Chapter 3: Entering the Secret Realm

Items like one's treasured artifact absorb spiritual energy to strengthen and become more robust as the owner's power grows. However, the process of strengthening the Soul Banner involves competing for spiritual energy within the souls, which slows down Qi Zuo's own strength growth. To prevent this, Qi Zuo can only collect ores to artificially strengthen the Soul Banner.

Previously, Qi Zuo only used some broken stones and scraps when crafting the Soul Banner due to a lack of materials. If better materials had been used, Qi Zuo would surely be at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage now, ready to break through at any moment.

In the future, if Qi Zuo wants to advance his cultivation faster, he must prepare more precious ores to strengthen the Soul Banner.

After strengthening the Soul Banner, Qi Zuo summons the souls within it, multitasking to control them and enhance his combat power.

Three days have passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Qi Zuo arrives at the teleportation area of the Star Gathering Tower with his jade pendant and finds the thirteenth teleportation room.

Entering the teleportation room, Qi Zuo touches the core crystal of the teleportation array with the jade pendant and instantly disappears from the spot.

Qi Zuo feels everything before him suddenly distort. When the distortion disappears, he finds himself in a square.

At this moment, hundreds of people have already gathered in the square, with the lowest cultivation level being at the seventh level of Qi Refinement, and there are about a dozen cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refinement.

In addition, there are two Foundation Establishment cultivators, one dressed in red robes with red hair, and the other with a fierce appearance, looking difficult to deal with.

Seeing these people, Qi Zuo is extremely excited.

Having so many "leeks" waiting to be harvested is truly fortunate.

Later, more cultivators arrive at this place.

After waiting for over half an hour, the Foundation Establishment cultivator in red robes throws out several jade stones. As the jade stones fly out, they instantly stack and converge, forming a stone door.

The next moment, the center space of the stone door tears open, and a pitch-black crack continuously expands outward.

As the crack continues to expand, a barren flat land appears inside the crack.

In the distance on the flat land, there are more than a dozen steep mountains with spiritual herbs growing on them.

The cultivator in red robes immediately says, "Everyone, enter!"

The other fierce-looking Foundation Establishment cultivator immediately moves and enters, followed by the Qi Refinement cultivators.

Qi Zuo waits until most people have entered the secret realm and see that they encounter no danger before he walks in with reassurance.

After Qi Zuo enters the secret realm and waits for a moment, the entrance disappears instantly, and the cultivator in red robes does not come in.

At this moment, the fierce-looking Foundation Establishment cultivator says, "One month later, the exit outside will open to take us out. Remember to gather here at that time."

"I have prepared three Foundation Establishment Pills for everyone. The three people who collect the most space ores can exchange them with me for Foundation Establishment Pills."

"As for those who collect spiritual herbs, they are not eligible to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills. They can only exchange for some pills, talismans, or cultivation insights."

Upon hearing this, the Qi Refinement cultivators are all extremely excited.

Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage is a difficult hurdle. If one fails, the body will be seriously injured, losing the chance to break through forever.

With the Foundation Establishment Pill, the success rate of breaking through the Foundation Establishment Stage will increase by ten percent. Even if one fails to break through, it will not cause harm to the body.

Having a Foundation Establishment Pill is equivalent to having an extra chance to break through.

However, Foundation Establishment Pills are controlled by various sects and families, making it difficult for lone cultivators to obtain them. Lone cultivators who want Foundation Establishment Pills have to go to gathering places to perform various dangerous tasks.

And most of the tasks only offer one Foundation Establishment Pill. The fact that three Foundation Establishment Pills are offered this time indicates that there are a lot of space ores in this secret realm.

Qi Zuo in the crowd hears this but has no interest at all.

Qi Zuo has the Soul Banner. As long as he has enough souls, he can easily break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, without needing Foundation Establishment Pills, let alone mining space ores for them.

Some others are similarly uninterested; they come here to collect spiritual herbs.

These spiritual herbs were brought in by the spiritual energy when the secret realm was born. They grow in this isolated place, and their medicinal effects are very strong, making them exchangeable for many resources.

The fierce-looking cultivator sees that most people's enthusiasm has been stirred up by the Foundation Establishment Pills and immediately says, "Alright, everyone, go separate ways to search for space ores."

Then, everyone disperses.

Qi Zuo looks around and follows two cultivators at the eighth level of Qi Refinement toward the distant mountains, quietly holding the Soul Banner in his hand.

After the number of people around decreases, the two in front immediately turn around and condense two fireballs to attack Qi Zuo.

But Qi Zuo waves the Soul Banner, and numerous souls fly out to block in front of him while also condensing fireballs to counterattack.

The two fireballs from the opponents are instantly shattered, and a few fireballs continue to fly towards them.

The two men look terrified and instantly condense a golden illusory shield, shouting, "Spare us!"

Before they finish begging for mercy, the remaining fireballs shatter their defense and kill them.

The price Qi Zuo pays is consuming half of his spiritual power at once, and four of the spirit fish in his dantian lose vitality, needing to absorb spiritual power to recover slowly.

Qi Zuo's consumption is definitely more than that of the two men.

Qi Zuo wins because he can instantly consume a large amount of spiritual power and use the souls to condense enough fireballs.

While the opponents can only condense one fireball at a time and can only attack again after releasing the fireball, their attack efficiency is lower than Qi Zuo's, which destined them to fail.

Qi Zuo waves the Soul Banner to absorb the souls of the two men and then takes their storage bags, hiding them in a secluded place.

After hiding, Qi Zuo releases the spiritual power in the Soul Banner, instantly breaking through to the ninth level of Qi Refinement!

The remaining spiritual energy quickly fills half of his dantian.

After adapting to the new strength in his body, Qi Zuo checks the storage bags of the two men but finds nothing valuable.

Stuffing the bags into his bosom, Qi Zuo walks out of the seclusion and looks for other Qi Refinement cultivators.

Not long after, Qi Zuo sees a man wearing armor not far away, using a pickaxe to mine ores.

There are several translucent green shields at weak points such as the man's throat and chest.

After the man knocks off a piece of stone, a black crack appears out of nowhere, cutting the green shields in half, and his head silently falls to the ground.

Qi Zuo stands quietly nearby, waiting for the space crack to disappear.

Out of caution, Qi Zuo does not approach to collect the items dropped

by the man. Instead, he controls the Soul Banner to collect the souls and then quietly leaves.

After finding a quiet place to absorb the spiritual energy inside the souls, Qi Zuo's dantian is instantly filled with spiritual energy.

Now, Qi Zuo can break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage at any time.