Duanmu Xingling continued: "Although those warriors who entered the underwater Dragon Palace all gained great benefits, because of the extremely high risk, there are very few warriors who dare to go to the underwater Dragon Palace for training."

  Zhang Ruochen said: "Duanmu Shijie, do you think that this time's exploration exam will be at the Chi Kong Secret Mansion or the Water Bottom Dragon Palace?"

  "It should be the Red Sky Secret Mansion."

  "The underwater Dragon Palace is too dangerous. With our current abilities, we'll probably all die inside. The Martial Arts Academy just wants to train us, not send us to our deaths."

  Duanmu Xingling continued: "Of course, the Red Sky Secret Mansion is still quite dangerous and requires a lot of preparation in advance."

  "The Red Sky Secret Pavilion is located deep underground, said to be close to the magma layer, extremely hot and dry. So, we must prepare enough water and treasures with cold ice properties to withstand the heat. Of course, we all have spatial treasures that can store a large amount of water, so we don't have to worry about running out of drinking water at all. For other warriors, entering the Red Sky Secret Pavilion is definitely a big problem when it comes to finding drinking water. This is our advantage."

  Du Mu Xing Ling Dao: "There are three things that need to be worried about the most. First, the various strange and bizarre underground beasts born in the Chi Kong Secret Mansion."

  "Second, Wu Zhe."

  Zhang Ruochen said: "Duanmu Shijie is referring to the outer palace disciples of the East Wing, South Wing and North Wing."

  Du Mu Xing Ling Dao said, "They are just a part of it, can you guarantee that none of the ten students in the Western Academy want to harm you? If you really found treasure in the Chi Kong Secret Mansion, even if they are friends you know, they may stab you in the back."

  Zhang Ruochen said: "What is the third point mentioned by Duanmu Shijie?"

  "The Exile" Du Mu Xing Ling Dao.

  Zhang Ruochen looked puzzled and asked, "What is a Flowing Exile?"

  Du Mu Xingling smiled and said, "In the past 500 years, many evil people, assassins, thugs, demonic sect experts, and great thieves from the thirty-six counties have been born. As long as they were caught, almost all of them were imprisoned in some special areas within the Red Sky Secret Mansion. Let them endure the torture of purgatory in the Red Sky Secret Mansion, where many people starved to death inside. Only those who are extremely evil can survive. If we enter the Red Sky Secret Mansion, we might encounter some exiled prisoners being held inside."

  "They are being held in certain designated areas. As long as we avoid those areas, we shouldn't run into them."

  Du Mu Xingling shook his head and said, "Many of those exiles come from the Black Market and the Moon Worship Demonic Sect. Do you think that among the outer disciples of the Wushang Academy, there are no hidden agents of the Black Market and the Moon Worship Demonic Sect? They won't take this opportunity to break the seals of those special domains and release those exiles?"

  Zhang Ruochen said, "I understand why the Wushang Academy is doing this. In fact, they are also testing us to see if we are hidden agents of the Black Market or the Moon Worship Sect. After all, students who can enter the top ten of the four academies are all exceptionally talented and may become high-ranking officials in the Wushang Bank in the future."

  "The black market and Bayyue Demon Sect's hidden agents, if they were to become high-ranking members of the Wu City Money House, would be extremely unfavorable for the Wu City Money House."

  "So, before we enter the intermediate ruins, we must make the best preparations. The Red Sky Secret Mansion is dangerous, but it's also full of opportunities. If we explore for three months, our gains may be equivalent to ten years of cultivation outside. Everything depends on our own luck."

  "What I had to say, I've already told you. Now I also need to go back and close the door to cultivate, striving to make my cultivation even more advanced."

  Duanmu Xingling stood up and walked out, but suddenly stopped in her tracks. She turned around with a smile and said: "Zhang Ruochen, after all, Duanmu is your fiancée now. If you give her a spatial treasure, she will be safer when entering the intermediate ancient ruins."

  Then, Du Mu Xingling burst out laughing and walked out of Huang Zi's No. 1.

  If it weren't for Huang Yanchen's bad temper, Zhang Ruochen would have given her a spatial treasure long ago, and there would be no need for Du Mu Xingling's reminder.

  Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment, then walked out of Huang Zi's First Number and headed towards the First Number of Di Zi where Huang Yanchen lived.

  After knocking on the door, no one responded.

  "She's actually not here"

  Zhang Ruochen was about to head back when he suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked towards the Tianzi No. 1 building across from him.

  The master of Tiān Zì First Number is Luó Shuǐ Hán.

  "Luo Shijie is also going to take the intermediate ancient ruin exploration exam, and she'll definitely need a spatial treasure. Last time in the Temple of God's Power, thanks to Luo Shijie, I was able to enter the Semi-Saint Spiritual Pattern to cultivate my spiritual power. Since Luo Shijie didn't mind sharing the Semi-Saint Spiritual Pattern with me, why can't I give her a spatial treasure?"

  Thinking of this, Zhang Ruochen headed towards Tianzi First Road.

  "Dong Dong"

  Zhang Ruochen knocked on the door ring and asked: "Luo Shijie, are you inside?"

  The gate did not open, but Luoshuihan's voice came into Zhang Ruochen's ears, as melodious as the song of a skylark: "What brings you to me?"

  Luo Shuihan's voice was extremely calm, as if it had sounded in Zhang Ruochen's ear.

  Zhang Ruochen said: "Actually, there's nothing important, I just wanted to thank Shifu for letting me participate in comprehending the Half-Saint Saintly Diagram last time."

  "Come in." Luo Shuihan's voice sounded again.

  "Ouch"

  The originally closed door was as if pushed by an invisible hand and automatically opened.

  Zhang Ruochen walked in, the ground was covered with fallen leaves, and he passed through a small path paved with white stones to come to the outside of a very elegant pavilion.

  The gate of the attic was already open, Zhang Ruochen took off his shoes and walked in quietly.

  He knew that Luoshui Han liked quietness, lived a simple life, and the students of Wushicheng Academy had all heard her name, but those who had seen her were few.

  It is said that Luoshui Han was either tempering himself outside or cultivating in seclusion.

  Today, Zhang Ruochen was able to see her, which already counted as being quite lucky.

  As she walked into the room, Zhang Ruochen caught a whiff of a delicate and elegant fragrance. At a glance, she saw Luo Shuihan wearing a white dress, with her bare feet on the wooden floor, holding a bronze pen in her hand, painting on a piece of spiritual paper.

  The ink used for painting is made from the fresh blood of a barbarian beast.

  It is a second-order superior barbarian beast, leopard-headed blood bat.

  Just as Zhang Ruochen stopped in his tracks, Luo Shuihan's final brush stroke came to a stop.

  She stretched out a slender jade finger and pointed at the painting. A white aura burst forth from her fingertips.

  Suddenly, the painting scroll shook violently and made a "rustling" sound.

  A group of blood bats suddenly flew out from the spiritual paper, flapping their wings over a meter long, flying towards Zhang Ruochen.

  There were more than 40 vampire bats in total, with leopard-like heads and sharp teeth exposed.

  Each leopard-headed blood bat has the power to kill a martial artist of the Extreme Realm's Great Perfection, and more than 40 leopard-headed blood bats can turn an early-stage Earthly Realm martial artist into a skeleton in an instant.

  Zhang Ruochen immediately drew out the Snow Dragon Sword and launched a sword technique.

  "Tian Xin Jian Zhong"

  Innumerable sword auras converged into a three-meter-tall white sword bell, enveloping Zhang Ruochen in the center, and rapidly spinning around.

  In an instant, three leopard-headed blood bats were shaken off by the sword bell, their bodies scattered and turned into three strands of bloody air, dissipating in the air.

  The white sword emitted a cold chill, causing the air in the room to rapidly drop and condense into snowflakes that fluttered down.

  Luoshui Han stretched out a slender jade hand, catching a snowflake, staring at Zhang Ruochen who was surrounded by leopard-headed blood bats, and nodded gently. A soft and pleasant voice came from her mouth: "Come back"

  Having received Luo Shuihan's command, that group of leopard-headed blood bats flew back like a tide and transformed into a painting once again.

  Zhang Ruochen put away his sword and stared at the painting on the table, saying: "Sister, you're not a painter, are you?"

  Luoshui Han nodded slightly and said, "I just followed a senior from the Painting Sect for a few days to learn, I'm still far behind those great masters of painting."

  At this moment, what Zhang Ruochen and Luo Shuihan referred to as "painter" was not just a simple painter, but rather someone who treated painting as a martial art.

  Using animal blood as ink, after painting, you can summon fierce beasts to fight for yourself.

  Using human blood as ink, after painting, can summon thousands of troops and horses.

  Ink made from some special and precious materials, used for painting, can even summon wind, rain, thunder and lightning, move mountains and rivers, burn the sky and boil the sea.

  The number of painters is less than that of alchemists, artifact refiners and beast tamers, and almost all of them come from the Painting Sect.

  Hua Zong, in the Kunlun Realm, is a very ancient and powerful sect. Luo Shuihan was able to learn from a senior of Hua Zong, which shows that she has extremely high talent in painting.