Gathering

Zhang Tie was slightly taken aback. A flicker of confusion flashed in his eyes, and he thought to himself, Is this some kind of protective mechanism for those who pass the test? With that thought, he no longer hesitated and resolutely walked towards the light barrier on the stone platform.

As he reached the edge of the light barrier, a powerful and invisible resistance surged forth. However, immediately after, Zhang Tie's forehead felt a slight warmth, and the "Desolate" imprint on it instantly shone and appeared. He then stepped into the light barrier without any obstruction.

As expected, with this in place, his own safety was no longer a significant concern. Now, all he had to do was wait and see how many people would come to this place.

Zhang Tie's thoughts were simple and clear: as long as others didn't provoke him, he wouldn't cause trouble without reason. But if anyone saw him as weak and easily bullied, attempting to oppress him, then he would have to resort to swift and decisive action to protect himself.

After waiting for a long six days, the first visitor finally arrived. This person was dressed in a vibrant crimson robe and turned out to be a disciple of the Crimson Sun Sect. The newcomer glanced at Zhang Tie, who was calmly sitting and cultivating, and arrogantly asked in an unfriendly tone, "Hey, you from the Hundred Skills Sect, what's going on here?"

"I'll explain once enough people have arrived. Otherwise, if I have to explain to each person who comes, won't I be exhausted?" Zhang Tie slowly raised his head, swept the guy a calm glance, and said unhurriedly.

"You're looking to die!" The crimson-robed youth's anger erupted upon hearing this. In an instant, he summoned a fiery red longsword. The sword, like a bolt of lightning, shot directly towards Zhang Tie's head.

Zhang Tie's figure flickered, and like a phantom, he instantly dodged the sword's fierce attack. In the blink of an eye, he flashed to the crimson-robed youth's side and, without hesitation, powerfully punched towards the youth's head. With a dull thud, his fist landed precisely on a glowing red light barrier.

Seeing this, Zhang Tie immediately retreated several feet. He looked closely and saw the crimson-robed youth's face filled with the terror of having narrowly escaped death. The youth slumped to the ground like a deflated ball, gasping for breath, his breaths rapid and heavy.

"You scoundrel, how dare you try to kill me!" the youth roared, his eyes wide with fury.

"Hmph, I'd like to see how long your life-saving item can last," Zhang Tie said coldly, a hint of disdain on his face. However, deep down, his heart churned. He secretly marveled, These major sects truly have deep foundations. It seems that killing disciples from these prominent sects won't be easy.

The youth seemed to have recovered from the harrowing moment. He turned and fled in a panic, retreating in a sorry state.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Zhang Tie made a decisive move and decided to temporarily leave the area. It wouldn't be too late to return once enough people had gathered.

Another half a month passed. Zhang Tie took out the token from his embrace. He looked closely and saw that over a hundred and sixty light spots had already appeared near the stone tablet. He put away the token and hurried towards the stone tablet, his feet moving swiftly.

From a distance, Zhang Tie saw that near the stone tablet, only about fifty people were divided into two distinct camps.

Zhang Tie was startled. How long has it been since we entered the Secret Realm? So many people have already died. It's truly brutal.

On the right side of the stone tablet was a group led by six disciples from the Crimson Sun Sect, which also included disciples from seven other sects such as the Fire Cloud Sect, Beast Taming Sect, Hundred Skills Sect, and Demon Purging Sect, numbering around twenty-two. On the left side of the stone tablet was a group led by the Thousand Puppet Sect and the Corpse Refining Sect, with as many as twenty-nine people from eight sects, presenting a rather impressive sight.

The leaders on both sides seemed to be discussing something important in low voices.

"Senior Brother Hong, this is the person who tried to kill me just now. My life-saving jade pendant was consumed because of it." Before Zhang Tie even got close, he heard someone shouting loudly.

Instantly, all eyes on both sides focused on Zhang Tie.

At this moment, the previous crimson-robed youth quickly stepped forward and continued, "Moreover, this guy was already here when I arrived. He must have secretly hidden the treasure."

Before Zhang Tie could even defend himself, a similarly crimson-robed, robust youth with jet-black hair fluttering in the wind and wearing sturdy soft armor strode out. His gaze was sharp as he addressed Zhang Tie, "Fellow cultivator of the Hundred Skills Sect, don't you have anything to explain about this?"

"Explain what? He tried to take my life without a word, so shouldn't I be allowed to fight back? If I had already obtained the treasure, why would I return here? Am I as foolish as he is?" Zhang Tie said fearlessly.

"You're asking for death! Senior Brother Hong, kill him quickly!" the youth yelled hysterically again.

"Shut up!" Senior Brother Hong glared and said sternly, "Fellow cultivator, please don't take offense. My junior brother is usually undisciplined and acts rashly. Since you were the first to arrive here, do you know what mystery is hidden here?"

Zhang Tie didn't directly answer Senior Brother Hong. Instead, he turned and walked towards the stone platform's protective barrier, saying unhurriedly, "If I tell you, what benefits will I receive?"

For a moment, the place fell silent, so quiet that the sound of a needle dropping could be heard clearly. After a few moments of silence, Senior Brother Hong slowly walked towards Zhang Tie and asked again, "What do you want?"

"I've always been modest. If you both sides give me ten tokens each, I'll reveal everything about this Secret Realm," Zhang Tie said.

"That's not impossible, but I still have one question," Senior Brother Hong said.

"What question?" Zhang Tie asked. But as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Senior Brother Hong charge at him like lightning, shouting, "Who gave you the courage!"

With a deafening roar, Senior Brother Hong's fist landed squarely on the protective barrier of the stone platform's teleportation array. Immediately after, a chorus of screams erupted from both teams, "How is this possible!?" "He actually managed to enter!?" "He really knows the secret here..."

"Naturally, I gave myself the courage," Zhang Tie said with a smile. "So, can you consider my proposal now?"

"We need to discuss this," Senior Brother Hong said, his expression fluctuating. He then turned and walked quickly towards a disciple of the Corpse Refining Sect on the opposite side. The two huddled together, whispering in low voices.

Then, both sides began collecting tokens. Before long, Senior Brother Hong returned to the front of the protective barrier and tossed twenty tokens towards Zhang Tie. Zhang Tie calmly walked out of the protective barrier, beckoned, and collected all the tokens into his storage bag, his face filled with satisfaction. He cupped his fists in a salute to everyone, expressing his gratitude.

"Now, can you tell us the secret?" Senior Brother Hong asked impatiently.

"Of course," Zhang Tie paused, then continued, "The God Testing Stele you see here is actually used to test Body Cultivation talent. You only need to strike the stele with all your might. If you have good Body Cultivation aptitude, the stone tablet will glow. The color of the glow will vary depending on your aptitude. As long as the stone tablet glows, it means you have passed the test and can enter this protective barrier."

As soon as Zhang Tie finished speaking, another commotion and whispering arose from both teams.

"What happens after entering the light barrier?" Senior Brother Hong pressed.

"Naturally, you wait patiently until the time is up. Everyone will then be teleported to the trial space. By passing different trial challenges, you can obtain corresponding inheritances," Zhang Tie calmly continued to answer.

After a discussion between the two groups, they began to queue up in an orderly fashion for the tests.