“Young Master Chu Feng, you’ve finally woken up.”
Chu Feng had just regained his senses when a voice reached his ears—it was Tantai Xing’er.
As her words rang out, Wuma Shengjie and Gong Qing immediately turned their gazes toward Chu Feng.
“I wasn’t asleep,” Chu Feng said with a calm smile. He knew what Tantai Xing’er meant. Earlier, while using his Heaven’s Eyes to observe, his eyes had remained open, but his body was still, as if in a meditative trance. Naturally, this had caught Tantai Xing’er’s attention.
“It seems Young Master Chu Feng employed an extraordinary method of observation just now. So, how did it go? What did you gain?” Tantai Xing’er asked, her tone suggesting she was certain Chu Feng had reaped some reward.
“A little something,” Chu Feng replied.
“What?” His words stunned not only Wuma Shengjie and Gong Qing, who looked at him in shock, but even Tantai Xing’er, whose eyes betrayed a flicker of surprise.
“What’s wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that?” Chu Feng asked.
“Chu Feng, I can’t believe how incredible you are! I nearly went blind staring, but I didn’t gain a thing,” Gong Qing exclaimed.
“Neither did I,” Wuma Shengjie added.
“Oh?” Chu Feng was mildly surprised. It made sense that Gong Qing hadn’t grasped anything, but for Wuma Shengjie to come up empty-handed as well was unexpected.
“Miss Tantai, how many ways are there to enter this formation?” Chu Feng asked Tantai Xing’er. He phrased it this way, avoiding specifics, because he found the reactions of Wuma Shengjie and Gong Qing understandable—they were shocked since they’d gained nothing. But Tantai Xing’er’s surprise seemed out of place.
Earlier, she’d acted as though bringing Chu Feng and the others here was meant to benefit them, and her question to Chu Feng implied she expected him to have gained something. Yet when he confirmed he had, her fleeting look of surprise—though quickly masked—didn’t escape Chu Feng’s notice.
This reaction made Chu Feng sense something was off, so he probed cautiously instead of revealing his hand outright.
“Chu Feng, don’t you know there’s only one way to enter this place?” Gong Qing interjected before Tantai Xing’er could respond. “It requires spending 100,000 Purple Pattern Boundary Stones. Those stones are rare, ancient relics—limited in number and incredibly valuable. Miss Tantai paid a steep price to bring the three of us here today.”
“Is that so, Miss Tantai?” Chu Feng asked.
“Yes, Young Master Chu Feng,” Tantai Xing’er confirmed.
“So, it’s 100,000 Purple Pattern Boundary Stones to get us in? Wouldn’t fewer work—say, 90,000, 80,000, or even… 10,000?” Chu Feng asked casually, but his seemingly relaxed gaze was sharp. He’d activated his Heaven’s Eyes, closely watching Tantai Xing’er’s reaction.
Normally, Chu Feng wouldn’t resort to such scrutiny. Tantai Xing’er bringing them here was a generous act, and using his Heaven’s Eyes on her could be seen as disrespectful. But her odd behavior had raised his suspicions, compelling him to dig deeper.
As his question landed, something Chu Feng dreaded unfolded.
A flicker of panic flashed in Tantai Xing’er’s eyes. Like her earlier surprise, it vanished almost instantly—faster this time. Without his Heaven’s Eyes, Chu Feng might have missed it entirely.
That brief panic told him she knew the truth. This place likely aligned with what the old man fishing atop the cliff had said—there were ten ways to enter, each with a different cost and varying difficulty of comprehension.
This was the so-called “Ten-Layer Legacy.”
“Young Master Chu Feng, we’ve tried those methods you mentioned, but they don’t work. Only 100,000 Purple Pattern Boundary Stones will do—no more, no less,” Tantai Xing’er replied.
Her words confirmed something for Chu Feng.
She was lying.
She claimed it took 100,000 stones per person to bring them here, but in reality, it was only 10,000 each.
That lower cost explained why Wuma Shengjie and Gong Qing had gained nothing—10,000 stones was the minimum entry price, but it came with the hardest path of martial cultivation to comprehend.
Yet Tantai Xing’er hadn’t anticipated that her deceit would backfire, granting Chu Feng an unexpected boon.
He’d grasped the most difficult martial path here—and uncovered this place’s secret.
He wasn’t sure if the Tantai Clan knew about the hidden space within the Peach Garden Secret Realm, where countless powerful giant beasts were sealed. But he was certain outsiders didn’t know.
Now, Chu Feng did.
“Miss Tantai, you’ve gone to great expense,” Chu Feng said, playing along. Though he knew she’d deceived him, he kept up the act.
“Young Master Chu Feng, you’re too polite. You and Young Master Wuma are honored guests of my clan, and you, in particular, are my benefactor. Everything I’ve done is only right.”
“Compared to the help you’ve given me, this is nothing,” Tantai Xing’er said, then added casually, “By the way, you mentioned gaining some insight earlier. With your talent, it must be significant, no?”
“Significant? Hardly. I only grasped a faint trace of a martial path—very weak, not much help. Still, I must thank you, Miss Tantai. Though my gains today were small, the experience has broadened my horizons, which will benefit our future cultivation,” Chu Feng replied.
“Young Master Chu Feng, you’re too modest. With your talent, I doubt it’s just a trace,” Tantai Xing’er pressed.
“Alas, Miss Tantai, you overestimate me. I’m not that capable,” Chu Feng said, feigning disappointment in himself.
“Young Master Chu Feng, the insights here are notoriously hard to grasp. Gaining anything at all is already impressive,” Tantai Xing’er said, now comforting him.
But she didn’t realize that when she heard his gains were minor, a flicker of glee danced in her eyes—once again caught by Chu Feng.
His impression of her plummeted. He didn’t mind cunning women, but he hated when that cunning was turned on him.
*Buzz—*
Suddenly, an indescribable sound echoed around them.
“What’s that noise?” Chu Feng and the others tensed. The sound was strange.
It started faintly but grew louder, like the rumble after a thunderclap—except it didn’t stop, intensifying steadily.
Soon, their surroundings began to tremble.
Even the ancient texts and symbols floating in the boundless space, like stars, started quaking violently.
Then, those texts and symbols spun wildly, as if caught in a hurricane, their speed accelerating.
If standing here before felt like being in a vast starry sky, now that sky was undergoing a cataclysmic upheaval—terrifying and chaotic.
“What’s happening?” Gong Qing’s voice trembled with fear, her face pale.
Compared to her, Tantai Xing’er appeared calmer, but inside, she was panicking.
As the mistress of this place, she’d never seen anything like this. The sudden chaos unnerved her deeply.
But the most unsettled wasn’t Tantai Xing’er—it was Chu Feng.
When the sound first began, he hadn’t sensed anything unusual. But now, as everything churned, he felt it clearly…
The ancient texts around them held layers of power—and that power was being absorbed.
It seemed this absorption was what had thrown the realm into disarray.
And the source? Chu Feng’s Qiankun Bag.
More precisely—the mysterious egg inside it!!!
