Chapter 70: Chapter Seventy: Morning Cultivation Lesson

The four of them had decent cultivation; after a night of breath regulation, they had recovered quite well.

Shi Ran finally understood why those disciples of the sect, whether the lofty inner disciples or the hardworking outer disciples, all sharpened their heads to rush into this secret realm.

Besides the legendary opportunities that make eyes red, this place itself is a cultivation accelerator! Combat can push potential to the limit, tempering bones and sinews; during breath regulation, the pervasive rich spiritual energy nourishes weary bodies like a sweet spring; the speed of cultivation increase is several times that of the outside.

The secret realm is indeed a good place; if the Fumeng Sect could exclusively own a piece of it, the cultivation effect would be like riding a rocket! I just don't know whether the secret realm can accept a master—Shi Ran rubbed her fingers, her eyes lighting up.

But that's for later; this wake‑up service right now is really annoying.

Originally, the immersive secret‑realm experience with its uninterrupted spiritual‑power binding service was forcibly awakened! It's simply exterminating humanity!

The morning mist had not yet fully cleared; the spiritual energy deep in the secret‑realm forest carried the freshness of plants, and a single breath left one feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Shi Ran let out a big yawn, a tear of physiological moisture welling at the corner of her eye; she rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the last trace of drowsiness, and stood bored behind Luo Changfeng.

This is deadly! Shi Ran muttered, "Heaven‑sent, it's barely dawn, you lot!" A novel practical‑training lesson was about to begin without delay.

At the battlefield's center, dust flew, spiritual energy surged, forming a chaotic vortex.

This deadly training session actually involved three opposing forces intersecting.

First is the first force—a family of three black bears native to the land! They were merely conducting the innate cultivation of demon beasts in the morning light when they were abruptly interrupted; now, utter rage has ignited the ferocity in their blood.

Papa Bear's stature was enormous, like a moving hill! It let out an earth‑shaking roar; the sound waves made the surrounding leaves rustle, and even dewdrops scurried away.

Its thick forelimbs, each swing accompanied by a heavy whoosh, with palm‑sized paws smeared in earth‑yellow demonic grit, slammed the ground and could instantly dig a small pit.

Gravel and dirt flew! Mama Bear was more agile and fierce, shielding the somewhat clumsy cub before her; her claws were like knives chilled with cold light.

Each pounce carried a tearing hostility and a target—the culprits who had injured her husband! Several disciples of the Heavenly Jade Sect.

And that half‑grown cub, though far weaker than its parents, was still full of ferocity, howling; whenever it got a chance it would lunge to bite and tear, causing no trouble for the Heavenly Jade Sect's disciples.

Now let me introduce our second force—the disciples of the Heavenly Jade Sect! They number about five or six, dressed in uniform moon‑white robes with cuffs embroidered with the pattern representing the Heavenly Jade; the leading young man, his visage full of righteous vigor, is precisely the third personal‑transmission disciple of the Heaven character generation of the great sect—Shanming.

Shanming's cultivation was indeed not bad, but at this moment his face showed a hint of embarrassment and anger; his sword‑brows were locked, his star‑like eyes cold, as he dodged the black bear's violent attacks while loudly commanding the formation—Seven Star Lock Demon Formation.

"Junior Brother Zhang, Junior Sister Li, hold back the mother bear." "Junior Brother Wang, follow me to steady the father bear! Time is pressing—you must watch out for the cub's sneak attack. They move swiftly, cooperate seamlessly, and are not to be underestimated!"

Shanming's timely reminder ensured that not a single Heavenly Jade Sect disciple was injured! Sword light and the radiance of blessing and prosperity intertwined and flickered; someone shot an arrow, wind and loss arriving together, its tip bearing a sharp anti‑metal hue, precisely aimed at the vicious father bear's vital spot.

Someone else brandished a long sword with exquisite technique. The distance to Mama Bear. Another tossed a thunder‑glinting gourd that exploded beside the demon beasts, trying to paralyze their movements. Yet facing the violent force and ruthless slaughter of two adult demon beasts, plus the harassment of the elusive cub, their formation showed some weakness—left supporting right, their splendid moves appeared somewhat powerless against absolute strength.

The third force consists of the disciples of Yuquan Zhong. This Yuquan Sect disciple pair—one man, one woman—has a gentle demeanor, dressed in simple azure robes with cuffs embroidered with intertwined lotus patterns; they are precisely the famed daoist couple of the Jade Spring Sect.

They did not directly participate in the siege of the demon beasts; instead, they formed a certain standoff with the Heavenly Jade Sect.

That gentle woman's brows furrowed slightly as she plucked the ancient zither in her arms; the July zither notes turned into an invisible barrier, several times blocking the Heaven Mystery Sect's angled, sneaky attacks for that pair of black bears.

She called out softly: "Members of the Heavenly Jade Sect, since you've already caused accidental harm, you should withdraw quickly—why insist on exterminating them completely?"

The man beside her held a jade flute; its mournful notes carried soothing and purifying power, attempting to dispel the black bears' violent fury, while he told the Heavenly Jade Sect's disciples: "In secret‑realm treasure hunting, each relies on fate, but wanton slaughter of innocent lives—especially an entire family—is hardly in accordance with the Heavenly Way, not what we cultivators ought to do."

The root of this chaos was precisely the morning lesson of the Heaven Mystery Sect's disciples. They practiced swordsmanship, and a volley of fierce sword‑flow arrows, by coincidence, struck the resting papa bear's buttocks. The sudden pain instantly awoke the sleeping black‑bear family and ignited their anger.

Meanwhile, the road of Yuquan Zhong happened to pass by; witnessing the scene, that woman, innately good, could not bear to see the strong bully the weak, and could not help but speak out, blaming the Heavenly Jade Sect's disciples for their rash conduct and cruel hand.

The Heavenly Jade Sect's disciples were already irritated from having caused trouble, and being blamed by outsiders made them lose face; words sparked a conflict—one side accused the other of hypocritical meddling, the other mocked them for disgracing the great sect's style.

The heated argument quickly escalated; although Yuquan Zhong's Dao was not skilled in combat, seeing the Heaven Mystery Sect's disciples not only not retreat but actually intend to strike at the right chest, he had no choice but to intervene, protecting the little demon beast, whereupon all three sides flew into a rage.

The enraged demon beasts, the Heaven Mystery Sect provoked into fury, and the Jade Spring Sect intervener became thoroughly mixed together, turning into the huge melee that Shi Ran insisted on fighting—chickens flying, dogs jumping, dust flying. Sword qi crisscrossed, demonic qi shot to the heavens, and the zither‑flute sounds were mixed with angry roars and howls.

The humming of colliding spiritual energy rose and fell; broken branches and leaves fluttered in the air, the ground pitted with craters as violent energy surged. Even so, Shi Ran instinctively shrank back behind Gu Changfeng, saying she carefully avoided a flying fragment of stone. She crossed her arms, brows furrowed—this scene was beyond words.

Must one fight to be number one under heaven? A person of high cultivation isn't necessarily kind, and kindness doesn't equal weakness—why must there be a winner and loser?