The system interface finally stabilized after four hours, and the space settled down.
At this moment, the two found themselves in a forest of Silver Luan trees. The surrounding trees were at least ten zhang tall, with a diameter of over a meter each. However, Ye Fan did not recognize the species of these trees.
"Silver Luan trees?" Liang Rujing exclaimed in surprise.
"You recognize them?" Ye Fan turned to ask.
"Of course," Liang Rujing pointed to the surrounding Silver Luan trees. "These trees are unique to the trial secret realms; they cannot survive outside."
"Have you been here before?" Liang Rujing's words surprised Ye Fan. In his opinion, Liang Rujing was merely a qi-refining realm novice, and as a princess, the Great Liang Emperor shouldn't have allowed her to come to such a dangerous place.
"My father has a crystal screen," Liang Rujing explained. "I've seen the footage from the grand competition before."
Ye Fan nodded in realization. He had traversed many cultivation worlds and found them to be different from his pre-transmigration understanding. Before his first transmigration, cultivation worlds in novels and dramas seemed similar to ancient feudal societies. For example, communication jade talismans were essentially like mobile phones. Especially when they supported holographic projection for communication, which was far more advanced than mobile phones. In this light, it wasn't strange for the emperor to have a high-definition display.
If Liang Rujing was correct, then this was undoubtedly the grand competition secret realm. However, Ye Fan couldn't quite figure it out. With the dog system's abilities, opening a portal to such a small world should have been instantaneous, not taking four hours.
Could it be… the dog system had already set a trap for him here?
Besides this possibility, Ye Fan considered another. The dog system had been silent for a period, and its prompt earlier mentioned insufficient energy. It seemed the dog system was genuinely lacking energy, hence the difficulty. However, Ye Fan quickly dismissed this possibility.
Get serious! How could such a good thing happen? If that were the case, he'd be laughing in his dreams!
Ye Fan cast aside the jumbled thoughts in his mind. Now that the dog system had brought him here, he had no choice but to accept it. After all, without the dog system's help, he couldn't leave. As for asking the dog system to send him back, Ye Fan didn't even consider it!
Suddenly, Ye Fan had a flash of inspiration. I get it! According to the usual plot, the dog system would create various opportunities for him to win first place in the grand competition. Then, influential figures would try to recruit him, and disciples would flock to him. If he wasn't careful, he would be corrupted by these "sugar-coated bullets." He would gradually lose himself in the abyss of power, status, and strength, repeating his past mistakes!
With this realization, Ye Fan felt instantly relieved. You want me to win first place, dog system? As long as I don't participate, it's all good! Isn't it wonderful to spend some time playing in this scenic place with my granddaughter? Of course, if a powerful demon beast suddenly appeared and ate me, that would be even more perfect!
However, Ye Fan knew he was overthinking. The dog system had prevented his suicide attempts multiple times. How could such a fortunate event happen?
From then on, the two completely let loose. Ye Fan let loose because he had figured things out. Liang Rujing, on the other hand, was simply pent up… In the imperial palace, she was managed by her parents. Even outside the palace, as long as she was within the imperial city, she dared not act too outrageously, lest she be lectured about not being a lady-like princess and the importance of etiquette. Now, she was free.
Liang Rujing chuckled and climbed up a Silver Luan tree. Her target was a bird's nest on a branch.
"Be careful," Ye Fan called from below. Although falling from her current cultivation level wouldn't cause serious harm, he couldn't help but nag.
After collecting a nest of fist-sized bird eggs, Liang Rujing dragged Ye Fan to the riverbank to catch fish. He wondered if the fish in this river had demonic beast bloodlines, as they were incredibly agile. Liang Rujing tried for a long time but couldn't catch a single one.
"Hmph!" Liang Rujing's temper flared. "I refuse to believe I can't catch you today!"
Ye Fan smiled and took out a fishing kit from his ring. The weather in the secret realm was pleasant, and a gentle breeze by the river was quite relaxing. Ye Fan sat on a small stool, holding the fishing rod, and watched Liang Rujing flailing in the river. Ye Fan was confident in his fishing skills. At least, he hadn't experienced a "skunk" since transmigrating to this world.
Two hours later. Ye Fan stared at the empty wooden bucket and fell into deep thought… It shouldn't be like this? It must be that granddaughter Liang Rujing, messing around nearby and scaring all his fish away! Yes, that's it!
An hour later. Feeling a tug on his fishing rod, Ye Fan eagerly reeled it in. Seeing a stinky boot on the hook, Ye Fan frowned… The self-proclaimed King of Anglers, Ye Fan, seemed to be less effective after leaving the Ziyun Sect. After the stinky boot, he caught a broken bamboo basket. Then came tattered clothes, a chipped iron pot, and an animal skeleton. And so on. In short, no fish…
"Hahahaha!" Liang Rujing beside him was laughing so hard tears streamed down her face. "Ye Fan, your fishing skills are truly amazing!"
This mockery from Liang Rujing made Ye Fan lose face. His title as the King of Anglers wasn't just for show! It was time to demonstrate his true skill! Ye Fan reached out and took out a few small spheres from his ring. They looked like marbles and were made by his fellow disciples who specialized in artifact refining when he was at the Ziyun Sect. The principle was simple. The spheres contained miniature formations that stored compressed true qi. Pressing the button on the sphere would activate the formation. Ye Fan pressed the buttons one by one and threw the small spheres into the river.
"Boom, boom, boom." With a series of not-so-violent explosions, fish began to surface.
"Wow, Ye Fan, you're cheating!" Liang Rujing was stunned. "Fish caught this way have no soul!"
"If you think they have no soul, you don't have to eat them," Ye Fan teased her.
"Dream on!" Liang Rujing declared, hands on her hips. Her true nature as a foodie was evident.
Imperial Palace. Liang Dekui looked at the crystal screen on the wall and rubbed his temples fiercely. He hadn't changed the channel since Ye Fan and the other woman entered the secret realm. Based on previous investigations, the woman who sneaked in was suspected to be Wu Poxie of the Zhenxie Sect. However, it was not yet confirmed. The matter of that woman was still unresolved, and now Ye Fan had brought his own daughter in… Especially seeing Ye Fan leading Liang Rujing to steal bird eggs and catch fish, Liang Dekui's beard bristled with anger! His precious little ninth daughter was being led astray by Ye Fan!
Forget it, forget it. Who told Ye Fan to look so much like his eldest son? I'll endure it! Liang Dekui took out the jade pendant around his neck and fiddled with it, causing a portal of light to appear in the great hall.
"Secretly protect Little Nine's safety," Liang Dekui instructed someone beside him. "Yes," a figure flashed out from behind a screen and entered the portal.