After the internet was disconnected, I connected to the magic world.

The group continued deeper into the mountains and forests.

The further you go in, the more lush the vegetation becomes, a completely different scene from the ordinary mountains and forests outside.

Song Xian followed behind, asking questions indirectly as they walked, ranging from cultivation speed to the benefits he received from the sect.

The questioning ranged from the situation of the monsters to the changes in the world, and the tone was just right, without being offensive.

The five of them weren't too wary of him.

After all, he was just a beginner, and the questions he asked were all basic, nothing serious.

Occasionally, when Zhao Hao was feeling proud, he would boast about his cultivation insights.

After talking for a while, Song Xian got a better understanding of the situation.

Cultivation levels in the Nine Provinces and in the real world are not synchronized. Spirit stones can be exchanged for items in the real world, with prices corresponding to their grade.

He had only heard rumors about this before, but now he has received confirmation from the first batch of players.

Song Xian memorized all this information and planned to report it all after waking up from the dream.

After walking for about an hour, it gradually got dark.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing cry came from overhead.

"唳——"

The sound was so loud it hurt people's eardrums.

Everyone instinctively looked up and saw a huge white eagle circling in the air, several meters above the ground.

Its wingspan was three or four meters, its feathers were snow-white, its claws gleamed with a cold, black light, and its pair of golden vertical pupils stared coldly at the people below.

A notification popped up on the panel instantly:

[White Feathered Eagle, early stage of Tier 2 demonic beast]

[Description: Capable of speaking human language and launching wind blades, equivalent to a human in the early stages of innate martial arts.]

"Second tier! Innate level!"

Zhang Lei's expression suddenly changed.

The five strongest among them were only at the late stage of the Acquired Realm, a whole major realm below them.

They can still fly, so there's no chance of a fight.

"Be careful!"

Xuan Qing gave a low shout.

Almost simultaneously, the white-feathered eagle flapped its wings, and three translucent wind blades shot down with the speed of bullets.

"spread!"

The five people instantly darted to both sides.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three muffled thuds followed as the wind blades struck the ground, blasting open three craters half a meter deep, sending rubble and dirt flying everywhere.

"That thing flies in the sky; we can't possibly touch it!"

Zhao Hao looked up at the circling white eagle, gritted his teeth, and cursed, "Run! Get into the dense forest; there are too many trees for it to swoop down!"

Without him saying anything, everyone turned and ran into the depths of the dense forest.

The white-feathered eagle pursued relentlessly from behind, occasionally unleashing a few wind blades that grazed past the group, nearly hitting them several times.

Song Xianxiu, being the least skilled, had only just condensed his inner energy and was running at the very back, his breathing already disordered.

As a wind blade shot toward his back, he could even feel the chill emanating from it, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

Just then, a strand of whisk flew from the side, its pale white internal force entangling the wind blade and forcefully pulling it off course.

The wind blade grazed Song Xian's arm, tearing his sleeve and leaving a trail of blood.

"Keep up! Don't fall behind!"

Xuanqing's voice came from the front.

Song Xian's heart tightened, and he gritted his teeth and charged forward.

For the first time, he truly felt that this world was not a game.

You really can die.

In their panic, they ran further and further astray, and by the time they realized what was happening, they had reached the edge of a cliff.

Below us was a bottomless valley, shrouded in mist, obscuring the bottom.

Behind them, the white-feathered eagle had already circled down and landed on the rocks at the edge of the cliff, its golden eyes staring at them and emitting a low cry.

There was no way to retreat.

"Jump!" Zhao Hao gritted his teeth. "There are trees at the bottom of the valley; we won't die from the fall! It's better than being skinned alive here!"

After saying that, he leaped down.

Without hesitation, the others jumped off the cliff one after another.

The white-feathered eagle let out a sharp cry, its claws suddenly lashing out and grazing Zhou Ming's shoulder, leaving a trail of blood.

The group rolled down the steep valley wall, their clothes rustling as vines and branches scraped against them. They rolled for a good ten seconds before crashing heavily onto the grass at the bottom of the valley.

"Cough cough..."

Zhao Hao got up, rubbed his sore back, and looked up.

The cliff face was covered with dense vines, which blocked the white-feathered eagle's view. A few cries came from above and gradually faded into the distance.

"Finally, I've shaken them off." Zhang Lei panted, his arm scraped in several places.

"Damn it, innate-level demonic beasts are too powerful; there's no way we can fight them."

Only then did everyone have time to look around.

The valley floor was spacious and covered with waist-high wild grass. On the mountainside next to it, there was a cave entrance covered by vines, from which a cool breeze could be faintly seen.

"There's a cave!" Zhou Ming's eyes lit up. "Let's go take a look; maybe we can hide there."

The group walked over, parted the dense vines, and revealed a dark hole, not high, just big enough for a person to bend down and go in.

Xuanqing took out a tinderbox, lit it, and went inside first.

It was much more spacious inside than I had imagined. It was a cave that had been artificially renovated, with blurry patterns carved on the stone walls and smooth stone slabs on the floor.

It is clearly not naturally formed; it was carved out by someone.

"Could it be the cave dwelling of an ancient cultivator?" Zhao Hao's eyes lit up. "A secret realm! This is a secret realm! We've stumbled upon a treasure!"

After walking a dozen or so steps, the space suddenly opened up.

In the very center was a stone table, with two stone stools beside it, and in the corner was a rotten wooden frame with some things scattered on it.

Zhao Hao rushed over in three strides, rummaged around for a bit, and immediately shouted:

"Holy crap! A spirit stone! It really is a spirit stone!"

Twenty-seven pale blue, prismatic crystals, warm and translucent, were neatly arranged on the wooden shelf; they were indeed spirit stones.

There were several jade boxes nearby. When you opened them, you could see three herbs that still possessed spiritual energy, their leaves shimmering with silver light.

[Spirit Gathering Grass, Grade 1, Superior]

[Description: Assists cultivation, increases cultivation speed, and is the main ingredient for refining first-tier pills.]

"I've struck gold!" Zhao Hao grinned from ear to ear. "Twenty-seven spirit stones and three top-grade spirit herbs! This is a great deal!"

Zhou Ming walked to the stone table and picked up a yellowed, tattered booklet from it.

The booklet had no cover, and the corners were torn. Inside, it was covered with dense, strange patterns, like lines or runes, winding and crisscrossing, and it was completely incomprehensible.

The panel only displays a blurry message:

[The grade of the damaged book is unknown]

[Description: Records unknown rune paths, containing faint energy fluctuations.]

"What is this?" Shi Mingyuan leaned closer, glanced at it, and frowned. "It doesn't look like a meridian chart, nor does it look like a martial arts move."

Xuanqing took the booklet, flipped through a few pages, and gently ran his fingertips over the intricate lines, feeling the strange energy flowing within.

"I don't understand," the old Taoist priest shook his head.

"But the patterns are mysterious and unlike ordinary things."

It might be some kind of magical runes left behind by ancient cultivators. Let's keep it for now and study it later.

He carefully tucked the booklet into his pocket.

Whatever it is, it must be something extraordinary to appear in an ancient secret realm.

Perhaps this is the key to unlocking the true system of cultivation.

After the items were inventoried, the spoils were divided.

There were a total of twenty-seven spirit stones, three spirit herbs, and a tattered book.

Xuanqing decided that the spirit stones would be divided equally among the five people, with each person receiving five stones and the remaining two stones going to Song Xian.

"No, no." Song Xian quickly waved his hand.

"I was a hindrance the whole time and didn't help at all, so how can I accept spirit stones?"

"Take it." Xuan Qing handed over the two spirit stones in a calm tone.

"Since you came in together, you're included. Besides, you're an official, so it's good for you to take it back and study it."

Song Xian hesitated for a moment, but still accepted it.

Holding the spirit stone in my hand, it felt cool and smooth, and the energy inside was gentle and pure; it was indeed a good thing.

Zhou Ming then explained the exchange rules to him:

"Spirit stones are the hard currency of Kyushu. They can be used locally and also exchanged for real-world assets."

Prices are based on grade: Grade 1, low-grade, 1 spirit stone; mid-grade, 3 spirit stones; high-grade, 6 spirit stones; Grade 2 items start at least at 10 spirit stones.

"For example, the Qi Condensation Pill that we often eat, a mid-grade first-level pill, is worth 3 spirit stones in reality."

Medicines for healing wounds and weapons shall all be provided according to this rule.

Song Xian nodded, making sure to keep the rules firmly in mind.

Two spirit stones, not many, but enough for him to take back for sample research.