Chapter 52: Gratitude Toward My Master?

No response came; the Secret Realm remained utterly silent.

"Disciple had no intention of disturbing; I shall withdraw immediately, hoping the elder will forgive my transgression."

Saying this, Li Qingyang turned to leave.

Yet at that moment, the Return-to-Void elder also entered.

Watching Li Qingyang's back, he immediately spoke: "Are the swords nurtured within this Secret Realm worthy of your esteemed uncle's gaze? If you intend to subdue them, shall I prepare anything?"

Fuck!

Li Qingyang's scalp prickled; his heartbeat seemed to halt in that instant—he wished he could turn and shove his sword straight down this bastard's throat.

Subdue?

I'll crush your fucking senior! Before the Return-to-Void elder could react, his vision blurred—a hand appeared behind his head, and an irresistible force surged forth, making him wonder if his head would be slammed into the earth.

"This lowly disciple has blind eyes and speaks foolishly; I beg the elder's great mercy, please do not hold it against him," Li Qingyang said rapidly, one hand pressing down on the Return-to-Void elder.

Though terrified, he was still a disciple of the Xiang Jianzong—he had to protect him.

Jiang Jing, who had entered last, froze at the sight.

What is going on? More bewildered than her was the Return-to-Void elder, bowing under Li Qingyang's grip.

Had he done something wrong? Who was the esteemed uncle speaking to?

The Secret Realm remained silent, still no response—like it hadn't seen… or perhaps simply didn't care about this farce.

"Thank you, elder; we shall depart now."

Then he dragged the Return-to-Void elder away.

"Chief…"

"Call me Vice Chief." Even now, Li Qingyang corrected him first, "And don't speak—get out first, then talk."

Jiang Jing didn't understand what had happened, but she followed Li Qingyang out of the Secret Realm.

After the three left, a ripple spread around the crimson moon hanging high in the sky, but it quickly faded.

Outside.

Li Qingyang, Jiang Jing, and the Return-to-Void elder stepped out from the gray mist vortex.

He exhaled sharply, releasing the hand that had gripped the Return-to-Void elder.

Then he pulled the gourd from his waist and took a deep swig of liquor.

But this time, no aroma of wine escaped—he was clearly mindful of Jiang Jing's presence.

Fuck! That scared the shit out of me.

Li Qingyang sat down on a protruding rock nearby.

The Return-to-Void elder finally began to regain his wits.

"Esteemed uncle, is the sword nurtured within the Secret Realm…?"

"Yes! You've got damn good eyes—how the hell did you spot a senior of this caliber in some tiny Xuanjian City?"

"If that's true, then why did I discover this Secret Realm housing such a senior?"

How could someone like me have found a Secret Realm housing a senior even the esteemed uncle deemed formidable?

"How the hell should I know?" Li Qingyang said, utterly matter-of-fact.

Then he took another swig.

Suddenly, he paused.

Could his master's assignment for him be connected to the master of this sword? Could the sword's master be some uncle or elder? "Vice Chief, what should we do next?"

After two corrections, Jiang Jing finally confirmed: this Vice Chief of the Swordholding Hall truly wanted her to call him Vice Chief.

"First, get far away—don't offend this senior here."

Since his master said he'd understand when the time came, why force the issue?

If I still don't get it in the end… then it's all my master's fault for not explaining clearly! "Let's go!"

Li Qingyang picked up his gourd and shuffled down the mountain.

…………

Not long after the three left.

"Master, is the gift you prepared for me on this mountain?"

"Mm. This should be the most suitable for you at this stage."

Two figures walked one behind the other—Chi Jiuyu ahead, Xu Xing behind.

"If it's halfway up the mountain, why are we climbing up from the base?"

"I meant to land right at the halfway point, but you didn't wait for me to finish speaking—you already flew down," Chi Jiuyu recalled, realizing it was indeed true: the moment she heard her master had prepared a gift on this mountain, she'd rushed down without hesitation.

Hmm…

She pulled two candies from her pocket, peeled one, and popped it into her mouth: "Master, do you want one?"

"No."

Soon, the two reached the location of the Secret Realm's entrance.

"It's right here."

Chi Jiuyu, who had already climbed a ways upward, turned around.

'Master, why didn't you warn me!'

She scolded silently in her mind, then sprinted back down.

"Where is it?"

Chi Jiuyu looked around, her eyes glowing faintly golden—she had activated the Grand Void Golden Gaze.

She hadn't found the Secret Realm yet, but she'd already spotted the blade-like aura that severed the weather.

Could it be that the gift Master Uncle mentioned is this? "Alright, let's go in."

Instantly, the world spun and turned; the swirling green aura and the sharpness above it vanished, replaced by an overwhelming, boundless sea of red light.

This feeling was like facing Master Uncle's unavoidable sword strike during the trial.

"Ugh!"

Chi Jiuyu covered her eyes; it wasn't painful, but tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

It was like an ordinary person suddenly staring directly at the sun.

When her vision returned, she looked around—but this time, she had not activated the Grand Void Piercing Golden Eyes.

Is that Tongxuan Grass? Beside it stood a mountain shaped like a sword, wrapped in chains of unknown origin.

Hey! There's even a red moon in the sky!

"Master Uncle, couldn't you have just sent me straight here?" Chi Jiuyu suddenly realized.

If you can arrive in an instant, why bother flying here slowly?

"A walk after meals is good for the body."

"... " After a moment of silence, she stopped dwelling on it. "Master Uncle, you're not planning to give me these Tongxuan Grass, are you?"

"Not the Tongxuan Grass—this Secret Realm," Xu Xing said, gazing at the sword-shaped peak. "This is a Sword-Nurturing Secret Realm—perfect for you right now."

"Your cultivation has advanced too quickly; your sword has begun to lag behind."

Hearing this, Chi Jiuyu beamed.

Sigh~ She couldn't help it if her cultivation advanced too fast.

"Your Ye Shijie must have considered your current situation, which is why she specifically sent you to find me."

"Master?"

"Yes. With your Ye Shijie's abilities, she could certainly help you—but nothing compares to the long-term benefit of a complete Sword-Nurturing Secret Realm."

Moreover, it's nearly impossible for any Sword-Nurturing Secret Realm to surpass the quality of this one.

"Truly thoughtful. It's clear your Ye Shijie cares deeply for you as her disciple."

My Master is so kind to me! Chi Jiuyu was deeply moved and immediately took out her phone from her storage ring, ready to send a message to her Master.

Uh...

She was foolish—this was a Secret Realm. Where would there be network?

She glanced at her phone screen.

Huh? There's network!

She suppressed the urge to ask Master Uncle and opened her messaging app, typing rapidly.

Future Sect Leader of the Xiang Jianzong: "Master~/cute yellow duck"

To express her gratitude to her Master, she specifically used her Master's favorite yellow duck emoji.

My Most Revered Master: "/hanging"

My Most Revered Master: "/whip yellow duck"

My Most Revered Master: "It's too late to beg now. Just wait."

Chi Jiuyu: "..."

Emotion, sometimes, comes fast—and leaves even faster.

Please collect, please follow read!! (End of Chapter)