I am a coroner, and I have some knowledge of martial arts!

"No way, you're at least an eighth-rank martial artist."

Su Wuchen looked at Sun Shouzhen with some surprise.

This guy is a genuine eighth-rank martial artist, and even he thinks this piece of wood is hard, which shows how strange it is.

Sun Shouzhen rolled his eyes. "So what if I'm an eighth-rank martial artist? I only cultivate to protect my own shop from being cheated, not to engage in combat."

"Besides, there are quite a few eighth-rank martial artists among the girls in Tingchun Pavilion. Do you see how many of them are truly skilled?"

"Isn't their training all for the sake of endurance?"

"..."

Su Wuchen was speechless.

Su Wuming blushed slightly upon hearing this; the words were far too crude.

Su Wuchen took the piece of wood and examined it. "The items inside the secret realm should be of good quality."

"Come on, give me a break."

Sun Shouzhen scoffed, "Who says secret realms are full of good stuff? Even if there were good stuff, the major sects have already looted it all. What can ordinary cultivators find? Mostly scraps!"

"In which secret realm was this discovered?"

"The news was on a few days ago, it was about Jue Wuchen discovering a level one secret realm."

The known secret realms are divided into five levels.

This is exactly the opposite of the nine-level classification of spiritual cultivation.

Level 1 secret realms are the lowest level, with a relatively low level of danger, suitable for cultivators of the eighth or ninth rank to enter and explore.

If the strength of anyone entering exceeds this limit, the collapse of the secret realm is highly likely to be caused by the dissipation of power.

As for why the power dissipated...

I understand everything I understand.

However, the secret realm contains a large number of rare treasures and martial arts techniques, which makes many people rush in like moths to a flame, disregarding everything.

"what?"

Su Wuming looked surprised. "Wasn't that level-one secret realm only recently discovered and reported in the news? How come you say it was discovered several months ago?"

"You're younger now, aren't you?"

Su Wuchen laughed and said, "The news you see in the news is months old. How could ordinary people like us get access to truly firsthand information?"

Valuable secret realms, once discovered, will inevitably be entered and plundered by powerful individuals, sometimes on a large scale.

By the time the news spread, the treasures in the secret realm had already been mostly cleared out, so why should they bother to hide it?

Sun Shouzhen chuckled and patted Su Wuming on the shoulder, "Learn more from your brother. Although he can't cultivate, he's got a sharp mind."

Su Wuming: "..."

Su Wuchen weighed the piece of wood in his hand. "How much did you pay for this? I can't let you lose money."

"Look, look, here we go again."

Sun Shouzhen put his arm around Su Wuming's shoulder and said, "Don't be like your brother. Sometimes you dawdle like a girl."

Su Wuming smiled but didn't say anything. Su Wuchen scoffed at his behavior and tossed the piece of wood to Su Wuming.

"Then consider this a gift you give to Amin to celebrate his becoming a cultivator."

Handling a piece of wood evokes an indescribable sense of familiarity, like reuniting with a long-lost friend and feeling an irresistible urge to sit down and have a long talk.

Su Wuming examined the wood from head to toe, but could not discern anything about it.

"real?"

Sun Shouzhen looked surprised. "Ah Ming has become a celestial cultivator?"

"Yes, that was confirmed a month ago."

"Okay, okay."

Sun Shouzhen repeatedly praised, "It's rare for you to come all this way, and Ah Ming has become a cultivator again. Come on, let me treat you to some drinks."

Su Wuchen laughed and said, "Even if you're going to invite me, it's my turn this time."

"What's up, struck it rich?"

"Yes, I found a coroner."

"You're something else, kid."

Sun Shouzhen patted Su Wuchen's shoulder heavily, "If Old Master Su knew, he could rest in peace."

"Let's go have a drink."

The place where we were entertained wasn't some fancy restaurant; it was just a regular roadside shop that had been open for over thirty years and offered fair and reasonable prices.

Although Su Wuchen said that he now had a job and money, he couldn't resist Sun Shouzhen's question: "Are we eating food? We're eating for the taste." So the three of them went into the restaurant.

Most of the customers in the shop are people from the timber market, and there are also some buyers. They sit around a table in twos and threes, chatting and laughing.

"Boss Sun, the usual arrangement?"

"Of course, but today I'm going to really rip those two brothers off. Give me three extra big pork knuckles and a turtle, and make sure they're tender."

"no problem."

Sun Shouzhen greeted the restaurant owner familiarly, then took two bottles of wine and invited Su Wuchen and his companion to sit down.

"The whole bottle?"

"no problem."

"readily."

Su Wuchen smiled and opened the wine.

As usual, one bottle per person.

As for Su Wuming, he was completely ignored.

As a timber merchant, Sun Shouzhen frequently traveled all over the country, and his experience naturally far surpassed that of Su Wuchen and the other two.

The emergence of a powerful demon cultivator in Dongjiang and a Ghost Lord in the South China Sea broadened the horizons of Su Wuchen and his companion.

Su Wuming asked with some surprise, "Can demon cultivators and ghost cultivators, who are considered the lowest of the low, truly reach such a level?"

Sun Shouzhen shook his head. "I only heard about these things; I don't know the specifics."

Su Wuchen: "It seems that quite a few low-level cultivators have emerged recently. A few days ago, I encountered a fanatical cultivator."

Sun Shouzhen: "The most eccentric and fanatical practitioner among spiritual practitioners?"

Su Wuchen nodded, "He has a lot of trump cards up his sleeve, and his cultivation foundation is extremely solid."

Sun Shouzhen smacked his lips. "This world is getting more and more chaotic. I wouldn't be surprised if the world with nine stars orbiting each other reappeared one day."

The world surrounded by nine stars is a legendary tale of the Abyss.

Legend has it that millions of years ago, the Abyss was a main world surrounded by nine realms, hence the name "the world surrounded by nine stars".

Of course, this so-called world surrounded by nine stars is not the original name of Yuanxu, but an era described by later generations based on the inheritance, data and information in the secret realm.

But then something happened, and the world changed. The Nine Realms ceased to exist, the world collapsed, and top cultivators and powerful sects vanished overnight.

"Stop kidding, those are just legends, why are you taking them seriously?"

Su Wuchen scoffed, "If that's really the case, how are ordinary people like us supposed to survive?"

Legend has it that when nine stars revolve around a planet, it signifies an era of great contention, during which countless talents emerge.

First-rank officials are everywhere, third-rank officials are as common as dogs.

In such an era, let alone ordinary people, even cultivators with lower levels of cultivation would probably have had a difficult time living.

Sun Shouzhen chuckled, and as he picked up his wine glass, he suddenly lowered his voice slightly, "I heard that there seems to be a secret realm appearing in that swamp outside Jiangcheng. You can come with me and try your luck."

"...?"