Chapter 136 The Prodigy's Fame (Bonus Chapter for Added Collections) Nine Heavens Secret Realm...
Xia Xining couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Congratulations!"
Song Yin was both amused and exasperated: "Should I say thank you?"
After delivering the spiritual essence to Xia Xining, Song Yin went to the Dao Asking Peak to find Shi Heming and deliver his half of the ten-thousand-year-old spiritual essence to him.
"Yinyin?!" Shi Heming put down the array plate and stood up to greet her.
"I ran into Senior Brother Zhu when I came here. He said you were busy and hoped I hadn't bothered you." Song Yin entered Shi Heming's study and found a seat familiarly.
Shi Heming: "There will be no disturbance." To be precise, whenever she comes to see him, there will never be a word of disturbance.
Song Yin: "I've come to deliver half of the spiritual essence that belongs to you."
Shi Heming: "Has Ancestor Lou completed the transformation of the ten-thousand-year-old spiritual essence?"
"yes."
Half of the essence stood gleaming in the open space of the study.
Shi Heming touched the spiritual marrow and casually asked, "Has your half already been taken by them?"
"Yes, I shared some with everyone around me, and there's enough left over."
"How many people were given the prizes?"
"Five people, why are you asking this?"
Five people? After a moment's thought, Shi Heming knew exactly who Song Yin's spiritual essence had been distributed to.
Shi Heming raised his hand, and the pen on the desk flew into his hand automatically. He then used the pen as a sharp blade to divide the spiritual essence in front of him into four parts.
“You always give so much away to others, you don’t have much spiritual essence left on you, right? Keep this piece safe.” A quarter of the spiritual essence flew to Song Yin’s eyes.
Song Yin: "What about me? But I have enough." She shared with everyone because she had extras. If there were only enough for one person, she naturally wouldn't have shared anything.
Shi Heming put the remaining spiritual essence into his spatial storage, his tone softening with a pleading tone, "Yinyin..."
Wow, that tone is practically tempting to commit a crime.
Song Yin: "Okay, okay, I'll accept it."
Shi Heming sat down next to Song Yin very naturally, their arms touching.
"You've left the affairs of the Qingxuan Sect to the elders. What are your plans now?"
Song Yin: "What else can we do besides training and cultivation? Now that we've secured a spot in the secret realm, we should give each other some special training for the trip." A sudden inspiration struck her, and she leaned closer to ask, "Can you set up some formations that can be used for training? Or can you help me set up some highly offensive formations? I want to go in and try it out."
So close. The word automatically popped into Shi Heming's mind. "There are many offensive formations. With my current cultivation level, I can set up just enough to set up many. I can set up new formations for you to train every day."
Song Yin: "Thanks. I suggest you train too. More strength means more security."
With the goods delivered, Song Yin naturally had to return to Danque Peak.
Shi Heming quickly grabbed Song Yin's hand and squeezed it slightly. "You came all this way just to deliver spirit marrow? You ignored me for so long during the Xuan Tian Assembly." His voice carried a hint of grievance.
"Otherwise what? How did I neglect you during the Xuan Tian Tournament?" Song Yin tilted her head as she stood in front of him. "It's normal for everyone to be busy with the competition."
Shi Heming: ...
He let go of her hand. Song Yin was right. Everyone was busy during the Xuan Tian Assembly, so at least they weren't deliberately distancing themselves from him.
Shi Heming quickly calmed himself down again.
However, while he was comforting himself, he suddenly felt a warm, slightly damp sensation on his forehead.
Song Yin raised her hand and straightened Shi Heming's slightly disheveled collar. "Your clothes look great today. Let's go."
Shi Heming was a beat slow to realize what the sensation he had just felt was. His face flushed instantly, and he raised his fingertips to gently touch his forehead, his brain completely blank.
Looking at my outfit today, compared to my usual simple and elegant clothes, it has a few more bright colors.
Before leaving, Song Yinfei turned back again, and Shi Heming sat there like a statue.
Hehehe, teasing Shi Heming is so much fun. Next time, let's kiss somewhere else.
...
Before dawn, the morning mist, like a light veil, shrouded the mountainside of each peak of the Immortal Cloud Sect. The leaves of flowers, grasses, and trees were still covered with dew, but the chirping of birds could already be heard in every corner of the sect, clear and loud.
The hurried footsteps swept away the dewdrops from the leaves, stirring up fine dust.
"Hurry! Hurry up! If you're too slow, you won't get a good spot! Today is Senior Song Yin's lecture to the disciples in the academy. This is a one-day event for outer sect disciples, and we absolutely cannot miss it!"
"That's fast enough. Next time, I'll save up some spirit stones and buy a flying magic weapon."
"We'll talk about flying artifacts later. Senior Song Yin's sermon today is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Upon receiving the news, the outer disciples, regardless of what path they cultivated or whether they were Qi Refining disciples who had not yet chosen a path, all got up early just to reserve a spot in the academy.
There will definitely be a lot of people today, so the school elders have arranged for the sermon to be held outdoors in a spacious area.
When the two disciples arrived in a hurry, they could only choose the prayer cushions at the back, as the front seats were already full.
"I thought we were early enough today, but I didn't expect there were people who were here even earlier than us."
"Yes, but it's very lucky to get a seat in the back row."
The disciples who arrived later had no seats left, and some, unwilling to leave, chose to stand and listen in secluded corners.
As the golden sunrise leaped out of the sea of clouds and landed on everyone's shoulders, each person seemed to be coated with a layer of golden light. At this moment, Song Yin emerged from another direction. The golden morning sunlight seemed to pave a path for her. Song Yin steadily stepped forward and sat on the highest futon.
"Greetings, Lord Yuan Li." The outer disciples bowed in unison.
Then the disciples felt a gentle spiritual energy lifting them up.
"Good morning, everyone. I am Song Yin. Today, I will share some important points about cultivation with you all, as well as some of my personal insights into cultivation. I think mutual exchange will be more effective than one person lecturing, so I will reserve time for questions later. You are welcome to ask me any questions about cultivation. As long as I know the answer, I will answer it without reservation."
The elders of the outer academy were somewhat surprised, not expecting that Song Yin had specifically reserved time for questions this time.
Even after the sermon began, people continued to arrive.
Song Yin selected aspects that she focused on in her cultivation to share with her fellow disciples. Since she was going to talk about some points, she wouldn't hide half of them, but would share them all with each disciple present.
Of course, details regarding the Danque Peak heritage will not be discussed.
The disciples listened with rapt attention, and soon it was time for Song Yin to ask questions.
Song Yin encouraged them to ask questions boldly, and the disciples in front of her eagerly raised their hands.
"Senior Song, I would like to ask how you manage to maintain a balance between alchemy and swordsmanship. For me, focusing on one is just right, but focusing on two inevitably leads to distractions." The one asking the question was a male cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage with short hair.
Song Yin replied, "Actually, there's no special method. I divide my daily time into two parts: one part for sword practice and the other for alchemy. If I fall behind in either area, I'll increase the training. Next."
"Senior Song, how do we resolve the issue of our swordsmanship level stagnating?"
"It depends on whether your training is insufficient or if you have other obstacles, such as mental barriers. The former requires persistence, and your skill will naturally improve over time. The latter requires overcoming mental barriers. Don't be fixated on fixed sword techniques; let the sword move with your mind, not the other way around. Next."
Among the crowd of people raising their hands, Song Yin saw a familiar face. "Jiang Youyi, you ask."
She also said that she hadn't been in contact with Senior Song for a long time and the two weren't close! The cultivators who knew Jiang Youyi were envious, since Senior Song clearly still remembered Jiang Youyi's name.
Jiang Youyi stood up, her eyes shining. "I want to ask, what should I do if I encounter setbacks in my cultivation?"
Song Yin: "Did you encounter a setback?"
Faced with the concern of an acquaintance, just one sentence made Jiang Youyi's heart soften and ache. She didn't say anything, but just nodded.
Song Yin: "I really can't answer that, because everyone encounters different kinds of setbacks, it depends on what kind of setback it is."
Song Yin transmitted her voice to Jiang Youyi, "I will come to the bamboo hut to find you after today's event, and you can tell me about it in detail then."
Jiang Youyi: "Thank you very much, Senior Song."
The questions are still being asked.
When asked if she would accept disciples, Song Yin reiterated that she had no intention of doing so. When asked about her life outside of cultivation, Song Yin refused to answer. In short, she was asked all sorts of questions, but she only answered questions about cultivation.
The sermon ended before we knew it. Before leaving, Song Yin said some words of encouragement and then departed.
As Song Yin walked out of the outer school, someone was already waiting for her on the only path she could take.
How long have you been waiting here?
Shi Heming: "Not long after, I mainly eavesdropped on Yinyin's sermons, which benefited me greatly."
The two flew towards the inner gate on their swords.
Song Yin: "Really?"
“Of course.” Shi Heming mentally prepared himself before slowly beginning to speak, “Yesterday you…”
Song Yin retorted, "Yesterday? What happened yesterday? I don't remember."
After a long silence, Song Yin turned her head.
Shi Heming's eyes seemed to say, "Why don't you admit it? You actually don't admit it!"
Song Yin held out her hand to him, "Alright, alright, I've remembered everything I said earlier."
Shi Heming was really easy to coax. He immediately took Song Yin's hand, smiled, and continued flying.
Then, when they arrived at Danque Peak, they ran into Qi Zibo, who had just returned.
Qi Zibo's gaze fell on the two people's clasped hands.
Song Yin naturally asked, "Master, you're back. How's the situation at Qingxuan Sect?" She showed no intention of letting go.
"Greetings, Elder Qi." Shi Heming was inwardly nervous, wondering if Elder Qi would be angry.
Unbeknownst to Song Yin, Shi Heming had already enacted multiple scenarios of breaking up the couple in his mind.
Qi Zibo calmly withdrew his gaze, offered no opinion, and answered Song Yin's question, "Nie Zhengyuan escaped because of Yuwen Li."
"They escaped?"
Qi Zibo: "That's right. Nie Zhengyuan had planned everything, but he didn't foresee that Qiu Shan would send a telepathic message to Yuwen Li before his death, telling Yuwen Li all the key points. Therefore, Yuwen Li's revenge was smooth sailing, and he directly targeted his enemy. Many elders of the Qingxuan Sect were still immersed in the beautiful dream woven by Nie Zhengyuan, and Qiu Shan's incident served as a wake-up call for them."
"When the matter was exposed, Nie Zhengyuan was hunted down by the Qingxuan Sect, so he naturally had to flee."
"The main reason for the joint visit by various sects is still the issue of vital energy. At first, the Qingxuan Sect did not admit it, but in the end, with all kinds of evidence in front of them, they had no choice but to admit it."
Song Yin: "No compensation?"
Qi Zibo: "Yes. Qingxuan Sect compensated all the sects with spirit stones and rare treasures, but even so, the anger of the sects was hard to quell, especially the sects that lost disciples. Our Xianxiao Sect had no disciples injured or killed, and we returned after receiving the huge compensation we deserved. I don't know what kind of compensation those sects that lost disciples will get in the end."
Often, conflicts between sects stem from the lack of cultivation resources. The cultivation resources brought back from the Qingxuan Sect are enough to support a small sect's development for several decades.
Song Yin: "Nie Zhengyuan came from the outside world, so escaping would be a big problem. He has been in the Qingxuan Sect for more than 50 years, and he must have already gotten a general idea of the cultivation world by relying on the various books in the Qingxuan Sect."
"Finding Nie Zhengyuan won't be easy, especially with the mysterious Yuan Qi he produced. I actually suspect that his origins might be related to Yuan Qi."
This was the first time he had heard such a statement. Qi Zibo said, "Oh? Tell me more about it."
Song Yin: "I would venture a guess that for cultivators, cultivation mainly relies on spiritual energy; without spiritual energy, cultivation is impossible. Yuan Qi may also be a kind of energy required for cultivation, but we just don't know it."
"How did you come up with this idea?" Qi Zibo exclaimed in amazement, his rebellious disciple's little brain was too clever.
Song Yin: "Spiritual energy and primordial energy are both types of energy. First of all, the names are very similar. Secondly, we can perceive primordial energy. It is not as sinister as evil energy or resentment energy. In fact, it is a kind of clean and pure energy."
“That makes sense.” Qi Zibo agreed with Song Yin’s statement and took out a stack of visiting cards.
"Yuan Lijun, because you are the first person to achieve double first place in the Xuan Tian Assembly, congratulations on becoming famous throughout the cultivation world. During my trip to Qingxuan Sect these past few days, many people have asked me about you, and some have even sent me invitations. Take a look at these invitations; you can decline most of them, but you can meet with some of them."
Song Yin took a stack of visiting cards. "I'll look through them, but there's a good chance I won't find a single one."
“Alright, anyway, there were rumors about you being very mysterious before the Xuan Tian Assembly.” Qi Zibo waved his hand. “You two can continue to be alone. Your master is going to Wujian Peak.”
Hehe, he kept holding her hand and wouldn't let go. What's there to brag about? He also has a Daoist partner.
Song Yin led the man into the study and then looked through the visiting cards with him.
Most of them wanted to discuss the Dao with her, while some sword cultivators wanted to discuss swordsmanship with her, or they wanted to become her disciples.
Among those who wanted to become her disciples, some wanted to learn swordsmanship, some wanted to learn alchemy, and some wanted to cultivate both swordsmanship and alchemy like her.
Alas, she has to train now and doesn't have time to discuss philosophy or swordsmanship with them, let alone become their disciple.
Song Yin threw the visiting card in her hand onto the table.
Shi Heming opened a book of visiting cards, and his aura suddenly changed. He suddenly opened his eyes wide with anger.
Song Yin leaned closer to look at the visiting card in his hand. "What's wrong?"
Shi Heming quickly closed the visiting card. He was very angry just now, but when he looked at Song Yin, he put away his anger. "This person is frivolous and rude. Who writes feelings of admiration on a visiting card?"
Song Yin reached for the visiting card in his hand: "Let me see it."
Shi Heming put the visiting card into his storage bag, saying, "I won't let anyone see it."
Song Yin: "I'm quite curious about what's inside, let me take a look."
Shi Heming: "Yinyin..."
Song Yin: Here we go again with this trick.
"Fine, I won't watch." That's exactly what she does, falling for that trick.
Song Yin, Song Yin, don't let him sway you with that tone next time!
After the Xuan Tian Assembly, the happiest person was undoubtedly Shi Heming.
The kiss on the day Song Yin delivered the spiritual marrow brought the two of them even closer.
Shi Heming felt incredibly happy every day, but soon after, he was punished by reality.
Several years after the Xuan Tian Conference ended, the Nine Heavens Secret Realm officially opened.
The five spots for the Immortal Cloud Sect were ultimately allocated to the elders, but all of them were for outer sect elders, with no inner sect elders among them.
Although the inner sect elders did not participate, all five disciples were personally trained by the inner sect.
Among the disciples, those with designated spots are Song Yin, Shi Heming, Xia Xining, Han Wuyue, and Shen Yuzhu, all of whom are at the Nascent Soul stage. The five elders are all at or above the Deity Transformation stage: Pei Jinyao, elder of the Outer Sect Spirit Beast Peak; Cang Huai, elder of the Spirit Array Peak; Wen Yi, elder of the Spirit Sound Peak; Feng Yuyan, elder of the Spirit Grass Peak; and Fu Jishu, elder of the Wanbao Tower.
With five disciples and five elders, the Immortal Firmament Sect had the largest number of participants among all the sects involved in the Nine Heavens Secret Realm.
Until they set off, Song Yin and the others were unaware that the five elders had received special instructions from Sect Master Yan before their departure.
Sect Master Yan said to the five elders, "The Nine Heavens Secret Realm is different from other secret realms. There are no cultivation restrictions, and it is very chaotic once inside. Therefore, I would like to trouble the five elders to take good care of the disciples."
"Needless to say, we will keep an eye on them. Sect Master, rest assured, we will take care of everything."
As fellow cultivators of the Immortal Firmament Sect, they are naturally allies.
Entrance to the Nine Heavens Secret Realm.
At this time, many powerful figures from the cultivation world have gathered here.
Some people traveled in pairs, while others went alone. Groups of three or more were rare, and it was even more unusual for ten people like the Immortal Cloud Sect to travel together, making them the primary group that everyone was wary of.
Even in the tense atmosphere, there were still people who came over out of curiosity to greet Song Yin.
She excelled in both alchemy and swordsmanship, achieving first place in both at the Xuan Tian Tournament—a feat unparalleled in history. Her presence overshadowed all the other cultivators who had secured spots in the secret realms.
"Junior sister, remember not to be alone after entering the secret realm. Let's try to stay together as much as possible," Shen Yuzhu reminded Song Yin again. He really remembered to take care of his junior sister and had been reminding her of this all the way.
Elder Fu smiled and said, "Little Shen, you've been talking about Xiao Song the whole way, why are you still worried about him?"
Shen Yuzhu: "Elder Fu, as your senior brother, it is my duty to take care of your junior sister."
Elder Fu: "Why don't you care about the other fellow disciples?"
Shen Yuzhu shut up. Elder Fu was in charge of Wanbaolou and dealt with people every day. If he talked too much, he would easily get confused.
Song Yin: "It's probably because I was raised by my senior brother, Elder Fu, please don't take offense."
Elder Fu: "Haha, no wonder, no wonder." I've already seen Song Yin's shamelessness at the elders' meeting. This girl won't suffer any loss. I can't afford to offend her.
Amidst laughter and chatter, the entrance to the Nine Heavens Secret Realm officially opened.
A ball of light appeared in the air, slowly expanding and growing larger, with mysterious runes flashing around it from time to time, until finally it shone brightly.
Immediately afterwards, a unique fragrance filled the air. As the light dimmed, a thin, circular membrane hovered in the air. In fact, it was more like a mirror, except that it reflected not reality, but the internal environment of the Nine Heavens Secret Realm.
Of everyone present, the member of the Immortal Alliance was the first to fly towards the entrance. He raised the purple token and then successfully entered the secret realm.
Then many people followed behind him, also raising their purple tokens.
After everyone with a spot entered the Nine Heavens Secret Realm, those without a spot were unwilling to give up and attempted to enter the Nine Heavens Secret Realm without relying on the purple token.
As soon as these adventurers encountered the entrance to the Nine Heavens Secret Realm, they were instantly blasted away by invisible energy. It should be noted that these adventurers were not weak in cultivation.
As Song Yin entered the secret realm, the first thing she felt was the soft grass under her feet and the fresh air filled with the fragrance of various flowers and plants.
Looking around, Song Yin felt relieved. "Thankfully, everyone is here."
The fear is that the Nine Heavens Secret Realm, like the one I experienced back then, will teleport people to different places.
Elder Fu clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Listen to me, everyone. First, don't act alone. Second, it doesn't matter who gets the inheritance; the inherited techniques will eventually be stored in the Dharma Pavilion, and anyone who is interested can learn them. Finally, if anyone is picking spiritual herbs or doing other things, don't be alone; at least three people should act together."
Besides searching for the sect's legacy, every cultivator who comes to the Nine Heavens Secret Realm has something else they are looking for.
Shen Yuzhu reminded Song Yin, "Watch your step."
After crossing the meadow, we came to a stretch of uneven gravel path.
"Thank you, senior brother. You don't need to be so careful, I will be."
Two elders led the way, while three elders walked at the very back, protecting Song Yin and her disciples in the center.
If anyone encounters the Immortal Cloud Sect's group along the way, they should avoid them from a distance.
Knowing beforehand that there were many spiritual herbs inside, Song Yin was captivated upon seeing the thousand-year-old herbs. Elder Feng of the Spirit Herb Peak was also drawn in; the two of them were the most interested in spiritual herbs.
The group stopped and joined in picking the spiritual herbs. Once the area had been mostly harvested, they continued exploring.
When Xia Xining encountered rare forging materials, she stopped to collect them. Elder Fu would also stop if there were other treasures.
The ten people walked and stopped frequently along the way.
Before coming, Shen Yuzhu did his homework. He told Song Yin and the others, "If you are looking for a legacy, it is found most often in ruins. If you want rare and precious herbs, go to the forest or the water source."
After walking for two hours.
Song Yin asked Uncle Fu, who was at the front, "Elder Fu, are we going to find the ruins now?"
Elder Fu: "If you look at the map, you'll see that there is a large central lake in the Nine Heavens Secret Realm. That area is the central zone, and there are ruins everywhere around it. So we are heading towards the central lake now."
"Can't we fly there?" Xia Xining was so tired that she held a tree branch in her hand as a walking stick.
Elder Fu: "Flying makes it easy to miss opportunities on the ground, such as the ruins in front of us."
After passing through layers of leaves, a dilapidated ruin stands.
Song Yin had only one thought: We've finally encountered ruins!
"Elder Fu is truly amazing; he led us to the ruins in no time." The elders were eager to get started and make their move.
At this moment, Song Yin transmitted her voice to Shi Heming and the others: "It's too slow for everyone to move together. I want to use this trip to the ruins to break away from the elders' group. Is there anyone willing to come with me?"
She had been inside for a while and had seen several spiritual herbs, but she couldn't keep making the group stop for her, so she only picked one spiritual herb.
Leaving the team is risky, but the rewards are equally high.
The elders hadn't paid special attention to the disciples' telepathic messages, so they naturally didn't know the five were planning to escape.
Shi Heming was the first to speak up, transmitting his voice: "I can."
Xia Xining transmitted her voice: "Great! I've wanted to leave for a long time!" Although Elder Fu's method is safe, the exploration efficiency is too slow.
Needless to say, Shen Yuzhu is the only one left, and that is Han Wuyue.
Han Wuyue transmitted her voice: "I'll go with you."
So, after going around a few bends in the secret realm...
The elders behind caught up with the elders who had scouted ahead, and Elder Cang asked the two in front, "Where are Song Yin and the others?"
Uncle Fu turned around and asked curiously, "Wasn't I with you?"
Elder Cang knew these bastards had a criminal record. "Damn it! Those five have definitely escaped!" His words were so practiced they were almost heartbreaking.
At the entrance to the ruins.
Five audacious disciples simultaneously chose to fly on their swords, heading in other directions from the secret realm.
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Author's Note: Song Yin: Goodbye, elders, tonight we set sail! [Sunglasses]
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