Hun Yu didn’t waste time and directly took out all the magic cores and demonic beast corpses. When the fifth-rank magic core, glowing faintly and exuding the roars and pressure of a powerful beast, was placed in front of the two men, they were utterly stunned.
Steward Wang nearly collapsed in excitement, his eyes bulging in disbelief. His breathing grew rapid, and a greedy glint shone in his eyes as he gently caressed the core, his expression intoxicated.
“A treasure… I haven’t felt the aura of a fifth-rank magic core in ages! Lord Zhi Shui, are you really going to sell all of these?”
Hun Yu nodded without hesitation, saying, “That’s right. Sell them all. You can appraise them now. If the price is right, they’re yours.”
Steward Wang was overjoyed, as if a top-grade spirit stone had fallen from the sky and knocked him senseless. He was so ecstatic he could almost take off in flight. “Please wait. I’ll appraise them right away. I promise you’ll be satisfied!”
When Hun Yu placed the spirit stones he received from the sale into his storage ring, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Over 2 million spirit stones—something he could never have dreamed of in his previous life—were now in his hands so effortlessly.
In his last life, he hadn’t even dared to eat a single salty bun. But in this life, he would indulge in all the world’s finest delicacies without holding back.
Hun Yu asked, “Do you have any masks or items here that can conceal one’s aura? I also need a storage ring with a much larger capacity. Do you have anything like that?”
Steward Wang thought for a moment and said, “You’ve really come at the right time. We do have a peculiar mask, but it’s quite special and rather pricey. As for large-capacity rings, we have many—various styles and materials. You can choose as you like.”
Hun Yu’s eyes lit up. “Bring them here. Let me see.”
“Please wait, I’ll bring them right away.”
Not long after, Steward Wang returned holding a tray, on which sat a mask. To be precise, it was more of a face-covering than a full mask.
No one could tell what material it was made of—it looked like bronze, yet also resembled a dark green metal stone. The face-covering was shaped like a crying face, crafted so vividly it felt alive. The left side was missing half the face, exposing part of the lips, but without any sign of breakage—it was clearly made that way on purpose. New chapters come out on novelping . com first.
Hun Yu picked up the bronze face-covering and examined it closely. It emitted faint spiritual Qi fluctuations, felt slightly cool to the touch, and had a unique texture.
“Does this mask have any other special properties?” Hun Yu asked.
Steward Wang smiled and said, “This is a rare item. It not only conceals aura, but also alters the wearer’s voice and even masks their temperament to a certain extent. It’s definitely a good thing!”
In the end, Hun Yu spent over 50,000 spirit stones to buy the bronze face-covering and a storage ring with a space as large as a basketball court. After storing the remaining spirit stones into his card, he finally left the Bailong Chamber of Commerce.
He chose to stay at a modest inn—not because he was unwilling to spend, but because he didn’t want to draw too much attention. The high-end inns and lodgings were full of cultivators from other regions—too crowded and too troublesome.
There was another very important reason: this inn’s signature crispy chicken was exceptionally delicious. Just the aroma alone was enough to make one feel intoxicated.
In his past life, even though Hun Yu had lived a hard life, there were still moments of warmth—though rare, and usually shared with strangers or those who had endured similar fates. That one time he had crispy chicken, it was a silver-haired man he’d never met before who treated him. If he remembered correctly, that man also had the surname Hun.
By early dawn the next day, the test announcement had already been posted. At precisely noon, when the sun was at its peak and the temperature highest, the Linyuan Secret Realm would reveal itself. That would be the best time to open it. If one missed this window, the opportunity would be almost gone.
There were many secret realms on this continent, but they weren’t formed from nothing, and their opening times and locations weren’t fixed either.
The Linyuan Secret Realm was only a low-grade one, and only the northwest region treated it like a treasure. Still, a secret realm was a secret realm. Though useless to those whose cultivation had already reached its peak, it could greatly help ordinary disciples.
Moreover, while low-grade, some secret realms occasionally produced rare and valuable treasures—like the treasure lotus lamp rumored to exist within the Linyuan Secret Realm.
Besides that, there might be cultivation techniques, combat skills, spirit herbs, weapons, or rare materials—things that would drive countless people to madness if found in the outside world. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
Due to the large number of participants in this selection, it wouldn’t be a simple single match—that would waste too much time. Instead, Tsar City had established a temporary testing area.
At that location stood a stone gate, above which stretched a testing pillar about 67 meters long. A curtain of light extended down from it. The pillar had been refined by several 7th stage Spirit Emperor Realm experts, and the light curtain contained powerful law forces.
When passing through this light curtain, those with low cultivation or who exceeded the age limit would be blocked. Those too weak or without any cultivation could only enter the Linyuan Secret Realm during the permitted window. As for those beyond the age limit, even if they weren’t blocked by the curtain, the Linyuan Secret Realm would still reject them.
Beyond the curtain was a massive central plaza, temporarily constructed but still possessing 3,000 steps leading up. There were four stairways in total—east, west, south, and north.
Above those steps stood five Spirit Emperor Realm experts, jointly releasing pressure to both obstruct and evaluate those ascending, determining the final rankings.
By the time Hun Yu arrived at the testing grounds, the place was already packed. Everyone knew the ranking at this stage didn’t matter, but people still held on to hope—after all, what if they made it to the front and got more opportunities?
Hun Yu didn’t try to push ahead and simply followed the flow of the crowd. This time, he was determined to be the first to enter the Linyuan Secret Realm, because he was certain that the treasure lotus lamp inside was connected to the green lotus within his body.
As the line ahead started to move, Hun Yu knew the test had officially begun.
He moved forward with the crowd, noticing that very few people managed to pass through the light curtain. Most were stopped and forced out.
Some were dejected and pounded their chests in frustration. Others, unwilling to give up, rushed toward the curtain again—but unsurprisingly, they still failed to enter.
Hun Yu passed through the light curtain without any obstruction, and couldn’t help feeling a bit emotional. In his past life, he’d been one of those stuck outside the curtain, not even qualified to try. He had hidden at the very back, watching those who passed through with envy.
He had once dreamed of being able to stand in the spotlight, full of confidence and pride…