85: Secret Realm

Successfully returning to the outskirts of Qinghe County, Chen Linsheng didn't go home immediately but found a secluded section of the river and dove into the water as silently as a fish returning to its nest.

The water flow wrapped around his body, and a familiar feeling came over him. He circulated [Mastery of Water Nature], and his figure became as swift as a swimming fish, skillfully passing through that hidden waterway and entering the secluded underwater Immortal Cave once again.

The Immortal Cave remained quiet and peaceful; the soft light from the glowing strange stones dispersed the disturbances of the outside world.

Chen Linsheng let out a long sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing. He took out the gains from this adventure one by one and laid them out before him.

The secret letter obtained from the White Lotus Sect member first caught his attention.

The characters on the letter were crooked and squiggly, like ghost charms; he scrutinized them repeatedly, his brow furrowing slightly. Relying on the powerful memory and analytical skills brought by [Tracking Perfection], he carefully recalled all the written classics he had seen, yet he remained clueless.

An intuition told him that the content of this letter likely had little to do with the local operations of the White Lotus Sect's "Jade Sowing Plan" in Qinghe County; there might be a larger, more secretive plot involved behind it.

"If I hand it over now, the Senior Martial Uncle and the Government will definitely take it very seriously, but there are too few clues, and it might not be deciphered immediately. Instead, it might alert the enemy or drag me into a deeper vortex..." Chen Linsheng pondered for a moment and made a decision. "I'll keep this letter for now and try to decipher it myself."

He carefully put away the secret letter and turned his gaze to that heavy thin metal book—the remnant of Hundred Refinements Steel Body.

He opened the pages and studied them carefully.

As his understanding deepened, a light of surprise gradually bloomed in his eyes. This Hundred Refinements Steel Body was different from the Iron Clothes Art, Golden Bell Shield, and even the Iron Arm Skill he had cultivated before; it didn't just temper the physical defense of the flesh, but focused more on tempering the muscles and bones of the entire body!

Through unique vibrating force and medicinal penetration, it made the bones as dense as steel and the fascia as tough as a dragon; it was a supreme method for truly honing the body's Foundation and enhancing the limits of strength and endurance.

"The Jade Marrow Guiding Technique tempers the bone marrow and enhances the Origin of Qi and blood, while the Hundred Refinements Steel Body tempers the bones and muscles, supporting the strength of the Physical Body... The two work from the inside and outside, deep and shallow. If they can be combined, it will have immeasurable benefits for my current Flesh Refining Realm and even the subsequent Jiaojin Realm cultivation! It could even lay an incredibly solid Foundation for impacting higher Realms in the future!"

Chen Linsheng was excited; the harvest from this adventure far exceeded his expected value.

He suppressed the urge to start cultivating immediately and memorized the essentials of the Hundred Refinements Steel Body remnant.

Time passed unnoticed in the cave. Worried that Su Wan and the others at home might be concerned, he packed his things, dove out of the Immortal Cave again, and returned to the residence in the west of the city.

Seeing Chen Linsheng return safely, Su Wan, Aunt Zhang, and the others were naturally overjoyed.

The warm atmosphere at home washed away the dust and murderous aura he had accumulated over the past few days.

He spoke with Su Wan for a while, tested Big Ox Zhang on his lessons, and enjoyed the hot meal prepared by Aunt Zhang, his heart filled with peace.

In these troubled times, this warmth of home was the greatest motivation for him to forge ahead.

The next morning, Chen Linsheng went to the Water Patrol Division Yamen early.

He first handled some accumulated simple official business, then, as usual, strolled into the Scripture Pavilion where miscellaneous classics were kept.

His goal was clear, and he began searching through piles of old books recording local customs, history, geography, and even miscellaneous talks on foreign scripts.

The sharpness brought by [Tracking Perfection] made him extremely efficient, not letting any clue related to the characters in that secret letter slip by.

Time passed bit by bit. Just as he was about to turn this remote Scripture Pavilion upside down, a dusty, tattered book titled Brief Records of Northern Ancient Customs caught his attention. He brushed off the dust and flipped through it quickly; besides recording the mountains and geography of the Northern Ancient Dynasty, it actually had a few pages of simple character comparison tables at the end!

Chen Linsheng's heart stirred. He immediately took out the secret letter and compared it with the Northern Ancient characters in the book.

"As expected!" A sharp light flashed in his eyes.

Those few recurring key characters corresponded exactly to the Northern Ancient characters in the comparison table!

His Mental Energy was far beyond that of ordinary people. With his powerful memory and reasoning ability, combined with the context and known information, he began the difficult task of deciphering the secret letter.

It took a full hour, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead before the content of the letter was finally roughly interpreted by him.

What the letter said was not about the specific actions of the White Lotus Sect, but mentioned that a year later, in the area of Hangu Pass on the border between the Northern Ancient Dynasty and Great Liang, a Secret Realm left behind by the passing of a Fifth Realm Grandmaster would open!

The letter also roughly marked the general range where the entrance might appear and the natural phenomena that might occur when it opened.

A Fifth Realm Grandmaster! That was a legendary existence standing at the Peak of martial arts, surpassing the Iron Bone Realm! One could only imagine the opportunities contained within the Secret Realm left behind!

However, after Chen Linsheng finished reading the deciphered content, his initial excitement quickly cooled, replaced by a trace of gloom and helplessness.

"Hangu Pass... It's thousands of miles away, at the border of the two countries, a strategic military location with heavy troops stationed year-round; the situation is incredibly complex. And it only opens in a year... there are too many variables. With my current strength and status, wanting to participate is no different from a pipe dream. This Opportunity, for now, seems like a reflection of the moon in the water, having nothing to do with me."

He shook his head. Although he felt a sense of longing, he was mostly clear-headed.

One must eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. Aiming too high will only lead to a harder fall.

To be safe, he took out a fire starter and unhesitatingly lit the original secret letter.

Watching it turn to ashes in the flames, he ensured there were no further consequences. As for the information about the Secret Realm, he had already memorized it for later.

Having done all this, he composed himself and left the Scripture Pavilion.

Finding Little Tiger Wang practicing on the Drill Ground, he handed over a list of medicinal ingredients he had written long ago and enough silver.

"Xiao Hu, go to the Hundred Herbs Hall for me and purchase the medicinal ingredients on this list. Make sure the quantities are sufficient."

"Alright, Boss Chen, don't you worry!" Little Tiger Wang took the silver and the list, patted his chest in guarantee, and immediately ran off.

Chen Linsheng returned to his duty room in the Water Patrol Division, waiting quietly while continuing to deduce the cultivation method of Hundred Refinements Steel Body in his mind.

Before long, Little Tiger Wang returned with bags of medicinal ingredients, all of which were auxiliary medicines needed for preparing the muscle-tempering medicinal bath and assisting in the cultivation of Hundred Refinements Steel Body and Jade Marrow Guiding Technique.

Carrying the medicinal ingredients, Chen Linsheng went straight home.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he instructed Aunt Zhang to boil a large pot of hot water, while he slipped into the Quiet Room specifically set aside for practice and began processing the medicinal ingredients.

He first processed the three main medicines—earth core fire lotus, ice crystal orchid, and green snake vine—in a specific order and technique, either grinding, juicing, or roasting them to stimulate their medicinal properties.

Then, he added the many auxiliary medicines Little Tiger Wang had bought into the huge bathtub he had already prepared.

Charcoal fire blazed under the bathtub, and the medicinal liquid inside boiled, its color gradually turning into a deep crimson, with occasional glimmers of icy blue and emerald green, emitting a rich, pungent medicinal fragrance that mixed heat and coolness. The entire room was filled with a powerful wave of energy.

Chen Linsheng took off his clothes, feeling the majestic medicinal power in the liquid, a flash of determination in his eyes. He no longer hesitated, stepped into the scalding medicinal liquid, and sat cross-legged, leaving only his head outside.

"Chii..."

The medicinal power was like ten thousand fine needles, instantly piercing into his pores, drilling into his muscles and fascia, even penetrating deep into his bones.

The two forces of extreme heat and extreme cold intertwined, bringing a tearing pain and itching. Even with Chen Linsheng's tough will, he couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, the veins on his forehead bulging.

He didn't dare to be negligent and immediately circulated [Hunyuan True Body] with all his strength to guide this violent medicinal power. At the same time, he visualized the method of Hundred Refinements Steel Body in his mind, attempting to induce that unique vibrating force to begin the preliminary tempering of his muscles and bones!