Chapter 76

Chapter 76: The Secret Realm Opens

The progress on the Heaven and Earth Furnace got harder the further it went.

Last time, she used a jade pendant worth one hundred high grade spirit stones, plus a few odds and ends bought in the market, and pushed the progress bar past forty.

This time, the materials were worth much more, but the progress moved even slower.

Two thousand high grade spirit stones’ worth of supplies were swallowed by the Heaven and Earth Furnace one by one.

Li Shuang did not feel regret. Even if it cost far more, she had to open the furnace.

Fifty percent.

Sixty percent.

Seventy percent.

The progress ticked up bit by bit.

Under Li Shuang’s steady gaze, it reached ninety percent.

She still had one last item in her hand: a white jade hairpin filled with spiritual power.

Li Shuang took a deep breath and placed the final hairpin into the furnace.

The hairpin dropped in.

The Heaven and Earth Furnace spun a little faster.

Then it stopped at ninety five percent. It still lacked five percent. The last ten percent was clearly much harder to push.

Even so, Li Shuang stayed calm.

She was about to enter the Langya Secret Realm. In there, topping off the last five percent would not be hard.

She thought back. She had entered the Langya Secret Realm twice. The first time was soon after she joined the Sword Sect, right after she stepped into Foundation Establishment. The second time was ten years ago, before Ye Zhao Zhao joined the sect.

Some rules were the same both times.

Before entering, each disciple was assigned a token.

The secret realm had three areas: the Outer Zone, the Inner Zone, and the Core Zone.

The Outer Zone was the most developed and the safest. While moving in the Outer Zone, every disciple had to carry a token at all times. The token recorded a disciple’s movements, and all gains in this area had to be split evenly with the sect.

Deeper inside, in the Inner Zone or even the Core Zone, the token stopped recording.

In those two areas, disciples could either exchange their finds for sect contribution points, or keep them for themselves. The sect would not force them.

Gains from the Langya Secret Realm affected the sect’s reputation, so the sect was actually generous with contribution points.

Last time, Li Shuang kept almost nothing. She found ways to give most of her harvest to Chang Le An, and traded the rest for contribution points.

From her very first visit, Li Shuang had ventured into the Inner Zone and even the Core Zone.

This time would be no different.

She was about to attempt Foundation Establishment again and needed a fine Foundation Establishment item.

A swaying lotus appeared in her mind.

She had to see that lotus on the ice once more.

The first time she entered the Langya Secret Realm, she had already reached Foundation Establishment. After she brought out a seed from the Lotus in Ice, she dispersed her Foundation Establishment cultivation and rebuilt her foundation using the Ice Lotus Seed.

Luckily, she had not been in Foundation Establishment for long. After rebuilding, she quickly recovered her realm, and with the seed’s help, her cultivation speed became much faster than before.

Without that Foundation Establishment treasure, she might not have reached Core Formation, much less Nascent Soul, so quickly.

This showed how much a fitting Foundation Establishment wonder could boost a cultivator.

For this new Foundation Establishment, she had no better option for now, so she planned to seek another Ice Lotus Seed.

The Langya Secret Realm was about to open, and the Sword Sect disciples who got spots were busy preparing. Lin Qing Ling also called in Li Shuang and Liu Jun Cheng and drilled them hard.

Seven days flashed by.

At last, the opening day came.

In front of the Sect Master’s Hall, fifty disciples gathered.

This time, Ling Xu Peak had two Direct Disciples, Ye Zhao Zhao and Chang Le An, plus two Full Disciples on the list.

Now, the four of them stood together and looked at Li Shuang with faint hostility.

Li Shuang kept her eyes forward and acted as if she did not notice.

Meng Yi Fei looked over the fifty disciples.

Among them would be future stewards, peak masters, and even a sect master.

They were the future of the Sword Sect.

Meng Yi Fei spoke in a calm voice: “Many of you are not entering the secret realm for the first time. Remember, while treasures are nice, your lives matter more. If you choose to stay in the Outer Zone the whole time, I support that. If you want to risk the Inner Zone or even the Core Zone, understand this: no matter how good something is, you need to stay alive to bring it out.”

He added: “Every opening of the Langya Secret Realm has claimed Elite Disciples who never return, with most bodies not even found. Fifty of you go in today. I hope fifty of you come back.”

His words made everyone’s hearts tighten, and they nodded.

The Outer Zone was largely explored. Unless someone had luck like Chang Le An did last time and stumbled on treasures no one had found, they would only gain the usual things there.

To get more, or to take a leap forward, they had to head into the Inner Zone and the Core Zone.

Risk and chance came together. Each person would have to choose.

Ye Zhao Zhao turned and said with a glimmer in her eyes: “Senior Sister Li, others might stay in the Outer Zone, but with your skills, you will surely go try the Inner Zone, right?”

Her gaze flickered.

In the Outer Zone, disciples were monitored at all times. Even if she had the strength, she could not attack Li Shuang there.

But once they entered the Inner Zone, things would change.

If Li Shuang died, then she died. No one could pin it on her.

Hadn’t the Sect Master just said so?

Every time the Langya Secret Realm opened, Elite Disciples died inside.

Most left no remains at all.

One more dead Li Shuang would be nothing unusual.

Li Shuang gave Ye Zhao Zhao a mild glance and said, “No need to worry about me, Junior Sister Ye.”

Of course she would go to the Inner Zone, but there was no reason to tell Ye Zhao Zhao that.

Ye Zhao Zhao’s eyes moved, and she said no more.

Asking too much would look suspicious.

She did not believe that someone like Li Shuang could stand staying in the Outer Zone the whole time.

Meng Yi Fei said, “The transport array will open soon. Steward Lin, hand out the tokens. Besides recording and transport, each token holds a map of the explored parts of the Outer Zone. But the Langya Secret Realm is mysterious. Use the map as a reference only. Things change there in ways we cannot guess.”

A Steward passed out the tokens.

Meng Yi Fei stressed, “The Outer Zone is safer, but not completely safe. If you face danger in the Outer Zone, use your token to return to the sect at once. If you leave the Outer Zone, the token will no longer work.”

Everyone put their tokens away with care.

In a pinch, a token might be their only lifeline.

As soon as the tokens were stored, a transport array lit up with white light in the square.

The time had come.

The Langya Secret Realm opened.