Chapter 497: Obtaining the Qualification

Thankfully, the last time they were in the Secret Realm, Lu Sangjiu hadn’t been able to use her Domination Map Blade in front of Yan Xue because her storage space wouldn’t open.

This meant she didn’t have to worry about Yan Xue recognizing it now.

She was even less concerned about the wanted poster for Ji Li. After all, it had only been circulated among Immortal Cultivators and hadn’t reached the Demon Cultivators.

Besides, an Immortal Cultivator wielding a Demon Blade was certainly conspicuous, but for a Demon Cultivator, it was the most normal thing in the world and wouldn’t attract any undue attention.

Soon, the second male cultivator was also defeated and left in disgrace.

It was now Yan Xue’s turn to enter the ring.

Before stepping up, she turned her head to Lu Sangjiu, smiled, and asked, “Think I can beat him?”

Lu Sangjiu was taken aback for a moment but nodded politely. “I’m sure you can. It’s obvious you’re very capable, Mr. Yan.”

Yan Xue let out a soft laugh. “I’ll take that as a good omen. I hope you win too, Mr. Lu. Then we can look out for each other inside the Secret Realm.”

Lu Sangjiu couldn’t figure out what Yan Xue was thinking. ‘Even though my current appearance is completely different from when I was Lin Qiu, she seems to see right through me every time and shows such a keen interest.’

‘Could it be… she can see through the Thousand Faces of Life?’

She was inwardly startled by this guess and grew even more curious about Yan Xue. ‘If she really can see through my disguise, why is she so interested in me specifically?’

‘Judging from our last encounter, she doesn’t seem to bear me any ill will, which is why I haven’t left immediately.’

‘Oh, well… Whatever the reason, as long as she doesn’t expose me, I’ll just pretend I don’t know anything.’

As she was lost in thought, the duel between Yan Xue and the man from the Fan Family began.

Although she was only a Mid-stage Heavenly Demon, she seemed to handle her Late Stage Heavenly Demon opponent with ease.

The fight wasn’t spectacular; it was a near-total rout. Yan Xue quickly defeated her opponent and claimed victory.

The Head of Fan Family was overjoyed. “Mr. Yan, you are truly skilled! You’ve passed the Fan Family’s test. Please, stay in our estate and await the opening of the Secret Realm!”

Yan Xue nodded at him with a smile, then turned her gaze to Lu Sangjiu. “Mr. Lu, you’re up. Good luck!”

Lu Sangjiu had originally only come to see if Ye Wucheng was with the Fan Family, but she hadn’t yet found an opportunity to confirm it.

From what the Head of Fan Family said, passing the test meant she could stay with the Fan Family and wait to enter the Secret Realm once it opened.

This meant she had to pass the test. ‘If I stay with the Fan Family, I’ll eventually be able to find a trace of him.’

Besides, the intriguing Yan Xue was here. ‘I have a feeling her presence means things aren’t so simple. I kind of want to stick around and see what happens.’

She also had a bolder idea… ‘I want to enter the Secret Realm, too. I’ll find a chance in there to kill Ye Wucheng.’

‘If I can pull it off on my own, Lie Rufeng will owe me a huge favor.’

‘Even if the Qiyue Sect doesn’t have a way to help Gu Jue, I can still ask Lie Rufeng to keep an eye out for a solution in the future.’

‘Two heads are better than one, after all.’

With this in mind, when Lu Sangjiu stepped into the ring, she immediately drew her Domination Map Blade, taking the match very seriously.

Although being limited to only using Demonic Qi significantly weakened her, defeating the Heavenly Demon from the Fan Family was still an easy task.

However, she held back a bit, making her performance less impressive than Yan Xue’s. Instead of ending the fight in a complete rout, she deliberately dragged it out.

Even so, the Head of Fan Family was quite satisfied, nodding repeatedly. “For Mr. Lu to have such strength at the early-stage of the Heavenly Demon realm is truly impressive. The younger generation is formidable!”

“In that case, you, like Mr. Yan, will stay in the Fan Family’s Guest Courtyard and await the opening of the Secret Realm!”

Lu Sangjiu hesitated for a moment before saying, “Senior, I have a personal matter to attend to. May I return tomorrow?”

The Head of Fan Family was quite agreeable, nodding immediately. “Of course.”

With that, he handed her a token. “Just bring this with you tomorrow, and someone will arrange accommodations for you.”

Only then did Lu Sangjiu nod. “I will take my leave.”

She had to leave for a couple of reasons. For one, Lie Rufeng and his companion were still outside, and she needed to give them an update.

For another, now that she had decided to enter the Secret Realm, she needed to prepare some Elixir Pills and talismans commonly used by Demon Cultivators. She couldn’t very well get injured and then take Spirit Pills to heal right in front of them, could she?

After leaving the Fan Family estate, Lu Sangjiu went straight back to the inn and explained the situation to Lie Rufeng and his companion.

“I’ve secured a spot to enter the Secret Realm. If Ye Wucheng is in there, I’ll find an opportunity to kill him.”

“My safety comes first, though. If a good opportunity doesn’t present itself, we’ll just have to wait until we’re out of the Secret Realm. We can tail Ye Wucheng then and look for another chance to strike.”

Lie Rufeng’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Lu… Lin Dao You, you may have promised my master you’d accompany me here, but this is ultimately my personal business. You don’t need to go to such lengths.”

“It’s too dangerous for you to enter a Secret Realm full of Demon Cultivators on your own. You really don’t have to take such a risk for my sake.”

Lu Sangjiu gave a light cough, a little embarrassed. “Actually… I’m not being entirely selfless. The reason I’m trying so hard is because I have a favor to ask of you, Mr. Lie.”

“If I manage to pull this off, would you be willing to help me with something?”

Lie Rufeng paused, clearly not expecting her to say that.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, “If it’s a small favor, I would agree to help you even without this. If it’s something difficult, I won’t agree to it even if you succeed.”

“So, you really don’t have to do this.”

Lu Sangjiu was speechless.

‘Well… he’s honest, I’ll give him that.’

She sighed in resignation. “It’s not difficult for you. I just want you to help me find something in the Qiyue Sect’s Book Collection Pavilion…”

She briefly explained Gu Jue’s situation to Lie Rufeng, then added, “I’m not asking you to guarantee you’ll find it. As long as you do your best, Mr. Lie, my efforts won’t have been for nothing!”

Lie Rufeng nodded thoughtfully. “I see… In that case, this matter isn’t difficult for me.”

“So, I would have helped you even if you hadn’t gone.”

But Lu Sangjiu shook her head. “That’s not how friendship works. It can’t always be one person doing all the giving, right?”

“It just so happens that I can help with your problem, so I’ll put in a little extra effort. That way, I can accept your help with a clear conscience later.”

“Besides… I’m pretty broke to begin with. A chance to go into a Secret Realm and make some money sounds pretty good to me.”

This part was true. After buying the Ten Thousand Fusion Stones, she was basically wiped out overnight. She only had a few Immortal Stones left and was dirt poor!