36: Secret Realm Open

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these three days, competitions in other cultivation skills, such as Alchemy, Talismans, and Formations, were also held.

Many young Cultivators were selected to participate in the Legacy Secret Realm.

The final day of the Cultivator Exchange Conference was also the day the Legacy Secret Realm would open.

The atmosphere throughout the entire capital of the Xuanwu Kingdom was pushed to its peak.

At noon on this day, all the young talents who had passed the trials and obtained the qualifications to enter the Secret Realm gathered before the magnificent main gate of the imperial palace, filled with excitement and anticipation.

Under the guidance of the royal guards, the qualified individuals had their identities verified before being led into the palace.

Gathered around them were several times as many other Cultivators.

Most of these people were just here to join the fun and witness the rare spectacle of the Secret Realm, and the Xuanwu Kingdom did not stop them.

As for Lu Yi and his group, they had long been waiting in a Side Hall within the palace as "special guests."

Aside from those who had obtained qualifications through fierce competition, the only others permitted to enter this Secret Realm were Lu Yi, Shen Yueyao, and the Xuanwu Kingdom's Crown Prince Wu Mingxi and Princess Wu Mingyue.

As members of the royal Bloodline, this pair of siblings possessed rare and excellent cultivation talent.

Naturally, they were also permitted to enter this Old Ancestor's Legacy Secret Realm to seek Opportunity.

However, Wu Mingyue clearly had no interest in this trip to the Secret Realm.

She did not believe that with her meager cultivation, she had the ability to obtain the Legacy of that Old Ancestor in the Divine Soul Realm.

The only reason she came was to spend a little more time with Lu Yi.

After all, once this Secret Realm trip ended, Lu Yi and his group would be returning to the distant Primordial Holy Land.

At that point, they would be worlds apart, and she might never have the chance to see him again in her lifetime.

As she thought this, a bold plan was quietly brewing in her heart.

She still remembered that Lu Yi owed her a request that he had yet to fulfill.

Once they came out of the Secret Realm, she would have to think about how to make good use of this request.

Wu Mingxi, however, was clearly different from his sister.

He showed unusual enthusiasm and anticipation for this journey to the Secret Realm.

Even Wu Mingyue whispered to Lu Yi, complaining that she didn't know what her brother had been busy with for the past three days.

He had been acting mysterious all day, presumably making full preparations for this trip to the Secret Realm.

After hearing Wu Mingyue's complaint, Lu Yi glanced at Wu Mingxi, who was not far away and had a hint of impatience in his eyes.

He keenly sensed that the Crown Prince's enthusiasm for the Secret Realm seemed somewhat unusual.

This trip to the Secret Realm was likely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

Once all those who had obtained qualifications had arrived, State Lord Wu Changfeng, surrounded by a group of guards, slowly approached the crowd.

He ordered his attendants to distribute a map drawn on brocade to everyone present.

"Everyone!"

State Lord Wu Changfeng's voice was steady and resonant, echoing throughout the entire plaza.

"This is the route map of the Secret Realm, carefully drawn by our royal ancestors after exploring it several times."

"On the map, those red dots of varying sizes represent an Opportunity."

"The larger the dot, the richer the Opportunity, but likewise, the greater the danger surrounding it."

Subsequently, he began to solemnly warn the crowd:

"This trip to the Secret Realm is fraught with danger; not only are there trials set by the Old Ancestor back then, but there are also many unknown perils."

"If anyone wishes to give up voluntarily, you may withdraw now!"

"Once you enter the Secret Realm, unless you wait until the seven days are up and the Secret Realm ends, at which point you will be forcibly sent out, there is no other way to leave."

"I hope everyone has made sufficient mental preparations; do not lose your life for the sake of greed for Opportunity!"

However, upon hearing his "kind" warning, the young Cultivators in the field did not show a single sign of backing down; instead, they became even more eager to try.

A glimmer of excitement flashed in their eyes.

The path of cultivation is, by nature, a Heaven-Defying act.

To fight with Heaven, to battle with Earth, and to contend with people.

Places filled with such crises often harbor even richer Opportunities.

Everyone present understood the principle that wealth is sought amidst danger.

Seeing that no one chose to withdraw, a satisfied smile appeared on State Lord Wu Changfeng's face.

He said no more, and slowly took out a heavy jade seal from his Storage Ring, which was golden all over and carved with the Divine Beast Xuanwu.

This jade seal was the Xuanwu Kingdom's town-state Magic Treasure, a supreme treasure of the half-step Holy-tier, the "Xuanwu Seal."

However, no one outside knew its specific function.

State Lord Wu Changfeng held the jade seal in his palm, then pricked his finger and dripped a drop of his blood onto it.

The bright red blood was instantly absorbed by the jade seal, and the entire seal began to emit a brilliant golden light.

After brewing for a moment, an incomparably thick golden beam of light suddenly shot out from the jade seal.

It struck directly onto the tightly closed imperial palace gate ahead.

"Buzz—"

Accompanied by a strange humming sound, the space in front of the imperial palace gate began to distort violently.

Eventually, it formed a deep, bottomless, and slowly rotating spatial passage.

"The entrance to the Secret Realm is open!"

State Lord Wu Changfeng's complexion seemed to turn somewhat pale from activating the jade seal.

He urged the crowd in a voice that sounded slightly strained:

"Enter quickly! This passage will not last long!"

As his voice fell, Wu Yang, Lin Tian, and the other qualified Cultivators, who had long been unable to restrain themselves, turned into streaks of light one after another and scrambled to fly into the spatial passage.

Subsequently, Lu Yi, Shen Yueyao, and the siblings Wu Mingxi and Wu Mingyue also entered the passage one after another.

Watching as everyone entered the passage, the corner of State Lord Wu Changfeng's mouth suddenly curled into a cold, triumphant smile.

The next moment, he actually flew up himself and rushed into the Secret Realm that was about to close without the slightest hesitation!

Accompanied by his entry, the light of the jade seal, which had lost control, also dimmed.

The spatial passage closed rapidly and disappeared without a trace.

Only the Xuanwu Seal remained, silently suspended in mid-air.

Subsequently, amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd.

The jade seal seemed to possess life, turning into a golden light that flew directly into the depths of the imperial city and disappeared.

Everything that happened in the plaza was too fast and too sudden.

The surrounding Cultivators who had come to join the fun hadn't even reacted to what was going on.

After the jade seal disappeared, the scene was silent for a few seconds, and then suddenly erupted into a deafening uproar.

"What's going on?! Why did the State Lord go in too?!"

"Isn't the Secret Realm only allowed for the younger generation to enter?"

"Could it be that the State Lord was sucked in because he couldn't resist the suction of the Secret Realm passage?"

...

The crowd of Cultivators expressed various opinions.

Everyone was frantically discussing the bizarre scene that had just occurred.

A huge question mark rose in everyone's hearts.