100: Chapter 99 Visiting Su Mubai

Yun Ming left the Immortal Cave. He did not go directly to the Secret Realm; instead, he first made a trip to Su Mubai's residence.

He was worried because Jiu Jiu basically stayed in the Immortal Cave all the time and did not know much about outside matters—it could not even manage basic arithmetic. It would be better to go ask Su Mubai what exactly was going on with this Secret Realm.

Su Mubai's Immortal Cave was on the east side of the Inner Sect, built against the mountain, quiet and elegant. When Yun Ming arrived, the gates of the Immortal Cave were slightly ajar, and the faint aura of Alchemy fire seeped out from within.

He stood at the door and waited for a while, not going in to disturb him.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the aura of the Alchemy fire gradually faded, and Su Mubai's voice came from inside: "Is that Brother Yun outside?"

Yun Ming answered.

Footsteps sounded, and Su Mubai hurried out to greet him, his face filled with pleasant surprise: "Brother Yun, you have come out of seclusion?"

He looked Yun Ming up and down, his gaze narrowing slightly, then he cupped his hands and said: "Congratulations, Brother Yun, on your successful Core Formation."

Yun Ming smiled: "Just good luck."

Su Mubai stepped aside: "Please, come in."

The two entered the Immortal Cave and sat down in the living room. Su Mubai took out some spirit tea and brewed it himself; the tea fragrance was elegant.

Yun Ming took a sip, then pulled eight jade bottles from his sleeve and lined them up on the table.

Su Mubai was stunned: "This is..."

"yunling pill," Yun Ming said. "Medium Grade, the quality is decent. During the eight months I was in seclusion, thanks to Brother Su taking my classes, this is just a small token of my appreciation, please do not refuse."

Su Mubai's expression changed slightly, and he waved his hands hurriedly: "Brother Yun, what are you doing? Taking those classes was something I volunteered for; how could I accept your Medicinal Pill?"

"It is only right."

"No, no." Su Mubai stood up and kept pushing them away.

Yun Ming looked at his earnest expression and knew he was sincere in not accepting them.

He smiled, not forcing the issue, and put the jade bottles back into his sleeve.

Yun Ming took a sip of tea and turned to the main topic: "While I was in seclusion, were there any major events in the Sect?"

Su Mubai thought for a moment and said: "The biggest event is the opening of the Lingze Cave-Heaven."

"Lingze Cave-Heaven?"

"It is that largest Secret Realm," Su Mubai said. "Brother Yun should have heard of it; it has not been opened for over a hundred years. This time it opened suddenly, saying it was for the Disciples to go in and gain experience. The time limit is six months, and all Heaven And Earth Treasure obtained belong to the individual."

Yun Ming raised an eyebrow: "Six months? That long?"

"Yes," Su Mubai nodded. "Three months have already passed, so there are three more months left."

He asked calmly: "This Lingze Cave-Heaven, besides Cultivation resources, what else is inside?"

Su Mubai shook his head: "I am not clear on that. I have never had much interest in Secret Realms; Alchemy is the right path. However, my Master mentioned that there are many Spirit Medicine and Yao Beast inside, suitable for gathering herbs and hunting."

He paused and added: "Actually, the Sect opening this Secret Realm was also carefully considered. Although it is said on the surface that the harvest belongs to the individual, most people do not know Alchemy when they get Spirit Medicine, and do not know Artifact Refining when they hunt Yao Beast, so in the end, they still have to beg the Sect. Whether the Sect takes a cut or buys them directly, they do not lose out either way."

Yun Ming nodded; that was the truth.

"There is one more thing," Su Mubai lowered his voice. "I heard from my Master that this Secret Realm will collapse in three months. By then, the Sect will only have two Secret Realms left. The Old Ancestor might try to find a way to get a new one from elsewhere, but that is still being considered."

Yun Ming's heart stirred.

Collapse.

Three months.

He pondered for a moment, then asked: "Besides these, is there anything else? For example... any movements from the Elders?"

Su Mubai thought, then shook his head: "I have not heard of any. However, Elder Yuan Zhenzi seems quite busy lately, frequently entering and leaving the Sect Leader's hall. My Master mentioned it once, but what it is specifically, my Master does not know."

Yun Ming was thoughtful.

After chatting for a while, the sky began to darken. Yun Ming stood up to take his leave. As he was leaving, he remembered something and turned around: "Brother Su, you are now at Medium Grade, right?"

Su Mubai nodded: "Thanks to your guidance last time, I luckily made a Breakthrough."

Yun Ming smiled and took a Jade Slip from his chest and handed it over: "This contains some of my insights from when I achieved Core Formation; perhaps it will be useful to you."

Su Mubai was stunned, then accepted it solemnly and bowed deeply: "Thank you, Brother Yun."

Yun Ming waved his hand and left into the night.

Returning to his Immortal Cave, Yun Ming did not delay and began to pack his things.

He wanted to go to that Secret Realm and see it for himself.

Regardless of what scheme Yuan Zhenzi was plotting, he had to see that teleportation array with his own eyes. If there was a chance, he would directly put it into the map of mountains and rivers and take it away—forget about any cooperation, doing it himself was the most reliable way.

Jiu Jiu crouched on the table, watching him take things out one by one, and asked curiously: "Master, are we moving?"

"Something like that," Yun Ming said without looking up. "Going to a place, might stay for a while."

He dumped everything from his naxu ring out in one go—Spirit Stone, Medicinal Pill, Materials, Magical Artifact, miscellaneous items, piling them into a small hill. Then, with a thought, the map of mountains and rivers flew out from his Sea of Consciousness, suspended in mid-air. The scroll unfolded, revealing a vast world.

"Go in," Yun Ming pointed at the scroll.

Jiu Jiu widened its eyes: "This is...?"

"My world," Yun Ming smiled. "You will live here from now on."

Jiu Jiu blinked, flapped its wings, and flew in. It landed on a hilltop, looked around, and chirped excitedly: "So big! Master, you are so amazing!"

Yun Ming ignored it and began moving things inside.

The first thing to move was the herb garden.

He used his Spiritual Qi to lift the entire herb garden along with the breathing soil, and sent it into the map of mountains and rivers. As soon as the breathing soil entered the map, it immediately changed—it seemed to come alive, spreading out on its own and merging into that barren land.

At that very moment, Yun Ming perceived an extremely subtle change.

In the map of mountains and rivers, a trace of Spiritual Qi was born.

Although that Spiritual Qi flashed and vanished, dissipating completely in an instant, that momentary sensing made Yun Ming's heart stir.

The breathing soil had been absorbed.

Or rather, the map of mountains and rivers was absorbing these Heaven And Earth Treasure to perfect itself.

He thought of the flaws in this world—the Law was incomplete, and there was no Spiritual Qi. If he could use a large amount of Heaven And Earth Treasure to fill it, would there be a day where he could truly fill it into a complete world?

Yun Ming's eyes brightened slightly.

He did not hesitate and began sending the items from his naxu ring in one by one.

Spirit Stone, Medicinal Pill, Materials—most of them just lay there quietly, with no reaction. But any mineral-type items, as soon as they entered the map, would sink into the ground on their own, merging with the earth. Any Spirit Medicine-type items, such as the Spirit Medicine he had collected before, would take root and grow as soon as they landed, growing even faster than they did outside.

Yun Ming watched this scene, thoughtful.

What the map of mountains and rivers needed were things of the "Origin of Heaven and Earth" category. It did not care for ordinary Spirit Stone or Medicinal Pill.

He sent all the miscellaneous things inside—useful or not, they were just sitting there anyway. On the barren land within the map, a small hill gradually appeared; that was the fortune he had saved up over these years.

Jiu Jiu ran around that small hill, excited like a hamster that had discovered a Treasure Trove.

Yun Ming chuckled and ignored it.

After packing everything up, he took one last look at the Immortal Cave he had lived in for over half a year, and turned to leave.

The entrance to the Lingze Cave-Heaven was north of the Outer Sect, a huge waterfall.

Yun Ming rode the taiqing wanderer and arrived shortly after.