Chapter 90 (1/2): New Skin!

Hua Jian was, after all, not some mystical soothsayer who could divine the affairs of the world by merely counting fingers.

Her mind was sharp, yes, but not sharp enough to know what she didn’t already know.

At best, she could guess the other party’s intentions; beyond that, it was better to follow from behind and watch than to exhaust herself trying to guess.

The following days of travel were just like that — winding and indirect.

It was clear both sides were struggling for the upper hand, but the pursuers were simply too strong, forcing the Chai family to follow the trajectory they set.

After entering the Northern Mountains, both the speed of the Chai family’s escape and their pursuers’ chase slowed considerably, allowing Hua Jian and Linglong to catch up a little.

But only a little. They were still more than half a day’s journey away from the real battlefield, close enough to know the Chai family was being tracked, but far enough that others wouldn’t be aware.

For cultivators, half a day was enough time to fly an immense distance.

Given half a day, a Ling Master could probably hide thousands of miles away.

“They avoided the dangerous depths of the mountains and are taking a detour northward,” Linglong murmured softly as she marked today’s route on the map.

Neither the pursuers nor the Chai family had dared to enter the mountain core, where countless powerful Spirit Beasts roamed — a veritable Saint Sect among Spirit Beasts.

If a conflict erupted there, no one would likely survive.

The pursuers were deliberately pushing the Chai family away from the core region, trying to prevent them from entering and disrupting their plans.

“Yanquan seems to have been blocked as well. The aura he left behind isn’t far from us, but it’s very close to the pursuers.”

“He must have been harassed by a Ling King among the pursuers to prevent him from regrouping,” Hua Jian added.

Yanquan’s strength among Ling Kings wasn’t very strong, and facing such interference, it was difficult to complete his mission.

If she hadn’t intervened before, Yanquan would have been taken out by that Black-Clad Ling King long ago.

Speaking of the Black-Clad Ling King, Hua Jian was still holding the silver throwing knife left behind by that Ling King.

Over the past few days, she had tried using these small throwing knives with her Flying Sword and found them surprisingly effective.

Thanks to the precise spirit force control granted by the Grass Planting Spell, she wielded these throwing knives like extensions of her own body, making them flutter through the air like butterflies.

Since they once belonged to a Ling King, their quality was undoubtedly excellent—more than enough for a Ling Master like Hua Jian.

Many high-grade weapons were downgraded and distributed, but even the weaker ones were still formidable, giving Hua Jian, who only had one strong weapon, a reliable tool for close combat.

Even more surprisingly, she discovered that this Spirit Tool harmonized well with the spirit technique Fenghua Venerable had taught her.

Together, they produced a remarkable synergy, boosting her combat power to a new level.

A direct hit from her would definitely hurt a Lingshi-level opponent badly!

“If they keep chasing like this, they’ll be out of the Northern Mountains soon. It can’t be a marathon after all…” Hua Jian was halfway through complaining when a sudden, intense surge of spiritual energy rippled across the distant horizon.

The erupting spirit energy was like a tsunami, nearly causing Linglong to lose control of her Ling Sword beneath her feet.

Even though she barely managed to stabilize the sword’s posture, Hua Jian still felt dizzy from the violent tremors.

“An earthquake? But we’re in the sky!”

“No, it’s a spiritual energy eruption — likely the emergence of a large Secret Realm!” Linglong immediately shook her head.

Such a massive spirit energy outburst was rare, almost exclusively signaling the birth of a major Secret Realm.

They exchanged a glance and saw the same thought reflected in each other’s eyes.

“The Treasure Map!”

The Chai family had been pursued since leaving Huiyue City, likely because they obtained something from the Auction.

Hua Jian still remembered the precious items at that auction — the only one related to a Secret Realm being the final treasure: a Treasure Map.

At the time, she thought the map might be fake, but it turned out to be genuine and had caused quite a commotion.

Yes, Hua Jian was now convinced the Treasure Map was real.

She had previously dismissed it as fake because she thought it had nothing to do with her or the main plot.

But now it was different. Chai Xianyun had reached out to her through a Spirit Cat as a bridge, and since the Secret Realm had appeared nearby, it was undoubtedly the start of a new main storyline.

Under these circumstances, the Treasure Map couldn’t be fake — it was absolutely genuine!

And the treasures inside the Secret Realm would definitely resonate perfectly with the two of them!

This time, it was truly fate linking her to the artifact.

“Should we hurry over and take a look?” Hua Jian asked Linglong.

Linglong nodded decisively. “Yes!”

At this moment, she was starting to believe in Hua Jian’s mystical insights.

No matter how far-fetched it sounded, it matched their current predicament perfectly.

In such a short time, how many incidents had they encountered? Was anyone else’s Training journey this thrilling?

Even the sword cultivators, who loved stirring up trouble for themselves, hadn’t encountered this much excitement.

Sometimes it wasn’t that they didn’t want trouble — it was that there was nothing happening to find trouble with.

……

“This is…”

Xia Lao’s gaze fixed heavily on the golden light suddenly pouring out from a Storage Pouch.

His eyes shifted warily toward the white-clothed young lord nearby, surrounded by several Ling Kings.

The young lord held a shining Treasure Map fragment, slightly different from the one Xia Lao had purchased in Huiyue City.

They appeared to be torn pieces of the same map.

“Hahaha, Old Xia, did you see that? Your Chai family has schemed for decades but couldn’t even locate the Secret Realm correctly — how utterly laughable!” The white-clothed young lord laughed mockingly, the ridicule brimming in his voice.

“Bai Su…” Xia Lao spoke the young lord’s name slowly, his eyes full of caution and a faint hesitation.

As a loyal servant of the Chai family, he knew much about the matter, tangled as it was.

One thing was certain: Bai Su would never spare a single Chai family member. The only option now was to fight to the death.

“That’s the bastard’s daughter, right? Haha, I’ll make sure to keep her image before she dies — to enjoy day and night.”

His cold gaze swept over Chai Xianyun’s pale face, making the weary young girl show a trace of fear.

She could feel that he was no joke. If she fell into his hands, she would surely die a miserable death.

“This matter has nothing to do with the young lady.”

“Whether it does or not is not for you to decide! A father’s death cannot be forgiven!”

Xia Lao clenched his fists tightly, ready to rise and take down this demon, but the many Ling Kings beside the young lord denied him the chance.

Moreover, the Secret Realm had just manifested, and the spiritual energy explosion was still ongoing. At such a time, neither side dared act recklessly.

The spiritual energy tsunami nearby would not discriminate — fighting here could easily mean mutual destruction.

If Bai Su’s temper allowed, he would have already ordered his men to eliminate the two Chai family members instead of waiting here.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Heavy thuds echoed through the forest as a colossal golden door slowly materialized amid a cluster of spiritual light.

Golden threads descended from the sky, connecting to everyone present.

“Just as I suspected, possessing two-thirds of the Treasure Map can open the Secret Realm. My years of planning have not been in vain,” Bai Su said, tucking the map fragment into his sleeve and spreading his arms toward the enormous gate above.

“This is where your Chai family killed my father years ago. Today, I will play the final symphony to end your line!”

“As long as I get that treasure, every last one of your Chai family will die!”

His mad declaration ended as the golden light from the sky enveloped everyone present.

In the next moment, they all vanished from sight.

“Such a big commotion?” Hua Jian’s mouth dropped open in shock as she stared at the massive golden door on the horizon.

“Did I imagine it?” she asked Linglong incredulously.

She hadn’t realized the emergence of a Secret Realm could cause such a stir before.

“This Secret Realm might be comparable in scale to the Dragon City Secret Realm we entered before, but…” Linglong paused, “One was explored by the elders already; this one is a completely unknown Secret Realm. They are not comparable.”

Brand-new Secret Realms contained untold wealth and could even allow cultivators to take giant leaps forward.

But with that came immense risk. If something went wrong, death was absolute and irreversible.

For example, the Secret Realm her grandfather once entered — classified in Linglang Pavilion as a small-scale Secret Realm for Ling Masters to practice — had as its grandest treasure only a semi-finished Saint Pill!

Look at the value of that prize — exciting, isn’t it?

But the death rate? That’s where the sobering reality hits.

Entering an unknown Secret Realm was a gamble: wagering on one’s strength to overcome all opponents and return safely.

“So it’s very dangerous, huh? Should we enter or not?”

“What do you think?”

Linglong’s question made Hua Jian pause.

In truth, she was reluctant to enter such a perilous, unknown place.

Life was more valuable than spirit stones. She couldn’t risk it all for a single Training.

“I think it’s better not to go. We chased them down because we were confident we could escape the Ling Kings alive. But once inside the Secret Realm, everything becomes uncertain,” Hua Jian explained seriously.

“You want to train, but you shouldn’t gamble your life on it. Before, I could accompany you, but if you’re determined to enter, I won’t go with you.”

Hua Jian’s life was good right now; there was no need to risk it all with just one life.

Hearing this, Linglong nodded in strong agreement. She wasn’t reckless. Facing an unknown danger, she wouldn’t blindly charge in.

If she did, she’d be scolded mercilessly by both her master and mother.

Recklessly putting oneself in harm’s way was irresponsible — to oneself and others.

“Makes sense. Let’s just observe from outside, then.”

The two quickly agreed not to enter the Secret Realm.

They were not desperate enough to risk their lives; there was no urgent need to stop the villains inside.

But while they thought this, the person behind them had other plans.

Fenghua Venerable suddenly appeared before them.

She had overheard their conversation and was pleased with their rational decision.

Making such a mature choice showed their growth.

If they had tried to rush in blindly, she would have appeared to stop them — probably with a swift blow to the head each.

No need for Linglong to continue her Training then; back to Yaochi for scolding straight away.

Now Linglong had passed the first test — no immediate return to Yaochi for punishment.

“These two tokens are for you. Use them inside the Secret Realm to retrieve the treasure.” Fenghua Venerable raised her hand, and two jade tokens dropped into their palms.

Hua Jian flipped the token over, feeling a sense of familiarity.

“Looks like… Space Talismans?”

“Correct. They were made by your senior sister. If you encounter deadly danger inside, the talisman will automatically shatter and teleport you to me,” Fenghua nodded.

Linglong was here to train — she couldn’t just retreat at the first difficulty.

That was why Fenghua had these tokens — so Linglong and Hua Jian could fight without fear of consequences.

“But if the token shatters, your training mission is considered a failure, and you’ll still have to return for scolding,” Fenghua added.

The token was like their lifeline. Once broken, it meant death inside the Secret Realm and the end of their training.

The failed Linglong would have to return to Yaochi to face the music, but Hua Jian… she wouldn’t be punished.

She wasn’t officially part of Yaochi, just a companion Linglong had pulled along.