Tit for Tat!

Inside the Martial Pavilion, Li Yue's recruitment call still echoed.

He looked at the hesitant Inner Sect disciples around him and pressed harder: "I, Li Yue, keep my word. Follow me, and in the secret realm, if we run into spirit beasts or disciples from other sects, I'll charge first! You just need to help with the grunt work, gather resources, and in the end, give me thirty percent. A sure profit!"

At these words, quite a few disciples at the Seventh Level of Qi Gathering Realm were truly tempted.

They might have met the threshold, but they lacked the confidence to fight above their level. Following Li Yue was a way to stay alive.

A dozen or so raised their hands.

"Senior Brother Li, I'm in!"

"Me too!"

In the blink of an eye, over ten people had gathered behind Li Yue, most of them ordinary in strength.

But more disciples held back, their gazes drifting unconsciously toward Zhao Yu by the window.

The allure of the Inner Sect's top disciple far outweighed Li Yue's.

Finally, Zhao Yu slowly opened his eyes and stood up.

He didn't waste words, only sweeping his gaze lightly: "Anyone who wants to join my team, come over on your own."

No promises of protection, no talk of resource splits—yet the surrounding disciples surged toward him as if answering a command.

Among them was Ding Hao, who had just broken through to the Fifth Level of Qi Gathering Realm.

Ding Hao squeezed to the front, his face brimming with excitement, already calculating in his head: following Zhao Yu, the Inner Sect's number one, meant not only safety but a chance to rake in resources and make back the 10 Low-grade Spirit Stones he'd lost to Ye Feng.

In an instant, over twenty disciples had gathered behind Zhao Yu—nearly double Li Yue's group.

Li Yue watched, let out a heavy snort, and shot Zhao Yu an irritated glare. But Zhao Yu didn't spare him even a sidelong glance, walking straight to the front of his team and closing his eyes to rest.

In the corner of the Martial Pavilion, Ye Feng still stood alone.

He watched as the two major factions formed, while three or four of the Inner Sect's top ten geniuses chose to act independently.

These men, though not as strong as Zhao Yu or Li Yue, had the confidence to stand on their own and no desire to rely on others.

Ye Feng nodded to himself—this was the state he wanted.

Just then, Zhao Yu suddenly moved.

He walked straight toward Ye Feng, his pace unhurried, yet drawing everyone's attention.

The Martial Pavilion fell silent instantly, even Li Yue watching with curiosity.

"You're Ye Feng, right?" Zhao Yu stood before him, his voice calm but carrying an undeniable authority. "I heard that when you were at the First Level of Qi Gathering Realm, you beat Ding Hao, who had Nascent Blade Intent. Join my team, and I'll guarantee your safety in the secret realm."

At these words, the Martial Pavilion erupted!

"No way! Zhao Yu actually invited Ye Feng himself?"

"The Inner Sect's top disciple personally asking—what an honor! Ye Feng's definitely going to accept, right?"

"If it were me, I'd have nodded already! With Zhao Yu, you'd walk through the secret realm unchallenged!"

Standing in Zhao Yu's camp, Ding Hao's heart skipped a beat, then he relaxed.

He'd been worried Ye Feng might join and cause him trouble, but then he thought—Zhao Yu had extended the invitation. How could Ye Feng refuse?

Yet Ye Feng paused briefly, then shook his head: "Thank you for the offer, Senior Brother Zhao, but I'm used to acting alone. I have no plans to join a team."

"What? He actually refused?"

"Is he crazy? That was an invitation from Zhao Yu! If he misses this chance, what'll he do if he runs into danger in the secret realm?"

"Pride has its limits! He's only at the Third Level of Qi Gathering Realm—does he really think he can waltz through the secret realm?"

The disciples' chatter turned harsh, many looking at Ye Feng as if he were a fool.

Ding Hao secretly gloated: "Idiot! Turning down Senior Brother Zhao—once you're in the secret realm, you'll regret it!"

Zhao Yu was taken aback too, as if he hadn't expected Ye Feng to refuse.

He gave Ye Feng a long, searching look, said nothing more, and turned back to his own camp.

The murmurs in the Martial Pavilion gradually died down.

No one tried to persuade Ye Feng further, writing him off as overestimating himself.

Just then, Elder Yin Dang stepped forward and announced loudly: "Since the teams are formed, let's not waste time. Prepare to depart!"

He raised his hand and waved, and a flash of spiritual light flew from his storage ring, landing in the open space outside the Martial Pavilion.

With a dull thud, the light dispersed, revealing a Flying Boat dozens of feet long.

The boat was built entirely from Azure Spirit Wood, its hull engraved with intricate array patterns. At the bow, a carving of an eagle with spread wings exuded a majestic aura.

"That's the sect's Flying Boat!" a disciple exclaimed in shock.

"I heard activating it once consumes a huge amount of spirit stones, and its speed rivals flying spirit beasts, plus it has built-in array defenses!"

"The cheapest Flying Boat costs tens of thousands of Low-grade Spirit Stones. This sect one must take hundreds of thousands to forge!"

"Forget us—even most Origin Embracing Realm experts don't have the right to own one of these!"

The disciples gazed with envy, and even Zhao Yu and Li Yue's eyes flickered with longing.

Ye Feng looked at the flying boat before him and couldn't help but marvel inwardly: "It's way more imposing than Earth's airplanes. If I get the chance, I'll buy one myself—makes travel a lot easier."

Elder Yin Dang was the first to board the flying boat. He turned back and said, "Everyone, get on. We need to hurry."

The disciples boarded one by one, and Ye Feng followed.

Elder Yin Dang took a pure white Mid-grade Spirit Stone from his storage ring and placed it into the Energy Disk at the center of the flying boat.

The moment the spirit stone was inserted, the array patterns on the flying boat lit up instantly. A powerful thrust surged from beneath the vessel, lifting it slowly off the ground. It then accelerated, heading straight for the Earth Sun Secret Realm, soon vanishing beyond the horizon of the Feiyun Sect.

Half an hour later, the flying boat descended slowly before a valley.

This was the Poisonous Mist Valley, where the Earth Sun Secret Realm was located. A faint smell of miasma lingered in the air.

The disciples jumped off the flying boat, unable to hold back their amazement: "This flying boat is so fast! If we'd come by horse, it'd take at least a day. The flying boat did it in just half an hour!"

Elder Yin Dang raised his hand and waved. The flying boat instantly shrank, turning into a streak of spiritual light that flew back into his storage ring.

That move left the disciples even more astonished.

Ye Feng looked up and saw a massive Bronze Gate standing in the center of the valley.

The gate was ten zhang tall, covered in ancient runes, exuding an aura of age and weight, as if it had stood there since primordial times.

The disciples gazed at the Bronze Gate with reverence, whispering in awe: "So this is the entrance to the Earth Sun Secret Realm? Truly magnificent!"

Just then, a streak of light shot across the distant sky.

Everyone looked up to see a white flying boat, even more refined than the Feiyun Sect's, heading their way.

The flying boat descended slowly, and a group of disciples in white robes stepped off. Leading them was an elder in gray robes, radiating the aura of the Origin Embracing Realm.

"It's the Baiyang Sect!" a Feiyun Sect disciple muttered, his tone wary.

Elder Yin Dang's expression darkened.

The Earth Sun Secret Realm lay between the two sects and had been discovered by both In Those Years.

Every year, when the secret realm opened, both sects had to participate together.

They not only had to wait for the miasma to dissipate but also needed both sects to hold one Key each to open the Bronze Gate—neither could do it alone.

The Baiyang Sect disciples walked over, their eyes toward the Feiyun Sect disciples filled with provocation and disdain.

The gray-robed elder at the front gave Yin Dang a brief glance, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth: "Elder Yin, you arrived quickly enough. But coming fast doesn't mean you're strong."

Elder Yin Dang shot back without backing down, a cold smile on his face: "Elder Wang, trading words is pointless. Who's strong and who's weak—let the disciples settle it themselves once we're inside the secret realm!"

Elder Wang snorted coldly and said nothing more. But the atmosphere between the two sects' disciples instantly turned tense, as if the air itself was thick with gunpowder.

Ye Feng stood at the edge of the Feiyun Sect disciples, watching it all with cold detachment.

He hadn't joined any team and kept to himself.

He knew full well that once inside the secret realm, he'd not only have to fight for resources but also face provocation from the Baiyang Sect disciples.

Especially Du Feng, the Baiyang Sect disciple he'd run into at the market before. If they met inside the secret realm, a conflict would be hard to avoid.

And the verbal sparring between the two elders only hinted that the competition within the secret realm would be fiercer than imagined. Ye Feng took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the sword at his waist.

The trip to the Earth Sun Secret Realm was bound to be anything but peaceful.