102: Chapter 102 Invitation to the Nascent Soul Relic Mansion Secret Realm! Three Bowls of Spirit Wine to Extract Intelligence, the Traitor in the Deadly Trap Revealed!

[ You sheathe your sword, and your aura dissipates. ]

[ "The Hall Master gave a lecture yesterday on the path a formation cultivator should take." You do not hide anything and say directly, "I thought about it all night after returning, and the Spider Web Array does not suit me." ]

[ Ling Qingmeng does not respond, waiting for you to finish. ]

[ "I am a sword cultivator. My strikes emphasize speed, precision, and ruthlessness; the control required for the Spider Web Array drains my focus, which is equivalent to tying my own sword with a rope." ]

[ You brush the stone dust off your cuffs. ]

[ "The Hall Master gave me a remnant scroll of the Army-Breaking Explosive Killing Array, which purely boosts attack. When the protective aura array is running, both attack power and explosive lethality increase simultaneously." ]

[ "A window of three breaths is enough for me to finish off whoever needs to be killed." ]

[ Ling Qingmeng is silent for a few breaths. ]

[ "Reasonable." ]

[ Just two words. ]

[ She walks to the stone table in the courtyard, her fingertips brushing across the cold teacup on the table. ]

[ "Where did you go before? You were nowhere to be seen for half a month." ]

[ "Yunzhou. Handling some private matters." Your tone is flat. ]

[ Ling Qingmeng does not press further; she is not the type to get to the bottom of things. ]

[ She looks up at the gate of your small courtyard, then suddenly walks over and closes it from the inside. ]

[ The door latch drops with a soft click. ]

[ You raise an eyebrow. ]

[ Ling Qingmeng turns around and lowers her voice. ]

[ "I have sought you out three times, not to reminisce." ]

[ "Two months ago, while traveling through the barren ridges six hundred miles south of the Tianxuan Sect, I discovered the entrance to a secret realm." ]

[ You look up. ]

[ "The secret realm is not large, but the spiritual energy concentration is extremely high. The residual aura inside is at least that of a Nascent Soul stage expert." She speaks slowly, every word firm, "I explored the periphery; there are restrictions, arrays, and demonic beasts." ]

[ "Can one person break in?" ]

[ "Using thunder techniques to clear the path, breaking in by force is not difficult." Ling Qingmeng pauses, "But I cannot see through the restrictions and arrays inside the secret realm. If I get trapped inside, blasting the walls with thunder will only make them thicker." ]

[ She looks at you. ]

[ "I need someone who has both brains and strength." ]

[ "You are the person I have chosen." ]

[ Coming from Ling Qingmeng, these words carry significant weight. ]

[ The second-ranked prodigy of the Fenglei Hall, at Foundation Establishment Level 6, taking the initiative to team up with you means she has seriously evaluated your combat power and intelligence. ]

[ You feel reassured. ]

[ Fortunately, Senior Sister sought you out three times for the secret realm, not for anything else. ]

[ A Nascent Soul expert's relic, even if it is just the residual periphery, is an immense opportunity for a Foundation Establishment cultivator. ]

[ "When are we setting off?" ]

[ "The first day of the fourth month." Ling Qingmeng has already calculated the time, "Is a half-month preparation period enough?" ]

[ "Enough." ]

[ She nods, pulls back the door latch, and pushes the door open to leave. ]

[ She takes two steps, then stops. ]

[ Without turning back. ]

[ "You have practiced the Army-Breaking Explosive Killing Array well. The density of the aura patterns clinging to your body is higher than most formation cultivators I have seen." ]

[ As her voice fades, her figure disappears into the morning mist. ]

[ You look at the empty courtyard gate, your lips twitching. ]

[ The cold goddess praising someone is like being constipated; she has to muster up all her strength just to squeeze out a single sentence. ]

[ — ]

[ In the following days, you nail yourself to the backyard. ]

[ It takes five days for the twelve aura patterns of the Army-Breaking Explosive Killing Array to go from barely taking shape to operating smoothly. ]

[ Starting on the sixth day, you attempt to overlay the sword strike frequency of the Thirteen Gale Strikes while the aura array is running. ]

[ Thirteen strikes in two breaths, each sword strike wrapped in the golden sword radiance amplified by the aura array. ]

[ You run out of stone pillars to chop, so you ask Ling Bo to help move twenty more from the back mountain. ]

[ When Ling Bo is moving the fifteenth one, he finally cannot help but ask. ]

[ "Fifth Junior Brother, are you practicing swordsmanship or are you logging?" ]

[ "About the same." ]

[ — ]

[ Thirty-one years old. March 22nd. Evening. ]

[ You put away your jinhong sword, wipe off your sweat, exit the gate of the Formation Hall, and walk towards the Fire Cloud Hall. ]

[ It is time to go see an old friend. ]

[ The Fire Cloud Hall is to the southeast of the Tianxuan Sect, separated from the Formation Hall by three mountain peaks. ]

[ When you land in the outer courtyard of the Fire Cloud Hall, Huo Quji happens to be coming out of the Martial Arts Arena, his fire-attribute spiritual energy not yet fully dissipated, his robes and cuffs covered in scorch marks. ]

[ "Shen Ji!" He shouts from across half the courtyard and walks over in a few steps, slapping your shoulder. ]

[ The force is not small, making you stagger half a step forward. ]

[ "You came just in time, let's go, let's go drink!" ]

[ — ]

[ In the pavilion behind the Fire Cloud Hall, two jars of spirit wine are set out. ]

[ Huo Quji pours the wine into a large bowl, tilts his head back to gulp down half a bowl, wipes his mouth, and starts talking. ]

[ That is just how he is; once three bowls of wine are down, he cannot hide anything in his heart. ]

[ "Guess what?" He lowers his voice, unable to hide the smugness in his eyes. ]

[ "I am together with Gu Yunxi." ]

[ Your hand holding the bowl is very steady, and you are secretly happy for him. ]

[ In the previous simulation, Huo Quji and Gu Yunxi only confirmed their relationship at thirty-five, and in between, they even went through a mission that nearly cost them their lives before piercing that layer of window paper. ]

[ In this life, it is a full four years early. ]

[ "When did this happen?" ]

[ "Last month." Huo Quji gulps down another mouthful, "Master Chiyang sent Gu Yunxi and me to the Southern Frontier to clear out a nest of third-rank demon snakes. After the fight, she was slightly injured, and I carried her on my back for twenty miles of mountain road." ]

[ He rubs his nose. ]

[ "And then... that is just how it happened." ]

[ "Congratulations." You raise your bowl to clink with his. ]

[ After three rounds of drinks, the topic naturally drifts. ]

[ You calmly steer the conversation towards the internal affairs of the Fire Cloud Hall. ]

[ "Brother Huo, you have so many fellow disciples in the Fire Cloud Hall; I still haven't recognized them all. Exactly how many inner disciples has Master Chiyang taken in?" ]

[ Huo Quji counts on his fingers: "Six. First Senior Brother Xiao Yunfei, fire-attribute heaven spiritual root, Foundation Establishment Level 9; he is a truly fierce person. However, he is out training all year round, and the number of times he returns to the sect in a year can be counted on one hand." ]

[ "Second Senior Brother Huo Feng, fire-attribute superior spiritual root, Foundation Establishment Level 8. His temper is very explosive, and he wants to spar with people at the drop of a hat. But his heart isn't bad, he just has a foul mouth. He has been in secluded cultivation for over half a year and just came out recently." ]

[ "You have met Senior Brother Han Shuo, he is an honest person. Fourth Senior Sister, Disciple Nangong Yue, Foundation Establishment Level 5, is also out training." ]

[ He pauses. ]

[ "Fifth is Fifth Senior Brother Lu Chen." ]

[ You do not stop the action of picking up food. ]

[ "His talent is ranked third in our hall, and his cultivation is at the peak of Foundation Establishment Level 6." Huo Quji frowns, "This person... how should I put it, he doesn't fit in. He is usually silent and taciturn, and doesn't interact much with fellow disciples." ]

[ "Master told us to go out and train more, and he is obedient; he spends more time out training than anyone else, but he talks even less after returning." ]

[ You file these pieces of information away one by one in your mind. ]

[ Fifth Senior Brother Lu Chen, third in talent, out training all year round, increasingly silent after returning. ]

[ Out training — Wangyou Town — Xuanyin Valley. ]

[ The logic chain is completely connected. ]

[ Master Chiyang requires disciples to go out and train; Fifth Senior Brother Lu Chen came into contact with people from Xuanyin Valley during his training. As for whether he was coerced or defected voluntarily, there is no conclusion yet. ]

[ But one thing can be confirmed: the death tribulation in the last simulation where Huo Quji and Gu Yunxi called for your help while out training is nine times out of ten related to Fifth Senior Brother Lu Chen. ]

[ This name has already been marked with a red line on your mental kill list. ]

[ But now is not the time to take action. ]

[ You do not continue to press, raising your wine bowl to clink with Huo Quji's again. ]

[ "Are all the people in your Fire Cloud Hall this fierce? Then I must stay away in the future, so I don't get beaten up." ]

[ Huo Quji laughs loudly: "Cut it out! The news of that battle at Yunzhong City has long spread; Shen Ji of the Formation Hall jumped off the city wall alone and hacked thirty demon beasts, who doesn't know that?" ]

[ The wine is finished, and it is already dark. ]

[ You bid farewell to Huo Quji at the gate of the Fire Cloud Hall. ]

[ He pats your shoulder: "Next time you have a mission, call me, brother will accompany you!" ]

[ "Definitely." ]

[ You turn around and leave on your sword, the night wind blowing into your sleeves, the tipsiness dissipating for the most part. ]

[ Fifth Senior Brother Lu Chen is a nail that must be pulled out sooner or later. But before pulling him out, you must first investigate the complete chain on the Xuanyin Valley side. ]

[ Otherwise, you will alert the enemy, and the future troubles will be endless. ]

[ — ]

[ Thirty-one years old. March 28th. ]

[ The operation time of the aura patterns for the Army-Breaking Explosive Killing Array has stabilized from three breaths to four breaths. ]

[ The success rate of combining the Thirteen Gale Strikes with the aura array has increased to over eighty percent. ]

[ The sword radiance of the jinhong sword, under the blessing of the aura array, can now split a fourth-rank spirit stone with a single strike. ]

[ You sheathe your sword. ]

[ It is enough. ]

[ — ]

[ March 29th. Afternoon. ]

[ You find Ling Bo. ]

[ "Fourth Senior Brother, I need to go out for a few days on the first day of the fourth month, please tell First Senior Brother and the Hall Master." ]

[ Ling Bo puts down the formation diagram in his hand and nods: "Got it. Stay safe." ]

[ He pauses and adds: "Are you going alone?" ]

[ "With Senior Sister Ling Qingmeng from the Fenglei Hall." ]

[ Ling Bo's eyelids twitch slightly, but he immediately returns to normal. ]

[ "Oh. Then you must be even more careful." ]

[ You take note of his subtle change in expression, but do not expose the subtext in his words. ]

[ — ]

[ Thirty-one years old. April 1st. The Hour of the Rabbit. ]

[ The foot of the back mountain of the Tianxuan Sect. ]

[ When you arrive, Ling Qingmeng is already waiting. ]

[ She has changed into a dark-colored outfit, her long hair braided into a single plait hanging behind her; besides the thunder talisman bag at her waist, there is an extra bulging storage bag. ]

[ A short sword lies horizontally on her back, the sword tassel swaying in the morning breeze. ]

[ She glances at you. ]

[ "Did you bring enough pills?" ]

[ "Thirty-six Spirit Recovery Pills, twelve Healing Pills, six Delusion-Breaking Pills, and four Detoxification Pills." ]

[ Ling Qingmeng nods and faces south. ]

[ "The secret realm is in the depths of the barren ridges; flying at full speed, we can arrive in half a day." ]

[ She steps onto her flying sword. ]

[ The morning light reflects in her eyes, revealing a faint amber color. ]

[ "Keep up." ]

[ The sword light cuts through the air. ]

[ You step onto your jinhong sword and follow closely behind. ]

[ Two beams of sword light plunge into the clouds one after another, speeding towards the direction six hundred miles south of the Tianxuan Sect. ]