Xuanhuang Secret Realm

Ye Wuchen said no more, nodding slightly to the elders before stepping forward. He transformed into a streak of white light, vanishing into the sea of clouds on the horizon in the blink of an eye—graceful, composed, and transcendent in bearing.

"The competition continues!"

Yun Leizi withdrew his gaze and announced in a deep voice.

"Next match, Lin Ye versus Chen Feng!"

Chen Feng leaped onto the arena, clutching his sword and bowing in salute.

"Lin Ye, please."

"Please."

Without any superfluous chatter, Chen Feng drew his longsword.

The sword light surged instantly, shrouding half the arena. The sword intent was peerlessly sharp; compared to the rigid ferocity of Liu Mang, it possessed far more keenness and finesse. His sword momentum was like a surging tide, pressing forward with every step.

Lin Ye used his fingers as a sword, his fingertips fusing his insights from the Thirteen Swords of the Clear Wind and the Thunderbolt Sword Technique as he engaged Chen Feng in a fierce clash.

Sword energy crisscrossed the air, and the wind from his fingers whistled.

The two figures intertwined at high speed on the arena, sparks flying with every collision. The piercing sound of metal clashing made the eardrums of the disciples below ache.

After a hundred moves, the two suddenly separated. Lin Ye's arm was sliced by sword energy in several places, while Chen Feng's shoulder had been pierced by the wind from Lin Ye's fingers, blood seeping through.

"Warm-up complete."

Chen Feng's eyes were grave as he slowly raised his sword, which emitted a clear, resonant hum. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth was stirred, gathering continuously toward the blade. The tip of the sword spat out an inch of cold light, its power astonishing.

"Take this strike—Cloud Severing!"

The sword moved like flowing clouds passing through a gap, traceless and shadowless, carrying a sense of absolute determination to sever everything in its path.

On the high platform, the elders were moved.

"He can actually draw upon a sliver of heaven and earth spiritual energy to bolster his sword momentum?" Yun Leizi looked surprised. "This boy's talent for the sword is truly remarkable."

Lin Ye raised his eyes, his right hand slowly clenching into a fist.

He no longer hid it. Within his dantian, the True Qi seed trembled slightly, and a wisp of extremely pure, pale cyan True Qi surged through his meridians, coiling around his fist.

A heavy aura, capable of suppressing all things, slowly began to diffuse.

He... had he actually already broken through to the True Qi Realm?

The three elders on the high platform rose abruptly!

Countless disciples below were dumbstruck, the crowd erupting into an uproar!

Lin Ye's fist momentum shook as he spoke in a deep voice:

"Thunderbolt—Mountain Suppressing!"

He threw a punch!

The heaven and earth spiritual energy that Chen Feng had channeled was directly scattered by an invisible, massive force.

The light of that stunning sword strike shattered instantly, its momentum collapsing into dust.

"Clang!"

The fist slammed heavily against the spine of the sword.

Chen Feng's entire body shuddered violently; the longsword flew from his hand, snapping into three pieces in mid-air. He staggered back more than ten steps, barely steadying himself at the edge of the arena, a trail of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"I have lost."

"You are too kind."

"In this battle, Lin Ye is the victor!"

As the referee's voice fell, the entire arena fell into a deathly silence.

Just how much strength was this Lin Ye still hiding?

The subsequent battles held no suspense.

With an unrivaled posture, Lin Ye defeated all the remaining finalists, sweeping through to the end.

"The Outer Sect Competition ends here!"

Yun Leizi's voice echoed across the entire arena. "The champion of this competition—Lin Ye!"

"Rewards: five thousand contribution points, the first three levels of the Spirit-grade intermediate technique Qingyun Art, fifty True Essence Pills, and qualification to enter the Xuanhuang Secret Realm!"

"Thank you, Elder."

Lin Ye bowed, accepting the flying storage ring and the black-and-yellow token.

"The secret realm opens in three days; enter with the token." Yun Leizi glanced at him. "You have been promoted to the inner sect. According to the rules, you may choose a peak to join."

Lin Ye did not hesitate in the slightest, speaking calmly:

"This disciple wishes to join Green Bamboo Peak."

Yun Leizi nodded: "In three days, take your disciple token and report to Green Bamboo Peak."

"Yes."

The grand competition concluded, and the crowd slowly dispersed amidst shock and heated discussion.

The name "Lin Ye" swept through the Outer Sect like a storm, spreading all the way to the various peaks of the Inner Sect.

This youth, who had only just joined the sect, had burst into everyone's field of vision with an incredibly dominant posture.

Beneath the arena, Chen Feng walked over to Lin Ye, who was currently regulating his breath.

"Congratulations," he whispered.

"Same to you," Lin Ye nodded. Chen Feng had also secured a spot in the Inner Sect.

"Be careful in the Secret Realm," Chen Feng's voice dropped even lower. "Elder Wang and the people behind Liu Mang will not let this go."

"I know," Lin Ye's gaze was calm as he looked toward the cloud-shrouded peaks of the Inner Sect. "Perfect. I'll settle it all at once."

In a quiet room of the Qingyun Sect Outer Sect.

Lin Ye sat cross-legged on a stone bed, eyes closed as he regulated his breath. The pale cyan Qingyun Art True Qi circulated rapidly along an optimized path; with every cycle, the True Qi seed in his dantian grew a fraction more solid.

Of the ten people entering the Secret Realm, everyone besides him was at least at the third level of the True Qi Realm. They were all elites from the various Inner Sect peaks, and their methods and trump cards were far beyond those of Outer Sect disciples.

"Strength is never enough."

"I must gain something from this trip to the Secret Realm," he muttered to himself, a flash of determination in his eyes.

He took out the Xuanhuang Token. It was the size of a palm with archaic patterns, and a "Xuan" character was carved into the center. This was the only proof of entry into the Secret Realm; if crushed in a moment of crisis, one would be teleported out.

After putting the token away, Lin Ye took out three more items:

The Secret Realm map given by Chen Feng, the jade slip of the Qingyun Art he had been awarded, and the storage ring sent by Zhao Mingxuan's men.

Three days later, at the entrance of the Xuanhuang Secret Realm.

This location was situated within the belly of Xuanji Peak in the Inner Sect.

When Lin Ye arrived, the sky was just beginning to brighten, and several people were already standing on the white stone plaza.

These Inner Sect disciples had restrained auras and wore fine clothing. They kept their distance from one another, their eyes filled with scrutiny and hostility.

Lin Ye's appearance did not attract much attention, though two gazes lingered on him for a moment longer than the rest.

One came from a young girl in a water-blue dress with a cold temperament; she glanced at the long sword on Lin Ye's back before looking away.

The other came from a red-robed youth, tall and imposing, with a face full of arrogance.

"Li Yan of Chiyan Peak, fifth level of the True Qi Realm, one of the strongest cultivators entering the Secret Realm this time. He is domineering and holds grudges."

Lin Ye understood this in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged. He walked to a bluestone in the corner, closed his eyes to rest, and turned a deaf ear to everything around him.

About a quarter of an hour later, the final two people arrived.

"The time has come."

A hoarse, aged voice suddenly rang out in everyone's ears.

The group was startled to see that in front of the hundred-foot stone wall at the front of the plaza, an old man in gray robes had appeared out of nowhere. He had a hunched back, a face full of wrinkles, and held a withered wooden staff. His eyes were cloudy, yet he exuded an unfathomable sense of oppression.

The Stele Guardian, an reclusive expert who had guarded the Xuanhuang Secret Realm for generations.

"I will state the rules only once," the old man said, his eyelids drooping, yet his voice was crystal clear. "The Xuanhuang Secret Realm is an ancient ruin that forms a world of its own. The duration is seven days. After seven days, no matter where you are, you will be forcibly teleported out."

"Inside the Secret Realm, fighting and killing are not prohibited. However, anyone who dares to destroy the core of the Secret Realm or bring out forbidden items..."

The old man's cloudy gaze slowly swept over the ten people, and a bone-chilling cold enveloped the entire plaza. "Will be executed without mercy."

The plaza fell into a dead silence.

"Hold your tokens and step forward."

The Stele Guardian tapped his staff against the stone wall.

"Hum—!"

The stone wall rippled like water, and a ten-foot-tall Xuanhuang-colored light gate slowly emerged. Inside the gate was chaos and vastness, with an aura that felt ancient and immense.

Li Yan was the first to move, striding toward the light gate.

As he passed by Lin Ye, he paused, speaking in a cold voice that only the two of them could hear:

"Little loach from the Outer Sect, you'd best hide from me in the Secret Realm. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind crushing you like an ant."

I humbly beg everyone to add this to your bookshelf and leave a collection!