Chapter 69: Wutong Secret Realm
The few people in the main hall also saw Song Changsheng, their eyes filled with surprise. This left Song Changsheng feeling utterly bewildered. Filled with curiosity, he found a seat and settled down, waiting for Song Xianyun's arrival.
After sitting down, Song Changsheng overheard their discussions about him:
“Who is this young man?”
“I have some impression of him. Isn't he the Fifth Elder's son?”
“The Purple Mansion Seed, Song Changsheng? Is he going with us this time?”
“No way. Even if he's exceptionally talented, he couldn't have condensed his Dao Foundation so quickly, could he?”
“Why are we thinking so much? We'll know when Twenty-First Uncle arrives.”
“Right, right.”
Their discussion came to an abrupt halt. Although Song Changsheng heard everything, he was even more perplexed. It seemed they were gathered here for some kind of mission?
Song Changsheng immediately felt puzzled, frowning in contemplation: “These few are all at the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement, and they look to be around thirty or forty years old. From what they said, they should all have successfully condensed their Dao Foundations, and so have I.
The family considers anyone who condenses their Dao Foundation within sixty years of age to be a key cultivation target. What kind of mission requires all five of us to act together?”
He truly couldn't fathom what kind of Qi Refinement mission would require five Great Perfection cultivators who had condensed their Dao Foundations to act together. Wasn't that using an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken?
If it were a Foundation Establishment mission, that would be even more absurd. Five of them together might be able to contend with a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but there was absolutely no need for it. The family wasn't lacking Foundation Establishment cultivators, so why send them to their deaths?
To put it impolitely, if all five of them were wiped out, it would be no less than losing a Foundation Establishment cultivator for the family.
After much thought with no answer, Song Changsheng could only sit quietly, waiting for the Grand Elder to arrive.
After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, Song Xianyun strode in with a steady gait.
The few people quickly stood up and saluted.
Song Xianyun smiled and pressed his hands down, saying, “No need for formalities, all sit.”
After they all sat down, Song Xianyun stroked his beard and said, “You are all outstanding individuals in the family. I won't waste words. The family has an important mission for you this time.”
The few exchanged glances. A lean, middle-aged man stood up and excitedly said, “Twenty-First Uncle, is the Wutong Secret Realm about to open?”
Song Changsheng's heart stirred. His previous confusion instantly vanished. If the "Wutong Secret Realm" was about to open, then everything could be explained. Counting the time, it was almost due.
Thinking of this, Song Changsheng's heart immediately became fervent.
“Correct.” Song Xianyun nodded, confirming everyone's guess.
Joy instantly appeared on everyone's faces. If not for maintaining their composure, they would have jumped up in excitement.
Song Changsheng was also extremely excited. He had heard his mother mention the "Wutong Secret Realm" when he was a child.
It was said that four hundred years ago, Ancestor Song Taiyi accidentally discovered a spatial rift to another world. It was brimming with vitality and contained vast amounts of spiritual herbs.
After being developed, it became a small secret realm for family disciples to train and cultivate spiritual herbs. For hundreds of years, it provided the family with countless low-grade spiritual herbs.
A large part of the reason the family was able to develop so quickly in its early stages was due to this small secret realm. Later, as the family declined, the secret realm became 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 families in Ling Province to jointly resist the Lieyang Sect. The price was that the six families would equally share the secret realm.
With six families exploring together, the development of the secret realm accelerated significantly. During this process, they discovered a peculiar cave.
That cave actually contained thousand-year-old stalactites that could produce Stalactite Spiritual Liquid at regular intervals. This spiritual liquid was extraordinary; it could increase the chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment by twenty percent.
Such a great opportunity led to fierce fighting among the six powers, resulting in heavy losses for both sides. In the end, they had no choice but to sit down and negotiate.
The outcome of the meeting was to open the secret realm once every ten years. During this period, no one was allowed to enter, or they would be attacked by all.
The reasons for doing so were firstly to allow the spiritual herbs time to grow, ensuring a beneficial cycle for the secret realm.
Secondly, it was because the Stalactite Spiritual Liquid required ten years to accumulate enough for a Qi Refinement Great Perfection cultivator to break through. If it were still opened once a year, the spiritual liquid would surely be taken away before much could accumulate, which would not be good for anyone.
So, it was decided to open it once every ten years, with the six families sending Qi Refinement disciples to compete fairly. Whoever obtained it, kept it.
Because the Stalactite Spiritual Liquid was difficult to preserve and had to be consumed immediately after being taken out, everyone tacitly agreed to send disciples who had condensed their Dao Foundations into the secret realm to compete for it each time.
This was the reason for gathering the five of them. They were currently the most promising candidates in the family to break through to Foundation Establishment, so naturally, they had to contend for it.
Originally, the candidates had already been decided, but Song Changsheng unexpectedly emerged, arriving just in time. Thus, according to the clan rule of the capable advancing and the mediocre yielding, he directly replaced one of the individuals.
That's why the four people were so surprised to see Song Changsheng; after all, no one expected this dark horse to be so young.
After Song Xianyun saw that their initial excitement had passed, he slowly said, “The secret realm will open in one month. You all go prepare yourselves. Gather here when the time comes.
Remember, the secret realm entrance has a restriction. Nothing above first rank can be brought in. Violators will be severely punished.”
“We obey!”
The few left one after another. Song Changsheng also prepared to get ready, but Song Xianyun called him back.
“Grandpa Twenty-First, do you have any other instructions?” Song Changsheng asked, puzzled.
Song Xianyun pulled him to sit down, chuckled and said, “Your ability to condense your Dao Foundation so quickly was beyond all our expectations. May I ask what kind of Dao Foundation you condensed?”
“To answer you, it's the Water-Fire Dao Foundation.”
Song Changsheng still chose to conceal the truth. After all, a Grand Dao Foundation was exceedingly rare and once news leaked, he would undoubtedly become a target.
Furthermore, he couldn't easily explain how he condensed it, so it was better not to tell the full truth.
“Good, good, good. This old man truly didn't misjudge you.” Song Xianyun excitedly repeated "good" three times. After all, condensing an elemental Dao Foundation also required an extremely high threshold.
Among the four people just now, all of them had unaligned Dao Foundations, which was why Song Xianyun seemed so excited.
Song Changsheng secretly chuckled at the sight. If he had told the truth, this old man would probably have lost his composure on the spot, right?
After calming himself, Song Xianyun looked at Song Changsheng seriously and said, “Changsheng, let me tell you the bottom line.
Last time, we acquired three Foundation Establishment Pills from the main family in total, but due to certain reasons, it will take a few more years for them to be delivered to the family.
The family now gives you two choices: one is to enter the secret realm to contend for a Foundation Establishment opportunity, and the second is to wait a few more years. Once the Foundation Establishment Pills arrive, you will definitely get one.
Entering the secret realm does carry a certain risk. This old man still advises you to wait a few more years. You are still young; there's no need to rush.”
Song Changsheng understood his meaning. The secret realm did not prohibit disciples from fighting. Although the families generally stopped short of killing, over the years, four had died and two were crippled.
Song Xianyun was afraid he would be targeted if he went in. It would be safer to lay low for another three years and use a Foundation Establishment Pill.
But understanding was one thing, doing was another. The arrival time of the Foundation Establishment Pills was uncertain. He didn't want to waste his youth unnecessarily. What were a few risks on the path to longevity?
He solemnly cupped his hands and said, “Grandson understands your meaning, but grandson still wishes to try. Besides contending for the opportunity, I also want to gain experience from the outstanding disciples of the other families.”
Song Xianyun frowned, then finally sighed and said, “The choice is yours. Make your own decision and go prepare.”
“Understood!”
...
After returning to his courtyard, Song Changsheng took out a pitch-black lotus pod, the very one he had previously harvested. All the lotus seeds on it had already been removed.
Although the essence of the Ink Jade Nether Lotus lay in its seeds, the lotus pod itself was an excellent material for refining a "Lotus Pedestal."
A "Lotus Pedestal," also known as a "Lotus Seat," was rumored to be the seat of "Buddhas." Later, through imitation and improvement, it became a type of magical item.
The most suitable material for refining it was naturally a lotus flower, followed by the lotus pod.
Song Changsheng hadn't decided how to deal with this lotus pod until just now, on his way back, he recalled a special refining method for a "Lotus Pedestal" from He Yunxuan's artifact refining inheritance.
A "Lotus Pedestal" refined using this method could not only enhance cultivation speed and protect its master's safety but also serve as a "container."
This was equivalent to a Dantian. When Song Changsheng cultivated on it, he could store his spiritual energy within it and retrieve it when needed.
This was simply a perfect match for Song Changsheng. Whether it was activating the Lu Wu Bell or using the array formations within his body, both consumed an enormous amount of spiritual energy, making him unable to unleash his full power. Otherwise, with his cultivation, he would quickly become exhausted.
With this "Lotus Pedestal," it would be different. While it still wouldn't be enough to fully activate the Lu Wu Bell, he wouldn't have to be so hesitant when using array formations. This would also be a great help for his future battles in the secret realm.
“There's still a month's time; that should be enough,” Song Changsheng murmured softly, then took out a large pile of materials.
The most important auxiliary material for refining this artifact was Void Stone. This was a space-attribute material, most commonly used for refining storage artifacts like Qiankun Bags or some special artifacts.
For instance, the Water-Fire Treasure Gourd in Song Changsheng's hand had a large amount of Void Stone added during its refinement, which was why it possessed two independent spaces, one above and one below.
One was used to store wine, and the other was inscribed with offensive array formations for combat.
Low-grade Void Stone was common, and a certain amount would more or less be added when refining artifacts. High-grade ones, however, were different and were often controlled by major powers, making them difficult to find on the market.
The "Lotus Pedestal" Song Changsheng wanted to refine was a peak first rank artifact, so it would naturally use first rank Void Stone. As long as he could successfully open up a space inside the lotus pod, then the "Lotus Pedestal" would be largely successful.
(Chapter End)