Spirit Cultivation

"Why is your face so grim?" 

When the girls returned back to the bedroom, all fresh and smelling like flowers, they saw Xuefeng sitting on the edge of the bed, deep in thought. 

Xuefeng didn't reply but instead looked at Drakos, asking, "Can you repeat to everyone the same you just told me?"

"Well, I was investigating the Hidden Realm we were supposed to explore soon. I wanted to properly asses our chances of conquering it before we would all enter inside and I must say, I don't have pleasant news," Drakos informed helplessly and explained in details. 

"Firstly, the amount of beasts inside that Realm tripled since the last time I was there and let me tell you, they are much more powerful. If we were to be attacked by multiple Spirit Beasts at the same time, I doubt we would be able to return alive. I killed a few beasts easily but then accidentally alarmed hundreds of others and they all pounced on me aggressively. I barely escaped from there."

Just the first news wasn't exactly nice to hear but it wasn't a nightmare either. 

"So as long as we are careful and don't bring the beasts' attention on us, we should be safe, right?" Xiao Wen asked curiously, not really showing a sign of fear. "Or are they too strong?" 

"Their strength improved but are they invincible? No. Can we slowly, move forward, beating the beasts until we finally reach our goal? Definitely. Are there many risks involved with it? Yes." Drakos performed a question and answer quiz for them to speed up the process. "Such method would require a lot of time but it's doable."

"How long will it take?" Nuwa questioned, searching for the catch. 

Both Wu and Lisa didn't exactly know what was going on so they only listened, standing on the side. 

"I calculated that it would take us at least three months," Drakos answered, confusing everyone else. 

What was three months for them, cultivators? Their lifespan was already extended with each Stage they advance. 

"Isn't that fine then? Three months is not that big of a deal," Wuying commented what everyone thought. "It is not like we will waste that three months. We can treat it as training." 

"Well, and that's where we reach our second problem," Drakos continued. "The time flow in that Hidden Realm changed for some reason. I have been there for only a few hours yet a few days passed in the Earth Realm. I only realized it after I left so I wasn't able to investigate on that. Based on my calculations, the time is almost ten times slower inside the Hidden Realm." 

"So basically… If we spend three months there, almost two and a half months will pass here." Tianshi did the math for everyone. 

"Correct," Drakos nodded.

"I don't mind," Yiren called out first as she walked up to Xuefeng. "I will go wherever you go. Time doesn't matter."

"I'm happy to hear that," Xuefeng expressed with a smile as he pulled her into his arms and let her sit on his lap, adding, "But this is not what I was worried about." 

He looked at his wives and spoke, "There are matters important and more important. You are much more important to me than some Hidden Realm. I'm not going to separate from any of you for almost three years for any reason. If we want to enter this Realm, we have to go all together. I'm not leaving anyone behind." 

He thought about it and realized he wasn't scared of fighting with savage beasts. He also didn't care about the time he had to spend there. The only thing he was scared of was breaking his promise. He promised he will never leave them and he wanted to keep it. 

"Isn't that okay then? I think all of us want to come with you," Tianshi commented, looking at the girls. One by one, everyone nodded in agreement, leaving only two, Lisa and Wu who didn't confirm yet. 

"Can I know what is so important that you need to enter that Hidden Realm for? From your words I can guess it's really dangerous there," Wu asked cautiously, representing the troubled Lisa as well. 

Xuefeng didn't mind the question and patted Yiren's butt, signaling her to get down. He walked up to Wu and uncovered his sleeve. There was a golden bracelet on his forearm which he showcased to her. 

He was about to explain when Wu's expression changed. She immediately got closer and grabbed his arm, exclaiming in shock, "Where did you get this?!" 

"You know it?" Xuefeng asked surprised. 

"Of course I know it! It's one of the Godly Treasures, Elemental Bracelet! I read about it in my Grandpa's books," Wu explained excitedly, scanning the bracelet with her gaze. "Legends say that once the bracelet is complete and you gather all Elemental Stones, you will have the power over all elements. Are you going to that Hidden Realm in the search of the Elemental Stone?" 

"That is correct," Xuefeng confirmed, finding Wu's excitement quite interesting. 

Hearing him, she hugged his arm into her chest and pleaded seriously, "Xuefeng, we have to get it. Once you become the owner of the bracelet, your path is already destined. If you don't collect all Elemental Stones, the bracelet will kill you." 

"That's what I heard," Xuefeng replied casually, making Wu even more tensed. 

"Xuefeng! This is serious. We can't drag it for too long. There were many who tried to collect all Elemental Stones but all of them failed to gather them in time," Wu explained, finally showing some emotions on her face. "The bracelet killed most of its owners while cultivators killed the rest. Many want to taste its power despite the dangers it brings." 

"How come no one ever gathered all Elemental Stones? How hard can it be?" Xuefeng asked curiously, see how passionate she was about the subject. 

Wu glanced down at the mysterious bracelet and answered, "It's because once its owner dies, she explodes, launching all of the Elemental Stones into random Realms. Every time a new owner emerges, he or she needs to find all of the Elemental Stones from scratch." 

Even Drakos was surprised when he heard all of the explanations from her. "Girl, how do you know all those stuff. Who is your grandpa? You know more than me about it," Drakos questioned. 

"My grandpa is one of the Heaven Realm Trade Union founders. He used to come to the Earth Realm when I was younger and told me many stories about Heaven Realm. He was really passionate about Treasures so we mostly talked about them." Wu replied proudly. "He stopped coming ten years ago so I guessed that something must have happened."

"I don't really know any of them but damn…" Drakos commented before adding as he bumped Xuefeng's shoulder, "She is quite a nice catch. You should definitely get her to be your wife." 

"Oh, shut it," Xuefeng scolded and smacked him across the head. "Don't be rude or I tell Yiren to train you." 

"What did I do? I was just helping…" Drakos complained but he didn't retaliate, knowing Yiren was watching. 

Having Drakos quiet, Xuefeng took Wu's hands into his and asked seriously, "Wu, do you want to join us on this expedition?" 

She didn't even hesitate when she called out happily, "You joking? Of course I'm coming!"