Chapter 924: Nian Yuexian's Speculation

Winds of Kyushu

As they were speaking, Ying Wuji flew over, landed, and looked at Lu Ye helplessly.

"Didn't I tell you to investigate the surroundings?" Lu Ye frowned, finding Ying Wuji remarkably negligent in his duties.

Ying Wuji replied, "Everything you can see right now is all there is to explore."

"What do you mean?" Lu Ye frowned.

Nian Yuexian explained, "Don't blame him. This is a very small secret realm. The entire area consists only of the valley and the spiritual peaks we can see right now, so there's no need for further exploration."

Lu Ye was astonished.

If Ying Wuji had said this, Lu Ye wouldn't have fully believed him. But coming from Nian Yuexian, he had no choice. After Nian Yuexian was sent flying from the thatched hut earlier, she had clearly surveyed the surroundings, leading to this conclusion.

Can there truly be such a small secret realm in this world?

The secret realms Lu Ye had experienced before were all set within a vast domain. Even the smallest, the Myriad Beast Domain secret realm, was roughly thirty percent the size of the Spiritual Stream Battlefield.

"Given this, it truly seems to be a legacy secret realm," Nian Yuexian mused.

Ying Wuji's brows furrowed similarly. "Senior, are you saying this place was specifically crafted for certain inheritances?"

Hearing this, Lu Ye immediately thought of Hua Ci. He wasn't entirely sure what the legacy secret realm where Hua Ci received her inheritance looked like, but she had once casually mentioned that it seemed to be a very small place.

This is because secret realms specifically created for a legacy do not need a vast area. By passing the trials within, one can obtain the inheritance and then safely depart.

"Did that old man ask you to do anything?" Nian Yuexian inquired.

Lu Ye nodded. "He calls himself Kong Kong, the 163rd Sect Master of the Sword Crafting Sect. He wants Ying Wuji and me to first learn the art of crafting from him. Once our skills are refined, he will then teach us the path of sword cultivation."

Nian Yuexian understood. "It seems this is the trial of the secret realm..." She composed herself, then looked at Lu Ye. "This is an opportunity, and since you've encountered it, there's no reason to miss it. You should calmly practice and learn there for now."

"Yes!" Lu Ye replied.

To be honest, he wasn't particularly interested in artifact crafting. The main reason was that he was already cultivating both spiritual紋 and formation arts. He knew well that a person's energy was limited, and if he spent too much on external arts, his own cultivation would certainly suffer.

His master had previously taught him the art of tattooing spiritual marks, and he had practiced for a while, but he ultimately didn't delve deeply into its cultivation, precisely because he lacked the energy.

Moreover, in a world like Kyushu, if one truly needed something, it could be bought from the Heavenly Secret Treasury or custom-crafted by someone else; there was no need to master the art oneself.

Just as those who enjoy good food are not necessarily cooks, the principle here is the same.

Furthermore, he had the War Merit Pavilion, which contained countless valuable items that could be exchanged with sufficient war merits.

However, if this was a trial of the secret realm, he had no choice but to learn. "Senior, what about Sect Master Kong Kong's cultivation?" Ying Wuji asked, mustering his courage.

The scene where Kong Kong's sword qi sent Nian Yuexian flying moments ago had terrified him.

"His cultivation..." Nian Yuexian mused, a pensive look on her face, "is much higher than mine."

"Above the Divine Sea, there truly is a path forward?" Ying Wuji grew excited, prompting Lu Ye to eye him askance, wondering why a True Lake Realm cultivator was so thrilled.

Nian Yuexian slowly said, "This is precisely what generations of Divine Sea Realm cultivators in Kyushu have been exploring..."

Ying Wuji said, "Generations of Divine Sea Realm cultivators in Kyushu have explored without success, yet Sect Master Kong Kong's cultivation is above the Divine Sea. Doesn't this imply he isn't a Kyushu cultivator?"

Nian Yuexian looked up at him. "You know quite a lot!"

Ying Wuji sighed. "Kyushu has many opportunities and diverse inheritances. Throughout history, many have speculated that the world of Kyushu might harbor legacies from beyond the heavens, which fell into Kyushu for various reasons. Initially, I didn't quite believe it, but after the incident with the Peerless Continent, I can no longer deny it."

The matter of the Peerless Continent is no longer a secret. Not only is the integration of realms in the Cloud River Battlefield already widely known, but many cultivators from the Peerless Continent have now begun traveling within Kyushu, with some even establishing their own sects. As news spreads easily in Kyushu, this information is naturally common knowledge.

Nian Yuexian had also heard about the Peerless Continent, so upon hearing Ying Wuji's words, she understood the situation.

"Perhaps this opportunity comes from outside Kyushu, but it might also originate from within Kyushu itself. Don't forget, historical records from this current epoch span only a few thousand years. No one knows what Kyushu was like thousands of years ago, or if there were cultivators above the Divine Sea at that time."

If the Sword Crafting Sect was a sect from thousands of years ago, then this current secret realm would be a remnant from before this epoch.

"Senior is right," Ying Wuji said, humbly accepting the lesson and appearing very honest.

"Regardless, Kong Kong is not a living person. He is very likely a manifestation of some Heavenly Secret art, or perhaps a lingering obsession left by a powerful individual. His cultivation realm during his lifetime definitely surpassed mine. When you two interact with him, you must be careful."

For the first time, Ying Wuji felt concern from Nian Yuexian. Although he knew it was merely a byproduct, he was still deeply touched and nodded repeatedly. "Senior, don't worry. Brother Lu is best at dealing with people and will certainly not offend Sect Master Kong Kong. I, Ying Wuji, will also follow his lead."

Lu Ye ignored him, instead looking at Nian Yuexian. "Your Excellency, what will you do?"

"Me?" Nian Yuexian paused, then looked down at the two-foot short sword in her hand. "I'll use this time to refine this sword. You don't need to worry about me."

Lu Ye nodded, then turned to instruct Ying Wuji, "Go chop some wood."

Ying Wuji was puzzled. "What for?"

"We don't know how long we'll be here this time," Lu Ye explained. "There's only one thatched hut, and we can't always sleep rough."

"Makes sense," Ying Wuji nodded. "Then why don't we go together?"

Lu Ye's gaze sharpened.

Ying Wuji called out to Nian Yuexian, "Senior, you see? He's always bullying me!"

Nian Yuexian smiled faintly. Having lived so long, it was her first time seeing two individuals from opposing factions interact in such a manner. She then said, "You go by yourself. I have some things to discuss with Lu Ye."

"Yes!" Ying Wuji immediately behaved.

After Ying Wuji left, Lu Ye asked, "Your Excellency, do you want me to investigate the mysteries beyond the Divine Sea?"

Nian Yuexian slowly shook her head. "This secret realm is for the inheritance of the Sword Crafting Sect, not for cultivation. So even if you investigate, you might not discover anything significant, and you might even say something wrong. What I want to tell you is that this secret realm is not as peaceful as it appears."

"Your Excellency means..."

"Judging by the current situation, the Willow Catkin was not an opportunity, but bait," Nian Yuexian said slowly, raising the short sword in her hand. "It's a common tactic used by many places of inheritance: using bait like the Willow Catkin to incite greed, lure people into this legacy secret realm, make them pass trials, and obtain the Sword Crafting Sect's inheritance. I only blame my momentary greed for not seeing through this. But if that's truly the case, then throughout history, has no one else ever entered here? That place was indeed well-hidden, but if I could find it, others naturally could too. So it's highly probable that others have been here before us. But where are they now?"

Lu Ye felt a slight chill.

"Of course, I'm not saying Kong Kong is a bad person. It's just that since this legacy secret realm has existed until now, it means no one has passed the trials so far. Even if someone entered before, they died here." Nian Yuexian stared at Lu Ye, her expression serious. "This is the danger of a legacy secret realm. Since you've come, you either obtain the inheritance and leave safely, or you'll be trapped here forever!"

Lu Ye listened silently, understanding her meaning. "Your Excellency means that obtaining the inheritance here and passing Kong Kong's trials will be very difficult!"

"Regardless, you must be mentally prepared!"

Lu Ye nodded slightly, but soon thought of something. "Your Excellency, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"If the Willow Catkin truly is bait meant to lure people into this legacy secret realm, then there shouldn't be so many dangers. You only managed to pass through that passage and obtain the Willow Catkin because of your immense strength. Others might not have that ability; perhaps they would be killed in that passage before even getting close to the Willow Catkin. This doesn't align with the original intention of a legacy secret realm to attract people."

If the goal was truly to lure people in, it should be as simple as possible. In fact, Nian Yuexian should have obtained the Willow Catkin and been drawn into this secret realm the very first time she came here.

"Perhaps so!" Nian Yuexian didn't deny Lu Ye's judgment. Her gaze deepened as she looked towards the thatched hut. "But what if Kong Kong could, to some extent, sense the outside situation, and even control and activate the external restrictions?"

Lu Ye's expression turned serious.

If that were true, it would explain everything.

The reason Nian Yuexian had not succeeded before was that Kong Kong felt she was not suitable to inherit the Sword Crafting Sect's mantle, and so he had been preventing her. But this time, she brought Lu Ye and Ying Wuji, giving Kong Kong hope, and he then allowed her to proceed.

However, because Nian Yuexian had previous experience, the trials couldn't be too easy, as that would arouse her suspicion.

Making her exert all her strength to pass through that passage and obtain the Willow Catkin was the best outcome.

If that were true, Kong Kong must have gone to great lengths.

"Regardless, passing the trials here certainly won't be easy. You must be careful."

"Your subordinate will do his best," Lu Ye nodded.

Even if he couldn't do it, there was still Ying Wuji. If Ying Wuji also failed, then they would have to find another way to leave this secret realm.

But that was a thought for later.

A short while later, Ying Wuji returned. Lu Ye worked with him, and together they built three wooden houses at the entrance of the valley, which would serve as their temporary residences for the foreseeable future.

The three wooden houses were separated by several yards. Lu Ye was in the middle, Ying Wuji on the left, and Nian Yuexian on the right. This arrangement made it convenient for them to look after each other.