ETR | Chapter 90

Xiao Wan had been saving up so much money before just to buy a gift worthy of Xiao Xueman.

He always thought he had more time to save a bit more, so the gift for daddy could be better, but time waits for no one, and now is the best time.

Because he represented the Chamber of Commerce in the Blue Sea Competition, Xiao Wan participated in two events and won first place in both.

Thanks to previous dealings, he maintained a good relationship with the Chamber of Commerce headquarters and could always speak up at times like this.

The Chamber of Commerce isn’t good at fighting, but they have a lot of treasures stored. Xiao Wan’s winnings multiplied his money several times, and the prizes from the Blue Sea Competition were pretty good.

All of this combined meant that exchanging for one or two nine-star spirit instruments at the Chamber of Commerce headquarters was definitely possible.

But ordinary nine-star spirit instruments were not something Xiao Xueman would lack; he could find a bunch of them.

Knowing that Xiao Xueman was going to the Secret Realm, Xiao Wan went to the Chamber of Commerce to ask for items related to the Secret Realm, especially those related to the Xu Yu Secret Realm.

He brought back a stone.

It just looked like a gray, dusty stone, like something picked up from the roadside, but when you squeezed it, it was soft, like mud. After a while, the part of the stone that was pressed down slowly bounced back, returning to its original shape.

If Yun Rong saw this, he would definitely laugh at Xiao Wan for being tricked by the Chamber of Commerce. He wouldn’t even touch such a gray, ugly thing.

When Xiao Wan got this thing, he could be somewhat sure that he wasn’t being tricked like a child. The stone indeed had very strong spiritual power, detectable, like a bottomless pit.

No matter how much force he used or what method, the stone would slowly bounce back after being pressed down, returning to its previous shape.

“The Chamber of Commerce said that many years ago, from the Xu Yu Secret Realm, they hired a team at great expense to bring this back from the center of the Secret Realm. No one knows how to use it, so it’s been sitting at the Chamber of Commerce,” Xiao Wan said.

After he finished speaking, his voice dropped,
“But, this claim is indeed hard to prove. I, I also don’t know how to use this thing.”

The Chamber of Commerce not only brought out this stone but also their best defensive spirit instrument and a few other items, all nine-star, obviously very precious, all somewhat related to the Xu Yu Secret Realm.

Xiao Wan, at that time, might have just acted on instinct and chose this one.

On the way back with this thing, he already felt a bit of regret.

Xiao Xueman, after hearing his story, didn't think it was something to regret.

The other nine-star items the Chamber of Commerce offered, whether spiritual herbs or spirit instruments, weren't very useful. Xiao Xueman could find things with similar effects, but this thing was special, and he couldn't see through it either.

"Maybe it will have a big use. Thank you, Xiao Wan," Xiao Xueman smiled at him, not refusing his son's goodwill at this time, carefully putting the stone away, "I like this gift. Uncertainty at this time means hope."

It was Qin Lou who realized something else at this moment.

The Chamber of Commerce headquarters is not a charity, and Xiao Wan certainly wouldn't tell them about Xiao Xueman's crisis. Even if they knew, the Chamber of Commerce wouldn't do anything for the two of them for no reason.

Even if Xiao Wan had cooperated with them for years, it wouldn't make them suddenly have such a big heart. Xiao Wan's money, even with the Blue Sea Competition prizes, wasn't enough.

Qin Lou, afraid that Xiao Wan might suffer a loss in this matter, voiced his doubts.

“I also gave them the Blue Sea Competition trophies, both of them. I asked Yun Rong and promised to compensate him in the future, and he agreed,” Xiao Wan replied frankly.

“I signed a guarantee myself. For future Blue Sea Competitions, as long as I meet the registration requirements, I will always represent the Chamber of Commerce.”

This was nothing to Xiao Wan; representing someone in a competition was a small matter, especially compared to Xiao Xueman's safety.

The next Blue Sea Competition would be twelve years later. According to Xiao Xueman's time estimation, this matter should be resolved by then.

He sighed and hugged his son.

Xiao Wan was his luckiest gift.

After giving the stone to Xiao Xueman and finishing his words, Qin Lou quickly became nervous.

Xiao Wan had mentioned before that he had also prepared a gift for him.

Unlike Xiao Xueman, it was the first time he received a gift from his son. Before, even speaking a few words was difficult.

Before Qin Lou could ask, he saw Xiao Wan take something off his neck.

It was the heart's blood necklace that Xiao Xueman had previously taken from his neck, green and still so beautiful.

He hesitated for a moment but eventually handed the necklace to Qin Lou.

"Put it on," Xiao Wan said, "I asked around, and no other spirit instrument is better than this, at least for you."

Qin Lou was momentarily speechless, stunned for a moment before reaching out his hand.

The necklace fell back into his palm, warm to the touch, a familiar warmth.

Xiao Wan stepped closer and continued, "I'm giving this back to you. You also promise to return daddy to me, whole and complete, okay?"

Xiao Xueman heard this and called out, "Xiao Wan!"

Qin Lou was just there to help; many things were not up to him to decide.

He didn't expect Qin Lou to agree immediately.

"Okay," he said, "Xueman will be fine."

"I'll be staying at Wangtian Immortal Gate during this time," Xiao Wan's expression relaxed slightly upon hearing this, "waiting for you to come back."

He said "you."

Even if Xiao Wan didn't have deep feelings for Qin Lou now, he didn't want him not to return at this time.

Xiao Xueman watched this scene and didn't intervene.

After all, he had already given the necklace to Xiao Wan before. Now, whatever Xiao Wan wanted to do with it was up to him.

He hadn't expected that after taking it back with such feelings, he would return it to Qin Lou under such circumstances.

That day, long after Xiao Wan gave the gift, Qin Lou still hadn't reacted.

Sometimes, he would touch the necklace around his neck, showing a slightly silly expression.

Xiao Xueman didn't say anything either.

Because when he saw this scene, sometimes he would unconsciously touch the thing around his own neck.

The heart's blood necklace Qin Lou made, who knows how many times he secretly perfected it later. Xiao Xueman made things in one go, while Qin Lou, on the other hand, always felt something wasn't good enough, so he would patch it up. But now, he finally gave it away.

Hanging around Xiao Xueman's neck, a glimmer of red.

No matter how much preparation was done, when the Secret Realm finally opened, the moment the two stood side by side was the calmest moment in a long time.

Yun Heng's face was a bit sour, standing a bit away from the two of them.

Maybe it was because Xiao Wan had also pawned off the two-person race trophy with Yun Rong. That trophy was shiny, and the Purple Lin Cloud Cat clan liked it a lot, but it was Yun Rong's after all. Since he agreed to Xiao Wan's actions, as his father, Yun Heng couldn't say much.

Xiao Xueman patted his shoulder and said, "If you see something you like in the Secret Realm, I'll get it for you, okay? Consider it compensation for Xiao Rong."

"My son is kind-hearted," Yun Heng wasn't that petty and quickly returned to the main topic, "But, can you really find what you're looking for here?"

The Xu Yu Secret Realm wasn't opening for the first time, but despite many forces venturing in, they never touched the "place closest to the rules."

"Hopefully," Xiao Xueman said, "we have to come anyway."

Qin Lou had already agreed to the demon clan because of the Hui Ling Talisman, and Xiao Xueman had some dealings with the Alchemist Association.

Besides the pill Qin Lou had, he had also prepared many medicines for the Secret Realm, using who knows how many materials from Zong Manluo.

The so-called teaching the Alchemist Association’s kids was agreed to be done after he returned, but some materials still needed to be returned, and Yun Rong would have to help take them out.

As mentioned before, all uncertainties now were opportunities for Xiao Xueman.

As soon as he finished speaking, a muffled sound reached his ears.

The muffled sound was like the roar of the earth, coming from afar and getting louder. Xiao Xueman could feel everything around him trembling.

"The Secret Realm has opened."

Yun Heng followed the sound with his eyes.

"It seems not far from us," he continued, "let's wait a bit longer."

The entrance to the Secret Realm wasn’t as fixed as a mine, and Yun Heng’s current range was quite broad, so the three of them were waiting on the Purple Lin Cloud Cat’s territory.

The entrance was extremely unstable just after opening, and venturing into the Secret Realm never followed a first-come, first-served rule, so waiting to see the situation was always a good idea.

“I mentioned before that this Xu Yu Secret Realm is somewhat special,” Yun Rong took a deep breath, as if sensing something again, “but… it seems a bit too special.”

When the three of them finally stood at the entrance, they realized what “too special” meant.

The entrance to a mine is usually large, but the entrance to a Secret Realm is small. Despite causing a big commotion, it was just a small point floating in mid-air.

There were quite a few people gathered around this small point.

Naturally, it wasn’t just the three of them wanting to enter the Secret Realm. Xiao Xueman glanced around and saw a bunch of familiar faces, but they were all hesitating, not daring to rush in.

Everyone could feel that this Xu Yu Secret Realm was very special, or rather, not just the Xu Yu Secret Realm.

Xiao Wan had previously entered the Tianyin, which was a very rare fusion mine. Although rare, it wasn’t unprecedented.

A fusion Secret Realm, however, was something that had never appeared before—but now it had.

“The other Secret Realm being fused, you should be very familiar with,” Xiao Xueman heard Yun Heng’s voice, “the Tai Xu Secret Realm.”

Of course, he was familiar. Xiao Xueman had ventured into it many years ago.

That time, the Tai Xu Secret Realm produced an unparalleled treasure, the fire-type supreme spirit instrument, the Eternal Heart Lotus, which he snatched and gave to Qin Lou.

Qin Lou, standing beside him, glanced at him upon hearing this.

“Let’s go,” Xiao Xueman said. “No matter what the situation is, I have to go.”