At midnight the next day, the sky was gray, and the snow on the field outside Wind and Snow Pass's north gate had been trampled hard. Qin Tiexin and Duan Xuan arrived a little earlier than the agreed time. People in the field gathered together in twos and threes, some were talking in low voices, and some were leaning alone on the wooden railing on the side of the field with their eyes closed to relax.
He glanced at the number of people, and there was one less group than when he handed in Devil Core yesterday. Of the nearly four hundred people who returned from Devil Domain Forest yesterday, only over three hundred people were present today. Those who were too seriously injured or knew that they were unable to continue., should have voluntarily withdrawn. Most of the remaining people's breaths were calm, and their mental state was much better than when they returned to the city yesterday - obviously after a night's rest, most of them had recovered. On the other hand, the dozens of the Qi and Blood Realm monks were full of excitement.
Not long after, an elder deacon stepped onto the high platform and without any unnecessary pleasantries, announced the rules for the second round straight to the point.
"The second round of assessment, location - Black Meteor Mountain Range, two hundred miles northwest of Wind and Snow Pass. Name of the secret realm: Iron Spine Sect Ruins."
Iron Spine Sect.
Iron Spine Sect!!
The moment the three words hit his ears, Qin Tiexin paused slightly and focused his eyes on the face of the deacon on the stage to confirm that he heard correctly.
Duan Xuan noticed something strange about him, turned his head and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
"Iron Spine Sect." Qin Tiexin said, "I have used their sect's sword skills and footwork."
Iron Spine Sect, this small sect with the highest cultivation level of the Golden Core Realm, is not particularly loud around Wind and Snow Pass, nor is it a High Antiquity sect, but it has special weight for Qin Tiexin.
He is very familiar with this sect. The heavy sword technique he first came into contact with at the Flowing Cloud Sect - "Heavy Mountain Saber Technique", and the footwork "Mountain-Shaking Steps" he has been using all come from this sect that has cut off its inheritance.
I also thought at that time that if Iron Spine Sect was still around, I might be accepted as their core disciple.
Before Fallen Star Pavilion in Iron Hand Gate, he also spent Spirit Stone to purchase information about the secret realm of the Iron Spine Sect. He only knew that it was deep in the Black Meteor Mountain Range, but the specific location was always unclear. Unexpectedly, the secret realm assessment of this conference would directly open Iron Spine Sect Ruins.
The elder deacon continued, "An accessible crack has recently appeared in the mountain-sealing formation of this ruins. According to the joint exploration results of the Ice and Snow Pavilion, Iron Fist Sect, and Yang Household, there is no existence higher than Foundation Establishment Late Stage inside. In five days, the ruins will be fully opened, and Wind and Snow Pass will take over. These five days are the time for you to explore freely in the ruins."
There was a burst of low discussion in the audience. Some people asked the people next to them in a low voice where Iron Spine Sect came from. Some people had heard about the history of this sect and lowered their voices to explain to their teammates.
"This is an assessment, and it is also a benefit for you." The elder deacon's voice was low, but he suppressed the discussion in the audience, "How many fortuitous opportunity you can get in it depends on your own ability. But there is one thing - after preliminary inspection, there are a lot of Demon Beast in the ruins. The grade is not high, but the quantity is quite large, so don't be careless."
He paused and glanced at the whole audience. "Now, all teams will board the boat in order. After boarding, receive Jade Slip. The basic information of the ruins has been recorded in Jade Slip. You can check it by yourself on the boat."
He paused for a moment, glanced across the audience, and his voice became a little deeper. "In the secret realm, you are responsible for life and death."
After a few words fell to the floor, the audience was quiet for a moment.
"You are responsible for life and death" means that after entering the ruins, the conference is no longer responsible for the safety of the contestants. The deacon turned around and left the stage without further explanation.
After saying that, Yang Qingxue walked out from the side of the high platform, flipped his right hand, and a flying boat appeared in the sky above the square and landed slowly. The flying boat was silver-white in color, about twenty feet long, with the emblem of the Ice and Snow Pavilion engraved on the hull, and the surface of the hull was covered with a thin layer of frost.
Qin Tiexin and Duan Xuan were in the middle of the queue. They each received a Jade Slip at the entrance before boarding the boat. Qin Tiexin held the Jade Slip in his hand without any hurry. Looking at it, first find your seat and sit down. The inside of the flying boat is more spacious than it looks from the outside. Two rows of seats are arranged along the side of the boat, with an aisle left in the middle. The contestants are taking their seats one after another. Some people close their eyes to relax, and some people have put Jade Slip on their foreheads and started to read the content.
The flying boat shook slightly, then lifted off smoothly, turned around, and flew toward the northwest.
Qin Tiexin then placed Jade Slip on his forehead, and Divine Sense sank into it.
The information in Jade Slip is much more detailed than what the deacon just dictated:
Location: Two hundred and eighty miles northwest of Wind and Snow Pass, deep in the Black Meteor Mountain Range.
Relic name: Iron Spine Sect Ruins.
History: Iron Spine Sect was founded in the Black Meteor Mountain Range, and was famous for its Body Refining and weapon forging skills. In its heyday, there were over a thousand members of the sect, all of whom were tall and capable of carrying cauldrons. They were famous for their heavy weapons and fierce martial arts.
Decline and Fall: The sect gradually declined after the death of the sect leader "True Person Iron Bone" 270 years ago; the mountain was closed for unknown reasons 220 years ago, and there is no news again, and the inheritance is suspected to be cut off.
Current situation: There have been cracks in the sealing formation recently. After testing, there is nothing higher than Foundation Establishment Middle Stage inside.
Time limit: five days. The content is "Explore the ruins and obtain fortuitous opportunity by yourself". Regardless of ranking, all contestants who pass the first round are eligible to enter.
There is a line of small words at the end of the announcement: "In the secret realm, you are responsible for life and death."
Qin Tiexin put down Jade Slip and turned to look at Duan Xuan sitting next to him. Duan Xuan had just finished reading the content of Jade Slip and was taking Jade Slip off his forehead. Their eyes met.
Duan Xuan spoke first, "'Being responsible for life and death' means that it is not forbidden to kill each other?"
"It should be." Qin Tiexin said, "After entering, we will act together."
Duan Xuan nodded without hesitation. "Okay."
The airship shook slightly and began to take off. Through the port window, the city wall of Wind and Snow Pass quickly shrank in sight and turned into a thin line on the gray-white ground. About a quarter of an hour later, the airship passed through the clouds, and the land below gradually transitioned from gray-white frozen soil plains to undulating mountains. The vegetation changed from sparse coniferous forests to dense dark forest seas, and the mountains became increasingly steeper.
About half an hour later, the spacecraft began to lower its altitude, passing through a thin layer of clouds, and the scene below gradually became clear - a rolling black mountain range, like the bulging spine of the earth, extending into the distance under the gray sky. When approaching one of the mountain peaks, the spacecraft slowed down, and finally hovered over the open space in front of a black forest, and landed slowly.
When Qin Tiexin stepped off the flying boat, the first thing he felt was a completely different atmosphere from Wind and Snow Pass. The air was more humid and colder, with the smell of earth and humus, and the forest was filled with a light mist, flowing slowly between tree roots and stone gaps.
Two people were already standing in the open space.
True Person Iron Fist and True Person Gu Dan.
True Person Iron Fist was still wearing only a leather skirt, exposing her bronzed upper body, with her arms folded across her chest, standing on a raised rock, like an iron tower. True Person Gu Dan stood a few steps away from him, wearing the blue robe, with his hands folded in the sleeves, his posture relaxed, and his eyes calmly swept over the contestants who got off the airship.
The two stood in front of a black forest. There was a narrow crack in the air, about two feet long and less than half a foot wide. The edge showed an irregular twist, like a wound left by some force that tore the space apart. Through the crack, Qin Tiexin vaguely saw another scene - broken stone pillars, half-collapsed pavilions, moss-covered stone roads, and the ruins of a sect buried in the years, sleeping quietly on the other side of the crack.
The contestants stood in front of the open space one after another, their eyes falling on the crack. No one was in a hurry to rush in. Those who could survive the first round would not be reckless.
True Person Iron Fist glanced at everyone and said angrily, "Do you know the rules? In five days, this crack will expand, and Wind and Snow Pass's people will take over here. What you have to do is to stay in there for five days and see if you can get fortuitous opportunity."
He paused and added, "There are quite a few Demon Beast in there, all of which are below Foundation Establishment Late Stage. But don't be careless because of your low level - those beasts have lived in this mountain for hundreds of years and are more familiar with them than you."
Gu Dan stood next to the crack, with his hands behind his hands, his eyes calmly swept through the crowd, and added, "The Demon Beast in the ruins are not too strong, but there are a lot of them. If you encounter someone you can't handle, don't hold on, save your life first."
After he finished speaking, he turned aside to make way for the passage in front of the crack.
More than three hundred people walked toward the narrow crack one after another. Some strode directly into it, while others stopped in front of the crack and observed it for a moment before stepping in. Qin Tiexin and Duan Xuan lined up in the middle of the group. After taking a few steps forward, the man-made space crack was right in front of them. Through the distorted light, they could see the broken stone steps and collapsed walls inside.
Qin Tiexin When he stepped across the crack, his body swayed slightly, as if he had stepped down a non-existent step, and then stood firm again. The air behind the crack was a little warmer than outside, but it was surprisingly quiet. The sound of wind, birdsong, and the rustling of leaves all disappeared the moment he stepped across the crack.
He stood on a wide stone road. The road was paved with irregular black stone slabs, and the gaps were covered with dark green moss. On both sides were collapsed stone walls with uneven fractures, covered with vines and moss. Along the stone road Looking forward, you can see the outlines of several remaining buildings - some have only foundations, some still retain half of the stone walls, and a taller tower stands crookedly in the distance. The tower is full of cracks, like a finger that can be broken at any time.
The air was filled with the smell of damp rocks and decaying plants, and it was unusually quiet.
Duan Xuan followed him through the crack and stood next to him. She looked around at the surrounding scene, her eyes lingered on the dilapidated buildings for a moment, and then she whispered, "Where to start?"
Qin Tiexin did not answer immediately. He held the Edgeless in his hand tightly, glanced along the direction of the stone road extending forward, and then pointed to the skewed tower. "Go over there and take a look first. The terrain is high, and you can see the layout of the entire ruins."
Duan Xuan had no objection. The two of them walked one after another along the stone road towards the tower. Behind them, contestants continued to emerge from the cracks and soon dispersed in all directions of the ruins. The sounds of footsteps and whispers echoed among the ruins for a moment, and then gradually fell silent.