Zhang Zishi's words directly acknowledged Shen Yi's qualification to enter the secret realm and seek Foundation Establishment. Though Wang Shangyi had many objections, there was nothing he could do. He could only gather the outstanding outer sect disciples, personally impart cultivation techniques, and spare no expense in training newcomers, hoping to obtain more resources within the secret realm.
Shen Yi no longer went out to carry out missions and earn sect contributions. He was now considered a hot commodity within Zhang Zishi's faction, and every day, many worldly lineages came to pay him visits. To keep a low profile, Shen Yi declined to see every one of them. This greatly pleased Zhang Zishi, who became even more convinced that Shen Yi was worth cultivating.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
Before the gates of Qingxuan Sect.
A hundred peak Qi Refining disciples had gathered here, faintly divided into two factions that regarded each other with hostility.
"Today, Qingxuan Sect has gathered its finest talents to enter the Foundation Establishment secret realm bestowed by the Upper Sect, Azure Cloud Sect. I hope you will seize this opportunity and attain the great Dao of Foundation Establishment!"
Zhang Zishi's voice rang like a great bell, resounding in everyone's minds. Its rousing force instantly stirred many cultivators into excitement, their fists clenching tight.
Then, with a wave of Wang Shangyi's hand, a hundred jade slips flew out and landed in the hands of everyone present.
Shen Yi caught a jade slip. As soon as spiritual power flowed into it, he immediately saw a detailed introduction to the secret realm.
The Foundation Establishment secret realm was a supreme magical artifact refined by a Nascent Soul master of Azure Cloud Sect. It had refined an entire stretch of heaven and earth within itself, containing the power of heaven and earth. It also held many Law Nodes that communicated with heaven and earth. Establishing one's foundation there could trigger a Spiritual Qi Tide.
However, the spiritual qi of heaven and earth needed a catalyst to summon it, and what that catalyst was depended on each person's fortune. Those blessed with fortune could trigger a great tide of spiritual qi with even a single grain of sand or pebble. Most crucially, the secret realm could only withstand a limited amount of spiritual qi. Generally speaking, so long as no disciple of stunning brilliance triggered eight Spiritual Qi Tides, it could support roughly forty people in successfully achieving Foundation Establishment.
Therefore, the earlier one established their foundation, the better. Once one fell behind, the secret realm might be unable to bear the strain, causing their Foundation Establishment to fail.
"If any fail to establish their foundation but return from the secret realm alive, the sect will also grant them a Foundation Establishment Pill to aid them in Human Dao Foundation Establishment."
Zhang Zishi's final words did not enter Shen Yi's ears. At that moment, there was only one thought in his mind: Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment!
Taking a deep breath, Shen Yi gathered his thoughts and waited to depart.
The sky suddenly darkened. Everyone looked up, only to see a flying vessel blotting out the sky and covering the sun. This was Qingxuan Sect's only flying vessel; they had not expected the sect to be willing to let them ride it.
Zhang Zishi stepped onto the flying vessel, with Wang Shangyi following close behind. Then came the hundred Qi Refining disciples. Once the last person boarded, the vessel suddenly trembled, slowly rose into the air, and flew toward the Foundation Establishment secret realm.
"Fellow daoist Zhang, this old man has awaited you for a long time."
Before the flying vessel even landed, a man suddenly appeared aboard it. He wore a red robe, his face deathly pale, his back slightly hunched, and his eyes filled with sinister chill as his gaze swept over everyone.
"Ouyang Li, this does not seem to be a secret realm belonging to your Blazing Fire Sect, does it?"
Zhang Zishi's gaze darkened as he stared at the old man before him, while also noticing the dense crowd below the flying vessel.
"Hehe, the Upper Sect has shown us favor and granted our sect an additional hundred slots, allowing us to enter this secret realm together with Qingxuan Sect."
Ouyang Li gave a grim smile as he looked at Qingxuan Sect's people, his eyes revealing an overbearing air.
"Hmph! Since that is the case, keep a close eye on your disciples. Be careful they do not perish within the secret realm."
Zhang Zishi spoke in a sinister tone, his hatred for Wang Shangren deepening in his heart. If Wang Shangren had not insisted on founding Yunxuan Sect, Qingxuan Sect would not have been ridden over and humiliated by outsiders.
"Blazing Fire Sect is said to have four Golden Core cultivators in one sect. Great Elder Ouyang Li has reached the Golden Core Sixth Level, while Sect Master Ouyang Jie has even reached Golden Core Eighth Level."
"Our Qingxuan Sect was already weaker than Blazing Fire Sect. Now that the Great Elder seems inclined to break away from the sect, Qingxuan Sect's future is difficult to predict."
"What does that have to do with me? Once I achieve Earthly Dao Foundation Establishment, Azure Cloud Sect will surely extend an invitation to recruit me as well."
The sudden arrival of Blazing Fire Sect disrupted Qingxuan Sect's arrangements and made Qingxuan Sect's disciples feel the pressure.
"This is somewhat troublesome, but it may not be a bad thing."
Shen Yi looked at the hundred Blazing Fire Sect disciples below his feet and rapidly calculated in his heart. He intended to borrow a knife to kill, weakening Qingxuan Sect's strength.
"Since we have arrived, open the secret realm now and begin the trial early!" Ouyang Li raised his right hand, and a fragment of a jade slip flew out, hovering in midair.
Seeing this, Zhang Zishi also took out a jade slip fragment and threw it forth. The two fragments joined together in midair, forming a complete jade slip. The two men poured spiritual power into it, and the jade slip released a beam of light.
The light shone brightly, and a curtain of radiance appeared, slowly tearing open a gap. This was the entrance and exit of the secret realm.
This scene drew the attention of all the Qi Refining cultivators. As Shen Yi looked on, Zhang Zishi's voice echoed beside his ear.
"There are more than thirty entrances to the secret realm. Each entrance can accommodate no more than ten people. It is fraught with danger within, so you must be careful. Opportunities are limited. If you encounter disciples of Blazing Fire Sect, kill them if you can. As for Wang Shangyi's faction, there is no need to show mercy either!"
Shen Yi glanced at Zhang Zishi in surprise. He had not expected that, for the sake of power, Zhang Zishi would permit fellow disciples to slaughter one another. Looking again at Ouyang Li and Wang Shangyi, he saw that they too were whispering to the disciples behind them, likely giving similar instructions.
Once they entered this gap, they would see passageways of all sizes throughout the secret realm. Only by passing through those passageways could they truly enter the secret realm.
"In three months, the secret realm will close. At that time, I hope to see all of you return alive!"
Ouyang Li's gaze swept over the Blazing Fire Sect disciples, encouragement in his eyes.
Now that the entrance had opened, Blazing Fire Sect's disciples instantly rushed out and charged straight toward it.
On Qingxuan Sect's side, many disciples also dashed out at once. Shen Yi did not rush at the very front, instead following behind quite a few Qingxuan Sect disciples as he stepped inside.
Before long, the disciples of both great sects entered the rift one after another and disappeared, leaving behind only the three elders. The three looked at one another without saying a word, then each sat cross-legged at the entrance, remaining vigilant against one another as they guarded it.
Within the secret realm, there were countless passageways of varying sizes. Qingxuan Sect's disciples had already been divided into two factions, and now they were even less likely to choose the same paths. Many disciples chose to leave alone, while Blazing Fire Sect's disciples formed groups of three to five and traveled together.
Shen Yi remained fully alert, a trace of tension on his face. Traveling alone allowed no room for the slightest carelessness.
The moment he entered the secret realm, he felt a chill assaulting him from all around. Waves of cold kept rising from beneath his feet, as though they wished to burrow into his body and freeze his blood and qi. Fortunately, his Undying Skin had reached great completion and was enough to resist the cold qi.
The surrounding cultivators were not so fortunate. The instant they entered, the cold qi froze them until they shuddered. They hurriedly circulated their spiritual power before forcing the chill from their bodies.
"I wonder what the catalyst here is?"
As Shen Yi pondered, he released a powerful aura and walked toward the distant snow-capped mountains.
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