"Still, I can seize the first and third opportunities ahead of time. But the second one is far too dangerous, so I'll pass on it for now."
Watching Lin Zisheng's panel, Ye Lin thought to himself. The second opportunity involved an encounter with an Evil Demon.
Even Lin Zisheng couldn't defeat that Evil Demon. If Ye Lin went, he'd only be walking into a death trap. Lin Zisheng was a son of fortune; even if he ran into the Evil Demon, he wouldn't die. But when Ye Lin looked at his own panel...
Ye Lin shook his head and gave up. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future; there was no need to risk his life for this one.
Up in the sky, Lin Zisheng kept his eyes fixed on Ye Lin.
"He's the one who defeated your younger brother?"
The five personal disciples hovered in the sky. Another one noticed the odd look in Lin Zisheng's eyes and followed his gaze. Seeing Ye Lin standing there, he asked with a frown.
They had heard that Lin Ziyou had been defeated.
"That's right."
Lin Zisheng's lips moved slightly. After replying, he looked away.
Someone had badly wounded his younger brother and beaten him unconscious. He would settle that score himself.
"All right, everyone. The entrance to the Inner Sect Secret Realm is open. Hurry inside, and remember: the secret realm will remain open for only three days. You must leave within that time."
"Otherwise, the secret realm will close, and you won't be able to leave until it opens again ten years from now."
Just then, a purple curtain of light appeared in the cave ahead. The old man beside it spoke, his face alight with excitement.
After he finished, the disciples in front rushed into the secret realm, their figures vanishing from sight.
Ye Lin turned his gaze away and headed toward the secret realm. He would seize Zhao Li's opportunity first, then take the opportunity belonging to this son of fortune.
Only after everyone had entered did the five personal disciples leisurely lower their Long Swords and make their way toward the secret realm.
"What dense spiritual energy."
After stepping into the secret realm, he found himself in a forest, filled with lush trees and thick undergrowth. The spiritual energy all around him left him stunned.
The spiritual energy here was several times denser than in the Inner Sect. It was simply astonishing.
The crowd that had entered before him had already scattered in every direction, running off into the forest until they quickly disappeared from sight.
"The panel says Zhao Li's opportunity is in Blazing Valley. From the name, it sounds like a place with extremely high temperatures."
Since this was Ye Lin's first time in the secret realm, he was unfamiliar with the terrain. And he wasn't the only one—every disciple who had entered this time was setting foot in the secret realm for the first time.
Each Azure Cloud Sect Inner Sect disciple could enter the secret realm only once in their life. They would never get another chance, so every one of them was stumbling around blindly.
After sensing his surroundings carefully, Ye Lin headed east. He was now at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and exceptionally sensitive to his environment. Compared to the other directions, the east was warmer.
He raced ahead, but to his confusion, despite traveling so far, he hadn't seen a single living creature along the way.
It left him rather surprised.
"The temperature's getting higher and higher."
After an hour of continuous travel, Ye Lin could feel the temperature around him climbing rapidly. He was probably close to his destination.
Half an hour later, Ye Lin stopped and looked at the valley ahead, the corners of his mouth lifting.
Before him lay a small valley. Its stone walls were bright red, and the temperature was scorching.
"This must be Blazing Valley. Where are the Fire Spirit Stones?"
Ye Lin walked toward it step by step. The soles of his shoes had begun to smoke as the temperature continued to rise.
Inside the valley, a small cave resembling a deep well came into view, with streaks of fiery red flame darting all around it.
At the heart of the flames were three shining crystals.
"Found them."
Delighted, Ye Lin immediately surrounded himself with green flames and walked forward.
These flames were nothing more than ordinary fire. Since he possessed Spirit Fire, he had an overwhelming advantage against them.
Standing before the crystals, Ye Lin reached out. Spirit Fire covered his entire arm, and the flames around him scattered as soon as they touched it.
That made it easy for him to take all three Fire Spirit Stones.
Contrary to what he'd expected, the stones weren't hot at all. Holding them in his hand gave him a rather comfortable feeling.
Just then, Ye Lin felt the Spirit Fire inside his dantian start to stir, sending him a wave of longing.
"Don't rush. You'll have them sooner or later. Once we're out of the secret realm, I'll refine them."
Muttering to himself, Ye Lin put the Fire Spirit Stones into his Spatial Ring.
Spirit Fire was nurtured by heaven and earth. Once it reached a certain grade, it could even develop intelligence.
After collecting the Fire Spirit Stones, Ye Lin left Blazing Valley.
"Next, it's time to head to Phoenix Valley."
Outside the valley, Ye Lin gazed into the distance and murmured to himself.
The real prize was in Phoenix Valley: a Phoenix offspring. Phoenixes were one of the three great divine beasts of ancient times, with the power to split heaven and earth.
Even as an offspring, it was still a descendant of a divine beast, and not to be underestimated.
Once it matured, it would surely become a great help to him.
"But where exactly is Phoenix Valley? I found Blazing Valley by sensing its elemental properties. What about Phoenix Valley?"
Back in the forest, Ye Lin suddenly found himself at a loss.
But the next moment, his expression changed. He crouched down and hid in the undergrowth, then looked up at the sky. A figure dressed in white was flying into the distance on a Long Sword.
"Is that... Lin Zisheng?"
Recognizing him, Ye Lin spoke in a low voice.
"Lin Zisheng is heading south. According to the old myths, the Azure Dragon is in the east, the Black Tortoise in the north, the Vermilion Bird in the south, and the White Tiger in the west."
"Lin Zisheng is heading south right now. If I just keep going in the same direction, I'm sure to find Phoenix Valley."
Once he'd figured it out, Ye Lin raced south, moving no slower than Lin Zisheng on his Long Sword.
Suddenly, Lin Zisheng stopped in midair and descended toward the ground.
"He suddenly stopped. Did he spot some treasure? As expected of a son of fortune. He's incredible."
Ye Lin glanced at where Lin Zisheng had landed, then paid him no more attention and kept running.
He didn't dare slow down for a moment. He had to reach Phoenix Valley before Lin Zisheng.
Along the way, Ye Lin saw firsthand just how terrifying a son of fortune could be. Lin Zisheng kept rising and descending behind him; every time he landed, he had probably found some spiritual treasure.
But Ye Lin was deep in the dense forest, so Lin Zisheng hadn't spotted him.
"Lin Zisheng hasn't appeared again since he landed half an hour ago. He must have come across some major opportunity. Good—it gives me a bit of a head start."
Three hours later, Ye Lin looked at the mountain before him and the dark cave mouth ahead, his heart lifting.
"This must be Phoenix Valley. Could the Phoenix Egg be inside the cave? Whatever. I'll go in and see."
Clutching the Sword Talisman, Ye Lin stepped into the cave one careful step at a time. If danger appeared, he would activate it.
Nothing mattered more than staying alive. If he died, he'd lose everything.
Inside the cave, he found a long corridor. Ye Lin followed it deeper in.
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