83: The Secret Realm of the Mahayana Period

The atmosphere in the room grew slightly stagnant.

Zhou Yan took a deep breath. Since the box had been opened, he no longer bothered to pretend and immediately adopted a 'so what if it all blows up' attitude.

“Fellow Daoist, if you have any advice, please speak frankly. Since you know my identity, you should also be aware that the entire Qingxu Grotto-Heaven stands behind me.”

“The Northern Territory is, after all, my Sect's domain. Even if your Joyous Union Sect were to come personally, you should still exercise some discretion.”

Meng Ke covered her face with her sleeve, letting out a soft laugh, but in Zhou Yan's eyes, this smile was particularly jarring.

Damn it, the more he looked at that smile, the more artificial it seemed, even more uncomfortable to Zhou Yan than the 'Oil King'.

Zhou Yan had already made up his mind: he would give her a Sword Seal to the face first. If that didn't work, he'd follow with another sword strike. If that still failed, the last sword strike would be for himself.

“Although I don't know why Fellow Daoist harbors such great hostility towards this servant.”

Meng Ke seemed to see through his thoughts, but her tone remained steady.

“But this does not affect our subsequent conversation.”

“As far as I know, Fellow Daoist is currently undergoing trials down the mountain. However, the Nascent Soul realm is no easy feat. If you rely solely on resources, for a Prodigy like you, it would instead be an insult.”

She paused, observing Zhou Yan's reaction, then continued.

“Therefore, I have an Opportunity I'd like to share with Fellow Daoist. I wonder if Fellow Daoist is willing to listen?”

“Unwilling.”

Zhou Yan replied crisply and decisively. With that, he stood up again, intending to leave.

However, the scene before him flickered slightly, and he found himself perfectly seated back in his original spot.

“Is Fellow Daoist truly not curious about what kind of Opportunity it is?” Meng Ke's voice carried a hint of helplessness.

Zhou Yan curled his lips.

“It doesn't matter. The word 'Opportunity' is about fate. What I don't know is not fated for me, and forcing it is useless.”

He made to stand up again.

This time, he felt a soft yet irresistible force gently pressing down on his shoulders, making him sit back down.

Meng Ke had, at some point, appeared before him, her hands resting on his shoulders.

Seeing that Zhou Yan still seemed intent on leaving, Meng Ke stopped beating around the bush. The perfect smile on her face vanished, her speech quickened, and she spoke directly.

“You possess a Divine Ability related to time. I presume that within Qingxu Grotto-Heaven, some Senior has already mentioned the deeds of the Human Realm's first Mahayana, Senior Feng Xu, to you.”

Zhou Yan's eyes flickered slightly; he did not interrupt her.

“The Opportunity I spoke of is related to Senior Feng Xu's Law of Time Legacy,” Meng Ke continued.

“One must know that although Senior Feng Xu ultimately achieved Mahayana through the Law of Wind, before that, he was universally recognized as the foremost expert below the Body Integration Stage.”

“His mastery of the Law of Time could even be described as reaching the pinnacle.”

“If you can obtain the Legacy he left behind, it would be equivalent to mastering the strongest Law of Time Foundation in the current era.”

“Prematurely touching the power of Law will not only help you draw inferences and comprehend other Laws more easily.”

“Once you reach Soul Transformation, if you Cultivate the Law of Time as a supplementary practice, it can greatly compensate for the consumption of early stage Cultivation, and also significantly enhance your combat power during the Soul Transformation Stage due to the formidable nature of the Law of Time.”

Zhou Yan smirked inwardly. He had his own instruction manual for dealing with people who liked to be riddlers.

But on the surface, he still feigned helplessness.

“Since that's the case, Fellow Daoist, please speak quickly. Let's not waste each other's time any further.”

Seeing that Zhou Yan seemed to be persuaded, Meng Ke also resumed her flawless demeanor and spoke slowly.

“Actually, it's nothing major.”

“Actually, it's nothing ma—jor,” Zhou Yan repeated sarcastically in his mind.

“This Opportunity points to a mausoleum, or rather, a Secret Realm,” Meng Ke added.

“Oh?”

Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow. Could he have actually won the lottery?

“Is it Feng Xu's tomb?”

“No.”

Meng Ke shook her head.

“It's the tomb of Recluse of Spiritual Stream, a Nascent Soul Cultivator Disciple under him.”

“Farewell.” Zhou Yan immediately stood up.

He should have realized it earlier. If a Mahayana Stage tomb had truly appeared, his cheap master and Qingxu Grotto-Heaven would never have remained silent; they would have told him long ago.

But a Nascent Soul Cultivator's tomb was different.

Although still precious, in the eyes of a colossal entity like Qingxu Grotto-Heaven, it truly wasn't considered a particularly good Opportunity.

His cheap master had even stated that if he only became a minor Nascent Soul Cultivator, his life would be over.

Sect resources were abundant. When he returned to the Sect, he could use as many Nascent Soul-level resources as he wanted, not to mention he currently carried two Nascent Soul-level Magic Treasures.

With just those few Nascent Soul-level resources, why would Zhou Yan risk his life?

“The reason that Disciple stopped at Soul Transformation was precisely because he inherited Senior Feng Xu's Law of Time, which restricted his Cultivation.”

“Therefore, obtaining his Legacy is no different from obtaining Senior Feng Xu's Law of Time Legacy.”

“More importantly, the tomb is rumored to contain some time-type Magic Treasures that Senior Feng Xu used in his early years.”

Just then, a clear notification sound rang in Zhou Yan's mind.

“Ding! Main Quest triggered: [Time's Sorrow • One].”

“Quest Objective: Explore Recluse of Spiritual Stream's Mausoleum. Current exploration progress (0%).”

Meng Ke's long speech, delivered with great effort, was far less effective than this single “ding.”

The moment the quest prompt appeared, Zhou Yan's attitude immediately underwent a complete 180-degree change.

“Let's elaborate.”

Zhou Yan sat back down, his tone becoming calm.

Seeing Zhou Yan's change in attitude, Meng Ke assumed he was swayed by the valuable treasures in the tomb, and her heart settled slightly.

“Now we can finally discuss properly.”

“Fellow Daoist should have been this direct earlier, saving all those detours. We might have already reached an agreement.”

Meng Ke smiled faintly, not responding, and instead began to introduce the details.

“The opening of this Secret Realm has cultivation restrictions; it only allows Cultivators up to the Foundation Establishment Stage to enter.”

“At that time, not only Northern Territory Cultivators but also Prodigies from various other regions will gather, including many top-tier experts within the Foundation Establishment Stage.”

“Regrettably, although my Misty Rain Painted Barge has an entry quota, we lack suitable candidates to participate.”

As she spoke, she took out a special, faintly glowing fragment and placed it on the table.

Zhou Yan's gaze swept over it, and the item information naturally appeared.

[Key to the Corridor of Time *1]

[Quality: Elite]

“Why doesn't Fellow Daoist go and try it personally?”

“Fellow Daoist jests.”

“This servant's cultivation is low; how could I be qualified to enter such a Secret Realm? As for the means that just trapped Fellow Daoist, it was merely a special innate Divine Ability.”

She hadn't even bothered to act earlier, but now she was putting on a show again. However, Zhou Yan couldn't be bothered with it and directly asked the crucial question.

“What are the conditions for giving me this key?”

“You should know that with the power of Qingxu Grotto-Heaven, it wouldn't be difficult for me to obtain a key if I truly wanted one.”

“I told you, Fellow Daoist doesn't need to be so wary.”

“The conditions are not harsh, and the key itself isn't terribly valuable. We simply happened to meet and wish to seek cooperation with you, sir.”

Meng Ke's tone was sincere, not feigned.

She then took out a scroll, unrolled it, and revealed a portrait of a spirited young man in blue robes.

“This person is the Young Lord of my Joyous Union Sect, Mu Qianqiu.”

“Our only request is that after Fellow Daoist enters the Secret Realm, you can accompany our Young Lord and proceed together to the final Legacy ground.”

“According to reliable intelligence, Senior Feng Xu's leftover time-type Magic Treasures are stored there.”

“Every Cultivator who reaches the final trial can obtain one of them.”

“However, only a minority of people ultimately make it. A Soul Transformation Stage Secret Realm is by no means simple, and if one has to search for Legacy while also contending against other Prodigies, the difficulty would be too great.”

“But if Fellow Daoist is willing to join forces with our Young Lord, it would greatly increase the success rate for both parties.”

“Of course, even if Fellow Daoist ultimately does not wish to cooperate, this key will still be given to you as compensation for the numerous times I detained you just now.”

“We only humbly request that, should you encounter our Young Lord within the Secret Realm, you would extend some courtesy and not intentionally make things difficult for him.”