Under the moonlight, the villa was shrouded in tranquility. The stone monument outside the estate gate stood quietly in the moonlight. In the place behind it that the moonlight couldn’t illuminate, two characters were faintly visible.
Dream Garden.
When people learn to think, they’ve already learned to dream. Though cultivators have begun comprehending the great Dao of heaven and earth, in essence, cultivators are still human and cannot be called immortals.
Kong Hou lay on the large bed she’d moved out, wrapped the soft quilt around herself, and fell asleep. The ribbon tied around her wrist emitted a faint glow in the night, like a small lamp illuminating the entire dark room.
She began dreaming again. Strangely, she herself didn’t appear in this dream. She was like an uninvolved observer who could see everything happening but was powerless to join in.
In the dream, Yunhua Sect was covered in goose-feather snow. The entire mountain was blanketed in vast white snow. Yet more eye-catching than the white snow were the white silk banners hanging on the main gate and beams, as well as Uncle Qingyuan kneeling in the mourning hall.
Compared to the rosy-cheeked Uncle Qingyuan in reality, the Uncle Qingyuan in the dream looked thin and haggard, his face full of guilt. Outside the mourning hall, Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother looked utterly lost, snow covering their heads. Soon she saw other familiar people from Yunhua Mountain. The only one she didn’t see was Master.
Where had Master gone?
She wanted to find Master, but the world in the dream wasn’t under her control. She didn’t find Master, but instead saw the Du Family father and son from Qiu City having a conflict with Fairy Lingbo from Zhaohan Sect at an inn, nearly coming to blows. At that moment, an evil cultivator disguised as an ordinary cultivator suddenly struck, taking the opportunity to kill the somewhat frivolous-looking Du Jing. From then on, Qiu City established a rule forbidding Zhaohan Sect disciples from entering the city.
How could this happen? Kong Hou watched as the independent cultivators in the dream, having believed the evil cultivator’s instigation, developed increasingly hostile relations with sect disciples. She watched several extremely talented disciples from Qingfeng Sect get killed by evil cultivators who seized the spiritual energy from their spiritual platforms. There was also Liuyan Sect and Qingyu Sect—because the head disciple of Liuyan Sect broke off an engagement, the conflict escalated until disciples from the two sects would fight whenever they met, even injuring innocent civilians in their battles.
In this dream, she didn’t appear. Huan Zong didn’t appear. It was as if everything had nothing to do with them.
Where was Huan Zong? Where was Senior Lin? Where had they all gone?
That person is an evil cultivator—you can’t trust him!
Kong Hou wanted to awaken those independent cultivators who had conflicts with sect cultivators, but she couldn’t open her mouth. The only thing she could do was watch these scenes unfold, helplessly accepting everything in her anxiety.
Later, Kong Hou gradually understood—this dream was specifically designed to make things difficult for her. Whatever she didn’t want to happen would definitely happen. Whoever she wanted to see, it absolutely wouldn’t let her see.
Understanding this, Kong Hou stopped being anxious. Instead, she emptied her mind and body, testing whether she could use her own will to change the dream’s direction. Who knew this dream was extremely stubborn—not only would it not let Kong Hou change the dream, but it also frequently made her watch how glorious the evil cultivators were.
Kong Hou got angry again. She got so angry that she woke herself up. The quilt that had been covering her had somehow fallen to the floor. Outside the window, rain pattered steadily. She didn’t know when it had started raining again last night.
She jumped off the bed, picked up the quilt and threw it into her storage ring, then looked up to discover the chest in the corner had already been opened. After attaching several protective talismans to herself, Kong Hou carefully approached it.
The chest contained no attacking objects. Instead, it held a cultivation manual, a sword manual, and various gemstones and spirit stones. The manual and sword manual had already yellowed—who knew how many years they’d been inside.
When the secret realm opened five hundred years ago, no one had taken these two manuals, indicating that at the time, no one had entered this room or hadn’t passed the secret realm’s test.
But what had she relied on to pass the secret realm’s test? A dream that infuriated her without paying for her life?
“So this is compensation?” Kong Hou took the sword manual from the chest. After looking at it a few times, she lost interest and casually stuffed it into her storage ring to give to Huan Zong later.
Opening the cultivation manual, inside were many notes and insights from the owner, as well as how a cultivator’s mental state should be—quite interesting. As for the cultivation methods inside, they didn’t seem particularly special now. After all, cultivation methods throughout the entire cultivation world had been greatly disseminated. The cultivation methods mentioned in this book could basically all be found in the officially published cultivation manuals of the present day.
As for other unverified cultivation methods, Kong Hou didn’t dare try them rashly, fearing problems with her meridians. It would be more prudent to send this book back to the sect and let Master, Uncle-Masters, and other uncles discuss it together.
When you had elders to rely on, you absolutely couldn’t waste the opportunity.
As for the spirit stones, magical artifacts, and other items, Kong Hou packed everything into a storage pouch and placed it in her own storage ring. She didn’t know if Senior Lin and Huan Zong had obtained anything. If not, she could share some with them to comfort their disappointed hearts.
Having slept dreamlessly through the night, when Lin Hu woke in the morning, daylight was already bright outside. He frowned—he’d slept too deeply last night, so deeply that he’d lost all vigilance. After dressing and pushing open the door, he walked past Jin Ling and Lingbo’s rooms and heard even breathing sounds inside. There was also movement in Miss Kong Hou’s room. Relieved, he walked directly toward Huan Zong’s room.
“Young Master?” He knocked once. From inside came Young Master’s response. He gently pushed open the door to see Young Master standing in the room. The chest in the corner had already been opened, filled with jade artifacts, jewels, and spirit stones. There were so many spirit stones and gemstones that they’d spilled from the chest onto the floor outside.
“Did someone come in last night?” Lin Hu walked to Huan Zong’s side. Looking at the spirit stones piled like a small mountain in the corner, he felt vaguely uneasy.
“No one came.” Huan Zong shook his head. Last night he’d set up several barriers at the door. He’d only removed them when Lin Hu knocked.
Lin Hu stroked his chin. Had Miss Kong Hou actually been right—this chest really did have a problem?
“Young Master, did you encounter anything strange last night?” The tests in the secret realm were bizarre and varied. Who knew which part of the secret realm Young Master had triggered to be sent a pile of gifts.
“Last night… I had a dream.” Huan Zong frowned. Clearly this dream wasn’t pleasant; he didn’t particularly want to discuss it.
Seeing this, Lin Hu didn’t press further. His tone was somewhat melancholic. “There was nothing in my room.” He bent down to examine the contents of the chest. The magical artifacts were real, the spirit stones were real. Most miraculous was that the chest also contained a flowing silk scarf with five-colored radiance, carrying powerful offensive force—a supreme divine artifact.
Turning to glance at Young Master who’d already changed back into white robes, Lin Hu couldn’t imagine Young Master using the flowing scarf.
“Is there a problem with this flowing scarf?” Seeing Lin Hu holding the scarf and examining it for so long, Huan Zong looked at it with some regret.
“No problem.” Lin Hu shook his head and folded the scarf neatly.
Huan Zong took the scarf from his hands, retrieved a brocade box from his storage ring, and placed the scarf inside. “This is just right for Kong Hou.”
“Young Master, you really are raising Miss Kong Hou like a daughter.” Lin Hu picked up the spirit stones from the floor and used a bag to pack the spirit stones and gemstones together, separating out the magical artifacts to place beside them.
“I’m not yet married—where would I get a daughter?” Huan Zong closed the box and gently placed the brocade box on the table. Hearing footsteps outside, he stood and walked toward the door.
“Huan Zong, are you up?”
Huan Zong opened the door to see the young woman standing under the somewhat damp eaves, holding a yellowed book in her hands.
“Did you sleep well last night?” Huan Zong stepped aside to let Kong Hou enter. Glancing sideways, he noticed Lingbo’s door seemed about to open. He casually closed the door and turned to walk to Kong Hou’s side.
“Not very well.” Kong Hou handed the sword manual to Huan Zong. “I got a sword manual. I don’t know if it’s good or bad—you take it.” After speaking, she hesitated. “If it’s useful for you sword cultivators, I’ll make a copy to send back to the sect.”
Senior Brother Wu Chuan and Eldest Senior Brother both cultivated the sword path. If Huan Zong could use it, they definitely could too.
Huan Zong accepted the sword manual. Seeing the three characters “Heaven and Earth Sword” on the cover, his expression rarely changed. Opening to the first page inside, it read: “A gentleman practicing the sword should stand proud between heaven and earth, thus this sword technique is named Heaven and Earth Sword. Those who practice this sword technique should be gentlemen. Small people who see this book will die.”
This type of curse was very common a thousand years ago. People from different sects had different cultivation methods. To prevent others from learning their techniques, many sects would write things like “Those not of our sect who practice this technique will never achieve the great Dao” on their cultivation manuals.
Those sect predecessors would never have imagined that a thousand years later, cultivation manuals from all sects would no longer be secrets. Each sect and school took the strengths of others to compile the most reasonable and perfect cultivation handbooks.
Times changed—it had always been thus.
But the Heaven and Earth Sword was different. Legend had it this sword technique was created by a sword cultivator who ascended to immortality three thousand years ago, gathering all the achievements of the cultivation world at that time. When the sword was completed, it could even destroy heaven and earth, shifting stars and changing time.
However, after this sword cultivator ascended, the sword technique wasn’t passed down. All that remained was the legend of the Heaven and Earth Sword technique.
A sword technique that existed only in legend appeared before him in such an abrupt manner, and the person gifting it was so casual about it.
“Young Master, what’s wrong?” Lin Hu noticed Huan Zong staring at the book in a daze and felt somewhat puzzled. Had Miss Kong Hou given Young Master some improper book?
He walked over to look and thought something was wrong with his eyes.
“Heaven and Earth Sword?”
Was this just a coincidental identical name?
Regardless of whether it was the real Heaven and Earth Sword technique, Young Master’s room had produced a supreme divine artifact suitable for women, while Miss Kong Hou, a music cultivator, had a sword manual appear in her room. Didn’t this secret realm follow even the most basic principles when giving gifts?
“It’s real.” Huan Zong looked up at Lin Hu. “This is that legendary Heaven and Earth Sword.”
Lin Hu: “…”
He turned to look at Kong Hou. If Miss Kong Hou continued being so generous, Young Master would probably only be able to repay her by serving as her ox and horse for the rest of his life.
Of course, that wasn’t the point. The point was—among three people, why was he the only one who got nothing?
“Fairy Kong Hou, are you in your room? My room has an extra chest of spirit stones. Did anything unusual happen in your room?”
Hearing Lingbo’s shouts in the courtyard, Lin Hu touched his own unremarkable face.
Ha, so even the secret realm was this shallow.
—
**Author’s Note:** Secret Realm: Oh.