The reason He Jin was certain he had entered the secret realm was simple. Just moments ago, he had been in the main room of the courtyard house. Yet the instant he opened his eyes, he was greeted by an endless expanse of grassland, complete with mountains, water, and even several classically styled traditional buildings.
Such a scene was clearly no illusion. Naturally, aside from the secret realm, he could think of no other explanation.
Once he calmed down, He Jin eagerly began exploring the space.
He soon discovered that he seemed to be standing at the very center of the realm. Beneath his feet was a level courtyard. Behind him stood a two-story wooden building, beautifully constructed and very much to his taste.
To the left of the small building was a garden. There was a pond and ornamental rockeries, though no flowers grew there yet, leaving it somewhat bare and less pleasing to the eye.
To the right stood a smaller house and a warehouse-like structure that appeared fairly large.
When He Jin stepped into the smaller building, he was stunned to find that it was actually a latrine. Not only was it spotless, but it even had a wooden toilet equipped with a simple flushing mechanism. When he gently pulled the thin cord beside it, clean water flowed out.
He couldn't help but wonder what kind of person the former owner of this secret realm had been. For the latrine to be so "modernized" was astonishing—far superior to the foul public toilets outside.
That said, He Jin had no interest in digging into its secrets. As long as it benefited him, why should he care who the original owner had been?
Even if the former owner had been another transmigrator or a cultivator, that person was long gone. There was no possibility of meeting them. Why waste time and energy on it?
Satisfied with the latrine, He Jin moved on to the warehouse, only to find it completely empty.
After pacing around inside, he estimated the warehouse to be about two hundred square meters in size.
Stepping back outside, he glanced at the endless grasslands stretching before the house but felt no urge to explore them. Instead, his gaze shifted to the small hill some dozens of meters behind the house—no taller than thirty meters—and the stream flowing down from it into a modestly sized lake.
It didn't take long for him to reach the hilltop. There, he found nothing except a small spring that continuously bubbled up water.
His earlier excitement dimmed slightly at the sight. Feeling somewhat tired and thirsty, he cupped some spring water in his hands and drank.
The moment the water slid down his throat, a jolt ran through him. His fatigue vanished instantly, and he felt refreshed and full of energy.
Having read countless novels in his previous life, He Jin immediately realized that this was no ordinary spring water—it was a spirit spring with miraculous properties.
He quickly drank several more mouthfuls. As strength surged through his body, he became even more certain of his guess.
Thinking back now, He Jin couldn't help but sigh. At the time, he had thought the spring's magic was limited to dispelling fatigue and keeping one energized.
Yet after more than a month of regular use, he had discovered that long-term consumption not only improved physical constitution and strengthened the body, but also made one resistant to illness and even enhanced appearance. Dispelling fatigue was merely its most trivial function.
For example, Sha Zhu's originally weathered face—looking well into his forties—now appeared closer to thirty-six or thirty-seven. And that was after just over a month.
He Jin estimated that given another half year, he might look twenty-seven or twenty-eight again.
If he remained in the courtyard by then, others would certainly notice something unusual.
Fortunately, having long since resolved to leave, He Jin had not been idle these past weeks. He had already made preparations to depart.
Returning to the secret realm itself—since neither the jade pendant nor the space possessed any discernible intelligence, He Jin could not uncover their true origins. Nor could he instantly understand all the realm's abilities. He had to explore everything himself.
After a month of effort, he had basically grasped its capabilities.
The secret realm was vast—nearly one hundred square kilometers in area. And that was something He Jin had personally measured over half a month by walking it himself.
Unfortunately, he could not control the space with mere thought like other transmigrators in novels, nor could he fly.
For safety reasons, he hadn't brought in a bicycle either, so he had relied solely on his own two legs to measure its size.
Still, despite its limitations, the space had its advantages. If He Jin concentrated, nothing within a ten-meter radius could escape his perception. And with a single thought, he could bring any inanimate object—or even living beings, including people—into the space.
Time inside the realm flowed at the same rate as the outside world, and it was perpetually springlike.
In other words, if he wished, He Jin could live inside the realm for the rest of his life.
Of course, he had no intention of doing so. That would be far too lonely. What meaning would life have then?
The realm's wonders didn't stop there. About half a month ago, He Jin had accidentally discovered its most powerful ability—what he called "Phasing."
When inside the realm, if he thought about looking outside, the entire space would become transparent, allowing him to clearly see anything within a ten-meter radius outside.
In other words, even if he had entered the realm in a densely built area, once it phased, he could see through all obstacles within ten meters—like having x-ray vision.
Moreover, even while observing the outside world, he remained inside the realm. He could see others, but they couldn't see or touch him. It was as if he had become invisible.
Naturally, he couldn't touch them either unless he exited the realm.
But in truth, he didn't need to. If he wanted to deal with someone, a mere thought would pull them into the secret realm, where he could handle matters at his leisure.
At the same time, phasing granted another remarkable ability—it allowed him to ignore obstacles entirely and walk straight to wherever he wished.
Put simply, if he wanted, He Jin could traverse the entire Earth unseen through the phased space.
Of course, that was only in theory. In practice, phasing had limitations. He could only travel by walking or running—he couldn't use any form of transportation.
Still, ever since discovering this ability, it felt as though a shackle had been lifted from his heart.
Because he realized that with the secret realm's existence, it would be extremely difficult for him to face absolute danger. No matter what happened, he would always have a place to survive. That alone gave him immense peace of mind.
At the same time, He Jin understood that if he used the phasing ability wisely, it would be more than enough for him to live an extraordinarily prosperous life in this world.
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