Elder Yu was highly experienced. The moment Chen Yang slightly stirred the spiritual power within his body, the old man sensed the disturbance.

Turning his head, a look of utter disbelief flashed across his eyes.

"Patriarch! Wait!"

The Yang Patriarch halted. Following Elder Yu's gaze, he spotted a round, smooth gray stone lying quietly at the base of the tree.

"Is there some hidden mystery to this stone?"

"Patriarch, this stone sits right next to the Four-Leaf Spirit-Holding Grass. I have already examined its age; the spirit grass has been mature for a long time," Elder Yu explained.

The Yang Patriarch caught on immediately.

"According to the ancient records, this spiritual plant produces a drop of spiritual liquid every three months. It is highly likely they all fell onto this stone."

"Exactly."

Elder Yu nodded and stepped forward to pick Chen Yang up. Hoping for a stroke of luck, he channeled his own spiritual power into Chen Yang's body.

Shua-

The next instant, the surrounding spiritual Qi seemed to find a target, converging rapidly toward the spot.

"This!"

The Yang Patriarch's mouth hung half-open, his expression filled with profound astonishment.

Elder Yu was even more ecstatic, cradling Chen Yang as if he had found a priceless treasure.

"Patriarch, there's no mistake! This is a Qi-Gathering Stone! It is already at the early Qi Gathering level. Furthermore, if we take it back and nurture it properly with our own spiritual power, it won't be long before it rises to the middle Qi Gathering stage!"

Overjoyed, Elder Yu continued, "This little stone possesses quite the luck. Growing beside a Four-Leaf Spirit-Holding Grass and being nourished by spiritual liquid for so long, it has transformed into a spiritual treasure of its own."

He recognized Chen Yang's utility, but he had the relationship backwards, assuming the Four-Leaf Spirit-Holding Grass had nurtured the Qi-Gathering Stone.

In reality, this small spiritual plant was the very creation of Chen Yang's years of gathering spiritual energy.

Yet, they could hardly be blamed for their ignorance. After all, spiritual objects that developed consciousness, cultivated on their own, and possessed independent utility only existed in ancient legends-far beyond the reach of cultivators at their level.

Elder Yu's words filled the Yang Patriarch with immense excitement. With slightly trembling hands, he carefully took Chen Yang from the elder.

"To obtain both a spiritual plant and a spiritual treasure on a single journey is a tremendous blessing! Our Yang family shall prosper!"

"Patriarch, time is pressing. We must depart quickly."

"Indeed. Delays invite unforeseen trouble. Let us make haste."

Stowing the Black-Vine Wooden Box and Chen Yang into his sleeves, the two turned and sprinted back toward the path they came.

Inside the Yang Patriarch's sleeve, Chen Yang found himself thoroughly enlightened.

"Good heavens, no wonder cultivators wear such wide sleeves."

Hidden within the fabric were ten fiery red talismans, a hidden flying dagger artifact, and five black-red pellets.

These items, like Chen Yang, were held securely against the sleeve by the Yang Patriarch's spiritual power, ready to be unleashed against an enemy at a moment's notice.

"As expected of a small clan just finding its footing. They don't even possess a single Storage Bag."

Chen Yang remained quiet within the sleeve, waiting patiently to leave the minor secret realm and enter the wider world beyond.

However, just as they approached the exit, a sudden change occurred.

Three distinct auras blocked the path of Elder Yu and the Yang Patriarch.

Chen Yang extended his perception to scan the newcomers. Though these three possessed slightly lower cultivation than the Yang family duo, they held the advantage of numbers.

"Oh? It seems someone was faster than us. I wonder what treasures they've pocketed."

"Big brother, looking at their attire, these two don't seem to be cultivators from the major sects or the dynasty."

The two young cultivators flanking the leader spoke up, the threat in their voices unmistakable.

Failing to resemble sect or dynasty cultivators meant they lacked any backing or lineage.

In a place like this, it meant that even if they perished within the secret realm, no one would ever investigate their deaths.

The bald cultivator leading the trio narrowed his eyes. Though his body remained perfectly still, his spiritual power was already circulating in secret.

At the same time, Chen Yang, peering out from the sleeve, noticed that six fiery red talismans were already primed and ready to fly.

Without any tedious exchanging of names or empty posturing, the battle erupted instantly!

The Yang Patriarch charged directly at the bald cultivator, while Elder Yu flashed to the flank, pinning down the two younger cultivators.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh-

Six Fire Talismans shot forth simultaneously, instantly forcing the two younger cultivators backward.

The bald cultivator materialized a barrier of spiritual power to withstand the assault. After deflecting two of the talismans, he prepared to strike back.

However, the Yang Patriarch had spent years navigating the dangerous underbelly of the cultivation world. His combat experience was vast, and his methods were ruthless and decisive.

Immediately following the six Fire Talismans, three black-red pellets streaked through the air.

"Not good! Thunderfire Pellets!" the bald cultivator roared in terror.

His two companions scrambled to dodge, but before they could move a muscle, an immense weight pressed down upon them.

Elder Yu stood to the side, spinning his Dharma Disc with a cold, mocking sneer.

"Big brother! I can't move!"

"We're doomed!"

Bang! Bang!

The Thunderfire Pellets unleashed a terrifying blast, instantly tearing the two younger cultivators into bloody fragments.

The bald cultivator barely managed to evade the explosion while bearing the crushing pressure, but the Yang Patriarch had no intention of granting him a single moment to breathe.

Sizzle-

A dark streak sliced through the air, impaling the man through his waist.

Only then did the bald cultivator snap to his senses, realizing he had provoked a ruthless predator and kicked an iron board.

Unfortunately, by the time he attempted to circulate his spiritual power to execute a movement technique and flee, it was already too late.

The Yang Patriarch's face was as cold as iron. In the span of a single breath, he closed the distance and appeared directly before the man.

"Die!"

Raising his hand, the Yang Patriarch's arm instantly swelled to twice its normal size.

Slap!

A single palm strike shattered the man's bald skull, extinguishing his life force completely.

Having concluded the battle with lightning speed, the Patriarch swiftly searched the corpses. Daring not linger a moment longer, the two dashed toward the exit.

Elder Yu followed on his heels. The two figures plunged into the teleportation formation, vanishing past a ripple of light as they left the secret realm.

Just a few breaths after their departure, the teleportation array flared once more.

Amidst waves of fluctuating spiritual Qi, several figures entered the secret realm one after another.

The presence of these latecomers was significantly more potent than that of the Yang Patriarch and Elder Yu-every single one of them was a cultivator at the late Qi Gathering stage.

"What a bountiful secret realm, practically bursting with spiritual Qi!"

"Hahaha! Heaven assists me! On this journey, I shall surely find a great fated chance to break through to Qi Gathering Perfection!"

This band of rogue cultivators entered with grand ambitions, eagerly anticipating the treasures they might unearth.

Yet, before their excitement could settle, another party stepped through the entrance.

This group of seven wore standard blue-green robes, each embroidered with the emblem of a clear sky and a solitary moon upon the chest.

The cultivator leading them drifted into the space, treading upon the wind itself-a powerhouse of the Condensed Origin realm.

At this sight, the smiles on the rogue cultivators' faces instantly froze.

"Heavens, why did the members of that sect have to arrive first!"

"Curse it! Forget about treasures and fortune, even our lives are forfeit now!"

"May the heavens protect me, please don't let him look my way..."

The Condensed Origin sect cultivator cast a single, sweeping glance downward, striking absolute terror into the Qi Gathering rogue cultivators. They stood frozen to the spot, not daring to draw a single deep breath.

With a casual flick of his wrist, he unleashed a streak of black light that instantly decapitated five of the rogue cultivators.

"Scram," he commanded softly.

Spared by his word, the remaining rogue cultivators lost all courage to stay. They fled in a frantic panic, scrambling out of the secret realm.

It was a stroke of absolute fortune that the Yang Patriarch had acted with such ruthless resolve, sparing no expense to slaughter the three ambushers instantly.

Had they been delayed by even a single moment, they would not only have lost the spiritual plant and treasure, but their very lives would have been left behind within that secret realm.