Chu Mu’s gaze narrowed as he stared at the Jade Box before him.

He was no stranger to Jade Boxes. They were made from Tier One Spirit Jade and inscribed with a Sealing Array Prohibition, making them a common storage item in the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

Whether for Spirit Medicines, various Spirit Ores and Spiritual Materials, or finished products like Elixirs, storing them in such Jade Boxes and Jade Bottles was an excellent way to prevent their spiritual essence and medicinal properties from dissipating.

As an Alchemist and Artifact Refiner, he naturally had frequent dealings with these kinds of sealed storage items.

’And this Jade Box before me...’

He took the Jade Box, and a glimmer of Magical Power appeared at his fingertip. With a light tap, the Sealing Array Prohibition on the Jade Box dissipated.

Opening the Jade Box, a fist-sized piece of ore material came into view, followed by a thick wave of scorching heat.

The ore material was crimson. The moment the Jade Box was opened, flames flickered to life. Alluring, crimson flames surged up within the Jade Box, completely enveloping the piece of ore.

"Red Flame Iron!"

Chu Mu’s pupils shrank. The name had subconsciously surfaced in his mind.

’A Tier Two, Fire Attribute, Upper Grade Spirit Ore—Red Flame Iron!’

After staring for a moment, Chu Mu slowly spoke, "This iron... Miss Hongyi, are you planning to sell it?"

"Yes."

Chang Hongyi nodded, a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice. "This is a Tier Two Upper Grade Spirit Ore. In the Black Market, it could sell for a huge sum of Spirit Stones. But if I take it back, I can only turn it over to the Sect."

"The Sect has a long-standing rule: anything obtained in a Secret Realm can only be exchanged for Contribution Points at half price. It’s such a huge loss!"

Chu Mu asked, "Aren’t you afraid those Sun Family Brothers from earlier will leak the news?"

"I’m not afraid of them."

The young woman wrinkled her nose. "Once I’m out of the Secret Realm, I’ll apply to return to the Sect."

"The Sect is far away in the Northern Lands. The Sun Family has a terrible relationship with the Sect right now, so the Cultivators in their clan wouldn’t dare return to the Sect in the Northern Lands."

"In that case, Miss Hongyi, you should go ahead and sell this Red Flame Ore."

Chu Mu took out a bag of Spirit Stones and handed it over.

Chang Hongyi froze for a moment. "You want to buy it?"

Chu Mu gestured with the Spirit Stone Bag.

"It’s not cheap, you know."

The young woman snatched the Spirit Stone Bag, her eyes shining. She could have known the number of Spirit Stones with a single sweep of her Divine Sense, but she insisted on counting them one by one.

Chu Mu didn’t stop her. The price of a Tier Two Upper Grade Spiritual Material was, in fact, difficult to measure.

After all, he had no way of getting his hands on something like this.

"So? Are you satisfied with the price?"

Only after Chang Hongyi finished counting did Chu Mu finally ask.

"Deal."

Chang Hongyi nodded vigorously, then reluctantly counted out a small bag of Spirit Stones.

After a moment’s hesitation, she gritted her teeth and handed it over.

"Like I said, ten percent for you. I’m a woman of my word."

Chu Mu chuckled and didn’t refuse. He accepted the small bag of Spirit Stones and asked casually,

"Miss Hongyi, how much longer are you staying in this Secret Realm?"

"Just a few more days."

"I’m going to find a place to heal first. Once my injuries are better, I’ll go wait by the spatial passage entrance..."

"Alright then. I still have things to attend to. Miss Hongyi, take care."

"You take care too, Fellow Daoist Chu."

Then, as if worried the Sun Family Brothers might circle back to ambush her, Chang Hongyi flew off on her sword.

Chu Mu watched the young woman fly away on her sword until she disappeared from view, only then turning his gaze to the Jade Box in his hand.

’Tier Two Upper Grade Red Flame Ore.’

The rarity of Tier Two Ore Materials was, of course, beyond question.

From what he understood, the most common type in the Cultivation Immortal Realm was Tier One Spirit Ore. Spirit Ores above Tier One were usually companion deposits or created through refinement.

Truly large-scale Tier Two Spirit Ore Veins probably only accounted for twenty to thirty percent of all veins.

And a Tier Two Upper Grade Spirit Ore was something on a level that was absolutely unattainable for him.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, the corners of Chu Mu’s mouth lifted slightly, and a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

A Tier Two Upper Grade Spirit Ore was clearly more than enough to serve as the main material for refining a Spiritual Artifact.

As long as it was refined properly, it would undoubtedly become a fine Spiritual Artifact.

And a Fire Attribute Spiritual Artifact that was compatible with him, at that!

After pondering for a moment, he carefully reactivated the Jade Box’s Sealing Array Prohibition. Once the Restriction had completely sealed the box, he gave it a swipe of his hand.

The Jade Box vanished into his Storage Talisman, and the Jade Scroll that Chang Hongyi had just recorded for him appeared in his hand.

He sent his Divine Sense into it, and a vast amount of information presented itself before his mind’s eye, ready for him to browse.

Compared to the Secret Realm information left by Zhao Shuang, Chang Hongyi’s was much more comprehensive.

At the very least, it had a rough map outline, and it also marked many dangerous locations, as well as some exclusive information for Longevity Sect disciples...

A moment later, Chu Mu lowered the Jade Scroll and looked around again. The previous feeling of running around like a headless chicken had vanished.

But in its place came a new sense of vigilance and worry.

’According to the information Chang Hongyi left...’

’The Cultivators from the major powers who entered the Secret Realm through the temporary passage this time numbered as many as a thousand.’

’The Longevity Sect had five hundred disciples, and the remaining five hundred spots were taken by various Clans, large and small.’

’And those were only the Cultivators who entered through the temporary passage.’

’The major powers had been scouring this Secret Realm for seven years and had known of its existence for over a decade. In all that time, given their resources, they had surely collected a considerable number of Secret Realm tokens.’

’This Secret Realm was far vaster than he had imagined, and the number of Cultivators within it... was also far greater!’

’However, for those Cultivators who entered through the temporary passage, the one-month limit was approaching. In just a few days, a large batch of Cultivators in the Secret Realm would be gone.’

’Probably about... a two-day journey left.’

Chu Mu estimated as he gazed at the distant mountain range shrouded in a sea of clouds.

Stowing the Jade Scroll, a thought flickered through his mind, but he still chose not to fly on his sword. He continued to travel using his Divine Wind Boots, with Wangcai close behind, and soon they disappeared into the distant mountain forest.

「One day later.」

A figure sprinting through the mountain forest came to a sudden halt amid a deafening roar.

What followed was an overwhelming assault.

Wangcai roared, its suppressed Demon Beast savagery on full display. Chu Mu swung the Giant Divine Arm, and one boom followed another.

In just a few moments, the forest was stained with blood, littered with severed limbs, and left in complete disarray.

Wangcai devoured the mangled remains, the aura emanating from its Demon Body clearly growing a little stronger.

Chu Mu stood to the side, wiping the blood from his Giant Divine Arm, his expression growing grim.

In just one day, he seemed to have stepped into the central region of the Secret Realm, and its cruelty was laid bare before him.

In a fixed area, at least a thousand Cultivators from different factions, as well as Loose Cultivators, were all searching for opportunities.

Once they encountered one another, it was highly likely that a deadly battle would ensue.

Killing for treasure!

The law of the jungle, usually found outside the Marketplaces and Black Markets of the outside world, was being enacted far more clearly and thoroughly here in the Secret Realm.

Gazing ahead, the mountain peak that shot into the sky like a sharp sword was faintly visible amidst the clouds and mist. It didn’t seem far now.

Looking around, the periodic booms and the roars of Demon Beasts proved that the vicinity was anything but peaceful.

He swiped his hand, and two Storage Talismans hovered in front of it.

Four people had ambushed him, and after a bitter fight, all of them had been slain.

Two of them, along with their Storage Talismans, had been smashed to a pulp by the Giant Divine Arm. The other two, however, had left their Storage Talismans intact.

He sent his Divine Sense into them. Immediately, dozens of Spirit Medicines and a large pile of various Spiritual Materials appeared in his perception.

The Spirit Medicine with the greatest age was a Changbai Ginseng of about four hundred years.

As for the Spiritual Materials... the most valuable was a beast bone, which seemed to be the skull of some Tier Two Spirit Beast.

After briefly identifying and sorting the items into his own Storage Talisman, Chu Mu’s attention shifted to the few Jade Scrolls among the spoils.

The Jade Scrolls didn’t contain any particularly valuable knowledge, but there were two that recorded information about the Secret Realm.

He sent his Divine Sense into them. A moment later, the Jade Scrolls vanished into his Storage Talisman. Chu Mu leaped up, landed on a treetop, and scanned his surroundings.

Moments later, he floated lightly down from the tree. The Spiritual Light on his Divine Wind Boots flickered, and he once again plunged into the mountain forest, heading toward Sword Blade Peak on the horizon.

...