32: Chapter 32 The Secret Realm Opens

In the Ye Family residence, within Ye Tian's small courtyard.

The oil lamp flickered dimly. On the table before him lay the generous rewards for taking first place in the Family sacrificial competition: three jade bottles labeled "qi condensing pill," Yellow Rank High Grade, far more potent than ordinary qi condensing pills; a small box of metallic-lustered "Bone Tempering Paste," a rare ointment used to strengthen bones; and five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

For the Ye Tian of the past, this was an unimaginably huge sum.

But he felt no great waves in his heart now; these resources were earned through his own strength and served as the Foundation for his path to becoming stronger.

Without the slightest delay, he took out a qi condensing pill, swallowed it, and immediately sat cross-legged to enter a Cultivation state.

Once the Medicinal Pill entered his stomach, it transformed into a pure torrent, rapidly surging into his limbs and bones.

Compared to the ordinary Medicinal Pills he had taken before, the medicinal power of this Yellow Rank High Grade qi condensing pill was far more majestic yet lacked the harshness, making it easier to absorb and refine.

He circulated his Qi Induction Mantra while secretly guiding the chaos bead, working simultaneously to frantically absorb the medicinal power.

The Qi in his body grew at a rate visible to the naked eye, and his Meridians were faintly expanding under the scouring of the medicinal power, becoming tougher.

During a break in his Cultivation, he would also take out the Bone Tempering Paste and apply it evenly to the bone joints of his arms, chest, and abdomen.

As the ointment touched his skin, waves of burning, stinging pain washed over him.

He gritted his teeth and endured, circulating his Body Refining technique to guide the medicinal power to penetrate deeper and strengthen his Foundation.

His mother, Lady Liu, quietly pushed open the door. Seeing her son drenched in sweat and focused on his Cultivation, her eyes were filled with heartache, but she dared not disturb him.

She silently placed a bowl of meat soup and a few steamed buns on the table, then retreated on tiptoe and closed the door.

Nowadays, the lives of mother and son were indeed better than before.

No one dared to openly mock or bully them anymore, their monthly allowance had become much more generous, and occasionally, some collateral clansmen would even come to visit with gifts, though it carried a hint of deliberate ingratiation.

Lady Liu knew that all these changes stemmed from the strength her son had fought for with his life.

She couldn't help much, so she could only do her best to take care of her son's daily life, avoiding causing him trouble so he would have no worries behind him.

Ye Tian finished a round of Cultivation and felt a warmth in his heart when he saw the food his mother had prepared on the table.

He picked up the meat soup and drank it slowly, feeling the warmth the food brought.

"Strength..." He clenched his fist, feeling the increasingly abundant Qi in his body and his firmer bones. "Only with sufficient strength can I protect this hard-won peace, explore the mysteries left behind by my father, and... no longer be at the mercy of others!"

He knew the current peace was only temporary.

The Lin Family, the Black Cloud Stronghold, and the hidden dangers within the Family were all like swords hanging over his head.

The Ancestral Land Secret Realm was an Opportunity, but it could also be a crisis.

He finished the last mouthful of soup, closed his eyes again, and sank back into his Cultivation.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these seven days, Ye Tian barely stepped out, pouring all his energy into his Cultivation.

The medicinal power of the qi condensing pill was perfectly refined by the chaos bead. With the help of some resources secretly provided by the Second Elder, his cultivation improved steadily and had stabilized at the Late Stage of the Qi Gathering Fifth Level, not far from the Peak.

The three-fold force of his Overlapping Wave Fist became increasingly proficient, and his Body Refining Third Layer Foundation became even more solid.

He could feel that he was in a Bottleneck period, where ordinary hard work and Medicinal Pills had minimal effect.

The Ancestral Land Secret Realm was the perfect Opportunity for his Breakthrough!

On the morning of the seventh day, the morning sun rose.

Ye Tian finished his overnight recovery, slowly opened his eyes, his sharp gaze restrained, and his aura steady.

He put on a clean cyan cloth robe, hid his short blade close to his body, and tucked a few bottles of essential Medicinal Pills and a small amount of dry rations into his robes.

Pushing open the door, his mother, Lady Liu, was already waiting in the courtyard, holding a brand-new inner garment she had made overnight.

"Tian'er, put this on. The Secret Realm is cold."

Lady Liu handed the inner garment to Ye Tian, her eyes full of concern and reluctance. "Be careful in everything. Mother will wait for your return."

Ye Tian took the inner garment and nodded heavily. "Mother, don't worry, I will return safely."

He didn't say much more, put on the inner garment, gave his mother a reassuring smile, and then turned to walk towards the Forbidden Ground behind the Family Ancestral Hall.

At the entrance of the valley behind the Ancestral Hall, quite a few people had already gathered.

The Clan Chief Ye Qingtian, the Grand Elder, the Second Elder, and other core high-level members were all present.

Ye Long, Ye Qing, Ye Hong, and Ye Yuan had also arrived.

Ye Long's face was still a bit pale, his eyes sinister. Seeing Ye Tian arrive, he snorted coldly and turned his head away.

The other three nodded to Ye Tian, their attitudes much more respectful than before.

Besides them, there were also some Family stewards and guards standing guard all around.

"The time has come." Seeing that everyone had arrived, the Grand Elder spoke in a deep voice, his voice echoing through the valley. "The Ancestral Land Secret Realm is a blessed land left by our ancestors. It contains its own world; Opportunity and risk coexist."

"After the five of you enter, each will have your own destiny. Remember not to be greedy or rash, and absolutely do not kill each other!"

"Seven days later, the entrance to the Secret Realm will open again. You must return on time, otherwise you will be trapped inside, and the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"Yes!" the five replied in unison.

The Grand Elder and Ye Qingtian exchanged glances and nodded.

The two took a step forward simultaneously, each taking out a token from their robes. The majestic Spiritual Qi of the Ningyuan Realm within them erupted, pouring into the tokens!

Hum! The two tokens shone with blinding light. The two beams of light converged in the air and shot towards a huge stone wall at the entrance of the valley!

Ripples immediately appeared on the surface of the stone wall, and an entrance glowing with a hazy halo, large enough for one person to pass through, slowly emerged!

A vast and ancient aura permeated from inside the entrance!

"The Secret Realm is open! Enter quickly!" Ye Qingtian shouted in a low voice.

Ye Long was the first to rush into the light gate impatiently, disappearing from sight.

Ye Qing, Ye Hong, and Ye Yuan followed closely behind.

Ye Tian took a deep breath, took one last look at the Family residence behind him, and no longer hesitated. He stepped forward, his figure disappearing into the light gate.

Just as Ye Tian's figure disappeared, a tiny, subtle distortion occurred in the space near the light gate.

A black shadow, as faint as smoke, took advantage of the cover provided by the energy fluctuations of the light gate and silently slipped into the Secret Realm!

Even Ye Qingtian and the Grand Elder, who were close by, did not notice it!

The light gate slowly closed, finally returning to the appearance of an ordinary stone wall.

Ye Qingtian looked at the valley, which had returned to calm, and frowned. Just a moment ago, he seemed to have felt something unusual, but after careful investigation, he found nothing.

"I hope these little ones can all gain something." He suppressed the slight uneasiness in his heart and turned to leave.

...

The light and shadows before his eyes shifted, and a slight sense of dizziness followed.

When Ye Tian's feet touched solid ground again, he discovered he was in a completely different world.

The sky was a hazy lavender, with no sun, moon, or stars, yet it emitted a soft light.

Under his feet was soft, damp soil, and the air was filled with rich Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, several times purer than the outside world!

All around were towering ancient trees with lush foliage, and many plants emitted a glowing luster.

"Such rich Spiritual Qi!" Ye Tian was shocked. Just by taking one breath, he felt comfortable all over, and the circulation of his internal Qi became a bit faster.

No wonder it is said that Cultivation in the Secret Realm yields twice the result with half the effort!

He looked around vigilantly and found himself at the edge of a forest; Ye Long and the other four were nowhere to be seen.

It seemed the Secret Realm randomly teleported those who entered into different areas.

"Find a safe place first, get familiar with the environment, and then decide."

Ye Tian did not rashly venture deeper. Instead, he chose a giant tree that would take several people to embrace, climbed up to the canopy, and hid in the dense foliage.

He held his breath and focused, pushing his perception to the limit, carefully checking the movements around him.

At the same time, he tried to circulate his Cultivation Technique to absorb the Spiritual Qi here.

Upon absorbing it, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the Spiritual Qi here was not only rich and pure but also extremely gentle, requiring almost no excessive refining to be directly converted into his own Qi!

The chaos bead also warmed up slightly, and the speed at which it absorbed Spiritual Qi far exceeded normal!

"At this rate, perhaps I won't need seven days before I can attempt to Breakthrough to the Qi Gathering Level 6!" Ye Tian felt excited.

But he did not forget the Grand Elder's warning: Opportunity and risk coexist.

Such a precious land would definitely not only contain Spiritual Plants and exotic fruits; it must also have powerful Vicious Beasts guarding it or other unknown dangers.

Just as he was focusing on his investigation, a low beast roar faintly came from deep within the forest in the distance, containing a heart-stopping, ferocious aura!

Ye Tian's eyes narrowed.

And in the shadows, that figure was also silently moving through the forest, its cold murderous intent locked onto his direction...