Chapter 76 - 51: The Secret Realm Opens

The further the Heaven and Earth Melting Furnace progressed, the harder it was to advance.

Previously, a Jade Pendant worth one hundred top-grade spirit stones, plus a few items I’d picked up from the workshop, had gotten the progress to over forty percent.

This time, the value of the materials was significantly higher, but the Melting Furnace’s progress bar was actually filling more slowly.

Two thousand top-grade spirit stones’ worth of materials!

The Heaven and Earth Melting Furnace devoured them one by one.

Li Shuang felt no regret. No matter how many more materials it took, she had to open the Melting Furnace.

Fifty percent.

Sixty percent.

Seventy percent.

The Melting Furnace’s progress crept upward.

Under Li Shuang’s expectant gaze, the progress reached ninety percent.

She had one final item in her hand: a White Jade Hairpin imbued with Spiritual Power.

Li Shuang took a deep breath and tossed the final hairpin in.

The hairpin went in.

The Heaven and Earth Melting Furnace’s rotation sped up slightly.

Then, it finally stopped at ninety-five percent!

Five percent short!

In this final ten percent, the progress bar’s growth had become significantly more difficult.

But Li Shuang remained calm.

She was about to enter the Langya Secret Realm, and completing the remaining five percent there wouldn’t be difficult.

Li Shuang recalled entering the Langya Secret Realm twice. The first time was shortly after she joined the Sword Sect, just after she had achieved Foundation Establishment. The second time was ten years ago, before Ye Zhaozhao had even joined the sect.

Certain things were the same both times she entered the Langya Secret Realm.

Before entering the Secret Realm, every disciple was assigned a Token.

The Secret Realm had three zones: the outer zone, the inner zone, and the core zone.

The outer zone was the most developed and also the safest. While operating there, all disciples had to carry their Token at all times. The Token would record their activities, and any spoils from this zone had to be split evenly with the sect.

If one went deeper into the inner zone, or even the core zone, the Token would lose its recording function.

For spoils from these two zones, disciples could choose to exchange them for Sect Contribution Points or keep them for themselves; it wasn’t mandatory.

The spoils from the Langya Secret Realm reflected on the sect’s prestige, so the sect was actually quite generous with Contribution Points.

The last time she went, Li Shuang had kept almost nothing for herself. She had found a way to give most of her spoils to Chang Le’an, and the rest she exchanged for Sect Contribution Points.

From her very first trip into the Langya Secret Realm, Li Shuang had always ventured into the inner zone and even the core zone.

This time would be no different.

With her Foundation Establishment imminent, she had to find a good Foundation Establishment Object.

An image of a swaying lotus flower appeared in Li Shuang’s mind.

She was determined to see that Ice Lotus once more.

The first time she entered the Langya Secret Realm, she had already achieved Foundation Establishment. But after bringing out the Ice Lotus Seeds, she had dispersed her Foundation Establishment Stage Power and used the seeds to rebuild her foundation from scratch.

Fortunately, she hadn’t been in the Foundation Establishment Stage for long. After rebuilding her foundation, she quickly recovered her Cultivation. With the Lotus Seed’s help, her cultivation speed was even faster than before.

Without this Foundation Establishment Object, Li Shuang might not have reached Core Formation, let alone Nascent Soul Formation, so quickly.

This just went to show what a huge advantage a suitable Foundation Establishment Treasure could provide a Cultivator.

For her upcoming Foundation Establishment, Li Shuang had no better options at the moment, so she planned to seek out the Ice Lotus Seeds again.

With the Langya Secret Realm about to open, the Sword Sect disciples who had secured a spot were all busy preparing for entry.

Lin Qingling also called Li Shuang and Liu Juncheng over for a concentrated, last-minute briefing.

「Seven days passed in a flash.」

The day the Langya Secret Realm opened had finally arrived.

Fifty disciples gathered before the Sect Leader’s Hall.

This time, Lingxu Peak was sending two True Disciples, Ye Zhaozhao and Chang Le’an, as well as two official disciples who had also made the list.

The four of them now stood together, and their gazes toward Li Shuang were tinged with hostility.

Li Shuang stared straight ahead, pretending she didn’t feel a thing.

Meng Yifei glanced over the fifty disciples.

’Among these disciples, future Deacon Peak Masters and even Sect Leaders will emerge.’

’They are the future of the Sword Sect.’

Meng Yifei spoke slowly. "Many of you are not entering the Secret Realm for the first time. Remember, as wonderful as the treasures within are, your lives are more important. I would approve if you chose to remain in the outer zone for the entire duration. But should you wish to venture into the inner zone, or even risk the core zone, you must understand that no matter how great the treasure, you have to be alive to bring it out!"

"Since the Langya Secret Realm first opened, every time, some of our Elite Disciples have been buried there forever. Most die in a way that leaves not even bones behind. Fifty of you are going in. I hope that fifty of you will return."

As Meng Yifei spoke, a chill ran through the disciples, and they all nodded in acknowledgment.

The outer zone was mostly picked clean. Unless they struck it rich with dumb luck like Chang Le’an did last time, continuously stumbling upon undiscovered treasures, they could only expect conventional gains at best.

To get greater rewards, to ascend to the heavens in a single leap, they had to venture into the inner and core zones.

Danger and opportunity coexisted; the choice was up to each individual.

"Senior Sister Li, others might choose to stay in the outer zone, but with your abilities, you’ll surely be venturing into the inner zone, won’t you?" Ye Zhaozhao said suddenly.

A glint appeared in Ye Zhaozhao’s eyes.

’In the outer zone, a disciple’s every move is monitored. Even if I had the ability, I couldn’t make a move against Li Shuang there.’

’But once we’re in the inner zone, it’s a different story.’

’If Li Shuang dies, she dies. No one will be able to trace it back to me.’

’Didn’t the Sect Leader just say it?’

’Every time the Langya Secret Realm opens, Elite Disciples die inside.’

’And most of them vanish without a trace.’

’For someone like Li Shuang to die would be perfectly normal!’

Li Shuang gave Ye Zhaozhao a cool glance. "You needn’t worry yourself about it, Junior Sister Ye."

’Of course I’m going to the inner zone,’ she thought, ’but there’s no need to tell Ye Zhaozhao that.’

Ye Zhaozhao’s expression flickered, but she said no more.

’Asking too many questions would be too obvious.’

’I refuse to believe that someone with Li Shuang’s personality could stand to stay in the outer zone the whole time.’

"The Teleportation Array is about to activate," Meng Yifei announced. "Steward Lin, distribute the Tokens. In addition to recording and teleportation functions, these Tokens also contain a map of the charted outer zone. But the Langya Secret Realm is mysterious. This map is only a reference. The landscape there can change in ways that are beyond mortal comprehension." As Meng Yifei spoke, a steward began handing out the Tokens.

"The outer zone is relatively safe, but not completely. Accidents can still happen. If you encounter danger in the outer zone, you can use the Token to return to the sect instantly," Meng Yifei stressed. "But if you leave the outer zone, the Token will no longer work."

All the disciples carefully stored their Tokens away.

At a critical moment, this Token might be their only hope of survival.

Just as everyone finished stowing their Tokens, a Teleportation Array in the square began to glow with a brilliant white light.

The time had come!

The Langya Secret Realm was open!