The Wang Family cultivators had already disappeared into the distance.
The marketplace slowly returned to normal.
However, the surrounding cultivators were still discussing what had happened.
The name of the Lin Clan had become the center of their conversation.
Lin Hao didn’t pay much attention to them.
He looked at Lin Chen and Lin Qing.
“Let’s go.”
The two nodded.
Just as they were about to leave, a familiar voice came from behind.
“Wait!”
Lin Hao stopped.
Lin Chen and Lin Qing turned around.
The young woman they had helped earlier was running toward them.
She quickly reached them and stopped.
Her breathing was slightly hurried.
She looked at Lin Chen and Lin Qing with genuine gratitude.
“Thank you.”
Lin Chen shook his head.
“You don’t need to thank us.”
“No.”
The young woman shook her head firmly.
“You helped me when nobody else was willing to.”
She looked at Lin Chen.
“If you hadn’t stepped forward, they would have taken the spiritual herb from me.”
Her eyes became slightly red.
“I really don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t helped me.”
Lin Qing smiled gently.
“It’s fine.
You’re safe now.”
The young woman nodded.
“My name is Mu Qingyue.”
She bowed respectfully.
“I’m from the Mu Family of Azure River City.”
Lin Chen nodded.
“Lin Chen.”
Lin Qing introduced herself as well.
“Lin Qing.”
Mu Qingyue looked toward Lin Hao.
She hesitated for a moment.
“And this is…”
Lin Chen immediately answered.
“Our Ancestor.”
Mu Qingyue’s expression became respectful.
“Greetings, Senior.”
Lin Hao smiled.
“There’s no need to be so formal.”
Mu Qingyue nodded.
“Thank you, Senior.”
Her eyes fell toward the wooden box in her hands.
She held it carefully.
Lin Hao noticed her expression.
“You seem to value that herb quite a lot.”
Mu Qingyue nodded.
“Yes.”
She looked down at the box.
“I needed it for my father.”
Lin Chen’s expression changed slightly.
“Your father?”
Mu Qingyue nodded.
“My father has been ill for a long time.”
She took a deep breath.
“The healers in our family have tried everything they can, but his condition keeps getting worse.”
Her fingers tightened around the box.
“I heard that Soul-Calming Grass could help stabilize the soul, so I spent almost all the Spirit Stones I had to purchase it.”
Lin Hao glanced at the wooden box.
He didn’t know anything about Alchemy.
He couldn’t tell what was special about the herb.
To him, it simply looked like an ordinary spiritual plant.
The System’s voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
[Host.]
“Hm?”
[The spiritual herb inside the box is not an ordinary Soul-Calming Grass.]
Lin Hao raised an eyebrow.
“What is it?”
[Its true name is Soul-Sealing Star Grass.]
Lin Hao looked at the box again.
“Soul-Sealing Star Grass?”
[Correct.]
[The people of the Mortal World only recognize it as Soul-Calming Grass.]
[They are unaware of its true function.]
Lin Hao became curious.
“What does it actually do?”
The System explained.
[Soul-Sealing Star Grass possesses an extremely powerful ability to nourish and stabilize the soul.]
[Its true medicinal value is extraordinary.]
[Even in the Immortal World, it is considered an extremely rare and priceless spiritual medicine.]
Lin Hao blinked.
“That priceless?”
[Yes, Host.]
Lin Hao thought for a moment.
Then he asked casually.
“Does the System Mall have it?”
There was no hesitation.
[Yes, Host.]
A pause.
[The System Mall contains countless quantities of Soul-Sealing Star Grass.]
Lin Hao stared ahead.
“…”
Then he looked at the wooden box in Mu Qingyue’s hands.
“Then it isn’t priceless.”
The System fell silent.
For some reason, it seemed to have no response to that statement.
Lin Hao smiled.
He didn’t care much about the herb.
He had countless resources available through the System.
What mattered was that Mu Qingyue had bought it for her father.
“Will this herb help your father?” Lin Hao asked.
Mu Qingyue nodded.
“It should stabilize his condition temporarily.”
She lowered her head.
“But it isn’t enough.”
Lin Hao looked at her.
“What do you mean?”
Mu Qingyue hesitated.
Then she finally spoke.
“There is a Secret Realm.”
Lin Chen and Lin Qing immediately became interested.
“A Secret Realm?”
Mu Qingyue nodded.
“It opens once every hundred years.”
She looked toward the distant sky.
“The Secret Realm contains many spiritual plants and medicinal herbs that cannot be found easily anywhere else in the Azure Cloud Continent.”
“My family believes there are several spiritual plants inside that could help treat my father.”
Lin Hao listened quietly.
Mu Qingyue continued.
“That’s why I came to the marketplace.”
“I wanted to purchase the Soul-Calming Grass first.”
“Then, when the Secret Realm opens, I wanted to enter and search for the other spiritual plants.”
Lin Chen frowned.
“Can anyone enter?”
Mu Qingyue shook her head.
“No.”
She explained.
“The Azure Cloud Sect controls the entrance.”
“Every hundred years, when the Secret Realm opens, the Azure Cloud Sect distributes a limited number of entry slots to cities across the continent.”
“How many slots does Azure River City have?”
Mu Qingyue answered immediately.
“Seven.”
“Seven?”
“Yes.”
“The Azure Cloud Sect has given Azure River City seven slots.”
Lin Qing asked,
“Then who gets to enter?”
Mu Qingyue sighed.
“The City Lord has already announced that a spar will be held next month.”
“The strongest young cultivators who qualify will compete for the seven positions.”
Lin Chen’s eyes narrowed.
“What are the requirements?”
Mu Qingyue answered.
“They must be twenty years old or younger.”
Lin Hao’s eyes flashed with interest.
“A competition for seven slots…”
Mu Qingyue nodded.
“The City Lord has already announced it.”
“The entire Azure River City is talking about it.”
“Many young cultivators from different families are preparing.”
She lowered her head again.
“I want to participate.”
Lin Hao looked at her.
“For your father?”
Mu Qingyue nodded.
“Yes.”
Her voice became determined.
“I don’t care how difficult it is.”
“If there is even a small chance that I can find something that will save my father…”
“I have to try.”
Lin Chen looked at her with admiration.
Lin Qing also nodded.
Lin Hao remained silent for a moment.
He had originally come to Azure River City simply to take a walk.
He hadn’t expected to encounter the Wang Family.
He hadn’t expected to meet Mu Qingyue.
And he certainly hadn’t expected to hear about a Secret Realm that opened once every hundred years.
Lin Hao looked toward the distant city.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“So that’s why you came here.”
Mu Qingyue nodded.
“Yes.”
She looked at Lin Chen and Lin Qing again.
“Thank you once again.”
She bowed deeply.
“I will never forget what you did for me today.”
Lin Chen quickly stepped aside.
“There’s no need to bow.”
Mu Qingyue smiled.
“But I am truly grateful.”
She straightened herself.
Lin Hao watched her quietly.
Then he looked toward Lin Chen and Lin Qing.
The two were young.
They had strength.
And now…
There was an opportunity for them to experience the outside cultivation world.
A Secret Realm.
Seven slots.
An age limit of twenty years old.
And countless spiritual plants inside.
Lin Hao smiled.
“This walk is becoming interesting.”
Mortal World Cultivation Realms
Body Refining Realm → Qi Gathering Realm → Foundation Establishment Realm → Core Formation Realm → Nascent Soul Realm → Soul Transformation Realm → Void Refining Realm → Body Integration Realm → Tribulation Transcendence Realm → Mahayana Realm