Chapter 568 - 277: The Mystery of the Secret Realm, Prince Xiang’s Rebellion

Chapter 568: Chapter 277: The Mystery of the Secret Realm, Prince Xiang’s Rebellion

The few pieces of information revealed by the visitor from the Taiping Dao greatly intrigued Chen Sheng.

He was especially curious about the court’s Martial Examination and the Void Spirit Jade.

Before this, Chen Sheng had always believed that the court held the Martial Examination to select elite talents from the Jianghu and demonstrate the court’s authority.

It was one of many ways to prove that the court was still a formidable power.

But now, it seemed.

Things weren’t so simple.

After all, he was a court official himself, yet the Taiping Dao emissary had urged him to fight for the champion’s title, claiming it would bring immense benefits to his future cultivation.

Chen Sheng didn’t fully believe it, but he didn’t entirely disbelieve it either.

Then there was the Void Spirit Jade.

The emissary had been unsure if the item was within the ruins of the Profound Flame Daoist’s cave-abode, but Chen Sheng knew for a fact it was. He had kept it hidden on his person ever since, never showing it to anyone.

After all, the Celestial Book had been perfectly clear back then: the jade was tied to a tremendous opportunity.

Now, it seemed.

This opportunity was far more important than he had imagined.

As for the retaliation from the Celestial Dragon Temple and Dragon Tiger Mountain, Chen Sheng had never let his guard down, even without the Taoping Dao emissary’s reminder. After all, the animosity between them was significant.

They weren’t about to let the matter slide.

The only question was what methods they would employ.

For now, Chen Sheng could only set aside the secret of the court’s Martial Examination. Even if there was some hidden truth, it wasn’t something the people around him would know anything about.

But investigating the matter of the Void Spirit Jade seemed more promising.

Nie Xiangjun was the perfect person for the job.

Not only was she from the Nie Family’s direct lineage, but she had also once studied at a Daoist Sacred Land and was an expert at the Golden Core Realm. Her knowledge and experience were far more extensive than Chen Sheng’s.

And Chen Sheng had indeed picked the right person. After he discreetly entrusted the matter to Nie Xiangjun, she accepted without hesitation, agreeing to help him investigate.

And just half a day later, she had already uncovered the truth of the matter.

The so-called Void Spirit Jade originated from a secret realm in the outer seas.

That secret realm was called the Void Spirit Secret Realm.

It was extremely famous in the outer seas.

Legend had it that it was created by numerous powerful Ancient Cultivators using Great Divine Techniques. It was said to contain many rare Secret Techniques, heavenly materials, and earthly treasures, as well as many Spirit Herbs and Medicines that were already extinct in the outside world.

It even contained Spirit Fruits capable of extending one’s lifespan.

It wasn’t just coveted by the various powers of the outer seas; many experts in the Central Plains were also keenly interested.

But the Void Spirit Secret Realm’s location was erratic and its opening time unpredictable. People could only deduce that it would suddenly manifest about once every hundred years, and the key to enter was the Void Spirit Jade.

Whoever held the jade would be able to sense the realm’s opening, as long as they were in the outer seas.

For this reason, it wasn’t just the old powerhouses of the outer seas fighting over the jades. Many experts in the Central Plains also tried to get a piece of the pie. The only problem was that the Void Spirit Jades only ever scattered within the boundaries of the outer seas.

Therefore,

the chances for experts from the Central Plains were extremely slim.

"The way you’re asking... do you have a lead on a Void Spirit Jade?"

Nie Xiangjun asked suddenly after finishing her explanation.

Chen Sheng was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled.

"How could that be possible? You just said yourself, Senior, that the Void Spirit Jade rarely makes its way to the Central Plains. I am merely at the Profound Mastery realm; how could I possibly obtain such an item? I simply overheard some information about it back when I was in Nanzhao Prefecture."

Though Chen Sheng had been mentally prepared, he was still astonished by Nie Xiangjun’s explanation.

’No wonder that old Refining God demon backing the Blood River Sect was searching for it. So the jade is this important.’

’Heavenly materials and earthly treasures, Spirit Herbs and Medicines, Cultivation Techniques and Secret Arts, rare artifacts, Longevity Spirit Fruits...’

’It has everything?’

’The key to the Void Spirit Secret Realm is even more important than I imagined.’

’No wonder that Taiping Dao paperman said that at my current Cultivation Realm, I’m not qualified to get involved.’

’Indeed.’

’If what Nie Xiangjun said is true...’

’...then the ones eyeing this are probably not just Golden Core Grandmasters.’

’And there are probably quite a few old monsters at the Refining God realm above them, too.’

’At my mere Profound Mastery realm, I truly have no right to get involved.’

’If I want to have any hope...’

’...I’ll need to at least raise my cultivation to the Golden Core Realm. Even then, I’d probably only be barely qualified.’

"It’s all right if you do have one. Don’t worry, I, at least, have no intention of coveting your opportunity."

Nie Xiangjun looked at Chen Sheng with a meaningful expression.

"I’m just reminding you of one thing. While the Void Spirit Secret Realm is a great opportunity, not everyone who enters benefits from it. On every occasion it has opened, the number of experts who have died inside is significant."

"Until your cultivation reaches the Golden Core Realm, even if the secret realm happens to open, I don’t want you to go risk your life."

"Thank you for the advice, Senior. I will keep it in mind."

Chen Sheng nodded, not arguing the point any further.

"The Martial Examination is in the sixth month. When do you plan to depart?"

"There are still over four months. There’s no rush. It won’t be too late to leave once the orders come down from my superiors."

"Mm, that’s fine as well."

Nie Xiangjun nodded after a moment of thought.

She was under orders from her family to act as Chen Sheng’s protector. If he was willing to lay low, she was more than happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.

"By the way, those two girls, Lingxi and Lingshan, have been getting their experience in Ning’an long enough. I was thinking..." Just as Nie Xiangjun was about to say more, her brow furrowed and she glanced toward the hall’s entrance.

Sun Yuzhi, dressed in a Standard Fifth Grade Bear Official Robe, was rushing toward them with a frosty expression on her face.

In the past two months, Chen Sheng wasn’t the only one whose situation in Ning’an Prefecture had changed. Nie Xuanfeng had completed his family’s assigned mission and had since been transferred back to a post in the State City.

As for the successor to the position of Governor of the Ning’an Jingwu Bureau, the higher-ups had chosen Sun Yuzhi after giving Chen Sheng’s situation due consideration.