Afterward, Lin Hao squatted and began knocking and tapping all over the great ship.

From the looks of it, he had his sights set on the ship itself.

"The Flowing Light Divine Flame couldn’t burn this ship, and the waters of the Tongming Sea can’t corrode it. It must be a treasure." Lin Hao stared at the pitch-black hull and muttered to himself, his face alight with excitement.

Lin Hao truly intended to get something out of this great ship.

’One can only enter the Tongming Sea once every ten years. I can’t miss an opportunity like this.’ Lin Hao walked to the edge of the great ship and smashed a fist down onto its railing.

He wanted to take a piece of the ship’s material with him.

BOOM!

The sound was muffled, yet it carried even amidst the raging gales—a testament to the power behind Lin Hao’s punch.

However, the railing didn’t move an inch.

Not even the serpent’s tail that had cleaved the sea had managed to damage the railing, so Lin Hao was prepared for this. One blow wasn’t enough, so he struck again.

He channeled his True Essence, infusing it into his arm until it was wreathed in a hazy white vapor. Then, he threw another punch.

BOOM!

A tremendous crash echoed through the raging gales. The force behind this single strike was immense, exceeding ten thousand pounds.

Yet, the railing remained unscathed.

Refusing to give up, Lin Hao focused on a single spot, his fists moving like rolling thunder.

Lin Hao lost count of how many punches he threw, but he still couldn’t budge the railing in the slightest.

Suddenly, the speeding ship came to an abrupt halt, accompanied by the sound of a massive impact.

Caught off guard, Lin Hao was nearly thrown into the Tongming Sea.

Looking up, he saw that he had returned to his starting point. A pillar of light shone from above; the rock wall must have been knocked open by the impact.

’If I’d known, I would have brought a Tier One Spiritual Artifact, no matter what!’ Lin Hao’s face was a mask of frustration, but there was nothing he could do.

In the end, he could only leave.

His body as nimble as a monkey’s, Lin Hao scaled the cliff face. It didn’t take long for him to reach the top.

The rock wall sealed shut behind him.

After emerging from the cave, Lin Hao continued his ascent up the cliff, soon standing atop Celestial Dui Peak.

"Eld... Eldest Senior Brother?" Shortly after emerging, Lin Hao unexpectedly ran into a Heaven-Stepping Sect disciple on Celestial Dui Peak.

The disciple stared at Lin Hao in disbelief.

Lin Hao offered a smile in return.

But the disciple suddenly turned and bolted. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Lin Hao froze, then heard the disciple shouting, "I found Eldest Senior Brother! I found Eldest Senior Brother!"

He yelled as he ran, even taking a hard tumble along the way.

But as if he didn’t feel the pain, the disciple scrambled back to his feet and continued running into the distance.

Lin Hao was completely baffled.

But it wasn’t long before he found out why.

Several figures flew toward him. It was Wu Taichu, Elder Gu, Wu Kui, and even some of the Danling Sect Alchemy Masters who were helping the Heaven-Stepping Sect with their alchemy.

"Mar... Lin Hao, we’ve finally found you!" Wu Taichu’s face was filled with excitement upon seeing him.

Lin Hao scratched his head and joked, "What’s this? I was only gone for a few days. Did you all miss me that much?"

"You’ve been gone for twenty days!" Wu Taichu replied, the excitement on his face not fading in the least.

Twenty days ago, Lin Hao had said he was going to find a new training ground for the Sect Disciples, and Wu Taichu had been keeping an eye on his movements ever since.

He only returned after seeing Lin Hao ascend Celestial Dui Peak.

But he waited for days.

At first, he thought nothing of it, but as more and more time passed, he grew restless.

Eventually, all disciples of the Heaven-Stepping Sect ceased their activities.

From the Sect Leader down to the elders, everyone had been focused on a single task these past few days: finding Lin Hao.

They searched day and night.

Lin Hao’s prestige in the sect was currently unparalleled, so every single disciple of the Heaven-Stepping Sect had put their all into the search.

They had turned the entire, vast Heaven-Stepping Sect upside down, but still found nothing.

Wu Taichu’s heart had been sinking steadily, and he was close to despair.

If anything had happened to Lin Hao, it would have been an absolute catastrophe for the sect.

So now, seeing Lin Hao appear, safe and sound, how could Wu Taichu not be overcome with emotion?

"Twenty days? It’s been that long?" Hearing Wu Taichu’s words, Lin Hao himself was taken aback.

He had been so focused on fighting the strange beasts in the Tongming Sea that he had completely lost track of time.

"Mar... Lin Hao, looking at your state... did someone imprison you?!" Seeing Lin Hao covered in a foul stench and shrouded in a faint, cold aura, a powerful, baleful energy suddenly erupted from Wu Taichu.

It didn’t matter who had laid a hand on Lin Hao; Wu Taichu would make them answer for it.

Lin Hao didn’t answer, instead glancing at the outsiders among them.

Wu Taichu understood his meaning. "They have already left the Danling Sect. They are now Alchemy Masters of our Heaven-Stepping Sect. If you need them to leave..."

A look of delight crossed Lin Hao’s face, and he cut Wu Taichu off.

"If they’re family, then they can stay."

The few Alchemy Masters were overjoyed.

To be honest, they had been feeling very anxious these past few days.

After news of Lin Hao’s actions in War Dragon City, following his return to his family, reached the Heaven-Stepping Sect, the previously undecided Alchemy Masters from the Danling Sect came to a unanimous decision.

They would leave the Danling Sect and join the Heaven-Stepping Sect!

It was an insane decision, an all-or-nothing gamble.

The Danling Sect was, after all, one of the four great sects of the Southern Border Prefecture. In the eyes of any outsider, leaving the Danling Sect to join the Heaven-Stepping Sect was an act of utter foolishness.

But what Alchemy Master doesn’t wish to improve their Alchemy Mastery?

At the Danling Sect, that possibility was zero. But at the Heaven-Stepping Sect, as long as Lin Hao was present, the chances were over ninety percent.

With anxious hearts, these Alchemy Masters had written a letter to their sect.

To their surprise, the Sect Leader of the Danling Sect had readily agreed.

Having become Alchemy Masters of the Heaven-Stepping Sect, they were more motivated than ever, all of them eagerly awaiting Lin Hao’s return.

Who would have thought that the next news they received would be of Lin Hao’s disappearance?

This was unacceptable. The Alchemy Masters stopped their alchemy work and joined the search party.

Now, seeing Lin Hao, the joy in their hearts was no less than Wu Taichu’s.

But when Lin Hao had treated them as outsiders just a moment ago, their hearts had plummeted.

Hearing his words now, their anxious hearts could finally rest.

Whether it was Wu Taichu or the Alchemy Masters, a single sentence or expression from Lin Hao could make them nervous for hours.

Lin Hao had clearly become the heart of the Heaven-Stepping Sect.

Lin Hao had no idea that his casual words could cause such a roller coaster of emotions. Upon learning that the Alchemy Masters had joined, he replied with a smile, "Who in the Heaven-Stepping Sect would dare imprison me? I’ve just been exploring a secret realm these past few days."

Wu Taichu let out a sigh of relief and nodded, but then his eyes shot wide. "What?! A secret realm?!"

A single secret realm with a spirit stone vein had allowed the once-obscure Suo Demon Sect to develop into a power that could rival the Heaven-Stepping Sect. Now, hearing that Lin Hao had been exploring a secret realm, Wu Taichu was utterly shocked.

Lin Hao shrugged. "That’s right. There’s a secret realm beneath Celestial Dui Peak."

BOOM!

"There’s a secret realm beneath Celestial Dui Peak..." Wu Taichu repeated the phrase over and over before bursting into loud laughter.

The others also had joyful expressions.

For the sect to discover a secret realm was an absolutely monumental, joyous occasion.

"Let’s go! I want to see it," Wu Taichu said, unable to stand still.

Lin Hao nodded.

Then he said to the others, "I’ll take your Master down to have a look first. In the future, if any of you wish to explore the secret realm, you can all go and try."

Everyone could go!

At these words, everyone’s eyes lit up.

Secret realms were synonymous with miracles. Unheard-of treasures could appear within them, a temptation that not even the elders and Alchemy Masters could resist.

They waited there as Lin Hao led Wu Taichu back down the cliff face.

"We came here before while searching for you, but we found nothing," Wu Taichu said, standing at the cave entrance.

Lin Hao just smiled, led Wu Taichu inside, and walked straight to the rock wall.

"Stand here and perform a set of Long Arm Fist," Lin Hao said with a smile, stepping back.

Wu Taichu did as he was told.

After he finished the set of Long Arm Fist, he had struck the rock wall exactly nine times.

At that moment, the rock wall opened once more.

Wu Taichu’s eyes widened in amazement. He looked at Lin Hao, utterly shocked.

’Even if I knew this was the entrance to the secret realm, without Lin Hao’s guidance, I’d never have been able to enter in my entire life!’

’The method to open it is too ingenious.’

Lin Hao smiled and gestured for Wu Taichu to take a look.

"Martial Grand-Uncle, what is this place?"

Even as a Sect Leader, Wu Taichu was still stunned by the sight before him.

"Below is the Tongming Sea. If you jump from here, you’ll land on a great ship. The ship will then sail on its own toward the far shore. Along the way, various strange beasts will leap out of the Tongming Sea..."

Lin Hao explained all the important details about entering the Tongming Sea and the methods for obtaining treasures to Wu Taichu.

"This is a perfect trial ground for Martial Artists of the Blood Coagulation Realm! And even those who have surpassed it can obtain treasures... This is wonderful, simply wonderful!" Wu Taichu was ecstatic after hearing the explanation.

He looked eager to try, wishing he could jump in and explore right away.

"Once you go in, you can’t enter again for another ten years. There’s plenty of time," Lin Hao said with a smile before turning to leave.

Wu Taichu followed, glancing back reluctantly with every few steps.

Behind them, the rock wall sealed shut once more.

"Martial Grand-Uncle, can we inform the other disciples about the discovery of this secret realm?" Wu Taichu asked suddenly.

A secret realm was a matter of immense importance. He feared that if word got out, the consequences would be dire.

Lin Hao didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked, "While I was away, did any other sects come to cause trouble for the Heaven-Stepping Sect?"

A look of delight appeared in Wu Taichu’s eyes, and he completely relaxed.

Lin Hao wasn’t just being boastful.

After emerging from the Tongming Sea, he felt more comfortable than ever before. He had a faint feeling that his realm had advanced.

Perhaps he wasn’t far from the Great Perfection of the Blood Coagulation Realm’s Tenth Layer.

Most importantly, he knew from Chu Tiandu’s memories that for each secret realm he opened, he could command the power of one Divine Stele.

He had previously used a Divine Stele’s power to trap and kill the experts from the Zhengyang Sect. If another sect came looking for trouble, while he wouldn’t dare use that same Divine Stele again, the one suppressing the Blue-winged Sea Dragon Beast was now available to him.

Once his cultivation reached the Great Perfection of the Blood Coagulation Realm’s Tenth Layer, Lin Hao was confident he could wield the Divine Stele’s power at least once.

"I have the corpse of a strange beast I hunted in the Tongming Sea in my storage ring," Lin Hao said. "When we get back, gather the Sect Disciples at the God-Proving Platform. I’m going to dissect it in front of everyone."

The sect’s strength was far too weak. He needed to ignite the fighting spirit of the disciples.

And this was the perfect opportunity to do so.