Volume Three: Rising Fame - Chapter 65: An Overview of the Secret Realm

"What is the current situation?"

As these words left his lips, several people exchanged glances, confused by his meaning. Could it be… were they still expected to negotiate points for their ransom? If so, that would be truly unscrupulous.

"Yes, the current situation," Li Yu said languidly. "Tell me about what has been happening in this secret realm—what you have experienced!"

Li Yu had noticed some abnormalities as early as yesterday. Since the tokens began providing directional guidance, the frequency of encountering others had increased significantly, and he had been eager to ask some questions. However, those who were alone would flee as soon as they caught a glimpse of him from afar. As for those traveling in groups, they would whisper amongst themselves upon seeing him approach alone and then turn away, seemingly cautious of something.

This state of affairs left Li Yu feeling baffled, but he eventually decided that rather than tiring himself out by running around, it would be better to wait for a few to walk right into his trap. And here they were—Wen Xiangxuan and her group, having taken the bait.

"What has been happening?" The group looked at each other. What could possibly happen in this secret realm? It was just the usual scramble for resources; even if there were some explosive news, it wouldn't be something an outsider could easily discover.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Li Yu listened to their chatter as they recounted trivial matters, his head throbbing. He cut them off, saying, "What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Do you think I want to know about 'a clansman who, unable to bear the loneliness, took action against a beast'?"

He pointed a finger at the fiery woman known as the eldest sister. "You, tell me! I want to know about things that are useful to me. You know what I find useful, don't you?"

Wen Xiangxuan tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and gave a slight nod. "We don't know much about any truly significant events that have occurred in the secret realm. However, it is rumored that several people from minor clans, who were previously obscure, have now shocked everyone by revealing themselves to be at the fifth-grade cultivation level."

A smart person gets straight to the point. Li Yu nodded in satisfaction. He now had the capital to be proud; to him, those at the peak of the sixth grade were no match for a single strike. Only those at the fifth grade required his attention.

No rebuttal? Wen Xiangxuan glanced at Li Yu, and a realization solidified in her mind: this youth before her was likely also at the fifth-grade cultivation level.

"Apart from the known fifth-grade cultivators, six additional ones have emerged. These six each have their own following. We didn't dare to make contact, so we don't know the specific details," Wen Xiangxuan said.

This was a normal occurrence. Even those with proud and solitary dispositions would eventually set aside their arrogance when repeatedly faced with groups of lower-ranked cultivators they couldn't overcome alone, choosing instead to gather their own followers. It was a vicious cycle; in such a short time, it was nearly impossible to see anyone traveling alone. Most moved in groups, almost always led by someone at the peak of the sixth grade. Those who dared to travel solo were either incredibly powerful or decoys; in either case, others were too afraid to engage.

This was why people had avoided Li Yu earlier—they were all worried about lurking dangers. As for why they didn't think he was a lone straggler fleeing from an ambush, it was because Li Yu appeared far too composed and at ease; he looked nothing like a desperate stray dog.

"Six?" Li Yu muttered. "Two from the Imperial Clan, one from the Qingyuan Clan, and seven from the major clans—that makes sixteen in total? Are those six all at the early fifth-grade stage?"

When he tallied it up, there were quite a few fifth-grade cultivators, weren't there? Li Yu looked at Wen Xiangxuan; since she knew of these six, she should know their cultivation depths.

"Isn't the Imperial Clan three..." Wen Xiangxuan started to instinctively correct him, but suddenly stopped, her face turning pale. If the other party was so certain, did that mean one of the Imperial Princes had fallen? If it weren't a major clan capable of carving out its own territory, who would dare to strike at the Imperial family? Even if they had the nerve, they lacked the strength. Everyone from the Imperial family who entered the secret realm was at the fifth-grade level!

Wen Xiangxuan was the leader of her group not only because of her peak sixth-grade strength but also because she was bold and meticulous, having guided her team away from danger multiple times. A youth, a high cultivation level, and a major clan—connecting these three points, only Li Yu of the Qing Clan fit. When he had struck earlier, he hadn't used spiritual energy. At first, she thought he was a secret disciple from some family with profound martial arts, but now, it was clear: this was the Thunder Bloodline that had been famous even before entering the secret realm.

Before entering the secret realm, she had actually tried to invite Li Yu to join her group, but as expected, she had been rejected. She hadn't expected that a person's reputation would precede them like the shadow of a tree; the Qing Clan’s widely publicized Thunder Bloodline had taken out a prince of the Great Ming Dynasty as soon as he entered the realm. His sharpness was truly undeniable!

Collecting her thoughts, Wen Xiangxuan replied, "That is the rumor, though I cannot say for certain if they are hiding their true cultivation."

After asking a few more questions, Li Yu found nothing else of interest. His eyes flashed with a sharp glint, as if he had suddenly thought of something. "Have you seen any demons in the secret realm?"

At these words, a commotion broke out. Those representing their clans in the secret realm were all elite disciples, and most were quite sensitive to the word "demon." Some had even participated in the suppression of demons in the past! It seemed as though demons had vanished without a trace after the fall of the Great Qin, but in reality, their shadows remained in many places, and there were still signs of their activity within the borders of the Great Ming. However, they were few, and most were hiding in the shadows.

"Quiet! Am I asking you, or are you asking me?" Li Yu frowned and spoke loudly.

The noise died down. However, as Li Yu watched closely, he noticed two of the nine people showed fear in their eyes, seemingly terrified by the mention of demons—and these two were the ones who had encountered demons in the past.

Wen Xiangxuan, whose psychological fortitude as a leader was quite high, was the first to calm down. "We have not seen any. If we had, we likely wouldn't be standing here right now!"

Li Yu asked, "Have you heard any news?"

"No..." Wen Xiangxuan suddenly recalled something. She hesitated and said, "Yesterday, people from a clan in one area suddenly suffered heavy casualties. Many fled toward our side. We didn't make contact with them, but the incident was undeniably strange."

Without concrete information, he couldn't confirm anything. Li Yu felt a bit restless. He had asked this suddenly because he didn't feel anything himself. Both he and that young man in the black robe were from Blue Star; perhaps that was why he felt nothing. But the other clan members were all natives of this world. If they showed any reaction, he could use that to confirm his suspicions. Were people from Blue Star really the "demons" spoken of in this other world?!

Although it didn't affect him personally, the matter weighed on Li Yu's mind.

"Young Master, have you seen a demon?" Wen Xiangxuan asked, emboldened by Li Yu's complex expression.

Li Yu shot her a sidelong glance. "Why do you ask?"

He was the one trying to find answers; how could he know the answer if she asked him back?

"Most clan members stay in groups now, so the possibility of sudden, massive casualties in a single area is very low... unless some special circumstances arise!" Wen Xiangxuan didn't explicitly state what those circumstances were, but she quickly noticed a change in Li Yu's expression.

Just as Wen Xiangxuan said, clan members mostly stayed together and did not engage in unnecessary conflict. This wasn't a game of big fish eating little fish; it wasn't a case of the strong simply bullying the weak. If Li Yu hadn't lacked killing intent, even if he were crushing them, they would have fought back desperately if they saw no hope of escape. Therefore, without certainty, people in the same area generally kept to themselves, even if they were secretly looking for opportunities to devour one another.

Li Yu understood this. What, then, could cause heavy casualties in an area? It had to be an external factor. For instance, if a demon that couldn't conceal its aura appeared, the clan members, driven by the will of the world, would charge in one after another, making the casualties easily explainable.

"Are practitioners from Blue Star really demons?" Li Yu felt this notion was absurd, yet he knew it might be true. Then another thought surged: "Good heavens, are Blue Star practitioners really that fierce? One must remember that the current state of this world was caused by the 'demons' destroying the Great Qin."

He tapped his finger lightly against the rock, quickly suppressing the thought. He waved his hand, "Go down and catch a dozen more fish for me. Then you may leave!"

The person he pointed to was the youth who had brought the grilled fish. Upon hearing this, the youth didn't argue and obediently jumped into the stream to catch more. However, these stream fish were fast, and their true positions were distorted by the water. The inexperienced youth splashed around, getting soaked, but caught nothing.

"He's really hopeless," Can Yishuang muttered from the side.

Li Yu chuckled. If he hadn't been secretly using his lightning power under the water to numb the fish for her, did she really think she had caught them so easily out of pure skill?

"Young Master, may we go down and help him?" Wen Xiangxuan asked in a low voice. Seeing the youth sweating with anxiety and failing to catch a single fish, she felt a flash of embarrassment. It would be easy to use a wide-range attack to blast a few fish out, but that would leave them mangled, and she wasn't sure if that would satisfy Li Yu. That was why she had spoken up. There was strength in numbers; she didn't believe that if they all stood in a line and swept through, they wouldn't be able to catch any fish.

"If you all go down, what fun is there for me to watch?" Li Yu waved his hand, refusing.

With one person down there, he couldn't pull any tricks, and he could watch with peace of mind. If too many people went down, he couldn't keep an eye on them all. What if they poisoned one of the fish? That would be a disaster.

Sitting cross-legged on the rock, Li Yu propped his head up and stared blankly. His eyes were fixed on the back of the youth in the stream, but his gaze was unfocused, clearly lost in thought.

"I have a general understanding of the situation in the secret realm. Now, how should I proceed..." Li Yu murmured. He had obtained the Snow Fox Demon Vine, but how to earn points was the next hurdle. He needed to weigh his options carefully.