Chapter 76: The Secret Realm Opens
The journey of the Heaven and Earth Furnace grew ever more arduous as Li Shuang advanced. Every step felt like climbing a steep mountain path in a storm. Earlier, she had thrown in a precious Jade Pendant worth a hundred High Grade Spirit Stones, along with other trinkets scavenged from the market. With that, she managed to push the furnace’s progress past the forty percent mark.
This time, however, the materials she sacrificed were of far greater value—worth nearly two thousand High Grade Spirit Stones. Yet, as if the furnace were a hungry beast, it devoured these treasures slowly, as though testing her resolve.
Li Shuang did not hesitate or feel regret. [Her determination burned like the fire of a true martial artist.] Even if more riches were needed, she would see the furnace awakened.
Slowly, the progress climbed: fifty percent, then sixty, then seventy. Under Li Shuang’s watchful eyes, it reached ninety percent. In her hand, she still held one final relic—a white jade hairpin infused with spiritual energy.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Li Shuang cast the hairpin into the furnace. The moment it fell, the Heaven and Earth Furnace spun a little faster. Yet when the scale settled, it paused at ninety-five percent, leaving a stubborn gap of five percent.
That last ten percent of the journey was like a final duel with fate, the challenge growing steeper with each breath. Still, Li Shuang remained calm. Soon, she would step into the Langya Secret Realm, where filling that final gap would be a task well within her reach.
Li Shuang recalled her past ventures into the secret realm. She had entered it twice before: once as a young disciple just after joining the Sword Sect and beginning her cultivation, and a second time ten years ago before Ye Zhao Zhao had even joined the sect. Each entry carried its own lessons and dangers.
Before stepping into the realm, every disciple was given a Command Token. The Langya Secret Realm was divided into three parts: the Outer Region, the Inner Region, and the Core Region. The Outer Region was the most developed and safest. Here, every movement was recorded by the Command Token, and all treasures found had to be shared with the sect.
Venture deeper into the Inner or even the Core Region, and the Token’s recording power would fade away. In these dangerous zones, any riches found could be kept for oneself or exchanged later for contributions to the sect.
The bounty of the Langya Secret Realm was a matter of honor for the sect. Li Shuang had once sacrificed much of her own gain to bolster Chang Le An’s standing, converting her finds into tribute. Since her first foray into the realm, she had dared to explore even the Inner and Core Regions.
This time would be no different. On the brink of her own transformation in cultivation, Li Shuang sought a powerful talisman to aid her foundation. In her mind’s eye, a swaying lotus on ice appeared. She knew that this ice lotus was a prize she could not ignore.
On her first journey into the realm, although she had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, she had sacrificed that power to carry the seed of the ice lotus. With that seed, she rebuilt her foundation, and soon her strength returned even swifter than before. Without that singular treasure, she might never have reached the stages of Core Formation or even the Infant Stage so quickly.
A fitting talisman for foundation building could tip the scales of fate for any cultivator. With no better option at hand, Li Shuang resolved to seek out the ice lotus seed once more.
As the Langya Secret Realm neared its opening, all disciples with a seat among the Sword Sect’s chosen worked fervently in preparation. Lin Qing Ling gathered Li Shuang and Liu Jun Cheng for a final surge of training.
Seven days passed like the swift flight of an arrow. At last, the day arrived.
Before the grand Sect Master’s hall, fifty disciples assembled. This time, at Spirit Void Peak, aside from Ye Zhao Zhao and Chang Le An—the two True Disciples—two Formal Disciples had also earned their place. The four of them eyed Li Shuang with a subtle hint of enmity. Li Shuang met their gaze without a flicker of emotion, as if she had never noticed them.
Meng Yi Fei surveyed the gathered fifty disciples. [These young warriors would one day become the masters of Steward Peak, even the future leaders of the Sword Sect.] His voice, calm yet firm, carried over the silent crowd:
“You many have entered this realm before. Treasure here is rich, but life is even more precious. I support you if you choose to stay in the safer Outer Region. But if you wish to brave the Inner or Core Regions, remember: no treasure is worth more than your life. Only with life intact can you return with your gains!”
He continued, “Since the Langya Secret Realm first opened, many elite disciples have been lost within its depths, their remains reduced to mere bones. As fifty souls set forth today, I expect all of you to return alive.”
These words struck a chord in every heart. They nodded solemnly.
The Outer Region was largely scoured of its riches. Unless fortune favored them like Chang Le An once did, the disciples could only expect ordinary rewards. To seize great fortunes, or to rise swiftly in power, one had to risk venturing deeper into the Inner or even the Core Regions—where danger and opportunity walked hand in hand.
Then Ye Zhao Zhao spoke suddenly, “Sister Li, while the others may stay in the Outer Region, with your skills, you must be destined for the Inner Region.” Her eyes glittered with a mix of challenge and curiosity.
Yet, in the Outer Region, every disciple was watched by the Command Token. Even with her formidable abilities, Ye Zhao Zhao dared not act against Li Shuang. But once one entered the Inner Region, the rules were different. Death there was an accepted price, for no one would dare claim Li Shuang’s life lightly. [Was it not known among the sect that every time the Langya Secret Realm opened, elite disciples often met a fate where not even bones remained?] To lose Li Shuang would be merely an ordinary event in the eyes of fate.
Li Shuang returned a cool glance at Ye Zhao Zhao. “There is no need for you to worry, Sister Ye.” She intended to venture into the Inner Region, but kept her plans close to her heart.
Ye Zhao Zhao’s eyes flickered, and she said no more. Asking further would betray too much intent. She was sure that Li Shuang, by nature, could not stay confined to the Outer Region forever.
“Now, the Teleportation Array will activate. Steward Lin, distribute the Command Tokens. Besides their function to record and transport, these tokens contain a map of the Outer Region that has been revealed so far. But be warned, the Langya Secret Realm is as mysterious as the shifting sands. Use the map only as a guide, for its details may change as the realm itself transforms.” Meng Yi Fei declared, as a steward handed out the tokens.
He added, “The Outer Region is relatively safe, though accidents do occur. Should you encounter danger there, using the Command Token will return you instantly to the sect. But if you stray beyond the Outer Region, the Token will lose its power.”
Every disciple secured their Command Token with care. In moments of peril, this token might be the very key to their survival.
As the tokens were gathered, the Teleportation Array on the plaza began to glow with a soft white light. The moment had come.
Langya Secret Realm—open your mysterious gates!
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