A large, crimson mountain, devoid of trees and covered only by sparse grass, appeared utterly desolate. Five figures were walking up the mountain.
This group was naturally Qin Mu and his companions. They had traveled without incident and had not encountered any other people. Now they were eager to find a cave to spend the night.
Luckily, a place full of rocks was chosen as our overnight accommodation.
"Do you mean the secret realm is another world?" Baili Bing asked.
“The spiritual energy here is much more abundant, and I’ve never seen these trees before. It’s like we’re from another world!” Baili Rou said.
"Brother Qin, what do you think?"
"Everyone knows that secret realms are divided into those created by powerful beings and those that exist naturally in the world. Look at the sun, moon, and stars in the sky! This is the same world as where we live! I think it's because of special reasons that it's isolated in another space," Qin Mu said, looking at the stars that appeared in the distant sky.
"If it's another space, why is it the same world?" Baili Rou asked.
“That’s easy to understand! It’s like a big house that’s been divided into individual rooms! Except that the doors to those rooms aren’t always open!” Qin Mu said with a smile.
Of course! This isn't just him talking nonsense; it's a deduction based on the current situation.
“Just like a secret room, once you find the entrance, you can enter!” Baili Rou said, her eyes lighting up.
"That must be it! Otherwise, the sun and stars in the sky wouldn't be exactly the same." Qin Mu nodded and said. In order to learn the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams, he had also studied astrology. He wouldn't make a mistake about the positions and patterns of some stars in the sky, even though there weren't many stars in the sky yet.
The group chatted idly while watching the stars gradually appear in the sky. Gazing at the starry sky was Qin Mu's favorite thing to do when he was alone. The vast and mysterious starry sky always brought endless imagination. It was just a pity that in the other world, the beautiful scenery of countless stars and a Milky Way stretching across the sky could no longer be seen.
"Where is the world from before? Is it on another star? Or a similar parallel universe?" Qin Mu wondered to himself. He had pondered this question more than once, but he knew it was a question without an answer, so he didn't dwell on it.
Qin Mu took out the Bigu Pill, and the group took it, solving their hunger problem. In fact, the Heavenly Mystery Tower still stored a lot of food and supplies, even finished dishes, but it was inconvenient to take them out.
"roar!"
"Roar!" In the darkness, the faint roars of a beast could be heard.
"Brother Qin, since this is the same world, why haven't we seen any other birds or beasts here? Not even a single bird. Listen! There are no insects chirping! No frogs croaking! The world is completely silent, which is unsettling!" Baili Bing sat up straight from leaning against the rock and asked.
"You're so stupid! I already said this place is like a secret room in the house. Since it's a secret room, what's so strange about having fewer animals?" Baili Rou glared at her older brother and said.
"That makes sense! But since there are ferocious beasts, there must be more than one kind, otherwise what would they eat? They can't all eat grass, can they? This area at the foot of the mountain is quite large, there should be small animals there too! If I'm not mistaken, these small animals only appear at specific times! Because they also know how to avoid predators!"
"Besides, we only explored a small part of this place and didn't see any other animals, which is normal!" Qin Mu analyzed.
"Young Master Qin, you are truly intelligent!" Baili Rou said admiringly.
"Miss Baili, you flatter me."
"What are we looking for? And where is the door to leave?" Baili Bing asked, frowning.
"Since we're here, let's make the best of it! We can take our time looking! There's no use rushing!" Bu Fang said calmly.
“Brother Bu is right! There’s no use in being anxious!” Qin Mu nodded in agreement.
Knowing that Qin Mu's two guards were extraordinary, Baili Bing underestimated them and nodded, saying, "I was too hasty."
"Tomorrow we'll climb to the top of the mountain, check out the surroundings, and maybe even look for other people. We might find something," Qin Mu said thoughtfully. He didn't want to be stuck here.
Qin Mu also discovered that this natural secret realm was actually more like an abandoned place. Although it might have good resources, it would need to be developed slowly.
Like the mountain beneath his feet, it was covered in reddish-brown rocks and soil. While not entirely barren, only sparse vegetation grew there. He deduced that it was an iron mine. The enormous trees in the distance would be excellent materials for building houses and palaces; and those ferocious beasts, if hunted, would be top-grade cultivation resources. As for whether there were any other good things, he didn't know, since he hadn't seen them yet.
Of course! All of this takes time to develop, so it doesn't seem to have much significance for me at the moment.
Inside the secret realm, the spiritual energy is more than twice as high as outside, and even higher than in the deep mountains and forests, which is one of the great advantages of the secret realm.
Spiritual energy is contained in mountains and floats on water; absorbing it can prolong life, and its use in medicine imbues it with spiritual energy. This passage comes from the *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot), chapter on the movement of defensive qi. Qin Mu recalled using spiritual energy to infuse elixirs, indicating that spiritual energy can be considered a medicinal ingredient.
The spiritual energy here is abundant, so the medicinal herbs produced here should be of higher quality! It seems I'll have to keep an eye on it tomorrow. Qin Mu kept thinking to himself, unmoved by the huge iron mine beneath him, even though he knew it contained valuable things like iron essence and ore mother.
All of them were cultivators, and going without sleep for a few days was nothing to them. Although they could take turns on duty, how could they possibly fall asleep peacefully in a completely unfamiliar place, especially with howling sounds coming from afar from time to time?
"Young Master Qin, I wonder what the Qin family's secret realm is like?" Baili Rou asked gently. In the darkness, one could only guess from her soft voice that she was a gentle young woman.
"The Qin Family Secret Realm!" Qin Mu recalled with a slight pause. It was a very precious memory, where he had gained a lot.
Qin Mu's somewhat wistful tone made Baili Bing think he didn't want to talk about it, so she quickly and gently pulled her sister, saying, "Little sister, don't ask such questions."
"I'm sorry, I forgot the secret realm is gone," Baili Rou said apologetically.
Although he couldn't see her face clearly, Qin Mu could tell that she meant no harm. He chuckled and said, "Hehe! It's alright! The Qin family's secret realm is gone, but that's not a big deal! Let me tell you what it's like inside!"
"The Qin Family Secret Realm is a place of inheritance established by Wei Liaozi of the Qin State, a descendant of the Ghost Valley lineage, a thousand years ago. Its main purpose is to test..." Qin Mu picked out some details about the secret realm and briefly explained them.
"So that's how it is! It's completely different from here!" Baili Bing exclaimed.
"This is the difference between man-made creations and the natural world itself! Could it be that the legendary blessed lands are such secret realms?" Baili Bing guessed.
"Maybe! No one would tell anyone about something like this!" Qin Mu said after a moment's hesitation. He thought that Baili Rou's words might actually be true.
The Baili siblings chose to ignore Qin Mu's use of spiritual energy and didn't ask any questions; after all, everyone has their little secrets. As for the secret realm, Baili Bing was very happy. This secret realm appeared in Tianshui County, and the biggest beneficiaries would definitely be the four great families of Tianshui. As the first batch of people to enter, they would naturally be able to obtain more information.
Bai Libing began to look forward to tomorrow's exploration. As for the question of getting out, she put it aside for the time being.
As dawn broke, everyone opened their eyes and then, with perfect understanding, stood apart to begin their day of training. Practicing martial arts is a habit of cultivators; they train through the sweltering summer and freezing winter.
"Hide!" Bu Mang whispered a reminder.
Even without Bu Mang's reminder, everyone had noticed the dark shadow in the sky, except for Bu Fang, who couldn't see it.
The group quickly hid under a large rock and stared intently at the sky. Just then, seven or eight enormous birds they had seen the day before appeared in the sky. These birds flew together towards the forest and then swooped down.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!" A tremendous roar resounded continuously.
"Is this a hunt?" Baili Rou asked, somewhat uncertainly.
“Early morning and late evening are when wild beasts hunt, and that’s when there are the most prey. If I’m not mistaken, that place should be the largest water source in the secret realm,” Baili Bing said, pointing to the spot where the birds landed.
"Big brother, are you saying that's the source of Tianshui Lake?" Baili Rou asked, her eyes lighting up.
“Only this makes sense!” Baili Bing said with a confident smile.
"Brother Baili is right. If we can't find a place to leave, we can try our luck there!" Qin Mu nodded in agreement. He admired Baili Bing's quick thinking.
“It’s too dangerous there. We can’t go unless we have no other choice,” Baili Bing said, shaking his head.
"Of course!"
As the largest water source in the secret realm, it's no surprise that many ferocious beasts lurk nearby, making the journey there extremely dangerous. While the group was talking, the birds returned, their sharp talons still clutching their prey.
“One of them didn’t come back,” Baili Bing said.
"Mistakes are inevitable during a hunt!"
Those that didn't return undoubtedly became food. This is the cruelty of nature, but also its balance.
After the birds left, it was fully light, and the five of them set off to climb the mountain. It took them two hours to reach the summit, where the sun was already directly overhead.
"This mountain is really strange! I haven't seen a single insect!" Baili Bing exclaimed as he looked around.
"This is a mine, barren of vegetation, and animals have no food here," Qin Mu said with a smile. The plants in the mine should also contain metallic elements, and long-term consumption would definitely lead to poisoning, so why would animals come here?
"This is a mine?" Baili Bing looked down in shock, his gaze almost piercing through the earth.
"Judging from the color, it should be an iron ore mine!" Qin Mu nodded.
Baili Bing's face lit up with joy. He looked around again and again before following Qin Mu to the other side of the mountain. When they looked over, they were all quite surprised! Because what lay in the distance was neither forest nor plain, but a continuous mountain range that stretched as far as the eye could see; looking back at the equally vast and boundless forest, one could imagine how large this place was. Judging from what they had seen so far, it was at least a hundred miles long.
What does a secret realm spanning a hundred miles mean to a family? It means they can build their own backyard, even if it's jointly controlled by four families! And this is just what's currently visible! What if it were even larger!
Baili Bing trembled with excitement at the thought, but when she saw Qin Mu, she couldn't help but frown. Although the Qin family was far away and couldn't interfere, without sufficient benefits, they certainly wouldn't keep this a secret. If word got out, not only would the dozens of large and small aristocratic families and sects in the Northwest be affected, but even the imperial court wouldn't turn a blind eye and allow an independent entity to emerge.
Such a large area, if truly developed, could easily support hundreds of thousands of people, not to mention the iron ore mine that's a thousand or two meters high. Who could ignore such a force?
Silencing him! Baili Bing only considered this idea for a moment before immediately abandoning it. Leaving aside whether they could win, Qin Mu's presence in Tianshui would always cause them immense trouble! The Qin family! That aristocratic family that had guarded the three passes for a thousand years, possessing hundreds of thousands of soldiers! The Qin family, the heir to a great nation!
Although our families are of extraordinary origin, what are they compared to the descendants of the Qin Dynasty? The Qin family, who have held military power for over a thousand years! The Qin family, whom successive dynasties have had to compromise with!
Qin Mu was also very surprised by the scene before him! He hadn't thought about the territory! But he didn't want to let go of those ferocious beasts and birds! The extracted flesh and blood were top-grade medicinal materials. Even if he wasn't very useful to them, he still had his subordinates! His family! The last time, hundreds of wolves! That greatly increased the strength of the more than 300 constables of the Six Doors.
Meat is always the best supplement for martial artists' cultivation; the more powerful the beast's flesh and blood, the better the effect! Take Qin Mu himself, for example. Although he doesn't look fat and is only 1.75 meters tall, he weighs over 300 jin (approximately 150 kg), which is due to the increased muscle and bone density brought about by body tempering. If he were a martial artist, he would be even stronger!
There's a reason why martial artists excel in close combat. While the bloodthirsty aura is one aspect, the physical strength and immense power gained from body tempering are their most formidable assets! A single punch from one of them can even overwhelm the protective spiritual energy of someone of the same level! Against martial artists, no spiritual energy cultivator would choose to engage in a head-on confrontation unless the difference in strength is vast.
"It seems that exploration is not an easy task! Why don't we find the exit first?" Baili Bing sighed. Actually, he didn't want Qin Mu to discover more resources in the secret realm.
"Alright! Let's leave first and talk about it later!" Qin Mu nodded with a smile.
Not knowing whether Qin Mu had seen through his intentions, Baili Bing asked with delight, "Brother Qin, do you have any suggestions?"
“If we want to leave, we definitely need to find the border! Let’s find the border first, and then search along the border!” Qin Mu suggested.
“That’s a good idea! How about we cut our way through from the edge of the forest, at the foot of the mountain?” Baili Bing agreed.
That's a good idea. It can help us avoid the wild beasts in the mountains and forests. Those mountains aren't as barren as this place; they're definitely inhabited by wild animals.
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