After disappearing for ten years, the junior sister made the entire sect kneel down to welcome her.

Lei Ziyue helped Su Mingyue back to her seat.

All the disciples around them were watching them.

They were unaware of Su Mingyue's inner thoughts; they only saw her pass by Elder Yun Yao and Junior Uncle. Just then, the spirit ship rocked, and she accidentally fell, and then—was sent flying by a solid punch from Luo Huanzhen.

"Junior Sister Luo went too far. It's just a bowl of grapes; you could have just pressed them down, but you actually attacked her."

"Yes, Junior Sister Su is already weak. I don't know how much pain she was in when she cried like that."

"But those aren't ordinary grapes; they were peeled by Elder Yun Yao himself. If Elder Yun Yao were to peel them for me, I would protect them with my life!"

Although Su Mingyue was very popular in the sect.

But compared to Yun Yao, it's still far inferior.

However, a small number of disciples had their focus elsewhere:

"Am I the only one who thinks Junior Sister Su is a bit weak? How could she be injured like that with just one punch when she's only at the Qi Refining stage?"

"Yes, I remember she broke through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm a few days ago, and the sect leader, Senior Brother Lei, and Senior Brother Zhao even held a small celebration for her."

"Tsk, it's obvious he's been taking pills. If I had Elder Dan Hong and Senior Brother Zhao Qing providing me with an unlimited supply of pills, I could have advanced this quickly too..."

With Elder Yun Yao's top-grade pills, Su Mingyue quickly recovered.

Hearing these doubts and belittling remarks, Su Mingyue still appeared weak and pale on the surface, but her heart was filled with contempt.

They said those things simply out of jealousy that she had someone who loved and cared for her.

As for the claim that she's weak and can't withstand a punch from Luo Zhenhuan?

Humph.

She was only seriously injured because she was caught off guard. Otherwise, how could Luo Zhen, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, have hurt her so badly and made her lose face in front of Yun Yao?

However, this is also Yun Yao's fault for lacking a sense of boundaries, peeling grapes for Luo Huanzhen for no reason.

Doesn't he understand that chastity is a man's best dowry?

Although he immediately offered her a top-grade healing pill upon seeing her injury, Su Mingyue glared at Yun Yao resentfully.

However, I can no longer get close to Yun Yao.

She and Luo Zhenhuan are incompatible. It seems like nothing goes smoothly when Luo Zhenhuan is around.

It's better to wait until we enter the secret realm and completely defeat Luo Huanzhen before slowly winning over Yun Yao.

The thought that Luo Huanzhen would die soon brought a smile to Su Mingyue's face.

A day later, the spirit ship arrived at the secret realm.

The secret realm is called the Spirit Mountain Secret Realm. Legend has it that Spirit Mountain was the site of an ancient righteous sect. Some of the sect's ancient cultivators ascended to immortality, while others passed away after their lifespans expired, leaving behind only the vast sect and countless Qionghua treasures within it.

As time went by, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth continued to converge on the ruins, forming a large secret realm under the influence of temporal and spatial turbulence.

The Spirit Mountain Secret Realm opens once every three years, and only cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage are allowed to enter the sect as "new disciples" to seek the Dao.

The entrance to the secret realm was overcrowded with disciples from various sects below the Nascent Soul stage.

A phantom image of Mount Ling, bathed in a golden halo, appeared in the sky. The phantom image was growing larger and larger before slowly descending to the ground.

As the phantom transformed into a colossal mountain stretching for thousands of miles, a massive, towering vortex-shaped stone gate appeared before everyone.

Above the stone gate are three large, ancient, and powerful characters: Ling Shan Sect.

Noon, 3:45.

The Spirit Mountain Secret Realm has officially opened.

Lei Ziyue had visited the Lingshan Secret Realm three times, making him a true "veteran." Most of the disciples of the Xuantian Sect preferred to choose him as the senior brother leading the team for this secret realm.

A few disciples remained silent, instead turning their gazes to Yun Yao—Luo Huanzhen and his senior brother Lei Ziyue had recently been at odds, and they wondered if Yun Yao would have any objections to Lei Ziyue becoming the team leader.

Yun Yao raised his eyes and smiled faintly, "Then Lei Ziyue will serve as the team leader."

He had no objections.

He's not that petty; he wouldn't make things difficult for Lei Ziyue over such a trivial matter.

Besides, even if Lei Ziyue becomes the team leader, so what? It's not Luo Huanzhen who needs to be worried.

Luo Huanzhen tilted her little face up and stretched out her chubby little hands: "Master, hug me! Zhenzhen wants to go in!"

After a month of raising the child, it finally gained some meat, proving that all the spirit stones he spent on food were worthwhile.

Yun Yao stretched out his arms and picked her up, gently instructing her: "You are a righteous disciple. Once you enter the secret realm, you must not cause trouble or kill other cultivators at will, especially your fellow disciples."

As a righteous secret realm, Luo Huanzhen's Myriad Demon Banner is restricted by the rules of heaven and earth of the Spirit Mountain Secret Realm, and its use is forbidden. But even without the Myriad Demon Banner, a punch from one of his own disciples might not be enough for a disciple below the Nascent Soul stage to withstand.

Luo Huanzhen wrapped her arms around Yun Yao's neck and rested her head on his shoulder, saying, "Mmm."

Yun Yao added, "But we can't let others bully us. If they make the first move, you should fight back."

Luo Huanzhen: "Mhm."

Yun Yao thought for a moment and felt it was still not safe, so he gave Luo Huanzhen another pill. "Don't be afraid if you accidentally kill him. Master has a life-extending pill here. Give it to him and keep him alive until he comes out. Master will heal him."

In the golden afterglow of Mount Ling, Yun Yao watched Luo Huanzhen enter the gate of the secret realm.

"The Spirit Mountain Secret Realm will last for half a month. The first ten miles up the mountain were set up by the ancient Spirit Mountain Sect to test the disciples' endurance. Spiritual power cannot be used, and outsiders seeking the Dao must rely on their own strength to walk up step by step. Once you reach Spirit Mountain, you can fly on the wind."

"The Spirit Mountain Secret Realm contains seventy-two palace ruins. Each time the secret realm opens, they will change their locations and appear randomly in the mountains and forests."

"The higher you go, the higher the level of the palace ruins, and the more precious the treasures inside."

"Furthermore, besides these seventy-two palaces, the secret realm is full of opportunities and treasures, which disciples need to actively explore on their own. Once, a disciple discovered a Nine-Turn Fire Essence in a mountain cave that, when refined, could increase his affinity for the fire element in his spiritual root..."

As Lei Ziyue walked, he explained things to the disciples behind him.

Su Mingyue lifted her skirt and followed the others, feeling a little regretful about her outfit for the day.

She was physically weak and had always been pampered in the sect. This was her first time participating in the secret realm, and she wanted to make a lasting impression on her fellow disciples by taking advantage of the large crowd, so she wore a floor-length dress and glass boots.

But I never expected that the Lingshan Secret Realm would be so disgusting.

She had only walked less than two miles along the mountain path when her snow-white, floor-length dress was torn in several places by thorns and branches along the roadside, and her feet were also aching.

The thought of still eight miles to go made Su Mingyue feel dizzy and she wanted to faint on the spot.

Lei Ziyue noticed that Su Mingyue was acting strangely, reached out to support her, and asked with a worried expression, "Mingyue, are you alright?"

Su Mingyue wanted to rest, but looking around, all the disciples were still climbing the mountain with great effort. She could only bite her lip, look up at Lei Ziyue and give him a weak smile, "Second Senior Brother, I'm fine, it's just that my feet hurt a little."

Then she pushed away Lei Ziyue's hand that was supporting her and tried to continue forward. However, while going uphill, she twisted her ankle and leaned towards Lei Ziyue.