Chapter 226 - 224: The Yang Family’s Breakthrough, Lost in the Exotic Realm

When Yang Shen first arrived in the Exotic Realm, back in Yanhua, Jianghuai City.

The calendar had turned to late October, the very picture of autumn, and Cangwu Garden had grown increasingly cool.

On the fourth floor of the ancestral hall, two graceful figures were cultivating side-by-side. Anyone with Qi Sensitivity would have been able to feel the Spiritual Qi of the Yang Residence—so different from the outside world—being rapidly drawn into their bodies.

Xu Bamboo, like Yang Shen when he first started, had just entered the Qi Refining Realm. Her daily cultivation time was limited. As a "State Realm," it focused on harmonizing the body, which made it slightly different from the "Accumulation Realm" of Martial Arts.

Forcing one’s cultivation would throw both body and mind into disarray.

But Xu Bamboo was far beyond where Yang Shen had been at that stage. The difference between an Innate Level body and one at the Skin Refining stage was massive. In the Cultivation Realm, this was known as a "Transparent Constitution."

Therefore, she would progress through the initial stages of Cultivation much more quickly.

As she was diligently cultivating, feeling the "Source" accumulate within her body, Xu Bamboo heard footsteps on the stairs behind her. A moment later, Lei Lv walked up.

"Xu, my brother messaged us. He arrived safely at Harmony Island last night and is heading to the Exotic Realm today."

Xu Bamboo opened her eyes and smiled. "That’s good. Being at sea for more than ten days with no news was starting to get worrying."

The messages were painfully slow and had to be reviewed by Yanhua Official communication channels, but any news was better than no news at all.

Xu Bamboo said, "Take a look for me. Has my guidance speed gotten a little faster? I feel like something’s changed recently."

With that, she resumed circulating the "Secret Transmission Ancient Skill." Lei Lv’s eyes widened as he observed her. He was now the only one in the family at the Qi Refining Second Layer.

"You are a bit faster than a few days ago." Then, Lei Lv added, looking a little puzzled, "Actually, Mo’s and Man’s cultivation speeds have also increased these past two days, but mine and Lei Yi’s haven’t."

He didn’t know that this was because the range of the Earth Soil Pottery Jar’s Earth Vein Recognition had gradually expanded to include the inner courtyard.

Xu Bamboo, Yang Mo, and Yang Man, who all possessed an Earth Attribute Spiritual Root, were receiving a boost.

But Lei Lv and Lei Yi, who both had a Single Spiritual Root, and Long Jiu, with her Water and Fire Dual Spiritual Roots, felt nothing at all.

Although Yang Shen had left many instructions before he departed, he couldn’t possibly have covered every single detail.

’He was just leaving, not dying...’

Before he could say more, a patter of footsteps came from downstairs. Yang Mo and Yang Man came charging up, giggling, with Xiaolei Yi, who always ran wild with the older kids, trailing behind them.

Yang Mo and Yang Man proudly held out their hands. "Lei Lv! Look at this!"

Lei Lv froze. He saw a small stream of "Source" being released from each of their palms, like a tiny fountain.

It was normal for him to see it, but for Yang Mo and Yang Man to be consciously doing it was a different matter entirely... especially since they could already exert some basic control over the released "Source."

This meant that his two younger sisters had broken through to the second layer of the Secret Transmission!

A look of joy spread across Lei Lv’s face.

’This is great!’

To think there was another master in their midst. Lei Yi bounced up and down foolishly. "Let me play! Let me play!"

Everyone froze for a second. Yang Mo smacked Lei Yi on the head. "Can you even see it? Stop yelling nonsense."

Lei Yi rubbed his head, looking aggrieved. "What do you mean, can’t see! Hmph! I can do it too!"

With that, he raised his hand and released a wisp of Spiritual Qi, making it spin in his palm as he pouted.

"I’ve been able to do this for a while now! It’s prettier than yours! I’m not gonna let you play with it!"

And with that, he ran back downstairs.

For a moment, the fourth floor fell silent.

Xu Bamboo looked at Lei Lv. "Xiaolei Yi... he can too?"

Lei Lv covered his face. "Yeah... Looks like it."

’That kid... when did he manage that? He could have at least said something!’

’Just buries his head in his Cultivation without saying a peep, huh?’

Still, it was a good thing.

After his brother left, Tao Ying was naturally in charge of household affairs, but all matters concerning Ancient Skill cultivation had been entrusted to Lei Lv. He had to guide his younger siblings, and even Xu and Long Jiu, in their Cultivation. His brother’s disciple had also recently begun practicing "Vomiting Valley Qi."

After the Patriarch’s departure, the Yang Family had entered an age of mass Cultivation. Lei Lv felt like a half-baked instructor, running around helping everyone, and feeling terribly insecure about it all.

Seeing these results now, he felt much more at ease.

He had been terrified that when his brother returned, the others would say, "We accomplished jack squat with our Cultivation! Lei Lv held everyone back!"

If that happened, all he could do was jump off the ancestral hall.

Yang Mo and Yang Man were a bit speechless. Lei Yi’s absurd breakthrough had somewhat dampened their excitement. Still, they held out their hands. "Bring out the things our brother left for us! We’re going to start studying!"

When Yang Shen left, he had transcribed a lot of "basic content" into manuals. Among them, besides some Spirit Plant Minor Magic, were the fundamentals of "Arrays."

Yang Shen had always told his two younger sisters that they had a talent for this path, and both of them had been looking forward to it for a long time.

A gentle look filled Xu Bamboo’s eyes as she watched the group of children laugh and play.

Once upon a time, what she had longed for most was a warm home and a normal family.

And now, she had it all...

All that was left for the rest of her life... was the grand ambition to continuously advance on the path of Martial Arts and behold ever more of its scenery.

’I wonder what the Exotic Realm is like...’

’Shenzi, next time, I will definitely be with you, fighting shoulder to shoulder!’

Xu Bamboo centered herself and closed her eyes again.

————

Ten thousand kilometers away... No, to be precise, it wasn’t the same world at all.

Boundless sand and dust filled the air, and visibility was steadily decreasing.

A tall figure, with boxes stacked several meters high on his back, stood silently in a valley.

’I’ve been following the arrow this whole time... I’ve walked for dozens of kilometers... I thought I was getting close.’

’So can someone please tell me why the arrow is pointing back the way I came?!’

Yang Shen was completely exasperated.

’Is this thing doing a U-turn on me?!’

The dust storms of the Noon Realm already severely impacted communications, and this place was nowhere near developed enough to have launched any satellites. The so-called positioning system relied solely on a few communication base stations within a small area...

A situation like this wasn’t surprising.

But it was absolutely infuriating!

Yang Shen looked up, trying to find the sun. The briefing materials said it also rose in the east and set in the west here, but all he could see was a sallow, yellow sky. The sun was completely invisible.

The only thing he could be sure of was the time. It should be five o’clock in the afternoon in the Noon Realm, which also had a 24-hour day.

The arrow on his device pointed left one moment and backward the next... twitching nonstop as if it had ADHD.

’This is trouble... It’ll only get more difficult once night falls.’

Yang Shen pulled down his face covering to take a sip of water and felt his nasal passages were full of sand.

’I must be outside the ’random anchor’ range. The chances of being rescued if I stay put are slim... Exploring the Exotic Realm is just as dangerous as they said...’

He decided to walk a bit further before it got dark. If things didn’t improve, he would have no choice but to rest for the night.

The wind was kicking up all this dust; there would be times when it died down. His visibility would improve then, and the communication device on his wrist might recover slightly.

Despite carrying several hundred kilograms of supplies, Yang Shen’s pace was not the least bit slow. He followed the general direction the twitching "arrow" was pointing, not daring to go too fast for fear of straying even further off course.

About half an hour later, as the sky grew darker, he finally heard something!

’Someone’s there!’

Yang Shen immediately headed toward the sound, but he kept his guard up.

The Noon Realm was being jointly developed by the three great hegemons of Cyan Blue, making the situation very complex. Encountering someone didn’t necessarily mean they were friendly.

This was the first multinational joint development in the history of Cyan Blue, and it was rife with plots and conspiracies.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, he saw someone clad in full-body armor.

It was impossible to tell the person’s true height, but in the armor, they stood nearly two meters tall. Every single crevice of their body was encased in metal, even their feet. Structures resembling the segments on a centipede’s back connected the various curved plates.

The helmet had only a single, cross-shaped slit in the center, from which a hint of blue Spiritual Light pierced through the yellow sand.

This was a "Temple Warrior" from Europe. Of course, the term "Warrior" was the Yanhua translation; in their own language, they were called "Temple Knights."

Martial Arts flourished on Cyan Blue, with every country and region having its own unique characteristics. Although Yanhua was currently leading the pack, in their day, the "Temple Warriors" were also a force that struck fear into the hearts of many.

This was especially true after they obtained the "Rune Inheritance" from the Fortress Realm, which greatly enhanced their unique style of armored combat.

According to the intel... they excelled in Power, defense, and functionality, but were weak in speed and flexibility.

As for their cultivation realm, it was similar to Yanhua’s, with different levels of strength. But to be able to come to the Exotic Realm, one had to be at least at the equivalent of the Innate level to start.

Rune Armor was extremely expensive. Not every Temple Warrior could afford it; only the nobility of Europe could possess a full suit.

For example, among the exchange students Yang Shen had seen at Jiangti, having a single arm guard was considered impressive. They couldn’t afford a full suit of armor even if they sold their own asses.

’A true expert, then? A young noble master here to earn military honors?’

Yang Shen and the figure noticed each other at the same time, both warily sizing the other up.

Yang Shen grew even more wary when he noticed that the other party wasn’t carrying any supply boxes...

After a moment, the other party spoke a phrase in a European language. Yang Shen didn’t understand it—Yanhu People rarely learned foreign languages—but he had a translation device.

In terms of modern technology, Europe was far inferior to Yanhua; they were, after all, a nation that still liked to show off with Sailing Warships.

Yang Shen tossed the translator over. The other party caught it in mid-air, spoke into it at length, and tossed it back. Words appeared on its screen.

"Are you lost as well? What family is your destination?"

Yang Shen spoke as well and tossed it back. "The Xi Family."

The "Temple Warrior" glanced at the device. "I see. Not the same destination. Can you contact your people?"

Yang Shen shook his head.

The "Temple Warrior" nodded, the armor emitting a metallic sound. The two then seemed ready to pass each other, maintaining a distance of about ten meters.

Just as they were about to pass each other, the blue light in the helmet’s slit suddenly turned scarlet.

The body, like a tin can, shifted sideways in a bizarre manner as the longsword at its waist flashed out.

Complex patterns lit up on the blade as a red light spread across its surface. The one-and-a-half-meter-long sword swung out, unleashing a ten-meter-long blade of light!

The surprise attack was both sudden and deadly!

The Temple Warrior had already deduced from the number of boxes on Yang Shen’s back that his realm was, at most, the "Yanhua Innate" level!

’He must be just an ordinary porter,’ the warrior presumed.

However, in the instant the blade of light arrived, Yang Shen disappeared.

Or more accurately, he sank into the earth, leaving only the stacked boxes behind...

The Temple Warrior was startled and immediately retracted his Sword Stance, seemingly worried about damaging the boxes.

The next moment, a figure emerged from the ground.

Yang Shen’s eyes had become frigid and severe.