."

Clad in black robes, Chu Zeming held the Glimmering Light Sword and smiled.

Yet everyone on the training grounds found that smile terrifying. Immediately afterward, an utterly horrifying Sword Qi spilled from the black-robed young man, its sharp and dreadful pressure gradually spreading out.

The disciples on the training grounds all sucked in a breath.

They had heard that last time Eldest Senior Brother practiced swordsmanship in the bamboo forest, he had nearly stabbed a newly inducted junior brother to death with a single stroke. Now he wanted them to practice swords with him—were they tired of living?!

"Eldest Senior Brother, it looks like it's about to rain. I need to go back and bring in my laundry."

"Senior Brother, I think Master is calling for me. I won't practice today. Good luck, Senior Brothers!"

"Ah, my junior sister asked me to meet her at the back mountain. How could I forget?"

One after another, they began spouting barefaced lies. In less than half an incense stick's time, only Xuan Mo and Chu Zeming remained on the training grounds.

Standing atop a wooden post, Xuan Mo glanced over the empty training grounds and gave Chu Zeming a smile uglier than crying. "Eldest Senior Brother, how about we go back to the Scripture Pavilion and read? I just remembered there are still several books I want to read that I haven't finished—" Before Xuan Mo could finish, a piercing Sword Qi shot toward him.

Xuan Mo's heart trembled. He had no time for another word before he was forced to move across the plum blossom stakes, dodging Chu Zeming's attacks while watching his footing so he would not fall—because whenever Chu Zeming swung his sword, half-meter-long spikes abruptly sprang up across the flat ground!

Only when the sun sank westward and orange-red sunset clouds dyed the sky crimson did Chu Zeming finally let Xuan Mo go.

However, the results of the practice left Chu Zeming deeply dissatisfied—Xuan Mo was far too weak.

Walking over to Xuan Mo, who had collapsed on the ground in exhaustion, Chu Zeming tossed him his book case. "Continue tomorrow."

"Still... still continuing?"

Xuan Mo panted heavily, his face as pale as paper, unable even to cry.

"Senior Brother is doing this for your own good."

All at once, Xuan Mo began to miss the days when he used to read to Senior Brother in the Scripture Pavilion—there was no worst, only worse.

Sitting on the ground and hugging his book case, Xuan Mo pondered how he could evade tomorrow's training. Suddenly, he felt Chu Zeming's cool gaze fall upon him, and Xuan Mo shuddered uncontrollably.

Chu Zeming slowly crouched down, smiling as he kindly said to Xuan Mo, "Xuan Mo, Senior Brother hates salted fish most in this life. If you make excuses to deceive Senior Brother and avoid cultivation again, Senior Brother will kill you."

Xuan Mo looked utterly horrified.

Senior Brother really looked like a demonic cultivator when he smiled!

Chu Zeming rose to his feet and waved a hand. "I'm joking. Fellow disciples are forbidden from killing one another. Senior Brother was just teasing you."

Putting away the Glimmering Light Sword and ignoring Xuan Mo's inward terror, Chu Zeming left the training grounds in excellent spirits.

Chu Zeming did not return to his residence.

He had something more important to do—

The Nine Purities Vast Righteous Sect had a trial secret realm called Spirit Realm Platform, located atop Heaven's Crippled Peak. The Spirit Platform Mirror had nine levels in total, each fraught with peril, where danger and opportunity coexisted. It was an ideal place for sect disciples to cultivate and gain experience.

Of course, Chu Zeming was not going there to train. He was going to seize an opportunity.

In "Master Above, Me Below," the first cheat the author gave the salted-fish protagonist was found there—a tremendously powerful spirit pet.

It had originally been a creature from the ninth level of Spirit Realm Platform, but for various reasons, it had accidentally fallen to the first level. In the end, Ling Yunzi found it when he went to Spirit Realm Platform at night, then gave it to Yue Lian.

Judging by the time, Yue Lian had already entered the sect several days ago. That azure dragon egg should have fallen by now.

Chu Zeming decided to strike first.

Before Spirit Realm Platform, an elder dressed in plain cloth and wearing a kindly, benevolent expression sat cross-legged in meditation before a white jade dais. Sensing another disciple approach, a trace of surprise appeared on his face.

Although Spirit Realm Platform was indeed open twenty-four hours a day, very few—almost no—sect disciples chose to enter it at night for trials. The nighttime Spirit Realm Platform was completely different from its daytime counterpart, and its danger level was more than three or four times greater.

Taking Chu Zeming's identity token, Elder Chen registered it while casually asking, "Braving Spirit Realm Platform in the middle of the night—did you two arrange this?"

The two of them arranged it?

Chu Zeming frowned, finding this strange.

After finishing the registration, Elder Chen handed Chu Zeming a jade talisman. "This is a secret realm transport talisman. If you encounter danger you cannot resolve, or if you wish to leave, crush it and you will be transported back on your own. Remember not to force yourself. Though this realm is merely a sect trial ground, there are no few disciples who have died because they encountered danger but refused to crush their jade talismans."

"Thank you." Chu Zeming accepted the identity token and jade talisman, then leapt straight into Spirit Realm Platform.

In an instant, everything around him changed. Nine stone doors appeared before him. Two shone with white light, while the other seven remained silent—only after passing one level would the next level of Spirit Realm Platform open.

Chu Zeming hesitated no longer and flashed directly into the first stone door of Spirit Realm Platform. Someone had entered before him; he had to find the dragon egg before that person did.

A terrifying suction force suddenly pulled at his body. Chu Zeming felt himself plummeting rapidly downward. When he opened his eyes again, the sight before him had become a swamp shrouded in black mist and filled with towering trees.

Darkness blanketed the surroundings. Hair-raising hissing sounds rang out, making the place eerily silent and incomparably uncanny—this was Spirit Realm Platform at night, peril lurking on every side, murderous intent surging through the air.

Chu Zeming moved through the forest swamp, walking carefully while extending his spiritual sense to search in all directions. This swamp was vast, tangled with poisonous vines. Grim human bones littered the ground, the remains of predecessors who had died after entering this secret realm—terrifying creatures hunted within the swamp.

Suddenly, an icy sensation descended from above his head. Chu Zeming abruptly looked up, only to see a crimson forked tongue dripping wet green slime, almost touching his face the next moment.

Caught unprepared, a gaping maw lunged at him!

Chu Zeming's heart tightened. He dodged at lightning speed, leaping more than ten meters away in an instant.

At the spot where he had been standing, a dark green snake as thick as a tree trunk hung from a branch. It seemed to possess a talent for evading cultivators' spiritual sense, hanging silently there as though it had nearly melded into the surrounding environment.

Its strike having missed, the snake slowly drew back. Its cold yellow slit pupils fixed on Chu Zeming, its scarlet tongue flicking out like a red cord and sending chills down the spine—then, in an instant, the giant snake vanished. The surrounding trees began to rustle as its dark green form flickered in and out among the dense forest.

Chu Zeming steadied himself, the Glimmering Light Sword in his hand faintly trembling with pale red light.

The next second, the Glimmering Light Sword began to hum violently. Chu Zeming spun around and slashed—terrifyingly powerful Sword Qi surged in the direction of the sword's point.

"Boom—"

The dark green snake hidden in the shadows revealed itself.

The dark green snake crashed down, severed into two halves as it fell to the ground. Dark red blood flowed everywhere. Its slit pupils stared fixedly at Chu Zeming, its scarlet tongue hissing, its fang-filled maw opening and closing as though it still wanted to bite him.

How could a Bone-Tempering-stage demon beast dare clash head-on with a Golden Core-stage cultivator?

Chu Zeming kicked the snake's head. Just as he put away his sword and prepared to continue onward, the ground began to shake in all directions. Something seemed to be flooding toward him, the violent rumbling making the surrounding trees sway wildly.

Scalp-numbing hissing sounded, drawing closer and closer. Chu Zeming stopped moving and swept the area with his spiritual sense. Once he saw what it was, his entire mood turned foul—

More than a dozen yellow slit pupils were rushing madly in his direction. Those eyes, filled with chilling menace, were more than two or three times larger than the snake on the ground.

Chu Zeming sucked in a breath.

No way!

If it had only been one Demon Core-stage snake, Chu Zeming could still fight it. But how was he supposed to deal with more than a dozen at once? He made a prompt decision and turned to run.

His black robes fluttered as his dark figure darted through the dense forest. Behind him, more than ten dark green giant pythons pursued him like mad, crushing trees beneath them and producing dull, heavy sounds in the night.

Chu Zeming fled desperately, the jade talisman clutched in his hand. Yet unless it came to the final moment, he did not want to crush it lightly. He had not obtained the dragon egg yet, and he was unwilling to accept defeat.

Suddenly, the commotion behind him vanished. The snakes seemed wary of something. After exchanging several hissing glances, they slowly retreated.

Chu Zeming stopped, his face pale as a ghost.

He lifted his head and saw a lake before him. Its waters were black as ink, as though one glance could suck a person's soul inside. A tiny island had abruptly appeared at the lake's center, no more than a meter in diameter. Upon it lay an egg glowing red.

Chu Zeming's pupils contracted sharply.

Dragon egg!

After confirming there was no danger nearby, Chu Zeming flew over.

Perhaps because his transmigration had caused a butterfly effect, the dragon egg, which should have been in a dark stone cave absorbing the essence of moonlight, had appeared in the middle of this lake instead. It seemed as if it had deliberately waited there for him, who had been chased by giant snakes.

Reaching out to pick up the dragon egg and feeling the faint pulse of life within it, Chu Zeming silently thought that he truly was Heaven's favored child. Without further hesitation, he directly dripped blood to bind it as his master.

A drop of vivid red essence blood landed on the eggshell, then slid to the ground in the blink of an eye.

Chu Zeming dripped another drop. The bead of blood continued to fall away.

Then Chu Zeming stared at the dragon egg and fell silent—there was something wrong with it. It would not recognize a master.

After pondering for a moment, Chu Zeming darkened his face and directly summoned the Glimmering Light Sword. Enduring the pain, he sliced open all five fingers in one stroke, then pressed his entire blood-red hand against the dragon egg.

"If you don't absorb it, I'll smash you to pieces," Chu Zeming threatened coldly.

As though Chu Zeming's threat had worked, the dragon egg trembled in a very human-like manner.

Then dark red light illuminated the eggshell, and a peculiar bond suddenly appeared in his mind. Feeling the connection between himself and the egg, Chu Zeming withdrew his hand in satisfaction. He tucked the dragon egg, marked with a bloody handprint, into his robes, feeling extremely pleased.

Just as he was about to crush the jade talisman and teleport out, a delighted voice suddenly rang out from the lakeshore. "Eldest Senior Brother?!"

Chu Zeming turned toward the voice. A black-haired young man in white stood by the lake and waved at him, holding an egg that emitted a gentle glow in his arms.

An egg?!

Staring at the egg in Yue Lian's hands, glowing with holy light, Chu Zeming's pupils suddenly shrank. Then he slowly lowered his head and looked at the blood-glowing egg in his arms, a faintly ominous premonition rising in his heart—

Author's note:

Immortal Realm interview—

Host: "May I ask how each of you obtained your bonded spirit beast?"

Yue Lian: "I dreamed about a precious egg, so I went in to take a look, and then I picked it up along the way."

The host asked in surprise, "It was that simple? You didn't encounter any danger?"

Yue Lian: "No. I picked it up after walking just a few steps."

Host: "...Emmm, all right. And this Immortal Lord, what about you?"

Chu Zeming, dark-faced: "It was pretty dangerous. I just... picked up the wrong one. At the time, I nearly tried to snatch his egg."

Yue Lian raised a hand silently. "...Not nearly. He wanted to snatch it, but I had already dripped blood to bind it as my master, so he gave up."