The fourth to sixth place rankings were occupied by cultivators from the outer seas, with the remaining two spots going to Mingxin Zhenren from the Wuji Sword Sect and Jianxing Zhenren from the Taixuan Sect.

The remaining four black token holders were fairly evenly distributed: Feng Piaopiao from Shangqing Sect, Zhuo Ying from Taixuan Sect, Song Jiansheng from Wuji Sword Sect, and Jin Ming from Fanyin Temple.

Overall, the situation is very favorable for Zhenru. Five out of ten people can be recruited to her side to fight together in the ancient secret realm.

But that was before.

Knowing that the ancient secret realm is divided into levels and regions, the previous joint operation plan is no longer useful.

No wonder that although Liu Yunzhao often travels with a group of supporters, their relationship is more clearly one of master and servant than one of teammates.

Since things had come to this, Zhenru didn't think about anything else. In any case, it was a good thing for her to have another friend from her side get a spot.

Apart from the ten people who won the spots in this cultivation competition, everyone else was just there to watch and participate, so the sense of participation in the competition was not very strong.

Compared to most disciples, it was the interaction and prosperity brought by the cultivators from various forces who gathered together because of the competition that was more touching.

Therefore, after the top ten rankings were announced, there was no need for much urging. The spectators headed straight to the markets of Tai Xuan City and the surrounding cities to participate in the various activities that were spontaneously organized after the competition.

The ten people who obtained the Ancient Secret Realm Passage Tokens cannot leave the Tai Xuan Sect for the time being, and must wait for the Ancient Secret Realm to open at any time in half a year.

The ten people's temporary cave dwellings were arranged on the array peak, with powerful figures from the sect stationed there to secretly protect their safety.

Thus, the cultivation competition officially came to a close, but the conversations among some powerful figures were far from over.

The first topic to be discussed is Zhenru and Liu Yunzhao.

The three patriarchs who were clearly divided in the square before now look nothing like enemies.

While not everyone is particularly close and friendly, it's easy to tell at a glance that they have harmonious relationships.

"That girl from the Myriad Wonders Sect looked like she was about to die, but it seems there's a new surprise coming!"

"Indeed, although there is some gap between her and Xiao Zhenru, that's because Xiao Zhenru is too amazing. She is already quite impressive."

"But to be honest, this little Zhenru is really surprising. In such a short time, he has grown to such a level, and has even become a celestial body."

Upon hearing this, someone sighed, a hint of worry suddenly appearing in their voice:

"What if she finds out someday..."

Someone looked up, but before they could finish speaking, the long table in the secret room, whose location was unknown, suddenly fell silent.

After a while, someone tapped the table lightly with their fingertips, drawing the attention of the others and saying:

"In any case, the faster they grow, the greater our chances of winning... It's all for the sake of the Sun Realm, and they can understand that."

"Besides, they won't know anything until the matter is resolved. By the time they find out, it won't matter anymore. What we should be discussing now is the next ancient secret realm."

Unless someone deliberately spread the news from inside this secret room.

Will anyone be there?

There's no need to say what's left unsaid; the person who spoke only glanced around the secret room and knew no one would do such a thing.

The world of cultivation is full of secrets, and there are countless secrets that no one knows.

The secrets of the powerful are only worth pondering by the powerful themselves. Zhenru and others, who are kept locked up like lambs, cannot see the secrets at such a high level.

At this moment, Zhenru could only see Siqing, who had appeared out of thin air in her temporary cave.

He was in a sorry state.

It was as if it had just rolled around in a furnace in the mortal world.

Zhenru's eyes widened, her face filled with unconcealed surprise. Just as she was about to burst out laughing, Si Qing's resentful gaze stopped her.

"Don't laugh! You heartless bastard, who am I doing this for?"

Zhenru tried hard to suppress the corners of her mouth, but a smile still overflowed from her eyes, and her finger pointed unequivocally at Si Qing:

"Of course, it's for your own good."

Si Qing's face darkened, but he didn't refute Zhenru's words. He simply made a hand seal and quickly tidied his appearance.

Zhenru, knowing when to stop, understood that Si Qing was actually somewhat naive, so she readily agreed and took the initiative to ask:

"What could have happened to make Senior Si Qing like this?"

Si Qing didn't mince words, and said seriously:

"Those old fogies from your Sun Realm are probably no good."

Zhenru was startled upon hearing this and quickly asked:

"You didn't actually fight them, did you?"

Si Qing snorted coldly in dissatisfaction, looking at Zhenru as if she were a fool, and said:

"Do you think I'm stupid? I just saw something interesting."

"What's up?"

Seeing Zhenru's expectant expression, Si Qing smiled with satisfaction and said:

“During your previous competition, those old guys were watching from the cloud platform. It seemed quite harmonious. But once we got to the square, the true nature of the situation became crystal clear.”

"I felt something was off, so after it was over I went over to take a look, and sure enough, those old geezers had gathered together."

When Zhenru heard Siqing keep calling him "old thing," she really wanted to say that the combined age of those so-called "old things" might not even be as old as he was.

However, after thinking about it for a while, Zhenru pursed her lips and glanced at Si Qing before deciding to get down to business.

"So, you saw that they got along very well behind closed doors? And then where did they go? And what earth-shattering secret did you hear about?"

Si Qing's expression faltered, his gaze shifting away unsteadily. He coughed twice, somewhat awkwardly saying:

"If I had heard that, would I have come back like this?"

After saying that, whether to make amends or simply sigh, she said in a low voice:

"I never imagined that there would be places in this dilapidated Sun Realm that I couldn't go."

Zhenru was surprised that even Si Qing couldn't get into the place. She pondered this in her heart, but didn't forget to banter with Si Qing aloud:

"This dilapidated Sun Realm not only contains places that you can't go to, but it's also a place you can't leave!"

Si Qing stared wide-eyed. Wasn't it precisely because the Sun Realm was in such a dilapidated state that he couldn't leave?

Thinking about it this way, he felt even more depressed, so he sat down to the side and silently drank his tea without saying a word.

Zhenru raised her eyebrows and stopped teasing him, preparing to get up and go to the cultivation room on her own. Si Qing didn't care that Zhenru ignored him.

The two maintained this tacit understanding of not interfering with each other after Si Qing returned to Zhen Ru's side.

If Zhenru finds it inconvenient for Siqing to follow, she can tell Siqing, and the other party will avoid her and try to restrain their idle voyeuristic desires.

Sometimes Si Qing needs to leave, and he doesn't have to pretend; he will even inform Zhenru.

Although this mode of interaction still has some inconveniences, given the current situation, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

In the ancient secret realm of Tuoshi, if she could bring this powerful weapon, she would truly be able to roam freely.

Thinking this, Zhenru suddenly stopped and turned to ask Siqing:

"Senior Si Qing, do you know how many people from the Sun Realm returned from the last Ancient Secret Realm?"