Shi Family
"The Time Rift Realm?" Chu Li picked up the Time Amber that had been hanging from her chest, raised her hand to examine it carefully, and found that it didn't look much different from ordinary amber.
"Not bad, you've broken through to the Nascent Soul stage this time, which is just right. The Time Rift Secret Realm has a rule that only those with Nascent Soul stage or lower cultivation can enter."
Chu Li understood the sect leader's hidden reminder in her words: she should not rush to break through. But the sect leader didn't seem to realize that even if she wanted to, breakthroughs were not so easy in reality.
The sect leader only thought of it by chance. Her master has always loved cultivation—even if the probability of breaking through again is extremely small, she still had to remind him first.
"Okay, I've got it. This Time Amber is the token for entering, and I need to keep it with me at all times. When does the secret realm open?"
In reality, the number of cultivators who possess the Time Amber is actually quite small. Most cultivators are selected by the secret realm itself, and those who are chosen can enter. The Time Amber is more like an invitation; cultivators who possess it are guaranteed entry into the secret realm.
"There's less than a month left, but I suggest you go ahead and choose the most convenient spot to enter the secret realm."
Aside from cultivators who possess the Time Amber and can roughly know when it will open, other cultivators will only know when it opens if it shows any fluctuations.
However, this secret realm of gaps is extremely rare on the continent. This is not only because the laws it contains are powerful, but also because the interval between its openings is extremely long, coupled with its restrictions on cultivation level—
Many cultivators may only have one chance to enter the secret realm in their entire lives. Therefore, during this period, many cultivators should head towards the secret realm. Even if they don't gain any insights in the secret realm, staying there for a period of time will still be helpful to their cultivation.
Chu Li nodded slightly.
After the sect leader finished explaining everything, a hint of hesitation appeared on his face. Finally, looking at Chu Li's departing figure, he couldn't help but call out to her.
"The Time Amber is qualified to bring two people into the secret realm. Do you have anyone you'd like to bring?"
Chu Li paused slightly, but she didn't turn around. She simply said, "Thank you. I will consider it."
As the sect leader watched Chu Li's figure gradually disappear into the distance, he couldn't help but sigh softly. He wondered if it was because she was nearing recovery, but when he was talking to her just now, he vaguely felt as if his former master had returned.
After returning to her residence, Chu Li gently stroked the smooth edge of the amber with her fingertips.
After a long while, a wisp of spiritual energy flashed at her fingertips and shot out rapidly.
It is a lonely little island almost on the edge of the mainland to the east.
The previously calm sky was suddenly disturbed by ripples, with several faint silver circles appearing and disappearing rapidly.
As if sensing something, cultivators from all over the continent glanced towards the east.
Those with higher cultivation levels could naturally sense the unusual flow of laws there, while those with lower cultivation levels could only vaguely perceive some unusual activity in that direction.
Just a few days later, a rumor swept across the entire continent—the Time Rift Realm, which had been dormant for hundreds of years, was about to open!
Some are eager to try it out, while others know they have no talent for time management and give up from the start...
"Did you know? The Time Rift Realm only allows cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage and below to enter—"
"Huh? But this secret realm only opens once every few hundred years, so in a lifetime you can only enter it a few times."
"This is still considered good. Some highly talented geniuses have already surpassed the Nascent Soul stage in the past few hundred years!"
"Wouldn't that be better? Why should those geniuses have to compete with us ordinary people?"
"You've got it all wrong again. Those geniuses, if they really wanted to enter the secret realm, wouldn't they have ways to do so? Do you know the Shi family? The Shi family boasts of being the Masters of Time, and they had..."
The surroundings suddenly fell silent, and the person who had spoken seemed to have been suddenly grabbed by the neck, turning their head stiffly toward the doorway.
Two figures stood at the doorway, blocking the light from outside, making it impossible to see their faces clearly. However, what was frightening was not the two figures themselves, but the gilded badges worn on the right side of their chests.
At the very center of the badge, a single character was written in a flamboyant style—a character that anyone literate on the continent would recognize.
It was the character "Shi" (時), and the two people who came were from the Shi family!
The Shi family members who are here at this time must be participating in the Time Rift Secret Realm!
The man who had been talking about the Shi family earlier was now sweating profusely. How could he be so unlucky? He managed to say something about the Shi family, and they caught him red-handed...
The woman at the door swept her sharp gaze across everyone in the teahouse before settling on the man who had just spoken.
Then her voice slowly rang out: "It's none of your business to discuss the Shi family's affairs."
Those whose gaze swept over her couldn't help but lower their heads, secretly cursing the gossipy person in their hearts. They knew perfectly well that the Shi family would definitely arrive in this small town soon, yet they still dared to talk about it so openly, even if they were talking about other people or families.
The woman was about to walk forward when the man beside her pulled her back: "Alright, Aruo, let's focus on the secret realm first. Don't forget, your brother has already left."
After a moment's thought, the woman nodded, took the man's arm, and turned to leave the teahouse.
After a while, the teahouse began to buzz with quiet conversation again, but at this point, none of the tea drinkers dared to mention the word "time" again.
This small town is called Time City, and few people usually come to such a remote place.
But recently, the city has been flooded with people, and almost every inn is full. Those who run shops here are all smiles every day.
On one side of the city gate is the city's only teleportation array. In the past few days, it has been flashing almost every few seconds, and then a large number of cultivators have poured out of the teleportation array.
At this moment, the teleportation array flashed again. The guards standing next to the teleportation array were already used to it, so they only glanced at it and then ignored it.
"Is this Time City?"
A local resident happened to be passing by and stared at the young man for a few seconds, stunned by his appearance.
After realizing what was happening, he immediately replied enthusiastically, "Fellow Daoist, is this your first time here? Our place is all because of the Time Rift Secret Realm—everyone who wants to enter the secret realm must pass through here, so the name of this city is also related to time, and it has become Time City."
The young man seemed to smile slightly and nodded gently.
The passerby finally managed to shift his gaze elsewhere, but then immediately noticed the woman standing next to the young man.
The woman had a calm expression, yet her beauty was exceptional, comparable to that of the young man.
The sight of their hands clasped together made him realize that they were actually a pair of Daoist lovers.
“Senior sister, I have found out. This city only has one port. Normally, only one ship goes to that island every day, but recently, because many people want to go there, there is one ship every two hours.”
The two who had just arrived in Time City were naturally Chu Li and Nan Yi.
They were pressed for time this time, so they came directly via the teleportation array.
"Should we stay in the city for the night, or leave immediately?"
"Let's go straight ahead. Since the sect leader is suggesting we leave sooner, she must have her reasons."
The two headed straight for the port—this was the way the sect leader had told her beforehand. Apparently, this sea area was affected by something, making it difficult to maintain flight for long periods. The only way was to take a boat to the island where the secret realm was located.
The port was bustling with activity, and the noise of people filled the not-so-large area. Chu Li glanced around and noticed that most people had chosen to take the port's boats, but there was another group of people who had prepared their own boats.
Among these privately owned boats, the most eye-catching is a large, golden-yellow vessel that appears capable of holding hundreds of people, with luxurious amenities.
When Nan Yi saw Chu Li's gaze fixated on the ship, he couldn't help but look in her direction as well. He was also dazzled by the golden ship at first glance. He wondered what was so special about this color of ship; it was just too eye-catching.
Knowing that countless unknown sea creatures lurk beneath these waters, dressing up to appear powerful might not be a good thing.
“That’s the Shi family’s ship,” a strange voice suddenly rang out beside me. “Don’t stare at it for too long, or people will think you’re here to provoke us.”
The Shi family? Nan Yi hadn't reacted yet. Come to think of it, they beasts didn't actually pay much attention to human families; they were more interested in other beast races like themselves.
"It seems you know the Shi family quite well." Chu Li's gaze shifted over, her tone indifferent.
The man smiled frankly: "I wouldn't say I know anything about it, I've just heard some rumors about it by chance."
He quickly changed the subject, "Are you also going to the Time Rift Realm? Why don't you take my ship? That way you can save a considerable amount on the fare."
Chu Li had just noticed that, probably because the secret realm was about to open, the boat fare here had skyrocketed, dozens of times higher than usual.
However, most people wouldn't be stingy with spirit stones in order to reach the secret realm, so even though the boat fare is high, many people still take the boat.
"No need."
The man shrugged. "Alright then, you guys go first. Anyway, the secret realm hasn't opened yet, so I'll stay here for a few more days."
Once they had walked a bit further away, Nan Yi finally spoke up: "Senior Sister, that person just now..."
He hesitated for a moment, initially thinking that the person was someone his senior sister knew, but later realized that his senior sister didn't seem to know him either.
"Ignore them. When I was waiting in other secret realms, I often encountered people who would suddenly come up to talk to me. These kinds of people are probably just checking if you can be of any use in the secret realm."
Nan Yi opened his lips, but hesitated to speak. He felt that those cultivators who came to chat him up didn't just have that kind of intention.
However, it's best not to tell his senior sister this opinion; let her just believe it.
They boarded the next ship without incident. Nan Yi offered double the price and arranged for both of them to stay in a private room. The other cultivators, unwilling to pay the extra fee, simply sat or stood on the deck. They would arrive soon anyway.
If this area weren't impossible to levitate over, they would have had to get there on their own no matter what. Nowadays, most cultivators carry flying artifacts, but ships are rarely used and are basically unused.
"How long does it take to get from here to that island?"
"It will be about half an hour, soon. But you must be careful, there will be a small whirlpool in about 45 minutes..."
"A small whirlpool? What's that?"
"Hey, this is actually quite strange. Just recently, a whirlpool suddenly appeared on this waterway that I don't know how many years I've been traveling on. It doesn't cause any problems, but it makes me feel dizzy for a short time when I pass through it."
The person who asked the question dismissed it and patted the boatman on the shoulder, "Just be careful when you go. Besides, we are cultivators, we are unlikely to get dizzy from a little whirlpool."
The boatman remained silent and did not defend himself. He had taken many boats before, and those people were all cultivators, but almost all of them showed signs of dizziness, it was just a matter of how long it lasted.
When that time comes, this group of cultivators will naturally understand what he means.
Chu Li had just come out of the side room to take a look at the surrounding sea when she overheard these words—
A vortex? Dizziness?
She lowered her eyes in thought, then slowly retreated.
"Senior sister? Why are you back again?" Didn't you just say you were going to check if the sea here was any different from other places?
Chu Li briefly recounted what she had just heard to him, "I don't think that boatman was just saying it casually. He's been carrying cultivators almost every day lately—and I could tell from his tone that he was quite certain."
Chu Li thought for a while but couldn't come up with anything. Since the boatman didn't mention anything else, it at least proved that the group he had carried earlier had safely arrived at the island.
At least for now, she has no other clues and can't figure out what consequences this vortex will cause. The fact that it can affect cultivators means that it is no ordinary vortex.
Nan Yi tentatively asked the boatman a few more questions, but the boatman couldn't say anything more. Moreover, he heard that after the brief dizziness, everything returned to normal, and no one felt uncomfortable.
"Senior sister, it might just be an energy fluctuation in the sea. We are very sensitive to changes in energy in the world, so it's possible that we can sense it."
Chu Li nodded slowly, but she still felt something was wrong. However, what she felt was wrong was not the vortex, but rather that there seemed to be another extremely similar image in her mind, only that the image was very blurry and she could not see it clearly.
Even now, it is only through the keen sixth sense of a cultivator that I vaguely feel that I have experienced something similar before.
I was on a boat then, we passed through a whirlpool, and then...
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