I Can See Through All Things' Information Chapter 1257 - 769: The Tip of the Talent Iceberg, Secret Realm Closure (2)

Everyone grasped what Old Cyan Dragon meant.

A massive drain of power is needed to keep the numerous formations and barriers running inside the secret realm.

Even though the barriers laid down by their master had achieved endless sustainability long ago, pulling power from the Infinite Void to keep going.

Still, shutting the secret realm would quietly cut down a large portion of that drain, preserving extra spiritual energy for Lu Qing's practice.

They had all seen Ah Qing's practice sessions, and his hunger for spiritual energy was downright frightening.

Every time he pushed through a minor stage, he sucked in spiritual energy that would stun even experts at the Unity Realm Stage.

The leftover supplies in the Immortal Palace truly couldn't meet Ah Qing's practice demands anymore.

Therefore, sealing the secret realm early really was a smart choice.

"It's feasible, yet we must hold off until every cultivator in the trial path gets ousted before sealing the secret realm."

Ming Feng thought it over briefly and replied, "In the past, our master followed the rule of teaching all without bias, so with folks still hanging on in the trial path, we can't cut them off—better to wait for their elimination to close the secret realm."

"Fine, based on how things stand now, it'll take only a handful of years longer at worst."

On this occasion, Old Cyan Dragon offered no resistance and gave a nod of approval.

Its eyes shifted to the handful of lingering light screens right before it.

Those screens prominently displayed the forms of Yu Jian and his companions.

That said, Old Cyan Dragon saw clearly they stood no chance of succeeding.

These cultivators might count as gifted prodigies, but they were missing that essential groundwork in the end.

Back in the day, even without making it through, they'd get at least an outer disciple position, offering them a shot at growth.

Now, however, Lu Qing's brilliance made Yu Jian and the rest look downright ordinary.

No point in squandering supplies on such types.

During the following period, an odd vibe settled over the secret realm.

Nearly every major powerhouse was discreetly digging into Lu Qing's details.

After all, with a being so overwhelmingly fearsome, who wouldn't crave insight into his roots?

Yet, oddly, despite deep discussions and probes, nobody had any real grasp on Lu Qing's origins.

His teacher, his home realm, and even his looks—nobody had the slightest clue.

He came across as if he'd popped into existence from nowhere, wrapped in enigma.

The deeper the mystery, the greater the awe and dread he inspired in all.

A powerhouse of his caliber, with zero intel available, pointed to just a few possibilities.

And any of those possibilities alone was plenty to leave everyone deeply uneasy.

Still, one detail puzzled the secret realm's powerhouses.

On the day Lu Qing took position at the trial path's end, he'd obviously planned to wipe out every Black and White Temple follower.

But right after slaying the Da Yuan Immortal Clan's Clan Leader, he vanished abruptly, without sticking around for Mo Tushan's arrival.

Was it possible that during his clash with the Da Yuan Immortal Clan's Clan Leader, Lu Qing hadn't been as effortless as he seemed, but had taken serious wounds and pulled back?

This question got resolved months down the line, thanks to yet another powerhouse booted from the trial path.

That powerhouse turned out to be Peach Fairy of the Pavilion of the Enchanting Immortal.

"Senior sister, you're saying Mo Tushan is dead already?"

The Pavilion of the Enchanting Immortal disciple blurted out in surprise, startling the other faction leaders who turned to stare.

Mo Tushan dead?

A few powerhouses instantly thought back to Lu Qing's exit.

Did he already know Mo Tushan had perished, or had he been the one responsible?

Peach Fairy clearly wanted to spread the word too, as she gave a small nod: "Yes, a top-tier powerhouse in the seventh layer of the Physical Body path struck him down with a single palm."

One palm to kill!

The powerhouses' shock intensified.

Those who'd first guessed Lu Qing was behind it stood stunned.

Since everyone knew Lu Qing was a top sword cultivator of immense might, and the star-fusing sword move from that day still sent shivers through their souls.

Was there yet another hidden, terrifying powerhouse in the trial path capable of overpowering Mo Tushan?

"So Mo Tushan truly died—no surprise he departed straight away that day. Does he know the one who took out Mo Tushan?"

The Pavilion of the Enchanting Immortal disciple whispered.

"Know that person? What exactly are you on about?" Peach Fairy sounded puzzled.

"Senior sister, you're unaware..."

The Pavilion of the Enchanting Immortal disciple lit up with excitement and swiftly retold the recent events.

Now it was Peach Fairy's turn to reel: "Hold on, you're telling me someone outside felled a Nine Tribulations Primordial Spirit with a single sword?"

"That's right, that Nine Tribulations Primordial Spirit was the Da Yuan Immortal Clan's Clan Leader. Ordinarily, without angering that mighty sword cultivator senior, he'd have been safe, but he went ahead and sought his doom, banking on his Nine Tribulations Primordial Spirit level to grab that senior's treasure, only to get sliced apart by one sword..."

Nearby, the Da Yuan Immortal Clan members burned with shame as they heard their Clan Leader mocked so boldly.

Yet regardless of their inner turmoil, they swallowed it down, keeping faces blank.

In their current dire straits, with the Clan Leader gone, they were the weakest among the groups—if they spoke up, total destruction could follow.

Thus, no matter the chatter around them, they had to act deaf.

Meanwhile, Peach Fairy absorbed her junior's tale but sensed an off note.

She cut off her still-babbling junior: "Hold up, what did that mighty sword cultivator look like?"

"Truth is, senior sister, you've encountered him yourself. He was the Five Tribulations cultivator toying with Mo Tushan back then—it seems he was hiding his true power on purpose... Senior sister, why the face?"

The Pavilion of the Enchanting Immortal disciple was set to keep narrating when she caught her senior sister's strange expression.

Peach Fairy looked a bit lost and mumbled: "The powerhouse who crushed Mo Tushan in the Physical Body path... that's the same guy you're describing..."

"What!"

Yet again, the powerhouses reeled in shock.

...

Days flew by swiftly, with years vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Lu Qing sat in secluded practice inside an Immortal Mountain Cave Mansion.

All at once, his eyes snapped open, gazing at the spiritual energy swirling around him, a touch of resignation crossing his features.

"At last, we've arrived here."

Lu Qing sensed the vast spiritual energy he'd drawn into his dantian, which, through his cultivation technique's workings, finally formed one thread of the purest mana.

This single thread of mana seemed completely negligible next to the vast mana reservoir in his dantian, akin to a mere droplet vanishing into the ocean without a ripple.

"After three years of practice, my level has truly hit Six Tribulations Great Success, though the spiritual energy in all these Immortal Mountain Cave Mansions across the second-layer area has at last become pointless for me."

Lu Qing shook his head with a sigh.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't entirely pointless.

However, given his mana's current refinement, even emptying a whole cave mansion's spiritual energy would yield just about a dozen threads of mana.

Such a small amount of mana meant next to nothing for boosting his practice.

Even hopping between cave mansions nonstop and depleting every bit of spiritual energy in the Immortal Mountain Cave Mansions wouldn't meaningfully advance his level.

Besides, the spiritual energy in those cave mansions needed time to replenish.

Considering his ongoing practice demands, despite the abundance of cave mansions in the second-layer space, they couldn't sustain an endless loop for his needs.

As a result, Lu Qing faced his old challenge once more.

Thanks to the superpower aiding his realm progress, he faced almost no barriers.

But the outer practice conditions harshly capped how fast he could advance.

"With my mana's purity at this stage, even Nourishing God Pills offer no benefit. Only ultra-refined power, from items like Top-grade Spiritual Stones, can aid my practice. Looks like it's time to head outside."

Lu Qing mulled over this silently.

Abruptly, a sound rang through his thoughts.

At that voice, Lu Qing paused in mild surprise.

"Hmm? The Returning Ruins Secret Realm's closure is nearing?"