[Entering the Secret Realm, Losing an Opportunity, Receiving a Warning]

[Age 25]:

[Looking at the mountain of a hundred thousand Spirit Stones piled inside your storage pouch, you let out a long breath. Your opinion of the talent [Twice the Results with Half the Effort] rose yet again.]

[In just four years, you had completed this seemingly impossible task. Its worth was extraordinary indeed.]

[You dared not draw attention to yourself. Disguised as a travel-worn peddler, you quietly made your way to the registration point established by the [Blazing Fire Sect].]

[Only after handing over that hefty sum of a hundred thousand Spirit Stones and receiving an admission jade token engraved with the blazing fire emblem did your taut nerves relax a little.]

[You found an unremarkable inn on the outskirts of the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range and settled in, quietly awaiting the Secret Realm's opening.]

[Age 26]:

[The Secret Realm in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range opened as scheduled.]

[Radiance soared into the sky at the entrance, and streaks of flying light in every color arrived one after another.]

[You saw many splendidly dressed scions of cultivation Lineages, and even recognized several members of the [Chen Family]'s main branch among them.]

[You mingled with the crowd, drawing no attention thanks to your masterful disguise.]

[As you flowed into the Secret Realm with the crowd, you immediately began sensing for the aura of a [Heaven and Earth Wonder].]

[[Blue talent: Twice the Results with Half the Effort] activated.]

[A mysterious intuition guided you away from the most crowded central region, sending you racing north toward a relatively secluded area at the realm's edge.]

[After several days of searching and sensing, you finally caught a trace of pure, blazing fire-aspect spiritual energy of heaven and earth deep within a scorching valley!]

[Wild joy surged through your heart, and you sped toward it.]

[Yet when you reached the source of the aura, the sight before you left you feeling as though you had plunged into an ice cavern.]

[That crimson spiritual flame, which had danced ceaselessly as though alive, had already vanished. In its place stood a youth dressed in the attire of the Chen Family's main branch, his hands behind his back.]

[He was toying with a sealed crimson crystal. The immense fire spiritual power contained within it left no doubt that it was the [Heaven and Earth Wonder] you had pursued so painstakingly.]

[*Someone had beaten you to it!*]

[You seethed inwardly, fixing your gaze on him. But that look gave you a fright.]

[He was actually one of the three most outstanding members of the Chen Family's third-generation main branch, the youngest of them, only fifteen years old—Chen Qingyan!]

[He was clearly only at [Embryonic Breath Realm perfection] as well, yet the intangible presence radiating from him was like a fathomless ocean, vast and overwhelming.]

[It far surpassed yours, bearing down on you with immense pressure.]

[With the opportunity lost, regret filled your heart. Unwilling to invite further trouble, you could only sigh inwardly and prepare to turn away, hoping to see whether this Secret Realm held any other rewards.]

[But the instant you turned, you discovered to your horror that Chen Qingyan had silently appeared before you at some point, blocking your path.]

[Your heart abruptly clenched. Under the pressure of that immense presence, your body stiffened, and you scarcely dared move.]

[*"Was this really [Embryonic Breath Realm perfection]?"*]

[Bewilderment and shock filled your heart. Judging by his imposing presence, you doubted you could withstand even a single move from him.]

[Yet Chen Qingyan did not attack. He merely studied you with interest through those deep eyes and spoke indifferently:]

["From the Chen Family?"]

[You froze, never expecting to be recognized. But faced with the absolute disparity in strength, you slowly nodded.]

[He chuckled softly, his tone betraying neither pleasure nor anger:]

["You look like you're from a side branch. Cultivation isn't easy..."]

[Then his words took a turn, carrying a hint of meaningful warning:]

[“But things like [opportunities] fall into two categories: ‘Ruler-owned’ and ‘unclaimed.’”]

[“For unclaimed things, everyone relies on their own abilities. That's fair enough. But a ‘Ruler-owned’ opportunity, to put it plainly, is nothing more than a scheme.”]

[He idly toyed with the crimson crystal (Heaven and Earth Wonder) in his hand, yet his gaze seemed to pierce through you, looking farther away, behind the scenes.]

["When you encounter one, there are only two possibilities."]

["First, you can 'subdue' it, along with the person behind the scheme. Naturally, you can take it!"]

["Second, like a fish about to be preyed upon, you bite the bait, and then the person plotting behind the scenes..."]

[He paused briefly, then uttered the words,]

["Devours you whole."]

[At his words, your heart shook violently, and understanding dawned in an instant.]

[*Chen Qingyan bore you no ill will. He was warning you!*]

[*The appearance of this [Heaven and Earth Wonder] was itself a setup.*]

[*A “Ruler-owned” trap, bait cast out by some hidden mastermind specifically to hook treasure hunters like you!*]

[He was giving you a warning, urging you to face reality rather than throw your life away.]

[At that realization, you suppressed your lingering fear and gratitude, solemnly cupped your hands, and thanked him:]

["Thank you!"]

[Chen Qingyan did not respond to your thanks. His calm gaze merely turned toward the faint energy fluctuations and sounds of fighting coming from deep within the Secret Realm, and he said indifferently:]

[“A word of advice: leave the Secret Realm now, and you can still live.”]