Timothy could storm into other sects and challenge disciples right in halls, and not a single elder there batted an eye.

  But the moment his own disciple lost, Herbert came creeping in the dead of night to spy on a junior.

  Tomorrow they would all enter the Hidden Mist Secret Realm. Who knew if this shameless bastard would stoop so low as to threaten her junior sister before then?

  “Herbert,” Jade said, voice carefully even, “let it go. It’s te. They’ll be stepping into the Hidden Mist Secret Realm tomorrow—what they need now is rest. If you’re that curious, how about I arrange for her to pay her respects to you after they return?”

  Herbert didn’t budge. His smile was pleasant, but the pressure radiating from his body was suffocating. His aura surged straight toward Lauren’s room.

  For Lauren, facing Herbert’s cultivation was like a child standing before a giant. The weight of it dragged her into a nightmare, her face twisted in pain as she tossed helplessly in her sleep.

  Jade’s face went pale. “Herbert, what are you doing?”

  He ughed. “Nothing sinister. I simply want to see what’s so special about this little girl you’ve been hiding.”

  Inside the room, Lauren felt the invasive spiritual probe. She clenched her will and summoned her energy to resist—but the power pressing down on her was crushing, impossible to push back.

  If not for the protective silkworm garment Drake had given her, her secret would’ve been ripped wide open. Her Immortal Roots would have been id bare.

  She’d known it—someone like her, born with no luck, would always run into the most shameless, despicable bastards.

  Jade’s teeth clenched. She wasn’t Herbert’s match. Her strength was barely holding him at bay. If she didn’t act, Lauren would be completely exposed.

  With a thunderous crack, Jade fred her spiritual energy to its peak, sending a shockwave into the night sky.

  The signal worked. Within moments, figures streaked through the air as elders from other righteous sects converged above the inn.

  “Herbert?” one called.

  “When did you arrive? Why didn’t you announce yourself? We would have welcomed you properly.”

  Outnumbered and unwilling to lose face, Herbert finally withdrew his probing aura.

  Jade let out a shaky breath, her face still pale.

  In truth, only Drake could suppress Herbert completely. Otherwise, he only yielded when enough eyes were on him.

  “Herbert,” another elder asked smoothly, “did you come on account of Junior-nephew Timothy? How are his injuries?”

  Herbert’s jaw tightened. News had clearly spread—everyone knew his disciple had lost.

  “It won’t dey our entry into the Hidden Mist Secret Realm,” he said stiffly.

  “Ah, congratutions. Then all is well.”

  Herbert’s gaze swept the group. “Yes, all is well. Still—I am curious. What kind of genius has the Thunder Sect been hiding, that she could injure Timothy so severely?”

  One of the elders chuckled. “I saw the match. The girl wasn’t stronger than Timothy—clever, yes, quick on her feet, but her cultivation was nothing special. She only won by baiting him into exposing his fws. In short, Timothy underestimated her and lost through carelessness.”

  “Oh?” Herbert’s tone was ft.

  The others nodded in agreement. To them, it was obvious: Timothy had been arrogant, and arrogance had cost him.

  Herbert’s face darkened further with every word. So this was the story they’d spin? That his disciple wasn’t beaten by talent, only by his own arrogance?

  With a sharp flick of his sleeve, Herbert turned on his heel and left without another word.

  Jade watched him go, her expression grim. She’d have to report this to the sect head. Something about Herbert’s personal appearance felt… dangerous.

  Once Herbert was gone, Jade csped her hands in thanks. “Thank you, brothers and sisters.”

  The polite smiles faded quickly. Everyone wore the same solemn expression.

  Herbert had come sneaking around in the middle of the night—and worse, he’d targeted the younger generation. For someone of his status, it was shameful.

  Each elder left in silence, troubled thoughts simmering behind calm faces. Their mission now was simple: protect their disciples, and ensure the younger generation survived long enough to enter the Hidden Mist Secret Realm tomorrow.

  Lauren still wasn’t feeling right after st night. That crushing spiritual sense had smmed into her while she meditated, leaving her complexion pale, her mind raw and aching.

  Nash noticed first. He leaned close, brows knit. “Lauren, were you hurt yesterday when you fought Timothy? You look terrible.”

  Lauren shook her head. “No. I’m fine. Just nerves. Didn’t sleep well.”

  Jade gnced at her and, without a word, slipped a small jade bottle into her hand. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “For your spiritual sense. Take two every hour until the bottle’s empty.”

  Lauren’s eyes widened in surprise. So Jade knew. She knew someone had had the audacity to strike at her mind in the dead of night. Who the hell was that shameless?

  “Thank you, Ms. Jade.”

  She didn’t hesitate—tipped two pills into her mouth and swallowed them dry.

  The others were already gncing over, about to press her with more questions, when Jade cut them short.

  “Enough. Let’s move. The secret realm’s about to open.”

  ......

  Secret realms weren’t some mystical fairynd like the legends painted them. They were fragments of shattered worlds, chunks of broken stars drifting in the void.

  Some wandered erratically. Others, like the Hidden Mist Secret Realm, followed a precise orbit, drawing near the Cultivation Continent once every hundred years.

  The sects had anchored it with a binding formation, caging it like a wild beast and constructing a bridge so their chosen disciples could step inside.

  By the time Lauren and her group arrived at the entrance, the pce was already swarming. Core Formation cultivators from every major sect stood guard, ensuring only the two hundred qualified disciples passed through, along with the elders tasked with activating the formation.

  Being early, her group entered first. The crowd pressed behind them, buzzing with anticipation.

  Then the Moonlit Sect arrived.

  Lauren’s breath caught. Timothy led the group, striding forward, perfectly healthy—his injuries gone as if they’d never existed.

  Her stomach tightened. What had they given him? Some rare elixir? Of course. The Moonlit Sect needed him to seize the boundary marker; they’d spare no cost to restore him.

  She was still staring when another figure entered her sight.

  Lauren froze. Her blood went cold, then boiled.

  No. It couldn’t be.

  “Ms. Lauren?” Nash’s voice reached her. He caught her elbow, startled by the tremor running through her body. A chill bled from her skin, sharp enough to sting.

  “Lauren?” he whispered again.

  But she couldn’t answer. Her eyes locked on the figure across the way, her mind a storm of disbelief and horror.

  “How… how is she still alive?”

  Indiana.

  Lauren’s pulse thundered in her ears. She remembered that night with brutal crity. She had killed Indiana with her own hands. She had checked the body. Breath gone. Heart still. Dead.

  And yet—

  There she was. Walking into the Hidden Mist Secret Realm as if nothing had ever happened.