Lin Chen surveyed his surroundings and chose a direction, walking towards it. According to the map, the Dragon Whisker Polygonum should be about five thousand li away, at a place called Azure Dragon Pond.
With Lin Chen’s walking speed, it would take at least a full day to get there, and that’s assuming nothing unexpected happened.
But on a journey of five thousand li, especially within the Mire Dragon Marsh, could he really expect no mishaps?
Lin Chen decided against using the Green Bird to fly there, as riding it would immediately expose his whereabouts.
Xu Ma’an had mentioned that there were even shape-shifting demon beasts inside, with spiritual intelligence not inferior to humans. Flying on a Flying Boat in the sky was tantamount to revealing one’s position to these magical beasts.
Putting away the map, Lin Chen cautiously made his way towards the Azure Dragon Pond.
Who knew if he might run into a great demon right off the bat. Lin Chen couldn’t afford to be careless; it was always better to err on the side of caution.
As he advanced, First Grade and Second Grade herbal materials were as common as cabbages, growing everywhere, and Lin Chen collected them until his hands were sore.
"At this rate, when exactly will I reach the Dragon Pond?"
Lin Chen couldn’t help but smile wryly and quickened his pace, choosing only to pick Second Grade herbal materials and completely ignored the First Grade ones.
Lin Chen now understood why the disciples from Jade Cauldron Sect knew the dangers of the secret realm yet still risked their lives to come here.
The benefits inside were beyond imagination. Just take Lin Chen’s current finds; the herbal materials he had collected were worth who knows how many spirit stones. If he used them in a Pill Spirit Array to refine elixirs, Lin Chen could feast on elixirs like they were beans for quite some time.
Indeed, the Mire Dragon Marsh Secret Realm was affluent.
After all the disciples had entered the Mire Dragon Marsh Secret Realm, Li Xuanming, the Peak Master of the First Peak, suddenly approached Xu Ma’an with a troubled look.
"Sect Leader Senior Brother, I think I saw the Little Witch’s disciple, Lin Chen, among the group of disciples. I couldn’t have seen it wrong, could I?"
Li Xuanming spoke seriously, and upon hearing this, the other Peak Masters perked up, directing their gazes towards the direction of the Dragon Marsh Secret Realm.
Zhang Dachu, the Peak Master of the Seventh Peak, even wanted to rush to the entrance of the passage to capture Lin Chen and bring him back, only to find that the disciples had long since entered the secret realm.
Once opened, one cannot leave the Mire Dragon Marsh Secret Realm until they have stayed inside for three months. Only after the passage reopens following those three months can they leave.
"Sect Leader Senior Brother, that promising seed is only in the Second Layer of the Spirit Gathering Realm, and he’s mixed himself into the secret realm. Isn’t this just courting death?"
Zhang Dachu said, rather frustrated and perturbed.
Lin Chen was the first talent with Superior Aptitude to appear in Jade Cauldron Sect over a hundred years. As long as the Sect nurtured him, he was bound to become a significant powerhouse for the Sect, providing a sturdy pillar against Black Cloud Sect.
But now, with Lin Chen recklessly entering the secret realm on his first visit and with such low cultivation, everyone was naturally extremely worried.
"Sigh, let him be. True powerhouses never grow under sheltered care. This time, the situation is beyond our control. As a True Disciple and a part of Jade Cauldron Sect, he naturally has to contribute his efforts for the Sect. How can he only think of himself?"
Xu Ma’an said resignedly.
In fact, Xu Ma’an had known about Lin Chen’s intention to enter the Mire Dragon Marsh Secret Realm. Or rather, he had seen it in Lin Chen’s eyes the night Yang Yuemin’s body erupted with deadly poison.
It was Lin Chen’s gaze that made him value the boy even more and why he decided to give Lin Chen the Heavenly Thunder Wood.
If Xu Lianyu hadn’t surpassed the threshold for entering the Mire Dragon Marsh Secret Realm, Xu Ma’an would definitely not have stopped her.
However, just when Xu Ma’an and the others were discussing how to proceed, a disciple suddenly rushed over at full speed.
"Sect Leader, Sect Leader, something terrible has happened." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on N0veI.Fiɾe.net
This disciple was in a panic, with a large bump on his head. Arriving in front of Xu Ma’an, his face was filled with sorrow, looking as if he didn’t dare to face Xu Ma’an.
"Didn’t I tell you to watch over your junior sister? What are you doing here?"
Xu Ma’an’s expression turned grim upon seeing the newcomer, a bad feeling rising in his heart.
"Master, junior sister... junior sister knocked me unconscious. By the time I woke up, she was gone. I suspect..."
"I suspect junior sister snuck off and blended into the crowd to enter the Mire Dragon Marsh Secret Realm!"
"Please punish me, Master!"
After speaking, the disciple immediately knelt down. His name was Zhao Ming’an, a True Disciple under Xu Ma’an, and his strength was at the Eighth Layer of Melding Earth Realm. Still, he was knocked out by Xu Lianyu, which showed why the nickname ’Little Witch’ suited her well.
"Enough, given her cunning nature, it’s understandable that you couldn’t keep an eye on her. Get up."
Xu Ma’an sighed deeply. Xu Lianyu’s clever and unpredictable ways even fooled him sometimes. How could Zhao Ming’an’s honest nature possibly keep up with her?
What he had feared the most had still happened; Xu Lianyu had entered the secret realm, inevitably suppressing her cultivation.
"Everything is now left to fate."
Xu Ma’an looked desolate, while the other Peak Masters watched him in silence, saying nothing.
Having experienced the pain of losing a son, Xu Ma’an cherished his granddaughter immensely; everyone could empathize with his heartache at this moment.
If he were to lose his granddaughter, it was entirely possible that he could lash out in anger and engage in a fight to the death with the Black Cloud Sect.
At this moment, within the Mire Dragon Marsh Secret Realm, Lin Chen was finally encountering disciples from other sects on his way to the Dragon Pond.
But instead of a harmonious scenario with fellow sect members, a violent scene unfolded. The disciples were fighting fiercely over herbal materials, even severely injuring their fellow sect members.
One should know that before entering the secret realm, Xu Ma’an and the others had explicitly instructed that everyone would encounter disciples from the Black Cloud Sect, and their task was to kill the Black Cloud Sect disciples and prevent them from collecting Yin Sha Qi.
At this time, before even encountering the enemy from the Black Cloud Sect, they were already fighting over resources.
Lin Chen, not wanting to draw attention from the others, although he wasn’t afraid of them, did not want to be entangled by these fellows, which could impede his speed to the Dragon Pond.
Lin Chen’s primary goal was to harvest the Dragon Whisker Polygonum, and he had no time to squander with everyone else.
Moreover, with herbal materials found everywhere within the secret realm, and possessing the Pill Spirit Array, Lin Chen could refine any herbal material into elixirs without having to compete with everyone for them.
Lin Chen bypassed the crowd and continued moving forward.
Whenever he encountered people fighting over herbal materials, Lin Chen would avoid them; the same went for any situation where strong demon beasts guarded the materials.
As night approached, Lin Chen suddenly stopped, looking cautiously at the three figures standing before him.