Chapter 25: The Secret Realm Opens

Jiang Yan steadied himself by pressing his sword to the ground, his gaze fixed on the distance. To his surprise, the floating Sun and Moon Isle secret realm was descending. This was contrary to his expectations; he had assumed everyone would need to fly up to it.

The ground trembled continuously, and the elders accompanying their sects instructed their disciples to brace themselves.

When the secret realm finally touched down, clouds of dust rose, obscuring everyone's view. As the dust settled, a veil of white mist lingered, still shrouding the entrance and making it impossible to discern what lay within.

"The barrier has opened. Everyone, enter quickly. The secret realm is generally accessible for twenty days. If you fail to leave within this period, you’ll have to wait until it opens again next time," reminded the Third Elder of the Mystic Spirit Sect.

Most who had come to the secret realm this time were newly initiated disciples, with some sect elders accompanying them. This trial was both a challenge and an opportunity for growth.

Jiang Yan looked at the mist encircling the secret realm, swallowed a detoxification pill, and donned a mask.

He didn’t know what the white mist contained, so he had to be prepared for anything.

"Hey, fellow cultivator, what are you wearing?" a bearded middle-aged cultivator asked curiously.

"Did you see the white mist ahead?" Jiang Yan replied with a question.

"Yes, yes, I saw it."

"This is called a mask. It can block poisonous gases. We don’t know if the white mist is toxic, so it’s best to be cautious..."

Jiang Yan wasn’t deceiving him. The mask wasn’t ordinary—it had been modified to block poison and miasma.

Hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator found Jiang Yan’s reasoning sound. He carried some detoxification pills himself, but they were few and best saved for emergencies.

"Fellow cultivator, do you have extra masks?"

"I have plenty. Ten low-grade spirit stones for one."

"I’ll take ten."

Upon hearing the price, the cultivator thought it was a bargain. For some reason, he felt the red-robed youth before him was extraordinary and readily bought ten masks.

"Some people are really obsessed with money—even on a trial, they can’t help but earn spirit stones!" sneered a rogue cultivator with triangular eyes, his appearance as unpleasant as his words. Sometimes, it’s hard not to believe that appearances reflect the heart!

"Why, does it bother you? Is your family the ocean? You sure like to meddle. If you have nothing better to do, stop running your mouth," Jiang Yan retorted.

"Old Wang, if you don’t know, don’t speak nonsense. I was the one who asked this young fellow first," the middle-aged cultivator explained.

"That’s right, Old Wang, don’t talk nonsense."

The other rogue cultivators joined in, criticizing Old Wang. They all heard—the mask cost only ten low-grade spirit stones, much cheaper than detoxification pills.

Besides, they could only afford low-grade detoxification pills, which were two or three hundred spirit stones each.

"Fellow cultivator, I’d like to buy ten masks as well."

"Me too."

"I’ll buy some."

One after another, several rogue cultivators bought masks from Jiang Yan. He welcomed all customers—after all, earning money was part of his purpose.

"Heh heh, alright, there are plenty of masks. Those who want to buy, line up over here," Jiang Yan announced.

Old Wang saw his words had no effect, and instead had helped Jiang Yan land more sales. His eyes nearly burned with frustration.

Damn it, he’d brought plenty of detoxification pills himself, planning to raise the price inside the secret realm if anyone faced an emergency. But this red-robed youth’s masks might really be as effective as claimed. If they truly blocked poison, his customers would dwindle.

"Young fellow, the sect disciples are entering the secret realm. Let’s go in as well," the middle-aged man said.

These rogue cultivators had come to the trial on their own, some forming groups along the way or at the outskirts of the secret realm. Teaming up reduced their risks inside.

They were experienced enough to be cautious—they waited for the sect disciples to enter first, then followed. If danger arose ahead, they could escape sooner.

"Alright, let’s go in," Jiang Yan said, striding toward the secret realm.

His red robes made him easily identifiable, so the other rogue cultivators followed suit.

As they stepped into the mist-shrouded area, their vision was obscured, and people began to bump and step on each other.

"Ouch! Who stepped on my foot?"

"Brat, can’t you keep your voice down? Who knows what’s waiting for us ahead!"

"Exactly, everyone quiet down. If there are monsters, the noisy ones will be dealt with first."

"This place feels so eerie. Senior Sister, can I hold your hand?"

"Come, hold Senior Brother’s hand instead—guaranteed to give you more security."

...

In the distance, elders watched as their disciples entered the secret realm, shaking their heads at the banter. These young ones really were fearless!

What the disciples didn’t know was that something was amiss in the secret realm—the elders hadn’t told them yet.

"Elder Tang, do you think the disciples will return unharmed?" asked the Sixth Elder of the Mystic Spirit Sect, who had come with the Third Elder to oversee the new disciples.

"Based on experience, this kind of low-level secret realm is safe enough. The disciples may not be very advanced, but they should come back safely," replied the Third Elder.

"Let’s hope so. They don’t get transfer talismans for low-level trials..."

The Sixth Elder was still worried.

The Sun and Moon Isle secret realm opened once every five years. Normally, it posed little danger and was ideal for new disciples. However, this time it opened ahead of schedule and was surrounded by a strange white mist, leaving even the most seasoned elders baffled.

Unless absolutely necessary, however, the elders would not interfere in the disciples’ trials.

Those entering the secret realm walked for about half an incense stick’s time, still enveloped by the mist, unsure of their location.

"Young fellow, what’s your name? I’m Li Tian," came the middle-aged cultivator’s voice.

"Jiang Yan," he replied succinctly, gripping his sword, vigilant as ever. From his gaming experience, he suspected unknown creatures lurked ahead.

He mused: Maybe... zombies? No, wrong genre—this is the world of cultivation. Ha, better not scare myself. There can’t be zombies here!

Jiang Yan patted his forehead and pressed on, remaining alert.

Suddenly, he froze. The mist was so thick that no one could see anyone else. How had the middle-aged man recognized him?

A chill ran down his spine. He looked around, but saw only white mist—nothing else.