Saving Ourselves!

Chu Yuan felt a little irritated;

A sense that things were slipping out of his control crept over him, just like what had happened in Chenyang City before.

When he had seen the giant beast in the Sky Pit and that suspicious Warrior, he had only been seventy or eighty percent certain that something was wrong with the Secret Realm;

But the failure of the Secret Realm passage had convinced him one hundred percent that something was seriously wrong inside!

What he couldn't understand was, this trial brought together all the martial arts prodigies of this generation from across Great Qin! Why was security so lax for a trial of this scale? How had someone infiltrated it so easily?

What were the powerful people outside, the military, the Martial Suppression Bureau... even doing!?

Chu Yuan wasn't counting on someone outside suddenly noticing the anomaly in the Secret Realm and sending high-ranking Warriors to open the passage;

Since the Blood Sacrifice Array incident in Chenyang City, he had realized that Great Qin's enemies weren't a bunch of stupid fools with no brains.

They could make meticulous plans, bide their time, and lie in wait...

Since the enemy had decided to make a move inside the Secret Realm, they would certainly have made the necessary preparations!

Chu Yuan also didn't think the giant beast and the Warrior in the Sky Pit would just stay there and do nothing;

Right now, the only option was to find a way to save themselves!

But this situation was different from what had happened in Chenyang City;

He had been able to convert the Blood Sacrifice Array in Chenyang City through the system just by touching it! But this time, there was no array for him to convert;

Could he somehow turn that giant beast into a spirit pet just by touching it?

Chu Yuan shook his head, banishing the ridiculous thought.

A way to turn things around...

With his current Foundation Establishment cultivation, there was absolutely nothing he could do.

The only way to turn things around was to raise his cultivation!

But there was another problem: although he had cultivation resources, he didn't have the next cultivation manual... Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to come to this Secret Realm in the first place!

Maybe... he could find somewhere to hide and wait for the powerful people outside to notice the anomaly in the Secret Realm?

Once the trial ended and no one came out, they'd realize something was wrong, right...

Anyway, Secret Realm No. 7 wasn't especially big or small. If he was determined to hide... he shouldn't be that easy to find?

Before that, though, he had to find out where Yang Yi was;

If he could save him, he would...

Wait, he still had one more option!

Chu Yuan recalled the most powerful means at his disposal: the Blood Sea Soul-Locking Array!

If he could set up this array, then even if he couldn't defeat all the enemies right away, at least he could hold out until reinforcements arrived!

As long as he had enough materials, his mid-Foundation Establishment Spiritual Power reserves should just about be enough to get the array running!

Materials...

Chu Yuan looked at the girl who had spoken to him earlier. She had returned to her original group by now;

Two boys seemed to be comforting her...

There was no way he could gather all the materials by himself. Yan Xuan and the others had spent who knew how long lying low in Chenyang City to set up the Blood Sacrifice Array.

Chu Yuan had mastered the Blood Sea Soul-Locking Array inside and out, and there was nothing to distract him, so he could focus on setting it up;

But he still needed all the materials. Even if some things unavailable in Secret Realm No. 7 could be replaced...

The problem was, how could he get these students to willingly help him gather materials?

He couldn't just tell them outright: you're all about to die, but I can save you, as long as you go find...

They'd think he was crazy. These people were already hiding on the Stone Platform because they were afraid of the Blood Beasts. How could they possibly risk going out to search for materials?

And he wasn't exactly the type to rally people or organize them.

"Tian Tian? Could I talk to you somewhere else?" Chu Yuan walked over and asked;

A boy looked at Chu Yuan with hostility. "What do you want? Weren't you the one who refused to team up with us?"

Chu Yuan understood the thoughts of simpering suck-ups like him all too well. He couldn't be bothered to deal with him, and simply looked at Tian Tian in silence.

Tian Tian paused for a moment. "Okay."

She wasn't a flirt, either. The reason her expression had been sour when she returned wasn't that Chu Yuan had refused;

It was because of what he had said...

How could the information the military had left in their terminals possibly be wrong?

If it said they could leave the trial through the Vortex, then they should definitely be able to leave!

Their suspicions might just be wishful thinking!

They simply didn't want to face reality...

"How much farther?" There was a hint of wariness in Tian Tian's voice now, and she slowed her pace;

If they were just going somewhere else to talk, why had they needed to leave the Stone Platform—and why were they walking farther and farther away?

She was well aware of her looks and figure. She knew there were plenty of perverts who were into girls like her...

People shouldn't think Warriors were somehow above it all, with their hearts set solely on the martial path;

Warriors were people too. They had all the usual desires! Food, drink, entertainment—they needed it all!

Chu Yuan glanced back at the Stone Platform. They hadn't really needed to walk this far. He'd just been trying to figure out what to say and had wandered here without realizing it.

"Something's happened in the Secret Realm."

Tian Tian looked puzzled. "Isn't that obvious?"

"It's not as simple as you think." Chu Yuan shook his head. "I'm a little stronger than you, so I followed the Blood Beasts to see where they were going;

"In the 'Blood Abyss' marked on the military map, I found a giant Blood Beast. It's constantly devouring ordinary Blood Beasts and growing stronger!

"Besides that, there's a high-ranking Warrior guarding it...

"Guess what it'll do once it's finished devouring them?"

Tian Tian imagined the scene Chu Yuan had described. Her face paled, and she said awkwardly, "It should... be fine, right?

"There are lots of scions from powerful families in this trial, as well as prodigies from super-cities!

"I heard many of them have reached the Internal Breath Realm.

"They... should be able to handle the giant beast and Warrior you mentioned, right?"

Chu Yuan sighed, then channeled his Spiritual Power and struck the empty ground beside him!

A muffled boom rang out, sending dirt and rocks flying!

A huge crater, several meters across, appeared before Tian Tian;

"Do you mean Warriors at the Internal Breath Realm like these? They're not as strong as me...

"When the giant beast starts moving, all they'll be able to do is stick their necks out and wait to be slaughtered."

Tian Tian stared at the crater Chu Yuan had made, her mouth hanging open in shock;

"This..."

"You..."

"I..." A moment later, she finally regained her composure. Her voice trembled, almost breaking into a sob. "Then... then why did you come to talk to me? I only just reached the Blood-Qi Realm. I can't help..."

The weight of the truth nearly took her breath away;

She'd thought that even if the sky fell, someone tall enough would be there to hold it up.

But at that moment, Tian Tian suddenly realized that even the tall ones couldn't hold it up... So wouldn't the little nobodies at the Blood-Qi Realm die even more miserably?

If only she'd known... she wouldn't have joined this trial!

Chu Yuan looked at her and said gravely, "I know an array that might help turn things around;

"But... I need you to get people to help me look for the materials to set it up!

"Don't tell anyone about this until we've gathered everything."

"Why me?"

Chu Yuan said quietly, "Because I noticed you seem to have a way with boys..."

Tian Tian blushed, annoyed. "It's not like you think..."

"I haven't thought anything. Anyway, do you agree?"

"I don't think I have a choice... But why not have the powerful ones gather the materials?

"Since you're stronger than all of them, shouldn't you be able to put pressure on them and persuade them?" Tian Tian asked, puzzled;

Warriors at the Internal Breath Realm would naturally gather materials many times faster than those at the Blood-Qi Realm.

"Those guys? They've probably all gone off to die... Who knows how many of them will make it back alive..." Chu Yuan's tone was hard to read;

Overconfidence was a common failing among prodigies;

Especially those who were both highly talented and backed by powerful families.

To them, in a place like Secret Realm No. 7, which Great Qin had been developing for years, every danger was manageable. Nothing could exceed the limits of their abilities!

So when the Blood Beasts started acting strangely, they'd done exactly what Chu Yuan had done: gone to investigate!

But even Chu Yuan felt lucky just to have escaped. Those who had reached the Internal Breath Realm mostly through special means...

It was anyone's guess how many of them would make it back alive!

Still, some would return alive;

"Chu Yuan!" a girl shouted angrily from the Stone Platform;

Chu Yuan opened his eyes. He'd been rehearsing in his mind how to set up the Blood Sea Soul-Locking Array, but now a flash of cold light stabbed at them!

The disheveled girl lunged at him with a dagger aimed between his brows. "You dared to set us up!?"

With a thought, Wind Cutter, resting beside his leg, flew into his hand. He swung the sheathed sword and smashed it down!

A figure went flying, crashed onto the Stone Platform, and bounced several times before someone caught her;

Li Ji held the girl in his arms, anger burning in his eyes. "You hit her that hard!?"

"So hitting her was fine, but hitting you would've been over the line?"