Chapter 7: Exclusive Secret Realm (Part 1)

The family disciple said, “It’s Master Qin Han.” Guo Shier smiled happily and said, “It’s my senior brother! Quick, invite him in—no, I’ll go greet him myself…” Before he could finish speaking, Qin Han had already entered. Seeing Guo Shier, he was momentarily stunned before smiling and saying, “Shier, you’re back.”
Guo Shier responded with a nod and asked, “Is there any news about Master?”
Qin Han’s smile vanished instantly. He said, “Shier, haven’t you found Master yet? Alas, there’s still no news from him. I came here specifically to inquire about the situation.”
Guo Shier felt a chill in his heart. He said, “I went to the last place where Master was seen. The only thing we can be sure of is that he’s still alive—he must have entered some secret realm, but we can’t find it. Grandpa Nanshan continued searching, so I returned first… Don’t worry, Master will be fine.” He thought of Master Luo Jie having received the inheritance from the Black Talisman People, which greatly enhanced his strength, ensuring he could protect himself.
Qin Han sighed bitterly. He didn’t know that Master had received the inheritance from the Black Talisman People, nor was he aware of the dangers in the Advanced Continent. He was currently only a Senior Grand Talismanist, thanks to Guo Shier’s help—he had taken the Path of Illusory Talismans, advancing from a Junior Grand Talismanist to a Senior one. Though he had great potential, his age limited his chances of further advancement.
He took out a large talisman storage bag and quietly handed it to Guo Shier, saying in a low voice, “These are Anluo Stones I collected for you—all top-quality pieces. Over 70,000 in total, accumulated over the years.”
Guo Shier nodded and stored the bag inside the spirit storage talisman of his life talisman sphere. The Chenxiao Sect had obtained few Anluo Stones, and their quality was quite ordinary. All the high-quality ones had been seized by the Northern Talisman Sect before being given to Guo Shier. It wasn’t that the Northern Talisman Sect refused to offer them to the Chenxiao Sect, but giving too many high-quality stones would be detrimental to them if the Chenxiao Sect discovered what Anluo Stones really were—it could become a source of trouble.
After chatting a bit more, Aunty Lan and Aunty Xin went out to prepare food.
Guo Shier asked, “Baozi, Shitou, Chen Bing, Xiaohong—what’s your current strength?”
Huo Bao replied, “I’ve already advanced to a Senior Talisman Warrior. With a little more effort, I can reach the rank of Junior Grand Talisman Warrior. Hehe, then I’ll be able to follow you.”

Hong Shi, Chen Bing, and Chen Hong had all reached the level of advanced Symbolic Martial Masters, showing just how hard they had worked. Yet this was still far from meeting the requirements to follow Guo Shier. With Guo Shier’s level as a junior Holy Master, Huo Bao and the others needed to reach at least the level of junior Mad Masters to follow him; otherwise, they would be a burden.

Guo Shier didn’t want to discourage these companions. He said, “Keep working hard. Once you reach the level of junior Grand Symbolic Martial Masters, go to secret realms for training. Staying in the family… it’s hard to advance quickly.”

Luo Zhan said, “This time, I must follow you no matter what! Baozi and the others have grown up now; they can manage this family.” He was now an advanced Grand Symbolic Martial Master, just one step away from reaching the level of Mad Master. Unfortunately, with the numerous trivial matters in the family, he couldn’t advance quickly.

Guo Shier now realized that the inheritance of the Illusory Path was still not good enough—it was several levels below the Altar Inheritance. This was the gap between the Intermediate Symbolic Continent and the Advanced Symbolic Continent. He thought of the ancient Soul Altar that Chou Mo had obtained. Perhaps Chou Mo had taken it to establish a sect. If he could obtain an ancient Soul Altar, he could also establish his own sect. With patience and steady development over hundreds of years, it wouldn’t be difficult to build one.

For the first time, Guo Shier conceived the idea of establishing a sect. To help those around him progress together, a good environment was crucial. However, he knew it wasn’t possible yet. First, his own strength wasn’t enough, and second, the strength of the family members was too weak. Only when he reached Chou Mo’s level, or the level of Zhu Jiamao and the Fiery Beauty, would it be possible for him to establish his own sect.

Aunt Lan directed a group of servants to bring steaming roasted meat, baskets of flatbreads, and large pots of hot soup.

Whether on the Lower Continent or the Intermediate Continent, everyone became happy whenever it was time to eat. Once the food was served, the atmosphere immediately became lively. While eating, Guo Shier asked, “Baozi, do you have any secret realms suitable for training?”

Huo Bao grabbed a large piece of meat, cut off a piece with a small knife, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed noisily before saying indistinctly, “Yes. The Chenxiao Sect has special secret realms for its disciples to train in. The four of us plan to go there in a while. In that realm… I heard there are many Symbolic Beasts, as well as a few low-level mutated Symbolic Beasts. It’s a testing ground for professionals below the master level.”

Guo Shier knew that the Chenxiao Sect had a complete set of methods for training disciples, far more effective than the Beifu Sect. As long as professionals followed this path, they could advance quickly—much better than at the Beifu Sect. Most importantly, practicing in the Chenxiao Sect was very safe, with a very low chance of disciples dying, unlike at the Beifu Sect, where disciples had to fight in the wastelands; sometimes, out of ten professionals, it was already good if six or seven could return.

Since Guo Shier appeared, Chen Hong had been quietly watching him, her gaze flickering uncertainly. She was no longer that shy little girl; seeing the gap between herself and Guo Shier, she felt somewhat disappointed.

After dinner, Guo Shier took out dozens of talismanic artifacts he had made in his free time, asking Huo Bao and the others to pick two each, while the rest were given to Luo Zhan to distribute among the family’s talismanic martial artists.

Huo Bao tried to speak several times but swallowed his words back each time. He really wanted Guo Shier to take them along, but he knew deep down that the four of them would not only be of no help but also hinder his progress—there was too big a gap between them.

The talismanic artifacts made by Guo Shier were extremely powerful, thanks to ancient soul-based crafting skills. Most of them were prototypes, but their power was extraordinary, belonging to top-tier talismanic artifacts. Ordinary talisman masters would not attempt to create such artifacts, as they were useless to them.

After leaving the artifacts behind, Guo Shier didn’t stay any longer. He sent a message token to Monier and prepared to leave immediately. Huo Bao finally couldn’t hold back and said, “Shier, the four of us… we’d better follow you.”

Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “Going to the secret realm… is very dangerous…”

Chen Hong also mustered up her courage and said, “Shier, we’ll guard your home for you.”

Luo Zhan stepped forward as well. “Shier, this time I must go with you.”

Aunt Lan said from the side, “I heard Shier has a residence in Haicheng. Aunt Lan will help you manage it.”

Qin Han said, “Shier, let them go. I’ll find someone else to protect the family. It’s fine… If they go, they can handle many chores, so you don’t have to deal with them personally, saving you a lot of time.”

Guo Shier was somewhat tempted. At that moment, two people descended from the sky. Guo Shier was surprised and said, “Masteress, Uncle Yan Long, how did you come here?” Then he realized—Yan Long was a junior Grand Master, also searching for a way to enter the Advanced Continent.

Monier said, “I came with my senior brother… Shier, take him to Haicheng with you.”

Yan Long said, “That’s right, Shier. I’ll have to trouble you this time.”

Guo Shier quickly replied, “No trouble at all. What are your plans, Uncle?”

Yan Long pondered for a moment before saying, “I need to obtain the identity of a wandering adventurer and then join a sect on the Advanced Continent.”
Guo Shier nodded. “That’s easy. I have acquaintances in Haicheng who can help us.”
Huo Bao whispered, “Shier, take us with you.”
Finally, Guo Shier made up his mind and said, “Alright, I’ll take you there. Maybe you can find your own opportunities.”
Huo Bao and the others cheered, glad to finally be able to follow Guo Shier. No matter their current strength, there were undoubtedly more opportunities on the Advanced Continent than in the Chenxiao Sect.
Luo Zhan and Qin Han discussed things for a while before ordering several clan disciples to pack their belongings. He was also excited because Eagle Demon had risen rapidly to the level of Saint Master by following Guo Shier. He himself was still just a High-Level Talisman Martial Artist, just one step away from becoming a Mad Master—this opportunity had to be seized.
Guo Shier said, “I need to take them in two trips; I can’t bring that many at once.”
Fortunately, cross-continents talismans could be used repeatedly. Guo Shier divided them into two groups and took Yan Long, Luo Zhan, Aunt Lan, Huo Bao, and others to his home in Haicheng.
Eagle Demon was delighted—with so many companions arriving, the home became lively.
Chen Hong said, “Aunt Lan and I will take care of household chores.” Before Guo Shier could respond, she and Aunt Lan began assigning tasks: cleaning the courtyard, washing clothes, and tidying up the rooms.
Eagle Demon laughed, “A home only feels like a home with women around. With all these men, it’s quite messy.”
Guo Shier asked, “Are there any updates?”
Eagle Demon replied, “Your friend was here and said he’d come back in a few days.”
Guo Shier asked, “Was it Xuan Ai?”
Eagle Demon nodded. “It was him. He seemed to have some business. I asked him… but he refused to say.”
Yan Long asked, “Isn’t Brother Kumu here?”
Guo Shier replied, “My master went out to investigate. He said he wanted to learn more about the sects on this continent. I think he’ll be back soon.”
Yan Long nodded and said, “I’ll go out for a stroll first… I’ll be back in a while.”
Guo Shier stopped him, “Uncle Yan, don’t rush to leave. Not having an identity here is a big problem, especially for adventurers… Wait until my friend arrives, and I’ll get everyone identity talismans to live in Haicheng.”

Yan Long nodded in understanding and said, “Arrange a room for me. I’ll rest for now. Call me when your friend arrives.” His status in the Chenxiao Sect was extremely noble, but Guo Shier had seen too many great masters, so he wasn’t impressed anymore. “Okay,” he said. He waved to call over a family disciple to arrange a room for Yan Long.

Guo Shier said, “Uncle Luo, since you’re here, you should take charge of managing the household.”

Luo Zhan nodded. “No problem. But make sure to include me in any activities… I don’t want to keep staying at home.” Only by going out on adventures could one have opportunities—this was something every professional understood. Staying at home meant practicing methodically, with no chance of continuous advancement. Without excitement or danger, a mundane life was never what a successful professional would pursue.

Guo Shier nodded in agreement. A high-level Great Talisman Martial Artist might not be of much help, but he wouldn’t be a burden either. As long as one was careful, they still had the ability to protect themselves.