Chapter 32: How to Resolve Deep-Seated Hatred

From that day on, Guishan became a member of the manor. Everyone felt the crushing weight of the crisis posed by Li Chen’s numerous powerful enemies, a pressure like a ten-thousand-ton boulder that made it difficult to breathe. Driven by this, they threw themselves heart and soul into their cultivation to increase their strength.

Just as the atmosphere in the manor grew increasingly somber, Guishan made an unexpected discovery in the rear mountains: the entrance to a secret realm sealed by ancient runes. He carefully undid the seal, and a brilliant radiance shot into the sky, revealing a garden of spiritual herbs floating in mid-air. The garden was carpeted with mystical flora and immortal fungi, with spirit beasts darting between them—a miracle seemingly left behind by the ancients. Overcome with surprise and joy, Guishan realized this might be the key to helping the group improve their cultivation and face Li Chen’s foes. He hurried back, gathered everyone, and together they stepped into the unknown realm, embarking on a marvelous journey in search of power.

Upon hearing Guishan’s description of the dense spiritual energy within the ancient herb garden, which far surpassed that of the manor, everyone packed their cultivation resources and daily necessities into their storage rings, preparing for a long period of seclusion.

After entering the secret realm, they first sealed the entrance. It was exactly as Guishan had promised; the spiritual energy was many times more potent, and the spiritual herbs of all ages were of exceptionally high quality. First, they built thatched cottages for shelter, then conducted a patrol and gathered an initial batch of herbs for alchemy.

Once the initial bustle settled, everyone turned to their respective tasks: some focused on alchemy, others on cultivation, and some took charge of the group’s daily needs.

Lin Ying and Li Chen took responsibility for refining pills. Over five consecutive years of work, although they frequently consumed what they produced, they still managed to refine enough reserves to last a long time. By then, most of the mature spiritual herbs in the secret realm had been harvested and utilized.

Time passes quickly in cultivation. Ten years later, everyone had made significant progress. Lin Ying’s cultivation had reached the peak of the Soul Fusion Realm, while Li Chen’s advancement was more modest, having only risen by one level to the peak of the Integration Realm. Feeling that further cultivation here would yield little progress, Li Chen bade his companions farewell to seek experience in the outside world.

Initially, Zi Cai and Lin Ying were reluctant and insisted on joining him, but Li Chen argued that since their cultivation levels were the highest, he could rest easy knowing they were guarding the home front. Furthermore, he reasoned that traveling in a large group would not be conducive to true growth.

Zi Cai pulled Lin Ying close and said to Li Chen, "Very well, but before you leave, you must pay the 'tax' you owe us." Li Chen spent the next ten days settling this "debt." When he was finally prepared to depart, he looked exhausted and drained. Seeing his state, the two women felt a pang of sympathy and urged him to rest for a few more days before leaving. At these words, Li Chen shuddered; he immediately activated the "Ten Thousand Miles in a Blink" immortal technique and vanished without a trace.

In truth, Li Chen had no choice. Although they often engaged in mock combat, fists and blades are blind, and no one wanted to truly hurt the other. One would hold back a bit of strength, the other a bit more, or they would only use a fraction of their power. How was that any different from a stage play?

Only in the face of extreme peril, in life-or-death struggles, could one forge true combat prowess and rapidly break through to higher levels of cultivation.

Li Chen had already set his sights on two dangerous locations for his expedition. The first was the Hundred Thousand Mountains, a primeval wilderness spanning a million miles. Rich in spiritual energy, it had been a sanctuary for immortal masters since ancient times and was home to countless high-level spirit beasts—creatures of the Body Fusion, Integration, and Tribulation Transcendence realms. It was rumored that powerful hermits dwelled within, and entering meant facing inevitable struggle. The second location was the immortal island of Penglai in the Eastern Sea, where immortals were said to ride the clouds and cross vast distances in an instant. It was whispered that the island’s guardian beast, a flood dragon, was at the Mahayana stage—a bloodthirsty and ferocious creature that frequently preyed upon fishing vessels.