Du Yi and Jiang Daoyu had left not even a quarter of an hour ago when someone approached from the opposite direction, surprising Chen Jinshu greatly. Just like the two before him, this person triggered the formation barrier surrounding her Ink Plum Courtyard.
"Junior Sister! I have something I'd like to discuss with you!" Ke Jing'an was dressed with elegant restraint. Although he wore the same deep-blue cultivation robe as the others, he radiated an unmistakably refined aura.
From afar, he looked gentle and composed—quite the contrast to the ruthless demeanor he'd shown during the outer sect competition. This contrast between his two faces made Chen Jinshu all the more alert.
"And you are...?" she asked calmly.
"I'm Ke Jing'an, disciple of Master Yi Qiu. You can simply call me Senior Brother Ke."
"What brings you here, Senior Brother?" Her tone remained distant.
"It concerns the Xuanming Secret Realm Will you not invite me in for tea?" Ke Jing'an smiled. The two senior brothers before him had shown more restraint than to ask for tea outright—but Ke Jing'an seemed to have no such reservations.
"Please, come in."
Chen Jinshu led him to the adjacent tea room. She wouldn't risk bringing him into her main quarters—not when she couldn't guess what inappropriate moves he might make. She served only a modest tea—just a few ounces gifted by her senior sister—not her best.
"This is excellent tea, Junior Sister!"
"If you like it, please help yourself to more."
"Let's get to the point, then." Ke Jing'an took an elegant sip, his dark eyes slowly lifting to meet hers.
A chill crept up her spine.
She didn't know him well—only glimpsed him a few times from afar and heard occasional mentions from senior brothers and sisters.
Now, his oddly intense expression only deepened her dislike. The flirtatious gleam in his eyes, so openly aimed at a woman he'd hardly met, was hardly appropriate. It didn't match the image he usually projected.
"Go on, Senior Brother."
"Have you found anyone to team up with for the secret realm expedition? I saw your remarkable performance during the outer sect competition and was deeply impressed. I came today hoping to propose a partnership."
Before she could respond, Ke Jing'an continued, "I know others must have approached you already. But hear me out—I have something special to offer. From my master, I've received the location of a hidden medicinal garden, full of second- and third-grade spirit herbs. A treasure trove for alchemists like us."
"There's also a legacy site—completely safe—where several of my senior brothers have obtained inheritances."
He looked at her expectantly, as if confident she would agree. "Few cultivators knew these kinds of secrets—surely an ordinary disciple couldn't resist such temptation?"
"I'm sorry, Senior Brother Ke," Chen Jinshu replied with a touch of regret. "I've already agreed to team up with other senior brothers. You'll need to find someone else."
"Ah, I see. No matter. There's always next time." Ke Jing'an's expression didn't change much, but a distant look crossed his face, as though he were pondering something else.
"Mhm."
"In that case, I won't disturb you further."
After sending him off, Chen Jinshu inspected her courtyard thoroughly, front and back—just in case he'd left poison or traps. Thankfully, everything seemed untouched. Following Ke Jing'an's visit, several other disciples also came to invite her to join their teams, but she politely declined each one. She had her sights set on gathering resources—not on playing bodyguard.
Five days later, the long-awaited day arrived: the Xuanming Secret Realm was about to open. Chen Jinshu had signed a cooperation contract with her two senior brothers the day before. The terms were straightforward: how to divide resources, how to cooperate, and—most importantly—a clause forbidding betrayal of teammates under any pretense.
She double-checked the contract several times before signing. In the rear mountains of the sect, a massive stone wall had begun to emit a dazzling cyan glow. The sect leader summoned all disciples participating in the expedition to gather at the front. They waited for a long time, until the stroke of midnight. The stone wall split open, revealing a giant deep-blue whirlpool that surged like an ocean tide.
At the same time, beams of jade-green light shot into the sky from the five main peaks of the Xuanming Sect. Gray-white clouds churned like boiling jade, and the Big Dipper constellation appeared overhead, beams of starlight cascading downward.
"All disciples, remember—you must exit within one month. Otherwise, you'll be trapped until the grotto opens again."
The sect leader's voice echoed once more at the stone wall.
"The tokens in your hands can sense nearby sect members. It's best to explore in teams!"
Chen Jinshu drew out a small green gourd from her hairpin.
"Junior Sister! The teleportation point inside the realm is unstable. Let's meet near the Pine River Forest!" Du Yi called out to her as he mounted his flying artifact and flew into the massive rift.
She nodded, glancing around at the disciples entering the vortex in waves. Then she quickly enlarged the Wind Gourd in front of her and rushed in. Passing through the dark-blue vortex, the world spun wildly. Everything went black—she could see nothing as her surroundings turned upside down.
Moments later, she landed waist-deep in a sea of Star-Fuzz Grass. This bluish, semi-transparent plant was the most common spirit herb in the realm. It had some medicinal use but wasn't valuable enough for most cultivators to bother picking. The shimmering field glowed with faint, dust-like lights as the breeze blew, like thousands of tiny fireflies dancing through the air.
"This must be the Star-Fuzz Grass Sea."
The area with the fewest spirit beasts—but it housed a deadly spirit plant: the Bloodroot Banyan. After storing the Gale Gourd, she scanned the area. Ahead, beneath a dark green canopy, loomed a thousand-foot-tall banyan tree, its dangling roots blood-red, each tipped with lantern-shaped crimson fruits. Those fruits were deceptively sweet and poisonous, luring passing beasts to their doom.
"We're still twenty-some li from Pine River Forest."
She surveyed the sprawling, uneven grasslands—untamed and wild. From her storage bag, she summoned her companion spirit bird, Xiao Yin.
"Master! This is the Xuanming Secret Realm? The spiritual energy here is so dense!" the sparrow exclaimed as it flew.
"Indeed. It's said the realm is nourished by a fifth-grade spiritual vein."
"Master! My bloodline is resonating again!"
The sparrow shuddered mid-air, clearly sensing something.
"Which direction?" Chen Jinshu turned sharply, surprised.
"South!"
She frowned. South meant going the opposite way from her rendezvous point with the senior brothers. Now she hesitated. Should she pursue this lead alone—or regroup as planned?
"The Yin Mountain Sparrow's bloodline is extraordinary. Whatever it senses must be significant. I'll reunite with the others later!"
To her, the team-up was helpful but not essential. It provided safety in numbers and better odds at securing rare finds—but now she had something even more valuable to pursue.