Chapter 56: The Mysterious Change in the Qi Xian Secret Realm

Searching through the high-grade communication talismans she’d tossed into her storage bracelet before her seclusion, Ji Yao found one vibrating incessantly, crammed with a slew of unread messages. She decided to read them all from the beginning; naturally, the first wouldn’t be from Gu Qiu, and Ji Yao intended to let him wait a while longer as she leisurely went through every message.

Her fingers idly tapped the communication jade as her mind raced, sifting through the information she gleaned—some good, some less so.

The good news was that Ling Ru and Shi Xiuyie had both reached Foundation Establishment, and Dongfang Shun, suspected protagonist of a reversal tale, had also reached half-step Foundation Establishment. Even Gu Qiu, whom she found herself “unable to forget,” had finally returned a month ago.

The less favorable news: the Spirit Awakening Secret Realm, which opened once every nine years, would be accessible in a month, yet all the sects lacked enough volunteers among their disciples. Therefore, the major sects convened and agreed to fill their quotas by randomly drawing lots among all disciples above the tenth level of Qi Refinement, regardless of their branch. To calm the masses, both inner and outer sect disciples who met the requirements would be included in the draw.

From her perspective, Ji Yao thought this was just a way to appease ordinary disciples without backing—such as herself before she’d entered the Celestial Law Peak.

Of the people Ji Yao knew, only Dongfang Shun and, just barely, Qi Lianyi remained at the Qi Refinement stage—Qi Lianyi had faced her in the last tournament and was currently at the twelfth level. Dongfang Shun wasn’t her concern; given his current connections, the draw would never land on him. Qi Lianyi, on the other hand, had no background, which meant her odds of being chosen were high.

Guessing that Gu Qiu might be at the Hall of Enforcement, Ji Yao set aside her plan to go there for information; perhaps she could ask Situ Jing instead.

No sooner thought than done, Ji Yao activated the concealment array around her bamboo hut and vanished within.

News of the Spirit Awakening Secret Realm had spread far and wide in the Mi Cang Realm; only the degree of detail varied. After all, the realm was the sole place where Spirit Awakening Grass grew—an essential main ingredient for crafting the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Ancient records stated that, in the distant past, cultivators didn’t need Foundation Establishment Pills. In those times, anyone with spiritual roots could cultivate, and everyone could naturally achieve Foundation Establishment. Even in the later ancient era, those with three or more spiritual roots had no need for the pill. Only those with four or five roots—the so-called “false” roots—required external assistance, leading the great alchemists of the era to create a pill to boost their chances. Over time, this became known as the Foundation Establishment Pill.

In today’s cultivation world, with spiritual energy far less concentrated, the Foundation Establishment Pill has become a necessity for most cultivators wishing to ascend the path of immortality. Only those with exceptional roots or extraordinary fortune could hope for a natural breakthrough as in ages past.

Yet the Spirit Awakening Grass grew only in this one secret realm, from which it took its name.

Only Qi Refinement cultivators could enter, making it—apart from the major sect tournaments—the best opportunity for them to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.

All who entered were assigned the task of gathering the grass, and those who handed in enough would receive a pill in return. In the past, this opportunity was fiercely contested by all Qi Refinement disciples.

However, something had gone terribly wrong nine years before. According to the few survivors, a great number of third-rank spirit beasts—equivalent to Foundation Establishment cultivators—had appeared within. The resulting massacre left most entrants dead or crippled.

To put it in perspective, each opening allowed ten thousand to enter; the seven major sects each claimed three hundred spots, with the rest divided among smaller sects and rogue cultivators. That time, fewer than fifteen hundred emerged alive—and most were wounded, their spiritual power nearly exhausted, or their cultivation crippled.

This was how Ji Yao learned, through Dongfang Shun, of Wei Qi, the murderer dealt with by the Hall of Enforcement seven years ago. Wei Qi had participated in that disastrous expedition; though at the peak of Qi Refinement and poised for Foundation Establishment, his injuries shattered his foundation, dropping him to the seventh level and ending his hopes of recovery. No wonder, Ji Yao thought, that he’d succumbed to demonic persuasion—despair leaves one reaching for any lifeline, and to the obsessed, the line between determination and falling to darkness is but a single thought.

Due to the events of that previous expedition, few volunteered for the coming one—no one could say whether third-rank beasts would reappear, or whether they’d survive, or ever return at all.

Returning to her inner space, Ji Yao made her way to the study, where she found Situ Jing at the desk, poring over Mu Tianheng’s hand-drawn blueprint.

Seeing Situ Jing lost in thought, Ji Yao was about to withdraw when Situ Jing spoke without looking up. “Weren’t you just out? Why are you back so soon?”

Ji Yao hurried forward, scratching her head sheepishly. “Senior, it's been so long since I’ve seen you!”

“Alright, you clever girl—don’t pretend to be silly.” Situ Jing beckoned her over. “Come here, take a look. I’m planning to shape your five-colored stone like this. Any objections?”

Ji Yao had seen the blueprint before: a formation disk, designed in three interlocking layers—Heavenly Round, Earthly Square, Yin and Yang, Five Elements, and Eight Trigrams. The uppermost was a circular taijitu, the middle an eight-trigram disk, and the bottom the four symbols for the cardinal directions. Each layer could rotate independently, forming a complex composite array.

With her current knowledge, Ji Yao could only admire the design—she truly had no better suggestions. All she could do was nod and shake her head in turn.

Situ Jing, uninterested in her feigned confusion, rolled up the blueprint. “You didn’t come here just to listen to me talk about this, did you?”

Reminded of her purpose, Ji Yao quickly asked, “Senior, do you know about the Spirit Awakening Secret Realm?”

Brushing imaginary dust from her sleeve, Situ Jing replied languidly, “Of course I do.”

“But what I know is not the same as the current form of the secret realm in Mi Cang. In fact, that wasn’t always its name.”

“Oh? What was it called?”

Situ Jing drew out the moment, pretending to ponder. Ji Yao, knowing her temperament, waited in silence.

Finally, Situ Jing said, “Ah, I remember—it was originally called the Celestial Evolution Trial Grounds.”