CHAPTER 60: HELL ELEPHANT

Mu Renxue leaned back slightly, her golden eyes half-lidded. "You’re not the only one who needs to step up. With your victory, the other sects will undoubtedly keep an eye on us—especially you. Try not to cause too much trouble... unless it’s productive."

Tian Lei’s expression turned playful. "I only cause high-return chaos, Sect Master."

She rolled her eyes with a slight smirk. "Get going, you little storm-bringer."

Then, her voice softened into something more serious. "The sect competition is not just about free spirit stones—it’s also a way for us sect masters and grand elders to select candidates."

Tian Lei tilted his head. "Select... for what?"

"A month from now," Mu Renxue began, "the Secret Realm is going to open. It’s an ancient secret realm that appears once every ten years. You’re lucky—it just happens to be this year."

She set her teacup down, her gaze turning distant, as if she were looking far beyond the immortal cave walls. "It is a realm left behind by an immortal from the upper realm. Many kinds of rare treasures can be found inside—herbs, ores, ancient arts. But only those who can survive its dangers can claim them."

"Our sect falls under the Grand Ruria Empire," she continued, "a vast empire with over a thousand kingdoms under its rule. This secret realm is also under the Grand Ruria Empire control. Every ten years, the realm opens, allowing ten thousand mortal-realm cultivators to enter and hunt for treasures."

Tian Lei nodded, the corners of his lips twitching into a faint, intrigued smile.

"Since you’ve just proven yourself alongside the other top four," she added, "you’ll join them to represent our sect inside. And Tian Lei..."—her gaze sharpened—"...don’t come back empty-handed."

"I will also appoint you as the leader of the team—so make sure you bring everyone back alive," Mu Qinxue said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Tian Lei nodded seriously. "Don’t worry, Master. I will make sure everyone who comes with us returns alive."

She smiled faintly. "Also, since it’s a great secret realm, many cultivators suppress their cultivation so that they can get inside and fight for treasures—as long as they are under the age of twenty-five." Her expression sharpened, a glint flashing in her eyes. "And the Heavenly Sword Sect, which is also under the Grand Ruria Empire, will be sending their disciples as well."

"I see," Tian Lei replied with a simple nod. Qinxue, looked confused by the lack of his reaction.

"I thought you might say something like, ’Good, now I can take them all out,’" Mu Qinxue teased.

Tian Lei shook his head. "I am no slaughterer. The only people I truly have enmity with in that sect are their Sect Leader, the Grand Elder, and the Grand Elder’s grandson. Aside from them, if anyone else was involved in Yuyan’s death, I will eliminate them and erase that sect’s inheritance from the world. As for the rest... I’ll let them live."

"You are still too soft," she said, her voice turning slightly colder. "If it were another, they would have exterminated the entire sect, leaving not even their name behind. Mercy is a luxury—one most in our world can’t afford."

Tian Lei’s gaze deepened, but he stayed silent.

"Maybe," he said finally, "but I am not like them."

Her eyes lingered on him for a moment before she waved him away. "Go, then and be ready for when you leave."

As Tian Lei left, his steps felt heavier than usual, her words echoing in his mind like a lingering shadow.

Tian Lei returned to his immortal cave, the cool, dim light within offering little comfort. He sat cross-legged on the meditation platform, but his mind was far from calm cultivation.

Her words kept circling in his head—too soft.

In this world, where strength ruled and mercy was often repaid with betrayal, perhaps she was right. Yet... when he closed his eyes, he could still see Yuyan’s smile, hear her laughter from those days before blood and hatred had tainted everything.

His hand curled into a fist. If I truly become like them... would I still be myself?

He stared into the shadows, his voice barely above a whisper. "Am I wrong?"

The silence of the cave answered him with nothing but the faint drip of water in the distance. There was no one here to challenge his thoughts, no one to offer comfort—only the weight of his own uncertainty pressing heavier and heavier upon his chest.

He exhaled slowly, forcing the turmoil down into the depths of his heart. "Soft or not... I will walk my path. Even if I’m alone in it."

The candle beside him flickered as though in answer, its flame struggling yet refusing to die.

Tian Lei shook his head as he mumbled "no use thinking it now."

"Lest focus back on powering up" he mumbled as he closed his eyes.

Tian Lei sat cross-legged in his immortal cave, his eyes slowly closing as his breathing evened out. A moment later, his figure flickered—and vanished entirely.

When his vision cleared, he was already standing within his Golden Fortune Realm, a vast inner world that pulsed with warm golden light. In the very center of this realm stood a towering golden pagoda that seemed to pierce the heavens. Without hesitation, he made his way toward it, each step echoing faintly against the radiant ground.

He ascended directly to the second floor of the pagoda. Here, a wide golden platform stretched before him, engraved with ancient runes that radiated gentle yet boundless qi. The air here was denser, richer—each breath was like drinking liquid spiritual energy. This was the cultivation floor, where qi concentration far surpassed anything in the outside world.

At other side one can easily see an Cerulean platform and then at the center of this floor its an Big vast tree which gushes out reality essence that can be molded into any enegy to cultivate.

But for now Tian Lei is on the Golden platform the place for Qi cultivation.

Stepping onto the platform, Tian Lei sat down once more, his legs folding naturally into the lotus position. Closing his eyes again, he began circulating his body-forging art—the Primordial Elephant Eternal Body. Golden ripples surged across his skin, and deep within, his blood rumbled like a distant war drum.

Right now, he was at the high stage of the first level of this ancient body-tempering technique. His goal was clear—to push it to its peak and then break through into the second level, unlocking the form of the legendary Hell Elephant. The moment that happened, the manifestation would no longer be a mere phantom but a true, flesh-and-blood behemoth capable of shaking mountains and crushing the sky itself.

A deep, thunderous pulse began to echo in the realm, as if an ancient beast were stirring from slumber. Above Tian Lei, a vague shadow of a colossal elephant shimmered into being, its eyes closed, waiting to awaken.

The golden platform thrummed beneath Tian Lei as torrents of pure golden qi poured into him, surging through his meridians like roaring rivers. Each breath drew in more of the concentrated energy, every cycle polishing his bones, toughening his flesh, and deepening the vitality in his blood.

The faint outline of a golden elephant shimmered behind him, no more than a translucent shadow, yet its presence exuded a steady and immovable strength. It did not roar, nor did it advance—it simply stood there, vast and silent, as if watching over his cultivation.

Bit by bit, his body was tempered further. The golden qi seeped into every pore, mending microscopic flaws in his bone structure, making each joint feel solid yet light. Muscles tightened, becoming more compact and explosive, while his skin took on a faint, healthy glow.

A deep, muted crack resounded within him as one last barrier broke apart. A rush of warmth spread from his core to every extremity, and the golden phantom behind him grew sharper, its edges no longer flickering.

He opened his eyes slowly, twin glints of golden light flashing within them.

Peak of the first level—achieved.

Tian Lei exhaled slowly, the faint golden glow in his eyes fading as he assessed his progress. The peak of the first level had been reached—yet there was still time. A glance at the jade time slip hovering beside the platform told him ten full days remained before the Secret Realm opens.

"No point wasting it," he murmured.

Settling back into the lotus position, he drew in another slow breath, this time guiding his cultivation in a deeper, more aggressive pattern. The golden qi within the platform answered his will, swirling faster, denser, pressing into his meridians with renewed force. But this time, the flow was not purely golden—it grew heavier, thicker, as if tinged with an unseen weight.

The golden phantom of the elephant behind him began to shift, its edges distorting. Threads of shadow bled into its form, coiling like smoke, until the gold dimmed and a darker shape began to emerge.

Bit by bit, the new phantom took shape—its massive frame larger than the first, its hide as black as midnight, its eyes smoldering with a cold, predatory light. Where the first-level phantom had radiated steady strength, this one exuded ferocity, a pressure that clawed at the air itself.