To reach the upper realm, the border between the lower realm and the upper realm was Qin Zhou’s only path.

Thus, he returned once more to the place where he had once gathered Fire-Scented Grass.

This time, however, the various groups gathering herbs were almost nowhere to be seen, likely due to the impending ‘Spirit Beast Uprising’.

“Survive crossing the inner border, and you’ll reach the upper realm’s entrance,” Wen Jue explained. “Deep within the inner border, spirit beasts possess cultivation levels around mid-Golden Core stage or higher—equivalent to human cultivators at late Golden Core or even Nascent Soul stage. Under normal circumstances, one would need at least late Golden Core to even attempt crossing.”

Therefore, Wen Jue also felt Qin Zhou was being a bit hasty.

Attempting to breach the inner border at the early Gold Core stage… it was likely…

“It’s fine.”

“You’re confident?”

Qin Zhou nodded. “Mhm.”

His simple “yes” dispelled Wen Jue’s earlier doubts. He knew Qin Zhou well enough to recognize that this man was the last to make empty boasts.

In fact, he was overly cautious.

Had he not been utterly certain, he wouldn’t have come here.

Though the border areas had seen fewer herb-gathering and hunting parties lately, people still lingered nearby.

Their attire no longer bore the instantly recognizable armor marking their status. Most were cultivators like Wen Jue, dressed smartly, traveling in pairs or small groups.

Thus, the pair of him and Wen Jue blended in without standing out.

Qin Zhou knew these people likely shared his purpose.

Hardly any Foundation Establishment cultivators were present; everyone here had at least reached the Golden Core stage.

Like him, they were all heading for the upper realm.

He had observed during his last visit to gather Fire-Scented Grass that most spirit beasts seemed to be preparing to flee or retreat into their lairs—from tiny ants and squirrels to larger creatures like Rock Beasts and Nine-Sting Beasts.

Simply put, spirit beasts during this period had no time to bother with the human cultivators who had ventured into the inner perimeter.

The cause of the spirit beasts’ uprising remained unknown, but everyone likely shared Qin Zhou’s thought—

This very moment was the optimal time to break through the border’s inner perimeter and enter the upper realm.

Qin Zhou didn’t want to miss this golden opportunity either.

That was why he had come.

“Let’s go,” Qin Zhou said.

Wen Jue naturally followed, gazing at the entrance to the dense border forest. It reminded him of the times he used to hunt for alchemical ingredients with the village chief.

Yet it felt different now.

He touched the mask covering his face, an inexplicable thought crossing his mind: This time, it was his face that remained unseen.

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Throughout the journey, Wen Jue suppressed his aura completely, blending into the surroundings like a person devoid of any cultivation. He simply trailed behind, acting as Qin Zhou’s accessory.

Qin Zhou didn’t mind. He knew that if they truly encountered something they couldn’t handle, Wen Jue would step in faster than he could.

Nowadays, spiritual energy was scarce in the lower realms, and the variety of spirit beasts had dwindled significantly.

Spirit beasts feed on spiritual energy and cultivate through it, so their decline was unsurprising.

As an exceptional overachiever, Qin Zhou was also a dedicated collector. Over eight years, he documented every spirit beast he encountered and uploaded the records to the official chronicles. These entries detailed the physical traits, weaknesses, and special abilities of all the creatures he’d met.

The authorities likely took notice of this dedicated village chief, specifically granting Qin Zhou a Spirit Beast Compendium.

They also bestowed upon him the title ‘Beast Tamer’. That title still resides in Qin Zhou’s achievement list today. Its effect grants a +20 base affinity bonus with spirit beasts.

Before the separation of realms, even low-tier spirit beasts were incredibly diverse. Now, they were few and far between. All the low-tier spirit beasts seemed abandoned, clinging to life in the border forests of the lower realm, surviving on the trickles of spiritual energy leaking from the barrier stones.

Was it the cruelty of the heavens, or was this world truly on the brink of collapse? Qin Zhou didn’t know much yet.

He could only sigh at the thought.

His focus, however, must remain on the present.

After entering the dense forest, the two encountered almost no spirit beasts. As Qin Zhou had anticipated, the creatures paid them little heed, all hiding in their dens, hoarding ample food supplies as if awaiting some impending event.

This was Qin Zhou’s first time entering the inner zone.

The spiritual energy here was even denser than in the outer zone. No wonder Golden Core-stage spirit beasts could still survive here.

“Just the overflowing spiritual energy alone can sustain so many spirit beasts. This barrier stone… its power is truly formidable.”

Qin Zhou couldn’t help but look up at the massive triangular stone suspended in the air. Deep blue spiritual energy continuously surged from it, maintaining the barrier separating the upper and lower realms.

Even he had never seen a barrier stone this large before.

As far as he knew, barrier stones, like spirit stones, were containers for spiritual energy. Unlike ordinary spirit stones, however, barrier stones required someone skilled in deploying barriers to weave the barrier.

Once woven, the barrier stone continuously releases the spiritual energy within to sustain the barrier.

However, even the largest barrier stones have limited capacity.

Thus, this barrier between the upper and lower realms must have been deliberately created. Someone had cast the barrier and was regularly replenishing the barrier stone’s energy to sustain it.

Moreover, this barrier had been recognized by the Way of Heaven, endowed with the laws of the cosmos, and imposed restrictions upon cultivators from the upper realm.

“Something’s coming.” Wen Jue ignored his musings and suddenly spoke.

“Wind Sparrow Beasts. They’re not slow.” Wen Jue replied without hesitation.

Qin Zhou snapped back to attention, his gaze shifting to the wide path ahead, carpeted with dry, withered leaves.

Wind Sparrow Beasts—ferocious birds renowned for their speed.

Their weakness? Gluttony.

To be fair, most spirit beasts are gluttonous. They feed on spiritual energy, and the higher their grade, the more delicious it tastes.

Spirit beasts like the Nine-Sting Queen, requiring specific poisonous herb smoke to counter, were actually the minority. After all, bosses were different.

Qin Zhou pulled out several pills and tossed them skyward.

With the Wind Sparrow Beast’s speed, he should have immediately seen a bird-like shadow darting through the air, snatching the pills mid-flight.

But it didn’t happen.

The pills fell back down.

They landed not far from Qin Zhou’s feet.

Qin Zhou looked at Wen Jue in confusion.

Wen Jue covered his eyes, laughing. “Sorry, I forgot to tell you—the one that came was a Foundation Establishment-stage Wind Sparrow Beast.”

No sooner had he spoken than a colorful little wind sparrow spread its wings, hopping and skipping right up to Qin Zhou. It cocked its tail, dipped its head, and pecked the pills right into its mouth.

Its colorful tail feathers stood high, as if mocking Qin Zhou.

Except for certain low-grade spirit beasts, most Foundation Establishment-stage creatures were essentially spirit beast cubs.

This palm-sized wind sparrow, resembling a little chick, was clearly one of them.

Qin Zhou pinched its nape and lifted it up. Staring at the culprit responsible for Wen Jue’s loud mockery, he said indifferently, “I’ll eat you.”

Wen Jue’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing those three words.

Eat you… Why did that sound like it was directed at him?

Hmph, it wasn’t like he meant to laugh that loudly.

The little wind sparrow, however, froze in terror at those three words. The pill was still in its mouth—it couldn’t spit it out, nor could it swallow it.

This little wind sparrow actually possessed sentience. Quite rare.

Just as Qin Zhou was about to release it, an anxious voice echoed from deep within the path. “Senior, please spare my spirit pet!”

“Little Sparrow meant no offense to either of you! Please show mercy, Senior!”

Qin Zhou and Wen Jue turned toward the sound.

A young man hurried toward them. He was quite handsome, with delicate features and fair skin. His voice wasn’t coarse, and the gentle spiritual energy surrounding him inexplicably reminded one of Lu Wu.

But unlike Lu Wu, whose aura stemmed from millennia of medical practice and accumulated merit, the source of this man’s energy remained unclear.

He held a staff in his hand. Qin Zhou recognized it—it belonged to one of the professions in the cultivation world: a Beast Tamer.

His words proved true. Upon hearing his voice, the little wind sparrow seemed to find a protector. It immediately struggled free, leaping from Qin Zhou’s grasp. Flapping its tiny wings and wobbling its plump little body, it darted toward the young man.

The youth quickly crouched down, cradling the little wind sparrow in his palm. Seeing it unharmed, he then noticed the precious pill still clutched in its beak. His eyes widened in shock. “You little rascal… You stole the elders’ pills! Spit it out now!”

Hearing this, the little wind sparrow promptly swallowed the pill whole—a pill larger than its own beak. “Cheep!”

The young man watched the scene, torn between laughter and exasperation. “You really are…”

Turning his head, he found Qin Zhou and Wen Jue staring at him.

“Senior, I’ll compensate you for the pill’s worth in spirit stones. My spirit pet is greedy—please forgive it.”

Qin Zhou: “No need. I fed it to him.”

Before the youth could respond, Wen Jue asked, “Why is a beast tamer like you here?”

The youth hastily explained, his face flushing. “I wanted to see the upper realm. Now that my cultivation has reached the Golden Core stage, if I can break through the inner barrier on this journey, I’ll head to the upper realm.”

So we share the same goal.

”Is that also the case for you two elders?“ the youth asked curiously.

He couldn’t gauge Wen Jue’s cultivation level, but Qin Zhou… seemed to be at the Golden Core stage like himself.

”Mhm.“

”Then… perhaps we could…“ The youth began, only to be cut off by Wen Jue: ”It’s inconvenient to travel together.”

Those five words extinguished the youth’s enthusiasm. He gave a nervous chuckle. ”My apologies for the abruptness.“

”Farewell then.“ Wen Jue grabbed Qin Zhou’s arm and pulled him away.

His direct manner didn’t offend Qin Zhou. Instead, Qin Zhou simply nodded in agreement. ”Goodbye.”

Watching them walk away, the young tamer finally stroked Little Wind Sparrow’s head. “Little Sparrow, don’t run off again.”

“Cheep.”

“How strange. My Little Sparrow has always been wary of strangers. This is the first time it’s been so friendly.”

“Cheep.”

“Not just you—even I felt drawn to him. Why is that?” The young man pondered but couldn’t fathom the reason. “Never mind. We should hurry inside. If we delay any longer, we might miss that legendary secret realm.”

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

After parting ways with the young beast tamer, both men remained silent, understanding each other without words.

Wen Jue glanced at Qin Zhou, noting his expression remained unchanged.

“That young man earlier… something wasn’t quite right.” Wen Jue frowned. Though he could have revealed his strength and directly probed to uncover the youth’s background, he had held back.

If he hadn’t held back, this border forest would likely descend into chaos.

“Though that little chick doesn’t look like a Wind Sparrow, it truly is one.”

It was astonishing that a Golden Core-stage beast tamer would have a baby Wind Sparrow as a spirit pet.

“A mature Wind Sparrow can reach at least the Golden Core stage, and given time, even the Nascent Soul stage isn’t impossible. Wind Sparrows are proud creatures; the likelihood of them acknowledging a master is extremely low. Entering into any kind of master-servant contract with a beast tamer is even more improbable. Moreover, Wind Sparrows are fiercely protective of their young. If a baby Wind Sparrow were captured, the adult would fight to the death to kill the captor…”

“Either the contract wasn’t made with the chick, but with an adult Wind Bird. Or he happened to find an orphaned young Wind Bird.” Wen Jue concluded.

The latter possibility was exceedingly unlikely.

Wen Jue was right. Qin Zhou listened to his explanation and silently nodded. “You know your stuff.”

“Oh… I learned it from others before.”

“The person who raised you?”

“So what if it was?”

Qin Zhou appraised, “Hmm, they taught you well.”

Wen Jue:?

Why is this guy praising himself?

“Besides, the tamer himself isn’t particularly strong in combat. Without some form of support, he probably wouldn’t dare venture into the upper realm alone,” Wen Jue added.

Qin Zhou: “True, but…”

“But what?”

“Nothing. Let’s go.” Qin Zhou frowned, keeping his uncertainty to himself.

He had just seen it: the little Wind Sparrow’s favorability rating toward him was ‘20’.

Surprisingly, the favorability number appearing above the beastmaster’s head was also ‘20’.

The little Wind Sparrow’s favorability could be attributed to the achievement title ‘Master Beastmaster’. But where did the young man’s favorability come from?

Since he didn’t say anything, Wen Jue didn’t press further.

What he also didn’t tell Qin Zhou was that, looking at the young man, he felt something was off. Yet he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

In any case, this was merely a minor incident along the way through the dense forest.