28: A critical hit returns the Seven-Colored Soul-Nourishing Lotus; enter the secret realm!

For the rest of the auction, Xiao Fan remained in a daze until the final Final item (grand finale item) appeared.

A charred piece of wood was placed on a jade plate.

"Everyone, this is the grand finale treasure of this auction—the Ten Thousand Year Lightning Strike Wood. The starting price is 100,000 Spirit Stones."

Xiao Fan immediately sat up straight.

This was his last hope; for his Revered Master, he had to win it.

"110,000." He was the first to bid.

However, his words had barely fallen.

That voice he loathed so much drifted down from the private room on the third floor again.

"One million."

Boom!

The entire auction house exploded.

A direct tenfold increase.

What extravagance.

Xiao Fan felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his mind buzzing.

One million.

Even if he sold himself, he couldn't gather that many Spirit Stones.

"Why... why..." Xiao Fan's eyes shed tears of blood, despair engulfing him like a tide: "Why won't you even give me the last shred of hope."

Venerable Yao also fell silent.

In the face of absolute wealth, any schemes seemed pale and powerless.

Lu Yuan looked at the figure below, like a stray dog, his eyes indifferent.

Contend with me.

What do you have to contend with me?

[Ding, successfully intercepted the Son of Destiny Xiao Fan's blue Opportunity, the Soul Nurturing Wood, triggering a hundredfold critical return of the Seven-Colored Soul-Nourishing Lotus, rewarding 100 Destiny Points.]

Lu Yuan put down his teacup and stood up.

"Qingxue, let's go."

With the item in hand and the Opportunity seized.

There was no need to linger in Wanbao Tower.

Longevity Peak.

As the auction ended, Lu Yuan took Gu Qingxue back to the Sect.

This trip to the Zhao Kingdom Capital was a fruitful one.

Not only did he severely dampen the Son of Destiny Xiao Fan's spirit, but he also snatched two astonishing Opportunities.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged on the Cloud Bed, and with a wave of his sleeve, several glittering treasures floated before him.

That charred piece of wood, which emitted a warm Divine Soul fluctuation—the Ten Thousand Year Lightning Strike Wood, also known as the Soul Nurturing Wood—was quietly floating in the air.

In comparison, although the Soul Nurturing Wood was also a rare treasure, it paled in comparison to the dazzling brilliance of the Seven-Colored Soul-Nourishing Lotus.

Lu Yuan's expression was calm. With a casual gesture, he drew the Soul Nurturing Wood into his hand and handed it to Gu Qingxue beside him.

"Qingxue, this is for you."

Gu Qingxue was slightly startled. Her beautiful eyes shifted, looking at the priceless Soul Nurturing Wood, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"Husband, this... this is the supreme treasure you bought for a million Spirit Stones." Her voice was a little hesitant: "This item has miraculous effects on repairing the Divine Soul. You have just advanced to the Soul Transformation Stage and need to stabilize your Divine Soul. How can I..."

"It's fine." Lu Yuan interrupted her, his tone gentle yet undeniable: "My Divine Soul is already stable. This item, for me, is merely icing on the cake.

As for you, you have just condensed your Nascent Soul. Although you have overcome the Heart Demon Tribulation, your Divine Soul foundation is still slightly weak.

Refining this wood into your Sea of Consciousness can ensure the advancement of your Divine Soul, and your future cultivation will be twice as effective."

Upon hearing this, a warm current surged within Gu Qingxue's heart.

She naturally knew the preciousness of this Soul Nurturing Wood.

At the auction, her husband's magnificent demeanor, spending a fortune for this item, was still etched in her mind.

But now, her husband had unhesitatingly given it to her.

This feeling of being cherished and protected completely melted her normally aloof heart.

"Thank you, Husband."

She took the Soul Nurturing Wood with both hands, her gaze towards Lu Yuan filled with tender affection and gratitude.

She no longer spoke polite pleasantries, but silently vowed in her heart to cultivate diligently and not let down her husband's profound affection.

After Gu Qingxue left the Immortal Cave with the Soul Nurturing Wood to cultivate in seclusion in the side hall, Lu Yuan raised his hand and a lotus flower emitting seven-colored auspicious light, each petal seemingly containing a dreamlike world, appeared before him.

It was precisely the Seven-Colored Soul-Nourishing Lotus.

This was the real main event.

Compared to the gentle nourishment of the Soul Nurturing Wood, this Seven-Colored Soul-Nourishing Lotus was a divine object that could directly cause a qualitative change in the Divine Soul.

Lu Yuan didn't hesitate; he opened his mouth and inhaled.

The seven-colored lotus transformed into a streak of light, directly entering his glabella and rushing into his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness.

Boom!

His Sea of Consciousness churned.

Lu Yuan felt a cool and vast energy instantly explode deep within his Soul.

His Primordial Spirit, which was originally a thousand zhang tall, began to rapidly expand at a visible rate under the nourishment of this energy.

1,100 zhang.

1,300 zhang.

1,500 zhang... After an unknown period, when the seven-colored energy was completely absorbed, his Primordial Spirit had already expanded to a massive two thousand zhang.

His Primordial Spirit was crystal clear throughout, emitting dazzling golden light, like a deity sitting cross-legged in the center of his Sea of Consciousness.

His Divine Sense power had more than doubled.

Although his cultivation was still Early Nascent Soul Stage, this Divine Sense intensity was already comparable to a Venerable in the Middle Stage of Soul Transformation.

Lu Yuan slowly opened his eyes, and two streaks of seven-colored divine light flashed across them, the Void Realm seemingly unable to withstand this pressure, rippling in layers.

"My Divine Sense has greatly advanced. Next, it's time to explore the Tai Xu Secret Realm."

He flipped his palm and took out the Incomplete Manual of the rivers and mountains society map he had obtained at the auction.

This map was originally the only key to opening the Tai Xu Secret Realm.

But now, the System had rewarded him with complete control over the Tai Xu Secret Realm, making this map a dispensable decoration.

Lu Yuan's mind stirred slightly.

A mysterious feeling of controlling everything instantly surged into his heart.

It was as if that independent space, tens of thousands of miles away, had become a part of his body. With just a thought, he could enter and exit at will, and manipulate it freely.

"Open."

He gently pointed at the Void Realm in front of him.

Buzz.

Space twisted, and a spatial portal exuding an ancient and vast aura appeared out of thin air.

Originally, this Tai Xu Secret Realm was left by Venerable Taixu to select a successor and had extremely strong Restrictions, only allowing Cultivators at Foundation Establishment Stage and below to enter.

If one exceeded this limit, they would be repelled or even obliterated by the Secret Realm's Laws.

But at this moment, this iron rule, aimed at outsiders, was virtually nonexistent for Lu Yuan, who was the Revered Master of the Secret Realm.

He took a step, and his figure instantly disappeared into the light portal... Heaven and earth transformed.

When Lu Yuan saw the scene before him clearly again, he was already in an independent Small World.

The Spiritual Qi here was dense, ancient trees towered, distant mountains rose and fell, and great rivers surged.

Lu Yuan floated high in the sky, looking down at the land below.

In his mind, countless pieces of information about the Tai Xu Secret Realm surged like a tide.

Where there were Formation traps, where there were Yao Beast lairs, where Heaven And Earth Treasure were hidden—everything was clear to him.

He saw that in the outer regions of the Secret Realm, many first-order and second-order Yao Beasts lived.

Even in some dangerous areas, several third-order Yao Beasts were kept, serving as the final assessment for trial-takers.

If Xiao Fan were to enter, he would have to undergo life-and-death struggles, passing through numerous checkpoints, before he could reach the core area.

But Lu Yuan didn't need to.

Those so-called assessments and trials were nothing but child's play in his eyes.

His gaze penetrated layers of spatial barriers, directly locking onto a peculiar place in the deepest part of the Secret Realm, enveloped by layers of natural Restrictions.