The Heavenly Secrets Sect Ruins

At the news, everyone was stunned.

There must have been at least several thousand cultivators in the first group to enter.

Almost all of them had been confident in their own strength, and none were weak. How could they have been wiped out?

Everyone voiced the question.

Tiezhu sighed softly and said:

"I didn't know about it either. Later, I was drinking with a trusted member of the Lin Household, and he accidentally let it slip. That was how I learned the secret realm was actually the ruins of an ancient sect!"

"There are no Demon Beasts or poisonous swamp miasma in the secret realm. There are only puppets blotting out the sky and covering the earth, gathered in throngs. The moment they see outsiders, they attack without hesitation."

"But I've half forgotten the sect's name. It was something like the Heavenly Something Sect. I was dead drunk that day, so I can't remember clearly."

Qin Fei's heart stirred, and he ventured a guess:

"The Heavenly Secrets Sect?"

"Yes, yes, yes! That's it, the Heavenly Secrets Sect."

Tiezhu slapped his thigh, confirming it.

Seeing this, Qin Fei fell into thought.

The Heavenly Secrets Sect-wasn't that Yunxiu's sect?

Its inherited Cultivation Method, the Divine Soul Sensing Chapter, was still in his hands. He hadn't expected the sect's ruins to appear near Shangyu Market as well.

But on second thought, it wasn't so strange. Yunxiu, the Heavenly Secrets Sect's sole inheritor, had appeared in Shangyu Market.

The Lin Household had also issued a warrant for Yunxiu's arrest. It seemed they had known about the Heavenly Secrets Sect's ruins for some time.

"Brother Qin, do you know this sect?"

When Tang Zhan and the others heard him name the Heavenly Secrets Sect correctly, they turned to look at him.

"I saw it mentioned in a book I read for leisure. Since it was a sect that specialized in puppets, I paid it a little attention."

"Unfortunately, the book only mentioned it in passing, so I don't know the details either."

Naturally, Qin Fei would not reveal anything about the Divine Soul Sensing Chapter.

Although everyone present was a good friend of his, the methods used in the cultivation world were unfathomable. The information might leak out through some unforeseen channel.

Especially after everything he had been through, he knew that sometimes, even if you didn't go looking for trouble, trouble would come knocking at your door.

Qin Fei had to be even more careful and guard against trouble before it arose.

"That really is a pity. I hear there are plenty of heavenly materials and earthly treasures in that secret realm. If we could get some information beforehand, perhaps we could make a bid for one or two."

"Dream on. What good would getting information beforehand do? Didn't you see that those people were almost completely wiped out? Be careful, or you'll lose your life before you find any treasure."

Everyone strongly agreed. A force of several thousand had nearly been wiped out, so what could the few of them do?

But the mention of treasures in the secret realm piqued Old Zhang's interest.

"Do you think there might be a treasure in that secret realm that could heal my injuries?"

He had taken the wrong pill and damaged his meridians, leaving his cultivation unable to advance an inch. Naturally, the news of the secret realm concerned him greatly.

The others knew little about the secret realm, so they all turned to Tiezhu.

Tiezhu was in the military, so he ought to know something about it.

"Old Zhang, there really is something you need in that secret realm, but it's too dangerous. With your strength..."

Tiezhu did not finish, but his meaning was clear.

In fact, when he had first heard the news, Old Zhang was the first person he had thought of.

But he had been afraid Old Zhang would act on impulse, so he had chosen to keep it from him.

Now that Old Zhang had asked, Tiezhu's heart softened, and he told him.

Old Zhang sighed softly. It seemed he wasn't fated to have that treasure. The secret realm was simply not a place someone at Qi Refining Third Layer could enter.

Come to think of it, how could such a treasure ever fall into his lap?

He took a silent swig of wine by himself, feeling somewhat dejected.

Seeing how downcast he looked, the others all offered words of comfort.

Only after making sure he was all right did they go their separate ways.

Before leaving, Qin Fei called Tiezhu over and whispered a few words in his ear.

Tiezhu looked surprised, but finally nodded.

The next day.

Qin Fei, who was cultivating cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his face.

The wooden kite flying in the air had detected an approaching cultivator and immediately sounded an alarm in his sea of consciousness.

Qin Fei paid it no mind and instead went out to greet the visitor warmly.

In the distance, a sturdy figure was waiting at the entrance to the scrap yard. Who else could it be but Tiezhu?

The previous day, after the gathering ended, Qin Fei had taken Tiezhu aside and made a small request.

He hoped Tiezhu would spar with him for a while, helping him test and improve his strength.

As it happened, Tiezhu had returned from the military camp with a month's leave and had nothing much to do, so he agreed.

Qin Fei was overjoyed. Both of them were at the Sixth Level of Qi Refining, making them well-matched opponents.

Moreover, Tiezhu had spent much of his time fighting on battlefields. Qin Fei's experience against enemies was nowhere near his, and he believed he could learn a great deal.

Since Tiezhu was helping him so readily, Qin Fei naturally would not neglect him.

He prepared a whole table of food and wine to thank him.

Tiezhu stared at it, dumbstruck.

"Brother Qin, you eat this well? Can I stay here long-term?"

"Of course. Stay as long as you like."

No wonder Tiezhu was shocked. All the ingredients on the table were expensive: beast meat, tendons, blood, and bones. There was even a Demon Beast's head in the very center.

However little Tiezhu knew about prices, he knew this table of food couldn't have cost less than ten or so Spirit Stones.

The two were about to eat when voices came from outside the gate again.

It was Old Zhang, bringing Tang Zhan and the others along.

"Well, would you look at that. Do you lot have dogs' noses? You caught the scent and came running."

"Impudent brat Qin! You dared to feast behind our backs! Luckily, this old man noticed something was amiss, or I'd have nearly fallen for your trick!"

Old Zhang cursed him roundly, but his backside was in a hurry: he went straight to a seat and sat down.

As it turned out, he had seen Qin Fei whispering to Tiezhu the day before and thought they were discussing how to comfort him, so he had secretly listened in.

To his surprise, Qin Fei had been asking Tiezhu to spar with him and hadn't mentioned Old Zhang at all.

That had made him curse the ungrateful brat in his heart. In the end, his feelings had been misplaced.

After thinking it over, he had decided that Qin Fei had never been stingy and would surely treat Tiezhu well for helping him, so he had brought the others over to cadge a meal.

Sure enough, he had hit the mark in one guess!

Qin Fei didn't know whether to laugh or cry and could only invite everyone to sit down.

The others did not stand on ceremony and all dug in.

Only after they had eaten and drunk their fill did the group move to an open space nearby.

Qin Fei had set aside this space specifically for practicing Technique Methods and testing his cultivation.

Now it was just what they needed.

"Brother Qin, how do you want to practice?"

"Show me your full strength. I'll see how strong you are first."

Qin Fei did not intend to use his puppets. With his current Divine Sense, he could control two Desolate Rock Ghost Pythons at the Sixth Level of Qi Refining at the same time.

If he added the Flame Martial Envoy at the late stage of Qi Refining, Tiezhu would be unable to withstand them, no matter how much experience he had against enemies.

He wanted to use the opportunity to gain combat experience with Tiezhu's help. Winning or losing did not matter.

Generally speaking, half an ordinary Puppet Master's abilities lay in the Puppet Technique.

Not using puppets was no different from tying one's own hands and feet.

But Qin Fei insisted on doing so, not because he enjoyed being beaten up, but because he wanted to make up for his own shortcomings.

That way, if someone got close to him in the future, he would still be able to put up a fight.

For several days in a row, the sounds of sparring never ceased in the little courtyard.

Old Zhang and the others also came every day to mooch food and drink, never missing a day.

At first, Qin Fei lost more often than he won and could only rely on the advantage of his weapon to keep maneuvering.

But each setback only made him more determined, and he constantly absorbed Tiezhu's combat experience.

A storm was also gradually brewing in Shangyu Market. The failed exploration of the secret realm had not dampened the Rogue Cultivators' enthusiasm; instead, even more people poured into it.

More and more interests became entangled.

The conflict between the Lin Household and the Lu Household finally erupted in full.