Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Wutong Secret Realm

The few people in the main hall also saw Song Changsheng, and their eyes betrayed their surprise. Song Changsheng found it baffling. Full of curiosity, he found a seat and sat down, waiting for Song Xianyun to arrive.

After taking his seat, Song Changsheng heard them discussing him:

"Who is this young man?"

"He looks a little familiar. Isn’t he the Fifth Elder’s son?"

"That Purple Mansion Seed, Song Changsheng? Don’t tell me he’s the one joining our mission?"

"No way. He might be exceptionally talented, but he couldn’t have formed a Dao Foundation this quickly, right?"

"Why are we guessing? We’ll know once Twenty-first Uncle arrives."

"Right, right."

The group’s discussion came to an abrupt halt. Song Changsheng had heard everything, but it only left him more confused. It seemed they had gathered here for some kind of mission.

Song Changsheng was puzzled. He frowned in thought. ’These men are all at the Qi Refining Great Perfection Cultivation level, and they look to be in their thirties or forties. From what they said, it seems they’ve all successfully formed a Dao Foundation. So have I.’

’Anyone in the family who forms a Dao Foundation before the age of sixty is a key training target. What kind of mission would require the five of us to act together?’

He really couldn’t think of any Qi Cultivation Stage mission that would require five Qi Refining Great Perfection Cultivators who had all formed a Dao Foundation. Wouldn’t that be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

A Foundation Establishment Stage mission would be even more ridiculous. The five of them together might be able to put up a fight against a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but there was no need. The family wasn’t short of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, so why send them to their deaths?

To put it bluntly, if all five of them were wiped out, the loss to the family would be no less than that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Unable to find an answer after much thought, Song Changsheng could only sit quietly and wait for the Grand Elder to arrive.

After about a quarter of an hour, Song Xianyun strode in.

The men quickly rose and bowed.

Song Xianyun chuckled and gestured with his hand. "No need for formalities. Please, sit."

After they sat down as told, Song Xianyun stroked his beard and said, "You are all the elites of the family, so I won’t waste words. The family has an important mission for you."

The men exchanged glances. A slender, middle-aged man stood up and asked excitedly, "Twenty-first Uncle, is the Wutong Secret Realm about to open?"

Song Changsheng’s heart skipped a beat. His earlier confusion vanished in an instant. ’If the Wutong Secret Realm is about to open, then everything makes sense. And come to think of it, the timing is about right.’

At this thought, Song Changsheng’s heart began to burn with excitement.

"That’s right." Song Xianyun nodded, confirming their suspicions.

Joy immediately appeared on everyone’s faces. If not for their status, they would have jumped up in excitement.

Song Changsheng was also exceptionally excited. He remembered his mother mentioning the Wutong Secret Realm when he was a child.

It was said to be an Otherworld Space discovered by accident 400 years ago by their ancestor, Song Taiyi. It was rich with life force, and vast fields of Spirit Medicine grew inside.

After being developed, it became a small Secret Realm for the family’s disciples to gain experience and to cultivate Spirit Medicine. For hundreds of years, it has provided the family with a countless supply of Low-tier Spirit Medicine.

This small Secret Realm was a major reason for the family’s rapid development in its early days. Later, when the family declined, the Secret Realm was coveted by their sworn enemy, the Lieyang Sect.

To protect the Secret Realm, the family had no choice but to join forces with the other five major families of Ling Province to resist the Lieyang Sect. The price was that the six families would share the Secret Realm equally.

With the six families exploring together, the development of the Secret Realm sped up significantly. During this process, they discovered a strange cave.

The cave actually contained thousand-year-old Stalactites that would periodically produce some Stalactite Spiritual Liquid. This Spiritual Liquid was no ordinary thing—it could increase the chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage by twenty percent.

Such a great opportunity caused the six powers to fight fiercely, ending in a stalemate where both sides were badly wounded. In the end, they had no choice but to sit down and negotiate.

The result of the conference was that the Secret Realm would be opened only once every ten years. During this period, no one was allowed to enter, or they would be attacked by all the other parties.

The first reason for this was to give the Spirit Medicine time to grow, allowing the Secret Realm to form a virtuous cycle.

The second reason was that it took ten years for the Stalactite Spiritual Liquid to accumulate in a sufficient quantity for one Qi Refining Great Perfection Cultivator to achieve a breakthrough. If the realm were still opened annually, the Spiritual Liquid would be taken before much could gather, which would be a loss for everyone.

So, they decided to open it once every ten years, with each of the six families sending their Qi Refining Disciples to compete fairly. Whoever obtained it, kept it.

Because the Stalactite Spiritual Liquid is difficult to preserve and must be consumed immediately after being collected, all parties had a tacit agreement to send only disciples who had already formed a Dao Foundation to enter the Secret Realm and compete for it.

This was the reason the five of them had been gathered. They were the ones in the family who currently had the best chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, so naturally, they had to take a shot.

The candidates had already been chosen, but Song Changsheng had emerged as a dark horse and made it just in time. Thus, according to the clan rule of "the capable advance and the mediocre fall behind," he directly took one of the spots.

That was why the other four had been so surprised to see Song Changsheng. After all, no one had expected this dark horse to be so young.

Only after everyone’s initial wave of excitement had passed did Song Xianyun slowly say, "The Secret Realm will open in one month. Go and make your own preparations. Report back here to assemble at the designated time.

Remember, a Restriction has been placed on the entrance to the Secret Realm. Nothing above Tier One can be brought inside. Violators will be severely punished."

"We obey!"

The men left one by one. Song Changsheng was also about to leave and start his preparations when Song Xianyun stopped him.

"Twenty-first Grand-uncle, do you have any other instructions for me?" Song Changsheng asked, puzzled.

Song Xianyun pulled him back down to a seat and said with a chuckle, "None of us expected you to form a Dao Foundation so quickly. May I ask what kind of Dao Foundation you have formed?"

"To answer your question, it is a Water and Fire Dao Foundation."

Song Changsheng chose to hide the truth. After all, a Dao Foundation of the Great Dao was incredibly rare. If word got out, he would become a target for everyone.

’Besides, I couldn’t explain how I formed it anyway. It’s better not to tell the truth.’

"Good, good, good! I knew I wasn’t mistaken about you." Song Xianyun was so excited he repeated the word "good" three times. After all, forming an Attribute Dao Foundation required an extremely high threshold.

The other four men all had an Attributeless Dao Foundation, which was why Song Xianyun was so thrilled.

Seeing this, Song Changsheng laughed to himself. ’If I told him the truth, the old man would probably lose his composure on the spot, wouldn’t he?’

After composing himself, Song Xianyun looked at Song Changsheng seriously and said, "Changsheng, let me be frank with you.

We purchased a total of three Foundation Establishment Pills from the main family branch last time. However, for certain reasons, it will be several more years before they are delivered to our family.

The family is now giving you two choices. One, enter the Secret Realm and compete for the Foundation Establishment opportunity. Two, wait a few more years, and you will be guaranteed one of the Foundation Establishment Pills when they arrive.

Entering the Secret Realm has its risks. I still recommend you wait a few years. You’re still young; there’s no need to rush."

Song Changsheng understood his meaning. Fighting was not forbidden in the Secret Realm. Although the families usually practiced restraint, over the years, four people had died and two had been crippled.

Song Xianyun was afraid he would be targeted if he went in. It would be safer to lie low for three more years and use a Foundation Establishment Pill.

But understanding was one thing, and doing was another. The arrival time of the Foundation Establishment Pills was uncertain, and he didn’t want to waste his youth waiting. ’What are a few risks on the path to eternal life?’

He cupped his fists solemnly and said, "Your grandson understands your meaning, but I still want to give it a try. Besides competing for the opportunity, I also want to see the outstanding disciples from the other families for myself."

Song Xianyun frowned, but finally sighed and said, "The choice is in your hands. Make your own decision. Go and prepare."

"Yes!"

——————

After returning to his courtyard, Song Changsheng took out a pitch-black lotus seed pod. It was the one he had picked before; all the seeds had already been removed.

Although the essence of the Ink Jade Ghost Lotus lay in its seeds, the pod itself was also an excellent material for refining a "Lotus Platform."

The "Lotus Platform," also known as a "Lotus Seat," was said to be the seat of a Buddha in legends. Later, through imitation and modification, it became a type of Magical Artifact.

The most suitable material for refining it was naturally a lotus flower, followed by the seed pod.

Song Changsheng hadn’t decided what to do with the seed pod until just now, on his way back. He had recalled a special Refining Method for a "Lotus Platform" from Hee Yunxuan’s Artifact Refining legacy.

A "Lotus Platform" refined with this technique could not only increase cultivation speed and protect its owner but could also act as a "container."

It was equivalent to a second Dantian. When Song Changsheng cultivated while sitting on it, he could store his own Spiritual Power inside and draw it out when needed.

This was a perfect match for Song Changsheng. Whether activating the Luwu Bell or using the Array inside his body, both consumed an enormous amount of Spiritual Power. It made him afraid to use his full strength, as his current Cultivation wouldn’t last long before he was exhausted.

With this "Lotus Platform," things would be different. Although it still wouldn’t be enough to fully activate the Luwu Bell, he wouldn’t have to be so timid when using his Array. This would be a great help in the upcoming competition within the Secret Realm.

"There’s still a month. That should be enough time," Song Changsheng murmured to himself, then took out a large pile of materials.

The most important auxiliary material for refining this Magical Artifact was Void Nether Stone. This was a Space-attribute material, most commonly used in refining Qiankun Bags and other such Storage Spiritual Artifacts, or certain special Magical Artifacts.

For example, Song Changsheng’s Water and Fire Treasure Gourd had a large amount of Void Nether Stone added during its refining, which was why it possessed two separate, independent spaces inside.

One was used to store wine, while the other was inscribed with an Attack Array for combat.

Low-tier Void Nether Stone was common and was more or less added when refining any Magical Artifact. High-grade ones were different; they were often controlled by major powers and rarely seen on the market.

The "Lotus Platform" Song Changsheng wanted to refine was Tier One Top Grade, so naturally, it would also use Tier One Void Nether Stone. As long as he could successfully open up a space inside the lotus pod, the "Lotus Platform" would be more than halfway complete.

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