I tamed beasts and achieved immortality in the world of cultivation.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Beneath the rift in the secret realm, Lu Chenxing sat cross-legged on a futon, his eyes slightly closed, the array patterns on his robes appearing and disappearing in the spiritual light, his whole being like a statue, motionless.

Suddenly, he slightly opened his eyes, a faint smile curving his lips, and said calmly:

"Kid, you've finally arrived."

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure emerged from behind a distant hill, leading a dragon-scaled horse; it was Chen Qing. Chen Qing quickly stepped forward and respectfully bowed.

"Disciple Chen Qing greets Uncle Lu."

Lu Chenxing waved his hand without saying anything, only looking at him with a half-smile.

Chen Qing understood, reached into his storage bag, took out a booklet, and handed it over with both hands: "This disciple recently obtained a technique for concealing qi called the 'Spirit Concealing Technique,' which is quite profound. I have come to present it to my grand-uncle for review."

That booklet was a rubbing of the "Hidden Spirit Manual".

When Chen Qing first obtained the "Hidden Spirit Technique," he considered making a copy for Xiao Chunan as well. After all, although that guy was a sword cultivator with an outspoken and sharp edge, this technique could come in handy if he ever needed to conceal his presence.

But then he thought again that, given Xiao Chunan's personality, he would most likely scoff and say something like, "Sword cultivators should be upright and honorable, why hide their true abilities?" Besides, giving it to Xiao Chunan would inevitably expose his true cultivation level. After much deliberation, he finally decided against it.

The rubbing had been lying in the corner of my storage bag, and I never expected it to come in handy today.

Lu Chenxing took the booklet, unfolded it, glanced at it, raised his eyebrows slightly, and without saying a word, turned the pages one by one in the moonlight.

Chen Qing stood to the side with his hands at his sides, not daring to utter a sound.

After a moment, Lu Chenxing closed the booklet, nodded, and said with a hint of approval, "Hmm, this 'Hidden Spirit Technique' is indeed quite good. The Nascent Soul senior who created this technique certainly had some real skill."

After speaking, Lu Chenxing stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked up slightly at the pale green crack above. The night wind blew his robes, making them flutter.

After a moment of silence, Lu Chenxing suddenly spoke, murmuring, "Beast Taming Peak... Beast Taming Peak..."

Chen Qing stood three steps behind him, hands at his sides, not daring to utter a sound.

He could detect a faint hint of emotion in Lu Chenxing's words, as if he were recalling something from the distant past, or perhaps lamenting something that had already passed away.

"Could this True Monarch Lu have been a member of Beast Taming Peak back in the day?"

Chen Qing secretly made a guess.

After a moment of silence, Lu Chenxing suddenly turned around, her bright, star-like eyes looking straight at Chen Qing, as if she could see through every strand of spiritual energy flowing within him.

"You're already at the seventh level of Qi Refining, right?"

Chen Qing's heart tightened.

After cultivating the "Hidden Spirit Technique" to the second level, he thought he could easily deceive Golden Core cultivators. However, Lu Chenxing saw through his technique at a glance and now revealed his true cultivation level. Clearly, this True Lord is far beyond ordinary Golden Core cultivators and is probably not far from the Nascent Soul stage.

Chen Qing cupped his hands and said, "Grand Uncle has great insight; I was fortunate enough to break through to the next level recently."

Lu Chenxing nodded, not caring at all; it was just a stroke of luck.

Lu Chenxing looked at the crack and said, "I have already explored this secret realm. Although it is a first-tier secret realm, the difference in strength has existed since ancient times, and this one is not very strong. With your cultivation at the seventh level of Qi Refining, plus the 'Symbiotic Spirit Contract' technique from Beast Taming Peak, and the combined strength of your two or three spirit beasts, you should be safe once you enter, as long as you don't deliberately seek death."

Chen Qing was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

Does this Lu Zhenjun mean for him to enter the secret realm?

Chen Qing's lips twitched slightly.

He had assumed that Lu Chenxing had stopped him simply to obtain the "Hidden Spirit Manual," and that he would be dismissed with a life-saving talisman or something similar. He never expected that this True Lord would actually try to persuade him to enter the secret realm?

Chen Qing quickly began to calculate in his mind.

Lu Chenxing's words made sense. He was now at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and with the addition of Qingtian and Danyu, two first-tier high-grade spirit beasts, in a three-on-one situation, an ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivator was indeed no match for him. Moreover, after the system contracted spirit beasts, there were various bonuses, such as his spiritual sense range being three zhang wider than that of a normal seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator, so his actual combat strength would only be stronger.

But the problem is—

He doesn't want to go!

Chen Qing inwardly groaned.

He only needs to slowly accumulate essence to cultivate immortality. When encountering trouble, he will try to avoid it if possible. Actively seeking danger has never been his style.

But Lu Chenxing had already said all that, what else could he do?

Refusing the "advice" of a Golden Core True Lord is not a matter of backbone, it's a matter of being mentally ill, seriously ill!

Moreover, Chen Qing keenly caught a glimpse of something unusual in Lu Chenxing's eyes—it wasn't a casual remark, but a look that carried a hint of nostalgia and expectation.

"This Lu Zhenjun may indeed have some connection with Beast Taming Peak."

Chen Qing sighed inwardly, raised his head, cupped his hands and said, "Since Grand Uncle says so, this disciple will naturally obey. However, this disciple still needs to return to Half Moon Lake to prepare, and will enter the secret realm to explore after it opens."

Lu Chenxing nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

But the next second, he changed the subject, saying, "That Xiao Chunan is not bad; I admire him. He's sharp and ambitious, a promising swordsman. But too much of a good thing can be bad. Actually, I have higher hopes for you!"

Chen Qing was slightly taken aback.

Lu Chenxing continued, "Although this is only our first meeting today, I can see that you are cautious and composed, knowing when to advance and when to retreat. This kind of temperament allows one to survive long in the cultivation world."

"but--"

"You're hiding your true abilities too much."

Chen Qing lowered her eyes and remained silent.

"Once you've hidden yourself to a certain level, you might not even know what your purpose in cultivating the Dao is anymore." Lu Chenxing's voice was exceptionally clear in the night wind. "Caution is a good thing, but excessive caution becomes cowardice. Cultivating immortality is about cultivating a heart that yearns for the Dao. If you keep hiding your abilities, in the end, you'll even lose your Dao heart. What's the point of cultivating then?"

Lu Chenxing turned around, looking directly at Chen Qing, his star-like eyes seemingly able to see through people's hearts: "Hide when you should hide, and reveal when you should reveal. You must grasp this balance yourself."

Chen Qing's heart stirred slightly, and he bowed deeply, saying, "This disciple has learned much."

Lu Chenxing waved his hand without saying anything more. Then, just like when he had done it to Xiao Chunan earlier, a golden light shot out from his fingertip and entered Chen Qing's chest: "Consider this your payment for the 'Hidden Spirit Technique'. We're even now."

Chen Qing felt the warm energy emanating from the rune on his chest, and his heart settled. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Grand Uncle."

Lu Chenxing had already sat back down on the futon, his eyes slightly closed, and waved his hand.

Chen Qing said no more, mounted the Dragonscale Horse, bowed in the direction of Lu Chenxing, and then rode off in the southeast.

……

The dragon-scaled horse galloped swiftly through the night, its hooves whistling through the air.

Chen Qing sat upright on his horse, still pondering Lu Chenxing's words.

"Too much concealment of one's true abilities..."

He muttered to himself and shook his head.

There are advantages to hiding one's talents, and there are reasons for not hiding them!

Lu Chenxing is a top-tier Golden Core True Monarch with the potential to reach the Nascent Soul stage. From that perspective, he naturally seems timid and hesitant. But Lu Chenxing is a minor Qi Refining cultivator; one wrong move and he could lose his life. How could he survive if he didn't hide his abilities?

If Chen were a Nascent Soul Grandmaster now, he would have stopped eating beef long ago!

but--

Uncle Lu's attitude toward Beast Taming Peak is indeed quite intriguing.

"Forget it, why think so much? Although I can't avoid going into the secret realm this time, this Uncle Lu said that the secret realm is not strong. As long as I play it safe when I go in, there shouldn't be any major problems."

Chen Qing shook his head, putting these distracting thoughts behind him.

As they were traveling, two figures appeared in the night ahead, flying on magical artifacts and slowly making their way towards the secret realm.

Chen Qing looked closely and recognized the person who had come.

It was Lin Jingyuan from Qingxi Valley and Zhao Dehou from Chiyan Mountain.

The two men also saw Chen Qing, and quickly landed, bowing respectfully: "Greetings, Garrison Commander Chen!"

Chen Qing reined in his horse, looked down at the two men, and nodded slightly: "Are the two clan leaders heading to the secret realm?"

Lin Jingyuan nodded quickly: "That's right. Not long ago, we sensed a secret realm erupting at the border between Linyuan County and Zhenyuan County. As a cultivation family from Linyuan County, it is our duty to go and await orders."

Chen Qing waved his hand: "No need to go."

The two were taken aback, exchanged a glance, and looked puzzled.

Chen Qing said, "Uncle Lu from Xuanzhen Peak is personally overseeing things over there. A third-order grand formation has already been set up, and the creatures in the secret realm can't get out. Uncle Lu doesn't like being disturbed by too many people, so you'll be wasting your time going there."

He paused, then continued, "The secret realm will open in three days. If you're interested, you can enter on your own then. Now... go back."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jingyuan and Zhao Dehou subconsciously looked up at the northwest horizon.

The pale green crack stretched across the night sky, firmly locked by a faint, transparent light shield. The array patterns appeared and disappeared intermittently, radiating an extremely strong pressure.

A third-tier grand formation!

The work of the Golden Elixir True Monarch!

The two were shocked and became even more respectful towards Chen Qing.

Although this Commander Chen is young, his cultivation level is only at the Qi Refining stage... uh, the sixth level of Qi Refining? No, why does his aura feel much stronger than when we met three months ago?

Lin Jingyuan muttered to himself, but showed no sign of it on his face, and said respectfully, "Thank you for your guidance, Garrison Commander Chen. We will head back now."

Zhao Dehou quickly echoed his agreement.

Chen Qing nodded, spurred his horse, and the Dragon Scale Horse galloped southward with its hooves flying. Lin Jingyuan and Zhao Dehou exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and followed behind Chen Qing, heading south together.

A night breeze caressed my face, the bright moon hung in the sky, and the shadows of the trees on both sides of the official road rushed past.

Chen Qing sat upright on his horse, gazing at the clear, cold full moon in the sky, and suddenly chuckled softly, reciting in his heart:

"Leisurely raising birds and planting flowers, the years by the lake are brewed into tea. Do not despise the secluded life for its lack of ambition, for one can sit and watch the clouds rise and fall in purple hues."