Jian Lin, feeling drained from the sudden shift from combat, leaned against the Demon Lord's shoulder and said weakly, "No matter where we are, as long as there's no danger around, let's rest for a bit."
The Demon Lord had no objections. He reached into his embrace, pulled out the crimson fruit, and offered it in his palm to Jian Lin. "Here, the fruit of the Man-Eating Flower King. It should definitely boost your cultivation significantly. However, you just broke through to the Golden Core stage, so I suggest you take it easy. Keep this fruit for now."
This fruit was something the Demon Lord had tricked the Man-Eating Flower King out of. Jian Lin felt too embarrassed to accept it directly, especially since it was such a precious item. He should keep it for himself.
She didn't move, lifting her gaze to meet the Demon Lord's eyes, and said demurely, "Everything in the secret realm is a treasure. I've already eaten a Lingzhi mushroom, which helped me break through to the Golden Core. You should keep this fruit; perhaps it will be useful to you someday."
"Impossible. What use are things that boost spiritual power to me?" The Demon Lord grew impatient. He grabbed Jian Lin's hand and placed the fruit into her palm. "Don't be polite. You've taken quite a bit from me already; one more item won't make a difference."
"Hey! It's not like that," Jian Lin quickly explained. "There weren't any of your people here before, trying to snatch treasures in the secret realm, were there? If no one has tried it, how can you know it's not useful to you? I've tasted them, so I have the right to speak. The items in this secret realm are completely different from the tonics you gave me. Tonics can at most last for an hour and increase instantaneous burst power, but the items in this secret realm will make your power flow endlessly."
Jian Lin's words were indeed quite convincing.
She was likely the first person to cultivate both demonic energy and spiritual power simultaneously.
Jian Lin reflexively tried to return the fruit. During their tug-of-war, the Demon Lord grew annoyed.
A strange thought suddenly occurred to him, and he proposed, "How about we split it in half?"
This was indeed a good solution.
"Alright," Jian Lin agreed.
The Demon Lord stood up, circled a few times, found a clean, flat stone, rinsed it with water, and placed the Man-Eating Flower King's fruit on it. He took out his dagger, intending to cut it in half. To his surprise, the fruit, which looked soft, was as hard as stone. He applied force, and the dagger chipped, revealing a crack.
The Demon Lord raised his dagger, puzzled. All his possessions were good items; how could he not even cut a single fruit?
Jian Lin was also astonished. She reached out to pinch it. The fruit here was very elastic and plump. It felt very much like a cherry tomato. She never expected it to be so hard.
"As expected of a treasure from the secret realm," Jian Lin praised without thinking.
The Demon Lord, helpless, tossed the chipped dagger aside, losing interest. "Forget it. If we can't cut it, you keep it. We'll figure out how to divide it later."
Jian Lin refused to believe it, feeling that the fruit wasn't that hard. On impulse, she brought it to her lips and bit down hard, nearly breaking her teeth.
"Ow, it hurts, it hurts so much," Jian Lin clutched her mouth, her face contorted in pain.
The Demon Lord burst into laughter, flicked his hand, and strode forward.
Jian Lin had no choice but to put the fruit away and quickly catch up to the Demon Lord.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Anywhere. There are opportunities everywhere here. As long as we're not in the same spot, we'll surely gain something," the Demon Lord replied casually.
Jian Lin nodded and followed him with light steps.
After walking for a while, the Demon Lord belatedly remembered, "Right, where's Bai Xian?"
"Seriously, big brother, you only remember him now?"
Jian Lin deliberately teased him, "I left him with the Man-Eating Flower King."
"That's good," the Demon Lord said indifferently. "The Flower King needs a good friend, and I think they're a good match."
Jian Lin was about to die laughing. After she had her fill of laughter, she said, "No, I was just kidding. He went back into the seal. I promised him I'd release him when we leave the secret realm."
"Will you really let him out?" The Demon Lord tilted his head to look at her and added, "If we don't need him, will you really let him out?"
Jian Lin froze, unsure how to answer for a moment.
Her feelings for Bai Xian were complex. The spirit-absorbing formation he created indirectly led to Jian Lin being framed and dying with resentment.
However, she knew in her heart that the ones to blame were Guanlan Sect and Yuan Shuo. Bai Xian merely exploited human weaknesses and did not personally kill anyone.
Furthermore, just releasing him, not sending him back to the demon realm, was a small request that Jian Lin couldn't refuse.
"I don't know," Jian Lin said honestly. "He did very bad things, yet he genuinely helped me. I don't know what to do with him."
The Demon Lord looked at her deeply, as if in thought and deliberation, and ultimately said nothing more.
He conceded, "Forget it. We'll think about it after we get out."
With that, he quickened his pace forward, and Jian Lin had to shake off her own worries and quickly catch up to him. "Wait for me!"
The two casually chose a path and walked up from the mountainside. Suddenly, a fork appeared ahead. The Demon Lord chose the left path, and after many twists and turns, they arrived at a cliff. Looking ahead, they saw a gentle valley.
Jian Lin was still admiring the scenery when the Demon Lord suddenly called her, pointing to a cave on the opposite cliff. "Look, there are many people over there."
Jian Lin focused her gaze and indeed saw them. The cave was neither large nor small, seeming to accommodate only one person at a time. It was dark, like a tiny black dot.
Even stranger was the presence of many cultivators nearby, all wearing various Daoist robes, likely disciples of sects. However, after watching for a long time, not a single one of them entered.
They walked up to the cave one by one, did something, shook their heads, and returned. The next person continued to try.
Jian Lin had a rough idea: in this barrier, the good items and opportunities were all within that cave.
"Shall we go take a look?" she suggested excitedly.
The Demon Lord nodded. The two held hands and slid down the slope, walking for a long time before slowly approaching the group of people.
Reaching the outermost edge, Jian Lin asked a seemingly approachable older brother, "Excuse me, cultivator, what is this place?"
The older brother replied enthusiastically, "Sword Immortal Cave. It's said that Daoist Guixu left a third of his divine consciousness and sword intent within. If anyone can enter and receive even a little guidance from him, they will surely make great breakthroughs and perhaps become the foremost sword cultivator."
Jian Lin nodded and then asked, "Then what are they doing with this trial? I've been watching for a long time, why isn't anyone going in?"
"There's a stone sword at the entrance of the Sword Immortal Cave. Whoever can pull out that sword can enter the Sword Immortal Cave," the older brother said, pointing to the side. "See the line there? Little girl, are you thinking of trying?"
"Since we're here, of course I want to try," Jian Lin said with a smile. "If I can't pass this stage, won't I have to crush the token and leave the secret realm? I wouldn't want that."
This was an obvious fact: everyone at the entrance of the Sword Immortal Cave, if they succeeded, would receive enlightenment, trigger a mechanism, and proceed to the next barrier.
If they failed, their cultivation in this secret realm would end here.
The older brother in front of them had certainly tried, but he couldn't do it, and now he was standing outside watching.
The older brother laughed heartily, then tilted his head to examine Jian Lin seriously. Seeing the Demon Lord standing behind her, he lowered his voice and said sincerely, "You two look like rogue cultivators. Don't take offense, but you definitely won't be able to. Many sect disciples couldn't do it, let alone the two of you."
Sect disciples had always looked down on rogue cultivators. Hearing the older brother's words, Jian Lin wasn't angry, just unconvinced.
"Don't underestimate rogue cultivators. We spend a lot of time out in the world; our experience is far greater than yours," Jian Lin said, crossing her arms confidently. "Just watch, I'll definitely get in and become the world's number one sword."
The older brother smiled without speaking, taking Jian Lin's words as youthful boasting.
Jian Lin, too lazy for further conversation, turned and grabbed the Demon Lord, pulling him to queue up beside them.
Their attire was very simple: coarse cloth Daoist robes. The Demon Lord only had a hairband on his head, while Jian Lin was slightly better off with a red jade hairpin.
More importantly, the style of their Daoist robes did not belong to any sect, indicating they were rogue cultivators.
In this barrier, they were the only two rogue cultivators, an unusual presence.
As they went to queue, the surrounding sect disciples immediately cast curious glances, as if laughing at their overestimation of their abilities.
The Demon Lord leaned closer and whispered into Jian Lin's ear, "Do you have confidence? What if you can't pull it out later?"
The Demon Lord was afraid Jian Lin would be embarrassed and upset.
"It's fine, it's just a try. If sect disciples can't pull it out, will they dare to laugh at me?" Jian Lin was very philosophical about it.
The Demon Lord thought for a moment and continued, "Then what if you can't pull it out, but I can?"
"Then you go in and have a look. I'll crush my token and wait for you outside the secret realm," Jian Lin said casually. Her cultivation had greatly increased, and she was no longer as clingy to the Demon Lord, capable of handling things on her own.
After saying that, Jian Lin seemed to recall something and turned to ask the Demon Lord, "Then if I pull it out and go in, and you, Chong Yuan..."
The Demon Lord said confidently, "I will definitely be able to get in."
"Don't be too confident, be careful you don't get stuck and can't get in," Jian Lin teased him with a smile.
The Demon Lord grabbed her shoulder and pushed her forward, signaling her to focus on queuing.
While waiting, Jian Lin chatted with the Demon Lord again. "Who is this Daoist Guixu? Have you heard of him?"
"I have. Just like the cave's name, he is a Sword Immortal, said to be a demigod. His cultivation has reached its limit, and his divine consciousness can leave his body and roam the heavens and earth. In my understanding, a Sword Immortal is only a thought away from tribulation and ascension. It's just strange; I don't know why he hasn't ascended."
For some reason, Jian Lin inexplicably thought of Granny Sacred Fox, that three-thousand-year-old fox who was focused on doing business, making money, and enjoying men, unwilling to ascend.
"He must be clinging to worldly desires," Jian Lin teased with a smile, "unwilling to leave his wife, children, and warm hearth."
The Demon Lord frowned and commented with strong disapproval, "Vulgar. He's a Sword Immortal, and I've never heard of him having a Dao companion."
Jian Lin detected something unusual in the Demon Lord's tone. "You seem to... admire him?"
The Demon Lord, the self-centered narcissist who believed himself supreme, was defending someone for the first time.
"Sword Immortal. Anyone who practices the sword cannot help but admire him," the Demon Lord said solemnly.
Jian Lin said indifferently, "I don't admire him."
The Demon Lord snorted, "You're not a sword practitioner."
Just as Jian Lin was about to retort to this statement, the Demon Lord suddenly reminded her, "It's your turn. Go and try it quickly."
Jian Lin turned to look ahead. She saw that the area in front of the cave was overgrown with weeds, and a stone sword was inserted diagonally in the center. The scabbard was mottled and weathered, testifying to the passage of time.
After all the talk, Jian Lin couldn't help but feel nervous. She slowly walked forward.