The two arrived at an entry checkpoint. With a flip of his hand, Zhang Deming tossed out his Identity Card.
Since they were only entering the Wu Earth Secret Realm, the clearance requirements weren’t particularly high. The attendant swiped the card to confirm the identity, then quickly began operating the Light Screen in front of him.
A moment later, his work was done. He made a grabbing motion at the Light Screen, then tossed something towards Zhang Deming’s Identity Card. With the process complete, he looked at Zhang Deming and said,
"Sir, you now have permission to enter and exit the Wu Earth Secret Realm. With your Identity Card, just head over to the plaza, choose one of the many Array entrances, and activate it.
However, since you don’t hold a position inside, it will cost three Contribution points each time you enter, even with clearance. There’s no cost to exit.
Oh, right, your clearance is set to allow you to bring others with you, but they will still be charged Contribution for entry."
Yang Guangfu heard this and immediately began to speak. "I..."
Zhang Deming waved a hand dismissively. "It’s fine. I can afford a few Contribution points. Whatever you were going to say, just save it."
Yang Guangfu paused for a moment. "Yes, Sir," he said.
’Actually, what he’d wanted to say was that his identity as a member of the Secret Group granted him a certain number of free entries each year.’
’But he had forgotten to mention it before, and now that Zhang Deming had already spoken, someone as socially adept as him would obviously never do anything to undermine his senior.’
Zhang Deming then led Yang Guangfu to the entrance area for the Wu Earth Secret Realm.
The entire area consisted of a massive circular platform raised only a few inches off the ground.
More than a dozen small Arrays were densely inlaid upon the circular platform, dividing it into just as many sections.
Zhang Deming and Yang Guangfu casually selected a section and activated the Array with a surge of Spiritual Light.
A Light Screen materialized. Zhang Deming swiped his Identity Card, and once his clearance was approved, the Array flared with light, and he and Yang Guangfu disappeared within it.
···
After activating the Array, Zhang Deming felt a moment of disorientation. When he came to his senses, he found himself in a settlement.
Its layout was somewhat similar to the settlement in the Cyan Wood Deep Forest, and the style was very much alike as well. It was clearly of the same design.
The only difference was that this settlement wasn’t situated in a forest, but on a small, low hill.
Looking out past the few buildings near the entrance, a vast plain stretched out in all directions, on which countless Spirit Fields could be seen.
In the Spirit Fields, a few disciples could occasionally be seen performing various tasks.
Before Zhang Deming could get a good look at his surroundings, with a single thought, he quickly entered his Spirit Nurturing Space.
An image was currently playing across the sky.
The image showed the pavilion by the pond in Huayue Academy, within Huayue City—the same place where Zhang Deming and Nangong Cheng had chatted before.
The Rune Core between Nangong Cheng’s eyebrows was flashing. A spectral book floated before him, a calligraphy brush hovering above it, poised as if to write.
Nangong Cheng stood in the pavilion, looking from the pool of lotus leaves before him to the spectral book and brush.
Finally, he took a deep breath. He lightly channeled Spiritual Power from his hand, and a Spirit Nurturing Bead in his palm instantly expanded into a sky-filling expanse of Spiritual Light.
Countless motes of Spiritual Power formed a hollow sphere that enveloped Nangong Cheng. From the Spirit Nurturing Bead, the character for "Word" shot forth and entered the space between his eyebrows.
He remained with his eyes closed for a long time. As time went on, the Rune Core between his eyebrows suddenly began to tremble.
At that moment, Nangong Cheng opened his eyes, but he didn’t stop just because his Enlightenment Dao process was complete.
He held out his hand, palm up, and a shattered and incomplete Literary Gallbladder appeared in it.
Gazing at the Literary Gallbladder in his hand, Nangong Cheng’s expression turned resolute. He squeezed it, and the already shattered object was crushed into a ball of Spiritual Light.
At that moment, a sweet taste rose in Nangong Cheng’s throat, and he spat a mouthful of Essence Blood into the Spiritual Light that had once been his Literary Gallbladder.
The white Spiritual Light was stained crimson by the Essence Blood, transforming into a flowing, sanguine stream.
Nangong Cheng lifted the sanguine stream and gently poured it into the hovering calligraphy brush.
Instantly, the brush turned blood-red. After a moment, it began to tremble violently. As it shuddered, dense cracks started to appear all over its surface.
The brush finally shattered into countless crimson motes, which sprinkled down upon the book like tiny stars. At almost the same time, Nangong Cheng’s face went white, and he spat another mouthful of fresh blood onto the spectral book.
The book began a strange transformation. What was once a large, hardcover tome slowly grew thinner and smaller. Its surface became mottled and worn, resembling an old, small chapbook filled with the weight of ages.
The character for "Word" fell into the book, and the small chapbook slowly fell open.
"Witnessing, listening, telling, recording!"
A line of words filled with a strange resonance slowly emanated from the chapbook.
As the chapbook opened and the words emerged, Nangong Cheng’s entire body floated into the air.
The Rune Core between his eyebrows vibrated as countless dense cracks spread across it. The intense pain caused Nangong Cheng’s body to tremble and spasm slightly.
After a long while, the Rune Core shattered, twisted, and reformed, ultimately taking on a completely different appearance.
The instant the Rune Core’s transformation was complete, Nangong Cheng’s aura surged explosively. At the same time, he spoke, almost by instinct, "The Dao of Storytelling, appreciated by the elegant and the common alike! The Storyteller, with a tongue that blossoms into lotuses!"
As his words fell, the Rune Core between his eyebrows underwent a subtle change. On the cover of the open chapbook standing upright before him, the imprints of lotus leaves and flowers appeared.
At the same time, the giant illusion of a cyan lotus rose from the pavilion, swaying as it soared toward the nine heavens.
It was seen clearly throughout the entire Academy, and even all of Huayue City. Countless people were stirred by the sight.
Nangong Cheng’s aura began to change as well. Initially, he had been dashing and unrestrained, possessing an enduring righteous air and a very scholarly demeanor.
Now, his aura had become quite ordinary, with a hint of the mortal world, of everyday life. Yet it also gave off a contradictory feeling—was it sacred? Noble? Otherworldly and transcendent? Hmm, and there was still a touch of his scholarly air left, too.