Chapter 74: Secret Realm
Seated just below Wei Chituo was a cold-faced young man, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Clad in grey robes, tall and well-proportioned, his features were as refined as carved jade, an undeniably handsome figure.
When he noticed Li Yan looking his way, he neither nodded nor spoke, his expression indifferent as if Li Yan were invisible. Yet Li Yan didn't mind and offered him a polite nod and smile in return.
He had seen this man a few times over the past few years. This was none other than Third Senior Brother, Yun Chunque.
Yun Chunque always wore that frosty expression, seemingly devoid of emotion toward anyone. But Li Yan knew: this icy Third Senior Brother only ever showed the faintest warmth when looking at Sixth Senior Sister, Gong Chenying. In those rare moments, his eyes would glimmer with fleeting color.
Li Yan often imagined what it would be like if these two human icebergs ever ended up together, sitting across from each other in silence all day, neither speaking a word. It would be the picture of awkwardness.
These three, Second, Third, and Seventh Senior Brothers were seated in a row, directly opposite another group of four.
At the head of the opposite group sat two stunningly beautiful women: Fourth Senior Sister Miao Wangqing and Sixth Senior Sister Gong Chenying. Miao Wangqing was dressed in her usual pale yellow skirt and blouse. Upon seeing Li Yan enter, she smiled sweetly and called out, "Little Junior Brother!"
The short-haired and coolly elegant Gong Chenying simply gave Li Yan a faint glance and a slight nod, that was her version of a greeting. Both of them had already reached the early Foundation Establishment, their cultivation was quite formidable.
Li Yan promptly returned their courtesy when he noticed their gaze.
Below them sat two others. One of them, with fair skin that could rival Lin Daqiao's, had a long face, thick brows, and sharp eyes. He lounged lazily in his chair, one leg slung over the armrest while the other stretched along the floor.
At the moment, he had one arm locked tightly around Lin Daqiao, who was wriggling with all his might to break free.
This was Fifth Senior Brother, Wen Xinliang, an early Foundation Establishment cultivator that was an expert in using poison.
Li Yan wasn't surprised by the scene and walked toward Lin Daqiao's side with a cheerful smile.
At that moment, whether he finally broke free on his own or Fifth Senior Brother intentionally let him go, Lin Daqiao quickly rushed over and grabbed Li Yan's arm.
He pulled him to sit with, placing a chair between himself and Wen Xinliang, all the while muttering under his breath:
"Fifth Senior Brother is always bullying people. Every time we meet, he bullies your Seventh Senior Brother too. He dragged me off to Boundless Peak the moment I joined. He's the worst!"
Wen Xinliang, hearing his complaints, remained as nonchalant as ever.
"Xiaoqiao, Fifth Senior Brother is only doing it for your own good. Once you pass my tests, you'll never be taken advantage of anywhere."
He turned to Li Yan and added, "Right, Little Junior Brother? You should teach your Seventh Senior Brother a thing or two about how to kill. I heard you were the one who killed that so-called military advisor, and that you even set up those sinister traps. All that at just fifteen? Tsk tsk, I like it heh heh heh…"
Li Yan bowed slightly with a smile and took a seat next to Lin Daqiao. By now, he understood that his killing of Strategist Ji was no longer a secret. From the very first time he met this Fifth Senior Brother, the man had shown an odd interest in him.
But after hearing the story from Lin Daqiao and the others, Wen Xinliang had seemed skeptical at the time. He even mentioned that Senior Brother Yu of the Spirit Insect Peak claimed things had played out differently on the scene. Clearly, he had done his own investigating and now, unexpectedly, he was bringing it up again.
Lin Daqiao had arranged for Li Yan to sit in the upper seat, two chairs away from Fifth Senior Brother, creating a buffer.
Li Yan could only smile helplessly. This Seventh Senior Brother of his had successfully established his foundation just a year ago. According to what he heard, out of over ten thousand Qi Condensation disciples in the sect over the past three years, only five had successfully formed a Foundation.
This showed how truly difficult cultivation was. To outsiders, it might appear as if disciples of Little Bamboo Peak established their foundations with ease, but that was simply a matter of small numbers inflating the success rate.
Even after forming his Foundation, Lin Daqiao hadn't matured much mentally, he was still as lively and flighty as ever.
Just as Li Yan settled into his seat, a young girl in green robes, about sixteen or seventeen, walked up and bowed softly before offering him a cup of fragrant tea. He accepted it and gave her a nod of thanks.
The girl responded with a soft smile and returned to her place nearby.
These three, two boys and one girl who were serving tea were all new outer disciples of the peak. They weren't Li Yan's junior brothers or sisters but rather disciples taken in over the past few years by his Eldest Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, and Fourth Senior Sister.
Li Wuyi, the Eldest Senior Brother, had selected a disciple named Ouyang Ping, a Qi Condensation seventh-level cultivator from one of the affiliated sects.
Yun Chunque had discovered a promising servant disciple on the peak named Zhang Que, at the mid-sixth level of Qi Condensation. After a successful assessment, he took him under his wing.
As for the green-robed girl, Miao Wangqing had found her while visiting a small cultivation clan. Impressed by both her talent and character, she accepted her as a disciple on the spot.
That small clan had nearly erected a longevity tablet for Miao Wangqing in gratitude, but she quickly and sternly forbade it. She had no desire to be seen as some ancient immortal, not to mention the connotation of being old!
All three new disciples were around the same age as Li Yan, yet they were now formal outer disciples of Little Bamboo Peak, while Li Yan remained only a registered disciple.
But none of them dared to look down on him. After all, Li Yan was the personal registered disciple of the Peak Master.
Even though their cultivation levels were similar, some even higher, they didn't dare address him as "Senior Brother" or "Junior Brother" per the usual rules of the cultivation world.
"Little Junior Brother, you've made great progress in the past half year, your speed is truly impressive," Lin Daqiao said, giving Li Yan a pat on the shoulder with a look of seniority.
Li Yan was speechless. Like Second Senior Brother, this Seventh Brother also liked to smack people on the shoulder. But with his cultivation now deepening, his sensitivity to proximity had increased greatly, he'd nearly reacted instinctively just now, ready to dodge or block the gesture.
"Seventh Senior Brother, you've already become an elite outer disciple since establishing your Foundation. Soon you'll be promoted to the Inner Sect. I'm just a registered disciple, who knows how many years it'll take before I catch up to you."
As he discreetly brushed off Lin Daqiao's hand from his shoulder, he delivered a smooth compliment.
"Hahaha! Little Junior Brother, don't belittle yourself, your Senior Brother here just got lucky, that's all!"
Lin Daqiao burst into hearty laughter, clearly pleased by the flattery.
Beside them, Fifth Senior Brother gave a sideways glance at their mutual admiration and snorted, but said nothing. Instead, he stared up at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought.
For a time, the room split into small clusters of quiet conversation. Miao Wangqing and Gong Chenying whispered among themselves, occasionally casting glances toward Li Wuyi.
Li Wuyi seemed not to notice anything, remaining composed as he turned to engage in earnest conversation with Wei Chituo. As for the cold and aloof Third Senior Brother, he stayed silent throughout, only occasionally letting his gaze drift toward Gong Chenying across the room.
The two young men and one young woman, on the other hand, stood obediently behind their respective masters, periodically stepping forward to refill tea.
Before long, a figure glided into the hall. By the time everyone looked up, he was already seated at the center of the main hall, none other than Wei Chongran himself.
The disciples quickly rose and saluted in unison. Once the formalities were done, the green-robed girl promptly served a cup of fragrant tea to the ancestral master before retreating with the other two attendants.
Wei Chongran swept his gaze across the group, nodding in satisfaction. Yet, when his eyes fell on Li Yan, he paused, a flicker of surprise flashing through his eyes.
Given Li Yan's mixed spiritual roots, even with the sect's modest resource support, it shouldn't have been possible to progress so rapidly. Wei had expected it would take decades for him to build his foundation, if at all. Yet in just three years, he had already reached the sixth level of Qi Refinement, and his spiritual energy was as deep and stable as that of a mid-stage sixth-level disciple.
It seemed the Ten Thousand Source Technique had exceeded expectations, perhaps largely due to the transformation from the Fractured Poison Body, which had evidently altered his constitution.
"You're all here. Let's skip the pleasantries," Wei Chongran began, voice calm but direct. "The time for the Secret Realm harvest is approaching next year, as you are all likely aware.
"Recently, the sect has received intelligence that the Ten Step Court, Grand Profound Sect, and Pure Land Sect have begun preparations and they may be targeting us specifically.
"As such, the sect will soon finalize which disciples from each peak will participate. A series of inter-peak competitions will be held to select forty-nine Foundation Establishment disciples to enter the Secret Realm.
"Wuyi, Daqiao, and Li Yan, none of you will be participating this time. Wuyi has already been through it thrice, and has slain many enemy cultivators and secured fortuitous encounters. I have other tasks for him.
"Daqiao has only just reached Foundation Establishment. While you do need tempering, this is not the place for it, yet you may sign up for the sect's competitions to hone yourself against disciples from other peaks. Even if you qualify, you must give up the slot. Understood? At that time, Wuyi will use my jade token to explain why you won't participate."
His tone grew stern toward the end.
"Yes, Master," Li Wuyi replied with a shrug.
Lin Daqiao looked reluctant, but after receiving a sharp glare from Wei Chongran, he stiffened and quickly responded, "Understood!"
Wei Chongran's tone softened slightly.
"Li Yan, your progress in recent years has been impressive. I hope to see you reach Foundation Establishment soon."
Li Yan rose and bowed respectfully.
"Among the rest of you, Chituo and Chunque have each participated twice. Chenying once. You three are experienced and can look after your Fourth and Fifth Juniors, who lack field experience.
"Especially Fourth, she is too soft-hearted. One misstep in there could lead to death. Yet such hardships are necessary. Only through tempering can a cultivator walk the long path.
"Of course," he added coldly, "this all presumes you make it into the top forty-nine. If you can't even pass that threshold, then there's nothing to discuss."
Li Yan, seated below, couldn't help but reflect on the harsh reality of the cultivation world. Every step was a razor's edge, where a single mistake could mean death.
Over the years, he hadn't just trained within the Wraith Sect, he had also immersed himself in various esoteric texts and cultivation lore. The so-called Secret Realm Harvest was in truth a blood-drenched feast hosted by the four great sects.
"This secret realm was discovered tens of thousands of years ago by the Grand Elders of the Wraith Sect and Ten-Step Court. The two Nascent Soul ancestors joined forces, spending nearly a year to break through the realm's protective restrictions.
Inside, they found numerous ancient treasures, top-tier magical tools and treasures, and vast quantities of rare herbs and supreme beast cores.
The realm itself should exit in a space outside the world, in its own vast and enclosed dimension. It was thought to be a sanctuary for cultivators in ancient times, long since abandoned with only its riches and remnants left behind.
However, not all within were relics. Many ancient beasts still roamed the interior and among them were seven fearsome fourth-rank demon beasts, each one equivalent in power to a Nascent Soul ancestor.
Third-rank beasts could already take human form and gain spiritual wisdom. Fourth-rank ones were formidable and cunning beyond compare.
When the two Nascent Soul ancestors from Wraith Sect and Ten-Step Court entered, they initially collected some top-tier magical tools, magical treasures, rare spiritual herbs, and elixirs. But after a few days, they encountered four fourth-rank demonic beasts, leading to a fierce battle.
Outnumbered, the two elders were forced into a hasty retreat. Thankfully, Nascent Soul cultivators were notoriously difficult to kill.
Their millennium of cultivation had granted them numerous magical treasures, and if they abandoned their physical bodies, their Nascent Souls could teleport instantly across a thousand li, a speed that no magical treasure could match.
Of course, neither elder was willing to abandon their physical body. One was a famed poison cultivator; the other a sword cultivator of terrifying combat prowess. The demon beasts, despite their strength, could not take them down.
After a prolonged battle and chase, the two managed to escape. It seemed not all seven demon beasts had shown themselves, perhaps due to seclusion or other reasons.
Even so, both elders were gravely injured. The elder from Ten Step Court had nearly lost his physical body entirely.
This outcome was only possible because the demon beasts were wary, especially after witnessing the Wraith Sect elder's nightmarish poisons. They had kept their distance, or the result might have been far worse.
(Chapter End)