Chapter 31: She Really Is Something Else

The Sword-Toothed Golden-Backed Wolf, though possessing limited intelligence, could clearly see that the human before it was provoking it. With a roar, it lunged toward Feng Xi. Jun Wen almost instinctively wanted to summon his flying sword to slay the beast, but he managed to restrain himself with great difficulty. He watched Feng Xi tensely, terrified that she might be in danger.

To his surprise, Feng Xi’s footwork was astonishingly fast. The Sword-Toothed Golden-Backed Wolf scurried about for a long time without even grazing the corner of her clothes. In the end, it was... exhausted to the point of collapse. Its tongue lolled out, and it panted heavily.

Jun Wen: "..."

Such a way of fighting was unheard of and unseen.

Feng Xi, who had only broken into a light sweat, was quite satisfied with herself. For her first real combat experience, she had managed to exhaust a demonic beast to the point of collapse—she truly was a talent!

After a moment, Feng Xi tilted her chin. "Had enough of a rest? Let’s go again!"

This time, Feng Xi did not just toy with the wolf; she began to spar with it in earnest. Lacking a flying sword, she could only rely on punches and kicks infused with spiritual energy, along with the Binding Technique and the Flame Technique. She struggled at first, but soon she was handling it with ease.

The Sword-Toothed Golden-Backed Wolf was first tied up like a dumpling and then scorched until it had bald patches. It roared toward the heavens: "Kill me! Just kill me! A wolf can be killed, but not humiliated!"

But Feng Xi did not kill it. Instead, she released it and, once it had caught its breath, continued to fight it. The wolf finally understood: the little human girl was using it as a sparring partner! This was too much of an insult to a wolf! It was bullying! But it could do nothing but roar in impotent rage, as it was simply no match for Feng Xi.

When Feng Xi felt she had had enough, she strolled away leisurely. Before leaving, she even lectured the beast: "You are truly too weak. You must cultivate diligently in the future and not waste your prime years!"

The Sword-Toothed Golden-Backed Wolf: "..."

Following this, Feng Xi found several more demonic beasts to serve as... sparring partners. Each was of a higher level than the last, and Jun Wen had become numb to it all. Their Junior Sister’s dantian was damaged, and she appeared to be barely at the early stage of Qi Refining. Yet, she was now tormenting late-stage Qi Refining demonic beasts until they shrieked in misery.

It was absurd! Utterly ridiculous! She hadn't even fully recovered from her injuries; if she were fully healed, would she be able to beat Foundation Establishment cultivators to a pulp?

Jun Wen suddenly sensed a crisis. If he didn't cultivate properly, would he eventually end up like these beasts, becoming his Junior Sister’s sparring partner? Thinking of the miserable state of those beasts, Jun Wen shuddered. When he returned, he would have to practice diligently; even if he had to hang his hair from a beam or pierce his thigh with an awl to stay awake, he could not allow himself to be thrashed by his Junior Sister.

He assumed Feng Xi would continue looking for beasts to spar with, and as for gathering spiritual plants, he had already given up on that. Even if he gave it his all, the Xuantian Sect would still end up in last place; he might as well just accompany his Junior Sister to help her improve her cultivation.

Unexpectedly, after Feng Xi exhausted a Striped Winged Tiger, she said to him, "Fifth Senior Brother, the Heavenly Trace Secret Realm will close in two days. Shouldn't we start gathering spiritual plants? Otherwise, we won't have time to take first place!"

Jun Wen initially thought she was joking, but seeing her earnest expression, he became uncertain. "Junior Sister, you—you’re joking, right?"

Feng Xi glanced at him. "The honor of the sect is at stake! How could I play around? Let’s go, we’re setting off now!"

Jun Wen was completely bewildered. He couldn't understand where Feng Xi’s confidence came from. Watching her stride with such a reckless, arrogant gait, one might mistake her for a Spirit Severing stage master!

As they walked, Jun Wen noticed something amiss. "Junior Sister, you—you don't intend to go to the Mirage Garden, do you?"

Feng Xi nodded. "Yes."

Jun Wen: "..."

The Mirage Garden was a special location within the Heavenly Trace Secret Realm. It was filled with many spiritual plants and had no guardian beasts. However, as the name implied, it was like a mirage—fickle, uncertain, and impossible to distinguish between true and false. Although many had seen the Mirage Garden, no one had ever entered it. Over time, people stopped trying.

Jun Wen couldn't help but interject, "Junior Sister, the Mirage Garden is just a fleeting illusion. Rather than wasting time there, it would be better to find a few more beasts to spar with."

Feng Xi blinked. "Fifth Senior Brother, if we want to turn defeat into victory, the Mirage Garden is our only chance. Wouldn't it be a shame not to try? We’re idle anyway, so let’s go take a look!"

Jun Wen had no choice but to agree. The Mirage Garden was easy to find, as its projection floated in mid-air. Half an hour later, they arrived outside. Inside, it was lush and verdant, filled with all kinds of spiritual plants. Because no one had ever picked them, they were all of high maturity.

Feng Xi’s eyes sparkled. If she could get her hands on these plants, first place in the trial would be a trivial matter; the real point was that they were valuable!

Seeing her greedy expression, Jun Wen couldn't help but pour cold water on her enthusiasm. "Junior Sister, these are just flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water; they are only for show. Previous explorers have tried every method, but it was useless—they simply couldn't get in. Some even speculate that the Mirage Garden is a high-level illusion array, so advanced that we have no way of seeing through it."

Feng Xi asked, "What methods did they try?"

"All kinds of explosive talismans, spiritual power attacks, Earth Escape techniques, various array-breaking artifacts, and so on. Almost every possible method has been used."

Feng Xi listened and nodded. Then, she walked up to the "wall" of the Mirage Garden and knocked twice. "Hello? Is anyone there? Open up!"

Jun Wen: ... *Your brain must have been flooded.*

As expected, the Mirage Garden did not react in the slightest.

Feng Xi looked at Jun Wen. "It doesn't seem very hospitable."

Jun Wen: "...Junior Sister, are you running a fever?"

Feng Xi rolled her eyes, took a few sips of water from her water skin, and shouted at the garden: "Hey! You dragged me in here, so you must have some motive. Don't hide and cower—let me in right now!"

Still, there was no movement.

Feng Xi’s face darkened instantly. "Don't be ungrateful! I didn't want to come in, but you insisted on pulling me inside. You expect me to go home empty-handed?! There's no such thing! If you don't let me in, when I get out, I will incite the four great sects to permanently seal off the Heavenly Trace Secret Realm so no one ever comes in again! If no one comes in to help you harvest the beasts and spiritual plants, the spiritual energy here won't last long, right? Tsk tsk, tell me, do you want to become the first secret realm to collapse due to the exhaustion of spiritual energy..."

Jun Wen was stunned. What was his Junior Sister talking about? The secret realm was connected to the heavens and earth; how could its spiritual energy possibly be exhausted? Feng Xi was just spouting nonsense! She had transmigrated here, and the original owner had been young with limited knowledge, so she was clearly lacking in knowledge about the cultivation world. But that didn't stop her from projecting an intimidating aura, speaking as if it were all absolute truth!

It was a gamble anyway; perhaps she would stumble upon a solution by pure luck.

Just as Jun Wen began to think his Junior Sister had lost her mind, a black gate appeared on the "wall" of the Mirage Garden and slowly creaked open.

Jun Wen: ???!!!