Two cloud boats traveled through the high sky, one behind the other. Mountains and rivers stretched out in full view below as all manner of scenery receded rapidly into the distance.
Yun Feng tried to fly side by side with her, attempting to strike up a friendly chat to build rapport. Unfortunately, the high-altitude winds blew fiercely, making their robes flutter loudly. Shi Yu simply acted as if she couldn't hear him clearly. After trying a few times, Yun Feng had no choice but to give up and focus properly on steering his cloud boat.
Several young women gathered around him. Wanting to leave a good impression on Shi Yu, Yun Feng remained stern and aloof toward them, leaving the young beauties deeply hurt.
One particularly lovely woman dressed in a goose-yellow dress had tears welling in her eyes. “Cousin...”
Her appearance was truly delicate and moving. Seeing her like this, Yun Feng softened his tone slightly. “Ran'er, whatever you wish to say can wait until we return.”
His meaning was clear: he did not want her expressing her affection in front of Shi Yu.
Yun Ran gritted her teeth, shooting a harsh glare at Shi Yu in the distance.
The cloud boats moved at incredible speed. A journey that originally would have taken Shi Yu many days took less than half a day with the cloud boats.
Changxu Village gradually came into view. Shi Yu looked down and saw that the village's appearance had drastically changed. The original tiled houses looked as though they had weathered thousands of years, crumbling into near-complete ruins.
A moss-covered stone peak had inexplicably appeared atop the ruins, enveloped in curling wisps of white smoke. Presumably, this stone peak was the entrance to the secret realm formed by the Nightmare.
Outside the stone peak, a crowd of people had gathered, making the area quite lively.
Several prominent clans from the main city were guarding the area. Aside from the guards on duty, these people were disciples from the various influential clans who, like the Yun Clan group, had come here for training.
The two cloud boats came to a stop nearby, drawing many eyes toward them.
“Is that—”
As Shi Yu stepped off her cloud boat, many recognized her. Those who had never seen her face before quickly learned from the hushed discussions around them that she was the astonishingly talented alchemist from the Alchemist Association.
For a moment, everyone's eyes shone with peculiar light, all eager to step forward and curry favor with her.
Seeing this, Yun Feng frowned and stepped in front of Shi Yu, blocking the restless gazes of the crowd.
“Miss Shi, since this is your first time entering this secret realm, there are a few things you should be aware of.”
Shi Yu nodded. “Please go ahead, Fellow Daoist Yun.”
The term “Fellow Daoist” caused Yun Feng to pause briefly before he spoke again, “Once inside the secret realm, there are many forks in the path. Miss Shi, you must be careful not to get separated from us. This secret realm is somewhat strange—when people stay together, nothing happens, but once separated, all kinds of odd occurrences arise.”
“Furthermore, there are many evil spirits and foul creatures inside. You must be particularly careful of a certain type of spider. The spider itself poses little threat, but the webs it spins are extremely troublesome. Once caught in them, you won't be able to move.”
“Also...”
...
Yun Feng looked at Shi Yu, gently explaining numerous details. Only at the end did he turn to ask the others, “Do the rest of you remember all of this?”
“We remember!”
Yun Ran watched him and Shi Yu with cold eyes, staying silent as a sharp pang pierced her heart.
Sensing the gaze directed at her, Shi Yu looked toward Yun Ran, but the young woman pulled her gaze back and let out a self-deprecating, cold laugh.
Shi Yu: “...”
Having explained all the precautions, Yun Feng led the group toward the stone peak.
At the center of the stone peak lay a bottomless cave, its entrance covered by a hazy light barrier.
“Let's go. Remember, do not get separated.”
As the party crossed the light barrier and stepped into the secret realm's entrance, ripples bloomed. With a soft pop, the world around them instantly turned clear and serene.
Shi Yu looked back, only to find that the light barrier behind them had disappeared, leaving only a solid stone wall. It seemed the exit was located somewhere else.
Everyone retrieved their own light sources and cautiously ventured inside.
The cave was deep and dark. Aside from the occasional dripping of water, the sounds of strange creatures fluttering wings or scurrying past echoed from time to time.
Shi Yu's sleeve moved slightly as the Hidden Hatred Flute, which she hadn't used in a long time, slid into her palm. She drew the curved blade hidden inside the flute, remaining alert to everything around her.
“Miss Shi, watch out!”
Suddenly, a rat dropped from the cave ceiling, squeaking loudly. Its brutal red eyes were chilling in the dim light. Quick on his feet, Yun Feng unleashed a gust of palm force, swatting the rat aside before turning to check on Shi Yu's safety.
“The first wave of attacks is coming!”
Having entered the secret realm several times, Yun Feng already had experience. As soon as his words fell, numerous creatures surged from the shadows, attacking the group from all sides.
However, a graceful flash of red darted past as she slashed fiercely with her blade at the creatures attacking her from the cave walls.
Shi Yu had stayed in the main city and hadn't drawn blood in quite some time. Intending to hone her skills today, she didn't use spirit talismans or similar items. Instead, she used these evil spirits in the cave to refine her blade techniques and movement techniques.
Pouring spiritual energy into the curved blade, her strikes were decisive. Combined with a movement technique like 《Swallow Walking Art》, her movements were clean and agile—slaying one creature with every strike, looking exceptionally fierce.
Yun Feng: “...”
His lips twitched. Distracted for a moment, he snapped back to reality as a swarm of foul creatures charged at him, forcing him to engage in combat immediately.
Shi Yu wasn't swinging blindly either; she was observing herself, seeking the most efficient and spirit-conserving strikes and angles.
It felt very similar to running dungeons, slaying monsters, and farming EXP in games.
To a certain extent, the evil creatures she killed were turning into her “EXP bar.”
Shi Yu kept her lips pressed tight, silent as she left a path of scattered corpses across the cave walls and murky puddles.
Beside them, Yun Ran frantically raised a spiritual Qi shield. Watching the corpses of bats and spiders killed by Shi Yu graze past her face, she gritted her teeth, her face turning green with rage.
Already resentful of her cousin's attentive behavior toward Shi Yu, she no longer cared about the elders' previous instructions to curry favor with Shi Yu, shouting furiously, “Stay away from me!”
Dodging a filthy carcass, she stepped into a spiderweb without paying attention.
The spiderweb was extremely tough. The moment she stepped into it, it tightened around Yun Ran's foot, rendering her unable to move.
Panicking, Yun Ran tried to yank her foot free, but it didn't budge at all. She drew her sword to cut the spider silk, but the thread was extraordinarily pliable; the blade merely slid off it without severing a single strand.
Having just dealt with the foul creatures attacking her, Shi Yu noticed the spider silk around Yun Ran's foot and walked over.
Seeing her approach, Yun Ran flared up in shame and anger. “What are you doing? I don't need your help!”
With that, she looked tearfully at Yun Feng. “Cousin, save me!”
Busy slaying monsters himself, Yun Feng frowned and scolded her, “I warned you earlier that these webs are troublesome! How could you be so careless?!”
Reprimanded by him, Yun Ran's eyes instantly welled up, big tears gathering at the rims of her eyelids, refusing to fall.
Through her tear-blurred vision, she saw Shi Yu crouch down beside her, flicking a flame as slender as a candle's wick from her fingertip to burn the spider silk.
Yun Ran widened her eyes, staring at the young girl's jet-black hair, feeling a flush of shame, annoyance, and helplessness welling inside her. “Y-You—”
Her eyes drifted down, fixing on the bright flame. Illuminated by the firelight, Shi Yu's fingers appeared as slender and translucent as scallion stalks, causing her to daze off momentarily.
Under the heat of a Heavenly Fire like the Void Fissure Spiritual Flame, the tough spider threads wrapping around her snapped one after another, all burnt through in a matter of moments.
Yun Ran's heart trembled. She carefully pulled her foot free, looking at Shi Yu's elegant, refined profile with an indescribable flurry of emotions.
Shi Yu couldn't care less about her thoughts. Contented, she rolled the severed spider silk into a ball and tossed it into the Fate-Tapping Bell.
“Good stuff. Let's see if I can find a few more bundles.”
This silk was spun by Red-Eyed Demon Spiders, possessing exceptional flexibility and stickiness. Using it to refine whip-type artifacts or soft armor yielded miraculous effects, making it an extremely rare spiritual material.
Farming mobs, grinding EXP, dropping materials—all the key elements were here.
Shi Yu's interest was piqued.
Rate on N.U.
