The sky above the Inner Clan trembled.
A massive vortex of light formed in the heavens, twisting like a tear in reality itself. Spiritual energy in the surrounding region surged wildly, pulling in every direction as though something ancient was being awakened.
The **Celestial Spirit Realm gate** had opened.
Elders hovered in the sky, their expressions serious. Below them, hundreds of young elites from different sects and clans stood in formation.
Jiang Chen stood among them.
His expression was calm—but his senses were sharp.
This was not just an opportunity.
It was a battlefield disguised as fortune.
Beside him, Zhou Yan exhaled slowly. "Finally."
Han Wei cracked his neck. "About time. I was getting bored."
Chen Yu grinned. "Hope there's something worth stealing inside."
Lin Xue said nothing, but her frost aura subtly stabilized the space around them, reacting instinctively to the pressure of the opening realm.
Then
A new group entered.
Mu Qinglan appeared at the front of the Mu Clan delegation.
The moment she stepped forward, the surrounding air seemed to quiet.
Not because of force.
But presence.
Jiang Chen's gaze shifted slightly toward her.
She was still the same as before calm, composed, almost detached from everything around her. Yet today, there was something different.
A faint spiritual pressure leaked from her body for a brief moment.
Instantly, several elders in the sky narrowed their eyes.
One of them murmured, "Spirit Core Realm (Peak)… no, slightly unstable."
Another responded coldly, "No. That's wrong. She is already touching Origin Fusion threshold."
The weaker disciples nearby could not hear those words clearly.
To them, she was simply overwhelming.
Beautiful. Untouchable.
Dangerous.
Mu Qinglan's eyes moved across the crowd.
Then they landed on Jiang Chen.
For a brief moment
She paused.
Jiang Chen felt it too.
Not pressure.
Not hostility.
But recognition.
As if she was confirming something only she could see.
Then she looked away.
"…Interesting," she murmured softly.
Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.
*She can sense more than she shows.*
---
A loud bell echoed across the sky.
BOOM
The realm gate stabilized.
Elder Zhao's voice rang out.
"You can enter the Celestial Spirit Realm. Remember—fortune belongs to the strong. Survival belongs to the prepared."
A ripple of space energy swept through the crowd.
And then
They were pulled in.
---
Jiang Chen's vision blurred.
His body felt weightless for a moment, as if being stretched across space itself. The sensation lasted only seconds before his feet touched solid ground again.
He landed in a vast ancient forest.
The air here was different.
Heavier.
Denser.
Alive.
Behind him, Zhou Yan, Lin Xue, Han Wei, and Chen Yu appeared one after another, regrouping quickly.
Chen Yu looked around. "So this is the realm…"
Han Wei laughed. "Feels dangerous. I like it."
Lin Xue immediately expanded her frost sense slightly. "There are multiple energy signatures nearby."
Jiang Chen closed his eyes briefly.
Then opened them.
"…We are not alone."
---
Elsewhere in the forest, other factions landed separately.
A group of sword cultivators appeared on a mountain ridge.
The leader stepped forward, releasing his aura slightly.
Instantly, the surrounding disciples felt pressure.
A few weaker ones staggered.
An elder observing from a distance nodded faintly.
"Spirit Core Realm (Mid)… stable foundation. Good."
The sword cultivator didn't react.
He simply looked forward.
"Hunt begins."
---
Back in Jiang Chen's group, Han Wei clenched his fists. "So what now?"
Zhou Yan analyzed quickly. "We don't move blindly. This realm is layered. First wave is scouting."
Chen Yu smirked. "Or we rush in and take everything first."
Lin Xue frowned slightly. "That's reckless."
Jiang Chen raised a hand slightly.
"Wait."
Everyone turned to him.
He looked into the distance.
Something was wrong.
Not visible.
Not obvious.
But felt.
The Origin Thread inside his body reacted faintly.
Not violently.
But alert.
"…There are zones in this realm," Jiang Chen said slowly.
Zhou Yan narrowed his eyes. "You can sense that already?"
Jiang Chen didn't answer directly.
Instead, he released a faint trace of his aura.
Just a fraction.
Enough for perception.
In that moment
A subtle pressure expanded outward.
The surrounding air changed slightly.
Lin Xue's eyes narrowed. "…Spirit Gathering Realm (Peak)… no, slightly unstable toward Core Formation."
Han Wei blinked. "That's fast."
Jiang Chen retracted his aura immediately.
"…Someone is controlling the environment here," he said.
Chen Yu frowned. "What do you mean controlling?"
Jiang Chen looked ahead.
"…The space itself is structured."
Zhou Yan's expression became serious.
"That means this realm is not just an inheritance field…"
"…It's a trial system," Jiang Chen finished.
Silence followed.
---
At that moment
A figure hidden in the distance observed them.
A young cultivator from another faction.
He narrowed his eyes.
"…Spirit Gathering Realm (Peak)… three of them."
"…Core Formation Realm (Early)… one."
His gaze paused on Jiang Chen.
"…Strange. I can't read him properly."
He frowned.
"…Is he hiding his cultivation?"
He activated a concealment detection technique.
Nothing changed.
Jiang Chen remained unreadable.
The observer clicked his tongue.
"…Annoying."
Then he vanished into the forest.
---
Back with Jiang Chen's group, Lin Xue spoke quietly.
"We should move. Staying here attracts attention."
Jiang Chen nodded slightly.
But before they could leave
A faint tremor passed through the ground.
Then another.
Chen Yu stiffened. "Something's coming."
Han Wei grinned. "Finally."
Zhou Yan raised his hand slightly. "Formation ready."
Jiang Chen stepped forward slightly.
His eyes sharpened.
"…Not weak."
A beast-like aura surged from the forest ahead.
And the first wave of the secret realm
had begun.
---
Far above the realm, outside reality itself, the elders watched faintly.
One spoke slowly.
"This generation… is stronger than expected."
Another replied, "The real competition hasn't begun yet."
A third voice added quietly:
"…Especially that one."
---
Inside the realm, Jiang Chen stood still.
The Origin Thread stirred faintly within him.
Not fully awakened.
But responding.
---
And somewhere deep inside him
a realization formed.
This realm…
was not just a test.
It was something that watched back.