Fang Hao received a message from Liang Ling, and his heart surged with excitement.

A clue to the Secret Realm core. This was a great Opportunity.

He immediately rushed towards Fengming Valley, utilizing Shrinking the Ground to an Inch to the extreme, covering several meters in a single step, his speed astonishingly fast.

"I need to hurry; I can’t let that guy Bao Zhijian get there first," Fang Hao muttered to himself, his Divine Sense fully expanded, vigilant of his surroundings.

He feared what he dreaded most. Just after crossing a mountain ridge, a familiar voice suddenly came from ahead:

"Yo, isn’t this Junior Brother Ning? In such a rush, where are you going?"

Bao Zhijian walked slowly out of the woods with four followers, looking at him with a mocking expression.

Fang Hao’s heart sank, but he remained calm on the surface: "Does Senior Brother Bao need something?"

Bao Zhijian sneered: "Can’t I say hello if I don’t need anything? I heard you picked up quite a few benefits a few days ago?"

Fang Hao said indifferently: "Searching for treasures in the Secret Realm depends on one’s own Opportunity. If Senior Brother Bao has nothing else, I will take my leave."

After saying this, he prepared to walk around them.

"Stop!" Bao Zhijian flashed, blocking his path, "Fang Hao, don’t be ungrateful! Hand over the Wind Spirit Fruit, and kneel down and kowtow three times, and I will let you go."

Fang Hao’s eyes turned cold: "Is Senior Brother Bao planning to rob me openly?"

Bao Zhijian laughed loudly: "So what if I rob you? A mere Foundation Establishment Early Stage, do you really think you can challenge me?"

The followers behind him also roared with laughter:

"Senior Brother Bao, why waste words with this kid!"

"Just take him down! Let him know how powerful you are!"

"A mere servant-born thing, does he deserve to compete for Opportunities with us?"

Fang Hao took a deep breath, knowing that today would not end well. He secretly circulated his Spiritual Qi, preparing to break through.

Bao Zhijian saw through his intention and grinned hideously: "Want to run? Get him!"

The four followers attacked simultaneously! Spells and Flying Swords arrived together!

Fang Hao was prepared; his Five Elements Spirit Shield deployed instantly! At the same time, he cast Dividing Light Sword Shadow, and nine sword shadows shot directly at the four!

"Child’s play!" Bao Zhijian snorted coldly and struck with his palm! The palm wind was fierce, actually scattering all the sword shadows!

Late Foundation Establishment Stage, truly formidable!

Fang Hao dared not fight head-on; he used Shrinking the Ground to an Inch and instantly retreated ten zhang away!

"Chase!" Bao Zhijian shouted angrily, and the five of them pursued closely!

Fang Hao ran with all his might, anxious in his heart. If he got entangled by Bao Zhijian, it would be difficult to reach Fengming Valley!

He deliberately ran towards complex terrain, using the trees for cover, fighting and retreating.

Bao Zhijian followed relentlessly, his attacks fierce. Several times Fang Hao was almost hit, only narrowly escaping thanks to the Five Elements Spirit Shield and Shrinking the Ground to an Inch.

"Fang Hao! You can’t escape!" Bao Zhijian roared, "Today I will definitely cripple your cultivation!"

Fang Hao ignored him and focused on fleeing. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he rushed towards a dangerous area—the terrain there was complex, making it easier to escape.

But Bao Zhijian seemed to see through his intention and accelerated to intercept him!

At the critical moment, Fang Hao gritted his teeth and used the space technique he had just comprehended. His figure blurred for an instant, narrowly dodging Bao Zhijian’s fatal blow!

But because of this dodge, his direction was skewed, and he fell directly towards a mountain valley!

"Oh no!" Fang Hao was shocked. The Spiritual Qi in this valley was strange; it was likely dangerous!

He wanted to stabilize his figure, but Bao Zhijian struck with another palm! Fang Hao was forced to defend with all his might and was blasted into the valley!

The moment he landed, Fang Hao felt the world spinning! The surrounding scene changed suddenly; it was no longer a valley, but a wasteland covered in fog!

"A Formation!" Fang Hao was shocked. This was actually a natural ancient Formation!

Bao Zhijian and the others chased to the mouth of the valley but dared not enter.

"Senior Brother Bao, this is... the Ancient Maze Formation!" a follower exclaimed, "Once you go in, you can’t come out!"

Bao Zhijian’s face was gloomy: "Lucky for that kid! Let’s go! To Fengming Valley!"

Inside the Formation, Fang Hao looked around vigilantly. The fog was thick, his Divine Sense was restricted, and he couldn’t distinguish directions at all.

"This is a big problem..." Fang Hao smiled bitterly. This ancient Formation was extremely profound; even with his considerable attainments in Formations, he couldn’t break it for a while.

He tried several methods to break the Formation, but all were in vain. The Formation seemed to change automatically, and he couldn’t find any patterns at all.

"I can only study it slowly." Fang Hao had no choice but to explore carefully.

There were dangers hidden in the mist. Once, he almost fell into an illusion, and another time he nearly triggered a killing Formation. Fortunately, Fang Hao had a solid foundation in Formations, which allowed him to turn dangers into safety repeatedly.

On the third day, Fang Hao discovered something unusual on a stone wall. He activated Clear Spring Spirit Eyes and saw that there was space behind the stone wall!

He carefully broke the Restriction, and inside was a simple stone room. In the stone room, there was a skeleton of someone who had passed away while meditating, and a Jade Slip was placed beside it.

Fang Hao bowed respectfully: "Senior, please don’t be offended. This Junior accidentally entered this place; if there is any offense, please forgive me."

After confirming there was no danger, he picked up the Jade Slip. His Divine Sense probed in, and he was immediately pleasantly surprised!

"Ethereal Art"! A space-attribute Cultivation Technique! It perfectly made up for his lack of space Spells!

This Cultivation Technique was incomparably profound, divided into nine layers. When practiced to Major Achievement, one could traverse space, which was truly marvelous!

"Who knows, maybe this is a blessing in disguise!" Fang Hao was overjoyed. Although he was trapped in the Formation, obtaining this Cultivation Technique made it worth it!

He immediately began to comprehend it. With the help of the Ethereal Art, the hope of breaking the Formation greatly increased!

The Cultivation Technique was profound, and Fang Hao comprehended it with all his heart. Unknowingly, several more days passed.

On this day, Fang Hao finally succeeded in practicing the first layer of the Ethereal Art! His understanding of space went a step deeper!

Looking at the ancient Formation again, he immediately saw many mysteries he had previously overlooked!

"So that’s it!" Fang Hao suddenly realized. This ancient Formation secretly aligned with the changes of space and needed to be broken using space techniques!

He circulated the Ethereal Art and sensed the spatial nodes. He quickly found several weak points!

"Break!" Fang Hao pinched a Spell gesture and pointed at the Void Realm!

The Formation shook, and the fog surged! A passage slowly appeared!

"Success!" Fang Hao was overjoyed and rushed out in a hurry!

Seeing the daylight again, Fang Hao let out a long breath. Calculating the time, he had been trapped in the Formation for more than half a month!

"I wonder how Senior Sister Liang and the others are doing..." Fang Hao hurriedly sent a message to Liang Ling.

He soon received a reply: "Are you safe? The Secret Realm core is about to appear, come to Fengming Valley quickly!"

Fang Hao’s spirits lifted! The Secret Realm core was still there! Fortunately, he hadn’t missed it!

He immediately rushed towards Fengming Valley. This time he was even more careful, avoiding the routes where Bao Zhijian might appear.

On the way, Fang Hao tested the Ethereal Art. It was indeed marvelous; the effect of Shrinking the Ground to an Inch greatly increased, and a single step took him twenty zhang away! His speed skyrocketed!

"Good Cultivation Technique!" Fang Hao was pleasantly surprised. Being trapped this time had turned into a blessing in disguise!

Two days later, Fang Hao arrived at Fengming Valley. There were already dozens of Disciples in the valley, and Liang Ling and Lin Wan were both there.

"Junior Brother Ning!" Lin Wan said with pleasant surprise, "It’s great that you’re okay! We heard you were hunted by Bao Zhijian and were worried to death!"

Liang Ling also nodded slightly: "It’s good that you’re safe."

Fang Hao said gratefully: "Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister. What is the situation with the Secret Realm core?"

Liang Ling looked solemn: "It will appear in three days. But... the competition will be very fierce."

Fang Hao looked around and found Disciples from various sects gathered, the atmosphere tense. Bao Zhijian was also nearby, staring at him coldly.

"It seems there will be a fierce battle..." Fang Hao clenched his fists.

But this time, he had confidence. With the Ethereal Art in hand, even facing Bao Zhijian, he had the strength to fight.

"Secret Realm core, here I come."