Gu You was deeply focused on comprehending the Silver Spirit Waterfall, but he couldn’t grasp the essence.

Just as he was growing increasingly frustrated, a splash of water suddenly hit him.

Startled, Gu You quickly tried to dodge, but it was already too late!

He was soaked through and through by the lake water, sending a chill straight to his bones.

When Gu You looked closely, he saw a fish head emerging from the lake surface. It was a two-colored fish whose hues alternated continuously, its large eyes gleaming with obvious amusement as it looked at him. Its mouth opened again, shooting a stream of water that drenched Gu You once more as he tried to evade.

Noticing the angry expression rising on his face, the spirit fish flicked its tail and darted away!

Gu You originally wanted to teach this spirit fish a lesson, but he quickly sensed the powerful aura radiating from the fish.

“No way, it’s a top-tier first-grade spirit fish, seems like it’s already at peak level! Not worth provoking, definitely not worth it!”

Gu You gloomily shook off the lake water. He then noticed that some two-colored light glimmers clung to his body. Seeing no harm done, he ignored them.

He found another spot by the lake and resumed meditating on the Silver Spirit Waterfall. As he immersed his mind into the comprehension, the two-colored light gradually merged into his body, and his mind instantly became clearer.

In that quiet moment, he began to perceive a power of Heaven and Earth slowly revealing its secrets to him.

But soon, the feeling vanished!

Frowning, Gu You snapped back to reality. He looked down at the fading two-colored light on his body, his expression turning thoughtful.

“Those glimmers contain a kind of insight into the natural order of the world. It seems to be the spirit fish’s sensation—it shared its comprehension with me!”

His eyes flickered as he gazed toward the lake surface, quickly spotting a spirit fish peeking out cautiously.

Noticing Gu You’s gaze, the spirit fish immediately dived back into the lake.

Gu You chuckled awkwardly, then rummaged through his pocket, finding a few pieces of snacks. They tasted good and, since they contained no spiritual energy, he could bring them into Immortal Seed Valley to improve his meals. He still had some on hand.

He threw a piece of snack toward the spirit fish.

After a while, a fish head surfaced and ate the snack.

Gu You smiled and waited a moment, then saw the spirit fish return beside him and spray a stream of water toward him.

This time, Gu You didn’t dodge;

he let the water soak him completely.

The spirit fish laughed.

Gu You wasn’t annoyed but instead smiled, saying, “How about you keep drenching me? I’ll try to comprehend the waterfall!”

The spirit fish looked at him curiously and nodded.

Gu You immediately resumed his comprehension of the Silver Spirit Waterfall. Sure enough, inspiration returned. His understanding of the power of metal gradually deepened.

Whenever the sensation of insight faded, the spirit fish would spray water on him to refresh that state.

After dozens of cycles, Gu You finally succeeded in grasping a sliver of the power of Heaven and Earth!

A surge of energy flashed through Gu You, causing a ripple in the environment and releasing a pressure that extended ten meters around him!

The spirit fish was tossed back by this aura, flipping onto its belly and angrily spraying water at Gu You.

Snapping back, Gu You laughed heartily, “Thanks a lot, little guy!”

He crouched down and asked, “Are you a spirit beast from the secret realm? Are you bored staying here? Want to come out with me? I’ll sign an equal contract with you!”

The spirit fish looked at him with surprise, hesitating.

“Do you have a family? We’re both metal attribute;

we’d make great partners!” Gu You invited warmly, “And endless sweet meat jerky!”

After a moment’s hesitation, the spirit fish dove into the lake.

Gu You stood at the lakeside, feeling somewhat regretful.

At this moment, the spirit fish had already swum to the lake bottom and found Little Cai, who was fast asleep.

The spirit fish woke Little Cai up.

Little Cai blinked awake and looked at the spirit fish in confusion.

Then, a secret conversation passed silently between the two fish.

Little Cai first became very angry, then hesitated, and finally sent a mental message to Su Yuan.

At this time, Su Yuan was inside a small palace, scratching his head at the complex and intricate sealing core layer by layer.

Receiving Little Cai’s mental message, he was stunned for a moment.

“Little Thirteen wants to leave with a human cultivator? Asking if I approve?”

This sudden question left Su Yuan dumbfounded.

He had affectionately nurtured those spirit fish in the lake but never expected that one day a spirit fish would voluntarily choose to leave!

This feeling made him somewhat lost—like a daughter he had raised for a long time deciding to marry and leave. Yet, when he glanced at the eager Little Li beside him, a trace of relief appeared in his heart.

Just like Little Li, the founder probably never considered giving Little Li freedom. The spirit fish must also yearn for freedom, for the outside world. They have their own thoughts, but Su Yuan had been suppressing them.

His nurturing was indeed a kindness, but he could not demand these spirit fish to stay with him forever just because of this kindness.

“If it wants to leave, then let it leave. That’s its choice!” Su Yuan sent his thoughts to Little Cai.

Little Cai glared angrily at Little Thirteen but finally patted its head with reluctant eyes and turned away, not wanting to see Little Thirteen anymore.

Little Thirteen slowly left, looking back to see a group of spirit fish waving their fins farewell.

Pausing for a moment, Little Thirteen finally turned and departed.

Gu You was waiting by the lake when suddenly the spirit fish reappeared and jumped onto his palm!

He showed a delighted expression, “You’re willing to come with me?”

Little Thirteen nodded.

At that moment, Su Yuan’s voice suddenly echoed in Gu You’s ear, “You brat, you silently kidnapped my spirit fish. Treat Little Thirteen well from now on! Got it?”

Gu You was stunned for a moment, then cupped his fists and bowed toward above, “Disciple understands!”

Then, a contract of equality was forged between the man and the fish.

Little Thirteen jumped into Gu You’s pocket, poking its head out to look at the lake surface.

Gu You sensed a wave of rejection from the secret realm.

Soon, when he regained full awareness, he found himself outside the secret realm’s portal, with Little Thirteen curiously observing the surroundings.

Gu You petted Little Thirteen and smiled, “Come on, my home has a huge spirit pond! With me, you’ll never worry about food or drink!”

Little Thirteen pouted, obviously skeptical.

Inside the secret realm.

Inside the small palace.

Little Li, who governed the entire secret realm, naturally saw this scene and felt thoughtful. If a fish can decide its own fate, why couldn’t she?

Although the founder raised her and even created her, was she only meant to be trapped in the secret realm? The founder’s task had been completed, so naturally, she could choose her own destiny.

Just as Su Yuan gave the spirit fish he nurtured for so long the chance to choose, she could also give herself a chance to choose her fate!

Actually, Little Li had been hesitant just moments ago, not fully resolved, but the spirit fish’s choice gave her a perfect example.

Perhaps Little Thirteen’s “rebellious spirit” was ignited, for when several other top-tier spirit root disciples arrived by the pond to comprehend the ultimate truth of Heaven and Earth, more spirit fish chose to sign contracts with these top-tier spirit roots.

These top-tier spirit roots, sensing the special abilities of the spirit fish, also extended goodwill and signed contracts.

Including Little Thirteen, a total of seven spirit fish signed contracts with the disciples of top-tier spirit roots and left.

Su Yuan, observing the secret realm’s core in the palace, sighed, “The children have grown up, their wings have strengthened. Though they’re well fed and cared for here, they want to leave.”

“Do you not approve of their actions?” Little Li asked curiously.

Su Yuan sighed, “The outside world is dangerous. It’s very possible that once they leave, there’s no returning. I even warned them by transmission, but they insist. In the future, I might have to collect their bodies!”

“Then why don’t you refuse them?” Little Li asked.

“Their hearts are no longer here. What use is refusal? Besides, they are independent lives. I respect their choices! As rational beings, they have the right to choose! Though I gave them the opportunity to transform into spirit fish and the best conditions, that can’t be a reason to stop them. I just hope they won’t regret it later!”

Su Yuan shook his head. Though he sighed, he had no intention of stopping them.

Hearing this, Little Li nodded, her resolve gradually firming. She would also choose her own destiny. Even if she fell outside, it would be her own choice. If spirit fish could choose, so could she.

Su Yuan’s attention was focused on the secret realm’s core, so he didn’t notice Little Li’s mental shift. Even if he deliberately observed, it would be hard to detect her change. After all, she was an “old monster” level existence!

“So complicated!” Su Yuan looked at the layers of formations and seals in the secret realm’s core and felt a headache coming on.

Though it looked somewhat familiar, it was only somewhat familiar. He felt that only those above the Nascent Soul stage could comprehend the complexity of these seals.

He suddenly felt uncertain about the attribute “Balance of Work and Rest,” not because of the description, but because there wasn’t enough rest time. He only had 93 days of rest left!

Little Li asked, “How is it? Can you refine it?”

“Unlikely, but let’s try! Little Li, get ready, we’ll give it a shot.”

Su Yuan turned to Little Li and asked, “Are you really willing to come with me? If you stay here, you could live a very long time. But if you leave with me, you might face danger in the future!”

Little Li smiled cheerfully, “It’s fine, I understand.”

Su Yuan was puzzled, “Understand what?”

“Not telling you!” Little Li’s nine tails swayed happily.

Su Yuan looked deeply at Little Li, then activated the attribute “Balance of Work and Rest!”

In an instant, the world became much clearer!

Without hesitation, he activated the second and third activations, compressing cultivation time to 130 minutes.

“Daoist Techniques Naturally” activated!

The rhythms of Heaven and Earth became visible and clear!

“Seven Stars Shine Bright” activated!

The Big Dipper stars in the night sky lit up, and seven beams of starlight descended, passing through the secret realm’s portal and merging into Su Yuan’s eyes, sharpening his perception of Heaven and Earth.

Su Yuan looked at the secret realm’s core. The originally chaotic core became distinctly layered. A total of 1,118 layers of seals appeared before him.

Su Yuan’s eyes widened, “Is this... the Yuan Pool natural formation seal?”

He was stunned to discover that the secret realm’s core seal was actually just a variation of the natural formation seal!

The natural formation seal within his body perfectly matched the core seal of the secret realm. Refining it with the true essence converted from his special spiritual orifices would greatly reduce the difficulty!

What a coincidence!

Originally, he only wanted to see how difficult it was to refine the secret realm core seal and planned to come back after his cultivation improved. But now, refining it seemed possible.

Su Yuan’s expression momentarily went blank, feeling as if fate had arranged this, but thinking carefully, he realized it might not be coincidence at all.

To sustain the Silver Spirit Waterfall indefinitely, there must be a formation that continuously replenishes spiritual energy to support it. What formation could be better than the Yuan Pool natural formation seal?

He had been curious why the water of the Silver Spirit Waterfall could flow endlessly and how its energy was replenished. Now he understood—it was all for a reason.