Gu Qingfeng, though eccentric in his actions, was not foolish. Qiu Xiaocui—no, Li Xiaocui—had a silver tongue, and her words seemed plausible at first glance, with no obvious flaws. However, many things cannot be judged solely by what others say; one must consider the bigger picture.
When viewed as a whole, there were too many suspicious points.
First, her motive was questionable. She claimed she didn’t want the inheritance, only to clear her ancestor’s name.
Such selflessness was almost too good to be true. She even said, “I want nothing; the inheritance is yours.”
Good heavens, even saints aren’t this selfless. Besides, this inheritance belonged to her family in the first place.
Moreover, even if Qiu Xiaocui truly was this selfless, there were still many unanswered questions. For instance, why was Li Qianren injured? Why did he get hurt at the exact moment the Jade Dragon Secret Realm opened?
And what was the deal with the fox spirit kept in the Demon Suppression Bureau? Li Qianren seemed like a cold and detached person, so why would he keep a fox spirit hidden away?
If Qiu Xiaocui’s goal was to restore her family’s glory and clear her ancestor’s name, what was Li Qianren’s motive?
Of course, none of these were the most critical issues. Those suspicious points could still be explained away as coincidences or forced reasoning.
The most fatal flaw was this: if the whole situation was truly mutually beneficial, why wasn’t it disclosed from the start?
Why the secrecy?
Wouldn’t it have been better to collaborate openly, reducing suspicion?
After all, when faced with a treasure like the Ageless Pill, who would trust someone they’ve just met? There was always the risk of betrayal, theft, or even murder.
The fact that they kept it hidden suggested that the situation was not beneficial to both parties.
Also, when did Qiu Xiaocui say all this? It was when she was trapped in the seal, fearing that Gu Qingfeng might enter first. In her panic, she revealed part of the truth.
Her words couldn’t have been entirely false, as it would have been impossible to fabricate a coherent lie in such a short time. Most of it was likely true, with only the key details being fabricated.
As for why she was afraid, Gu Qingfeng had a rough idea. She had witnessed his extraordinary strength in the secret realm and his ability to bypass the realm’s rules with strange methods, which was beyond her control. She feared he might obtain the inheritance alone.
But here’s the contradiction: didn’t she claim she wanted nothing? Wasn’t her goal simply to bring the inheritance to light?
What difference did it make whether the inheritance was brought forth by one person or two?
There must be some hidden secret between Qiu Xiaocui, Li Qianren, and the fox spirit.
But it didn’t matter. These three ants had no idea who they were dealing with.
Gu Qingfeng couldn’t be bothered to think about it anymore. They were just clowns putting on a show.
Tap, tap, tap...
Gu Qingfeng walked with light steps, ignoring the complicated gazes of the others, and stepped through the glowing portal leading to the inheritance stele.
The light flickered, and the scene shifted.
Gu Qingfeng found himself in a vast, white space.
At the center of the space stood a stele, slightly taller than a person, covered in mysterious and profound runes. The runes emitted a soft, azure glow, shimmering like rippling water, constantly shifting and transforming.
The center of the space was bathed in a serene blue light, resembling an underwater world.
Beside the stele stood a figure.
A figure enveloped in white light, its features indistinct, like a shadow without substance.
“Who are you, really?” the figure asked, its voice familiar.
Hearing the voice, Gu Qingfeng blurted out, “You’re the guardian spirit of the secret realm?”
The light figure nodded. “Indeed. I’m puzzled. How did you enter the third trial without using a spirit guide?”
“You’re puzzled? I’m the one who’s puzzled! Why was I able to pass the third trial without even refining a pill? My god-tier alchemy skills had no chance to shine. People probably think I cheated.”
“The third trial has only one hundred cauldrons, corresponding to one hundred spirit guides. Since you didn’t use a spirit guide, there was no spot for you.”
“Tsk, tsk. Your Jade Dragon Secret Realm has a bug. You should fix it as soon as possible.”
The light figure paused. This situation was something even Qiu Yulong, the creator of the Jade Dragon Secret Realm, hadn’t anticipated.
Who could have imagined that a martial artist below the True Qi realm could freely navigate an expert-level secret realm?
“You still haven’t answered my question. How did you enter the third trial?”
“Answer your sister! Get lost and stop wasting my time. I’m here to comprehend the Divine Refining Method.”
The light figure was stunned. As the guardian spirit of the secret realm, he had seen countless challengers over the past century, and all of them had treated him with respect. His role was akin to a referee in a competition, and openly insulting the referee was asking for trouble.
The light figure stared at Gu Qingfeng. “Do you realize that the entire secret realm is under my control? If you wish to comprehend the scripture, you need my permission. Since you’ve been so disrespectful...”
“Do you realize I can shatter this secret realm with a single punch?” Gu Qingfeng interrupted impatiently, releasing a faint hint of his soul pressure, which was capable of seeing through illusions and breaking through mental defenses.
The light figure fell silent.
A moment later.
Pop.
The light figure vanished like a burst bubble, fleeing the scene.
“Hmph, coward.”
Gu Qingfeng swaggered over to the inheritance stele and began studying the introductory chapter of the Divine Refining Method.
He wasn’t the least bit worried about traps or mechanisms.
An expert-level secret realm? What was there to fear?
The azure light bathed Gu Qingfeng’s face, and his eyes remained fixed on the ever-shifting text on the stele. However, the content was incredibly obscure and difficult to understand.
It was like trying to read a book written in an alien language.
After the time it took to burn an incense stick.
“Damn it, what is this nonsense?”
Gu Qingfeng’s eyes were starting to ache, and he hadn’t understood a single word. The content was strange. On the surface, it seemed related to alchemy, but upon closer inspection, it didn’t seem to have much to do with it. Yet, when you looked even closer, it seemed to be entirely about alchemy.
It was ambiguous and contradictory, not aligning with any known alchemy texts but seemingly touching on all of them.
To Gu Qingfeng, it felt as though someone had taken the most obscure and difficult parts of every alchemy book, scrambled them, and pieced them together haphazardly.
It seemed deliberately convoluted, as if designed to prevent comprehension.
To someone well-versed in alchemy, each word might seem profound, laden with meaning, allowing them to draw connections and insights from their extensive knowledge.
But because it was so complex and all-encompassing, it was impossible to find a starting point, leaving one unsure if they were interpreting it correctly.
However, to someone like Gu Qingfeng, who had only a superficial understanding of alchemy, the introductory chapter seemed like a jumbled mess.
His limited knowledge meant he couldn’t draw any connections or insights from the text, so he saw through its facade.
At that moment, Gu Qingfeng suddenly wondered: Could Qiu Yulong actually be a fraud?
Holy crap!
If he was, then Qiu Yulong was a legendary con artist, having deceived the entire world for over a century.
But Gu Qingfeng still had some doubts. It couldn’t be, right? Qiu Xiaocui had spoken with such conviction, and her reverence seemed genuine.
Could it be that he was simply too ignorant to comprehend the Divine Refining Method?
Gu Qingfeng lowered his head in thought, but suddenly, he jerked it back up, his eyes filled with astonishment!
At that moment, he felt an illusory force attempting to invade his mind, trying to erase the memory of the Divine Refining Method he had just studied.
However, the moment the illusory force entered, it was obliterated by Gu Qingfeng’s formidable soul power.
“Interesting. So this is why, despite so many people having comprehended it over the past century, no one could remember the content. It’s not because the Divine Refining Method is too profound to memorize—it’s because someone is deliberately erasing it!”
Gu Qingfeng muttered to himself as he gazed at the stone tablet. Sure enough, he discovered a deeply concealed illusion spell embedded within it. This spell was incredibly powerful—anyone whose soul power had not reached the Dragon Transformation level would have their memories erased. Earlier, because he had been so engrossed in comprehending the Divine Refinement Technique, he had let his guard down and failed to notice the hidden illusion.
The trigger for this illusion was simple: shifting one's gaze. As long as you kept staring at the stone tablet, nothing would happen. But the moment you looked away, the illusion would activate. Earlier, Gu Qingfeng had triggered it by lowering his head to ponder.
After this incident, Gu Qingfeng was utterly convinced: Qiu Yulong, the so-called "Pill King," was nothing but a fraud. The Divine Refinement Technique had to be fake.
Why else would he set up an illusion to erase memories?
It was clearly to prevent the Divine Refinement Technique from being leaked and exposed by experts who couldn't enter the secret realm. Only those below the True Qi realm could enter, and such weaklings wouldn't be able to resist the illusion. Moreover, their low cultivation levels made it nearly impossible for them to discern that the Divine Refinement Technique was a sham.
The new Pill King, Gu Chen, had been right all along.
The introductory chapter of the Divine Refinement Technique was pure nonsense. Those well-versed in alchemy, precisely because they knew too much, couldn't see through it and only found it profound.
Only a complete novice in alchemy would sense something was off.
But here's the problem: no novice could possibly pass the first three trials.
Gu Qingfeng was an exception—a freak of nature. If it weren't for him, no one would have ever uncovered this deception.