3 Secret Realms
In early spring, even the thin clouds couldn't block out the sunlight, which emitted a hint of warmth.
Yin Li stood outside the courtyard, holding the personal recommendation token in his hand, and tightened his bundle as he stood alone.
For a year, he had been waiting for this moment every single day.
Looking down through the dappled sunlight, a figure stood furtively in the shadows behind a large tree.
Chu Qing hid here, quietly watching the young man go alone. In fact, what he saw in his eyes was more of a determination to succeed than a sense of lingering attachment.
"Senior brother!"
A lively voice broke the silence. Chu Qing hid a little behind her and saw Ling Xueluo packing her things and walking towards Yin Li: "Senior brother, I passed the sect trial, I can go with you now!"
Yin Li snapped out of her daze, turned her head to look, and a hint of a smile appeared in her originally sharp eyes. She replied gently, "Xue Luo has grown up, but this secret realm will definitely be fraught with danger. Remember to protect yourself."
"Don't worry, although my skills are inferior to yours, I am still Master's disciple—"
Seeing that her senior brother had stopped smiling, Ling Xueluo didn't say anything more, and the two of them got up and left.
Before leaving, Yin Li seemed to sense something and looked back. The lush, green trees still stood straight, providing shade and tranquility.
She was drinking tea downstairs just a few days ago...
They should be back inside by now.
After the two had walked away, a corner of her clothes peeked out from under the tree, and Chu Qing slowly revealed herself, leaning against the tree.
Yin Li, I hope that this time, you can truly walk the path of the male lead.
They flew along on their swords and soon arrived at the secret realm. But as soon as Yin Li appeared, the crowd gathered below suddenly stirred.
"Hey, isn't this Yin Li? I remember he didn't participate in the sect trial?"
"Look what he's holding! That's Elder Qingge's personal recommendation token! But speaking of which, wasn't it always rumored that the elder disliked Yin Li, and even suspected him of colluding with the demons? How could this be—"
"Oh dear, have you forgotten? A year ago, he proved that the demonic energy on his body was a remnant of the demon race. Although the culprit has not yet been identified, at least he has been cleared of suspicion. Besides, Junior Brother Yin Li's talent is evident to both of us. If I were the Grand Elder, I would definitely cherish his talent!"
Amidst the constant whispers and murmurs around him, Yin Li waited expressionlessly, seemingly oblivious to all the conversation.
Soon, everyone arrived, except for Chu Qing; all the other elders were there.
"Everyone, the Secret Realm Trial is about to begin. The person with the highest individual score will have the opportunity to enter the Third Secret Realm to explore cultivation opportunities."
Now, we will distribute a brocade pouch to each of you. In the event of a life-threatening situation, you can crush the pouch to escape from the secret realm. Of course, this will also be considered as an automatic waiver.
Once you enter the secret realm, you will receive a quest slip; the number of quests you complete will be the standard for judging your performance.
As soon as Elder Xu Zhiqi finished speaking, the disciples erupted in excitement.
"Wow! That third secret realm is basically a treasure trove! It's filled with all sorts of rare and exotic beasts. There's nothing you can't see if you can imagine it! It's even said that there's a thousand-year-old snow lotus that can save all things!"
At this moment, Yin Li appeared calm on the surface, but in his heart, a burning ambition to win was already ignited.
It seems that the heavens are helping him. The Fire Dance Spirit Orb is in that third secret realm, so he cannot lose this championship to anyone!
The disciples entered amidst their surprise. Yin Li got up and went over, but for some reason, the barrier beneath his feet seemed to sway.
Once I steadied myself, I stepped completely into the secret realm. What hit me was the hot, humid air, and all the scenery in front of me was blocked by towering trees.
Thick, dark clouds hung in the sky, casting a gloomy atmosphere over everyone.
The forest was shrouded in mist. He had not been assigned to the same place as Ling Xueluo, nor had he seen anyone else. He was all alone, unable to see the road clearly, and it seemed that darkness was about to fall.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze brushed against her cheek, rustling the leaves around her. Yin Li walked in, but couldn't help but become alert.
It was so quiet all around, strangely quiet.
Logically speaking, even if he was assigned to a place far away from the others, he should still be able to sense that he has no companions at all.
But now—
He tried to breathe out, but the endless road ahead completely swallowed him up, and he couldn't sense any living creature around him.
The fog gradually thickened, and the once clearly visible forest path ahead was now incomplete. He stopped and looked around.
The forest remained dense and deathly silent. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and took out the brocade pouch from his chest.
He subtly channeled a probe into the bag with his fingertip; the bag remained intact, but the spiritual energy on it had completely vanished!
impossible!
If we were still in the secret realm, the talisman on this bag would definitely be detectable!
Yin Li was certain that she must have accidentally entered another location the moment the barrier shook.
But everything I experienced today was no different from what ordinary people do, so why did this happen?
Could this still be Wen Ruyu's scheme?
The wind howled, and a few muffled claps of thunder echoed in the sky. Suddenly, there was a sound around me.
"If you die inside, I won't care about you."
For some reason, the words in his ear were clearly imprinted in his mind. The voice grew louder and louder, as if it was going to deafen Yin Li, and the restlessness in his heart continued to rise.
No, this secret realm is shrouded in illusion.
Even if the original secret realm was dangerous, it would never have produced auditory hallucinations like this. The illusion magic that could affect his mood was definitely not ordinary. Could it be that Wen Ruyu and Chu Qingge set a trap to take the opportunity to get rid of him?
"Chu Qingge is a hypocrite; he has long been colluding with Wen Ruyu."
Like a demon's whisper, the same words echoed in my ears, forcefully assaulting my mind once more.
"You still have some hope for your master, don't you? Otherwise, why would you turn back today? Let me tell you, she won't come to see you, much less save you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, purple mist suddenly appeared from the depths of the surroundings and fiercely attacked Yin Li.
"Bang!"
The massive collision shook the earth. Yin Li felt his arm, which had been used to block the impact, go numb. Although the purple mist had dissipated and the attack seemed effortless, the danger was far from over.
What exactly is this?
Why is this thing able to accurately guess one's inner thoughts?
No, that's wrong. I could never have had any expectations of Chu Qingge!
There was a deathly silence all around him. The fog came and went quickly, as if it could be dispersed with a little magic, but his intuition told him that things were not that simple.
"Still struggling? Yin Li, you know your place. No one will support you, not even your master."
Even your master wouldn't want you...
How could Master take in someone with demon blood?
She loathed demons the most, and she was the person he hated most...
Gradually, Yin Li's movements slowed down, his hands hung stiffly at his sides, and his pupils turned a deep purple.
But his master still released him, giving him a chance to clear his name, so at that time—
"Bang!"
The deafening sound rang out again, and just as the mist was about to attack, his eyes cleared instantly, and a disdainful look appeared on his lips.
Do you really think you can stop him with such a small, misleading trick?
ridiculous.
Yin Li quickly picked up the sword in his hand and slashed straight behind him.
Just as it was about to fall, the tip of the sword stopped abruptly.
"Master?"
Upon seeing the person in front of him clearly, Yin Li suddenly stopped, hurriedly sheathed his sword, his eyes filled with vigilance.
Chu Qingge, dressed in white, stood motionless in the woods, her expression as cold as snow, staring at him.
"Yin Li, do you know where this is? How dare you barge in!" Chu Qingge frowned deeply as soon as she spoke, looking at him with reproach in her eyes.
Yin Li didn't answer. He felt that Chu Qingge would never come to such a dangerous place. She could scold him or save him—that was even more impossible. She would rather die here sooner, so that it would have nothing to do with her anymore.
"Master, your disciple—"
Yin Li slowly knelt down, feigning remorse.
Although the person in front of her had a similar demeanor to hers, he was simply too cold.
"Yin Li, I'll take you out. Hold your breath, there's poison in this fog."
Chu Qingge slowly stepped forward, forcing a smile, but spiritual energy quietly gathered in her hands.
"Yes, thank you, Master."
Yin Li's eyes were filled with calculation. Such a low-level illusion technique must mean that the spiritual power of the "master" in front of him was definitely not as good as his. But since "she" wanted to kill him, he would end it beforehand!
The two walked one after the other without exchanging a word. Chu Qingge maintained her arrogant demeanor, focusing only on exploring the path ahead.
They came to a rock, and Chu Qingge stopped and turned around, saying, "The fog should be dissipating soon. Let's rest for a bit, and I'll take you away in a little while."
"Ahem, Master, Master."
Yin Li clutched her chest and collapsed to the ground, her expression anxious and helpless: "Master, it seems that I have been affected by the fog and have been poisoned."
"Tsk, how could you be so careless?"
The other person rushed forward, wanting to check on his injuries. Just as the two were very close, a bright light was reflected in Chu Qingge's eyes.
Yin Li swiftly drew his sword and struck her head with incredible speed and force, causing leaves to fall to the ground.
"Yin Li!"
A sudden shout pulled him back to his senses.
"Clang!"
Two powerful forces collided, Chu Qing's Blood Sword and Yin Li's Qingfeng Sword intertwined, dust flew all around, and a fierce gust of cold wind blew.
"Yin Li, wake up!"
The familiar voice brought him back to reality. He was just an inch away from stabbing his throat with the Qingfeng Sword in his hand!
No, that illusion wasn't as easy as he thought. It was trying to lure him into killing Chu Qingge, but in reality, it was trying to trick him into killing himself!
"Yin Li!"
Chu Qing waved her right hand and used Blood Insight to fling the Qingfeng Sword away. Seeing that the other party still had a numb expression, she raised her hand and slapped him.
"Smack!"
With a crisp sound, the palm strike was delivered with full force, and Yin Li's cheek burned with pain.
"Master...you—"
He turned his head and looked up. Chu Qing's eyes were flashing with raging anger. Whether it was because of worry or because she was too angry, her chest was heaving violently.
Just one inch away, just one inch away, and I would have been—
Yin Li dared not think further; cold sweat streamed down her face. If it weren't for her master today, if it were today—
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