Chapter 7: Spatial Tremors
“Mr. Gu, you truly are a hidden gem,” said three young men as they approached, initiating conversation with Gu Liuyun.
The scornful scions of noble families who had earlier looked down on Gu Liuyun seemed to wear new faces, suddenly warm and friendly.
“And you are?” Gu Liuyun raised an eyebrow slightly.
“I’m Liu Zizhong from the Liu family of Shanyang City.”
“Zhou Xiao from the Zhou family of Shanyang City.”
“Lin Yu from the Lin family of Shanyang City.”
Gu Liuyun nodded slightly, acknowledging their greeting.
His aloofness did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm.
Lin Yu spoke first, “Mr. Gu, the secret realm will open here in an hour. How about we team up to seek fortune together?”
“Yes, yes, strength in numbers will surely improve our efficiency,” Liu Zizhong chimed in.
All the young heirs gathered to explore the secret realm were around the sixth level of Qi Refining, with the highest talent only reaching the eighth level.
Advancing to a Foundation Establishment practitioner was no easy feat; some spent their entire lives without achieving it.
A young Foundation Establishment cultivator like Gu Liuyun was truly a rare phoenix, with limitless prospects.
Besides the three major families of Shanyang City, other aristocratic clans watched closely, hoping to recruit Gu Liuyun.
“Brother Liuyun, there are usually ferocious beasts in the secret realm. Teaming up might ensure our safety,” Ye Manman said.
Gu Liuyun nodded.
The opportunities within the secret realm were precious, but the dangers were equally severe.
Although he had now reached the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, encountering a pack of ferocious beasts would still be challenging.
“This is great, thank you, Mr. Gu,” the three from Shanyang City exclaimed with joy when Gu Liuyun agreed.
Their commotion soon caught the attention of other families’ factions.
The Zezhou aristocrats muttered, “Too bad we were a step late; the backwater Shanyang City got there first.”
The Yushan family sighed, “With such a strong opponent, it seems our efforts will be in vain.”
The Tian Sheng City nobles said, “The size of the fortune doesn’t matter; as long as we don’t come back empty-handed, we’ll be satisfied.”
Meanwhile, in the infirmary of the Hexi Zhu family…
“It hurts! Damn it, be gentler!” Zhu Yan shouted, kicking the attending doctor to the ground.
“Calm down. You’re making such a ruckus like a slaughterhouse. If you hadn’t offended such a powerful expert, I wouldn’t have lost over five hundred thousand buying that spatial artifact and all those supplies!” Zhu Rong frowned deeply, clearly impatient with Zhu Yan.
“There must be something fishy. He’s notoriously useless – how could he become a Foundation Establishment cultivator so quickly?” Zhu Yan slammed his palm on the nearby table, growing angrier.
The delicate porcelain cup shattered instantly, fragments scattering across the floor.
“It’s no use trying to confront a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Losing money is small loss; just so long as he doesn’t cause us trouble inside the secret realm,” Zhu Rong said, folding his arms and sighing deeply.
“Trouble?” Zhu Yan sneered. “Who knows who will cause trouble for whom.”
Zhu Rong frowned. “What foolish stunt do you want to pull now?”
“Within the secret realm, injuries and deaths are at one’s own risk. It’s just a Foundation Establishment cultivator; who knows if he’ll survive the ferocious beasts?” Zhu Yan’s eyes flashed with resentment.
…
At the entrance to the secret realm.
As the opening time neared, factions had long been gathered.
“Everyone, please remain calm. One hundred and twenty-three people will enter the secret realm today. Entry will be orderly according to the password shortly. Do not crowd and pay attention to safety,” the association leader announced through a megaphone, organizing the crowd.
As soon as Gu Liuyun and Ye Manman arrived, they saw Zhou Xiao waving enthusiastically from a distance.
“Mr. Gu, over here!”
Gu Liuyun and Ye Manman joined them.
Besides the three who had invited them to team up earlier, there was a coldly elegant young woman they had not met before.
“This is my sister, Zhou Hanqing. Thank you, Mr. Gu, for looking after her inside the secret realm,” Zhou Xiao introduced.
Zhou Hanqing politely nodded to Gu Liuyun. A few strands of hair fell from her temples as she lifted her hand to tuck them behind her ear, every gesture exuding the grace of a noble lady.
Gu Liuyun assessed the group.
Among them, Zhou Hanqing had the highest cultivation, having reached the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining—a rare talent.
The other three hovered around the mid-sixth level.
This lineup was already formidable; even if they encountered a small pack of ferocious beasts, they could handle it.
Suddenly, the Yunwu Mountain trembled.
A pillar of light shot up, piercing the sky!
As it slowly expanded, a shimmering, multicolored passageway unfolded before everyone’s eyes.
“The secret realm has opened. Please enter.”
The crowd surged forward.
Gu Liuyun stepped into the light.
The scene before him changed instantly.
From dense forest to a straight corridor.
The noisy crowd vanished, leaving only Gu Liuyun, Ye Manman, and the four from Shanyang City, all wearing matching spatial pointers.
“Wow, it’s my first time entering a secret realm,” Ye Manman said in wonder, curiously scanning their surroundings.
“This isn’t the secret realm yet,” Gu Liuyun explained. “The secret realm is a secondary space distinct from the real world, similar to the jade storage device I gave you.”
Ye Manman nodded, half understanding.
“Time is precious; let’s hurry,” Lin Yu urged.
They gathered their energy and swiftly advanced toward the corridor’s end.
Just as they neared the exit,
the corridor shook violently.
Black cracks spread rapidly beneath their feet.
Gu Liuyun’s face darkened. “Not good. It’s a spatial tremor!”
Spatial tremors were perilous; if they triggered a space tear, falling into the gap could mean never returning to the real world.
“Run!”
The violent shaking made it nearly impossible to maintain balance; they had no choice but to sprint desperately toward the exit.
The corridor’s scenery blurred and fractured, as if about to vanish into the void at any moment.
The ground beneath Ye Manman suddenly shattered without warning.
She screamed, plummeting into the void.
“Miss Manman!”
“Manman!” Gu Liuyun grabbed her arm, but the ground beneath him also began to crack the next moment.
In desperation, Gu Liuyun flung Ye Manman toward the exit and followed immediately.
At the last second before the spatial corridor disappeared, they narrowly escaped.
The force of the collapsing space catapulted them hundreds of meters into the sky!
“Grab onto each other!”
Caught in the swirling wind currents, their bodies plummeted.
Zhou Xiao and the others quickly grasped those nearby.
Gu Liuyun reached out to Ye Manman, “Hold my hand!”
They struggled against tremendous resistance, nearing each other, but just as their fingertips were about to touch, a great force separated them.
Above the secret realm, the six of them scattered like bursting fireworks, blown apart by the explosive air currents and flung in four different directions!