Let's Start Running from the Poison!

The Bewildering Secret Realm was thick with spiritual energy; cultivating here for a single day was equivalent to ten days outside.

Lin Qingwan was on the left, Cai Xie on the right. All the way, the three of them were utterly silent, the atmosphere unbearably awkward.

Ever since last night, when Lin Qingwan had set down her sword and spared Jiang Lin's life for the time being, she had been following him. As Jiang Lin's "Little Fan Girl," Cai Xie was even more so.

"Fairy Lin, as the Senior Disciple of Dragon Gate Sect and one of the top ten on the Rising Tides List, don't you have to go with your sect to seek great opportunities? Do you really have the leisure to wander around with me and Young Master Jiang?"

Finally, Cai Xie, standing to Jiang Lin's right, spoke with a smile.

Even though her tone was gentle, Jiang Lin could faintly smell a thick whiff of gunpowder.

"If it's an opportunity, how can it be forced? On the other hand, Miss Cai, as a Wild Mountain Cultivator, you'd stop at nothing for some treasure. Now that you're following Jiang Lin, could there be ulterior motives?"

"Heh heh. Though Wild Mountain Cultivators value opportunities and cultivation above all else, who says we don't have things even more precious?" Cai Xie cast a shy, alluring glance at Jiang Lin with her beautiful eyes. "Now, I've found mine."

Suddenly, Jiang Lin felt a surge of delight in his heart. He didn't really believe this girl had fallen for him at first sight, but she was the first person to say something so cheesy to him—even if it was fake. No, wait, that wasn't right. His master was the first, but that was out of master-disciple affection and family love. It felt like when your older sister says "I love you to death," so that probably didn't count...

Just as Jiang Lin was secretly thrilled by the "confession" and wanted to chat with this girl, a sharp sword intent from Lin Qingwan on his left immediately made him behave.

"Something more precious? Is this how Miss Cai shows her true face?"

Cai Xie (Jiang Yuni) knew Lin Qingwan was referring to her hidden real appearance and replied with a smile:

"Though I can't match Fairy Lin in looks or figure, pursuing the one I love is every girl's right. Compared to someone who's two-faced and afraid to express their feelings, I'm much more genuine."

"Miss Cai!"

"Fairy Lin!"

Suddenly, the two shouted each other's names in unison. Jiang Lin, caught in the middle, broke out in a cold sweat and dared not say a word...

"Miss Cai certainly has a sharp tongue."

"Fairy Lin is no slouch either."

"Hmph!"

Both girls snorted and turned their heads away at the same time.

Jiang Lin, sandwiched between them, felt the atmosphere grow even more awkward.

Still, he was curious.

He had thought that since Senior Sister Lin hadn't killed him, she would take him back to the sect for interrogation. But she hadn't done that—instead, she kept following him.

As for Cai Xie, Jiang Lin had doubts about her identity. He even suspected she might be his master in disguise. But while Cai Xie's face was above average and fairly delicate, her eyes were silky and seductive, and that girlish shyness added a lot of charm. His master was pretty and cute, but getting his adorably dazed master to pull off such silky eyes? No way.

Regardless, Jiang Lin felt Cai Xie likely had some agenda.

Meanwhile, Cai Xie kept stealing glances at Jiang Lin, her grip on her skirt growing tighter.

"No! I have to find a way to get rid of Lin Qingwan! This is my one chance to enter the Bewildering Secret Realm with Little Linlin—how can I let some other woman ruin our time alone? Then I'll find a Mountain Cave, slip him something, and we can properly cultivate the Sun Moon Dual Cultivation Great Art..."

Thinking about cultivating the Sun Moon Dual Cultivation Great Art, Cai Xie (Jiang Yuni)'s face grew redder.

Similarly, Lin Qingwan kept sneaking peeks at Jiang Lin:

"No matter what, Little Lin is mine! He must have been forced into the Demon Sect. There's probably something holding him there. Once I bring him back to Dragon Gate Sect, I'll hurry up and break into the Jade Purity Realm, then use enough strength to reassure him—tell him I've got his back, he doesn't need to worry about anything, just stay by my side and be my Junior Brother."

Of course...

Jiang Lin had no idea what either girl was thinking. He just wanted to figure out how to escape.

Given Senior Sister Lin's current attitude, though he didn't know what had changed, it seemed she had resolved something in her heart and probably wouldn't scatter his ashes. So he'd better run before the system threw another ridiculous mission at him.

But there was another issue—the "Sect Grand Tournament." Since it was a tournament, there had to be a competition.

The question was: compete in what? Everyone was in the Bewildering Secret Realm. What was there to compare? Who got the most opportunities?

"Senior Sister Lin, Miss Cai, may I ask—what are the rules for the Sect Grand Tournament in the Bewildering Secret Realm?"

Jiang Lin broke the awkward silence.

Cai Xie replied with a smile: "There are rules, but they're different every time. So the rules are only announced once you enter the Bewildering Secret Realm."

"Announced? By whom?"

Lin Qingwan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her face still cold and aloof, though inside she was overjoyed that Jiang Lin had spoken to her first: "By the original residents of the Bewildering Secret Realm."

"Original residents?" Jiang Lin's heart tightened.

Legend had it that the Bewildering Secret Realm was once part of the world. But during an ancient war, gods, humans, and top demon cultivators joined forces to fight against the Extraterrestrial Demons that only existed in storybooks. That cataclysmic battle tore a vast region away from the world, forming the Bewildering Secret Realm.

The original residents? That would be ancient powerhouses!

"Still, going by the time, the rules should be announced soon..." As Jiang Lin was speculating, Cai Xie spoke slowly.

No sooner had she finished than the heavens and earth of the Bewildering Secret Realm suddenly shifted. Jiang Lin and the others rose into the air on their swords. At the same time, cultivators all across the secret realm did the same, gazing into the distance.

On the far horizon, a vast Purple Mist rose from all directions.

In less than three breaths, the purple mist covered the entire sky like a Golden Bell Shield!

"Boom! Boom!"

A colossal dragon soul soared into the sky, its overwhelming pressure sending chills down everyone's spines...

The massive dragon soul rose high, looking down upon all below:

"My juniors of Wutong Province, welcome to train here. The rules this time are simple: the purple mist you see is poison fog. As time passes, the poison zone will expand, and its concentration will grow higher. Within a month, the poison zone will spread to its maximum, and the safe zone will shrink to its minimum! Whoever survives until the very end shall obtain my Dragon Soul Power!"

The dragon soul slowly faded, but its final words echoed between heaven and earth.

"Come, my juniors! Begin running from the poison!"