Dian Dian had watched with its own eyes as its master transformed, so it immediately played along enthusiastically.
"Master, you look completely different now. No one would recognize you at all."
After speaking, it even twitched its little nose, confirming that its master's aura had not changed.
Yun Xi gave a soft cough, rubbed her throat, and when she spoke again, her voice had turned low and magnetic, utterly unlike her usual bright and clear tone.
"Dian Dian, how is my voice now?"
Dian Dian's little black-bean eyes blinked as it answered,
"Master, your voice is nothing like before. It sounds like a man's voice, almost like that Zūnzhě who guards the Qingye Pool."
Only then did Yun Xi nod in satisfaction. She had indeed been imitating that Zūnzhě's voice. Next, she touched the Glazed Jade Mask hidden between her brows and began altering her aura. This time, it took her five breaths.
Dian Dian stared unblinkingly, its tiny nose twitching even harder as Yun Xi's aura shifted.
Five breaths later, Yun Xi asked again, "Dian Dian, can you still recognize my aura?"
Dian Dian scratched its ear with a paw, then circled her twice before trying a tentative sound transmission.
"Master, is that really you? Why does your aura feel completely different?"
Yun Xi knew that this meant her disguise was finally complete. Even her contracted beast had nearly been fooled. She laughed softly.
"Who else could I be? You saw me change with your own eyes."
Relieved, Dian Dian hopped onto Yun Xi's shoulder, pressed its little face carefully against hers, and whispered,
"Master, please don't change your aura again. Otherwise, if we're ever separated, I won't be able to find you."
Yun Xi smiled gently and drew out a delicate pouch from her storage ring.
"Don't worry. I've already considered this. This is a spirit beast pouch. For now, you'll have to endure staying inside."
Dian Dian was reluctant, but after flicking its tail, it agreed. Still, it asked curiously,
"What about Fei Xia? Will it go inside too?"
"Yes. The two of you will have company that way."
"Alright, Master."
Dian Dian chirped happily. Knowing Fei Xia would be with it, its mood immediately brightened.
Then Yun Xi drew out a small box from her storage ring. This was something Feng Jiaqing had specially retrieved from his mother's room: a portable medicine garden.
Because she had her own spatial domain, Yun Xi had never refined it before. But her spatial tablet was still fusing with the ruins of Yixian Gate, making the space inaccessible, and even the chat group was temporarily unusable. With a new secret realm journey ahead, she decided to refine the medicine garden for convenience.
Tomorrow, they would set out for the newly revealed secret realm. If she refined the portable medicine garden, she could temporarily transplant treasures found inside into the garden, giving herself a powerful advantage.
Channeling her bloodline, Yun Xi opened the box. Inside rested a transparent bead the size of a baby's fist. Looking closely, one could see miniature spirit fields within it, with several spirit plants already growing there.
She dripped blood to refine it and enlarged the garden with a wave of her hand. Within the fields grew various spirit plants from the first to third grade, clearly prepared for the original body to use in alchemy. It showed how much her mother had loved her daughter.
Yun Xi sighed softly, rolled up her sleeves, and began transplanting. Most of the plants she moved into her courtyard's fields, arranging formations suitable for their growth. She left only a dozen older plants in the garden, enough for emergencies if she suddenly needed to refine pills.
Dian Dian drooled openly at a third-grade Spring Chen Flower. Yun Xi flicked its forehead with a laugh.
"Wipe your mouth. You can eat it after we return from the secret realm. If you eat it now, you'll fall into a deep sleep and miss everything inside."
Dian Dian quickly wiped its mouth, its little eyes narrowing into crescents. It asked carefully,
"Master, you really mean it? You'll let Dian Dian eat that spirit flower?"
"Of course. Only if your cultivation improves can you truly help me."
"Thank you, Master!"
It pressed its front paws together in a bow, then darted joyfully around the garden, unable to contain its excitement.
By the time Yun Xi finished, the moon was already high. She removed her disguise, restoring her own face, and then went alone to the peak. Before leaving, she had to report to her master.
At the secluded place where Yu Ling Zhēnjūn was in closed-door cultivation, Yun Xi once again laid out a futon, sat cross-legged, and began speaking as though her master could hear.
"Master, I came early to bid you farewell.
The newly emerged secret realm in the Baohua Mountains, you must already know of it. This disciple intends to enter and temper herself.
I have a strong feeling I will gain much, but you need not worry. I am not sneaking in. I already have Martial Uncle the Sect Master's permission. For my safety, he even asked Martial Uncle Yu Lian to refine a treasure that conceals my appearance, so I won't be recognized. If I find something suitable for you in the secret realm, I will definitely bring it back as an offering."
She went on to describe her disguise, then remembered Zuo Qiu Zhēnjūn, and added,
"Master, are you acquainted with Zuo Qiu Zhēnjūn of the Spirit Beast Peak? He recently took on a disciple, my half-sister. By chance, she cultivated a Dao Comprehension Fruit Tree and traded its fruit to Zuo Qiu Zhēnjūn, becoming his direct disciple.
Wei Yunqing even flaunted it before me, boasting that her master would reach Divine Transformation before you, and said I should call her Martial Uncle. I put her in her place immediately.
Even if her master succeeds in reaching Divine Transformation, I will still suppress her. But I truly hope that you can achieve Divine Transformation smoothly. When I return from the secret realm, I wish to hear good news from you."
She rambled on, but her intent was clear: she would disguise herself for the journey, and she sincerely wished her master success in breaking through.
Having unburdened her thoughts, Yun Xi put away the futon, bowed respectfully to Yu Ling Zhēnjūn's closed-door chamber, and returned to her quarters.
Within, Yu Ling Zhēnjūn heard everything. His brows tightened slightly before relaxing again, as he continued to assault the thinning barrier to his next realm.
Back in her quarters, Yun Xi chose not to cultivate further. Instead, she lay down to sleep. To her, this was the best form of relaxation, something meditation could not replace. In the secret realm, she would need to be alert at all times. While she still had peace, she allowed herself a complete rest.
At dawn, Yun Xi woke early, tucked Dian Dian and Fei Xia into the spirit beast pouch, and wore it openly at her waist. She donned her full disguise, conjured a water mirror to check for flaws, and, finding none, activated her courtyard's formation. Hanging a "Closed-Door Cultivation" plaque on the gate, she slipped out silently from the other side of Lingxue Peak.
She had not even reached Artifact Refining Peak when thunder rumbled. Half the sky darkened with clouds, lightning weaving across as a tribulation formed instantly.
This was a familiar sight to Yun Xi. Someone was undergoing tribulation. Yet, glancing at the direction of the clouds, she arched a brow with amusement.
Just then, a message talisman flew toward her. She caught it with one hand, scanned it, and then flickered away toward the grand square of Haoran Sect, where the disciples bound for the Baohua Mountain secret realm were gathering.