Little Secret Realm
Three days later, Ruan Qingyu, along with Yun Yin and Lü Liangke, who had already accepted the sect's mission, set off for a small secret realm fifty miles away from Xuantian Sect.
Along the way, there were many cultivators wearing Xuan Tian Sect robes and with clearly visible disciple tokens at their waists. They were obviously disciples who had set off on missions during this period, and many of them seemed to have quickened their pace.
After all, the first batch of treasures in this secret realm belonged to the sect, and the second batch belonged to them, the disciples. If they were too slow, these good things would be gone.
Ruan Qingyu and Lü Liangke walked at a brisk pace, but Yun Yin was extremely impatient. He would occasionally let out a whooshing sound, startling Lü Liangke.
A loud "slap" resounded as it struck Yun Yin's head. At the same time, Ruan Qingyu's voice echoed in their minds, which were connected.
“I told you I’m with Liang Ke this time. If I sit on your back, how will she feel?” Yun Yin certainly didn’t want Lü Liang Ke to sit on his back, and Ruan Qingyu would be even less willing to sit on it.
After being hit, Yunyin immediately shut up. Only its tail remained, sullenly tied to Ruan Qingyu's ankle, tightening and loosening from time to time, using this to harass Ruan Qingyu and express its dissatisfaction.
The two people and one beast were already very close to the entrance of the secret realm, but before they arrived, they saw several figures flash overhead and heard screams.
"Hahaha, these unlucky guys." A few people who had just come out also saw this scene and immediately laughed knowingly.
Only after the disciple who had been knocked away was out of sight did someone laugh and say, "Fellow disciples, you must be careful when entering the secret realm. If you offend the secret realm, being thrown out is the least of your worries."
After the kind disciple spoke up, he and his fellow disciples quickly left the area. He had only said what was inappropriate, but he didn't want to make the people behind him feel too uncomfortable.
Blinking, Ruan Qingyu was somewhat wary but still couldn't guess what this secret realm might contain. In her previous life, at this time, she was unable to participate in the development of this new secret realm due to insufficient cultivation.
Yunyin flicked its tail, a knowing glint in its beastly eyes. Feeling much happier, it moved its tail, which had been wrapped around Ruan Qingyu's ankle, to her wrist, which hung limply beside her.
Feeling the furry touch on her wrist and sensing the joyful emotions emanating from Yunyin within her consciousness, Ruan Qingyu asked curiously in her mind, "You knew about entering this secret realm?"
Seeing that the two people and the leopard were about to enter the secret realm, Yun Yin lazily said, "This small secret realm should have a secret realm consciousness. After entering, it will immediately throw people into some small tests. If they fail to participate, they will be thrown out."
Immediately, Ruan Qingyu frowned: "Then why are you so happy?" If they were thrown out, this trip to the secret realm would have been for nothing. How could they be happy?
Upon hearing this, Yun Yin confidently declared, "My strength is now greater than the consciousness of this secret realm, so I can naturally defeat it. If they won't let me in, I'll just smash it!"
He spoke with such certainty that Ruan Qingyu believed him.
"However, if you're unlucky and can't get through on your own, you can beg me. If you bring Lü Liangke along, then you'll have to beg me properly." Yun Yin was quite smug when he finished speaking.
Normally, he's the one who chases after Ruan Qingyu to talk, and she always ends up lecturing him. Now that he finally has a chance, he's naturally going to get his revenge.
If Ruan Qingyu was too shy to speak up, he would ask her to promise him some conditions, and then he could do whatever he wanted. Thinking of this, a few tiny purple lightning bolts flashed in Yun Yin's excited beast-like eyes.
Although she didn't know what Yun Yin was thinking, Ruan Qingyu smiled as she sensed the turbulent emotions within his consciousness and slapped him on the head. In any case, it wouldn't hurt to give him a beating first.
Lu Liangke took a deep breath before turning to look at Ruan Qingyu: "Shall we go in?"
Nodding, Ruan Qingyu reached out and took Lü Liangke's hand: "It's okay, I think we'll have good luck."
With that, she led Lü Liangke into the light screen of the secret realm. Beside them was Yun Yin, clinging tightly to Ruan Qingyu's leg, her tail wrapped tightly around her.
With a slight dizziness, Ruan Qingyu slowly opened her eyes. Before her was an endless grassland. If it weren't for the dense spiritual energy in her breath, she would have thought she had come to the wrong place.
Such a tranquil and peaceful scene was quite different from many of the secret places she had seen before.
A moment later, Lü Liangke's hesitant voice came: "Qingyu, have we entered a secret realm?"
Suddenly a roar came from beside her, and then the black leopard that had been following Ruan Qingyu suddenly darted out.
Ruan Qingyu's voice rang out: "That's right, this is the secret realm. We're probably just lucky; not only did we not encounter any trials from the secret realm, but we even ended up in a relatively safe place."
Having said that, Ruan Qingyu activated the disciple token at her waist, and with the help of spiritual energy, the token emitted a soft white light, recording the surroundings into the token in mid-air—this was creating a map of the secret realm.
Seeing her do this, Lü Liangke followed suit and activated the token as well, intending to place it aside to record the terrain. However, Ruan Qingyu raised her hand to stop her: "No need, you don't have much spiritual power. The contribution points for recording this map will be split between you and me when we return to the sect."
Ruan Qingyu's gaze was very firm. Although Lü Liangke was a little embarrassed, she still took back her disciple token. Now she was no longer as easily convinced that Ruan Qingyu looked down on her as before, and she knew that it was a well-intentioned act.
The cloud-hidden figure could no longer be seen in the distance. If Ruan Qingyu hadn't been able to sense the contract, she would probably have thought that the leopard had already left the secret realm.
Along this vast grassland, aside from some harmless spirit rabbits, there were only wildflowers and grasses. Not to mention ferocious demonic beasts, not even any rare medicinal herbs or treasures were seen.
The two walked on the grassland for a long time, clearly seeing the distant mountains, but they were still on the grassland.
"It seems that being in a safe place isn't necessarily a good thing." Seeing the anxiety on Lü Liangke's face, Ruan Qingyu couldn't help but speak up.
Hearing her say that, Lü Liangke nodded in agreement: "Yes, I did a lot of research before coming here. In ordinary secret realms, even if there are no great treasures, there are still demonic beasts. Some unlucky disciples have been devoured due to momentary carelessness. Although you and I are safe, we haven't seen any resources at all."
As Ruan Qingyu listened intently to Lü Liangke's words, she suddenly lowered her eyes. In her mind, Yun Yin's voice came: "Come to me, there are good things."
Then he urged, "I'll guard this place. There aren't any monsters here. Come quickly."
Although she was puzzled as to why Yunyin didn't get it first, Ruan Qingyu still led Lü Liangke and hurried forward.
A quarter of an hour later, Ruan Qingyu arrived and only then did she understand why Yun Yin had been waiting there. It was because a Transparent Tree was growing within this grassland.
The Tongming Tree is said to be a branch of the Jianmu Tree that reaches to heaven. Although it cannot reach the heavens directly, the Tongming Fruit that grows on it can enhance a person's understanding.
Even someone with a blockheaded mind could achieve enlightenment a hundred times more easily than an ordinary person after obtaining a Clear Mind Fruit. It can be said to be a treasure that many cultivators would rather die than obtain.
"Qingyu, this tree looks quite strange. I see your pet beast is guarding it without moving." Although he didn't know what the Transparent Tree was, he could tell from the unusually comfortable aura around him that it was no ordinary tree.
Seeing that she looked calm, Ruan Qingyu didn't hide anything: "The Tongming Tree is a legendary divine tree. If you gain the favor of the Tongming Tree or have a connection with it, a single Tongming Fruit can ensure your future cultivation is worry-free."
Instantly, Lü Liangke's eyes lit up with anticipation as she looked at the Transparent Tree, though she didn't recognize it. Ruan Qingyu, however, could easily identify it, clearly indicating that she also knew how to obtain the Transparent Fruit.
In his mind, Yunyin was still urging, "Come and try it, put your hand on it. This damn tree won't give me a single one. If it weren't for the fact that you still need it, I would have liked to strike it dead with lightning."
Having suffered a setback at the Tongming Tree, Yunyin was just short of stretching out his claws to scratch it.
Hearing Yun Yin's repeated urging, Ruan Qingyu walked towards the Tongming Tree without hesitation. The strange feeling in her heart became more and more obvious, and she subconsciously reached out and placed her hands on the tree trunk.
In an instant, Ruan Qingyu felt as if her consciousness was flowing in a warm spring. From her divine sense to her dantian, she felt as if she had been nourished and soothed by spiritual energy.
It was just like the feeling she had during her rebirth, only this time there was no burning phoenix fire or intense hatred. Only a clean and peaceful emotion remained, drifting in Ruan Qingyu's heart.
"Good child." A faint, aged voice, accompanied by the rustling of leaves, came from behind.
At the same time, Ruan Qingyu felt something fall on her head, and she tried to dodge it. But she couldn't move and was hit squarely on the head by the two fruits.
Then, that strange, warm feeling receded slowly like a tide. The two fruits obediently flew into Ruan Qingyu's hands.
Yun Yin leaned closer, sniffed, and opened his mouth as if to eat, but Ruan Qingyu immediately covered his mouth: "You can't eat yet, you have to wait."
As soon as she finished speaking, the two translucent fruits in her palm moved, seemingly very grateful to Ruan Qingyu.
Seeing the two translucent fruits' human-like movements, Ruan Qingyu couldn't help but smile gently. Looking at the two translucent fruits just now, she inexplicably knew that they couldn't be eaten yet; she had to wait for them to ripen naturally.
Despite his growing dissatisfaction with the Tongming Tree, Yun Yin obediently remained lying on the ground and did not move in the face of Ruan Qingyu's request.
The rustling of leaves echoed from the massive canopy of the Translucent Tree once more, as if the tree itself was quite pleased.
“Liang Ke, why don’t you give it a try? If your luck and destiny allow, obtaining one will make your future cultivation much smoother.” Ruan Qingyu turned to look at Lü Liang Ke, who was still waiting.
Following Ruan Qingyu's prompting, Lü Liangke swallowed hard before clenching his hands. He closed his eyes tightly, his eyelids trembling, before carefully placing his hands on the trunk of the Tongming tree.
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