Chapter 75: Reactions from All Sides

After chatting with her for a while longer, Xu Xing put away his phone and stood up.

Then he walked to the small garden in the back courtyard and looked upward.

In his perception, above the sky-obscuring Secret Realm coiled countless eerie purple threads.

"I suppose… that old thing has seen it too."

That's exactly what he wanted— for Her to see it.

If not for this reason, he wouldn't have moved the Secret Realm to the edge of reality.

Withdrawing his gaze, Xu Xing turned to another direction.

That was the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall building, where Zhang Yunlu had already completed the third stage of the Gathering Method.

"Not bad."

This pace isn't slow at all; if you really counted it up, Xu Xing hadn't given her much.

Just one sword art, a training space for constant sparring, and a single Gathering Method.

The sword art was merely average, the training space wasn't unique to her, and the Gathering Method meant even less.

If you yourself are weak, no matter how good the Gathering Method is, it's useless.

If he were those protagonists' grandpa, he'd really be rather unfitting.

But cultivation has always been this way—the most important thing is always yourself.

"Let's see how it turns out."

Zhang Yunlu's innate Dao Foundation is within reach, but going further won't be this simple.

And Xiao Fan… he'll soon reach the third stage.

Xu Xing sat down on the reclining chair, and in his hand appeared the small yellow duck sent to him by Chi Jiuyu.

He gave it a gentle shake.

"She really knows how to think."

…

…

At this moment, Chi Jiuyu still didn't know her uncle had betrayed her behind her back; she was still happily scrolling through posts.

The Secret Realm appearing over Xuanjian City had naturally become another hot topic of discussion.

At first, everyone was speculating.

Some suspected another demonic elder was causing trouble, while others lamented how much misfortune Xuanjian City suffered.

Under the posts, people who had moved from Hengjian City to Xuanjian City were sobbing, their grief heartfelt.

Others thought it was the ancient cultivator's cave tomb about to emerge.

MyFavoriteTianRen: "Jie jie jie! Fellow cultivators, this is the ancient adept's Secret Realm emerging—enter my banner and follow me to investigate! /Image"

In the image was a small silver-white banner, surrounded by pure qi, with dragons and phoenixes soaring.

ZhenLovedQiang: "Isn't that the Ten Thousand Souls Banner displayed on the Taishang Dao Sect's official website?"

MonkeysAllOverTheMountainOnlyMyAssIsRed: "MyFavoriteTianRen? If you're not joking, then the guy upstairs has some serious taste."

MyFavoriteTianRen: "How could you ordinary cultivators understand the wonders of a Heavenly Being?"

They began arguing over this topic.

A bunch of idiots—what's so interesting about those demons and spirits?

Chi Jiuyu exited and kept scrolling, this time after the mayor had issued an announcement.

So someone posted.

【Question: Aren't large events supposed to be reported to local authorities beforehand? Has this third-stage trial been reported?】

MonkeysAllOverTheMountainOnlyMyAssIsRed: "Poster is an idiot, confirmed."

QingyueFuYe (wholesale PM me): "A backwater town with a maximum Soul Transformation cultivator—who cares what you think?"

Further down, every comment was mockery and ridicule.

Changqing (Not Accepting Alchemy Requests Now): "At this point, you have to ask one person."

Changqing (Not Accepting Alchemy Requests Now): "Does your Xiang Jianzong even regulate this kind of behavior? @FutureSectLeaderOfTheSwordSect"

Shit! How is this idiot here too? Chi Jiuyu typed furiously.

FutureSectLeaderOfTheSwordSect: "A bunch of idiots—who told you it wasn't reported beforehand?"

CanWeTakeDownThatStupidSectArena: "You know?" FutureSectLeaderOfTheSwordSect: "Of course I know—because I was the one who submitted the application!"

Changqing (Not Accepting Alchemy Requests Now): "So this trial was actually arranged by a senior of the Xiang Jianzong? /Confused"

For high-level cultivators, even across the internet, people become more polite.

FutureSectLeaderOfTheSwordSect: "Why should I explain to you? /NosePicking"

Is this guy lying?

Some in the crowd doubted it, but no one actually asked.

After all, someone using the username "FutureSectLeaderOfTheSwordSect" and acting this boldly already speaks volumes.

If they had nothing behind that name and still dared to flaunt it, they'd have been taught a lesson offline long ago.

…………

At noon, in the center square of Xuanjian City.

The Secret Realm hung high in the sky, like a small asteroid ready to crash down.

Yet the square was incredibly lively; as far as the eye could see, crowds surged, bustling and jostling.

Except for Jiang Yujiu, most of the Hehuan Sect's charm cultivators who had come to Xuanjian City were here, and all were livestreaming.

A bit farther out were the visiting disciples of the Xian Sect.

They stood in a less crowded spot, gazing upward, observing the Secret Realm they would enter for trial tomorrow.

Beneath a large tree stood two youths whose presence was extremely faint, nearly imperceptible to others.

"Brother, you've also come to observe this Secret Realm?"

The speaker was named Yang Lin, one of the cultivators who had come with True Person Xiao Ning, his realm at Nascent Soul Early Stage.

The man he called brother was named Han Yun, also a disciple of the Supreme Dao Sect, his realm at Nascent Soul Mid Stage.

"Aren't you here to observe this Secret Realm too?" Han Yun smiled.

Both men spoke in hushed tones.

"I barely passed this trial by luck—I have no idea what conditions await inside tomorrow's Secret Realm, so I came early to observe." Yang Lin sighed.

He had studied for a long time but found no way to withdraw; otherwise, he would have withdrawn long ago.

As for why he hadn't deliberately failed the trial…

Obviously!

The trial only counts as failure if you die—who knows what consequences await if you die inside! Though everyone online says dying is harmless, as a cautious cultivator, he had no intention of testing it.

He originally planned to deliberately delay during the second round so he wouldn't advance to the third.

But that damn second round was absurdly intense—he couldn't even slow down to lower his performance score.

He had no choice but to unleash his full strength and kill his opponent.

"Sigh~." Han Yun also felt melancholy.

His situation was much the same as Yang Lin's.

The two brothers exchanged a glance and sighed again.

At that moment, a large brown-furred dog arrived beneath Han Yun's feet and lifted its hind leg.

Huh? "Go away!"

The dog shuddered in fright, looked up with terrified eyes—as if wondering where these two humans had come from—then tucked its tail and fled, howling.

The commotion had drawn glances from those nearby.

Yang Lin glanced again at the sky; though the Secret Realm was plainly visible to the naked eye, after activating his spiritual sense, he could no longer perceive it at all.

He frowned slightly: "This Secret Realm reveals nothing even when observed—Brother, I'll take my leave."

"Take care, brother," Han Yun nodded slightly.

Watching Yang Lin depart, he did not linger long himself and soon left the Central Plaza.

He wound through alleys and corners until reaching a secluded corner, confirming no one was around.

Puff! With a soft sound, Han Yun's entire body transformed into a paper doll, slowly drifting down.

Huh~ Flames ignited on the paper doll, burning it to ash before it even touched the ground, dispersing with the wind.

How could one's true body come here in such a crowded place?

Please collect and follow! (Chapter ends)