Chapter 60: Finalizing the Journey to the Secret Realm

She wasn't quite sure how she had agreed to it. All she knew was that by the time Ji Yao stepped out of the Hall of Enforcement, she was already holding a special assignment token issued by the very same hall.

The crux of the matter was, she wasn't even officially a disciple of the Hall of Enforcement yet. Her status as an apprentice under Master Su Wen hadn't ever been publicly announced. Aside from a handful of people in the know, the rest of Tianmu Peak's disciples only believed there was a new junior sister among the inner sect disciples.

Moreover, this junior sister was rarely seen, so most people had heard her name but never actually met her.

Recalling the words Mo Daoyan said after she accepted the mission token, Ji Yao couldn't help but feel that this must be what it felt like to have the heavens entrust a great task upon someone.

If necessary, all disciples of the Hall of Enforcement who enter the Enlightenment Secret Realm may act under your command.

That was what Mo Daoyan told her; it was also a pledge of assurance. If things truly became impossible, she could escape on her own—no one would blame her.

Ji Yao's thoughts were all tangled. The token in her hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. No one knew what cards she kept up her sleeve, so this assurance was especially precious to her now.

Yet, she couldn't do it. If she didn't need to use their help, all was well, but if the need arose, how could she betray her principles and trade their lives for her own? She simply wasn't capable of that!

Besides, she possessed two of her strongest trump cards. If she wished to leave the secret realm unscathed, it wouldn't be difficult at all. As for the others, if they got trapped, the outcome was uncertain.

A hand brushed lightly against her shoulder. Ji Yao didn't need to turn around, nor did she need to use her spiritual sense to know who stood behind her.

That cool, frosty aura—there was only one person on Tianlü Peak with such a presence.

"With that look on your face, people might think I've done something terrible to you," Gu Qiu remarked, referring to his naturally icy constitution, though his words always seemed to carry a hidden meaning.

Ji Yao, usually pale and serene, seemed to turn ashen in an instant, as if she had been plunged into the deepest chill of winter. The sudden cold she exuded was even more convincing than that of Gu Qiu, a true cultivator of the ice spiritual root.

She halted abruptly, spun around, and forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes, nearly grinding her molars as she spoke.

"Senior Brother Gu, you must regret claiming to be so 'heroic and wise' now, seeing how useless your future junior sister turned out to be, don't you?"

Gu Qiu didn't mind Ji Yao's tone in the least. Instead, he played along and praised himself. "Have I not always been heroic and wise in the eyes of my junior sister?"

Ji Yao looked at him, his ice-blue longsword cradled in both arms, his face calm, eyes slanted in her direction. She wanted to retort, "I don't believe you at all! Old trickster!"

But the truth was, Gu Qiu's presence was incredibly intimidating. Besides, today he wasn't even wearing the sect's uniform. A white long robe with silver-gray patterns only added to his ethereal air.

In terms of appearance, bearing, age, and status, he was exceptional in every way.

As for herself, she wore the same sky-blue disciple's robe all year round. Though she'd switched to the standard inner sect long robe, her slender, as-yet undeveloped figure and the unisex topknot made even Ji Yao herself feel inadequate by comparison.

Standing next to Gu Qiu, she felt less like a girl at all.

This realization quashed much of the irritation in her heart.

Gu Qiu hadn't come to mock her intentionally; it was just that after so long apart, he couldn't resist teasing her.

"Is there something else you needed, Senior Brother Gu?" Ji Yao asked in a calm voice, then noticed the three tiny sword-shaped jade talismans being handed to her.

Sword talismans!

She looked up in surprise. Had this man suddenly grown a conscience and brought her life-saving treasures?

Sword talismans were unlike ordinary charms. They were forged from a sword cultivator's own comprehension of sword intent. In Lingyun Sect, sword talismans were more common than anything else.

Even Situ Jing could have offered Ji Yao a few of her own sword talismans. However, every cultivator's sword intent bore their unique signature, which could easily reveal their identity—hence, she had not given any to Ji Yao.

After all, wasn't she always by Ji Yao's side?

Gu Qiu could read her thoughts without her needing to say a word.

"If my junior sister wants one of her senior brother's personally forged sword talismans, that's not impossible. Next time, I'll get you a few to play with."

He would never admit it, but his sword talismans would be of little use to Ji Yao in the Enlightenment Secret Realm.

If possible, only those forged by sword cultivators at the integration stage or above within the sect, or those condensed by Master Mo Daoyan, possessed the greatest power. Unfortunately, such talismans couldn't be used within the secret realm.

The sect had tested this before: although spiritual artifacts and treasures could be used inside the secret realm, their power would be greatly diminished.

Furthermore, any treasure exceeding a Qi Refining disciple's cultivation would become a burden, consuming too much of their spiritual energy.

As for talismans, being single-use consumables, they were much more practical. Even so, there were still restrictions.

Within the Enlightenment Secret Realm, the highest level talisman permissible was fourth rank—equivalent to a single strike from a Golden Core cultivator, and each person could use no more than three. Any more, and the talismans simply wouldn't activate. The same went for sword talismans.

Thus, the three sword talismans in Gu Qiu's hand weren't from Mo Daoyan.

"I went out of my way to get these three sword talismans from Senior Brother Mu and Eldest Senior Brother Lu. Take good care of them," he told her.

Only two people could be addressed in such a manner: Mu Boyun and Lu Ming. But what use were three sword talismans to her? Wouldn't it make more sense for her to have one defensive talisman, one for escape, and one sword talisman? Was she supposed to charge into a horde of third-tier beasts, waving three sword talismans and fight them all at once?

Of course, with a group of pure sword cultivators, such words were wasted. Compared to ordinary talismans, they trusted their swords above all else.

Having received the items, there was no reason to refuse. Ji Yao, full of silent complaints, still accepted the three sword talismans without delay.

Seeing her accept them, Gu Qiu quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, I know you're not a pure sword cultivator. Prepare whatever else you need. We'll leave at the hour of the dragon, five days from now."

What? So soon? Even a condemned man gets a final breath—how is five days enough to get ready?

"Are we departing with the main group?" There was still a month before the secret realm opened. Ji Yao didn't understand the rush.

"No, I'm taking you ahead. The others will set out half a month later."

Wait—just the two of them? To secure seats in advance? This wasn't a grand performance; why did they need to arrive early?

Moreover, Gu Qiu would be entering the Rising Cloud Secret Realm, which was a completely different location from hers. Couldn't he let her stay in the sect a few days longer to find a few allies?

But Ji Yao knew that once the departure time was set, there was always a reason. Even if she objected, Gu Qiu would simply pack her up and haul her away.

For now, she had to make the most of the time left and prepare.

Returning to Sword Tempering Forest, Ji Yao took out her transmission talisman and sent out several messages before activating her restrictions and seeking out Situ Jing.