Chen Yang gathered and breathed in Spiritual Qi as usual. He glanced at the small four-leaf grass beside him, estimating that it would take about ten more days to condense the next drop of spiritual liquid.
Rumble-
Suddenly, the earth gave a violent shudder, jolting Chen Yang from his meditative trance.
"An earthquake?"
Chen Yang swept his awareness outward to survey the surroundings.
Rumble-
Rumble-
The tremors continued, but they felt strange. Unlike a natural earthquake, the quaking arrived in distinct, intermittent waves.
Chen Yang's mind remained clear. He immediately realized that something was about to happen.
After a dozen more tremors, the earth returned to a dead calm.
"The flow of Spiritual Qi has changed."
After years of continuously gathering and breathing Spiritual Qi, Chen Yang was incredibly sensitive to the fluctuations of worldly spiritual energy.
He noticed that once the tremors faded, the Spiritual Qi that usually drifted aimlessly around him was now flowing uniformly toward the west.
Just as Chen Yang pondered this shift, the sound of fighting echoed from the west.
The distance was too far for his awareness to reach, but judging by the commotion, he could discern a three-way melee.
"One side is a Demon Beast. Going by the sound, it's a wolf demon."
"Another is a one-eyed mountain ghost, quite common in this area. And the last party..."
Chen Yang listened closely before suddenly jolting in shock.
"Humans! There are two of them!"
There was no mistaking it. He clearly heard someone shout, "Watch out!" and "Die, beast!"
A wave of excitement washed over Chen Yang. After lying flat for twenty years, he finally had the chance to see living people!
The battle dragged on for more than twenty minutes. Chen Yang listened as the wolf demon and the one-eyed mountain ghost perished one after the other.
Soon after, the footsteps of the two human cultivators approached, heading straight toward his location at the eastern mountain range.
Chen Yang ceased gathering and breathing Spiritual Qi, lying perfectly still upon the earth.
Although encountering humans thrilled him, he maintained his reason. He had no idea whether meeting human cultivators would be a blessing or a curse. He needed to observe them first.
Before long, the two human cultivators entered the area. The abnormally lush vegetation immediately drew their attention.
Chen Yang "looked" over. Neither of them was young.
One was a tall, sturdy man in a gray, wide-sleeved robe. He had a stern expression and appeared to be a middle-aged man around forty.
The other was an elder with graying temples. He wore a yellowish-brown robe, and his figure was slightly hunched.
"Elder Yu, look at the grass and trees here. Are they not growing a bit too vibrantly?" the tall cultivator asked.
The old man addressed as Elder Yu nodded. "Indeed, there is something fishy about it. Wait here a moment, Patriarch. Let this old man go ahead and investigate."
Gripping a round Dharma Disc in his palm, Elder Yu cautiously ventured forward.
Upon reaching the central area, his gaze instantly locked onto the small four-leaf grass.
"This is...!"
Chen Yang noticed the old man's gaze grow fiery. Stepping closer to confirm the grass's origins, the elder's face instantly lit up with wild joy.
"Patriarch! Come look at this! It's a stalk of Four-Leaf Spirit-Holding Grass!"
"What?!"
The Patriarch exclaimed in disbelief and hurried over.
Once he got a clear look at the four-leaf grass, he too could no longer suppress the smile on his face.
"It truly is a spirit plant! Excellent, excellent, excellent! Our Yang family juniors finally have hope for their cultivation!" the Patriarch cheered repeatedly.
He moved to step closer to inspect the spirit plant but quickly caught himself, afraid his reckless movement might damage it.
"Elder Yu, I will leave this in your hands."
"Rest assured, Patriarch."
With that, Elder Yu produced a Black-Vine Wooden Box from his sleeve.
He condensed spiritual power at his fingertips and pointed at the earth, drawing a circle exactly three cun away from the Four-Leaf Spirit-Holding Grass.
"Rise."
With a soft chant, he neatly extracted the spirit plant-along with its roots and the surrounding soil-and carefully placed it into the Black-Vine Wooden Box.
"This should do it. This item can temporarily preserve the spirit plant without losing any of its spiritual nature," Elder Yu said.
Patriarch Yang nodded. "Thanks to Elder Yu's foresight in preparing this wooden box. Had I come alone, I fear I would have been unable to take this Fated Chance away even after stumbling upon it."
"Patriarch is too modest. This old man has merely lived a few extra decades and gained a bit more experience."
Elder Yu waved a hand. "It is the Patriarch who possesses extraordinary courage. Had it been me, I would never have dared risk entering this Earth-Treasure Minor Secret Realm. I would have squandered this Fated Chance for nothing."
Patriarch Yang smiled, but then let out a heavy sigh.
"I am nothing more than a gambler fighting against the heavens for my life. Our clan has finally managed to produce a few talented seedlings. For the future of the Yang family, no matter the danger, I must gamble everything."
As he spoke, Patriarch Yang's expression hardened with resolve.
Hearing this, a trace of regret surfaced in Elder Yu's eyes.
In truth, with the Patriarch's talent, if he focused entirely on his cultivation, his realm could have advanced a step further.
Yet over the years, for the sake of the family's development, he had constantly run himself ragged seeking Fated Chances. He had faced life-threatening danger time and time again. Fortunately, he had always pulled through.
Remembering how the entrance to this secret realm had appeared less than thirty li from the Yang family, Elder Yu silently marveled. His Patriarch was truly a man blessed with great karmic fortune.
"Alright, since we have harvested a reward, we should quit while we are ahead. Let us leave quickly."
"Yes, Patriarch."
Although Patriarch Yang called himself a gambler, he was by no means a greedy, insatiable fool.
He knew full well that he and Elder Yu had only capitalized on a geographic advantage, lucking into the first move to enter the secret realm.
Otherwise, with their meager middle Qi Gathering cultivation, let alone entering the secret realm first, they probably wouldn't even get a chance to drink the leftover soup.
Just as the two turned to leave, Elder Yu's brow suddenly twitched.
Frowning, he glanced back. At a single glance, a strange light flickered in his eyes.
From start to finish, Patriarch Yang and Elder Yu had not noticed Chen Yang's presence, leaving Chen Yang to silently observe them.
From their conversation, he learned that his birthplace was actually a minor secret realm.
This answered the question that had been weighing on his mind all along.
No wonder he hadn't seen a living person in twenty years. The secret realm simply hadn't been opened yet. Everything made sense now.
Through their dialogue, Chen Yang also pieced together a rough understanding of their backgrounds.
The tall man was the Patriarch of the Yang family, and the old man surnamed Yu likely held the position of an Elder within their clan.
Neither of them possessed particularly high cultivation. Chen Yang could sense that they were only slightly stronger than the Demon Beasts and ghosts roaming the forest.
Looking at it this way, the Yang family must have only recently stepped onto the path of cultivation. They were still in their fledgling stages.
Chen Yang considered his own situation.
He was technically a Spirit Stone, yet he currently only possessed the ability to gather and breathe Spiritual Qi. He could not move, nor did he have any means of attack.
Since this secret realm was now open, more cultivators were bound to arrive soon.
Though he didn't know his own quality, it definitely wasn't anything too high. To cultivators, he was merely an auxiliary tool to aid their cultivation.
If he were discovered and taken away by some mighty cultivator, he certainly wouldn't be valued. Being tossed into a storage ring or warehouse would be manageable, but his greatest fear was being smelted down as crafting material, doomed to become a stepping stone for other Dharma Treasures and Spirit Weapons.
After weighing his options, Chen Yang decided to release a faint ripple of spiritual power to draw the two men's attention.
This wasn't merely because their cultivation realms were low, but also due to his judgment of Patriarch Yang's speech and bearing.
This man was steady by nature, yet unbound by rigid formalities. More importantly, he possessed true courage and decisiveness.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8cLH1hx3y
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