The Secret Realm Opens

Beneath the ancient tree, Li Shouyi once again extended a helping hand to a girl who had lost her way.

Pei Zhujiu looked at the hand held out before her, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "Your disciple, Pei Zhujiu, greets you, Master," she said hoarsely.

Congratulations, host. You have accepted your third disciple.

Checking whether she qualifies.

Check successful. Pei Zhujiu meets the requirements.

System assessment—Pei Zhujiu is a good-for-nothing seen only once in a thousand years.

Mission—if Pei Zhujiu makes no progress after seven days, the host will receive a reward.

Mission reward—cultivation raised to the peak of the nascent soul realm.

Only after hearing the system's response did Li Shouyi breathe a sigh of relief. Smiling, he pulled Pei Zhujiu up from the ground.

"These are your eldest and second senior sisters. Go say hello!"

"Greetings, Senior Sisters."

Pei Zhujiu seemed a little reserved, a far cry from her swaggering, invincible attitude earlier.

Li Shouyi could guess that her earlier demeanor had been a disguise.

After all, a girl who went around looking shy and afraid of trouble would surely be bullied to death.

"Hehe, from today onward, you're my junior sister! If anything happens, just drop my name. I'm Su Wan'er."

Lin Shuishui yawned again and said sleepily, "I'm Lin Shuishui. I'll be counting on you from now on, Third Junior Sister."

Su Wan'er excitedly squeezed in front of Pei Zhujiu. "Junior Sister, take these."

Puzzled, Pei Zhujiu accepted the clothes and bottle of wine Su Wan'er handed her. After thanking Su Wan'er, she turned to Li Shouyi.

"Ahem, ahem. Your master certainly has something for you too. Just give me a couple of days."

"Yes, thank you, Master!"

Once Li Shouyi had answered, Su Wan'er dragged Pei Zhujiu aside and began chattering away.

Meanwhile, Li Shouyi remained where he was, pondering how to keep this disciple fooled for seven days.

He absolutely could not repeat his previous two mistakes.

After turning it over in his mind, his eyes lit up.

Doesn't this disciple love drinking?

I can brew some fine wine for her!

The kind that puts her to sleep for three to five days after one drink. That would let me finish my mission in no time.

He wasted no time putting his plan into action. Li Shouyi recalled a fruit wine from his previous life whose alcohol content approached that of pure alcohol.

Seeing the three chatting over there, he headed straight off to find fruit.

Li Shouyi remembered passing an orchard not far ahead on his way here. It was just what he needed for brewing wine.

"You three stay here and behave. I'll be right back."

Calling out toward the three of them, he rode his sword away, vanishing in a streak of light.

Yet the moment he left, the three ran into trouble.

"Look, everyone! Isn't that the Pei family's Wine Immortal?"

The sudden voice interrupted the three girls' conversation. They looked toward its source and frowned when they saw a group of rogue cultivators.

"Junior Sister, who are they?"

At Su Wan'er's question, Pei Zhujiu shook her head blankly.

She was simply too famous within the Heavenly Sword Sect's territory.

People constantly came up to mock her every day. How could she remember them all?

While the two were talking, the group approached.

"Come and look, everyone!"

"The Wine Immortal has actually made friends with two fairies in the foundation establishment realm!"

The man leading the conversation had only one eye.

Whenever he spoke, his mouth tended to twist downward, making his whole face look strangely out of balance.

"Who are you?"

"Are you trying to make trouble for my junior sister?"

After hearing him, Su Wan'er planted her hands on her hips and glared angrily at the one-eyed man.

Her adorable appearance was hardly intimidating, however. Instead, it sent the group into peals of laughter.

"Did you hear what she said?"

"She called the Wine Immortal her junior sister! That means our Wine Immortal really did manage to find a master."

"What a special day this is! The Heavenly Sword Sect is recruiting disciples through its secret realm, and the Wine Immortal has found herself a master."

"Brothers, don't you think that calls for a celebration?"

The one-eyed man grew more animated as he spoke, while his followers kept egging him on, their words dripping with mockery.

Their remarks made Pei Zhujiu lower her head until her chin nearly sank into her chest.

Su Wan'er's little face flushed crimson with anger, and she was just about to explode.

Then a voice cooled her temper.

"Are you idiots asking for a beating?"

Like a god descending from the heavens, Li Shouyi slowly landed from above. The wind stirred his blue robes, lending him an ethereal air and a striking handsomeness.

When the one-eyed man saw Li Shouyi, he asked in a low voice, "Who might you be?"

"I'm the master of the Wine Immortal you've been talking about. Is there a problem?"

A fierce aura erupted from Li Shouyi and surged toward the one-eyed man and his companions.

The lackeys, who had only foundation establishment cultivation, were so frightened that they involuntarily retreated several steps.

The one-eyed man took a deep breath and withstood Li Shouyi's aura. "May I ask where you cultivate?"

His aim was simple: first sound out Li Shouyi's background and see whether he could afford to provoke him.

"Scram, scram, scram! A nobody like you dares pry into my sect?"

"You..."

Seeing the look on Li Shouyi's face that plainly said he was unworthy of knowing infuriated him.

He was just about to lash out when one of his lackeys suddenly whispered a few words in his ear. The one-eyed man then revealed a mysterious smile.

After that, he led his lackeys away without looking back.

"Master, should we go beat them up?"

Looking at Su Wan'er's belligerent expression, Li Shouyi could not help pressing a hand to his forehead. "Su Wan'er, you unfilial disciple! Are you trying to anger me into an early grave so you can inherit my Spatial Ring?"

"Master, don't talk nonsense! The money in your Spatial Ring isn't even a fraction of what I have!"

Li Shouyi was instantly half-dead with anger.

He felt wealth's malice toward him deep in his bones.

Seeing Li Shouyi's face turn livid, Su Wan'er thought he was going to burn her again. She hurried behind Pei Zhujiu and said to him, "Master, Junior Sister's here! Could you please not set anything on fire?"

Li Shouyi took another deep breath and reminded himself.

I took her as my disciple. I took her as my disciple.

After repeating it several times, Li Shouyi managed a smile. He was about to speak when a voice interrupted him.

"Welcome, everyone, to this secret realm selection."

Upon hearing the voice, Li Shouyi hurried toward its source with the three girls.

By the time they arrived, the place was already packed with a sea of people.

It was an open space at the foot of the Heavenly Sword Sect's mountain.

A middle-aged man stood on a raised platform, smiling.

"I am Zhuo Yifan, the Heavenly Sword Sect's law enforcement elder."

"Do you all see these two stone pillars behind me?"

"We will open the Secret Realm Passage shortly. You can pass between the pillars to enter the secret realm directly."

"The requirement for clearing it is very simple. All you need to do is keep moving forward, and you will pass."

"And this time, we will accept only the top three as disciples."

At this point, the middle-aged man paused, glanced around, and continued with a smile, "The reward for finishing first will far exceed anything you can imagine!"

"Now, I declare the Heavenly Sword Sect's secret realm open..."