Chapter 58: The Power of Golden Core

“Secret realm? What is a secret realm?”

Fang Xing became interested, knowing this was the result of his earlier habit of stirring up trouble for amusement.

“Secret realm? You don’t even know what a secret realm is?” Ding Hongxiu studied Fang Xing with curiosity.

“Ah… this cultivator clearly devotes himself entirely to martial arts and never concerns himself with outside matters, yet still achieved such heights—how could it matter if he doesn’t know of secret realms? To us low-level cultivators, secret realms are mere legends; it’s normal for you not to know…”

Ding Boshan tucked away his wine gourd and watched Fang Xing methodically looting the corpses, yet his expression turned solemn.

“Please, Master, instruct me.”

Fang Xing stood up and asked earnestly.

“A secret realm is a small world created by high-level cultivators… normally hidden within the void; even if you pass by a thousand times, you may never find it—only emerging at specific moments or through certain artifacts or secret techniques…”

Ding Boshan sighed: “Some secret realms are no larger than a few rooms, while others stretch boundlessly, even harboring demonic beasts… For us low-level cultivators, a secret realm is a great opportunity—if we can obtain ancient powerful techniques, treasures, or even pills, our cultivation could surge overnight…”

“So that’s how it is—then how did this secret realm appear?” Fang Xing asked curiously.

“About two months ago, rumors suddenly spread through the marketplace that a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator clashed with the Black Tiger Gang over a secret realm in the Five Scorpion Valley… The secret realm contained great fortune—the old cultivator even broke through his bottleneck and reached Qi Refining peak!”

As Ding Boshan spoke, his wine-red nose seemed to flush even redder with envy.

‘Qi Refining peak? That’s clearly fabricated… well, a normal distortion in rumor transmission…’

Fang Xing internally rolled his eyes: “And then?”

“Such rumors surface monthly in the marketplace—we usually ignore them—but then the Qingshuan Sect’s Foundation Establishment elder immediately dispatched a flying vessel. Only then did I realize this might be real… The marketplace erupted in chaos; many cultivators rushed to the Five Scorpion Valley, and countless battles broke out—many experts died, it was horrific…”

Ding Boshan shook his head: “In the end, Qingshuan Sect naturally seized control of the Five Scorpion Valley and drove out all the wandering cultivators, hoping to monopolize the secret realm… But when they tried to open the entrance, something went wrong—Qingshuan suffered heavy losses, even losing two flying vessels…”

“So it was that tragic?” Fang Xing continued acting.

“Yes…” Ding Boshan wore a smug expression: “It’s said the Black Tiger Gang concealed key secrets to opening the secret realm… How could Qingshuan tolerate that? The Foundation Establishment elder returned and went straight to the Black Tiger Gang, intending to exterminate them all… But just then, the Black Tiger Gang’s leader suddenly appeared—he had been secretly hiding, and had quietly achieved Foundation Establishment! Now our Qinglin Marketplace has a third Foundation Establishment cultivator—forming a tripod of power…”

“Still, Qingshuan Sect remains a Golden Core sect and continues to suppress the Black Tiger Gang and the Zheng family… They’ve also notified their sect, sending many core disciples to explore the secret realm—rumor says they gained great rewards: Foundation Establishment opportunities, powerful techniques, even fragmented artifacts…”

Ding Boshan said: “Recently, the higher sect inexplicably announced that the secret realm is now open to wandering cultivators—so many are preparing to risk it… Old me, blinded by greed, wanted to bring my granddaughter to try our luck—and that’s when I ran into the Black Absolute Trio…”

“Open to wandering cultivators?”

Fang Xing rubbed his chin: “If there’s real benefit, why open it to us? This clearly means they want cannon fodder and sacrificial lambs! The secret realm must be extremely dangerous!”

“Yes…”

Ding Boshan had already thought of this—but on one hand, profit stirs the heart; on the other, wandering cultivators are precisely those who seize chances and risk their lives.

Thus, this danger was self-inflicted.

Fang Xing began sorting through the spoils: both the second tiger’s bronze hammers and the third tiger’s fan were collected.

“The third tiger’s ‘Clear Wind Fan’ is a low-grade artifact, worth little Spirit Stone—but the second tiger’s pair of bronze hammers is a matched set of mid-grade artifacts, even a premium example…”

Ding Hongxiu softly spoke, evaluating Fang Xing: “The most valuable items are the gauntlets on the first tiger’s hands—definitely a high-grade artifact, but unfortunately only suitable for body cultivators… As for that white bone banner—it’s a demonic artifact; though immensely powerful, you’d best not display it casually…”

“Pity—no body cultivation technique from the first tiger…”

Fang Xing sighed.

Storage bags are rare; cultivators struggle to carry much on their journeys.

Fortunately, these three were bandits, always nomadic, and their purses were fairly full.

Besides artifacts, they’d even gifted him hundreds of low-grade Spirit Stones.

As for techniques?

Naturally, they wouldn’t carry them on their persons.

“Even if it were a body cultivation technique, without spiritual roots, you couldn’t even begin…”

Ding Hongxiu whispered softly.

“Hongxiu!” Ding Boshan glared fiercely at his granddaughter, his old face plastered with a smile: “Hongxiu is still young and doesn’t understand—Master, please forgive her!”

“It’s fine.”

Fang Xing waved his hand, hesitating as if about to speak.

Indeed—he was no cultivator, lacked spiritual power and spiritual sense, and couldn’t do many things.

But these two grandparents and granddaughter were cultivators!

Fang Xing could simply hand them his most valuable spoil—the storage bag—and let them retrieve its treasures!

Yet many difficulties arose: first, concealing hidden items!

But multiple low-level cultivators could inspect it together, eliminating concealment.

More crucially… the storage bag was so valuable it could justify murder!

Fang Xing felt that even if he confessed honestly, Ding Boshan wouldn’t believe a word—he’d only scheme to survive!

Added to that, he himself had no spiritual sense and couldn’t even see what was inside the storage bag.

If Chen Yi’s storage bag contained high-grade talismans or powerful artifacts, and Ding Boshan retrieved them to use against Fang Xing, the consequences would be dire!

This wasn’t impossible!

After all, Chen Yi was among the first to discover the secret realm—he likely gained great rewards and would have stockpiled survival items!

Thinking this, Fang Xing felt a pang of regret.

‘Forget it—even if there are treasures inside, they’re probably only usable by cultivators, and I couldn’t use them anyway…’

Fang Xing waved his hand: “Then let’s part ways here—until we meet again…”

No sooner had he spoken than he vanished like a white cloud, instantly far away.

“Ah, now that’s a true master.”

Seeing this, Ding Boshan couldn’t help but sigh.

“Grandpa, you were just saying…”

Ding Hongxiu was about to speak, but Ding Boshan clapped his hand over her mouth; the two grandparents and granddaughter walked in silence back to Qinglin Marketplace.

Only after entering the shantytown did Ding Boshan finally exhale: “He might still be nearby—you blabbering like that, do you want to get your grandfather killed?!”

“You were the one who looked down on him and kept comparing him to others!” Ding Hongxiu huffed.

She’d long wanted to say this to her opportunistic grandfather.

“Cough… that’s all past now—I didn’t know he was this powerful,” Ding Boshan sighed deeply: “These are chaotic times—compared to that handsome young master who often buys Spirit Rice, someone like this strongman suits you better…”

Ding Hongxiu rolled her eyes.

The grandfather and granddaughter bickered as they entered the marketplace.

The place remained as bustling as ever, even more crowded than usual, showing no signs of decline from the secret realm’s opening—instead, many new faces appeared.

Many wandering cultivators died in the secret realm, yet even more outsiders braved the high fares and carried their own rations just to come here and try their luck!

Occasionally, even a couple of young men and women in blue cultivation robes passed through the crowd of wanderers.

Their robes were uniformly sky-blue, bearing the Qingshuan Sect’s emblem—each radiated deep cultivation, clearly Qingshuan disciples.

‘This dump still isn’t fit to stay in…’

Old Ding Boshan watched this scene and felt a toothache.

At that moment, the sky’s array suddenly activated—a streak of light shot into the marketplace at terrifying speed.

Accompanying the streak was an overwhelming aura of authority!

In the marketplace, every Qi Refining cultivator’s legs trembled, nearly collapsing to the ground.

“What… what’s happening?”

Ding Hongxiu clutched her grandfather’s arm, tears welling in her eyes.

If she’d known the marketplace was this dangerous, she never would’ve returned.

“It’s Golden Core… a Golden Core true cultivator!”

Ding Boshan’s voice was hoarse as he gazed at an elderly woman with silver hair hovering in midair.

This Golden Core true cultivator of Qingshuan Sect was a woman—her hair pure white, her face like peach blossoms, her spiritual power profound as an ocean.

“Bow to the Supreme Elder!”

Numerous Qingshuan disciples bowed; from the peak of Qinglin Mountain and the Zheng family ancestral home, several streaks of light shot forth—transforming into several radiant Foundation Establishment cultivators who bowed in midair.

“The Black Tiger Gang violated my greatest taboo—I have slain their leader… You all take heed!”

The silver-haired woman with peach-blossom skin spoke hoarsely, pulling a corpse from her storage bag and hanging it above the marketplace’s archway—it was the Black Tiger Gang’s leader, already Foundation Establishment!

His eyes bulged wide, dying with unbearable resentment…

“Is that really the Black Tiger Gang’s leader?”

“Gah… that’s a Foundation Establishment elder!”

“So what if he’s a Foundation Establishment elder? When a Golden Core is enraged, corpses pile up by the hundred thousand, rivers run red!”

“Alas… poor Jiang Heihu—he’d just achieved Foundation Establishment, full of pride, and now meets such an end…”

“The power of a Golden Core true cultivator is truly heaven-shattering—they say the Black Tiger Gang’s leader fled, yet they still dragged him back…”

Seeing this, every Qi Refining cultivator trembled in awe!

The Qingshuan Sect’s Supreme Elder personally intervening to exterminate the Black Tiger Gang was a warning to everyone present!

This wasn’t killing a chicken to scare the monkeys—it was killing a monkey to scare the chickens!

After the Golden Core true cultivator departed, the marketplace’s atmosphere turned strangely eager again.

“Damn!”

Ding Boshan’s face turned pale: “What kind of fortune could be in that secret realm that even a Golden Core true cultivator deigned to come here? This water is too deep—we can’t handle it…”

Thinking back to how he’d once considered signing up to explore it, Ding Boshan wished he could slap himself hard…