With Little Crusty turning the mood of the meeting solemn, Ventura took it upon himself to lighten the mood once more. After all, he merely needed to take things slightly more seriously. That didn't mean that he was truly at risk, so he wasn't bothered in the least.

"It seems that everyone is getting in the sharing spirit. If that's the case, and I stay put, then my reputation will really take a hit. In that case, why don't I try to raise the activation level of the pillar one more time?

"Ladies and gentlemen, I told you that the secret I would reveal would depend on what you all revealed first. Well, you may thank the Innkeeper for raising the bar considerably, or you all would have missed out on a grand opportunity.

"In approximately fifteen years, calculated according to the flow of time in the average Major realm, the Gilded Hollow will once again reappear."

Now, Lex had no idea what that meant, but based on the fact that the pillar's light suddenly changed once more, and that all the Dao Lords revealed surprised expressions, Lex could guess that it was a great deal.

He turned to look towards Bridget and, just as expected, a moment later she asked the question that was inside Lex's heart.

"What's the Gilded Hollow?"

A few who noticed that the Innkeeper looked towards her even before she asked the question chuckled. Bridget was like a newcomer among them, asking obvious questions. It was like a child had entered a room full of adults, and was kind of adorable.

Even Ballom chuckled before answering.

"The Gilded Hollow is... actually, no one really knows exactly what it is. You can consider it to be a realm that appears and disappears randomly. Except, the Gilded Hollow cannot be found in the Void. Instead, its entrances appear in all realms inside the universe, whether they are Major or minor.

"Yet the entrances remain for a very short time, ranging from mere seconds to a few minutes at most. Those who are lucky enough to find an opening can enter, and everyone else just has to deal with the fact that they are unlucky.

"Why are those who enter lucky, and those who don't unlucky? Simply because it contains innumerable wealth and resources, the likes of which cannot be conveyed in simple words. But there is a catch - the resources, wealth, treasures or anything else inside cannot be brought out. If you can use them within the Hollow, then they are yours to keep. If you try to bring them out, they will all disappear.

"What's more, the resources and opportunities encountered all correspond to the cultivation level of whoever enters - even if they're a Dao Lord! Moreover, no one inside the Gilded Hollow has ever encountered anyone else, meaning that either it is incredibly vast in size, far beyond even our imagination, or that it deliberately separates everyone.

"But that does not mean that the Gilded Hollow is an open paradise. Far from it, in fact, as the Hollow has its own dangers. Still, the risk is more than worth the rewards since it's basically impossible to find so many resources so easily anywhere else in the universe - especially for Dao Lords."

Bridget's eyes widened in amazement, but she was not the only one shocked. Lex could not believe what he was hearing! This was incredible! He would do more research on it, but if what Ballom said was true, Lex had to enter it!

At the same time, he did some simple calculations. 15 years in a normal Major realm was around 45 years in the Origin realm, and about 135 years in the Midnight Realm. Good. That was more than enough time for Lex to become a Celestial Immortal. Maybe if he pushed it, he could even aim for the very peak of the Celestial realm, or maybe even Demi-Dao Lord.

He needed to think of a way to maximise his benefits from this Gilded Hollow. He was not concerned about the possible dangers in the slightest. He'd face them when they came, but if the danger was based on his cultivation level, then it was unlikely that he'd have any trouble.

Just to be safe, he'd be cautious, but Lex was confident that he'd be able to handle it.

"Fifteen years? That's too short for me to finish adapting to my realm. Do you think I'll be able to go in?" Bridget asked, looking towards Ballom.

"Don't even think about it," said Ballom decisively. "The resources are abundant, but the dangers are also correspondingly great. Even Dao Lords can die there. The last time the Gilded Hollow appeared was early in the Enlightenment Age, and nearly 40% of all the Dao Lords who entered perished within.

"On top of that, the timing of the appearance of the Gilded Hollow is highly suspicious. If word of this spreads, and many Dao Lords head off to the Gilded Hollow, it would drastically lower the defenses of the Major realms. At a time of war, where the future is uncertain, the arrival of the Hollow may spell disaster rather than fortune."

Many agreed with him. Most Dao Lords worked for the benefit of their organisations, but if there was personal benefit to be had, then they would certainly choose that. Growth in the Dao realm was too difficult, so there was no doubt that most would choose their own personal growth if an opportunity for it arrived, regardless of the consequences.

At the same time, everyone started to feel immense pity for the few Dao Lords who did not participate in the second activity. They had suffered a tremendous loss. Well, some also felt a certain level of schadenfreude - serves them right

for playing it safe.

"If no one else has any secrets to contribute, shall we conclude this portion of the event?" Harriot asked. "Then it will be up to the pillar to exchange all the accumulated secrets for one in exchange. For those wondering, it has now been activated eight times."