Chapter 316: At All Costs
Jun Qing's first experience went much more smoothly than she imagined.
She initially thought she would surely go through miserable battles, bleeding profusely, getting severely injured, and narrowly escaping death.
But who would have thought that under Xu Lingjun's protection...
She felt no pain at all, although she encountered many unforeseen incidents due to her lack of experience. Fortunately, Xu Lingjun's rich experience and thorough preparations prevented any major accidents from happening.
Although Daxiong was not fully grown and his strength was not particularly strong, he still reigned supreme in the Miwu Ghost Forest... Whenever any demon beasts tried to escape control, he would bite through their throats immediately.
Despite Xu Lingjun's warnings about the sinister nature of the human heart in the secret realm, asserting that confronting classmates with the same demeanor as in the Martial Mansion would certainly lead to a harsh lesson...
Jun Qing was indeed cautious...
Who could understand the darkness of the human heart better than someone who was once terminally ill?
But unexpectedly, when she actually encountered humans, she was surprised to find...
These people feared her as if she were a ferocious beast.
Especially upon seeing her mask and the large white cat beside her, their attitude became even more respectful.
Though not overtly sycophantic, the fear and respect were remarkably apparent.
Some even wore masks that closely resembled hers.
These people bowed respectfully upon seeing her, then turned and stepped aside, treating her with reverence as if she were a deity.
Jun Qing touched her mask, once worn by her senior. So, they fear not me, but this mask, or rather, the senior...
Is this why the senior agreed to let me come to the secret realm alone?
But what exactly did the senior do to make these people in the secret realm fear him as if he were a tiger?
Really, what bad intentions could the senior have?
Such a gentle and kind person, so considerate that it's almost overwhelming...
Thinking this, Jun Qing couldn't help but feel remorseful for her slight disappointment. She originally thought that based on Xu Lingjun's previous care for her, he would personally accompany her, yet he sent only Daxiong instead.
Although she didn't want to trouble Xu Lingjun, the discrepancy between her expectations and reality left her feeling a little uneasy, as it was her first venture into an entirely unknown domain and she naturally hoped her senior would guide her.
But now it seems...
Everything was within his grasp after all.
Senior is really too good to me.
[Your care and concern for Jun Qing have been understood and received her genuine gratitude, thus gaining the favor of the world's Origin Will, Origin Value +25.]
In the dormitory.
Xu Lingjun watched the words flash across his vision like a barrage of comments.
He smiled contentedly, feeling more and more fond of this young girl... She seems extraordinarily adept at being moved by herself, leading to the inexplicable gain of Source Value even when he is thousands of miles away.
But since she's grateful to me, it's evident she didn't encounter any danger, which makes sense. With Daxiong around, the human-beast alliance may not be invincible across the entire secret realm, but the Miwu Ghost Forest is Jigsaw's stronghold, home to many Shuju Disciples who would naturally take good care of her.
So there's no need for me to worry.
Xu Lingjun took out the Barrier-Breaking Pill that he had infused with Talent Source, thinking it's time for him to attempt breaking through the Profound Realm.
It's said that upon reaching the Profound Realm, a martial artist truly gains the ability and capital to counter hot weapons... At this stage, the martial artist's strength undergoes a qualitative transformation.
Especially with each breakthrough into a new realm, the Infinite Divine Demon Body Refining Technique will unlock a completely new ability.
Xu Lingjun can't help but look forward to it.
As the elixir went down his throat...
Xu Lingjun closed his eyes and began cultivating.
"Looks like he's started cultivating again."
Li Jingjun stood outside the door, looking at Xu Lingjun's room, where the lights were still on even during the day. Knowing well that he's been cultivating all night again, she realized that his energy was truly unrivaled, making her previous intentions to compete with him seem naive.
"But I can't let myself fall too far behind either."
She fed more cat food to Pang Hu, who had become quite despondent since Daxiong left, patted its head, and smiled, "Don't worry, soon you can always be together with Daxiong... How wonderful it is to be with the one you want to be with. Pang Hu, you've truly fulfilled your purpose."
She affectionately embraced it.
Li Jingjun picked up her simple backpack and headed towards the Ice Snow Realm, knowing well that once she broke through the Huichuan Realm, she'd no longer be able to remain in the Martial Mansion. However, her desire to achieve in the Martial Tao was not for anyone else but simply to enjoy the feeling of having partners to fight alongside and rivals to chase after.
Time quietly flowed by like that.
Everyone was busy.
Striving every day to not waste a single moment.
In the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed.
During this time, Jun Qing had entered the secret realm multiple times and finally witnessed the dangers within, yet also made significant progress amidst the crises.
The Miwu Ghost Forest and Ice Snow Realm... Beyond the safe zones of these places lay the danger zones, areas where humans had never set foot.
Inside, countless strong demon beasts roamed.
These demon beasts were once the overlords of Blue Star. Although driven into the secret realm by humans, the rich Spiritual Qi within made it a more suitable home than Blue Star ever was. Over generations of evolution, their descendants became increasingly powerful, far exceeding their ancestors.
Yet because the environment of the secret realm suited them so well, they never considered returning to their homeland... While the new home was smaller, it was filled with conflicts and battles.
They simply expelled the weaker demon beasts, knowing humans would handle them outside.
However, on this day.
In a place not tread upon by humans for over a hundred years, a human had quietly snuck in.
A powerful human, enough to contend with the fiercest of demon beasts...
Yet the inherently weak human body was the utmost frailty against demon beasts.
When beset by a horde of powerful demon beasts, even a Creation Realm Grandmaster would find escape impossible.
"Who would have thought that there are so many strong demon beasts in the dangerous zone of this secret realm."
Zhou Qianmo, having reached over ninety years of age, had been in the Guiyuan Realm for over twenty years, but since the rise of the human Martial Tao was still relatively young, the path beyond Guiyuan Realm had gradually narrowed.
He hadn't made a bit of progress for seven years.
But that was before...
Since that time when Xu Lingjun's Dragon Gate Examination, witnessing the content of his written test...
For Zhou Qianmo, those words had opened the door to a new world.
Although Xu Lingjun's words had no empirical support, they were enough to resolve the doubts of masters who were struggling to find a direction and were close to the peak of martial arts.
Thus, Zhou Qianmo felt indebted to Xu Lingjun.
That is why Liu Zhiyuan regarded Xu Lingjun with such a special eye...
But alas, even with a debt of gratitude, and once great optimism...
Having been involved in the murder of my son, I cannot tolerate you.
Bearing the grief of having to bury one's child, time and again.
Now, Zhou Qianmo had nothing left to lose.