Chapter 271: 63: The Immortal Stroked My Head, Bestowed Upon Me Fine Gifts

“Where am I…?”

Shi Liuli slowly sat up, dazed in place for a while.

She looked around, but didn’t see Luo Yan’s figure, only the phantom of a Taoist priest, seated cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his eyes closed in meditation.

She suddenly realized: She seemed to have entered a secret realm.

But what about her younger martial brother?

“Senior,” Shi Liuli hesitantly asked, “have you seen my younger martial brother? The male cultivator whose eyes are always slightly squinted, and who has a silly smile…”

“This is the Minor Heavenly King’s Mansion,” the Taoist priest said indifferently, “provided for trialists who enter the secret realm to study Daoist magic.”

Even though it was just a phantom of the priest, it still inherited the original owner’s memories and personality.

Having promised Luo Yan not to talk too much, he definitely wouldn’t say an extra word.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Shi Liuli, who wore a confused expression, and asked:

“Do you want to practice Daoist magic?”

………

Luo Yan took his time flying back to Penglai Immortal Island on his sword but didn’t hurry to land near Yuqing View. Instead, he rubbed his face to adopt a panicked and terrified expression.

Then he rushed straight to Heavenly Craft Workshop.

“This is terrible! Terrible!” He went directly to Elder Shi Ding’s residence, shouting loudly, “Master, elder sister has been captured by the secret realm!”

Elder Shi Ding: ?

After Luo Yan had finished explaining the situation, panting and out of breath, Elder Shi Ding sighed helplessly with a complex look in his eyes as he looked at Luo Yan.

The more one frequents the mountains, the more likely an encounter with a tiger is; his daughter was always wandering around, so it was only a matter of time before trouble found her.

Fortunately, from Luo Yan’s description, it didn’t sound like she had been captured by the Demon Cult but instead had blundered into the secret realm by mistake… pah pah pah, what does “captured by the secret realm” even mean?

“Lead the way for your master,” Elder Shi Ding said as he got up, his demeanor a bit more composed than Luo Yan had expected.

“Master, should we also bring along our martial brothers and sisters?” Luo Yan proposed, “The mechanism of the secret realm entrance is unknown, and it might just fall within someone’s area of expertise by chance.”

“No need,” Elder Shi Ding waved his hand, “They learned all of their skills from me, what can they do that I cannot?”

Luo Yan: ………

He originally intended to save more people, but since he couldn’t persuade his master and couldn’t risk exposing himself by revealing more information, he could only hope his martial brothers and sisters could fend for themselves.

The two left the Daoist temple, and as Luo Yan was about to fly off on his sword, he saw Elder Shi Ding take out a Meng Chong magical treasure from his sleeve, throw it into the air, and it transformed into a large ship.

“Come aboard,” Elder Shi Ding instructed from the deck.

Luo Yan hastily flew onto the ship, and as the deck beneath his feet vibrated slightly, it turned into a ray of light, streaking rapidly toward the southwest.

Too fast! Much too fast! Although you’re anxious to save your daughter, master, at this full-speed run, we might not only save Miss Shi but also get back in time to defend against a hundred thousand demons attacking Penglai!

Luo Yan’s expression turned grave as he anxiously racked his brain.

Seeing his anxious and sorrowful face, Elder Shi Ding thought the young man was sincere and said to comfort him:

“Don’t worry, Liuli might be a bit spoiled usually, but at the end of the day, she is bright and lucky. If that secret realm has protective mechanisms like the Pavilion, there’s even less reason to be concerned.”

“Lucky” I can agree with, “bright” I’m not so sure about… Luo Yan mused silently but then asked aloud:

“Ah Jing, do you think master will be able to break the entrance restrictions of the secret realm?”

“I’m not sure,” the Kunlun Mirror replied.

“How can you not be sure!” Luo Yan immediately became furious.

“How am I supposed to know your master’s level?” the Kunlun Mirror shot back, also annoyed.

“`

“You have that scanning thing, don’t you!” Luo Yan tried to argue forcefully.

“Scanning can only detect material objects, it can’t read thoughts!” Kunlun Mirror spoke loudly, “Otherwise, I would have thoroughly scanned your brain a long time ago to see what kind of mess you have in there! To think you would berate me over something like this!”

Luo Yan: ……….

Having been rebuffed by the broken mirror, he found himself at a loss for words, looking even more displeased.

Meanwhile, inside the Kuocang Mountain Secret Realm.

Shi Liuli left the small building with a dusty face, in an extremely foul mood.

What kind of lousy secret realm is this?

No treasures, no serendipity, just three old Daoists who, upon meeting her, would start training her in various Daoist magics, swordsmanship, and art calculations, followed by theoretical teachings, pointing out her shortcomings…

If Elder Shi Ding were here, he would immediately recognize this as the so-called “Heritage Secret Realm,” built by immortals (mostly from loose cultivator backgrounds) who hoped to pass down their Daoist lineage, the most harmless type among all secret realms.

However, for Miss Shi, the plethora of inheritances at Yuqing View were enough for her to study for a lifetime, so why bother learning from three Daoist phantoms here?

If she could leave this place… With gritted teeth and a bit of reluctance, Shi Liuli began searching the valley again.

The valley wasn’t large, she had turned over every inch of it, even stumbling upon the original cave again.

Yet under the veil of Kunlun Mirror’s illusion technique, she completely missed the inscriptions behind the vines.

Considering she had come here drunk, could it be that she needed to be equally intoxicated to leave?

No, that can’t be right. According to the stories shared by her junior brother, Yang An left after visiting the three Daoists.

That meant the authority to exit the secret realm lay in the hands of those three Daoists!

Having no other options, Shi Liuli stepped once more into “Huayang Thatched Pavilion.”

Inside was a gaunt old man, dressed like a Daoist, standing with his hands tied.

Seeing her enter again, the old man chuckled and said:

“Swordsmanship requires daily practice. Very good.”

“Cut the crap!” Shi Liuli drew her Immortal Sword, shouted fiercely, “If I defeat you, you must let me out of the secret realm!”

“Why not?” The old man laughed, “You girl have sufficient comprehension; you’re just too lazy. Your swordsmanship has obviously improved a lot over these sessions…”

“Stop evaluating me!” Shi Liuli raised her sword and thrust directly at the old man.

“I’ve discussed with the other two,” the old man said nonchalantly as he controlled the Flying Sword to block Shi Liuli’s attack, “If you meet our assessment criteria, we are prepared to pass on the secret treasures we have hidden here for you to inherit. It’s not impossible.”

“What inheritance?” Shi Liuli suddenly stopped.

“Your Daoist foundation, you’ve practiced the ‘Five Latitudes Heavenly Secret Record,’ right?” the old man said slowly, “There’s a magical treasure on King’s side, called the ‘Taiwei Hook Chen Brilliant Soul Star Sand’…”

“Is it powerful?” Shi Liuli’s eyes lit up.

“Using your Five Latitude Stellar True Essence to activate it can turn it into a sky of dazzling stardust. Anyone caught in the Milky Way will be pulverized in an instant. Tell me, is that not powerful?” the old man stroked his beard and smiled.

“If that’s the case, it must be powerful!” Miss Shi’s face lit up with a smile too.

“I have an Immortal Sword here, called ‘Purple Extreme Han Yuan’.” The old man went on, “Although it doesn’t compare to King’s Taiwei Star Sand, it’s still better than the sword you’re currently using.”

My sword is a Tenth Rank! Shi Liuli was initially disbelieving, but then she reacted and was immediately overjoyed:

Could it be that the Purple Extreme Han Yuan Sword is an Eleventh Rank Immortal Sword?

“Additionally, your destiny is quite peculiar,” the old man added slowly, “Zhen Xuan, the Destiny Augur King, said that if you’re willing to take up his Art Calculation inheritance, he would teach you a secret technique. With diligent practice, you can prevent the chaos of fortune and misfortune, maintaining balance.”

Shi Liuli initially overjoyed, frowned upon hearing this.

She had no desire to learn some secret technique!