"Father."

"Principal."

Zi Yuan and Bing Ruolan saw Zi Hongyuan and Zhou Zhiyun.

Zi Yuan looked at Zi Hongyuan, biting her lip, and said, "Father, I was eliminated."

Zi Hongyuan had already heard some news from the Secret Realm. Upon hearing her words, he laughed and said, "It's alright. Challenging ten opponents of a higher level is inherently an unreasonable demand. The important thing is that you are both safe. Did you gain anything from this venture into the Secret Realm?"

Zi Yuan said, "This Secret Realm is incredibly mystical. Especially the final trial; it can help Martial Artists improve their cultivation. I have now reached the limit of the mid-stage Eighth Layer Hell Realm, and I should be able to break through in a few days. Besides that, I also obtained a first-rank sword."

Zi Hongyuan's eyes lit up. "It seems the journey was indeed worthwhile," he said with a smile. "How about you, Bing Ruolan?"

Bing Ruolan smiled and replied, "My cultivation is the same as Zi Yuan's; I'm also close to breaking into the late-stage Eighth Layer Hell Realm. Luo Feng and I also discovered a hidden chamber within the Secret Realm, where we found two Profound Level mid-grade martial arts Secret Manuals."

Bing Ruolan had already discussed the matter of the martial arts Secret Manuals with Luo Feng and they had decided not to conceal it. If not for Zi Hongyuan and the others, they would never have had the opportunity to enter the Secret Realm.

"Profound Level mid-grade martial arts Secret Manuals!"

Upon hearing this, not only Zi Hongyuan but also Zi Yuan and Zhou Zhiyun were startled.

Throughout the four great academies, Profound Level mid-grade martial arts manuals were few and far between, each one immensely precious.

Zi Hongyuan glanced around. Seeing that no one was paying attention to their group, he sighed in relief and lowered his voice, "It's too crowded here, and word can spread easily. Let's not mention the manuals for now. We'll discuss it when we return to the academy."

The appearance of Profound Level mid-grade martial arts Secret Manuals was no small matter. If word got out, it would likely incite the envy and greed of others.

"Have you seen Luo Feng or He Qin?" Zhou Zhiyun, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked.

Zi Hongyuan's expression also grew tense. Both were outstanding talents of the Flowing Cloud Region; losing either of them would be a tremendous loss.

Zi Yuan smiled. "Don't worry, they are both safe and sound. They haven't come out yet; they're probably still in the Secret Realm. It's very likely that Luo Feng will break through to the Ninth Layer Heavenly Court Realm today."

"Are you so sure?" Zi Hongyuan was somewhat surprised. Breaking through to the Ninth Layer Heavenly Court Realm was extremely difficult; even he himself couldn't predict when he might achieve such a breakthrough.

Zi Yuan nodded and whispered, "In the Secret Realm, Blood Closer Xue Ren tried to ambush Luo Feng, but Luo Feng killed him instead."

"He killed Blood Closer Xue Ren!"

Even though he was mentally prepared, Zi Hongyuan was still taken aback. Then, a smile spread across his face. He nodded and said, "It seems his skills have truly matured. He is indeed an extraordinary talent, the likes of which our Purple Sun School rarely encounters, not in the least inferior to the Lu Xiao Yun of three years ago!"

"Lu Xiao Yun didn't comprehend the Grand Momentum back then," Zhou Zhiyun said with a smile.

Compared to their cheerful laughter, the atmosphere in other areas was much heavier.

Nearly a hundred people had entered the Secret Realm this time, and fewer than thirty emerged alive. Every faction had suffered casualties.

「At Ivy School's location.」

Young Master Hanshan and another student from Ivy School had emerged from the Secret Realm and were reporting on the situation inside.

"What! Apart from you two, everyone else is dead? What about Qin Lin and Qin Huan? Qin Lin has Young Master-level strength; how could he have died so easily!"

Upon hearing Li Hanshan's words, Zhu Huo, the Principal of Ivy School, shot up from his seat in shock, his expression terrifyingly gloomy.

Of the ten individuals from Ivy School who had entered the Secret Realm this time, only two had returned safely—a truly devastating loss!

Li Hanshan said with a frown, "Principal, I'm afraid they've likely met a grim fate. We didn't see either of them in the plaza."

"How could this happen! Qin Huan is one thing, but Qin Lin is a half-step Ninth Layer Heavenly Court Realm Martial Artist! Even if he encountered a Ninth Layer Heavenly Court Realm Martial Artist, he could hold his own for a while. Who could have killed him!"

Zhu Huo's mind raced, and he ground his teeth, his sharp gaze suddenly sweeping towards Zi Yuan and the others.

Seeing Zi Yuan and Bing Ruolan safe and sound, Zhu Huo frowned. These two are still alive! Does this mean Qin Lin didn't attack them? Or... could they have killed Qin Lin?

Thinking of this, Zhu Huo roared, "Whoever dared to attack the people of our Ivy School, if I find out who did it, I'll tear them limb from limb!"

The surrounding crowd was rather bewildered by Zhu Huo's outburst.

Hearing his words, Zi Yuan and Bing Ruolan exchanged a glance. Only they could surmise the intent behind Zhu Huo's declaration; it was probably related to Luo Feng having killed Qin Lin and Qin Huan.

Zhou Zhiyun noticed the change in their expressions and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

After a moment of hesitation, Zi Yuan explained, "Qin Lin and Qin Huan tried to make a move on Bing Ruolan. Luo Feng found out and ended up killing them both. Zhu Huo's outburst just now is likely because they're dead."

"In the Secret Realm, life and death are determined by fate. Besides, those two harbored ill intentions towards you. Luo Feng did well to kill them!" Zi Hongyuan had long despised Zhu Huo. Seeing Ivy School suffer such heavy losses this time, he was inwardly quite pleased.

Zhou Zhiyun also nodded. "You don't need to dwell on this. Even if Zhu Huo does investigate, we won't just stand by and do nothing."

Zi Yuan and Bing Ruolan nodded.

「The trials in the Secret Realm were still ongoing.」

In a certain space, sword light transformed into flurries of snow, dancing throughout the sky, dreamlike and illusory.

Amidst the snowflakes, a graceful figure in white darted back and forth. Two seven-colored figures were nearby. Each time the three clashed, a torrent of snowflakes would be stirred up, unleashing a heaven-shaking aura.

The graceful figure was Heavenly Fragrant Woman He Qin. She and the Light and Shadow Warriors had been fighting for an incense stick's worth of time, during which she had already slain eight of the figures!

Half an incense stick's time later, He Qin dispatched the last translucent light figure with a single sword strike. She slowly exhaled, a hint of joy in her eyes as she murmured, "I've finally reached the peak of the Eighth Layer Hell Realm! This Secret Realm is truly incredible; it can actually help Martial Artists improve their cultivation."

HUM!

At this moment, the entire space rippled, and ten more figures materialized...

「Red Flame Desert.」

The giant light curtain fluctuated, and a white figure shot out from within, landing gracefully on the ground.

"He Qin! You've broken through to the peak of the Eighth Layer Hell Realm!"

Zi Yuan saw that the person emerging from the light curtain was He Qin and immediately rushed forward, a hint of envy in her eyes.

He Qin walked over to the group and nodded. "I passed the second round of trials. However, in the third round, I had to fight an opponent two levels above me. I was defeated in a single move."

After the second round of trials, He Qin had broken through to the peak of the Eighth Layer Hell Realm. The difficulty of the third round had increased again; she faced a Light and Shadow Warrior at the mid-stage Ninth Layer Heavenly Court Realm, whose strength was incredibly formidable. Its every move possessed terrifying power. Even though it was just one opponent, she was no match and was defeated in a single strike.

"Reaching the peak of the Eighth Layer Hell Realm is already quite impressive; you've surpassed most people," Zhou Zhiyun said with a smile.

He Qin looked around. Seeing that most of those who had emerged were already gathered in the plaza, she asked, "Who else hasn't come out yet?"

"Only Luo Feng, Zhou Jianyi of the Broken Wind Sword, and Young Master Haitang, Yue Haitang, from Changxin Academy are left. I wonder if Luo Feng can break through to the Ninth Layer Heavenly Court Realm..." Zi Hongyuan said expectantly. Luo Feng lasting this long had already far exceeded his expectations.

He Qin stated with conviction, "He definitely can."

「In the Secret Realm.」

Yue Haitang passed the second round of trials. Her Yuan Qi surged powerfully, and her cultivation smoothly progressed into the Ninth Layer Heavenly Court Realm.

Following that came the third round of trials.

The eerie space twisted, and a figure sprang forth.

"There's only one this time..."

Yue Haitang was slightly taken aback. Then, noticing the aura of the Light and Shadow Warrior, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Late-stage Ninth Layer Heavenly Court Realm, I see."

She was only at the initial stage of the Ninth Layer Heavenly Court Realm, and this Light and Shadow Warrior's cultivation was a full two sub-levels above hers.

It had to be understood that the higher the realm, the greater the difficulty of challenging across levels. Upon stepping into the Ninth Layer Heavenly Court Realm, an initial-stage martial artist would find it extremely difficult to challenge a mid-stage martial artist, let alone directly challenge someone two sub-levels higher.

Compared to a late-stage Ninth Layer Heavenly Court Realm warrior, she would rather face ten mid-stage Ninth Layer Heavenly Court Realm warriors.

"I can only give it a try."

Yue Haitang took a shallow breath and struck towards the Light and Shadow Warrior with her sword.

The sword light lanced out, yet devoid of any chilling aura. Instead, a warmth reminiscent of a spring day enveloped the surroundings, its verdant light radiating forward as if spring were returning to the land. However, the sharp whistle of the sword light cleaving the air was a stark reminder not to underestimate the power of this strike.

SWISH!

When the sword light came within a foot, the Light and Shadow Warrior suddenly moved to defend itself.

Soundlessly, a sword of light appeared in the warrior's hand. The light from its sword flashed so quickly it was almost invisible. A crisp sound followed as Yue Haitang's sword light was utterly shattered.

After shattering her sword light, the Light and Shadow Warrior, without any hesitation, executed a simple sword strike towards her through the air.

To Yue Haitang, this simple strike seemed more formidable than any martial arts technique she had ever witnessed. She promptly dodged, but the force of the wind from the passing sword strike still stung her cheeks.

The second sword strike followed, swift as lightning. Yue Haitang could only continue to evade.

The third strike.

The fourth strike.

The fifth strike.

...

By the eighth strike, Yue Haitang's steps had slowed. She was struck by the sword light and transported out of the Secret Realm.

Thus, the only ones remaining in the Secret Realm were Luo Feng and Zhou Jianyi.

"Young Master Haitang is out!"

In the Red Flame Desert, those waiting were astonished to see Yue Haitang emerge.

Everyone had thought Luo Feng would be the next to appear. They didn't expect that Young Master Haitang, the First Young Master, would emerge before him.

Yue Haitang appeared calm as she returned towards Changxin Academy's group.

"Even Young Master Haitang is out, and that Luo Feng still hasn't appeared! Could he be even more exceptional than Young Master Haitang, the First Young Master?"

"I also find it hard to believe. Frankly, I hadn't even heard of this Luo Feng until today."

"Now only Luo Feng and Zhou Jianyi remain in the Secret Realm. I wonder how they're faring..."

Seeing Yue Haitang's appearance, the others immediately began to discuss the situation.

Hearing the discussions around him, Zhu Huo's face turned livid, his aura exceptionally cold. Changxin Academy had Young Master Haitang, and the Flowing Cloud Region had that monster Luo Feng, but their Ivy School had achieved nothing noteworthy!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.