Chapter 149: Secret Realm of the Lotus Pond

Ruan Xing, having transformed into a young female cultivator, walked into the teleportation array station, paid the travel fee, and after several transfers, arrived in Central Province.

Just to be safe, she did not go directly to Xianyuan City, but instead went to Fengtian City on the outskirts of the 180 peaks.

This place was also under the jurisdiction of the Xuanbing Sect, but it did not have as good a geographical location as Xianyuan City; it was just an ordinary town, not particularly prosperous, with people coming and going on the streets, and more mortals than cultivators.

Upon leaving the gate, one could see that all businesses under the Xuanbing Sect or related to the Xuanbing Sect had set up banners at their entrances, with the Xuanbing Sect's emblem at the top and some promotional slogans written below.

In short, they were vigorously recruiting new disciples.

There were tens of thousands of Outer Sect Disciples, but only one or two in ten could reach Foundation Establishment; the rest had to fend for themselves, so the Sect was not afraid of not being able to support them no matter how many they recruited.

Ruan Xing found an intermediary agency and rented a quiet room for a day, but she did not cultivate; instead, she waited for her Illusion Technique to refresh its cooldown, then opened the Real-scene Simulation, and only then left with her new appearance.

This time, she had transformed into a girl of fifteen or sixteen, at the Foundation Establishment Early-stage.

This cultivation level and age were already top-tier among ordinary cultivators, not to mention that she was a Loose Cultivator.

If she used this identity to rejoin the Xuanbing Sect, it should be no problem, and she could even enter the Inner Sect directly; perhaps she could even find out the information she wanted to know.

The method of entry was similar to that in Nanzhou; after registering her information, she would wait one to three working days for the Sect Jade Token to be issued, then pass through the Questioning Heart Stone, and that would count as having entered the sect.

"Name?"

"Xing Ruanruan."

"Cultivation level?"

"Foundation Establishment Early-stage."

"Where are you from?"

"Dongzhou, Canghai City."

The cultivator responsible for recording paused his pen tip and looked up.

The girl in front of him had a fair face with a healthy flush, and the strands of hair hanging down on both sides of her full forehead were slightly and playfully curled; she looked like a cute and lively girl, and one could tell at a glance that she was good-natured.

The cultivator's tone softened unconsciously, "There are quite a few sects in Dongzhou, and there is even the Mysterious Grade Sect, which is on par with our Xuanbing Sect as one of the three major sects; why come all the way to Central Province?"

Ruan Xing smiled shyly, "Naturally, I admire the prestige of the Xuanbing Sect."

Her eyes sparkled, "I have heard that the 180 Peak Masters of the Xuanbing Sect are all Nascent Soul True Monarchs, and now a new Return to Ruins Land has been added as a Secret Realm; furthermore, the Xuanbing Sect is able to occupy Central Province, so it is naturally the head of the three major sects. Since we cultivators choose to cultivate and compete with the heavens for brilliance, we must naturally choose the best!"

She flattered the Xuanbing Sect a little, and incidentally displayed a bit of the arrogance of a young Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The recording cultivator was naturally also an Inner Sect Disciple of the Xuanbing Sect; he felt honored to hear this and couldn't help but smile, "Then welcome, Junior Sister, to the Xuanbing Sect!"

Having said that, his hands did not stop, and he had finished recording, adding with a hint of apology: "There have been too many new disciples entering the sect recently, so we cannot make the Sect Jade Token immediately. Come back here to collect it at this time tomorrow, Junior Sister."

"Alright, then thank you, Senior Brother!" Ruan Xing blinked playfully.

Walking out the door, Ruan Xing was just thinking about what to do next when she suddenly heard someone calling her from behind, "Fellow Daoist, please stay!"

Looking back, it was the male cultivator who had just registered with another cultivator, walking over quickly.

Ruan Xing felt he looked familiar, and after searching through her memory, she remembered this person; he was a cultivator from the Xuanbing Sect in Nanzhou!

He had even bought her Pills back then.

It was just a pity that his skills were inferior to others, and he failed to enter the Golden Terrace Secret Realm, barely saving his life.

But after only a few months, he had already reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

With several thoughts turning in her mind, Ruan Xing still looked puzzled, "This Fellow Daoist, do we know each other?"

"Although we don't know each other now, we will be fellow disciples in the future, so we should look out for one another," the male cultivator leaned in and smiled, "My name is Zhao Cheng. Fellow Daoist, among the room full of newly entered disciples just now, only the two of us are at the Foundation Establishment stage; we are destined to enter the Inner Sect and are not on the same path as them, so naturally, I wanted to get to know you first."

Still as familiar as ever.

Because of the massive publicity for the new Secret Realm this time, although some cultivators were afraid of the two great mountains overhead, many cultivators still came to Xianyuan City in an endless stream. With the mixture of fish and dragons, the Xuanbing Sect did not separate the crowds, and all cultivators recorded in one large hall.

Therefore, whether they were cultivators with cultivation or mortals without, they all had to line up honestly.

Of course, if those big shots at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stage or above came, it would certainly not be this treatment, but Ruan Xing had not seen any yet.

"My name is Xing Ruanruan. Fellow Daoist's cultivation is deeper than mine, so I shall call you Senior Brother Zhao." Ruan Xing smiled sweetly, then asked in confusion: "Senior Brother Zhao is already at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, why are you only joining the sect now? Have you always been a Loose Cultivator before?"

"That's not it." Zhao Cheng thought for a moment, feeling that since they were all fellow disciples, there was nothing to hide, so he spoke generously: "Hearing you say you are from Dongzhou just now, you might not know that our sect has a branch in Nanzhou, but that place is remote, sparsely populated, and resources are scarce, so it doesn't have much of a reputation. I am from Nanzhou, and I have been a disciple of the Xuanbing Sect since the Qi Refining stage."

"Since that is the case, did no other fellow disciples come with you?" Ruan Xing asked curiously.

Zhao Cheng's expression was a bit unnatural, "They... due to some accidents, were unable to come."

Disciples who could come to Central Province would have found a way before the Golden Terrace Secret Realm, and those who couldn't come, and also couldn't participate in the Jin Tai Dao Discussion, went off to travel on their own.

And those who stayed in the sect and were able to participate in the Jin Tai Dao Discussion and enter the Golden Terrace Secret Realm naturally all died inside.

It was just that regarding the Golden Terrace Secret Realm, the Nanzhou Sect Leader had required all disciples to keep it secret, so although other sects heard some rumors, the general public of cultivators and mortals could not hear any news at all.

Ruan Xing remembered that among the people she saved back then, there was also a Nanzhou cultivator; she wondered how that person was doing now, and whether they were depressed after being robbed by her.

Seeing that Ruan Xing did not respond, Zhao Cheng continued: "When we were fighting for that Return to Void Secret Realm before, the Nanzhou Xuanbing Sect paid a great price; the Sect Leader and Elders were all gone... In the rush, Central Province temporarily sent Elder Mu to preside over the overall situation. A few days ago, I luckily broke through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. Elder Mu is busy with sect affairs, so he let me come to Central Province alone. I also traveled for half a month before I could coincidentally meet Junior Sister Xing today."

So Mu Shi had already gone to Nanzhou.

It was just that she didn't know if Mu Shi knew about the deal between Xu Shengping and the Six Suns Study, and whether he would continue to send Spirit Stones there.

Even if he knew, it would be hard for him to scrape together the 30,000 Spirit Stones every year; after all, the annual income in Nanzhou was only so much, and no matter how greedy he was, he couldn't get much... unless he worked day and night to hunt various Monster Beasts himself to earn Spirit Stones to fill this hole. Ruan Xing nodded, "So that's how it is."

She asked a few more questions about Nanzhou, and was extremely supportive of Zhao Cheng's somewhat exaggerated boasting; after only a few words of acquaintance, Zhao Cheng already felt that he got along extremely well with this Junior Sister.

Originally, Zhao Cheng just thought that since he was a stranger in Central Province, making a friend would be helpful, but he didn't expect this Junior Sister's temperament to be so agreeable; he felt he had really called the right person just now.

The two of them even found an inn in the city to stay at together. Because he was taking care of Zhao Cheng's lack of funds, they did not rent a quiet room for cultivation, and then they agreed to meet at the entrance of the hall tomorrow.

After dealing with Zhao Cheng, Ruan Xing did not go to rest, but turned and found a restaurant opened by cultivators.

Spirit Food, Spirit Tea, Spirit Wine, and such things—the prices were all things that ordinary cultivators could not afford.

Therefore, most of the people who came here were children of cultivator families who had quite a bit of family wealth, or disciples with high cultivation who could hold real power and handle affairs in the sect.

These people often had well-informed news and knew much more information than the bottom-level cultivators; Ruan Xing prepared to take the opportunity to inquire here.

Although some news would be easier to know after entering the Inner Sect in a few days, this was a Real-scene Simulation, and every day was burning Spirit Stones, so how could she waste time? Ordering two plates of Spirit Fruit and a pot of leaf wine, Ruan Xing found an inconspicuous corner and sat down.

At the table next to her and the one to her front-right, both groups were Xuanbing Sect disciples, but there were several Golden Core stage cultivators at the front-right table, and Ruan Xing did not want to attract their attention, so she sat a bit further away.

The few male cultivators at the table next to her had loud voices, but they were only chatting about some meaningless topics, discussing which Senior Sister or Junior Sister looked good, and whether there were any female disciples among the newly entered disciples, and whether they would be assigned under their own Peak Master.

"Low-brow taste," Ruan Xing commented, then took a small sip of wine while listening intently to the conversation at the table to her front right.

"After the Secret Realm was made public, did the Sect Master and the others give it a new name?"

"Mm, I heard from my Master that because the Secret Realm is full of water, lotus leaves, and duckweed, it was named the Lotus Pond Secret Realm."

"Full of water? Then the scale of the Secret Realm shouldn't be very large, right? Wasn't it said to be a Return to Ruins Land?"

"It is indeed not large. I have been to several Return to Ruins Land Secret Realms before, and even the smallest one encompassed over ten thousand miles of territory. This one is said to be less than two thousand miles; it is a giant lotus pond."

"My Master said the same, but I don't understand why exactly."

Ruan Xing, however, had an inkling; she guessed it was because Guangyou Xianjun was no longer in his prime when he died.

He did not die of old age, but first exhausted his Divine Soul power to bring Qingping Xianzi out of the Juelin Zhidi, then dispersed his entire Spiritual Power to bring Qingping Xianzi back to life.

Aside from his cultivation realm, almost nothing remained; no wonder the Secret Realm left behind after his Return to Void was small.

It was just that the Xuanbing Sect could not publicly state that this was the Return to Ruins Land of Guangyou Xianjun, so the cultivators below could only speculate.

"I heard news that the various Peak Masters have already gone in to clear the Secret Realm. Aside from the treasures the Peak Masters divided up, the rest were all placed in the Treasure Pavilion, and we will be able to exchange for them with Contribution Points."

"Isn't that great? My father still has many unused Contribution Points. When the time comes, I'll pester my father to help me exchange for a High-grade Magical Tool!"

"You have a good plan, regardless of whether your father agrees or not."

"Don't interrupt. After the Secret Realm is cleared, we can pick up the scraps. The Sect Master said there are twenty spots in the first batch."

"Only twenty? So few?"

"The core of the Secret Realm has already been mastered by the Sect. Whether this Secret Realm opens every few years is up to the Sect Master, isn't it? If it's twenty per year, that's still acceptable."

"Hehe, those who enter in the first batch will definitely have the advantage."

"That's for sure. Both your parents are Peak Masters, Brother Qi; there will definitely be a spot for you in this first batch."

"There actually is. I saw the list at my uncle's place yesterday. At the time, I was wondering what that list was for, but today, after hearing you all talk, I understand."

"Really? Hall Master Jia has already drafted the list? Tell us quickly who is on it."

"Actually, I didn't see the whole thing. I just saw the names of Brother Qi and Brother Cheng Shuo, Du Ruo from Xiaochi Peak, Zhou Miaoyu from Tianyan Peak, Xu Sirui from Artifact Refining Peak, and Liang Yue from the Inner Sect. I didn't look closely at the others."

"Why does it feel so messy? Liang Yue is already at the Golden Core Late Stage, while Xu Sirui is only at Foundation Establishment Perfection. Never mind that the cultivation levels aren't in the same realm, why are there Personal Disciples, Registered Disciples, and Inner Sect Disciples all mixed together?"

"There are only 20 spots anyway, and everyone is a fellow disciple. Even if we compete, we won't fight to the death, so there's no need to be too clear-cut about cultivation levels."

"Senior Sister Liang Yue is already nearly four hundred years old. The Sect Master probably feels it's a pity and gave her this spot to let her strive for it; perhaps in ten or twenty years, she could reach the Nascent Soul stage? As for Xu Sirui, it's because of compensation. After all, her father, Hall Master Xu, can be considered to have sacrificed himself for the Sect. The Xu Family was a fine family, but now the one with the highest cultivation is her, a Foundation Establishment Perfection who was raised on Luoqi Pill. I estimate that the few shops the Xu Family has selling Spirit Rice won't be able to be kept either."

"Hey, you forgot, Mu Shi recognized Hall Master Xu as his foster father; he can also be considered a member of the Xu Family. If he can rise up, the Xu Family still has a chance to make a comeback."

"Pfft, he didn't even change his surname. I can't stand them doing this sort of thing. I don't think Mu Shi will help the Xu Family."

Ruan Xing was listening with rapt attention when suddenly a hand slapped onto the table in front of her.

She came back to her senses and looked up, just in time to see a male cultivator at the next table striking a pose he thought was handsome, revealing a mouthful of white teeth as he smiled: "This fairy, you look a bit unfamiliar. Are you also a newly initiated disciple?"

Ruan Xing acted like a startled little rabbit, jumped in fright, and said timidly in a low voice: "Yes... I am a newly initiated disciple. Does the fellow Daoist have any business?"

"Why call me fellow Daoist? That's so distant. Just call me Senior Brother. I am also from the Xuanbing Sect. After you are initiated, Junior Sister, we can interact more. We are all warm-hearted and love taking care of new disciples the most. Which peak were you assigned to, Junior Sister?" The male cultivator ignored Ruan Xing's resistance and sat down on the other side of the table, beckoning the other fellow disciples from his original table to come over.

If it weren't for the fact that this was Xianyuan City and there were several Golden Core disciples nearby—and she might not be able to win if she had to fight without drawing her Sword—Ruan Xing would not have wanted to waste this Simulation attempt; otherwise, she would have long since collected these male cultivators into her Ten Thousand Soul Banner to keep her company.

Her expression was somewhat unpleasant as she said: "I was initiated today and do not yet know which peak I will be assigned to."

However, the greatest possibility was that she would only enter the Inner Sect and not be assigned to a peak, because she was already at the Foundation Establishment Early-stage. She had failed to enter when she was at her weakest—the period when one most easily develops a sense of belonging—and if she didn't experience great storms and waves later, she wouldn't be able to reach the core or become an elite after entering the Sect, unless some Peak Master appreciated her talent and was willing to take her in.

But Ruan Xing didn't care; she only wanted to gather information.

The male cultivator looked somewhat delighted upon hearing this: "That's great! Tell me your name, Junior Sister, and I will go beg my Master to take you in as a Registered Disciple. Let me tell you, our Zhengyang Peak Master is also a female cultivator..."

Thanks to Qingya Mo for the tip~ (End of chapter)