Chapter 103: 103. Chapter 103: Exploration (In Honor of Master Ye Xun)

103. Chapter 103: Exploration (In Honor of Master Ye Xun)

Spring passed, autumn came.

In the blink of an eye, one semester slipped away.

Fang Xing gazed out the window and sighed.

Due to concerns over the Golden Core true cultivator on that side, he couldn’t freely go hunting… and with his appetite drastically increasing, spiritual rice and beast meat couldn’t be replenished in time—his martial cultivation speed had slowed these past few months.

Yet even so, this growth was still beyond the imagination of any ordinary Federation prodigy.

He extended his right hand; its skin glowed like translucent yellow jade, fingers long and flawless, not a single callus in sight—almost unbelievable for a martial artist’s palm.

At this thought, a faint dragon’s roar echoed in the void.

A dragon’s aura spread outward from him, forming a dignified “prototype domain.”

Anyone standing here might have been mentally dazed, believing they’d glimpsed a glimpse of a cloud-dwelling dragon’s scale or claw.

“Indeed, after surpassing half the progress of Great Dragon Stake at the Master level, I’ve awakened the prototype domain…”

Fang Xing murmured to himself.

The fifth realm of martial arts requires spirit to influence matter—inner scenery becomes outer scenery!

Direct spirit-to-matter influence demands the completion and natural overflow of spiritual force within the Niwan Palace.

Inner scenery transforming into outer scenery occurs through the domain.

Since ancient times, countless martial artists have been halted at the first step of awakening a prototype domain.

But for Fang Xing, after pushing Great Dragon Stake past 200, he naturally awakened the prototype of the Dragon Domain.

“This pace is normal… after all, that Huang Mei kid awakened the prototype of the Light Domain during the Hundred Stars Exam, and with his light-transformation ability, he could even fly… I still can’t fly.”

Of course, Fang Xing knew Gu Jian Tong was exceptionally gifted, and having awakened a top-tier ability, he had a natural advantage in developing the Light Domain.

As for himself, as long as he showed his proficiency bar, he had an advantage in any domain!

The difference was between a learning god and a subject-specific genius.

Undoubtedly, that Huang Mei kid was the subject-specific one!

Thinking it over, Fang Xing pulled out his phone and called Lan Fei: “Lan Fei… I plan to focus on cultivation during winter break. Buy a batch of New Year gifts and deliver them one by one… visit Principal Lu Guangming, Teacher Xia Long, and classmate Gu Yun on my behalf.”

“Understood.”

On the other end, Lan Fei immediately agreed and went to work.

Fang Xing chuckled softly and walked into the meditation chamber.

A flash of silver light—and his figure vanished…

…

The Immortal Realm.

A figure moved through the Great Wilderness forest.

Several wolf-like beasts noticed the figure and prepared to act.

Roar! Roar!

A prototype domain enveloped them; a dragon’s shape faintly appeared in the air.

“Woo!”

The wolf beasts sensed immense danger and immediately fled, tails tucked.

“Prototype domain… how should I apply it? Still can’t solidify the dragon’s form… but terrifying with a palm that summons a dragon? That seems fine enough…”

Fang Xing silently pondered as he found the ancient tree he’d marked.

His hands, like the sharpest iron shovels, rapidly dug into the earth, soon excavating a three-meter-deep pit.

Clang!

A clear metallic sound rang out.

His right hand seized a silver-white metal box.

After entering the password, the box opened automatically, revealing a screen inside.

On the screen were the surveillance logs from this period!

Knowing a Golden Core true cultivator might arrive, Fang Xing had to be cautious—but he couldn’t abandon his Tianyan advantage.

So while he recalled most drone puppets, he kept a few deployed at key locations.

Such as Qinglin Bazaar, Five Scorpion Valley, and near the underground camp.

This time, learning from past mistakes, he didn’t approach for reconnaissance—only monitored from several miles away.

Each puppet had its own dedicated monitoring box, buried deep far from the underground camp, ensuring no one could trace it back.

Now, as the footage fast-forwarded, everything in Five Scorpion Valley unfolded clearly.

“Indeed… after that discovery, the Golden Core true cultivator entered Five Scorpion Valley… and three days later, the result came.”

Fang Xing murmured, eyes locked on the surveillance video.

Due to the distance, he could only see two streaks of light emerging from Five Scorpion Valley, entangled with each other…

“Is this… infighting?”

Fang Xing was surprised, yet not entirely: “Originally three streaks—why only two now? Could the secret realm be so deadly… even claiming Golden Core cultivators?”

Roar!

The struggle between the two streaks attracted the attention of a third-rank beast; a strange roar echoed from afar.

Then…

A vast, sky-covering shadow appeared…

Figures flashed within the two streaks; countless spells surged like a flood, and a peculiar flying hairpin transformed into a phoenix wreathed in divine flame, crashing into the shadow…

A black claw suddenly emerged, seizing the divine phoenix. Three dark streaks slashed through—revealing the Golden Core cultivator wielding the hairpin, battered and exposed: the Grand Elder of Qingxuan Sect!

She stared at the sudden appearance of a black jade dragon, fear flashing across her face. Just as she prepared to activate a secret technique, a burly man covered in tattoos roared, his tattoos instantly coming alive—transforming into a ten-meter-long two-headed serpent that lunged at her back…

“Brilliant! Truly brilliant!”

Fang Xing felt little emotion watching the Golden Core cultivators’ deadly duel—after all, it was just a screen.

And it had happened months ago.

But being able to safely observe a Golden Core cultivator’s life-or-death battle with a third-rank beast was enough to warrant applause.

He watched the footage and deduced the general picture: “Three Golden Core cultivators explored the secret realm. One got trapped inside; the other two emerged and immediately turned on each other… their battle’s spiritual energy drew a third-rank jade dragon… and even as they fought the beast, they kept sabotaging each other.”

Fang Xing continued watching as the elderly woman with white hair and a youthful face screamed, swallowed whole by the dragon—her spiritual light vanished, flesh and bone fragments dripping from its fangs.

Seeing this, the burly man’s face turned pale with terror; he chanted incantations frantically—his arm suddenly exploded, his body turning into a crimson light that fled at astonishing speed…

“Used some self-mutilating technique… escaped?”

Fang Xing adjusted the angle and connected to other drones.

Indeed, at the same moment, surveillance from outside Qinglin Bazaar showed a crimson streak slicing across the sky, not pausing once in the bazaar, vanishing swiftly—soon followed by a black jade dragon…

…

“Finally over… no other Golden Core cultivators appeared afterward…”

Fang Xing exhaled deeply.

Three Golden Core cultivators: one vanished into the secret realm, one died by beast’s jaws, only one escaped, gravely wounded.

The death rate for locals running dungeons is too high!

He silently praised himself—he hadn’t impulsively rushed into the secret realm. It was the right decision!

“But… now might be a good time to scavenge nearby?”

Fang Xing rubbed his chin, carefully reviewing the footage—pausing at the moment the Qingxuan Sect Grand Elder was ambushed, lost in thought.

The Golden Core cultivator was certainly dead, but her flying hairpin, now uncontrolled, let out a mournful cry and fell to the ground.

The burly man was too busy fleeing to pick it up.

As for the third-rank jade dragon, it showed no interest—immediately chasing after the fleeing man…

“So… a third-rank treasure is just waiting for me to pick it up?”

Fang Xing’s eyes lit up.

First-rank artifacts, second-rank spiritual tools, third-rank treasures!

Treasures are used by Golden Core cultivators, crafted from third-rank materials, extremely valuable.

Even a grain-sized fragment might be worth more than my Qinghong Sword!

“The key is, it’s been a long time, and it’s not inside the secret realm—minimal danger.”

“A quick scavenging… should be fine?”

“If her storage bag fell nearby too, I’d strike it rich…”

…

Several days later.

“Damn… I’m such an idiot, really…”

Fang Xing pressed his temples, feeling sharp pain in his Niwan Palace.

He had arrived beneath the site of the former battle.

But if a hairpin fell from above, how vast an area was below?

He felt like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Without spiritual force and drone assistance, he’d have lost all confidence.

Even so, after intense searching, his head throbbed painfully.

“Indeed, martial artists’ spiritual force, though slightly stronger than spiritual perception and capable of external projection, is still not divine perception—too strained.”

If he hadn’t known that a third-rank treasure was surely extraordinary and emitted strong fluctuations, Fang Xing might not have bothered to look for it at all.

But a complete treasure, though its value in spirit stones was unknown, was certainly a astronomical sum!

Even if he couldn’t use it now, selling it later would still be excellent.

Fang Xing thus forced himself to be patient, preparing to rest a moment before continuing his efforts.

“The remains of the Golden Core cultivator scattered across the ground, most of which were found and eaten by beasts… too bad, I’d wanted to perform a postmortem on a Golden Core cultivator—even just a blood sample would’ve been great…”

He sighed, then suddenly his expression shifted: “Beasts? Beasts!”

Aowu!

Just as Fang Xing realized something, a drone detected the presence of a second-rank beast!

It was a golden-furred ape, five meters tall, with four arms.

It stood upright, its two snow-white canine fangs protruding, its eyes sharp and lively, tinged with cunning.

Shua!

Suddenly, a shadow flashed—a golden-furred hand seized the drone.

The last thing Fang Xing saw was its ugly face, and that drooling, crimson maw.

Hualala…

The screen filled with static; he rose with a sigh, and the Azure Rainbow Sword at his waist let out a clear, ringing chime.

“I just wanted to slay a second-rank beast to test my hands… moreover…”

Fang Xing’s figure flickered, immediately heading toward the location of the four-armed ape.