Borrowed Sword

Chapter 36: Secret Realm Opens

Fierce palm wind howled through the air.

Xu Ziqing's strike of 【Eight Wastelands Wandering Dragon】 was extremely standard, having already mastered its essence.

Chu Huaixu stood to the side, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He wasn't particularly surprised, just gritting his teeth a little.

“Damn it! Truly damn it!”

He strongly suspected that Xu Ziqing's Character Panel read: Although a 【False Spirit Embryo】, he had 【Comprehension 10】.

This was a cultivation world, not a martial arts one, so there was no such thing as true qi.

Mortal martial arts were just about learning moves.

But to learn after only watching a few times...

At that thought, he once again cursed in his heart, “Damn it, truly damn it!”

“Should I charge him ten taels for tuition?”

After withdrawing his palm, Xu Ziqing glanced at Chu Huaixu from the corner of his eye.

The young man harbored a bit of scheming intent, deliberately trying to show off.

In return, all he got was a flat, indifferent, “Hmm, not bad.”

Han Shuangjiang stood nearby and also noticed them, secretly surprised.

But the cold-faced girl never showed emotions, always keeping that little face stern, so it was hard to tell.

This left Xu Ziqing feeling quite disappointed.

“As expected, in front of cultivators, I amount to nothing.”

“You're just able to instantly grasp mortal martial arts, not instantly comprehend cultivators’ 【Techniques】—what’s so special about that?”

Xu Ziqing felt frustrated, not knowing how he could ever get a chance to cultivate.

Burdened with a blood-deep grudge, his mood was complicated and thoughts in disarray; he just wanted to show his strengths more.

He was even starting to grasp at straws.

Chu Huaixu could pretty much guess what he was thinking.

But now wasn’t the time.

He himself was only a Registered Disciple and had no authority to teach cultivation methods—doing so would violate a major sect taboo!

“I wonder if Old Niu can make it work?” he thought.

At this moment, Chu Huaixu was filled with emotion.

If it hadn’t been for that stroke of luck where he took Xu Ziqing’s spot to ascend the mountain, he would’ve either had to find another way, or—as originally planned—become an undercover servant in the Outer Sect.

“If it had come to that, I probably would’ve also tried every means to stand out, hoping to earn a chance to cultivate.”

Looking at this World Protagonist, Chu Huaixu thought of something else.

“He’s just like the former me, a False Spirit Embryo.”

“And according to the original storyline, he would draw that sword.”

“So, would my highly compatible 《Sword Refining Art》 also suit him just as well?”

Chu Huaixu began to drift off in thought, yet the more he pondered, the more plausible it seemed.

—Better to suffer together than suffer alone.

The refined-faced servant, feeling utterly dejected, knew nothing of this.

“Maybe I should just go back to cleaning toilets,” he thought.

...

...

The sun was about to set.

Although there was now one more servant in the household, meals were still prepared by Han Shuangjiang.

The reason was simple: Xu Ziqing only had some minor cooking skills, and the food was terribly unappetizing with no talent involved.

Fortunately, he no longer had to wash the dishes—that was the servant’s job.

This arrangement perfectly fit Chu Huaixu’s standard for recruiting little brothers: follow me, and as long as I have food to eat, you'll have bowls to wash.

Naturally, Xu Ziqing’s bedroom was arranged inside Chu Huaixu’s bamboo house.

The bamboo house had one large and one small room.

Don’t be fooled by how decent the Registered Disciple's living conditions were—starting next month, they’d have to pay rent to the sect...

That night, Chu Huaixu did not cultivate the 《Sword Refining Art》.

He had just leveled up three times in a row and still had psychological trauma; he didn’t want to suffer again in the middle of the night.

But there wasn’t much entertainment to do either, leaving him a bit bored.

“No wonder cultivation values wealth, methods, companions, and location.”

“If I had a companion, maybe I wouldn't feel so lonely.”

With nothing better to do, Chu Huaixu began some planning based on his past experience as a player.

But since he was still in the Qi‑Opening Stage, his options were limited.

“Still need to reach the First Realm as soon as possible.”

As night deepened, Chu Huaixu took off his robe, accustomed to sleeping nude.

At midnight, he suddenly opened his eyes in bed and looked toward the Storage Token on his clothes.

A mysterious and indescribable aura radiated faintly from it.

Chu Huaixu got out of bed naked, picked up the token, and retrieved something from inside.

A jade-like fragment of the Pill King Token rested in his palm.

At this moment, it emitted a faint, faint glow.

“Is the secret realm opening?” Chu Huaixu’s pupils contracted, his heartbeat accelerating.

He put on his robe and pushed the door open.

At the same time, Han Shuangjiang from the neighboring bamboo house also stepped out, holding a fragment of the Pill King Token in her hand.

“Perfect timing, I was just going to confirm with you,” Chu Huaixu said to her.

“Looks like this secret realm really is opening!” He smiled slightly.

Han Shuangjiang gave a small nod, glanced at the jade fragment in her hand, her mood a mix of excitement and nervousness.

“Shall we go to that Cold Pool now?” she asked.

“Didn’t expect you to be so impatient,” Chu Huaixu chuckled.

Hearing that, Han Shuangjiang pressed her lips together, saying no more, afraid of being teased again.

“No rush. We need to make preparations—who knows how many days we’ll be stuck in the secret realm?” said the seasoned play companion.

Previously, many wealthy older sisters loved asking him to do dungeon runs,

because he was powerful, could carry them, and the atmosphere was good when a lone man and woman were together.

It was a bit like forming a team to play the cultivation-world version of an escape room?

“But didn’t Steward Niu say that the secret realm can only open once the Pill King Token is complete?”

“So we don’t need to hurry; without the two of us present, they can’t enter either.” Chu Huaixu waved his hand.

At this, his eyes narrowed as he said, “Moreover, those Lis will probably hold a small meeting to discuss how to act inside the secret realm.”

...

...

Medicine Mountain, Liu family.

Liu Chengqi still hadn’t slept; he had just finished his busy tasks.

A soft, jade-like fragrant body lay in his arms, the young woman’s jade toes gently circling his calves.

“Senior Brother Liu, you’re amazing.” The woman spoke softly, like orchid breath, and lightly rubbed his neck.

“Is that so? Junior Sister Chen, is it me who’s amazing, or him who’s amazing?” Liu Chengqi asked, as his hand slid down her spine to a rising curve.

One had to admit, this Cao traitor’s taste was as ever—he liked this kind of scene.

“Of course, it’s you who’s amazing! Compared to you, he’s nothing! Tonight, you’re even more amazing than before, just like…just like…”

“Like what?” Liu Chengqi pinched her firm buttocks with force, tone full of pride and expectation.

“Like you’ve taken a pill.”

Hearing that, Liu Chengqi’s strong hand suddenly froze, and his face darkened.

Because he had taken a pill.

At that moment, he suddenly felt something amiss.

Finally, his gaze fell on his Storage Token.

Liu Chengqi swiftly rose and retrieved the jade token fragment from within.

Seeing that mysterious faint glow, boundless joy shone in his eyes, and he couldn’t help laughing aloud.

“Finally! The secret realm has finally opened! Hahaha!”

He had waited a long time for this day.

He hadn’t expected that Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang were so lucky—just after obtaining the Pill King Token, the secret realm opened.

“If they had gotten it a few days earlier, they wouldn’t even have the chance to enter!” Liu Chengqi’s eyes darkened with gloom.

Such an opportunity was truly not something he wished to share, yet he felt powerless to prevent it.

The woman who had been lying on the bed immediately rose, smiling as she said, “Congratulations, Senior Brother Liu!”

Clearly, she also knew about the secret realm.

The reason was simple: this female disciple at the peak of Qi-Opening Stage was one of nine personally selected by Steward Liu, designated to accompany his beloved son into the secret realm, and would be given token fragments then.

However, two fragments had been given to others, so the nine guardians were unnecessary—only seven could go down.

“Just wait here… actually, you should head back first; I need to report this to Father.” Liu Chengqi began ushering her away.

He had taken pills, so he wouldn’t let his Junior Sister leave at once—he’d wait until he was spent.

But now, serious matters prevailed.

She was already slightly relaxed.

“I am a naturally born Blazing Fire Spirit Embryo, ranked top-grade!”

“As long as I recover, the supreme Dao awaits me!”

“Now this Chu Huaixu has Elder Six backing him—what does that matter? As long as I enter the Inner Sect and rise in cultivation, I might become an Elder Disciple! Or even apprentice under the Sect Master!”

“As for Han Shuangjiang…” still under the drug’s effect, Liu Chengqi licked his lips.

“Now it all depends on whether there’s something I want inside the secret realm.”

Liu Chengqi immediately set off to find Liu Tianfeng.

However, Liu Tianfeng wasn’t at home.

There were still seven fragments left in his Storage Token, and he had long sensed something was off.

At this moment, the elder was standing beside that Cold Pool.

At the bottom of the pool, the chill was so intense that even with his cultivation, he couldn’t withstand it for long.

Just then, Liu Tianfeng’s divine sense probed downward and instantly sensed something.

“The cold energy… indeed has mostly dissipated.”

“No— actually, all the cold energy has been completely absorbed!”

...