61: Chapter 61: The Secret Realm Killing Game - Breakthrough and Foundation Establishment! The defensive Xuan Iron Shield is in place!

Shen Ji stared at the light screen, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest.

Secret Realm.

This was the first large-scale instance event to appear since the simulator started running.

The text on the light screen continued to scroll.

[36 years old, 15th of the first lunar month. Plaza.]

[Just as the Deacon Elder finished speaking, the golden rift between the eight stone pillars expanded to about ten feet wide.]

[Various factions began to surge forward.]

[You were in no hurry to leave.]

[Taking advantage of the gap as the crowd moved, you pulled up the system panel.]

[Trait Slots: 5/5.]

[You quickly scanned your current equipment bar.]

[Half-Step Spirit Root (Blue) — no longer useful. The Aptitude Infusion at Shen Tian's birth already upgraded your spirit root to mid-grade water system; this trait can be unequipped.]

[Blessed with Many Children (Purple) — you won't be having children in the secret realm. Unequip.]

[Night Vision (White) — better than nothing, but the environment inside the secret realm might not be dark. Unequip.]

[You tossed the three traits back into the warehouse and reconfigured your selection.]

[Equipped Spirit Affinity (Blue) — efficiency in absorbing heaven and earth spiritual energy increased by 40%.]

[Equipped Diligence Overcomes Mediocrity (Green) — put in double the effort, and you will surely gain a reward.]

[Retained Greased Soles (White) — movement speed increased by 20% in critical moments. Don't remove life-saving tools.]

[Left Wealth Returns After Being Spent (Gold) untouched — core luck trait.]

[Left Sword Mastery (Blue) untouched — combat core.]

[Five slots, all full.]

[You closed the panel and gripped the shuangluo sword.]

[Huo Quji walked over carrying the blood-burning spear, jerking his chin toward the rift.]

["What are you lingering for?"]

["Adjusting my equipment."]

["Huh?"]

["It's nothing. Let's go."]

[The two of you stepped into the golden rift.]

[Your vision turned white.]

[The sensation of the ground disappearing beneath your feet lasted for three breaths.]

[When you opened your eyes again, you were standing on a grey-white wasteland.]

[There was no sun or moon in the sky, and a cloudy white halo enveloped the entire space.]

[The spiritual energy was extremely dense; your meridians felt a faint pain as you inhaled it.]

[Behind you, the golden rift closed.]

["Fellow Daoists."]

[A voice rang out from nowhere, coming from all directions.]

["The secret realm is divided into three trials. A treasure point is set after each trial."]

["The final treasure is in the Central Hall after the third trial."]

["How far you can go depends on your own abilities."]

[The voice disappeared.]

[On the wasteland, the various factions quickly dispersed.]

[You observed your surroundings and found that every hundred feet, a fist-sized spirit stone was scattered on the ground, all of excellent quality.]

[Huo Quji bent down to pick one up.]

[You grabbed his wrist.]

["Don't move."]

[You picked up a pebble and threw it at the nearest pile of spirit stones.]

[The moment the pebble landed, the spirit stone exploded, a grey mist rose, and the ground within a ten-foot radius was instantly corroded into a deep pit.]

[Huo Quji jerked his hand back, his face turning pale.]

["That was close."]

[You scanned the surrounding spirit stones. "Lures everywhere; this secret realm is a death trap right from the start."]

[A scream echoed from the distance.]

[A cultivator in blue-grey Daoist robes had stepped into a spirit stone trap, and half his leg was gone.]

[You pulled Huo Quji around the spirit stone area and advanced along the edge of the wasteland.]

[First Trial: Mental Trial.]

[You walked into a stone corridor.]

[Images began to surge on the four walls.]

[Yunzhou City was on fire. Liu Qingqing was running out of the sea of flames holding a child, covered in blood.]

[Shen Tian lay on the ground, motionless.]

[Shen Yue was crying loudly.]

[Your footsteps faltered.]

[An illusion.]

[The images were extremely realistic; even the small mole on Liu Qingqing's temple was exactly right.]

[But her posture of holding the child in her left arm was wrong. Liu Qingqing was used to using her right hand.]

[You closed your eyes and circulated your spiritual energy internally.]

[You opened them after three breaths.]

[The walls of the stone corridor were empty.]

[Huo Quji was behind you, his forehead covered in sweat, but his eyes were clear.]

["That bastard, it showed me my master was dead," he cursed. "It's fake; my master is in the Nascent Soul Realm, who could possibly kill him?"]

[You didn't speak. The first trial tested one's level of clarity regarding their own obsessions.]

[First trial, passed.]

[At the end of the stone corridor, you each received a Spirit-Concentrating Pill.]

[Second Trial: Combat Trial.]

[Exiting the stone corridor, you were met with a rocky field.]

[A ten-foot-tall Stone-armored Golem crouched in the center of the field.]

[It gave off the aura of the Foundation Establishment Level 1.]

[Huo Quji stepped forward, lifting his blood-burning spear.]

["I'll do it!"]

[He swept his spear across, flames wrapping around the spearhead as it slammed into the golem's chest.]

[The golem neither dodged nor avoided it, taking the hit head-on.]

[A layer of stone armor shattered, but there was a second layer underneath.]

[Huo Quji stabbed seven times in succession, each thrust carrying fire; the golem was forced back ten steps before swinging a palm back at him.]

[You cut in from the flank.]

[The shuangluo sword, carrying water-attribute spiritual energy, accurately pierced into the gap in the golem's neck joint.]

[Extreme cold and extreme heat collided violently.]

[The golem's movements slowed down significantly, and fine cracks continued to spread across its joints.]

[Huo Quji seized the opening, and his blood-burning spear pierced through its core.]

[The golem exploded into pieces.]

[Second trial, passed.]

[Third Trial: Coordination Trial.]

[You walked into an underground stone hall.]

[Six black-clad cultivators stood inside the hall.]

[They were not golems, but living people.]

[People from Xuanyin Valley.]

[The leader removed his mask, his face pale.]

["People from the Tianxuan Sect? Only two of you came?"]

[His fingers turned green, and poisonous gas spread to his feet.]

["A true disciple of the Fire Cloud Hall; you'll be perfect for testing my poison."]

[Huo Quji tapped the tip of his spear on the ground, burning a circle into it.]

["Say one more word."]

[The Poison Cultivators moved extremely fast, with the six of them simultaneously throwing out poison fog talismans.]

[Green poison fog instantly filled half the stone hall.]

[You pulled out some Mist Powder with your left hand and used the wind direction to push back against the poison fog's path, finding the weak point in the six-man formation.]

["Between the second and third on the left wing, three steps away, strike with your spear!"]

[Without a word, Huo Quji swept his blood-burning spear.]

[The flames burned a vacuum zone through that patch of poison fog.]

[You cut in closely behind the wall of fire, the shuangluo sword slashing down two people in succession.]

[The remaining four's formation collapsed.]

[The lead Poison Cultivator summoned a Green Skeleton, which opened its mouth and spat out a pillar of toxic smoke.]

[Huo Quji blocked in front, his blood-burning spear spinning to form a fire shield.]

[You circled behind the Poison Cultivator and pierced his shoulder with a sword strike.]

[The Poison Cultivator crushed a Life-saving jade slip, and his figure vanished.]

[Seeing this, the remaining three all crushed their jade slips.]

[The stone hall fell silent.]

[Huo Quji retracted his spear and let out a breath.]

["Brother Shen, your mind is as sharp as a blade."]

["Your spear was fast enough; that's why I dared to gamble."]

[Third trial, passed.]

[Central Hall.]

[The stone doors opened, and pure spiritual energy poured into your body.]

[The dense spiritual energy washed through your meridians, and the barrier of the peak of Qi Refinement Level 9 began to waver.]

[In the center of the hall, dozens of treasures were placed on a stone platform.]

[But you didn't look at them immediately.]

[You sat down cross-legged.]

[You took out the Tianyuan Fruit from your storage bag.]

[The golden fruit turned into liquid upon entering your mouth, and its powerful medicinal force sank straight into your Dantian.]

[The spiritual energy in your meridians began to circulate frantically.]

[Thirty-six Great Cosmic Cycles.]

[Seventy-two Great Cosmic Cycles.]

[One hundred and eight Great Cosmic Cycles.]

[The final barrier of Qi Refinement Level 9 shattered piece by piece under the dual impact of the Tianyuan Fruit's medicinal power and the secret realm's spiritual energy.]

[In your Dantian, the spiritual energy began to condense, compress, and liquefy.]

[Huo Quji stood guard by your side, his blood-burning spear across his knees, staring intently at the entrance of the stone hall.]

[A quarter of an hour later.]

[Inside your Dantian, the first drop of liquid spiritual energy took shape.]

[Foundation Establishment.]

[It was done.]

[The torrent of spiritual energy flowed through your cosmic cycles, and your entire meridian system widened several times over as impurities seeped out through your pores.]

["Ding."]

[System Notification: Cultivation has broken through to Foundation Establishment Level 1.]

[Trait slot limit increased: 5→6.]

[You spent three breaths stabilizing your realm and immediately opened the system panel.]

[The sixth slot was empty.]

[You flipped through the traits in the warehouse without a moment's hesitation.]

[Equipped Mental Stability (White).]

[Effect: Mental energy fluctuations reduced by 15%, illusion resistance slightly increased.]

[The Mental Trial just now had sounded an alarm for you.]

[All six traits were in place.]

[You opened your eyes.]

[Huo Quji turned around and looked you over.]

["You've reached Foundation Establishment?"]

["Mhm."]

["Good grief, Brother Shen, your efficiency is something else." He made a gesture. "My master was in seclusion for three months when he tried to take this step."]

["Your master didn't have a Tianyuan Fruit."]

["True."]

[The two of you stood up and walked toward the stone platform.]

[There were many treasures on the platform, but only two were truly valuable.]

[A palm-sized Black Iron Shield, a Grade 3 defensive artifact with its surface covered in spiritual runes, capable of automatically deploying a protective light screen. — You took it.]

[A crimson pill recipe jade slip, recording the refining method for the Grade 4 Fire Spirit Pill. — Huo Quji took it.]

[The remaining spirit stones and medicinal herbs were split equally between the two of you.]

[Huo Quji put away the pill recipe and patted his storage bag.]

["Alright, let's withdraw."]

[You crushed the Exit token.]

[White light enveloped your body, and the world began to spin.]

[——]

[36 years old, 16th of the first lunar month. Noon.]

[Tianxuan Sect, Main Peak Plaza.]

[When you and Huo Quji walked out of the secret realm exit, there were only a few dozen scattered people left on the plaza.]

[Some were heavily injured, some returned fully loaded, and some had ashen faces.]

[The group of black-clad people from Xuanyin Valley had lost half their number.]

[The lead Poison Cultivator with the pale face stared intently at you, clutching his bleeding shoulder and not daring to step forward.]

[Huo Quji carried his spear, tilting his head as he passed him.]

["Next time, remember to bring a few more people."]

[The Poison Cultivator's face twitched as he turned and left.]

[——]

[17th to 21st of the first lunar month. Fire Cloud Hall private courtyard.]

[You used five days to stabilize your realm at the early Foundation Establishment stage.]

[The gains from the secret realm were worth approximately six thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones after conversion.]

[You tested the Black Iron Shield seven times. Once activated, it can block a full-strength blow from the Foundation Establishment Level 2, with a cooling time of half a stick of incense.]

[It was enough.]

[23rd of the first lunar month.]

[You bid farewell to Huo Quji.]

["Brother Shen, next time you come to the Tianxuan Sect, just mention my name."]

[Huo Quji patted your shoulder.]

["The door to the Fire Cloud Hall will be left open for you."]

[You nodded and clasped your hands.]

["Give my regards to your wife when you get back." He added, "Are the three kids easy to look after?"]

["Not easy."]

["Hahahaha—"]

[You rode a flying artifact to leave the Tianxuan Sect and returned to Yunzhou half a day later.]

[24th of the first lunar month. Dusk.]

[Shens Shop back garden.]

[You pushed open the courtyard gate.]

[Shen Tian was riding on Hu Wansan's neck, shouting 'giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up.']

[Shen Yue was sitting on the steps munching on a tanghulu, her mouth covered in red sugar stains.]

[Liu Qingqing walked out of the house holding Shen Yun; seeing you, she looked you up and down three times.]

["You came back alive?"]

["Mhm."]

["Broke through?"]

["Mhm."]

[Liu Qingqing's expression remained calm.]

["Then Shens Shop won't need to be renamed."]

[She stuffed Shen Yun into your arms and turned back into the kitchen.]

[Shen Yun yawned in your arms and continued to sleep.]

[Shen Ji looked at the text on the light screen.]

[Foundation Establishment.]

[At thirty-six, he had officially entered the Foundation Establishment stage in the simulator.]

[The trait slots went from five to six; this upgrade was extremely critical.]

[He continued to read.]

[36 years old, 25th of the first lunar month to the end of the month.]

[You organized the gains from the secret realm into the warehouse and wore the Black Iron Shield close to your body.]

[Hu Wansan reported the accounts from while you were away; everything was in order.]

[Qin Yao's treasure appraisal work was also steady, and she even secured a new supply channel from the direction of Chishui City.]

[The Ling Family made no moves.]

[Nothing happened for several months.]

[36 years old, 1st of the second lunar month. Birthday.]

["Ding!"]

["Your birthday has arrived; beginning the draw for the annual trait."]

[The wheel turned.]

[White light... none.]

[Green light... none.]

[Blue light... none.]

[The wheel suddenly accelerated.]

[Purple light burst forth from the center of the wheel, its radiance dazzling.]

[Purple light.]

[You stared at that light.]

["Congratulations, you have obtained the trait—"]

[Shen Ji suddenly sat up straight.]

[Purple.]

[After four consecutive years of white traits, purple had finally come.]

[The text on the light screen had not yet refreshed to show the name of the trait.]

[He clutched the armrests of his chair.]