Far away from Cloud Mist Market.
Far away from Dragon Yuan Mountain.
Within the territory controlled by the Zheng Family.
Deep beneath one of the mountains stood a heavily concealed chamber.
The chamber was hidden behind multiple formations.
Concealment formations.
Isolation formations.
Defensive formations.
Each one was at least Rank-2.
Even Foundation Establishment cultivators would struggle to discover the location without guidance.
At the center of the room sat a young woman.
Gu Qing.
The mysterious representative who had participated in the Jade Haven City competition.
Her robes had been changed.
The black cloak and concealment artifacts were nowhere to be seen.
She sat in a lotus posture atop a jade platform.
Formation lines glowed beneath her.
Streams of spiritual qi continuously flowed toward her body.
Within her hands rested a sound transmission jade talisman.
A calm voice echoed from within it.
The voice sounded deep.
Steady.
Naturally authoritative.
"Report."
Only a single word.
Yet Gu Qing immediately straightened her posture.
Her expression became respectful.
The pride and arrogance she displayed before outsiders had completely disappeared.
"Master."
The voice remained calm.
"The mission."
Gu Qing's expression darkened slightly.
She lowered her head.
"This disciple failed."
Silence followed.
The pressure within the room seemed to increase slightly.
Gu Qing immediately felt it.
Her body stiffened.
Although the person on the other end hadn't released cultivation pressure directly, she could still sense a subtle change.
Authority.
An authority developed over countless years.
An authority that naturally suppressed those beneath it.
Gu Qing immediately continued.
"The Purple Palace spiritual item was obtained by the Qian Family."
"The Zheng Family failed to secure victory."
"This disciple is incompetent."
The room became quiet once more.
Several breaths passed.
The voice finally returned.
"Mm."
Nothing more.
No anger.
No reprimand.
No disappointment.
Yet somehow—
That simple response made Gu Qing even more nervous.
The voice continued.
"Abandon the current mission."
Gu Qing blinked.
Abandon it?
The Zheng Family still possessed value.
The voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Focus on preparing for the secret realm."
The moment those words entered her ears—
Her eyes brightened.
Secret realm.
Her expression changed instantly.
Excitement.
Anticipation.
Even joy.
A smile almost appeared.
Then she quickly suppressed it.
Still—
The excitement remained impossible to completely hide.
"Master."
Her voice carried a trace of eagerness.
"Has the Gu Process reached completion?"
The question had barely left her mouth when the atmosphere changed.
Boom.
An invisible pressure descended.
The spiritual qi within the room became sluggish.
Gu Qing's expression immediately changed.
Cold sweat formed on her forehead.
The voice became colder.
"You are not qualified to ask."
Gu Qing immediately lowered her head.
"This disciple was presumptuous."
The pressure lingered briefly.
Then slowly disappeared.
Several moments later, the voice returned.
This time much gentler.
"As for your curiosity..."
The voice paused.
Then continued.
"The Sect Elders have made progress."
Gu Qing's pupils contracted slightly.
Progress.
Only a single word.
Yet it was enough.
The excitement within her eyes became even brighter.
The voice interrupted once more.
"That is all you need to know."
Gu Qing immediately nodded.
"Yes, Master."
The voice continued.
"The first objective has failed."
"Proceed to the second objective."
Gu Qing's expression returned to normal.
No surprise appeared.
Apparently she already knew there was another mission.
"Spread the news."
A glint flashed through her eyes.
"This disciple understands."
The voice became quieter.
"Do not disappoint me again."
Then—
The connection ended.
The jade talisman gradually dimmed.
The room returned to silence.
Gu Qing remained seated.
Motionless.
Several moments passed.
Then slowly—
She opened her eyes.
The respectful expression vanished.
Replaced by determination.
Her fingers tightened slightly.
The secret realm.
The Gu Process.
The Sect Elders.
Although she didn't know everything, she knew enough.
This opportunity mattered.
Perhaps even more than the Purple Palace spiritual item.
Slowly she closed her eyes again.
Her cultivation method began circulating.
Streams of spiritual qi entered her body.
The room gradually became quiet once more.
Only the glow of the formation remained.
...
Elsewhere.
Eastern Dragon Yuan Province.
A location unknown to ordinary cultivators.
An abandoned underground hall.
The walls were covered in cracks.
Ancient symbols decorated the pillars.
The place appeared forgotten.
Yet tonight—
Several figures sat around a stone table.
None revealed their appearances.
Each person wore a black cloak.
Spiritual energy distorted their surroundings.
Preventing identification.
The atmosphere remained cautious.
No one trusted anyone.
That was normal.
People gathered here because they shared interests.
Not because they shared friendship.
One of the shadowy figures finally spoke.
"I received some interesting information."
The others looked toward him.
No one interrupted.
The figure continued.
"A secret realm is forming."
The room became silent.
Another person immediately asked.
"Location?"
"Southern Dragon Yuan Province."
Several people exchanged glances.
The first figure continued.
"The information came from a reliable source."
A third figure finally spoke.
"Reliable?"
The tone contained skepticism.
That wasn't surprising.
Rumors about inheritances appeared every year.
Most were false.
The first figure nodded.
"The celestial phenomenon appeared briefly."
"Then disappeared."
The room became quiet again.
This time—
The atmosphere had changed.
Because everyone understood what that meant.
If a celestial phenomenon appeared and then vanished suddenly—
Someone had concealed it.
And if someone had concealed it—
Then the phenomenon was real.
The third figure leaned forward slightly.
"How large?"
"Unknown."
"Rank?"
"Unknown."
The answers weren't satisfying.
Yet nobody dismissed the information.
Because the disappearance of the celestial phenomenon itself was already evidence.
Another shadowy figure finally spoke.
"If the Lin Family concealed it..."
The sentence wasn't finished.
It didn't need to be.
Everyone understood.
The Lin Family was the sole Golden Core family within Dragon Yuan Province.
If they were moving to hide information, the situation wasn't simple.
The first figure nodded.
"That is also my conclusion."
A fourth person laughed softly.
"Interesting."
"Very interesting."
The laughter echoed strangely throughout the hall.
The first figure continued.
"Additional information suggests increased activity throughout the southern region."
"More cultivators."
"More conflicts."
"More robber cultivators."
The others remained silent.
Each person was already calculating.
Benefits.
Risks.
Opportunities.
Secret realms represented all three.
One person finally spoke.
"Whether true or false..."
"If there is even a possibility..."
"We should investigate."
Several people nodded.
No one disagreed.
The room gradually descended into discussion.
Plans began forming.
Resources began moving.
Unknown messages were transmitted outward.
And without realizing it—
The first ripples had already begun spreading beyond Dragon Yuan Province.
...
Meanwhile.
Cloud Mist Market.
Night had already fallen.
The streets remained busy.
Cultivators continuously entered and exited the city.
Merchant caravans arrived daily.
Mission teams departed just as frequently.
The recent increase in activity had transformed the market.
Rumors spread everywhere.
Most centered around one topic.
The south.
Every tavern.
Every tea house.
Every trading hall.
People discussed it.
A treasure.
An inheritance.
A secret realm.
Nobody knew the truth.
Yet everyone possessed an opinion.
Within one restaurant, two cultivators sat drinking spirit wine.
One lowered his voice.
"I heard the celestial phenomenon lasted three breaths."
The other snorted.
"Wrong."
"My cousin said it lasted ten."
A third cultivator joined unexpectedly.
"Both of you are wrong."
"It lasted half an incense stick."
The first two immediately argued.
None possessed evidence.
Yet all three remained absolutely convinced.
Scenes like this repeated throughout the market.
Rumors multiplied.
Exaggerations followed.
The truth became increasingly obscured.
Yet beneath the countless false stories—
One fact remained.
Something had happened in the south.
And sooner or later—
Everyone would learn what it was.