Before the grand entrance of Qingxu Temple, the vast square once again gathered hundreds of energetic young disciples after nearly a year. Compared to the last trial expedition to the "Cloud Mist Secret Realm," this gathering was larger in scale, and the atmosphere was more solemn and tense. It was not merely due to the inherent risks of the secret realm itself, but also because of the rumors circulating within and outside the sect over the past year about the increasing activities of demonic cultivators and the tense situation, casting an unusual hue over this originally ordinary training expedition.
Tang Xiaoqi stood among the crowd, wearing the same azure cloud-patterned Daoist robe as the other inner and core disciples, his aura restrained, his gaze calm. After nearly a year of near-secluded cultivation, his cultivation had stabilized at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, with the foundation of the "Long Spring Art" solidified to an unprecedented degree. His overall temperament had shed much of its youthful naivety, gaining a touch more steadiness.
He slightly clenched his fist, sensing the surging spiritual power within his body, and the wok in his storage bag that had been "heart-forged" to an increasingly intimate connection. This expedition to the secret realm was no longer just a simple trial for him; it was the beginning of testing his cultivation achievements and proactively embracing challenges. He needed to grow faster in this secret realm where danger and opportunity coexisted.
On the high platform, Sect Master Xuan Xuan Zhenren and several elders stood solemnly. The sect master's gaze swept over the disciples below, pausing slightly on Tang Xiaoqi, carrying a trace of imperceptible expectation and gravity.
"The Cloud Mist Secret Realm is a fragment left from ancient times, containing opportunities as well as hidden perils," the sect master's voice clearly reached every disciple's ears. "This opening coincides with turbulent times. After you enter, remember three points: First, among fellow disciples, watch over and assist each other, overcoming difficulties together. Second, while opportunities are good, life is paramount; do not be greedy for achievements or advance rashly. Third, if you encounter demonic cultivators or dangers beyond your ability to resist, prioritize preserving yourself, withdraw promptly, or send out a distress signal."
His words were more severe than any pre-expedition admonition before, making the disciples' hearts tighten even more.
"The time has come, activate the grand teleportation array!"
Following the sect master's command, several elders simultaneously acted, pouring vast spiritual power into the enormous teleportation array already carved at the square's center. The array patterns lit up one by one, emitting dazzling white light, space began to distort, emitting a low hum.
"Enter the array!"
The Golden Core elder leading the team stepped into the light portal first, his figure instantly swallowed by the white light. Immediately after, the disciples entered in groups of ten according to pre-arranged order, stepping quickly into the rotating light portal.
Xiaoqi's team had the senior brother present, still the team's anchor. The third senior sister was also there; she glanced back at Xiaoqi, her eyes carrying a warning of "You better be careful," then turned and entered the light portal. Xiaoqi took a deep breath and followed closely.
The moment he stepped into the light portal, a powerful tearing force surged from all directions, as if trying to pull his body and soul into fragments. Around him were bizarre, rapidly flowing colored lines, completely losing all sense of direction, with only the heart-palpitating weightlessness and dizziness.
This was the feeling of long-distance random teleportation!
Xiaoqi tightly guarded his mind, operating the "Long Spring Art," its peaceful and resilient spiritual power protecting his entire body, struggling against the discomfort brought by spatial teleportation. He could feel the jade pendant on his chest transmitting a steady warmth, seemingly helping stabilize his mind and soothe the effects of spatial fluctuations.
He didn't know how long it lasted—perhaps just an instant, or perhaps an extremely long time.
Suddenly, that tearing force abruptly disappeared, his feet touched solid ground, and intense dizziness made him stumble, nearly falling to the ground. He quickly stabilized himself, circulating spiritual power several cycles within to forcibly suppress that discomfort.
He swiftly raised his head, warily surveying his surroundings.
What met his eyes was not the expected scene of reuniting with fellow disciples, but a completely unfamiliar world.
He was currently in an extremely lush, spirit-mist-shrouded ancient forest. Towering ancient trees, their trunks so thick several people couldn't embrace them, their canopies blotting out the sky, only scattered speckled light filtered through layers of dense foliage, casting fragmented light spots on the thick humus layer accumulated on the ground. The air was filled with rich fragrance of vegetation and the earthy scent of soil, the concentration of spiritual energy far exceeded Qingxu Temple, almost condensing into a faint mist, every breath feeling refreshing and uplifting.
The surroundings were silent, only occasional faint chirps of unknown insects, making this ancient forest seem deep and tranquil, yet also concealing unknown dangers.
Random teleportation! He had indeed been teleported alone to an unknown location.
Xiaoqi immediately restrained all his aura, pushing the concealing effect of the "Long Spring Art" to the extreme, while carefully extending his spiritual sense outward like intangible tentacles, perceiving any movement within a twenty-zhang radius.
He didn't sense any fellow disciples' auras, nor detect obvious demon beasts or dangers. This area seemed temporarily safe.
He slightly relaxed, but his vigilance didn't diminish in the slightest. Within the secret realm, the most dangerous often weren't the known demon beasts, but the unknown environment and... human hearts.
He carefully observed the surroundings. There were many types of ancient trees, many he couldn't name, vines entangled, ferns clustering, presenting a primitive appearance. He tried identifying directions, but the vegetation here was too dense, sight obstructed, and coupled with possibly different secret realm rules from the outside world, ordinary orientation methods likely had limited effect.
"The immediate priority is determining my location, finding fellow disciples to regroup, or... first exploring, seeking opportunities," Xiaoqi quickly calculated in his heart. According to the simple map issued by the sect, the Cloud Mist Secret Realm roughly divided into outer, middle, and core regions, with spiritual energy concentration and danger levels increasing successively. Judging by the spiritual energy concentration here, it should still be in the outer region, but exactly which direction was hard to determine.
He didn't act rashly, instead first finding a relatively hidden corner surrounded by massive tree roots, sitting cross-legged, again carefully checking his own condition. Spiritual power was abundant, spiritual sense clear, the elixirs, talismans, and that wok in his storage bag were all safe and sound.
He took out that black wok, holding it in his hand. After entering the secret realm, he seemed to feel that this wok had a faint, extremely weak resonance with the rich wood-attribute spiritual energy here? Was it because he had long tempered it with the "Long Spring Art," making the wok also carry similar vitality attributes?
This discovery stirred his heart slightly, but now wasn't the time to delve deeper.
Putting the wok back into his storage bag, Xiaoqi stood up, his gaze sharply scanning the deep forest. He had to act quickly. Alone in the perilous secret realm, staying in one place too long was definitely unwise.
He selected a direction that felt slightly richer in spiritual energy, applied the Light Body Technique to himself, and like a spirit cat, silently tread on the thick decaying leaves, stealthily advancing deeper into the ancient forest.
His figure was soon swallowed by dense vegetation, leaving only the rustling of wind through treetops, and that spiritual mist permeating the air, as if eternal and unchanging.
The other side of the teleportation array was an unknown journey, a dangerous challenge, and also... the true beginning of a secret realm adventure belonging solely to him, Tang Xiaoqi.