Deep inside another part of the secret realm, in a canyon wrapped in thick mist, the air felt damp and quiet.
Yu Xiaotang sat cross legged on a smooth boulder, spiritual qi swirling gently around her.
Behind her, several Hehuan Sect disciples and two Nascent Soul elders kept silent watch over their surroundings. The atmosphere stayed tense and serious.
Contrary to what Xie Zhaolin had guessed, Yu Xiaotang's group hadn't been completely inactive.
During the first few days after entering the secret realm, they'd followed their plan, cleared several resource points, and collected plenty of spiritual herbs and materials.
Only that everywhere they passed, every trace they should've left behind, whether it was their aura, footprints, or the lingering ripples of spells, was wiped clean or distorted by an invisible force. Everything became blurry, almost impossible to track.
Naturally, the credit went to the mysterious system inside her sea of consciousness.
A cold notification rang through her mind.
[Ding, High Level Group Concealment Aura has been activated. Current points remaining: 358.]
Yu Xiaotang slowly opened her eyes, a faint ache flashing through them. This High Level Group Concealment Aura really was absurd. It hid their auras and spiritual fluctuations perfectly, interfered with heavenly insight, and even erased the tiniest traces they left behind.
Even a Nascent Soul cultivator searching seriously would struggle to find any sign of them.
Of course, a power that outrageous came with an equally outrageous cost. It had almost emptied all the points she'd saved, but she didn't feel the slightest regret.
Because compared to the legendary Tianxu Palace Inheritance, these points were worthless.
"System, how's the scan progressing?" Yu Xiaotang asked silently.
Before her, on the half transparent panel only she could see, countless streams of data flickered across a rough three dimensional outline of the entire Tianxu Secret Realm.
Most of the map was still shrouded in mist, but the system was lighting it up bit by bit at a steady pace.
[Ding, scanning in progress. Current progress: 20 percent. The core area of the secret realm has a complex spatial structure with multiple folded spaces and powerful ancient restrictions. Parsing will require time.]
Yu Xiaotang frowned hard at the painfully slow progress bar.
"Why is this so slow?" she complained in her heart. "It's been several days already. Only one fifth? This is basically the same as mapping only the outermost layer. The core is still nothing but fog."
She had thought the system would finish mapping the secret realm in no time.
[Ding, host, please be patient.] The system's mechanical voice remained cold.[The Tianxu Secret Realm is not an ordinary small scale secret realm. Its structure is incredibly complex. Multiple folded spaces, ancient restrictions, and powerful natural Laws interfere with the scan. Penetrating and parsing them isn't something that can be done instantly. This isn't simple surface coverage.]
It paused, then continued: [Maintaining the High Level Group Concealment Aura while running a large scale precision scan consumes massive amounts of energy. The current speed is the optimal balance between energy use and efficiency. Forcing acceleration will shorten the aura's duration or lower scan accuracy, causing significant losses.]
Yu Xiaotang took a long breath, rubbing her brows to force down her irritation.
She couldn't refute anything it said.
The Tianxu Secret Realm truly was vast and mysterious. Even with the Hehuan Sect's generations of maps, less than one tenth of it had ever been fully explored. The system wasn't wrong.
And the energy issue… that was indeed her weakest point.
The aura and scan were slowly draining her already limited points. If she ran out, not only would the scan stop, the precious concealment aura would collapse too. That would be a real disaster.
"Fine." Yu Xiaotang sighed to herself, her gaze sharpening again. "I was too impatient. System, continue the current scan mode. Prioritize areas with abnormal energy activity and unusual spatial structures."
She sat properly again and let her breathing settle.
There was no need to rush.
The Tianxu Secret Realm stayed open for half a year each time. Not even one month had passed yet. She had time.
And compared to all the other cultivators stumbling around like headless flies, fighting over scraps at the edges, she already held an absolute advantage. All she needed to do was wait for the system to complete the scan while steadily improving her strength and directing her team.
With concealment active, they could quietly gather materials that actually helped their cultivation. After all, once they found the inheritance grounds, the risks would be terrifying. Without enough strength, everything would be meaningless.
"Granny Hua." Yu Xiaotang opened her eyes and sent a voice transmission to the Nascent Soul elder beside her. "Let the disciples rest for another half hour. After that, we'll head southeast. There should be a Yin Soul Wood Forest there. We might find a Soul Nurturing Wood Core."
The Yin Soul Wood Forest was something the system had flagged during the scan because its energy signature was unusual. It might contain treasures that nourished the Primordial Soul. She wasn't sure about the Soul Nurturing Wood Core, but it was worth checking.
Granny Hua opened her cloudy eyes and glanced at Yu Xiaotang, then nodded. "I understand."
She was surprised by the Young Sect Master's uncanny intuition and intelligence gathering abilities, but she didn't ask more. There had been far too many oddities along the way already.
For example, ever since they'd entered the secret realm, they hadn't run into a single other cultivator's detection attempts. Even beasts with sharp senses seemed to ignore them entirely.
It was like the entire group had merged into the surroundings, becoming part of the environment itself.
This eerie calm made some experienced disciples uneasy, but whenever they looked at Yu Xiaotang's firm gaze, their doubts died in their throats.
What was stranger was the faint whisper they all felt inside their minds, telling them to trust the Young Sect Master, follow instructions, everything was under control.
They didn't know this was another effect of the High Level Group Concealment Aura. It carried a subtle mental soothing effect that reduced panic and suspicion in those under its protection to maintain stability.
A very considerate design, courtesy of the system.
And since the team consisted of people with high affection toward Yu Xiaotang, their trust only deepened.
That was her greatest confidence.