C20 The Cauldron

"Damn it, this isn't the notebook I asked for!"

Wang Yipao was so furious that he flung the Book of Wisdom onto the floor.

But within a heartbeat, he hastily scooped it back up.

Crap, I nearly forgot this thing's a magical treasure, incredibly valuable.

"What is that?"

"Damn, Mr. Pao, I dare you to throw that thing down again. I bet you won't be able to pick it up this time."

Immortal Sword Jiulong's mouth twitched. "Magical treasure!"

Wang Yipao whistled nonchalantly and turned away.

He was pretending to be clueless, suggesting that what they witnessed was merely an illusion.

The Immortal Sword quartet felt like they were on the verge of spitting blood.

So, the Foundation Building Pill was his, the magical treasure was his, and even the loot from Shadow Rain remained his—had they been fighting for nothing?

Wait, wasn't there one more item?

Two magical treasures?

"Mr. Pao, have you no humanity? How can you hoard a Foundation Building Pill and two magical treasures without sharing with us?"

"Exactly, Mr. Pao! We may not have the glory, but we've put in the sweat. We've toiled in Immortal Sword and have yet to lay eyes on a single magical treasure."

Immortal Sword Jiulong: ...

Seriously, brother-in-law!

Aren't you all equipped with magical treasures, even if just temporarily? How can you say you've never seen one? Where's the hardship in that?

"Big deal, there's also a cauldron, not a magical treasure."

Wang Yipao presented the item.

First Rank Cauldron - Little Dragon Cauldron

Function: Increases pill refinement success rate by 3%

"So, Mr. Pao, you've snagged all the goodies!"

Clearly, the cauldron was intended for an alchemist's use, hardly a stretch to call it a magical treasure!

"Hand over the book. In exchange, Immortal Sword will provide you with a high-grade, yellow-rank, fifth-level cultivation technique when the time comes," Immortal Sword Shui Jing offered calmly.

"Deal."

Wang Yipao tossed the Book of Wisdom to Immortal Sword Shui Jing without hesitation.

After all, its use was restricted to the Twelve Spirits, and as a resident of Snowmouth, it was of no use to him.

Immortal Sword Shui Jing was perfectly suited for this profession.

She might even be able to continue making a difference within the Secret Realm.

Truth be told, Wang Yipao was at a disadvantage in this exchange.

Magic treasures are inherently valuable. Typically, even a low-grade magic treasure could be traded for three to five high-grade yellow-rank cultivation techniques without any issue.

But Wang Yipao wasn't one to be petty. They were partners, after all. By giving them the magic treasure outright, he was investing in mutual trust that could pave the way for future collaborations.

"Speaking of which, now that I've got the Foundation Building Pill, why hasn't the Secret Realm vanished?" Wang Yipao turned to Immortal Sword Jiulong with a puzzled look.

Caught off guard, Immortal Sword Jiulong pondered for a moment before slapping his hand to the back of his head and chuckling, "Beats me."

"Time to fight!" Immortal Sword Shui Jing was almost too eager to get her hands on the Book of Wisdom—it was just too perfect for her.

Even a low-grade Qi Refining magic treasure was a significant boon for her.

But upon hearing her brother's earlier comment...

Yep, it seemed that a brother like him needed a good thrashing now and then to jog his memory.

"Hold on a second. Do we really need to resort to fighting? We've already taken down the Sand Demon Bug King and breached the desert barrier. Why worry about anything else?" Immortal Sword Jiulong, showing a rare spark of intelligence, gestured towards the vast, dark tunnel behind him with his thumb.

"Good point. We might even find a second Foundation Building Pill back there—a valuable item that could fetch a pretty penny!" Wang Yipao was a seasoned pro.

He knew all too well the significance of such an item to someone in his line of work.

The value of Foundation Building Pills was bound to plummet eventually.

But for now, selling one for a hefty sum was certainly feasible.

"With a flick of my wrist, what's a Foundation Building Pill to me? Child's play to obtain!" Wang Yipao booted Immortal Sword Jiulong into the dark tunnel.

He then called out, "Any objections?"

"Jian Yipao, your brother-in-law!" Immortal Sword Jiulong was genuinely cursing him out.

I've handed over all the good stuff to you.

And I'm the cannon fodder again?

I won't even start on your humanity, but have you lost all sense of your animal instincts?

Don't tell me you've lost that too, right?

After carefully exploring the tunnel for a while, Immortal Sword Jiulong finally concluded that it was safe, albeit with some reluctance.

The four others, still at the original location on the map, began their own exploration.

And it was pitch black inside, for real.

Who knew what they might stumble upon in the darkness.

Thankfully, the mini-map helped them keep an appropriate distance from each other.

As the five of them pondered this, suddenly,

"Ah!"

"Damn, Nazi, that was not intentional."

"What?"

Immortal Sword Shui Jing was taken aback.

Wang Yipao was equally shocked.

The rest were just a bunch of question marks.

"What the heck did I just touch? Damn! Did I actually find something unbelievable? Was it one of your butts?"

"Mr. Pao, it wasn't me."

"Nor me. That leaves only the captain."

"Get out of here! I'm leading the way, and he's in the fourth spot. If he could touch my prized behind, I'd concede defeat!"

Immortal Sword Jiulong was visibly upset.

The next second,

a cold shiver ran down the spines of all five.

This indicated that in the dark tunnel, there was a sixth presence among them.

No, it was even uncertain whether it was human at all.

Immortal Sword Jiulong, shaking, said, "Yipao, are you absolutely certain you didn't just touch yourself?"

"Pah! Do I look that desperate? Enough talk, let's get moving. This place is not for us. I touched something incredibly soft, and I can't even be sure what it was, but it was definitely soft." Wang Yipao thought it might be something akin to a ghost cultivator, but he was still filled with uncertainty, "Nazi, are you positive I didn't touch you?"

"Pervert, back off!" Immortal Sword Shui Jing lashed out with a kick.

"Ah!"

The five of them were on the verge of losing it.

"Pervert, was it you I kicked?"

"Nazi, it absolutely wasn't me. Besides, that voice clearly wasn't male. Don't tell me you were making it up yourself?"

"Scram! It wasn't me. Let's get out of here—there's definitely something off about this place!"

The group of five hastened their steps.

The fear of the unknown was the greatest of all.

The tunnel was devoid of any attacks, yet the sheer darkness and eerie sounds were enough to instill terror.

At last, light appeared before them.

And then they realized, there were actually six of them—not five.

Two were impostors.

A shiver coursed through the four men.

Wang Yipao even gave a cursory glance at his right hand, which had felt something odd.

Immortal Sword Jiulong spoke up feebly, "Which one is my sister?"

"Fight."

"Fine, the one on the left is definitely my sister. Damn it, hit the one on the right, not me!"

Immortal Sword Jiulong felt like he was going to spit blood. Did any of you even think?

The other two members of Immortal Sword quickly snapped to their senses and lunged at the impostor on the right.

But they missed, crashing into each other instead, and a segment of their health bars plummeted.

"Hmph!"

The impostor was bizarre. Upon having his true identity revealed, he didn't revert to his original form but simply snorted and continued walking straight ahead.

It was then that the five of them realized the landscape had changed; they were no longer in a desert.

Instead, they stood amidst the ruins of a mysterious city.

Immortal Sword Jiulong opened his mouth, a hint of awe in his voice, "It looks like we've stumbled upon something extraordinary."

"What?"

Wang Yipao was taken aback.

With a gleam in his eyes, Immortal Sword Jiulong seemed to have ascertained something and enunciated each syllable with significance, "The Secret within the Secret!"