After packing up the Materials from that Thunder-Horned Azure-Scaled Beast, Fang Hao felt entirely refreshed. It wasn’t just about gaining treasures; more importantly, he now had a sense of confidence. The power of the Golden Core Stage was truly no joke! Taking on a fourth-tier Low Grade Demon Beast solo was a bit of a struggle, but he had ultimately taken it down. Back when he was in the Foundation Establishment stage, he wouldn’t have even dared to dream of such a thing; he would have turned tail and run the moment they met.

He found a hidden small cave and hunkered down inside to adjust his breathing for half a day, replenishing his consumed spiritual energy and bringing his condition back to its peak. Then, he pulled out that crude map—which looked like a child’s doodle—along with his Guest Elder token and began to ponder where to go next.

Several points of potential Opportunity were marked on the map, but the handwriting was so blurred it made his head spin. Names like "Meteor Star Lake," "Ten Thousand Swords Valley," and "Hundred Flower Medicinal Garden" sounded impressive, but as for their exact locations or how far they were from here, it was all guesswork. The light on the Guest Elder token could show his own position, but the map lacked any reference points, leaving him completely in the dark.

"This crappy map is the same as having no map at all!" Fang Hao grumbled as he studied it for a long while. Finally, based on the general direction the light on the token was moving and the relative positions of those points on the map, he took a wild guess at a direction—northeast! He reckoned that "Meteor Star Lake" might be over there. Why choose that one? Because the name sounded related to "stars." Having just been struck by lightning, he felt a strange, inexplicable affinity for places with the word "Star" in them (though it was actually total nonsense). Plus, it was a lake; lakes usually had plenty of water vapor, so there might be some water-attribute treasures suitable for a mixed Spiritual Root like him to try his luck with.

"Whatever, it’s better than wandering around like a headless fly! That’s the one, Meteor Star Lake!" Fang Hao slapped his thigh and made up his mind. The Secret Realm was so vast that good things could be hidden anywhere anyway. He would head toward a target first; he might even pick up some scraps along the way.

No sooner said than done. He packed up neatly and performed the Divine Spirit Steps, skimming low over the treetops and stealthily making his way toward the northeast. He had learned his lesson this time and didn’t dare fly ostentatiously through the sky; that was too conspicuous and made him an easy target. With his Divine Sense strengthened in the Golden Core Stage, his perception range had also expanded. As he traveled, he cast out his Divine Sense, scanning the surroundings within a dozen miles like a net. At the slightest sign of trouble, he would immediately hide.

Inside this Secret Realm, every step was fraught with peril. Before he had gone far, he sensed several powerful Demon Beast auras, all at least at the Third-tier Peak, and there was even a faint pressure from a fourth-tier Medium Grade beast that scared him into taking a detour. He also saw the light of other Cultivators’ flights in the distance—some traveling alone, others in groups of three or five. He avoided them all in advance, never showing his face. Now was not the time to join the fray; he had just broken through and hadn’t scavenged any treasures yet, so getting into a conflict with others wasn’t worth it.

Along the way, he did manage to pick up some small advantages. Relying on the sharpness of his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes, he found several Spiritual Plants of decent age in hidden corners and even picked up a fist-sized piece of "Meteoric Essence Gold" containing pure Power of the Stars, which was an excellent material for Artifact Refining. Even mosquito legs are meat; Fang Hao happily tucked them away.

Traveling by day and finding a cave or tree hollow to sit and adjust his breathing by night, he traveled cautiously for seven or eight days. Calculating the distance, he had likely penetrated tens of thousands of miles deep into the Secret Realm. This Secret Realm was truly boundlessly vast.

This afternoon, as he was passing through a dense forest of ancient trees, he suddenly felt the water Spiritual Qi ahead become exceptionally rich, and the air grew much more humid. His heart stirred, and he quickened his pace. Emerging from the forest, the view suddenly opened up!

Before him lay a massive lake that stretched beyond the horizon. The water was deep blue and as calm as a mirror, reflecting the gray sky. A faint mist shimmering with starlight drifted over the lake’s surface, looking mysterious and beautiful. Most peculiar of all, several enormous, charred black stones were suspended in the air above the center of the lake, looking as if they had fallen from the heavens, emitting faint stellar fluctuations and the aura of something that had cooled after being scorched.

"Meteor Star Lake! This is it!" Fang Hao’s spirits soared; he had finally found the right place! Those meteorites floating in the center of the lake were a perfect match for the name!

He didn’t dare approach immediately. Hiding behind a large tree by the lakeside, he pushed his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes to their limit, carefully observing the lake surface and the opposite shore. What he saw made his heart tighten instantly.

The lake surface was deserted and silent. However, there were many traces along the shore! There were fresh footprints, charred craters left by Spell strikes, and even several spots of dried, blackened blood! A faint scent of blood and spiritual energy fluctuations still lingered in the air!

"It seems someone arrived first and... they’ve already fought." Fang Hao’s expression grew solemn. He just didn’t know if they were still around, if they had left after both sides were injured, if one side had been wiped out, or if... they were hiding in the shadows?

He became even more cautious, concealing his aura to the absolute limit. Operating the Ethereal Art, his entire being seemed to blend into the environment. He crept along the lakeshore toward the floating meteorites in the center, using rocks and trees for cover. His Clear Spring Spirit Eyes scanned continuously, not missing a single clue.

Sure enough, on a stretch of rocky beach near the center of the lake, he found even more intense signs of combat. The ground was blasted with several large craters, rubble was everywhere, there was more blood, and there were even a few torn fragments of clothing bearing Sect marks.

"Looking at this level of destruction, the cultivation of those involved wasn’t low—at least the Golden Core Stage." Fang Hao crouched down and picked up a fragment to look at, but he didn’t recognize which Sect it belonged to. He muttered to himself, "What were they fighting over to be hitting each other this hard?"

He looked up toward the largest floating meteorites in the center of the lake, which were like small mountains. The surfaces of the meteorites were pitted and full of holes, with a faint light shimmering from within them. With his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes, he could see that the interiors of those meteorites seemed to contain extremely pure Power of the Stars and a kind of... blazing fire-system energy?

"Good stuff!" Fang Hao’s heart raced. These meteorites were definitely top-tier Materials for Artifact Refining! Perhaps there were even more precious treasures gestating inside! No wonder people were fighting tooth and nail over them!

He was just pondering how to sneak over and take a look when suddenly, his ears twitched. He heard a very faint splashing sound and low-voiced conversation coming from the lake’s surface far to his left!

Someone was there!

Fang Hao’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately held his breath and shrunk behind a massive rock like a civet cat. He pushed the Ethereal Art to its limit, and even his heartbeat nearly stopped.

He quietly peeked out half his head, looking toward the source of the sound. Through the thin mist on the distant lake surface, a strangely styled small black boat was slowly sailing in. Three people stood on the boat—two men and one woman—all wearing matching dark blue martial attire with a pattern of a wave cradling a moon embroidered on their chests.

"It’s people from the ’Xuan Shui Pavilion’!" Fang Hao recognized the emblem; they were a major Sect of the Mingling Empire, specializing in water-attribute Cultivation Techniques. The auras of these three were not weak: two in the Early Golden Core Stage and one at Great Perfection Foundation Establishment. They were controlling the small boat, seemingly searching for something on the lake, their eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings—especially those floating meteorites.

"It seems they’re also after the meteorites, and they’re very cautious." Fang Hao calculated in his mind. The appearance of Xuan Shui Pavilion people here proved that Meteor Star Lake truly had something to offer. But the other side had three people with significant strength; it wouldn’t be wise to try and take it by force.

He decided to stay put for now and see how things developed. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; being a ’hidden player’ was sometimes more profitable than being the one to stick your neck out first.

He crouched behind the rock, waiting patiently to see exactly what these Xuan Shui Pavilion people intended to do. This Opportunity at Meteor Star Lake probably wouldn’t be so easy to get his hands on.