Chapter 17: Ten Years in a Flash

Just as Ye Lin was searching for resources, Qingling suddenly spoke up: "There seemed to be a trace of Devilish Qi just now, but it vanished in an instant."

Ye Lin was somewhat puzzled.

"The Demon Race hasn't appeared in the Southern Region for about a thousand years."

Qingling said doubtfully: "Could I have sensed it wrong? No, this Dragon Spirit Secret Realm has existed for a very long time; even I am not clear about its specific origin. It is better to be careful."

Afterward, Ye Lin became more cautious in his search. As time passed, the three-day limit for the Dragon Spirit Secret Realm soon came to an end.

At this moment, Ye Lin was also preparing to leave. After all, he had gained a lot this time, obtaining quite a few Medicinal Pills, Spirit Medicines, and Spirit Plants, and he had even encountered great Opportunities like the Sword Nurturing Pool and sword nurturing grass.

With the opening of the Secret Realm exit, Ye Lin flew out of the Dragon Spirit Secret Realm.

Disciples from various Sects emerged one after another, and Ye Lin came before Su Yu and the others.

Su Yu looked at Ye Lin's happy expression.

"It seems Brother Ye has had some gains."

"That's right, I'll share some with you all later."

As the exit closed, the Disciples who had not come out had either died inside or were trapped and unable to exit, though there was little difference between the two.

Just like that, each Sect took their own Disciples and returned to their Sects.

On the Spirit Boat, Wu Xiaofeng handed the long sword to Liang Wenjing and said: "Master, I have brought shame upon you. I did not expect to be trapped in the Grand Array in the end. I have already agreed with the Myriad Swords Sect to use this long sword as a reward for the next Grand Competition."

"It is fine. Treat this as a lesson. You must learn from it in the future. If you encounter someone with malicious intent, it will not be as simple as just being trapped."

"Understood, Master."

Soon, everyone returned to the Profound Heaven Sect.

The events of this Secret Realm were widely discussed among the various Sects, with the Spirit Sea Sect becoming the most famous in the competition for this Secret Realm.

After all, the incident where the Spirit Sea Sect trapped the Disciples of various Sects was still fresh in everyone's memory.

Ye Lin and the others arrived at Su Yu's residence, where Ye Lin took out some of the Spirit Pills and medicines he had obtained from the Secret Realm and shared them with everyone.

Afterward, he took out a few stalks of sword nurturing grass and said to Su Yu and the others: "This thing is an incredible treasure for a Sword Cultivator."

"It can briefly enhance your Dao of the sword insights, and if planted by a pool for a long time, it can turn an ordinary pool into a Sword Nurturing Pool."

"However, it takes a very long time for a pool to become a Sword Nurturing Pool, so most people will consume it to increase their own Dao of the sword insights."

Han Shi looked at the sword nurturing grass before him and said: "I have no use for these as I am not a Sword Cultivator. Brother Su and Yuyan can make use of them."

Ye Lin distributed a few stalks to Su Yu and the others, and after finishing, everyone left one after another.

On the way back, Qingling's voice suddenly echoed in Ye Lin's mind.

"Is your friend named Su Yu quite capable? Why do I feel he is not simple, yet I cannot discern anything?"

He hadn't recovered much yet; if he had recovered a bit more, he might have been able to see something.

"Brother Su doesn't have any special abilities, though his cultivation is decent at the sixth level of Qi Refining. I entered the Sect with him, how could I not know him?"

Qingling nodded as well.

"Alright, it seems I was overthinking it."

Back at home, Su Yu looked at the sword nurturing grass before him and, after thinking for a moment, decided to plant it.

It could be planted right by the small pool in his courtyard, as he didn't need these resources for the time being.

Especially things that enhance insights; since he had the Proficiency Panel, it was more practical to use them to decorate his courtyard.

After Su Yu planted the sword nurturing grass, he thought about getting a book on Formations to study. Having more skills is never a burden, and as long as he had the Proficiency Panel, he didn't need to worry about being unable to learn them.

After obtaining the Complete Collection of Basic Formations, he entered a long process of Cultivation. For them, time passed very quickly during Cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, 10 years had passed.

Su Yu emerged from his Cultivation, surprised to find he had reached the Late Stage Golden Core. He had thought it would take more time to reach the Late Stage Golden Core, so this was an unexpected joy.

At this moment, he couldn't help but lament how fast time flies; in a blink of an eye, he had been in this world for nearly 20 years.

Su Yu opened his Proficiency Panel.

Character: [Su Yu]

Age: [40]

Realm: [Late Stage Golden Core]

Aptitude: [Three Spiritual Roots of Metal, Wood, and Fire]

Cultivation Technique: [Spirit Returning Art (20%)] [Earth Rank Breath Concealing Art (30%)] [Earth Rank Sword Drawing Technique (20%)] [Earth Rank Life-Severing Sword Art (2%)] [Profound Rank Wandering Dragon Step (90%)]

Divine Ability: [None]

Magic Treasure: [Profound Rank High Grade Sword Nine] [Profound Rank High Grade Starry Sky Chessboard] [Profound Rank High Grade Wine Immortal Gourd]

Hundred Arts: [Advanced Forging Leaving Wind Forging Method] [Advanced Gardening Spirit Rain Technique, Growth Promotion Technique] [Third-Tier Formation Master]

Concept: [Sword Concept Level 3]

That's right, the Proficiency Panel had an extra entry for Concept.

Su Yu had comprehended Sword Intent when he was at Foundation Establishment Stage Level 9, which had made him very happy for quite a while.

Now, his attainments in the Dao of the sword were already higher than most Elders of the Profound Heaven Sect.

After all, Sword Intent is the Realm that Sword Cultivators pursue for a lifetime; some Cultivators might not even comprehend Sword Intent even after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm.

Many things had happened during these ten years.

Han Shi and the others had already broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage and had become Disciples of another well-known Outer Sect Elder.

They did not choose to become Disciples of a Peak Master, as they knew that with their Aptitude, there was basically no chance of being accepted as a Personal Disciple by a Peak Master.

Being able to become a Disciple of a Golden Core Stage Outer Sect Elder was quite good; at least there was a Master to teach you at any time.

After all, the Golden Core Stage is a threshold; many people are trapped at Foundation Establishment Stage Level 9. Having a Golden Core Stage Master to guide you makes the path of Cultivation a bit easier.

On the surface, Su Yu had reached the second level of Foundation Establishment, but he did not intend to become a Disciple of any other Peak Master.

There were quite a few Foundation Establishment Disciples lingering in the Outer Sect, and he planned to apply for the position of Elder of Miscellaneous Affairs in a few years.

He would not consider becoming an Outer Sect Elder for now; he would wait until the time was right. This would make it more convenient for him to do his own things later.

Su Yu walked out of his room and looked at the small pool in the courtyard. Seeing the sword nurturing grass he had planted earlier, his idea of building a Sword Nurturing Pool moved a step closer.

These sword nurturing grasses had already grown somewhat; this was the result of him constantly caring for them with the Growth Promotion Technique, but there was still a long way to go before he could build a Sword Nurturing Pool.

At this moment, Han Shi came to his door and said: "Brother Su, we are planning to return to Cloud Sky City. Would you like to go with us?"

"This might be the last time I go back to see my parents. After all, immortals and mortals are different, and as our cultivation progresses, the time required for each closed-door Cultivation session becomes longer."

"In the Cultivation World, closed-door Cultivation for a dozen or even a hundred years might not result in any changes, but it is different in the mortal world. If we don't go back now, we might not have the chance again."

Hearing Han Shi's words, Su Yu lowered his head and pondered.

That's right! In the blink of an eye, so much time had passed since he arrived here. Although he had no relatives or friends here, he didn't know how the shopkeeper in Cloud Sky City was doing; after all, he had helped him when he was in difficulty.

Now that so much time had passed, it was time to go back and take a look.

"Alright, I will go back with you all to take a look. I wonder how Cloud Sky City has developed."