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Chapter 657: Chapter 663: Heart Fluttering
Of course, Li Zhixuan also knew that her identity could bring trouble to them, so she had no intention of revealing herself; it was enough to merely see them from a distance.
"Stay calm. After The Secret Realm of Wanxian is over, you don’t need to hurry back. Head three hundred miles to the northeast, where a fourth-tier Secret Realm is about to open," said Ancestor Wu Xin indifferently.
"Within the depths of the Secret Realm, there is a Cold Pool that nurtures Heavenly Cold Stone. It can effectively suppress killing intent and will be somewhat beneficial to your future cultivation."
"Disciple understands!" Li Zhixuan kept this matter in her heart.
For Sword Cultivators who practice the Sword Tao of Slaughter, killing intent has its pros and cons. The advantage is that it can enhance strength and improve cultivation, but the downside is that problems might arise easily. If the killing intent erupts, there is a high possibility of falling into demonic madness.
To prevent such accidents, of course, one must be prepared with treasures like the Heavenly Cold Stone.
One could also follow in the path of Ancestor Wu Xin, severing all emotions and becoming a person devoid of heart and feelings, maintaining absolute calmness. In doing so, the killing intent would be firmly suppressed.
However, Li Zhixuan harbored emotions in her heart and did not wish to abandon them, so she could only think of other solutions.
"Go," Ancestor Wu Xin waved his hand dismissively.
Why would a heartless person like Ancestor Wu Xin take on Li Zhixuan as a disciple? Really because he couldn’t bear to see his skills lost? Of course not! That was just a pretext.
In reality, he wanted Li Zhixuan to inherit his skills and guard the Ten Thousand Swords Sect on his behalf, thereby settling the karmic debts he owed to the sect!
Settling karmic debts is something every person about to ascend does. Some directly eliminate the karmic ties; others find ways to repay them.
As for someone like Ancestor Wu Xin, he surely couldn’t just destroy the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, could he? Not to mention whether he had the power to do so, the karmic force he would carry from killing tens of thousands of people without reason would lose him the possibility of Ascension.
Perhaps Li Zhixuan didn’t know at first, but as time went on, she learned a good deal of related information. Despite still showing respect for Ancestor Wu Xin, it wasn’t with the same sense of reverence and admiration as before.
After all, the nature of this matter was a transaction.
Li Zhixuan got a Divine Transformation-level teacher and an inheritance that led directly to Ascension, at the cost of a long period of her freedom; Ancestor Wu Xin cleared his karmic debts, spending some time giving guidance and teachings; the Ten Thousand Swords Sect got a high-level enforcer, at the expense of some Spiritual Objects.
As for who gained and who lost in this transaction, it was still too early to tell.
——
Meanwhile, Li Zhirui’s group was still gathering information on Spiritual Medicine. Despite this, they did not wait too long on the road and soon arrived at the Stone Pagoda Immortal City, not far from The Secret Realm of Wanxian.
The normally not-so-busy and bustling Immortal City was now thronging with Cultivators from every corner due to the impending opening of the Secret Realm, causing prices for inns and cavern abodes to skyrocket.
Li Zhirui and his group were relatively early arrivals. Even though the accommodations were expensive, at least it ensured they had places to stay, so they wouldn’t have to live aboard the Spirit Boat, which would have been quite inconvenient.
"Rest well. In a few days, I’ll explain the situation inside the Secret Realm to you," he said.
Although every trial in the Stone Pagoda was different, there were some secrets he had discovered during his last experience that could potentially help them.
He didn’t need to tell them that the trials were a representation of real scenarios—to avoid them being soft-hearted in some of the challenges.
However, he must inform them of the encounter with beings from beyond this world. If they could gain their favor, perhaps they would receive gifts, just as he had done before.
One should know that the fourth-tier Talismans gifted by the outsiders during his trial had resolved many problems for Li Zhirui.
A few days later, the four of them had fully recovered.
Li Zhirui called them into his room and shared the news of the outsiders with the three of them, admonishing them to perform well and hinting that their might be unexpected surprises.
"Dad, are you serious?" Li Chengshuo asked with a shocked expression.
She certainly knew there were higher worlds beyond her own, yet she had never expected to encounter beings from beyond the skies so soon, especially within the Stone Pagoda trial!
The reactions of the other two were also significant; they found it hard to believe Li Zhirui’s words.
"Do you still remember the fourth-tier talismans I once gave you? Those were the gifts I received within the Stone Pagoda."
Reflecting on it now, the origin of those fourth-tier talismans was indeed mysterious. At the time, Li Zhirui was only at the Golden Core stage, and even with self-preservation in mind, it was improbable for him to acquire so many fourth-tier talismans.
Li Chengshuo’s eyes shone bright with anticipation; if only she could be favored by those beyond the skies, how wonderful that would be!
Just the thought of it brought a smile to her face she couldn’t suppress.
"As for the trial, since everyone’s experience is different, there aren’t really any tricks or strategies. However, as long as you stay calm and ignore the wrong trial tasks, you shouldn’t have any problems in the initial few levels."
As days went by, Li Chengsheng and the other two were exceptionally well-behaved, rarely leaving their cave dwelling to play, all in pursuit of a final push!
Soon, the day the Secret Realm opened arrived.
Li Zhirui, leading the three, quickly arrived at the clearing in front of the Secret Realm.
But unexpectedly, upon arrival, he encountered Qingzhu from the Wandering Cloud Sect.
"I didn’t expect to see you again, what a coincidence," said Qingzhu.
Li Zhirui responded with a forced smile, "Fellow Daoist, it seems you’ve brought quite a few outstanding disciples this time."
Behind him stood a total of eight Golden Core cultivators! This number was quite substantial.
"Oh well well, don’t praise them too much, Daoist friend, otherwise they’ll start to become complacent," Qingzhu replied.
After some contemplation during this period, Qingzhu had calmed his eagerness to get on good terms with Li Zhirui, realizing that being too obvious might arouse suspicion and make others wary of ulterior motives.
Thus, after a brief exchange, he did not linger on.
Li Zhirui did not ponder the shift in Qingzhu’s attitude, his gaze quietly wandering as if searching for something.
It didn’t take long before he located the Ten Thousand Swords Sect cultivators.
It seemed that Li Zhixuan was not in the crowd, yet he pinpointed her location accurately.
Her distinct aura of murderous intent made her easily recognizable.
Li Zhirui, with his three companions, approached the Ten Thousand Swords Sect but maintained a certain distance, transmitting his voice, "Zhixuan, how have you been in the Ten Thousand Swords Sect?"
"Jiu, I’m doing very well, so don’t worry about me. How are you and the family?"
With a sea of cultivators around, secret communication was not uncommon, as there were always things that were not meant for public ears. And without the presence of a Divine Transformation ancestor, no one else could overhear their exchange with Li Zhirui’s strength of Divine Sense.
After a brief exchange to catch up on each other’s situation, Li Zhirui was ready to conclude their communication.
"Jiu, after the Secret Realm of Wanxian ends, a fourth-tier secret realm will open 300 li to the northeast. If you’re free, perhaps you could explore it too?"
"I’ll keep that in mind," Li Zhirui replied, admitting to himself that he was tempted.
If all went well, he would likely take a look.
