Chapter 743: The Secret World Beneath the Celestial Mechanism Pavilion

Ruan Qingsu struggled to her feet and asked, "Master, what do you mean? Are you suggesting I should seduce Jiang Fan?"

Lin Yuheng pressed her back down onto the seat. He said, self-righteously, "A disciple is raised for a thousand days to be used in one moment. It's time for you to repay your master!"

Ruan Qingsu was speechless. "Master," she said, "I know you want to take Jiang Fan as your disciple. But couldn't you just take him directly? Given your familiarity with Jiang Fan, if you just ask, he has no reason to refuse, right? And you want me to sacrifice myself? Isn't that overkill?"

Lin Yuheng frowned. "No reason to refuse? You've been in seclusion for too long; you don't know what's been happening outside. Jiang Fan is no longer the Jiang Fan you knew."

Ruan Qingsu scoffed. "Master, you worry too much. Even if he turned to ash, I'd recognize him! When I accompanied you on official business to Qingyun Sect, I was passing by at night and he mistook me for a thief and beat me half to death. I haven't forgotten that debt."

Lin Yuheng's expression was strange. "What, you're still thinking of revenge?"

Ruan Qingsu lifted her chin slightly. "I've been in seclusion ever since I returned. Now I'm at the fifth level of Core Formation. Teaching him a lesson shouldn't be a big problem, right?"

Lin Yuheng combed her hair and said, "Your master supports you. But you need to be careful. A few days ago, he single-handedly annihilated the entire Giant Sect."

Ruan Qingsu's delicate body trembled violently.

After a long silence, her expression was peaceful, and her tone gentle: "Master, I've come to a realization. I think I'll just get along well with Junior Brother Jiang."

***

In the center of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, Jiang Fan surveyed the cluster of palaces, spanning barely a li in area. He couldn't help but be slightly surprised. "The Heavenly Secret Pavilion, which governs the nine sects, is actually this small? Even a random peak in the Qingyun Sect isn't smaller than the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, is it?"

Liu Qingxian smiled slightly; it was her time to shine. She asked with a subtle smile: "Xiao Fan, why does the name 'Heavenly Secret Pavilion' contain the character 'Pavilion'?"

Jiang Fan looked around. There were only a few palaces in sight, and indeed, no structure that could be called a "pavilion." After thinking for a moment, a bold idea emerged in his mind. He looked down at his feet and said, "You're not going to tell me that the Heavenly Secret Pavilion is actually a deeply buried structure, and what we're on is merely its uppermost level, are you?"

Xu Youran and Chen Siling were both astonished by Jiang Fan's wild idea. They all looked down at their feet.

Liu Qingxian froze for a moment. "Has someone told you that?"

Jiang Fan replied, "I guessed it." Having witnessed too many bizarre things, his imagination had significantly improved.

Liu Qingxian looked surprised. "You could guess that?" She pouted. "How boring. I wanted to test you. That's right, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion is indeed a deeply buried structure. Only nine levels have been explored so far. It's said there are even deeper levels underground that are difficult to explore."

Jiang Fan was surprised. "Even the Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secret returned defeated? Are there perhaps dangers?"

Liu Qingxian nodded: "Yes, there are. In a single month, I often see injured disciples being carried out to the surface. Just a few days ago, even a very powerful disciple died."

Jiang Fan was quite shocked. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion was actually a structure that hadn't been fully explored yet? That was truly unexpected.

Liu Qingxian continued: "Aside from occasionally handling matters for the nine sects, the disciples of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion usually spend their time exploring underground. Firstly, by exploring new areas, they can earn merit points, which can be exchanged for items in the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's treasury. Secondly, the deeper one goes into the pavilion, the denser the spiritual energy, which is more beneficial for cultivation. Thirdly, if they are lucky, they can find treasures during exploration, and everything they obtain belongs to them; the Heavenly Secret Pavilion does not forcibly confiscate them.

"I've heard that hundreds of years ago, when the Heavenly Secret Pavilion first began its explorations, their harvests were incredibly abundant. There were jade talismans for a single Nascent Soul strike, various high-grade magical artifacts, and even spirit artifacts. It's even said that the Heaven-Ascending Pills for breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm appeared!"

Jiang Fan was utterly astonished. There were so many treasures in the underground pavilion? Hearing about the Nascent Soul talismans, a question in his mind was answered. He had previously obtained a total of four jade talismans for a single Nascent Soul strike, both indirectly and directly from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. He had always wondered where these Nascent Soul talismans came from. Given the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master's early Nascent Soul realm cultivation, he shouldn't have been able to refine such talismans. Only cultivators at or above the mid-Nascent Soul realm could succeed. Now he understood.

Liu Qingxian sighed faintly. "What a pity. We were born in the wrong era. In that era, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, relying on the treasures excavated from within, cultivated many masters. At its peak, it even produced a grand expert at the late Nascent Soul realm. They could even contend with the Divine Sects from outside this domain. Some early Nascent Soul realm experts from Taicang Great State would even disguise themselves as juniors to sneak into the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, aiming for the underground treasures.

"Unfortunately, as the difficulty of exploration increased, the progress gradually slowed down, and resources became increasingly scarce. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion thus gradually declined. Currently, the tenth level hasn't been successfully explored for two hundred years. Lacking new and powerful resources, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion has been living off its past glory and has fallen to its current state."

Jiang Fan was astonished. He hadn't imagined that the Heavenly Secret Pavilion had once been so glorious; it could even compare to the powerful Divine Sects from outside this domain. However, he was quite optimistic: "Even in decline, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion is still ten times stronger than the nine sects, isn't it? Besides, isn't there still a tenth level? If we get a chance to explore, we might just make new discoveries."

Just then, seven unfamiliar young people walked in. They were generally in their early to mid-twenties. Each had sharp, yet restrained, eyes and a powerful aura. The weakest was at the fifth level of Core Formation, while the strongest, surprisingly, was at the ninth level of Core Formation!

Jiang Fan was surprised. "Are these also recruited disciples? They aren't from the nine sects."

Liu Qingxian's face showed surprise. "I heard that occasionally one or two rogue cultivators from Taicang Great State would come here, drawn by its reputation. But for seven to come this time? And their cultivation levels are so high. Unbelievable."

The seven youths arrived, dust-laden from their journey. They surveyed the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

Suddenly, they also noticed Jiang Fan and the two women, and perceived their relationship. A strange glint appeared in their eyes.

"Tsk, tsk, these three are considered top-tier beauties even in Taicang Great State," one muttered. "Having just one would be a great source of pride. That kid is monopolizing all three. Can he even enjoy all of them? Why doesn't he share two, so I can also enjoy some beauty?"

A young man with a scar near his eye removed his bamboo hat. His gaze shamelessly roamed over the three women.

"Shut up!" Their leader was a young woman at the ninth level of Core Formation. She was 1.8 meters tall and powerfully built, showing no sign of weakness even among a group of men. Hearing Yu Tiandu's words, she harshly rebuked him in front of everyone.

Yu Tiandu looked displeased. "Can't I just say a few words?"

The young woman sternly retorted: "Trouble comes from the mouth! This isn't Taicang Great State. If you get into trouble again, no one will bail you out."

Yu Tiandu's face darkened, and he remained silent, sulking. For some reason, he, only at the seventh level of Core Formation, seemed very unconvinced by his leader, who was at the ninth level.

The young woman cupped her hands towards Jiang Fan and said, "My apologies, young master. My subordinate speaks without filter; please forgive him."

Jiang Fan's gaze turned slightly cold. If they had merely said a few unpleasant things about him, he might have let it go. He disdained to even bother with such scoundrels. But insulting Youran and the others? Jiang Fan absolutely could not forgive that!