The Legend of Fangren

"Brother, may I ask your name? I am Attorney Chu, a humble cultivator."

"My name is Fang Shi."

Fang Shi did not hide his name; he changed his clothes only to conceal his identity as a member of the Longhe Sect.

Then Attorney Chu immediately asked, "Brother Fang, is there anything else we need to prepare?"

"No need. We can set off directly once we are fully prepared. I hope Fellow Daoist Chu will tell me more about the situation of that secret realm along the way."

"nature."

The two set off immediately, leaving Emerald City and exchanging information along the way.

It turns out that the secret cave was not a newly discovered place. People had entered it a month ago and produced many rare treasures from it, attracting countless cultivators. In the blink of an eye, the resources were all gone.

As a lone cultivator with no connections, Attorney Chu dared not venture into the newly appeared secret realm. He would only dare to go in alone after everyone else had been there and the treasures had been mostly discovered, hoping to find some hidden gems.

Little did he know that his unintentional act of carefully observing the surroundings, hoping to find a hidden gem, would lead him to accidentally knock open a concealed rock and discover a completely unexplored side cave.

He said that there was a faint glow and a metallic luster deep inside the cave, indicating that there must be treasure there, but he was outnumbered and dared not go deep, so he returned to the city to find help.

He had been wandering around the city for many years and knew that many of the "unaffiliated cultivators" here had their own sects. When he first arrived, he offended people because of his straightforwardness. If he went to the city to find someone, he was afraid that he would be targeted and followed again. That's why he thought of going to that inn to seek help from "passersby". He had been doing this for many years.

Attorney Chu stated frankly that his needs were very clear: he only wanted some of the metal to be used to repair and forge the mysterious artifact, and he would not compete for the rest. Judging from his words and actions, he was indeed a very straightforward person.

After Fang Shi finished understanding, he also started to have his own little schemes.

The problem of mineral and stone shortage has existed for some time, but due to the long journey and lack of time to stop, apart from collecting 50 pieces of spider silk and two sets of feathers in the Stone Peak Forest, no further excavation has been carried out.

If you don't like ordinary stones, you naturally need something better.

He wasn't entirely unfamiliar with this secret cave.

As for why the Xuanjie (mysterious realm) can "refresh instances" so miraculously, we have to start with the more fundamental operating laws of the Xuanjie.

The Five Elements give rise to all things, but before the Five Elements are Yin and Yang. If Yin and Yang do not flow, the Five Elements, the sun and moon, and day and night cannot be seen.

Yin and Yang interact and collide, giving rise to the Five Elements. The further away one is from the boundary between Yin and Yang, the more the Five Elements disappear.

In the real world of the mystical realm, this translates to the yang of heaven and the yin of earth.

Centered on the Five Elements Earth, the higher the sky, the more Yang it is; the deeper the earth, the more Yin it is.

However, extremes lead to changes. When yang reaches its extreme, yin arises, hence the condensation of stars even in the thin air of the sky; when yin reaches its extreme, yang arises, hence the presence of caves and cavities in the thick earth.

Furthermore, since the secret realm is formed by the interaction and fusion of extreme yin and yang, it always produces many natural treasures. At the same time, some strange creatures nurtured by extreme yin and yang forces will also appear, which are called: Xuan Guai.

All the finest mystical artifacts are made from metal materials that come from this secret realm. The deeper the secret realm is into the world, the more precious and rare the materials that can be produced, and their quality and grade are naturally beyond question.

The two of them trekked through mountains and rivers, spending a whole morning walking dozens of miles before finally stopping at the foot of a mountain.

"Brother Fang, enter through a cave under this rock. A hundred meters down is the secret cave. I will go ahead to scout out the side cave. I hope you will look after me from behind."

Attorney Chu volunteered to walk in front, which truly made people believe in his character.

After eating some dry rations, the two entered the cave. As soon as they entered, Fang Shi felt a chill all over his body and took out a torch for illumination.

Attorney Chu walked ahead, using a glowing ring. His element was fire, and this magical artifact was also fire-based. With profound energy infused into it, it was much brighter than Fang Shi's torch.

The winding cave continues downwards, and in some places it even loses its cave shape altogether, as if it were a crack in the earth that cut the cave in two, requiring you to jump from the top to the bottom.

As they descended, the gloomy atmosphere of the earth continuously transformed into icy cold, becoming increasingly bone-chilling. Even the warm breath exhaled was solidified into a visible chilling aura.

The lawyer Chu, who was walking in front, said, "Normally, it shouldn't be this cold and damp at a depth of only a hundred meters underground. But it is precisely because of this yin energy that there are many rare treasures in the cave."

Upon hearing this, Fang Shi reached out and touched the cave wall, discovering that the stone was indeed much finer and smoother than the stone on the ground, and it felt cool to the touch, which was very comfortable.

I don't know if it's a first- or second-tier stone.

Further down, a wave of heat rushed towards him, and Attorney Chu's face paled, exclaiming that he had arrived.

After walking several dozen steps, the two suddenly found themselves in a bright and spacious underground cavern illuminated by a red light. The sight before them made Fang Shi's eyes widen in surprise.

What lay before us was a lava lake!

Attorney Chu warned, "Be careful of this lava. Even a third-level cultivator would perish if they fell in."

He led Fang Shi around the lava lake from the flat ground beside it. The temperature of the lava made the two of them sweat profusely, and they only felt better when they went deeper.

However, the caves deep inside were not like those outside. Everywhere you looked, there were pits and bumps, full of traces of human activity.

"I heard that when the secret realm first appeared, it was full of crystals, ores, and spiritual plants and monsters. Unfortunately, it is now empty. I can only hope that some of them can still be found in that side cave."

After saying that, Attorney Chu came to a secluded corner where a pile of rubble was stacked. The two of them worked together to pull away several large rocks, revealing a small hole about half a person's height behind it. The light from the lava lake not far away shone in, illuminating the cave with glittering light.

"Thank goodness no one found out."

Attorney Chu breathed a sigh of relief, but then a series of footsteps suddenly sounded behind them, and a gruff voice shouted from the front, "Hmph! Someone's found us!"

"Oh no, we're being followed. It's by those people I've offended..."

Attorney Chu frowned. He was all too familiar with that voice. For years, it had been targeting him in every way, and it had even declared that anyone who got close to it would be targeted as well.

Stepping forward, Attorney Chu addressed the seven or eight men, saying, "Boss Wang, you haven't spoken to me for two years, why are you here again today?"

"Hmph! You think I'm joking with you? When you ruined my plans, I told you that as long as you're still in Emerald City, don't even think about not being afraid of me."

Wang, the leader, shouted fiercely, "I haven't made things difficult for you these past two years because you haven't had any good opportunities. I don't care to rob. This month, a secret realm has appeared with lots of good stuff, and you've been running there every day. Do you think I don't know? I've had people watching you for a long time."

Good heavens! Fang Shi took a look and realized that this was not a covert attack, but blatant bullying. Who was this leader, that he was so lawless?

After the conversation, Attorney Chu stopped arguing and quietly stepped aside.

Wang, the head of the household, immediately burst into a hearty laugh, praising him: "You're a smart kid. I'll leave you some scraps after I'm done moving them, hahaha..."

Attorney Chu simply said, "Boss Wang, it's my business if I offended you, but this gentleman next to me didn't. You should at least let him..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chief Wang exclaimed incredulously, "What?! Did I hear you wrong, or are you forgetful? Didn't I say that anyone who gets close to you will be doomed? What, can't you understand human language?"

He glanced at Fang Shi with disdain, not sensing any cultivation level in him, and his attitude became increasingly arrogant and unrestrained.

He may be arrogant, but he's not stupid. This fool Chu found someone who doesn't even have any cultivation aura; he's clearly just there to help with the work. And he still claims they're not in cahoots? Who would believe that?

"If you know what's good for you, stand to the side and don't run away. After we finish retrieving the goods, you two will cover the rear. If you dare to run away on your own, don't blame us for ganging up on you."