Chapter 25: The Opening of the Secret Realm

Feng Xi wanted to explain in more detail, but she was being urged from the other side, so she had to let it go. Besides, with Jun Wen’s intellect, even if she explained it clearly, he probably wouldn't know how to apply it flexibly. She would deal with it later.

The two ran over to the queue, and Jun Wen took his place at the very front of the Xuantian Sect line. The status of a direct disciple was unshakable.

Feng Xi felt a tinge of regret; if her dantian had been repaired, she could have tagged along to wander inside. But for now, only her fire spirit root had sprouted, while her gold and earth spirit roots had yet to emerge. She was still a long way from a full recovery. However, she possessed strong psychological resilience; after a brief moment of melancholy, she was back to her lively self. She gave Jun Wen a few more instructions before sidling up to Xiao Baidao.

She keenly sensed that her master was in a foul mood, but she didn't overthink it. After all, the Xuantian Sect’s performance was destined to be at the bottom, and no one would be happy about that.

Just then, water-like ripples of spiritual energy appeared on the stone wall ahead. The Tianhen Secret Realm had opened. Baili Muchen and the three other leaders each took out a jade fragment and began casting seals. The fragments rose into the air and combined into one. Feng Xi squinted, vaguely seeing intricate patterns carved onto the jade. Shortly after, the jade emitted a blinding light, and an entrance just wide enough for one person appeared on the stone wall.

The four major sects entered in the order of their previous competition rankings: the Hunyuan Sect entered first, followed by the Ten Thousand Sword Sect and the Beast Taming Sect, with the Xuantian Sect entering last. Jun Wen turned back to wave at Feng Xi before stepping into the secret realm.

Once everyone had entered, the four leaders prepared to retract the jade and reopen the entrance only when the realm was about to close. No one expected a sudden turn of events. A beam of light from the jade suddenly shone upon Feng Xi, and she found her legs no longer under her control, "walking" toward the entrance.

She turned her head and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Master! Master, save me! Save me!"

Xiao Baidao was in the middle of casting seals and couldn't spare a hand to pull her back. Fortunately, Peak Master Gu and the others reacted quickly and rushed over, but they were blocked by the jade’s light and couldn't get near her. Feng Xi "walked" to the entrance, desperately clinging to the "doorframe," but in the end, she vanished from everyone's sight. As the light from the jade gradually faded, everything returned to normal. Xiao Baidao was drenched in cold sweat, but he was helpless.

The number of entrants for the secret realm was limited, and there were strict requirements regarding cultivation levels. Neither he nor anyone else could enter now.

Baili Muchen patted him on the shoulder. "Little Feng Xi is blessed with great fortune; she’ll be fine!" Although he said it with a straight face, there was a hint of schadenfreude in his eyes. When fate decides to take someone, no one can stop it!

Xiao Baidao wasn't in the mood to play along with his hypocrisy; his brows were tightly locked. Peak Master Gu of the East Peak comforted him, "Sect Master, Feng Xi is clever and knows how to avoid danger. Besides, Jun Wen is inside, so she won't be in any trouble. Furthermore, the secret realm wouldn't force her inside for no reason; perhaps this is her own stroke of luck."

Hearing this, Xiao Baidao finally relaxed a little. To everyone else, Feng Xi was merely a minor interlude; the focus remained on the data.

Every disciple entering the secret realm was issued a jade tablet, which was part of a complete magical artifact set linked to the projection stones outside. These stones could synchronize and display the types and quantities of spirit herbs gathered by the disciples. Seven direct disciples from the four major sects had entered:

Hunyuan Sect: Lu Xiuhan (6th level Foundation Establishment), Shen Zhilan (3rd level Foundation Establishment).
Beast Taming Sect: Yuan Zongheng (4th level Foundation Establishment), Xing Wu (3rd level Foundation Establishment).
Ten Thousand Sword Sect: Liu Shaobai (4th level Foundation Establishment), Song Yudie (3rd level Foundation Establishment).
Xuantian Sect: Jun Wen (3rd level Foundation Establishment).

Oh, and now there was Feng Xi, whose cultivation was barely at the Qi Condensation stage, yet she had no jade tablet.

Although they had only been inside for a little over an hour, the Hunyuan Sect’s numbers were already far in the lead. In particular, Shen Zhilan had just slain a Seven-Star Rending Leopard and harvested an Earth-grade herb, the Purple-Leaf Iris. The scene erupted in a commotion.

"Although a Seven-Star Rending Leopard’s strength is equivalent to an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, it’s well known that in a real fight, a demonic beast's combat power far exceeds that of a human. This shows that Shen Zhilan has reached the peak of the 3rd level and will soon advance to the 4th level, entering the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment."

"Her cultivation speed is heaven-defying; she truly lives up to her peerless water spirit root."

"Not only is her cultivation speed heaven-defying, but her luck is, too! The Purple-Leaf Iris is an Earth-grade spirit herb. Usually, the guardian beast is at least late-stage Foundation Establishment or even at the Great Perfection level. Who would have thought the beast she encountered was only at the early stage?"

Baili Muchen listened to the discussions, his lips curling slightly. Strength is the only thing that matters!

Aside from Shen Zhilan, Lu Xiuhan’s performance was also quite good, given his cultivation level. The other direct disciples performed in a standard, expected manner, but Jun Wen’s data remained... a big fat zero. Although Xiao Baidao was worried about Feng Xi, he couldn't help but curse his fifth disciple in his heart upon seeing this. He could eat everything but accomplish nothing!

Little did they know that inside the secret realm, Jun Wen was busy looking for people. As soon as he entered, Feng Xi appeared out of thin air before him and immediately began to... lecture him.

"Fifth Senior Brother, if this were a solo fight, it would be a matter of individual strength and luck. But in a team competition like this, strategy is more important. Don't look at our Xuantian Sect as the weakest; as long as we plan properly, we can at least take third place..."

Jun Wen’s eyes remained filled with a foolish clarity; he felt as if he were dreaming. First, his junior sister appeared out of thin air, and then came this long-winded speech. What was all this about?

When Feng Xi was first forcibly teleported in, she had been confused and panicked. But upon realizing her limbs were intact and she had been sent directly to Jun Wen, she stopped worrying. Since she was already in, she naturally had to stir up some trouble. She had spent time at the Hunyuan Sect, and it wouldn't be polite not to give them a "gift"—so she decided to ensure they ended up in last place.

Seeing that Jun Wen still didn't understand, Feng Xi cut to the chase: "The Ten Thousand Sword Sect and the Beast Taming Sect are obsessed with taking first place, but they can't beat the Hunyuan Sect. So, what we need to do is unite with those two sects to take down the Hunyuan Sect. As long as the Hunyuan Sect falls to last place, it doesn't matter which of those two takes first; at the very least, we can secure third place. Do you understand now?"

Jun Wen suddenly realized. "Junior Sister, if you had just said that earlier, I would have understood! So, what do we do next?"

"We go find the direct disciples of the Ten Thousand Sword Sect and the Beast Taming Sect to discuss a partnership!"

Jun Wen was uncertain. "Will they agree? I have a feeling it’s unlikely!"

Feng Xi stood up. "We'll know if we try!"