Chapter 108: Chapter 103: Secret Realm: Annulus

“Squelch—!”

Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang held hands tightly, as if piercing through a thin membrane.

The two seemed to have merged into the maple tree.

But inside, there was a world unto itself!

Chu Huaixu guessed they had entered an underground space.

Because after merging into the tree, he still felt a sense of falling.

“[Ding! You have entered the dual-player dungeon—Annulus.]”

He listened to the system prompt, feeling the terrifying nature of the lady of fortune.

“Indeed, the world protagonist who even falls into dungeons on the road.” He marveled in his heart.

Han Shuangjiang looked around, a bit bewildered.

Had she really entered an Inheritance Secret Realm?

Big Ice Cube found it somewhat unbelievable.

She surveyed her surroundings, but soon her gaze shifted downwards, focusing on their clasped hands.

She instinctively withdrew, feeling the warmth still lingering in her palm.

Chu Huaixu looked down, first at his own hand, then at her.

Under his unyielding gaze, it was Han Shuangjiang who felt a bit embarrassed after initially pulling away.

Big Ice Cube tried to change the subject: “Where is this?”

“A secret realm, I suspect underground,” Chu Huaixu said.

But for some reason, though there was no sun here, it was particularly bright all around.

Moreover, the ground was covered with greenery.

They were standing on a vast lawn.

Surrounded by grass, trees, and vibrant greenery.

It felt like early spring rather than autumn.

At the end of the visible horizon was a Stone Gate.

Presumably, opening the Stone Gate would lead to the second stage.

After exchanging a glance, they walked forward.

Han Shuangjiang slightly tightened her left hand, gripping the Spirit Sword [Zhegu Heaven].

Chu Huaixu held a Sword Scabbard, surveying the surroundings as they walked.

They hadn’t taken many steps before the plants around seemed to come alive!

Leaves fell from every tree, turning into throwing knives, sweeping towards them.

Han Shuangjiang’s long sword was instantly unsheathed.

Chu Huaixu merely stood there silently.

The green leaves gathered mid-air, forming into two green tornadoes.

They seemed capable of precisely targeting their positions, attacking from the left and right.

Han Shuangjiang immediately wielded Sword Qi, while Chu Huaixu vanished in place as if his feet had been smeared with oil.

—[Feixuan]!

As he predicted, the tornado of leaves followed him.

“We should stay apart if it hinders our performance,” he yelled.

“Alright!”

For an average First Realm individual, the speed of the tornadoes would be too fast.

But for Chu Huaixu with Minor Success in [Feixuan], it was nothing.

His Physique was already formidable, making his speed astonishing.

He maneuvered on the lawn as if taking a dog for a walk.

The green leaf tornado kept a few meters away, unable to harm him.

Chu Huaixu even had the leisure to observe Big Ice Cube, curious if she could unleash more power from [Zhegu Heaven] after learning swordsmanship.

As she swung her sword forward, a pale blue sword light flickered between heaven and earth!

Wherever the sword light reached, ice crystals formed.

A large number of leaves from the tornado were struck down by this slash, draped in a thin layer of frost!

Her combat experience was clearly lacking, sometimes defending in panic, other times attacking blindly.

Fortunately, her strength wasn’t weak, and she had a Super Grade Spiritual Artifact, so it wasn’t dangerous.

After a few swings, a third of the tornado was destroyed.

But its speed only increased.

Han Shuangjiang held the Spiritual Sword horizontally in front of her, then brushed her left fingers forcefully over the blade.

Wherever her fingers passed, a thick layer of ice crystalized on the blade.

In a short moment, the whole sword was frozen.

She let out a soft command, and with a flick of [Zhegu Heaven], the surrounding temperature seemed to drop a few degrees.

The ice on the sword shattered instantly, transforming into hundreds of pieces, shooting towards the upper tornado.

The clash of ice crystals and leaves caused the tornado to explode outward from the center.

Han Shuangjiang thought she had resolved everything, but dozens of leaves still approached her from an uncanny angle.

“Watch out!” Chu Huaixu, still maneuvering on the side, shouted a warning.

He moved swiftly, reaching Big Ice Cube before the leaves did.

Even faster than those leaves!

He swung the sleeve of his Black Gold Robe sharply, blasting away almost all the green leaves with Qi Force.

Only one leaf, like a fish slipping through the net, flew towards Han Shuangjiang’s cheek!

Her eyes focused, intending to turn her head instinctively.

But the leaf was too fast and at such a tricky angle, it was bound to leave a shallow blood mark on her face!

As her heart tightened, two fingers caught the leaf, stopping it about an inch from her left cheek.

Han Shuangjiang’s beautiful eyes trembled slightly, glancing at the fingers, then looking at the man in the Black Robe before her.

Chu Huaixu hadn’t even used a bit of Spiritual Power.

Relying purely on his physical strength, he easily caught the green leaf.

All happened in the blink of an eye.

The leaves were fast, but he was even faster!

“Watch out!” Han Shuangjiang, realizing the situation, shouted as the tornado chasing Chu Huaixu approached from above and behind him!

The two long fingers, only an inch from her cheek, began to move.

Chu Huaixu flicked the leaf he was holding towards the upper right side without turning his head!

—[Fingertip Thunder]!

The dominating True Gang attached to the green leaf, crashing into the terrifying tornado, releasing a thunderous clap, as if a thunderbolt exploded!

The imposing tornado was instantly shattered!

Chu Huaixu looked down at her, and she also looked up at Chu Huaixu with a face of shock.

Their eyes met, and the scattered leaves slowly descended all around.

It was as if a green rain was falling around them.

…

…

Han Shuangjiang’s eyelashes trembled slightly, then she looked away, no longer meeting Chu Huaixu’s gaze.

She spoke softly, “Thank you.”

Though the leaves weren’t much of a threat, as a young woman, she naturally didn’t wish for her face to be scratched.

Chu Huaixu looked at her and said casually, “It’s a small matter.”

However, after the earlier commotion, Han Shuangjiang once again realized the disparity in power between the two.

The other’s overall combat power was already far superior to hers by so much!

Chu Huaixu smiled slightly and asked, “Have you reached the First Realm Fourth Heaven as well?”

“Yes, broke through last night.” she replied.

“The Profound Yin Body indeed progresses rapidly, your cultivation speed is truly extraordinary.” he couldn’t help but exclaim.

Han Shuangjiang wondered, “Clearly, you broke through even faster than I did.”

“I just observed your swordplay, it seems you have already grasped the essence, at least reached Minor Success, right?” Chu Huaixu asked again.

“Yes, Yellow Level Swordsmanship isn’t hard to learn.” she said.

“With your comprehension, you should directly cultivate Profound Level techniques.”

Chu Huaixu wasn’t sure if his [Feixuan] and [Fingertip Thunder] could be passed on.

However, the former was alright, but the latter was too fierce and overpowering, not really suitable for Big Ice Cube.

His [Fingertip Thunder] was so fierce because he not only transformed his internal Spiritual Power into True Gang but also channeled the Qi Force of his body when releasing it!

Only with the combination of both did it have such power!

This poor girl, listening to Chu Huaixu’s words, recalled the strength he had shown earlier, and was eventually persuaded, deciding to… ask him for a “loan”.

“Indeed, now is not the time to worry about minor details, the most urgent thing is to improve my own strength.” she convinced herself.

She had clearly gone from working hard to improve to borrowing for improvement.

After exchanging a few more words, they walked toward the stone gate ahead.

As they walked forward, flowers bloomed on the grass beneath their feet.

Wherever they went, flowers bloomed there.

The girl looked at the miraculous scene before her, with a gleam in her eyes.

The fragrance of flowers filled the air, and the flowers bloomed brightly.

The frost on Big Ice Cube’s face faded slightly, and she became vibrant and lively.

“So beautiful.” she sighed inwardly.

The man and woman walked side by side along the path of flowers, making the atmosphere feel a bit more romantic.

When they reached the stone gate, Chu Huaixu began to push the gate open with great force.

Han Shuangjiang stood behind him and couldn’t help but look back at the sea of flowers, as if trying to imprint this beautiful scene into her mind.

…

…

The stone gate opened, and a wave of heat rushed out.

Behind the door, it seemed to be a scorching world!

Chu Huaixu felt something, vaguely guessing.

“This Secret Realm is called Annulus.”

“The first stage is probably [Spring].”

“And this stage is most likely [Summer]!”

The two of them walked inside, only to feel that the temperature around them was much higher than outside.

Chu Huaixu suspected it was about forty degrees.

This was a small path, with two rows of large trees alongside it.

As soon as they entered, the summer cicadas on the trees began to chirp.

One couldn’t tell how many cicadas were here.

The sound of their collective chirping was extremely noisy!

The cicadas’ chirping irritated Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang increasingly.

Moreover, it only became more and more vexing!

Within seconds, they started feeling dizzy.

A bit like a heat stroke, but even more uncomfortable.

The sound of the cicadas’ chirping definitely had something wrong.

This stage seemed to test the ability to walk forward amidst this dizzying sound.

This small path was very long.

This was torture on a mental level.

Chu Huaixu guessed that the further they walked, the louder the cicadas’ chirping would get, and the dizzier they would become, possibly causing people to black out on the spot.

It was likely targeting the Sea of Consciousness!

“Showing your skills in front of an expert!” Chu Huaixu chuckled scornfully.

These cicadas’ cries might be an unsolvable issue for ordinary Outer Sect Disciples.

But for someone with the [Heart Sword] like Chu Huaixu, it was far too easy.

——The sword cleaves the body, the heart cleaves the soul!

This Heart Sword could even shake off the Divine Sense of an unguarded Chu Yinyin.

If she were the measuring unit, could this Outer Sect’s Secret Realm possibly have the force of 1 Chu Yinyin?

Chu Huaixu waved a large hand, and the gold-trimmed sleeve of his Black Gold Robe fluttered in the air.

“Noisy!” he scolded.

The little black sword in the Sea of Consciousness lightly shook, and the entire world fell silent in an instant!

Seeing how effortlessly Chu Huaixu broke through this stage, Han Shuangjiang couldn’t help but look up at him.

Then, she froze momentarily.

Chu Huaixu lowered his head to meet her gaze, and he too was momentarily dazed.

Because their appearances had changed at this moment!

It was as if they had aged ten years upon entering through this stone gate.

Chu Huaixu seemed to have reached the age of stability; he looked more mature.

Han Shuangjiang had shed the naivety of a young girl, exuding a charm throughout her entire being.

…

(ps: Second update, requesting monthly votes!)

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