The next morning, the central square of the inner city of Misty Valley was already crowded with cultivators.
Lin Jingxing, dressed in a white brocade robe, stood on the high platform of the square, surrounded by a faint golden spiritual power. His temperament was gentle yet carried an undeniable majesty.
After the shock of the spaceship's arrival yesterday, no one dared to underestimate the third young master of the Lin family—his ability to preside over the opening of the secret realm with his peak Dao-proving cultivation was enough to demonstrate the Lin family's trust in him.
"Gentlemen, I will be in charge of the admission procedures for Misty Valley today." Lin Jingxing's clear voice resonated throughout the entire plaza through spiritual energy.
"The rules of the secret realm are as follows: First, only those holding valid jade tokens are allowed to enter. The formation will automatically verify this; forged or stolen tokens are invalid. Second, once the secret realm opens, everyone must leave within thirty days. Those who fail to do so will be eliminated by the realm's restrictions."
Third, large-scale fighting is prohibited within the secret realm. However, if conflict arises due to the struggle for opportunities, the consequences will be borne by the individual—but remember, do not use power exceeding the Dao Attainment Realm, otherwise it will trigger a backlash from the secret realm.
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire area, and his tone became more serious: "If anyone violates the rules, not only will they be expelled from the secret realm, but the Lin family will also report their name to all the major sects of Xuanqiong, and they will be ostracized from the Xuanqiong Realm from then on."
These words silenced the murmurs in the square instantly. The Lin family's power was undeniable; no one dared to risk their future.
"The rules are clear: those who possess the jade token may proceed to the array ahead and prepare to enter."
Lin Jingxing raised his hand and waved it. A huge circular array lit up on the ground in front of the square, with a faint spatial aura flowing within the array's patterns.
The cultivators immediately lined up in an orderly fashion, holding their jade tokens as they approached the formation. Each time someone stepped into the formation, the jade token would glow faintly; if the token was aligned correctly, the formation would flash with a white light.
The array will teleport the person into the secret realm; if there is a problem with the jade token, the array will light up red, eject the person, and issue a warning.
Xiao Chen and Shi Tou followed the group to the front of the formation. Xiao Chen took out the cyan jade token given to him by the Bai family. As soon as he stepped into the formation, the jade token lit up with a soft cyan light. The formation then flashed with white light, and a gentle spatial power enveloped him and Shi Tou. The scene before them changed instantly.
The next second, the two were standing in a dense forest.
The spiritual energy here is several times denser than in the inner city. You can feel your meridians trembling slightly when you take a breath. It is more suitable for cultivation than the outside world.
The surrounding trees towered into the clouds, their branches and leaves glistening with spiritual dew. Spiritual herbs exuding spiritual energy could be seen everywhere on the ground, including "Qi-Gathering Grass" and "Marrow-Cleansing Flower" that were over a hundred years old, and even a few rare "Purple-Veined Lingzhi".
"Wow! The grass here smells so good!" Stone's eyes lit up, and he reached out to pick the purple-veined Ganoderma lucidum next to him.
"Don't rush."
Xiao Chen stopped him, "Get familiar with the environment first, be careful of danger." Although the secret realm offers opportunities, it also harbors hidden dangers. Rashly picking spiritual herbs may attract the ferocious beasts guarding them.
The two walked cautiously along the forest path, intending to find a safe place first to explore the terrain of the secret realm.
After walking for about half an hour, they suddenly heard footsteps ahead, and then five figures emerged from the woods, blocking their path.
The leader was Xu Qing, dressed in a red robe, with a cold expression and a hostile gaze toward Xiao Chen.
Behind him were four cultivators, all dressed in the attire of the Burning Flame Valley, their auras all at the late stage of the Dao Inquiry realm, with two of them even reaching the early stage of the Dao Proof realm. They were clearly Xu Qing's fellow disciples in the Burning Flame Valley.
"Xiao Chen, we meet again."
Xu Qing sneered, crossed his arms, and said arrogantly, "Last time on the mountain road, you refused to follow me, which showed you had some backbone."
Xiao Chen's eyes narrowed, and he gripped the rusty iron spear tightly: "Xu Qing, is something the matter?"
"thing?"
Xu Qing scoffed, his tone filled with undisguised contempt, "Giving you the opportunity to follow me is an honor!"
"You, a rogue cultivator from a small world, dare to refuse me? Do you really think that winning a few matches gives you a foothold in the Xuanqiong Realm?"
A tall, thin cultivator behind him chimed in, "Brother Qing, why waste words with trash from this small world? Just cripple them and show them the power of Burning Flame Valley!"
Another round-faced cultivator said, "I've heard that cultivators in small worlds have never even come into contact with the true power of laws. Killing them is as easy as crushing ants!"
Xiao Chen understood. Xu Qing felt he had lost face after being rejected, so he specifically sought out his fellow disciples to eliminate him and Shi Tou in the secret realm.
Moreover, judging from Xu Qing's tone, he had obviously found out that he and Shi Tou came from a "small world"—in the eyes of cultivators in the Xuanqiong Realm, cultivators from small worlds are poor in resources and have weak cultivation foundations, and are mostly looked down upon.
Enraged, Shi Tou stepped forward, pointed at Xu Qing, and roared, "Who are you calling trash? You think you're so great just because you couldn't beat me in Wufeng City last time?"
Xu Qing's face darkened. He hated it most when people mentioned Wufeng City—being suppressed by the stone last time was his humiliation.
"You're courting death!" Xu Qing sneered, his fiery spiritual power erupting from his body, condensing into a longsword that pointed directly at the stone. "Today I'll show you what happens when you refuse me!"
His four fellow disciples behind him also attacked simultaneously, their spiritual energy surging as they surrounded him from four directions, clearly intending to finish the battle quickly and not give Xiao Chen and Shi Tou a chance to escape.
Xiao Chen stood in front of the stone, his rusty iron spear humming, its tip gleaming with a bluish light. He looked at Xu Qing, his eyes calm yet carrying a hint of coldness: "Senior Brother Xu, in this secret realm, do you truly intend to defy the Lin family's rules?"
"rule?"
Xu Qing laughed wildly, "Killing trash from two small worlds is considered violating the rules? Even if Lin Jingxing knew, he would only think I cleaned up the garbage in the secret realm!"
In his view, Xiao Chen and Shi Tou came from a small world and had lowly status; killing them would not be a big deal.
The crimson flame longsword, carrying a scorching aura, stabbed towards Xiao Chen with lightning speed!
Xiao Chen's eyes narrowed, and without further ado, he changed his footwork, his rusty iron spear shooting out like a blue light to meet Xu Qing's flaming longsword!
"clang!"
Guns and swords clashed, unleashing a burst of cyan spiritual energy and crimson flames, sending the surrounding leaves fluttering down in the shockwave.
Xiao Chen and Shi Tou both knew very well that they could not afford to lose this battle—if they lost, they would never have another chance to leave Misty Valley.
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