Chapter 77: Is It Really Him?

"Less than one-fifth… as expected."

Li Qingyang rose from his recliner and looked toward the central square.

Most who came here were disciples of Sword Sects or other Immortal Sects; local cultivators from Xuanjian City were few.

This was normal. Though most cultivators didn't act as excessively as those from Taishang Dao Sect, they still instinctively played it safe.

Zzzz~ The Secret Realm in the sky suddenly trembled; a ripple visible to the naked eye spread outward, instantly stretching hundreds, even thousands of li.

The airspace near the Secret Realm had been banned for flight, but farther areas could still fly normally.

Some cultivators flying high in the sky saw the tidal wave of ripples surging toward them, startled, and tried to dodge—but it was too late; they were instantly swept in.

Screams continued.

But the expected cataclysm did not occur; only a gentle breeze brushed their faces, and the terrifying ripples had already surged far away.

"…"

Some cultivators who had screamed especially loudly now looked embarrassed.

What the hell—no danger, so why make it look so terrifying!? "Zhang Yunlu, local cultivator, Qi Condensation Ninth Layer."

A gentle voice seemed to come from afar, neither loud nor soft, yet crystal clear in everyone's ears.

Immediately, a beam of light suddenly shot down from above the Secret Realm, landing somewhere in Xuanjian City, then vanished in an instant.

Clearly, the trial participant had already been sent into the Secret Realm.

'Whose voice was that?' Li Qingyang stared at the Secret Realm.

That voice didn't sound like any of his uncle or aunt masters—it felt more like…

Ssshh~ Li Qingyang shuddered, as if recalling something extremely unpleasant.

Unlike Li Qingyang, others were curious about who the first person to enter the Secret Realm was.

Qi Condensation Ninth Layer?

Could it really be that a Qi Condensation cultivator passed the second trial?! Most didn't know who Zhang Yunlu was.

But students from Xuanjian City Third Middle School, and those who had watched the combat test that day, were different.

In the hallway outside the classroom, Fang Chi looked up at the sky, his expression complex.

Yu Ming, whose foundation had just been repaired, froze for a long moment upon hearing Zhang Yunlu's name called first.

That little girl who'd only recently received the Cultivation Method from me… she actually passed the second trial too? The gentle voice didn't pause amid the shock.

"Lin Qiu Xian, Xiang Jianzong cultivator, Nascent Soul Mid-Stage."

"Feng Yuan, Xiang Jianzong cultivator, Nascent Soul Mid-Stage."

"Yu Ming, local cultivator, Nascent Soul Full Stage."

"…"

One by one, names, affiliations, and realms were announced in that gentle voice, echoing across Xuanjian City.

Light continued to descend, and soon, people in the square vanished under its glow.

Couldn't understand.

Li Qingyang was frustrated.

He completely didn't understand this teleportation technique.

This damn thing really can't be that person, can it?! You knew he was here, yet you specifically recalled your disciples from distant star realms?!

Master, are you secretly training other disciples outside?!

"Xiao Fan, local cultivator, Qi Condensation Ninth Layer."

"Xiao Ming, Long Xiang Qing Tian Sect cultivator, Jin Dan Full Stage."

Another Qi Condensation Ninth Layer? This was the first besides Zhang Yunlu—wait, are the young cultivators of Xuanjian City this strong this year? Some Xian Sect disciples still waiting to be summoned looked at each other with complex expressions.

But some who knew Xiao Fan sensed something was off.

Xiao Fan already drank the Barrier-Breaking Spirit Elixir and ascended to pseudo-Foundation Establishment—why is he listed as Qi Condensation Ninth Layer now?

Hmm…

It probably isn't the Xiao Fan I know.

…

…

In his bedroom, Xiao Fan held a sword, staring out the window—the guiding light was already coming toward him.

"So… this trial really is Master Hu's…"

Others had never met Master Hu, but how could he not recognize his voice? His mind involuntarily recalled the hazy vision from last night—the eyes like glass, shimmering with seven-colored light.

'Since ancient times, my Dao endures…'

So… I must defeat everyone inside the Secret Realm to earn true recognition?

As his thoughts shifted, the guiding light struck his body, flooding the entire bedroom with brilliant radiance.

His vision gradually filled with white light, forcing him to close his eyes.

The next instant, the light vanished—and with it, Xiao Fan disappeared.

Soon after his disappearance,

Crack! The bedroom door made a sound, then opened.

It was Xiao's father and Xiao Mu; they stared at the empty bedroom, silent for a long time.

…………

In the villa, Chi Jiuyu was curiously observing the man sitting across from his uncle.

From appearance, he was just a mild-mannered, kind old man—nothing special.

But Chi Jiuyu dared not underestimate him.

She had heard it with her own ears — this person had addressed her martial uncle as "Dao Brother," clearly a lofty figure of the same generation as her martial uncle! Moreover, the sounds continuously ringing out in the outside world were also this person's doing.

emm……

Chi Jiuyu thought of the chat records she had quietly restored earlier.

This person — could he be the 'huo' that Master mentioned?

Mm! Very likely.

She glanced out the window again; the sounds were still ringing out continuously.

Speaking of which, fully five hundred people — if he just keeps reading like this, won't his throat get dry?

"Martial Uncle, if this senior just keeps reading like that, won't his throat get dry?" Chi Jiuyu asked directly.

She had always been the type to ask whenever she had a question.

Huo couldn't help but pause for a moment upon hearing her ask that.

Why is your thought process so bizarre? Xu Xing glanced at her: "No."

"Then why does he have to call out each of their names and cultivation realms one by one?"

"Dao Brother has planned such a grand event, so naturally I must give the trial-takers a chance to show off in front of everyone."

A gentle voice sounded by her ear, but the voice in the sky outside did not stop.

Oh! Chi Jiuyu paused, then stuck out her thumb, fully agreeing with Huo's reasoning: "Senior, what a great idea!"

What's the point of cultivating if you can't show off! Chi Jiuyu ran off to pour two cups of water, one for Xu Xing, and the other placed in front of Huo.

Huo: "……"

This Master Jianzun's disciple really is interesting.

If not for the fact that neither Master Jianzun nor Dao Brother would allow it, he really would have wanted to bestow a fortuitous encounter upon her.

The moment she sat down she asked again: "Oh right, Martial Uncle, what's the Secret Realm look like inside now?"

"Who do you want to see?" Xu Xing said directly.

"Hehe! Of course it's Little Yunlu."

Xu Xing raised his hand and tapped, and just as before, a curtain of light rose up, suspended in midair.

The curtain of light revealed the scene of the entire Secret Realm.

Towering perilous peaks, cliff walls sharp as though carved by a blade, a massive canyon cutting through the entire Secret Realm, and the occasional red Lei Guang streaking across the sky.

Hmm?!

Chi Jiuyu's eyes went wide.

Is this still the Secret Realm I entered before?

Soon, the image in the curtain of light kept zooming in, finally stopping on a winding, treacherous mountain path.

Zhang Yunlu stood with sword in one hand, in full battle array.

And facing her were three ferocious, bizarre creatures, their arms like sharp swords, marked with strange purple patterns.

The fight is about to begin!

Begging for bookmarks, begging for continued reading!! (End of this chapter)