The second thing is even more exciting—geniuses and prodigies from various forces are emerging one after another like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
The eldest son of a reclusive family in the Central Region breaks through his cultivation realm, shattering a mountain with a single palm strike; the Holy Maiden of the Snowy Region in the Northern Region awakens her bloodline, freezing thousands of miles of land; although the Buddhist sect in the Western Region is severely weakened by the incident at Ten Thousand Buddha Mountain, news has spread that a "Buddha's Child" is about to be born...
All signs point to one thing:
An era of great contention is coming.
The tranquility of the cultivation world was completely shattered, and the air was filled with restlessness and anticipation, as if a storm that would sweep across the continent was quietly brewing.
In the courtyard of the Qingyun Sect, under the old locust tree.
Lin Zhou lay on a bamboo chair, playing with a vermilion fruit he had just picked from the herb garden. He looked at his four disciples standing in a row in front of him—Xiao Chen, Jiang Li, Su She, and Shi Tou—as well as Ling Xue, who was curiously looking around (although she had not yet become a disciple, she had temporarily settled in the Qingyun Sect, and her cultivation was steadily improving thanks to the aftereffects of the Ice-Melting Pill).
"Have you heard about that secret realm in the Southern Region?" Lin Zhou took a bite of the vermilion fruit, juice dripping down the corner of his mouth.
“Yes,” Xiao Chen nodded, his blue robe standing tall. “The conditions are strict, only those under thirty years old who have reached the Refinement of Void Realm.” He himself had just turned twenty and was already in the mid-stage of Integration Realm, so he was naturally qualified.
Jiang Li toyed with the rusty iron sword at her waist, her red clothes like fire, her eyes flashing with excitement: "I heard there are ancient inheritances inside, as well as many rare and precious materials that are even rare in the Central Region!"
Su She stood to the side, still wearing his blue robe, but his eyes were much calmer than before. He didn't speak, but listened attentively.
Stone, carrying his black iron armor, replied in a gruff voice, "I've also heard there are many powerful demonic beasts inside, and you can fight them!"
Lin Zhou smiled and tossed the kernel into the bamboo basket: "That place is quite interesting. You guys should all go and have a look around."
"Really?" Jiang Li's eyes lit up. She loved joining in the fun, and this kind of secret realm where geniuses gathered was exactly to her liking.
“Master,” Xiao Chen stepped forward, his tone steady, “the secret realm is dangerous, and with geniuses from all sides gathered here, there will likely be no shortage of battles.” He wasn’t afraid of trouble, but he felt it was necessary to prepare in advance.
“Struggle is good.” Lin Zhou glanced at him. “Although your cultivation is stable, you lack a bit of sharpness. Go and clash with those so-called ‘prodigies’ to hone your skills.”
Xiao Chen understood his master's meaning and bowed, replying, "Yes, disciple will go." Whether the opportunity was favorable or not was not important; being able to gain experience among his peers was indeed a good thing.
"Where is the second apprentice?" Lin Zhou asked Jiang Li.
“Go! Of course I’ll go!” Jiang Li patted her chest. “I want to see if the geniuses of the Central and Northern Regions can compare to those of my Qingyun Sect.” She was always proud and couldn’t stand others boasting about being “geniuses from other regions.”
Lin Zhou then looked at Su She: "What about you? Have you chopped enough firewood on the back hill?"
Su She raised his eyes, his gaze clear and firm: "This disciple also wants to go." Since returning from Wanfo Mountain, he had been wondering if all cultivators in this world were as hypocritical as the higher-ups in Buddhism. He wanted to see for himself what the path and conduct of those geniuses who gathered for the opportunities in the secret realm were really like.
"Mm." Lin Zhou nodded, without asking any further questions.
Finally, he looked at the drooling stone and asked, "You idiot, are you coming or not?"
"Go! Go fight!" Stone nodded vigorously, his black iron armor clanging as he slammed it down. "Beat up all the geniuses!"
Lin Zhou chuckled and waved his hand, "Alright, everyone go and get ready. We'll set off in three days." He paused and looked at Ling Xue beside him, "Your cultivation is still shallow, so go join in the fun, have a few fights, and solidify your realm."
Ling Xue knew that she had just reached the mid-stage of Mahayana and her foundation was not yet stable. Although she was young, she did not meet the threshold of the "Refining Void Realm" (she broke through with the help of pills, so strictly speaking, she was not a naturally grown Refining Void Realm cultivator). So she obediently nodded: "Yes, senior."
"Oh, right," Lin Zhou seemed to remember something, took out a few jade slips from his storage bag and distributed them to his four disciples, "These are some basic concealment techniques and defensive array plates. The secret realm is full of all sorts of people, so don't let anyone see your background, and don't be stupid enough to get tricked."
Although the techniques and formations on the jade slip are not top-notch, they are practical and especially suitable for concealing one's identity in secret realms.
Xiao Chen and the other three accepted the jade slip, their hearts warmed—their master, though seemingly casual, had already thought of everything for them.
Three days later, outside the gate of Qingyun Sect.
Xiao Chen carried a rusty iron spear, Jiang Li slung a sword over her shoulder, Su She carried a book box, and Shi Tou carried armor. The four of them stood beside the cloud boat, fully prepared and ready to set off.
Lin Zhou stood on the shore and waved his hand: "Go on, don't embarrass your master. Remember, life is the most important thing. If you can't win, just run away. No one will laugh at you."
"Yes, Master!" the five replied in unison.
The cloud boat started up, transforming into a streak of light and flying towards the southern desert.
Lin Zhou gazed in the direction where Yun Zhou had disappeared, stroked his chin, and a playful smile appeared on his lips: "A bunch of younger ones went, I want to join in the fun too, after all, I'm a young man myself."
He vanished in a flash, reappearing a thousand miles away—he planned to follow them secretly, just in case these brats caused any serious trouble, so he could handle it in time.
In the direction of the Southern Desert, the spiritual energy fluctuations grew stronger and stronger, and countless streams of light converged, all of them being genius cultivators heading towards the secret realm.
A battle for the younger generation is about to begin in the secret realm.
The four disciples of the Qingyun Sect, each with their own purposes and beliefs, stepped into this era of great strife that swept across the continent.
What lies ahead: opportunity, danger, growth, or... unknown variables?
Nobody knows.
But one thing is certain: their involvement will make the situation on this continent even more turbulent.
Xiao Chen, Jiang Li, Su She, Shi Tou, and Ling Xue, who had come specifically to see what it was all about, found a sheltered boulder to sit on and gazed at the entrance to the secret realm.
The area was already crowded with people. Cultivators in various robes gathered in twos and threes, talking in hushed tones, but their eyes were all glancing at the light gate at the entrance. The light gate was maintained by various forces and was still dim, obviously not yet ready to be opened.
"There are so many people." Ling Xue sighed softly as she looked at the dense crowd in the distance. Having grown up in Cangdao Mountain, she had never seen so many young, top-tier cultivators. Each of them possessed a restrained aura yet exuded sharp brilliance. Just their presence alone was enough to create an invisible pressure.
“They’re all here for the secret realm.” Xiao Chen’s gaze swept across the crowd, recognizing the symbols of many forces—the golden cloud pattern of the Three Saints Sect of the Central Region, the ice-blue totem of the Snow Region of the Northern Region, and the emblems of several emerging families in the Southern Region. “It seems that the geniuses of the four regions have almost all arrived.”
“Still a bit short.” Jiang Li toyed with the rusty iron sword, her red clothes standing out against the wind and sand. “The most arrogant ones from the Central Region haven’t shown up yet, and the ‘Ice Phoenix Maiden’ from the Northern Region is nowhere to be seen either. I guess they’re planning to be the grand finale.”
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