Chapter 79
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Chapter 79: Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, You Can Trust
Walking into Lonely Moon Island, after a few steps, a medicinal garden came into view.
Inside the medicinal garden, an extraordinary fragrance was rich, and all kinds of holy medicines bloomed with miraculous phenomena. Divine patterns interwove in the void, and with one glance, about forty or fifty varieties were visible.
Moreover, holy medicines were merely the lowest grade in the garden. Numerous creation holy medicines absorbed spiritual energy from heaven and earth, each evolving wondrous mysteries independently.
"Master, do you need any helpers to manage this medicinal garden?" Qi Ruyu’s eyes gleamed; this garden was practically a treasure trove.
"If you want holy medicines, pick them yourself," Lin Qianmo said. "These were planted by me and a sister during our spare time. They serve no purpose for either of us."
"However, you can only take half."
Qi Ruyu’s gaze wavered slightly.
The remaining half must belong to that other sister.
Passing the medicinal garden, a stretch of arching buildings appeared.
Small bridges spanned flowing streams, creating a tranquil and refined atmosphere like a paradise. Rare ancient beasts leaped among the trees.
Inside a pavilion,
a man and woman sat facing each other.
The woman was dressed in a water-blue gown, exuding gentle elegance. Her features were as exquisite as a painting, breathtakingly stunning.
At that moment, she placed an ancient zither across her lap and plucked its strings with her fingertips, performing a graceful melody. The tune shifted between soaring high notes and softer ones, resembling a young girl dreaming of love—filled with both happiness and nervousness.
The man had sword-like brows and star-like eyes, sitting cross-legged.
Though his cultivation level was only semi-saint, his aura was profoundly unique.
He sat quietly, yet overshadowed the blue-dress girl, making his presence impossible to ignore.
Accompanied by the zither’s music, he cultivated in silence.
"Tsk tsk…"
Qi Ruyu sighed with emotion, "This person’s Dao heart is so steadfast, I couldn’t possibly measure up."
With a beauty beside him and enchanting music around, that man still maintained absolute calmness. His Dao heart was like bedrock—utterly unshakeable.
If it were her, Qi Ruyu admitted to herself, she would fail to do the same.
"These two are always like this daily," Lin Qianmo said lightly; she was long accustomed to it.
"Master, are they companions?"
Qi Ruyu felt deeply puzzled.
The blue-dress girl radiated formidable power on par with Lin Qianmo, clearly the other quasi-emperor Lin had mentioned earlier. The man, meanwhile, was merely a semi-saint.
From the blue-dress girl’s musical melody, Qi Ruyu could discern the emotion it carried.
That was why she believed the pair were companions.
However, Qi Ruyu found it utterly absurd.
Their cultivation levels were too vastly different.
"No."
Lin Qianmo smiled gently and said, "Just unrequited love, that’s all."
…
Qi Ruyu looked strange, thinking how a quasi-emperor could have unrequited love for a semi-saint?
Qi Ruyu looked at the man who was cultivating; this person was so handsome that among everyone she had seen, probably only the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion could rival his looks.
But even though the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was handsome, he still had a hint of lingering boyishness.
The man before her was valiant and mature, extraordinarily refined.
"Could a quasi-emperor really be this shallow?" Qi Ruyu muttered to herself.
After a while,
the sound of the zither stopped abruptly. The blue dress girl pressed her ten fingers onto the strings, her watery blue eyes opening like a clear spring or a shimmering autumn pool, utterly captivating.
"Sister Lin, you’re back," the blue dress girl said affectionately, gazing fondly at the man who remained deep in cultivation.
She turned to Lin Qianmo, her voice as melodious as pearls dropping onto a jade plate, lovely to the ear.
"Who is this?" the blue dress girl stared directly at Qi Ruyu.
Lin Qianmo replied, "She is my disciple from the Yuan Realm. Guided by someone, she sought out the Sea of All Realms, and I brought her to Lonely Moon Island to stay for a few days."
"Junior Qi Ruyu greets her senior," Qi Ruyu said respectfully.
She then bowed and saluted.
"Shh,"
the blue dress girl glanced back at the man, placing her index finger against her lips. "Quiet, no noise."
Qi Ruyu was immediately speechless.
If such sounds truly could wake the man, that long and distant zither music would have roused him ages ago.
As expected, a woman caught in love would always see her intelligence dip.
Quasi-emperors were no exception.
The three moved to another pavilion, and Lin Qianmo introduced to Qi Ruyu, "Ruyu, Miss Lan is the only friend I’ve made in the Sea of All Realms."
"From now on, you should address her as Uncle Master Lan."
"Uncle Master Lan," Qi Ruyu immediately changed her address and said.
"Ruyu is far too polite," Lan Youruo remarked.
Lan Youruo waved her sleeves, and a white porcelain jade bottle materialized on the table. Carved on it was an odd vortex, resembling a huge eye that seemed brimming with strange magic.
"This item is called the Boundless Purifying Bottle. It’s one divine weapon of the great sage, capable of absorbing many forces—consider it a small gift from me."
"Uncle Master Lan, this is far too precious," Qi Ruyu expressed, both moved and overwhelmed.
"Your master and I swore eternal sisterhood. As her disciple, you’re like my own disciple—none here are outsiders. Take what I offer, no excuses," Lan Youruo insisted firmly, not accepting refusal.
"In that case, I accept it gratefully and without further hesitation."
Qi Ruyu took the Boundless Purifying Bottle.
This is a wonderful treasure. In the future, when encountering enemies, one only needed to bring out the Boundless Purification Bottle, recite the incantation, and they could draw the enemy into the bottle to refine them.
Of course, this item also had limitations.
"Eh? Guests have come to the island."
At that moment, the man who had been cultivating finally woke up. His eyes were as bright as stars, his aura lofty, and he carried an air of looking down upon the world.
"Nangong, this is Sister Lin’s disciple, Qi Ruyu," Lan Youruo said with a laugh.
"This one is Qi Ruyu, Supreme Elder of the Red Dust Demon Sect in the Southern Wilderness. Greetings, Daoist Friend Nangong," Qi Ruyu clasped her hands in greeting.
"The Red Dust Demon Sect of the Southern Wilderness?"
The man’s eyes flickered slightly, and he laughed. "A century ago, when I left the Eastern Region, my first stop was the Southern Wilderness. The Red Dust Demon Sect has an illustrious reputation. I even crossed swords with Li Ruofeng."
Qi Ruyu’s expression shifted.
Li Ruofeng was a genius of the Red Dust Demon Sect, groomed to be the next sect master, and Qi Ruyu had some understanding of him.
Over a hundred years ago, Li Ruofeng had merely been at the Dao Palace stage.
This meant that this man’s cultivation level had also been at the Dao Palace stage.
To leap from Dao Palace stage directly to semi-saint in just a century wasn’t an overnight success; it was utterly an astounding cultivation speed.
"Daoist Friend, are you from the Eastern Region?" Qi Ruyu asked.
The man nodded.
At that moment, Qi Ruyu already had a few guesses.
"Daoist Friend, you must be a royal descendant of the Daqian Dynasty in the Eastern Region, right?" Qi Ruyu smiled and said.
"How do you know?"
The man’s tone was surprised, but he showed little change in expression.
"You are Nangong Zhandao!"
Finally, Qi Ruyu stated decisively.
That firm tone not only astonished Nangong Zhandao, but it also baffled Lan Youruo and Lin Qianmo.
"Qi Ruyu, is there any problem with that?" Lin Qianmo said.
"Of course not."
Qi Ruyu laughed heartily. "I’ve only heard of you on the Hidden Dragon List. I never imagined I’d meet the real person today, hahaha…"
Nangong Zhandao ranked first on the Hidden Dragon List.
During this period, since the Hidden Dragon List was released, the Yuan Realm had rocked like an earthquake. Numerous disciples from major powers and ancient orthodoxies emerged to search for people.
Those already on the list sought to rise higher and challenge those at the top.
Those not listed disagreed with the rankings and wished to challenge the named, striving for supremacy.
After the upheavals in the Southern Wilderness, the authority of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was nearly unquestioned.
Therefore, no one doubted the Hidden Dragon List.
Qi Ruyu revered it profoundly.
"The Hidden Dragon List?" Nangong Zhandao said in astonishment. "How have I never heard of this so-called Hidden Dragon List?"
"Daoist Friend Qi, what’s all this?"
Qi Ruyu said, "The Hidden Dragon List is a ranking developed by the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. It lists the top hundred young talents in the Yuan Realm."
"Daoist Friend Nangong, you are ranked first."
Lin Qianmo frowned slightly. It was the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion once more?
"And such a piece of luck exists?"
Nangong Zhandao said with enthusiasm. "I’m still in the Sea of All Realms, and I managed to top the Hidden Dragon List inexplicably. How did the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion even find out?"
"Still, he has decent taste."
"Heaven’s Secret Pavilion is intriguing."
"Nangong, don’t be complacent. That person’s identity and motives are unclear; he might have some scheme," Lan Youruo said, a trace of worry on her brow. She looked at Qi Ruyu and inquired, "Qi Ruyu, do you know why he created the Hidden Dragon List?"
Qi Ruyu analyzed, "Uncle Master, before the Hidden Dragon List, the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion released the Talents List in the Southern Wilderness. It shook Godfall Ridge and was proven entirely accurate."
"He has world-shaping talent and knows all things."
"In my view, crafting a genius ranking was merely to bolster Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s authority and strengthen its voice."
"Uncle Master, Daoist Friend Nangong, to speak candidly, other than being obsessed with wealth, I’ve yet to see the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion commit any improper act."
"The credibility of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion is dependable."
"Actually, this time I brought them back to the island because I had one matter to inform the two sisters," Lin Qianmo said.
"Sister, just speak directly," Lan Youruo replied.
Lin Qianmo stated, "I once told you that a great change would eventually come to the Yuan Realm. That day could be a disaster or a rare opportunity not seen in millions of years."
"Now, I hold the timing."
"You two might ponder whether to return with me to the Yuan Realm."
