After a while.

Meng Yutong slowly opened her eyes, her flawless face showing a hint of fatigue, appearing somewhat haggard.

Of course, eighty percent of it was just an act.

"Master, how are you feeling now? You really scared us when you coughed up blood just now!" Ye Tian asked anxiously.

"No worries, just a minor backlash. A little adjustment and I'll be fine. We should head inside quickly, or all the good stuff will be taken by others," Meng Yutong waved her hand and said.

"Alright, let's go!" Ye Tian nodded in agreement and took the lead.

Inside the secret realm.

Piao Fangyuan was slowly making his way deeper into the realm.

The other disciples spread out, each seeking their own opportunities.

Since Lin Heng and the others arrived relatively late, they often saw disciples from various sects gathered in small groups chatting, or sitting alone in meditation by the rocks.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "p𝑎wread.com".

Not far away, many rogue cultivators were watching them warily, appearing very tense.

In the current situation, with the elders absent, there was less chance of sects fighting over treasures.

Meng Yutong turned around and said calmly, "The four of you should seek your opportunities well. I will go explore alone. Remember, do not engage in murder or robbery. But if anyone dares to cause trouble, fight back. No matter what happens, your master will back you up."

"Understood."

"Hey! Senior Sister Liuxi, I'll leave Lin Heng to you. I'm going to check out that area," Yun Yao called out and headed in a direction.

[Oh, she's leaving me with Mu Liuxi?]

 

[Alright, alright, it doesn't matter. It's the same with anyone. This secret realm doesn't have much to do with me anyway.]

Lin Heng shrugged indifferently, about to speak with Mu Liuxi, but she unexpectedly turned and walked away.

"Hey, hey! Second Senior Sister, wait for me!" Lin Heng quickly ran to her side, intentionally brushing against her arm, "Senior Sister, slow down, you have to protect me!"

Mu Liuxi gave him a disdainful look, her face still cold, without saying a word.

It wasn't that she didn't want to speak, but she really couldn't get along with someone who called her a 'dead face.'

That nickname had truly hurt her.

"Don't get too close!"

"Okay, Senior Sister, I'll keep a finger's width between us, or two fingers if that's too small?"

Mu Liuxi glanced at him, and after a long pause, she said, "Three fingers."

"Understood!"

Lin Heng immediately moved a centimeter to the right.

***

The two of them wandered through many places. This realm was vast, and many areas were sealed with restrictions.

They couldn't break through them.

"Senior Sister, hasn't this secret realm been opened many times? Why are there still so many restrictions that haven't been lifted?" Lin Heng asked curiously.

"I'm not sure, but I have some guesses," Mu Liuxi rarely spoke, but she continued to explain, "There are many similar secret realms in the cultivation world, and the Nation-Destroying Secret Realm is just one of them. Secret realms are called so because they are not entirely fixed in one space-time, otherwise, there wouldn't be any stellar shifts."

"Huh? I'm a bit confused. Isn't space-time the product of time and space? How does the change in the entrance location relate to time?"

"No. It is indeed related to time. Some secret realms are more like historical products. Take the Nation-Destroying Secret Realm we see now; it may be filled with restrictions now. A hundred years later, after another stellar phase shift, we might enter the secret realm again and find the restrictions have been lifted.

Things that can't be accomplished now don't mean they won't be in the future. Troubles solved by future people don't mean they won't affect the present."

Lin Heng was dumbfounded.

It felt like Mu Liuxi explained it, yet it seemed like she didn't.

[Interesting, this worldview isn't as brainless as I imagined. Different specific events... the same event at different times is also different...]

 

[Very interesting.]

"Hey! We found this first, stop right there!"

As the two were chatting, an angry shout came from somewhere, interrupting their conversation.

Hearing the voice, they both looked up and were stunned.

They saw a woman in white standing atop a withered tree, her arms spread wide, with rich wood-elemental energy rapidly condensing into several cyan lotuses floating around her.

Not far from her, an emerald flying sword hovered in the air.

Opposite her was Ye Tian.

"Is that..."

"A disciple of the Ballad of the Clear Moon?"

"What's Junior Brother Ye fighting her over?" Mu Liuxi was a bit surprised. Wandering around, they unexpectedly encountered Ye Tian competing with someone.

For something that caught Ye Tian's interest, it must be extraordinary.

Several disciples from other sects arrived one after another.

[Oh? Has the protagonist's treasure-snatching scene come so soon?]

 

[As expected of the protagonist, treasures appear wherever he goes. A withered spiritual tree still contains the Power of Vitality.]

Through observation, Lin Heng quickly deduced from the Heaven-Penetrating Compendium what the two were fighting over.

The withered tree beneath the woman's feet was an Innate Sacred Tree, possessing a strong Power of Vitality. Even in the harshest environments, it could condense the Power of Vitality in a part of its branches.

When the time is right, it can rejuvenate.

The Power of Vitality, with its intense life elements, is undoubtedly a priceless treasure for cultivators who have suffered severe injuries.

Ye Tian intended to use the Power of Vitality to heal Meng Yutong's injuries, but after saving him, Meng Yutong's foundation was damaged by Dao Power, and the mere Power of Vitality was just a drop in the bucket.

[If I'm not mistaken, it was because Meng Yutong refined the Power of Vitality that Ye Tian discovered the secret of her cultivation level plummeting!]

 

[Everything is interconnected, not a single step can be missed!]

'Is this related to the outcome of challenging the master?'

Mu Liuxi couldn't help but take it more seriously.

The rough process of challenging the master:

Master's first severe injury -> Obtaining the spiritual tree -> Master's second severe injury -> Letting the master refine the spiritual tree -> Discovering the master's secret decline -> Successful challenge to the master

The spiritual tree is the key bridge.

---

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan