A wave of dizziness washed over him, like being shoved into a washing machine and spun eight hundred times; Fang Hao finally felt his feet touch solid ground.

He shook his dizzy head, opened his eyes, and nearly popped them out of their sockets.

Good heavens! What the hell kind of place is this?

Above him was not the sky, but a gray expanse; there was no sun, yet it was bright, with light so soft it felt almost fake.

Looking out, mountains rolled and undulated, stretching endlessly; they were more magnificent and ancient than any mountain range he had ever seen outside!

The Spiritual Qi in the air was terrifyingly dense; a single breath made him feel as if his pores were opening up—it was even more invigorating than the cultivation chamber at the Seventh Princes Mansion!

In the distance, a massive waterfall cascaded like an inverted Milky Way, rumbling loudly; nearby, ancient trees towered, many so thick that dozens of people couldn’t encircle them, vines were thicker than thighs, and exotic flowers and herbs grew everywhere, many of which he had never even seen before.

Looking around, the entire world seemed to be shrouded in an aura of primordial, ancient, and lifeless desolation; this aura was like a heavy curtain, covering everything within it and making people feel an endless sense of mystery and oppression.

"Is this the Tianyan Secret Realm? It’s... just too big!" Fang Hao smacked his lips, feeling both excited and worried.

What excited him was that this place was indeed a treasure trove; with such dense Spiritual Qi, there had to be no shortage of treasures!

What worried him was that the place was too big; in three months, where was he supposed to go to find Opportunities? He didn’t want the time to run out without him having gained a single thing.

He hurriedly took out his Guest Elder token and the crude map he had obtained earlier to take a look.

On the token was a faint light spot representing his own position, while the map marked several dangerous areas with potential for great Opportunities, such as "Meteor Star Lake," "Ten Thousand Swords Valley," and the "Hundred Flower Herb Garden," but they were all hundreds of thousands of miles away from his current location.

"Damn, random teleportation? What a rip-off!" Fang Hao cursed.

Now it was great; everyone was scattered, and he couldn’t rely on anyone else—he had to depend entirely on himself.

He crouched down, darted behind a large rock, and fully unleashed his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes and Divine Sense, vigilantly scanning his surroundings.

Fortunately, within a few dozen miles, he didn’t sense the aura of any other Cultivators, nor did he discover any particularly powerful Demon Beasts.

There were only a few strange-looking, seemingly unintelligent low-level small beasts hopping around in the grass.

Temporarily safe.

Fang Hao breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the ground.

Now the problem arose: what should he do next? Should he set off immediately to try his luck at the treasure locations marked on the map? Or...

His hand subconsciously reached toward his storage ring, inside which was a jade bottle containing nine High Grade Golden Core Pills.

An uncontrollable urge instantly surged into his heart!

Breakthrough! Break through to the Golden Core Stage immediately!

Once this thought appeared, it grew like wild grass, and he couldn’t suppress it no matter what!

The reasons were more than sufficient! First, this Secret Realm was fraught with danger; just now, when he used his Divine Sense to probe slightly into the distance, he sensed several Demon Beast auras that made his heart tremble—they were at least Tier 3 (Golden Core level)!

With his current cultivation of Great Perfection Foundation Establishment, encountering any one of them would be like serving himself up on a platter!

Only by breaking through to the Golden Core Stage would he have some ability to protect himself!

Second, those Geniuses from the royal family and Sects might all have life-saving trump cards given by their elders, which could even unleash Golden Core level combat power; if he remained at the Foundation Establishment Stage, he would be at a huge disadvantage if he clashed with them!

Third, and most importantly, after forming his Golden Core, his strength would skyrocket, and his chances of finding Opportunities and competing for treasures would be much greater!

Risk? Of course there was! He couldn’t be disturbed during the Breakthrough, otherwise, not only would he fail, but he might also suffer Qi Deviation.

But this Secret Realm was so huge that the chance of being discovered if he found a hidden corner to hide and break through should not be high.

Besides, he had his golden puppet to protect him!

With a Middle Nascent Soul Stage golden puppet, as long as he didn’t attract any Nascent Soul Old Monsters or Tier 4 Yao Kings that might exist in the Secret Realm, it would be more than enough to guard him!

"Damn it! Fortune favors the bold! I’ll risk it!" Fang Hao gritted his teeth and made up his mind!

No matter how good an Opportunity was, he had to be alive to enjoy it! Break through first, then hunt for treasure!

He no longer hesitated and immediately took action.

Riding his Flying Sword, he flew at a low altitude, specifically diving into mountain nooks and crannies with complex terrain to find a suitable location for his Breakthrough.

After flying for about half a day, he finally found an excellent spot!

It was a deep valley hidden between several steep Peaks, the entrance shrouded by dense poisonous miasma and an illusion Formation, making it extremely concealed.

Relying on his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes to see through the illusions, and after careful probing, Fang Hao discovered the entrance.

Upon entering, he found it to be a world of its own; the area was not small, and in the middle, there was a small pond filled with swirling Spiritual Qi, eerily quiet.

"This is the place!" Fang Hao nodded with satisfaction.

He spent another half day setting up several layers of concealment, defensive, and warning Formations at the valley entrance and all around it, using the highest-level Formations he could muster, making the place as secure as an iron barrel.

Then, he walked to a flat bluestone by the pond and sat down cross-legged.

With a thought, the golden puppet’s twelve-foot-tall dark golden figure appeared before him like an iron tower, emitting the terrifying pressure of the Nascent Soul Stage, faithfully standing guard by his side.

"I’m counting on you, old buddy!" Fang Hao gave the golden puppet a strict order: any creature that approached the valley was to be killed without mercy!

After doing all this, he finally truly breathed a sigh of relief.

He adjusted his breathing and brought his state to its Peak.

Then, he solemnly took out the jade bottle and poured out a High Grade Golden Core Pill, the size of a dragon’s eye, shimmering with seven-colored light and exuding an intoxicating fragrance!

Looking at the fate-deciding pill in his palm, Fang Hao’s eyes were firm; without further hesitation, he opened his mouth and swallowed the pill!

The pill melted the moment it entered his mouth, transforming into an indescribable, vast, ocean-like torrent of pure energy that instantly rushed into his limbs and bones, finally converging into his Dantian!

Boom!

Fang Hao felt as if his Dantian were about to explode!

Under the impact of this energy, his already full Qi Sea began to spin and compress crazily!

Intense pain washed over him, causing the veins on his forehead to bulge, but he kept his mind focused, circulating the Chaos Derivation Art to guide this energy and assault that solid barrier!

At the same time, above the Secret Realm, the originally gray clouds began to churn violently, countless silver snakes slithered wildly, and a heart-trembling heavenly might slowly gathered!

The One-Nine Lightning Tribulation was coming!

Outside the valley, the golden puppet’s hollow eye sockets looked toward the sky, red light flickering as it prepared to deal with any interference.

Inside the valley, Fang Hao’s Breakthrough had reached its most critical moment!

Whether he could leap over the dragon gate depended on this single act!