Your Spell Version is Too Low!

"So you’re saying, the higher up you go in this Peach Garden, the better the Spiritual Sources you can obtain with Spirit Points.

There are even... divine items that can alter one’s aptitude?"

Qi Yun had extracted quite a few secrets about the Peach Garden from Du Yunian and Shen Fan.

The reason these two scions knew so much was that an elder from one of their families had once had the good fortune of serving as a Sword-Carrying Child to a highly respected True Monarch.

And that particular True Monarch had entered the Peach Garden in the distant past.

"Mhm, rumor has it this Peach Garden has ninety-nine main trunks, which means ninety-nine layers.

Every ten layers, the quality of the Spiritual Sources you can obtain improves by a tier.

In the past, this was a forbidden land that only True Monarchs could enter.

The fact that it’s open to us now is an immense opportunity." Constrained by the Five Poison Soul Corroding Pill, Du Yunian had no choice but to spill every secret he knew.

’Is this some kind of trap?’ Qi Yun’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. He couldn’t help but wonder why the Holy Sect would open such a wonderful place to Outer Mansion Disciples first.

"This Peach Garden was previously submerged beneath the Cold Abyss. It was only recently salvaged by the True Monarchs."

"I suppose they’re worried the Secret Realm might have undergone some changes while it was in the Cold Abyss." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"So, they’re having us go in first to scout ahead," Shen Fan added, pursing his lips.

"Is that so? That makes sense." Hearing that the Holy Sect was just using the Outer Mansion Disciples as cannon fodder to scout ahead, Qi Yun actually felt relieved.

Knowing the Holy Sect’s motive was far better than being kept in the dark.

"On which layer can I find a Spiritual Source that can alter my aptitude?"

His concerns assuaged, Qi Yun looked up at Shen Fan and Du Yunian.

If there truly was a divine item here that could alter one’s aptitude, he had to have it.

He knew all too well the bitter struggle of cultivation that came with inferior aptitude.

This was especially true as the current forms of Magic grew more and more advanced.

He had to rapidly advance his Realm and Cultivation. Otherwise, his foundation would be unstable, and the hundred-foot tower he had built would sooner or later be at risk of collapse.

"At least above the tenth layer. It might even be on the twentieth. We’re not too sure about that.

Our ancestor was only an attendant to the True Monarch, not the True Monarch himself.

He only left behind a few fragmented remarks about this Secret Realm. We really don’t know the specifics," Du Yunian explained softly, his face a picture of sincerity.

"And you?" Qi Yun turned to look at Shen Fan.

"I... I also..." Shen Fan shuddered under that gaze, about to echo Du Yunian’s words.

PU—

Before Shen Fan could finish, with no discernible movement from Qi Yun, two black spikes condensed from Abyssal Iron Sand shot out like venomous dragons bursting from their lairs.

In the blink of an eye, they precisely pierced through both of Du Yunian’s collarbones.

The force of the impact was so great it lifted him completely off the ground, pinning him in midair as blood gushed out, instantly staining his robes red!

"You—" A gut-wrenching pain shot through him. Du Yunian let out a bloodcurdling scream, his body instinctively thrashing as his free hand subconsciously moved to form a hand seal in defiance.

VMMMM!

A third spike of Iron Sand, shimmering with a deathly cold light, instantly formed.

Its sharp point hovered steadily just before his glabella, less than an inch from his skin.

The chilling killing intent made his skin prickle with pain.

"If you know nothing, then what use are you to me?" The smile vanished from Qi Yun’s face as his expression turned cold.

"Wait!"

Seeing the killing intent surface in Qi Yun’s eyes, Shen Fan hastily shouted:

"We know a secret path!

A shortcut that leads from the main trunk on the tenth layer, bypassing all the obstacles in between, and goes straight to the fifteenth layer!"

"Oh? Is that right? Anything else?"

The ice-cold tip of the spike crept closer to Du Yunian’s forehead. Qi Yun’s expression was unchanged as he spoke calmly.

"That’s it! That’s really it! We’ve told you everything we know!"

Feeling the shadow of death loom ever closer, Du Yunian shouted, ignoring the excruciating pain in his collarbones.

POOF—

The two Iron Sand spikes piercing Du Yunian’s collarbones, along with the one at his forehead, abruptly dissipated as if they had never existed. They reverted to fine grains of Iron Sand and flowed back into Qi Yun’s sleeves.

Du Yunian, suddenly unsupported, crumpled to the ground with a pained grunt. The blood flowed even faster from his wounds.

"See? If you’d just said so earlier, we wouldn’t have had to make such a mess." Qi Yun amiably helped Du Yunian up, smiling as he patted his shoulder.

"Next time, I’ll just go straight for the headshot, alright?"

Heart still pounding with fear, Du Yunian nodded repeatedly in agreement, looking at Qi Yun with newfound reverence.

Only at this moment did he finally understand.

The Qi Yun before him was no longer the country bumpkin who had come with them from Ling Family Mountain.

He was the current Champion Scholar of the Holy Sect’s Outer Mansion.

A true, ruthless Demon!

To him, killing was as natural as breathing.

"Then let’s not waste any more time. Let’s go." Qi Yun waved his hand, gesturing for Du Yunian and Shen Fan to follow him toward the upper branches.

The three of them hastened upward, following the massive peach tree branches that seemed to reach for the heavens.

The higher they climbed, the thicker the ancient aura became, and the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the air rose with it.

At the same time, however, the venomous insects and strange beasts lurking in the crevices of branches, behind leaves, or pouncing suddenly from the void, grew more ferocious and cunning, their power far exceeding those on the lower levels.

Yet, before Qi Yun, none of this seemed to matter.

With just a casual lift of his hand, the dark, heavy Abyssal Iron Sand surrounding him would howl forth like a living black storm, obeying his Heart Thought.

It condensed into a colossal hand that blotted out the sky, bringing with it a torrential power capable of crushing anything, and slammed down!

With a muffled BOOM, a massive, bone-armored, mandrill-like beast was instantly smashed into a paste.

It was embedded deep into the solid wood of the "ground," leaving behind nothing but a pool of foul blood and bone fragments.

The unparalleled physical destructive power of the Abyssal Iron Sand, combined with Qi Yun’s terrifyingly exquisite control—as if it were an extension of his own limbs—was on full display throughout the journey.

He didn’t even need to move. Often, a mere glance or a subtle gesture was enough to unleash terrifying destructive force.

Shen Fan and Du Yunian, who were following behind, were utterly dumbfounded.

Whatever lingering resentment they felt at being coerced had long since been replaced by boundless shock and awe.

They exchanged glances, each seeing the same terror reflected in the other’s eyes.

The dangerous venomous creatures they would have had to face with extreme caution—and perhaps at great cost—were like paper tigers before Qi Yun, utterly defenseless!

Often, in a single encounter—before they could even see what happened—

the monsters were already reduced to a gory mess of limbs and blood on the ground, deader than dead.

At that moment, the same thought flashed through the minds of both Du Yunian and Shen Fan.

’Qi Yun... he’s secretly the direct heir of a Master, isn’t he?’

...