Chapter 2
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Chapter 2: Small Secret Realm
Chen Yang, as usual, gathered spiritual energy and absorbed it. He glanced at the four-leaf sprout by his side, estimating that in about ten days, it would produce the next droplet of spirit liquid.
Boom—
Suddenly, the ground shook violently, disrupting Chen Yang’s meditative state.
"An earthquake?"
Chen Yang released his awareness and looked around.
Boom—
Boom—
The tremors continued, but they felt strange, unlike an ordinary earthquake; it was a series of rhythmic shakes with pauses in between.
Chen Yang was alert and quickly realized that something might happen.
After more than ten consecutive tremors, the ground returned to calm.
"The flow of spiritual energy has changed."
Having gathered spiritual energy for years, Chen Yang was exceptionally sensitive to its fluctuations.
He noticed that after the tremors subsided, the previously chaotic spiritual energy in the area began to flow toward the west.
Just as Chen Yang contemplated this, he heard the sounds of fighting coming from the west.
It was a bit far, and he couldn’t see with his awareness, but judging by the noises, he could tell there was a three-sided brawl going on.
"One side consists of monsters; it sounds like a wolf monster."
"Another is a one-eyed mountain ghost, common in this area, and the last side…"
As Chen Yang analyzed, he suddenly jolted in surprise.
"It’s people! Two of them!"
There was no mistake; he clearly heard someone shout, "Be careful!" and "Die, beast!"
Chen Yang’s heart raced with excitement. After lying flat for twenty years, today he finally had the chance to see living humans!
The battle lasted over twenty minutes, and Chen Yang listened intently, finally realizing that the wolf monster and the one-eyed mountain ghost had perished one after the other.
Soon, the footsteps of the two human cultivators approached, making their way toward the eastern mountains.
Chen Yang stopped gathering spiritual energy and lay quietly on the ground.
Although he felt a thrill at seeing humans, he maintained his composure, uncertain whether encountering human cultivators would be good or bad for him; he needed to observe further.
Before long, the two human cultivators arrived in the area, and the lush vegetation quickly caught their attention.
Chen Yang looked over; the two individuals were not young.
One was tall and wore a gray robe with wide sleeves, his face stern, looking to be around forty.
The other was an elderly man with graying hair, dressed in a yellow-brown robe, and somewhat hunched.
"Old Yu, do you think the plants here are growing a bit too well?" the tall cultivator said.
The elderly man, referred to as Old Yu, nodded. "Indeed, it is suspicious. Master, please wait; I’ll go check it out."
Old Yu held a round magic disc in his hand, cautiously moving forward.
Upon reaching the central area, his gaze instantly locked onto the four-leaf sprout.
"This is!"
Chen Yang saw the old man’s eyes light up with excitement. After confirming the identity of the sprout, he immediately felt overjoyed.
"Master! Come quick! It’s a four-leafed spirit-receiving grass!"
"What!?"
The Master exclaimed in surprise and hurried over.
When he saw the appearance of the four-leaf sprout, he couldn’t contain the smile on his face.
"It really is a spiritual plant! Wonderful, wonderful! This will surely benefit the cultivation of future generations in the Yang Family!" the Master exclaimed repeatedly.
He lifted his leg to get a closer look at the spiritual plant but worried about being careless and affecting it, so he quickly halted.
"Old Yu, I’m counting on you."
"Rest assured, Master."
Saying this, Old Yu took out a black rattan wooden box from his sleeve.
He concentrated his spiritual power at his fingertips, pointed at the ground, and drew a circle three inches away from the four-leafed spirit-receiving grass.
"Rise."
Then he softly chanted, and he dug up the plant along with its roots buried in the soil, placing it in the black rattan wooden box.
"This will do. This item can temporarily preserve the spiritual plant without losing its essence," Old Yu said.
Seeing this, the Yang Master replied, "Thanks to Old Yu’s foresight in preparing this wooden box, if I had come alone, I probably wouldn’t have been able to take this opportunity even if I had found it."
"There’s no need for modesty, Master. I’ve just lived a few decades longer and gained some knowledge."
Old Yu waved his hand and continued, "It is you, Master, who has extraordinary courage. If it were me, I would surely have dared not to enter this Small Secret Realm and would have missed out on this opportunity."
The Yang Master chuckled and then sighed.
"I’m just a gambler who risks everything against fate. It’s not easy for our clan to have produced a few promising talents. For the future of the Yang Family, I must take the risk, regardless of danger."
As he spoke, the Yang Master’s expression gradually became resolute.
Old Yu’s eyes revealed a look of regret upon hearing this.
In truth, given the Master’s talent, if he focused on cultivation, he could certainly advance further.
However, over the years, he had been tirelessly searching for opportunities for the family’s development, often facing life-threatening dangers, yet he ultimately persevered.
Thinking about how this secret realm entrance appeared less than thirty miles from the Yang Family, Old Yu couldn’t help but feel that their Master was favored by fortune.
"Alright, since we have obtained something, let’s take our good fortune and leave quickly."
"Yes, Master."
Though the Yang Master referred to himself as a gambler, he was certainly not greedy.
He knew very well that he and Old Yu were simply fortunate to have the geographical advantage, allowing them to enter the secret realm ahead of others.
Otherwise, with their mere mid-stage of gathering energy cultivation, they might not even have had a chance to enter, let alone partake in any benefits.
Just as the two turned to leave, Old Yu suddenly raised his eyebrows.
He frowned and turned back to look, and immediately noticed something unusual.
Chen Yang had been silently observing, and both the Yang Master and Old Yu had not noticed his presence at all.
From their conversation, Chen Yang learned that the place where he was born was a small secret realm.
This clarified a long-held question in his mind.
No wonder he hadn’t seen a living person in twenty years; it turned out that this secret realm had not been opened before, making sense of it all.
Additionally, through their dialogue, Chen Yang gleaned the general background of the two individuals.
The tall man was the Master of the Yang Family, and the elderly man named Old Yu seemed to hold a position of authority within the family.
Neither of them were particularly strong, as Chen Yang could sense that they were just slightly stronger than the monsters and ghosts in the forest.
It seemed the Yang Family had only recently embarked on the path of cultivation and was still in the early stages.
Chen Yang contemplated his own situation.
He was essentially a spirit stone but currently only had the ability to gather and absorb energy, unable to move or defend himself.
Since the secret realm had been opened, more cultivators would surely arrive shortly.
Though he didn’t know what level he was, he was certain it wouldn’t be too high; to cultivators, he would serve merely as a tool for aiding in cultivation.
If a powerful cultivator discovered him and took him away, he would likely not receive much attention, and it was likely he would be discarded or worse, used as material for refining and become a stepping stone for other magical treasures.
After weighing his options, Chen Yang decided to emit a slight wave of spiritual power to attract their attention.
This was not only because of their low cultivation but also due to his judgment from the Yang Master’s demeanor.
This man was naturally composed, unrestrained by unnecessary formalities, and most importantly, he had courage and determination.
