Chapter 14: "Secret Realm Confrontation, Sect’s Hidden Undercurrents"

On the eastern region of Qingxiao Sect's Biluo Peak, a white jade stairway winds up the mountainside, leading to a secluded valley sealed off until just before the Outer Sect competition begins.

This is the entrance to the Crimson Flame Secret Realm, said to house an ancient array so complex even Inner Sect disciples struggle to solve it. Only Outer Sect disciples brave enough to survive within can earn promotion.

Lin Ce stood at the end of a group of one hundred.

He wore a bamboo hat and gray robe, his aura suppressed to imperceptible levels, making it impossible to link him with his earlier triumphs in the Red Shade Secret Realm.

"That's Lin Ce? The new Outer Sect disciple?"

"Is that the one who supposedly killed the Chishe Trio?"

"I heard it's just rumors—the trio was arrogant and offended the Inner Sect, so they got knocked out."

Whispers floated around, but Lin Ce ignored them, his gaze fixed on the white-bearded elder managing the Realm.

"The Crimson Flame Secret Realm opens every three days. Today, 132 enter. No outside help. Survival depends on your fate." He paused. "Those ready, step forward—those who wish to withdraw, now is the time."

No one stepped back.

The elder nodded and waved his sleeves. Runes of spiritual light converged and a crimson gateway formed.

Lin Ce drew in a steady breath and entered.

—The moment the realm opens, death lingers.

Inside the Secret Realm

No sooner had Lin Ce's foot touched ground than the earth trembled—he'd fallen through a teleportation gate.

"Teleportation array?" he thought.

He looked around and found himself in a ruined cityscape. Grey dust covered the ground, remnants of battle and fractured formations scattered everywhere.

At that moment, his system interface appeared:

[Mission Triggered: Secret Realm Hunt]

[Objective: Hunt 3 designated enemies, retrieve their spirit cores]

[Reward: 1 System Chest; random battle skill enhancement]

Lin Ce raised an eyebrow.

"Finally, the system triggered a mission."

He took a moment to sense his surroundings, locking onto spiritual signatures not far off.

"One Qi-condensation stage 8… plus two hidden presences—likely observers."

He crouched near a broken stone platform, sketching runes on its surface. Then he rubbed corrosive spirit powder along his sleeve to mask his aura.

He didn't plan a head-on clash—he would set the stage.

Three Hours Later

"Slash!"

A blade of light flashed, and Lin Ce rolled aside. Among his enemies, the leader—a man in azure robes—sneered:

"Lin Ce, playing innocent? You were quick to flee as a menial! Let's see you do it now!"

Lin Ce rose calmly.

"I'm disappointed," he replied. "You've followed me from the ruin to this ghost valley—all so tiresome."

"Heh, I see that banner behind you—Shen Changsheng's inheritance, isn't it?" the azure-robed man spat.

"The inheritance belongs to Shen Changsheng. I merely borrow from it." Lin Ce smiled and tightened the grip on his hidden weapon.

The tension broke—hostilities erupted like tidal waves.

Lin Ce stepped back, tapping the ground.

"Boom!"

The runes he drew ignited, surging with crimson flame and splitting the battlefield.

He slipped through a side passage.

The azure-robed man roared:

"Don't let him get away!"

They chased him into the corridor—but did not notice the micro-mechanisms embedded in the stone walls.

"Click—"

The floor collapsed beneath them, shooting out poison-tipped spikes, runic resonance flooding the gap.

"Ah!"

One man screamed as he fell, his face contorting. Another knelt to seal his meridians. The leader charged onward.

"Lin Ce, you vile rat!" he snarled.

Lin Ce's voice echoed coldly:

"In the cultivation world, where are the righteous?"

"You came at me three against one, calling me the rat?"

"If you were righteous, I might have spared you."

The leader gritted his teeth:

"Enough talk!"

They clashed again. Lin Ce summoned a blood puppet to stall. Meanwhile, he lured them into a prepared labyrinth.

Dozens of talismans hovered around him, ignited—spiritual energy pulsing like thunder!

This was the trap he had crafted.

Half an Hour Later

Lin Ce knelt amid bloody injuries while the azure-robed leader lay gravely wounded in a chasm.

Lin Ce approached.

"Beg… forgiveness..." the leader rasped.

"Survival Rule 16," Lin Ce whispered.

"If the enemy can beg, he hasn't died thoroughly enough."

Thud.

A bone needle pierced his chest. His spirit core surfaced.

The system chimed again:

[Mission Complete: Spirit Core Collection]

[Rewards Incoming…]

[Chest x1, Battle Skill 'Puppet Manipulation' +1]

Lin Ce spat blood and leaned against a wall, his heart pounding.

He'd expended vast effort: destroyed one blood puppet, spent all poison talismans, and emerged grievously hurt.

But the yield was substantial.

Inside the leader's storage ring, he found a fragment of the Ten-Thousand Corpses Soul Command, rumored to be one of Shen Changsheng's unreleased forbidden arts.

His gaze darkened, a thought stirring:

"This realm… is more than just a trial."

He lifted his eyes, scanning beyond the remnants of the realm—toward a palace silhouette hidden by mists.

"What else did you leave behind, Shen Changsheng?" he murmured.

In the distance, a blurred figure stood on a swirling cloud—silent, watchful.

As if everything was under observation.