Beneath the Surface

The atmosphere within the Heaven Sundering Sect remained heavy, even as the initial wave of shock had begun to settle. News of the massacres near the Secret Realm's entrance still circulated in hushed tones, and tension threaded through every courtyard, training ground, and great hall. But it wasn't fear that permeated the sect—it was anticipation.

Jiang Chen sat cross-legged beneath a shadowed pavilion overlooking the northern cliff. The clouds drifted lazily below him, hiding the land far beneath. Bai Muchen leaned against a stone pillar nearby, arms crossed, while Xiao Dong lay sprawled on a flat boulder, staring up at the sky.

No one spoke for a long time.

It was Xiao Dong who broke the silence. "You ever think about how opportunity and death are always standing next to each other in our world?"

Jiang Chen opened his eyes slowly. "It's always been that way. The greatest opportunities are born in chaos. The bigger the risk, the greater the gain."

Bai Muchen let out a low snort. "And this realm… it's going to be the biggest gamble yet."

They all knew it. The Secret Realm was no longer just a place for disciples to fight over cultivation treasures and ancient techniques. It had become something else entirely—something unpredictable. Something that had already claimed lives before it had even opened.

Xiao Dong sat up, serious now. "We don't know what's inside anymore. Whatever was originally planned, whatever maps or rumors we had, they're worthless now. This realm could collapse. Or it could hold something unimaginable."

Jiang Chen nodded. "And that's what makes it worth entering. When the path becomes unclear, those who walk forward anyway carve their own."

Bai Muchen pushed off the pillar and walked toward the edge. "You're not wrong. There's something about this… Something bigger at work. Maybe something buried. Maybe something waking up."

They were all thinking it, even if no one wanted to voice it aloud.

The Secret Realm had changed.

Not just in structure, not just in threat level—but in nature.

Opportunities born from crisis were the most powerful kind. Every Grand Sect knew it. Every genius cultivator would be chasing it. And every one of them understood that this was no longer a test of talent—it was survival.

Jiang Chen rose to his feet, his golden-amber eyes steady. "We prepare. We train. We sharpen our instincts and stay ready for anything. Because whatever's coming next, it won't follow the old rules."

Xiao Dong grinned. "Good. I'm tired of the old rules."

Bai Muchen nodded. "Then let's break them."

They turned away from the cliff, walking back toward the heart of the Heaven Sundering Sect. They had one month.

And then everything would change.