“You want this Profound Golden Principle Pill, Miss Qin?”
Li Xun turned, closed the jade box, and tossed it over to Qin Xueyi. “If you need it, consider it yours,” he said. “After all, it was you who led me to this opportunity.”
To Li Xun, the Profound Golden Principle Pill was valuable, but the World-Slaughtering Sword Scripture held far more potential.
A single-use pill would be consumed and gone, but a Sword technique could be used indefinitely. The difference in their worth was clear.
“Thank you, Young Master Li,” Qin Xueyi said gratefully, accepting the pill.
“No need to thank me.” Li Xun waved dismissively. At the same time, his system's familiar voice echoed in his mind.
[Congratulations, Master! Investment successful. You have acquired one copy of the World-Slaughtering Sword Scripture. Would you like to retrieve it?]
‘Not now,’ Li Xun replied automatically.
Turning his attention back to the last jade box in his hand, he opened it. Inside, he found a jade slip inscribed with four large characters: Great Yan Divine Technique.
“Great Yan Divine Technique…?” Li Xun muttered with a curious expression.
Based on the name, it seemed to be a Divine Technique, though he wasn’t sure of its nature.
Next to him, Qin Xueyi opened her mouth to offer an explanation.
She had practiced the Great Yan Divine Technique to Total Competition in her previous life, so she knew it well.
But upon reflection, she swallowed her words.
She had already exposed many secrets today, and if she revealed too much, she might no longer be able to keep her rebirth a secret.
“A High-grade Heaven technique focused on spiritual consciousness… This is truly a Saint-level opportunity,” Li Xun remarked after absorbing the contents of the jade slip.
Unfortunately, the technique wasn’t a general cultivation method but was strictly for enhancing spiritual consciousness.
If it had been a full cultivation technique, it would have addressed his weak point and saved him from needing to upgrade with a Cultivation Advancement Token.
“Miss Qin, would you like to take a look at this Great Yan Divine Technique?” he asked with a smile.
“Thank you for the offer, Young Master Li, but given my current Qi Condensation Realm, the Great Yan Divine Technique wouldn’t be of much use to me.” Qin Xueyi gently shook her head.
“Is that so?” Li Xun studied her thoughtfully but decided not to press the matter.
“When I saw you fighting earlier, I noticed you seemed to practice a Body Refining technique,” Qin Xueyi added. “This Heavenly Heart Essence would be perfect for you, so I’ll leave you to your cultivation.”
With that, Qin Xueyi moved outside the hall, chose a spot, and arranged an array with a few spirit stones.
Sitting down, she took out the Profound Golden Principle Pill, swallowed it, and quickly entered her cultivation state.
Inside the hall, Li Xun put away the Great Yan Divine Technique, deciding not to practice it just yet.
First, its level was too high—an High-grade Heaven technique that he couldn’t hope to comprehend with his current cultivation realm.
Mastering it would require a cultivation level above the Divine Palace realm.
Second, compared to the Great Yan Divine Technique, his current Golden Body Technique, though only at the high-grade Xuan, was much easier to cultivate and offered more immediate gains, as it had recently reached the minor completion level.
“Let’s see how effective this Heavenly Heart Essence is.” Li Xun took a deep breath, shed his robes, and stepped into the stone basin.
The moment he entered, Li Xun's face instantly changed as he stepped into the stone basin, feeling as if countless ants were crawling over him, gnawing away at his skin.
The sensation was excruciating, beyond anything he had anticipated.
Quickly, he focused his mind, drawing in his spiritual awareness, and activated the Golden Body Technique.
As the Golden Body Technique circulated within him, a faint golden glow spread across his skin, making him appear like a miniature golden statue cast from solid gold, radiant and brilliant.
Seven days later, high in the sky.
Three figures hovered, their spiritual senses spanning dozens of kilometers around them.
These three weren’t strangers—they were the Guardians from the Chen Family.
After flying southwest for days, covering thousands of miles from Luoye City, they still hadn’t found any sign of Li Xun or Qin Xueyi.
This lingering failure had led them to question if they had perhaps taken the wrong direction.
“Guardian Jiang, do you think Li Xun and that girl could have veered off halfway, heading somewhere else?” a wiry, short Guardian murmured thoughtfully.
“If they truly did, even if we searched thousands of miles, we wouldn’t find them unless we somehow kept going for tens of thousands more,” replied the other, a man in gray. “Qin Xueyi is only at the Qi Condensation Realm, and although Li Xun is stronger, he’s only in the Spirit Meridian stage himself.”
“Qin Xueyi can’t even fly yet, and Li Xun would have to carry her, so how could they possibly be faster than us?” He let out a sigh. “If they were within reach, we’d have found them by now.”
“Let’s push forward another five hundred kilometers. If we still don’t find them, we should return.” Guardian Jiang’s tone carried resignation.
He knew that aimlessly searching was hardly a strategy.
Without any tracking method, locating two people in such a vast world was almost impossible.
Another five hundred kilometers later, Guardian Jiang halted mid-air, sighing in resignation as he looked around.
It was evident they weren’t going to find anything here.
Just as he was about to turn back, the wiry Guardian beside him suddenly let out a surprised exclamation.
“Guardian Ge, did you find something?” Guardian Jiang’s curiosity piqued.
“Yes, actually. It seems I might have stumbled upon…a Hidden Realm!” Guardian Ge’s face twisted in bewilderment as he replied.
“A Hidden Realm?” Guardian Jiang and the other man echoed, eyes widening.
Hidden Realms were immensely valuable, often hiding unimaginable treasures.
To discover one was akin to striking gold.
In fact, just possessing access to a single Hidden Realm could be enough to establish a force surpassing even the Chen Family.
“Not far from here. Come, I’ll show you,” Guardian Ge said, motioning in the direction of his discovery.
In no time, he led them to a barren stretch of wilderness where a crack, several meters long, appeared suspended in mid-air.
Its presence was so striking it could not be missed.
At the sight of the rift, the three Guardians inhaled sharply, exchanging glances.
Their eyes reflected a shared spark of excitement.
It was indeed a Hidden Realm!
From the outside, the realm appeared in a state of disrepair, but that didn’t matter.
The sheer intensity of the spiritual energy leaking from within was enough to know that this realm held unimaginable cultivation potential.
Even if there were no treasures within, the realm alone would serve as a veritable paradise for cultivation.
Spending just a year inside might be equivalent to a decade’s worth of training in the outside world!
“Who would have thought? Our luck has finally turned,” the gray-robed man remarked joyfully. “An unclaimed Hidden Realm—ours for the taking!”
However, as his voice trailed off, Guardian Jiang’s face grew doubtful. “Do you think that Li Xun and Qin Xueyi might actually be inside the realm?” he wondered aloud.