I have a high-risk profession in the cultivation world.

If they can return safely to Wuji Sect and bring back these spiritually rich and thriving herbs, the disciples of Yundan Peak will surely be overjoyed.

When Yan Jian'an felt a tightness in his chest, he was not yet fully conscious. He opened his eyes, and sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves onto his face, making him squint slightly. He looked around at his surroundings, which felt unfamiliar and unsettling.

There was a figure sitting cross-legged to one side, as upright as a pine tree. His gaze fell on the person, and after seeing the person's face clearly, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Chu Chenmu.

It's him again.

That broken mirror seems to have some power; he must have experienced so much these past few days, yet the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was still this person.

What a fate.

"Cough cough cough—" Yan Jian'an tried to open his mouth, but because he hadn't drunk any water, his throat was dry and sore, and he couldn't help but cough a few times.

This was the first time Chu Chenmu had heard a living person's voice in days. Ignoring his injuries, he moved swiftly and suddenly appeared before Yan Jian'an. As light and shadow enveloped the person on the ground, Chu Chenmu exclaimed in surprise, "Fellow Daoist Yan, you're awake!"

Then take out a pot of water and hand it over.

Yan Jian'an nodded, took the water Chu Chenmu handed him, and gulped down a few mouthfuls. The burning sensation in his throat slowly subsided, and Yan Jian'an breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling truly alive again.

"Brother Chenmu, thank you very much. Where is this place?"

“I don’t know either. I’ve been awake for four days now. I didn’t dare go far before you woke up, so I haven’t found out what’s going on yet. But I guess we’ve been sucked into a secret realm.” Chu Chenmu shook his head; he wanted to know too.

Yan Jian'an closed his eyes, recalling countless pieces of information from Hongmeng Pavilion in his mind—

He had never heard anyone mention that any secret realm was opened in this way. If it was truly a secret realm, it was one that had not been included in the Hongmeng Pavilion, and he had no experience with it.

Yan Jian'an stretched out his finger, and a wisp of flame shot out from the tip. He felt a little relieved. Fortunately, that damned saintess hadn't given them any fatal poison, and now he could use his spiritual power again.

Yan Jian'an and Chu Chenmu took turns watching over each other while they meditated. After another day, they adjusted their state before setting off to explore this secret realm.

Not all secret realms are like the Mystic Spirit Secret Realm, where time only determines your exit. Aside from the spirit beasts within, there are no major dangers, and you can automatically leave when the time comes. In fact, most secret realms have entry conditions or credentials; you can only leave after meeting certain requirements.

For example, in a secret realm in Kunzhou, a flower will automatically form on your wrist upon entering. The flower has seven petals, and you can steal a petal from each person you kill. Once the flower is fully bloomed, you can leave the secret realm.

This is also why the survival rate in many secret realms is so low. Some secret realms have very strict conditions for completion, and they don't put the requirements out in the open. If it is a secret realm that has never been set foot in before, many people don't even know what they are supposed to do.

On that day, Chu Chenmu and Yan Jian'an also searched their bodies for any extra marks, but unfortunately they found nothing.

"Your injuries are still quite severe. Is it alright to set off today?" Yan Jia'an asked, looking at Chu Chenmu. He clearly remembered that only a few days had passed, and Chu Chenmu's injuries seemed unlikely to have fully healed at that time. He was somewhat worried about the person in front of him.

Chu Chenmu didn't actually try to be brave this time. How could someone as afraid of pain as him possibly walk with such serious injuries? But what was truly miraculous was that his wounds healed very quickly. A deep wound between his ribs, where the bone was visible, had already scabbed over just five days after he woke up.

As long as he doesn't make any particularly big movements, he can now move around freely.

He couldn't wait any longer. He hadn't met any of his three apprentices yet, and he hadn't figured out the conditions for passing through this secret realm. He had to go find them.

Chu Chenmu shook his head: "No need, I know what I'm doing. We know nothing about this secret realm right now, so it's better to explore it first."

……

"Hey, Su Chengdian, wake up."

"Hey--"

Su Chengdian vaguely heard someone calling him, but it wasn't clear. Before he could open his eyes, a cool hand suddenly touched his forehead. He was startled and opened his eyes abruptly. In front of him was a beautiful face as delicate as a peach blossom, and a pair of dark eyes were looking at him with concern. Seeing that he was awake, the person smiled slightly, removed their hand, and stepped aside.

He recognized the owner of that face—the little wood-element girl, Lin Muyan, with whom he had competed that day.

“It’s good that you’re awake. I haven’t figured out where I am yet. I’ve only been awake for two days, and I don’t even know how long we’ve been here. When I saw you lying unconscious by the river, covered in blood, it scared me. I thought you had unfortunately died.”

Su Chengdian looked down and saw that it was the same clothes he wore in Echo Valley that day. He had been soaked in blood that day, and it was already a miracle that he didn't smell bad after all these days.

He raised his arm and sniffed his sleeve... The smell was indeed not pleasant anymore, but it was rare that the young girl didn't mind.

"It stinks?" Lin Muyan teased, watching Su Chengdian's little actions with a smile.

Su Chengdian nodded helplessly, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Fellow Daoist Lin."

Lin Muyan waved her hand, her ten slender fingers waving in front of Su Chengdian's eyes. "There's no need to be so formal. There are dangers all around us anyway. We're already acquainted, so why don't we travel together? When you find your fellow disciples in Wuji Sect, I'll find my sisters in Echo Valley, and then we can go our separate ways."

"You can just call me Lin Muyan, and I'll call you Su Chengdian, okay?"

Lin Muyan was a straightforward person, and she said all her thoughts at once, staring intently at Su Chengdian, waiting for his response.

She had no choice. She hadn't stopped for a day and a night, hiding from spirit beasts she couldn't defeat and fearing encountering malicious people—who knew if those people from the Demon Sect had also come to this place? If she fell into their hands again, she would rather be eaten by the spirit beasts.

Not only did she not encounter a single person from Echo Valley, but last night she did spot a burly man with a thick beard leaning against a tree, resting with his large axe in his arms. She hesitated for a long time but still didn't dare to go forward, and sheepishly took a detour.

I met the second person today, Su Chengdian.

She didn't want to be with Su Chengdian either. After all, she still remembered that this person had defeated her and shattered her dream of making a name for herself in the Spiritual Cultivation Alliance. When she saw Su Chengdian, she only wanted to fight him again and see who was better.

but……

One more person means one more chance to survive.

Besides, she had to revive him out of both compassion and reason. She couldn't just leave him lying there by the river, oblivious to his fate. If something happened to him, it would damage her resolve.

Now that she had woken the person up, she had someone to talk to, and she was even less willing to leave them behind and travel alone.