The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

At Elder Gu's command, "Get on the boat," Shen Yifei followed the group towards the mountain gate.

He thought "ship" was just a figure of speech, at most a large flying boat, but when he actually saw it, he was still startled.

Outside the mountain gate stood a giant spaceship, thirty feet long, with a phoenix with outstretched wings carved on its bow. The phoenix's beak was slightly open, holding a fist-sized bead that emitted a faint blue light.

Shen Yifei had been in the Hehuan Sect for three years, and this was the first time he had ever seen this thing.

"What are you standing there for? Go up!" Elder Gu shouted from behind him.

Shen Yifei quickly followed the steps upwards. His feet touched the deck, and he could feel the entire ship vibrating slightly.

The interior of the airship was even larger than it appeared from the outside. The deck was divided into three levels: the control room was at the top, the passenger cabin was in the middle, and the cargo hold was at the bottom. There were about twenty futons in the passenger cabin, and in front of each futon was a small table with tea and spiritual fruits on it.

Shen Yifei found a futon in a corner and sat down. The moment his bottom touched the cushion, he heard a strange, sarcastic voice behind him.

"Oh, even someone in the early Foundation Establishment stage has arrived?"

He turned around and saw that it was Han Zhengli, a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Shen Yifei didn't respond.

Han Zhengli sat down next to him and looked him up and down.

"Eight hundred spirit stones, how many furnaces did you make to earn that?"

Shen Yifei remained silent. This person was clearly looking for trouble; engaging with him would only embolden him.

Seeing that he remained silent, Han Zhengli turned to a lean male cultivator beside him and said, "Junior Brother Zhou, do you think Elder Gu is getting senile? Bringing in a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator is just a hindrance, isn't it?"

Zhou Yuanwu chuckled twice but didn't reply.

Shen Yifei lowered his head, pretending not to hear.

Elder Gu was the last to board the ship and went straight to the control room. A moment later, the airship shook, and the entire ship slowly rose into the air.

Shen Yifei looked out through the window on the bulkhead. The gate of the Hehuan Sect grew smaller and smaller, farther and farther away, until it became a black dot and disappeared under the clouds.

The airship flew faster and faster. It was Shen Yifei's first time riding in such a thing, and he felt a little dizzy, so he closed his eyes and leaned against the cabin wall to rest.

"Your name is Shen Yifei?" A woman's voice rang in my ears.

He opened his eyes and saw the female cultivator named Sun Yiran. She was in her early twenties, at the early stage of the Golden Core realm. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had a good temperament. When she spoke, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and she looked quite kind.

"Hello, Senior Sister Sun."

Sun Yiran sat down opposite him, holding a cup of tea in her hand, and took a sip.

"I've heard of you, the one who reached Foundation Establishment by eating medicine residue."

Shen Yifei smiled wryly: "Senior Sister Sun found out too?"

"Who doesn't know the Hehuan Sect?" Sun Yiran laughed. "I was quite surprised that Elder Gu put you on the list. But then I thought about it, and he always makes sense. He probably valued your special physique."

Shen Yifei didn't know how to respond, so he could only chuckle awkwardly.

"What do you plan to do once you're in the secret realm?" Sun Yiran asked.

"Just wander around and try your luck."

"Turn it yourself?" Sun Yiran glanced at him. "The secret realm is teeming with monsters and riddled with traps. You, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, think you can turn it yourself?"

"I'm not going deep inside; I'll just look around from the outside."

Sun Yiran shook her head and said nothing more. Her expression clearly said, "What's the difference between this and suicide?"

Shen Yifei didn't explain. He had too many secrets, and he couldn't let anyone know any of them. Following the main group would only lead to his exposure sooner or later.

The airship flew for a day and a night, and its speed slowed down in the evening of the second day.

Elder Gu came out of the control room and stood on the deck looking into the distance.

"arrive."

Shen Yifei looked out the window and saw a large mountain in the distance, its peak hidden in the clouds. Below the mountainside, dense forests covered the area, a dark and eerie sight.

This is Tianyuan Mountain.

The airship slowly descended and stopped at an open space at the foot of the mountain. Shen Yifei followed the others off the ship, his legs still feeling a little weak when his feet touched solid ground.

By this time, there were already quite a few people in the open space.

Shen Yifei roughly counted them; there were at least two hundred people, divided into several groups, each occupying a space. Some were wearing Taoist robes, some were wearing close-fitting clothes, and a few were wearing strange clothes, looking nothing like proper cultivators.

"Those in green robes over there are from the Azure Cloud Sect," Sun Yiran whispered beside him. "Those in red robes over there are from the Blazing Fire Sect. And those oddly dressed ones are rogue cultivators, they don't belong to any sect..."

Elder Gu led them to an open space and instructed everyone to rest there until the secret realm opened tomorrow.

Shen Yifei found a corner to sit down, took out some dry rations, and took a couple of bites. As he was eating, he suddenly heard people talking nearby.

"I heard that this time, even Foundation Establishment stage cultivators can enter the secret realm?"

"Exactly! Look at this setup, sending Foundation Establishment cultivators is practically suicide! Look, the Joyful Union Sect has even brought early Foundation Establishment cultivators. Do they have no one else left?"

"It's their business if they're going to their deaths, why are you worrying about it? Anyway, we're all at the Golden Core stage, we won't lose anything by going in!"

The two speakers were disciples of the Qingyun Sect, both at the early stage of the Golden Core realm. As they spoke, they glanced over in their direction, their eyes filled with disdain.

Shen Yifei lowered his head and ate his dry rations, pretending not to hear.

Han Zhengli heard this and his expression turned sour. But instead of attacking the people from the Qingyun Sect, he glared at Shen Yifei.

"a shame."

Shen Yifei felt aggrieved, but he didn't show it on his face. He silently finished his dry rations, leaned against a rock, and closed his eyes to rest.

As night fell, bonfires were lit in the open space. Members of each sect gathered around their fires, speaking in hushed tones.

"Junior Brother Shen." Sun Yiran walked over, sat down next to him, and handed him a water pouch. "Want some?"

Shen Yifei took it and gulped down a mouthful. It wasn't water, it was alcohol, and it made him cough.

Sun Yiran laughed: "Drink slowly, this is the Blazing Flame Wine of the Blazing Flame Sect, it's very strong."

"How come Senior Sister Sun has wine from the Blazing Fire Sect?"

"I earned this by doing missions with the Blazing Fire Sect before." Sun Yiran took the water pouch and took a swig herself. "Junior Brother Shen, do you feel wronged?"

"What grievance?"

"I heard everything those people said. They said you were a burden, that you were courting death."

Shen Yifei smiled and said, "There's nothing to be aggrieved about. What they said is the truth. I'm just a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so I'm really not up to the task."

Sun Yiran glanced at him: "You're quite open-minded."

"You have to come to terms with it, whether you want to or not." Shen Yifei lay down, resting his head on his arm and looking at the stars. "Senior Sister Sun, what do you think is inside the secret realm?"

"Who knows?" Sun Yiran lay down as well. "Some say it's an ancient cultivator's treasure, some say it's a monster's lair, and some say there's a magic herb inside that can grant immortality. Anyway, there are all sorts of opinions."

"And you? Which one do you believe in?"

"I don't believe any of them." Sun Yiran took a swig of wine. "I just want to go in and try my luck. If I can get something out of it, I will. If not, I'll just consider it a learning experience."

Shen Yifei turned to look at her. The firelight reflected on her face, and her face, which wasn't particularly pretty, looked quite pleasing to the eye at that moment.

"Senior Sister Sun, you're a really nice person."

Sun Yiran was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "The way you're saying that makes it sound like I'm a bad person."

"I did not mean that……"

"Alright, alright, I know." Sun Yiran sat up and tossed him the water pouch. "Go to sleep early, you have to get up early tomorrow."

After saying that, he turned to lie on his side in another direction and soon began to snore softly.