Chapter 64 Entering the Secret Realm to Gather Frost Grass
As the secret realm opened, a strong wind swept through the area, snapping many tree branches. The disciples of the immortal sect stood firm amidst the gale, their robes fluttering in the wind.
The overwhelming spiritual energy surged towards one point, converging in the air to form a ring. The ring gradually grew larger, and that was the entrance to the Floating Dream Secret Realm.
"The Floating Dream Secret Realm is not the same as the secret realm used in the Foundation Establishment Competition of the sect. Once you enter, you can only wait for the secret realm to close before you are teleported out. The entrance is also the exit. I and the other elders will wait here for your safe return."
The disciples of the Immortal Cloud Sect were both excited and apprehensive. At the elder's command, they flew into the entrance one after another.
Song Yin and Shi Heming exchanged a glance, and then flew into the secret realm together.
Xia Xining followed closely behind.
Upon entering the secret realm, the scene before one's eyes suddenly changed.
Song Yin looked around at the people around her, but she didn't see Shi Heming and Xia Xining. She was all alone, and she didn't know exactly where in the secret realm she was.
"I hope I don't have the same bad luck as during the Foundation Establishment Competition." Song Yin took out the Floating Dream Secret Realm Notes she had obtained during the Alchemist Conference and flipped through them.
According to that person, the fragment is in the deepest part of the secret realm. Judging from the surroundings, she is currently on the edge of the secret realm and needs to find a way to go deeper. Before that, she should contact Shi Heming and the others.
After making contact using the communication stone, Song Yin's heart sank.
Xia Xining was the furthest away from her; they were practically at opposite ends of the world. Shi Heming was closer, but it would still take him some time to get there. After discussing it, they decided to head deeper into the secret realm first.
"Are you traveling alone, fellow Daoist? Would you like to travel together for a while, so we can look out for each other?"
A voice sounded beside Song Yin, followed by the arrival of two newcomers, both men, one at the Foundation Establishment stage and the other at the Golden Core stage.
Those in the Foundation Establishment stage wore the robes of disciples of the Yuancang Sect of the Southern Continent, while those in the Golden Core stage looked like rogue cultivators.
Song Yin: "Who are you?"
"My name is Meng Yikang, a disciple of the Yuancang Sect."
"Chen Yuanxiu, a rogue cultivator."
"Song Yin, disciple of the Immortal Cloud Sect, I have a question before we travel together: what do you all cultivate?"
Meng Yikang: "I am a Dharma practitioner."
Song Yin nodded to herself. He was just a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, so there was no need to worry too much about him plotting against her halfway through.
Chen Yuanxiu: "I am a sword cultivator, what do you cultivate, fellow Daoist?"
A sword cultivator at the Golden Core stage is a troublesome opponent in a conflict.
Song Yin made a mental assessment and cupped her hands, saying, "I am a pill cultivator. I would like to ask you two fellow Daoists to take good care of me for the rest of the journey."
Did you hear that? I'm just a weak Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. If you encounter danger, remember to rush to the front, especially you, Chen Yuanxiu.
Meng Yikang was a talkative man with a sunny disposition. The three of them, hastily put together, were kept from getting too awkward thanks to his incessant chatter.
"Fellow Daoist Song, are you a disciple of the Immortal Firmament Sect? How old are you this year? Do you have a master?"
"Brother Chen is a Golden Core stage sword cultivator, so his strength must be formidable. It is my honor to travel with Brother Chen."
"Since Fellow Daoist Song is a pill cultivator, may I purchase some pills from you? To be honest, I did not prepare enough pills for this trip."
"Brother Chen, have you ever thought about joining a sect? If you ever want to join a sect, you must come to our Yuancang Sect."
Song Yin answered selectively: "How old is Fellow Daoist Meng this year? Although I am a pill cultivator, my talent is not good. I do have some pills that I have refined myself, but they are all first-grade pills."
Chen Yuanxiu didn't care about Meng Yikang; annoyed, he simply said, "Shut up."
Meng Yikang flashed an awkward expression: "Brother Chen is right, finding cultivation resources is more important. But let me answer Fellow Daoist Song's question. I am two hundred and ten years old this year. Fellow Daoist Song is a pill cultivator. Did you come to the secret realm mainly to find spiritual herbs?"
Song Yin and Chen Yuanxiu stopped at the same time, wary of the surrounding woods.
Meng Yikang hadn't reacted yet and continued walking forward, talking incessantly. Chen Yuanxiu grabbed Meng Yikang's collar, trying to quiet him down.
"Shut up, there's noise."
After speaking, he glanced at Song Yin. Her reaction was actually in sync with his own, so she must be a formidable character.
Meng Yikang realized the importance of the problem, immediately shut up, and became wary of his surroundings.
"Up there." Chen Yuanxiu drew his sword and launched a fierce attack against the snake-like beast hanging from the tree.
At the same time, Song Yin jumped out of the monster's attack range.
Meng Yikang made his move, and the flowing water transformed into a cage, trapping the demon beast. Upon closer inspection, one could see that there was electricity in the water. Taking advantage of the demon beast's confinement, Chen Yuanxiu swiftly cleaved it into several pieces with his sword.
With the crisis averted, Chen Yuanxiu swiftly sheathed his sword, his breathing perfectly steady.
Meng Yikang: "There were actually monsters! It's all thanks to Brother Chen's quick reflexes!"
Song Yin then stepped forward and joined the praise team, saying, "Fellow Daoist Chen's swordsmanship is truly amazing, and his sword is also incredibly handsome—a rare and excellent sword."
Accurately flatter the right person.
Chen Yuanxiu smiled and touched his spirit sword. "It is indeed a very good sword. When I work together with it, there is no enemy we cannot defeat."
Praising one's sword skills equates to being a good person, and Chen Yuanxiu was in a good mood. "Fellow Daoist Song is a pill cultivator, so you can take priority from the spiritual herbs we encounter on this trip."
Meng Yikang lowered his eyes and clicked his tongue softly.
He regretted inviting Song Yin to accompany him. Chen Yuanxiu was not only a Golden Core cultivator but also a powerful swordsman. He had chosen to travel with him to better obtain various cultivation resources. Just now, when he cooperated with the attack, Chen Yuanxiu didn't say anything but instead showed goodwill to Song Yin, who had praised him a few times.
Resentful, Meng Yikang looked at Song Yin again to see what was so special about her that made Chen Yuanxiu willingly give her away spiritual herbs.
In an instant, he understood, his eyes lingering on that strikingly beautiful face like a venomous snake.
Song Yin keenly sensed something was wrong and looked up to catch Meng Yikang's malicious gaze.
When Meng Yikang saw Song Yin looking over, his expression immediately softened, and he followed Chen Yuanxiu's words, saying, "Brother Chen is right. You are a pill cultivator, so you can take more spiritual herbs."
Song Yin: "Just now I observed that Fellow Daoist Meng's use of magic was skillful, and his coordination with Fellow Daoist Chen was seamless. Fellow Daoist Meng is truly amazing; he must be a genius in the sect." This person has a problem.
"You're smart enough to know your place," Meng Yikang thought, his nameless anger subsiding considerably. "Back when I participated in the Yuancang Sect's disciple selection, I was indeed accepted into the inner sect as soon as I passed the selection. What about you? Are you an inner or outer sect disciple in the Xianxiao Sect?"
Song Yin: "I'm not as good as Fellow Daoist Meng. When I entered the sect, I was assigned to the outer sect."
Seeing that she was a disciple of the Immortal Firmament Sect, I thought she would be quite powerful, but it turns out she's just an outer disciple. No wonder she can only refine first-grade pills. I should have known better than to invite her to join, given the Immortal Firmament Sect's reputation. This person is not very useful; I'd rather find a chance to get rid of her or... kill her.
Chen Yuanxiu: "In the secret realm, the best things are found deeper inside, but the dangers also increase significantly. I plan to venture deeper to explore. What do you two think?"
Meng Yikang quickly replied, "I have no objection." When the battle begins, Chen Yuanxiu will go all out, and he will only assist from the sidelines, but he will still get half of the good stuff.
Song Yin lagged behind them by a step. She saw the undisguised look in Meng Yikang's eyes and couldn't help but sigh and shake her head. "You're trying to be a good guy, buddy, you've given yourself away."
The three shared the same goal: to venture deeper into the secret realm.
The further you go in, the faster the temperature drops, and the trees become much thinner.
"Is that Xuan Shuang Grass?" Meng Yikang exclaimed in surprise. "With Xuan Shuang Grass, there's a high probability that there's a cold pool nearby, and a cold pool can help us cultivators increase our cultivation speed!"
Song Yin: "Do you want Frost Grass?"
Chen Yuanxiu: "As I said, Fellow Daoist Song should have priority in picking any spiritual herbs we encounter. Please."
"Haha, yes." Take it, take it. This Frost Grass isn't very old. If there really is a Frost Pool, there would be plenty of Frost Grass around it.
Song Yin stepped forward and skillfully picked the fruit, storing it in her storage bag.
There really was a cold pool here. After walking for a while, snowflakes began to fall sporadically from the sky. They continued in the colder direction, and a clear, deep pool of water came into view deep in the mountains.
Meng Yikang ran to the edge of the pool, put his hand in, and felt the biting cold penetrate to his very bones.
"It really is a cold pool. We can cultivate here for some time."
Song Yin's gaze locked onto the surrounding frost grass, and she silently walked over to begin picking it.
Chen Yuanxiu wasn't interested in Frost Grass, as it was a spiritual herb that couldn't be eaten directly and could only be used as an ingredient in alchemy. He was more interested in spiritual herbs that could be consumed directly, such as Cicada Fruit and Flying Star Lotus Seed.
Before he knew it, Song Yin had picked almost half of the herbs, and Meng Yikang couldn't sit still any longer. Frost Grass could only be used as a medicinal ingredient for alchemy. Although he wasn't an alchemist, he could pick it and sell it for spirit stones!
Meng Yikang: "Fellow Daoist Song, you've picked so many, is there any room left in your storage bag?"
Song Yin, who was squatting down collecting, looked up. She had already changed to a new storage bag. The new storage bag was as spacious as a cave, and the price was naturally not low.
"It's still possible if you squeeze it."
Meng Yikang's expression changed repeatedly. Was she unable to understand human language? Shouldn't a normal person stop picking and give up their spot to others who hadn't picked yet?
Chen Yuanxiu walked to the edge of the icy pool, took out a container, and scooped up a small amount of water. "The icy pool is beneficial for cultivation, but I won't stay here to cultivate indefinitely. Do you still want to continue?"
Song Yin: "I'll set off after I gather the Frost Grass." There are countless good things in the secret realm. Wasting time on a small cold pool would be like picking up a sesame seed and losing a watermelon.
"I..." Meng Yikang hesitated, looking at the cold pool, and finally said with a pained expression, "I'll just take some water from the pool, just like Brother Chen."
Meng Yikang took out several wine jars, poured out the wine inside, and then went to fill them with water from the cold pool.
"Senior brother, look! The Cold Pool is right here!" The girl's melodious voice rang out.
Song Yin and the others looked over when they heard the sound, and saw six people coming from the opposite direction, four men and two women.
More people arrived, and Song Yin quickened her gathering pace, picking the last two Frost Grasses. She got up, dusted off the dirt clinging to her clothes, and casually cast a dust-removing spell.
"Let's go," Song Yin said to Chen Yuanxiu.
The girl shouted, "Stop right there!" She looked around but couldn't find any Frost Grass, so the three of them must have picked it all.
Song Yin didn't stop walking, ignoring the six people behind her. That female cultivator seemed to have a terrible temper; it was best to stay away from troublesome people.
"Senior brother, there isn't a single Frost Grass around the Cold Pool. They must have picked all of them. Stop them quickly."
Song Yin waved slightly to Chen Yuanxiu, signaling him to hurry up.
Chen Yuanxiu nodded upon seeing this.
Just as the two were about to leave quickly, Meng Yikang suddenly spoke up.
"It's really not good for us to take all the Frost Grass. Fellow Daoist Song, why don't you share some with them?"
Song Yin and Chen Yuanxiu turned around at the same time. Although they had only met today, their thoughts were surprisingly the same.
Is Meng Yikang mentally ill?
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Author's Note: Meng Yikang: Why are you all deliberately distancing yourselves from me? [Question mark]
Chen Yuanxiu: What a terrible teammate. Goodbye. [Eye roll]
Yinyin Baby: My master and mistress said I'm not allowed to play with idiots. [Glasses][Patting head]
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[Empty bowl]
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