Jiang Zuo didn’t know if the people from the group would come to the Secret Realm, but he figured they wouldn’t be taking any unnecessary risks.
His words still carried a lot of weight.
Jiang Zuo arrived before the Secret Realm, wanting to get inside as soon as possible.
It seemed Su Qi had already gone inside.
The one who had contacted Xiao Xiaomo and the others was Jiu Xi, and Jiu Xi was Su Qi.
But just as Jiang Zuo was about to jump down, someone stopped him.
"Sir, there’s a new rule. Those with insufficient Cultivation are not permitted to enter. This is no Immortal Realm in there," a Sword Cultivator disciple suddenly said.
Jiang Zuo looked at the disciple, and the onlookers turned to look at him as well.
Someone immediately spoke up. "You’re just trying to charge a fee, aren’t you? Just tell us the price."
Everyone knew that Secret Realms were dangerous, but if they backed down at the first sign of danger, they might as well give up on Cultivation altogether.
After all, Cultivation itself was inherently dangerous.
Even drinking water and eating a meal had its risks. Nothing in this world was one hundred percent safe.
You could even die from laughing.
So, danger wasn’t a valid reason to stop them from entering the Secret Realm.
This was just an excuse to charge a fee.
Jiang Zuo didn’t give it much thought. He’d pay if he had to, as long as they didn’t block his path.
However, the disciple shook his head. He then placed a Magical Treasure over the giant pit, which quickly emanated a defensive barrier. Its defensive level was neither high nor low.
It didn’t have a specific grade; instead, its Defense would scale to match the power of any attack it received.
You either needed an attack with enough burst power or enough persistence to break through it. Otherwise, it was impossible.
It was effective against anyone at Tier Five and below.
It was a Magical Treasure specifically designed to test elite disciples.
The Sword Cultivator disciple then announced, "Everyone, my master has given an order. Entry will be determined by your own abilities. Anyone who can get past this Defense may enter, free of charge."
"Those who cannot get in, please stay away from the Secret Realm. This area is very dangerous."
The Sword Cultivation Lineage was at least doing something sensible. They didn’t believe the Secret Realm was that dangerous, but they couldn’t ignore Jian Shisan’s warning. Thus, they decided that those without real skill shouldn’t be allowed to go in and throw their lives away.
But staying outside was also dangerous, so they urged those people to leave the area if they could.
Jiang Zuo stood at the edge of the massive pit, surrounded by many others. As soon as the Sword Cultivator disciple finished speaking, someone stepped forward, eager to try.
Jiang Zuo watched as one Cultivator gave it his all, yet failed to get through.
Afterward, the Cultivator went to the edge of the pit, quietly dug a hole, bypassed the defensive field, and successfully entered the Secret Realm.
Jiang Zuo: "..."
The Sword Cultivator disciple: "..."
They were rather taken aback by this method. He had gotten in by his own effort, but did it count as cheating?
But regardless of whether it was cheating, where there’s a loophole, people will exploit it.
Soon, many people started digging holes.
At that moment, the Magical Treasure instantly expanded, extending its field directly into the earth.
This completely thwarted everyone who had been trying to exploit the loophole.
The remaining people could only rely on their own strength.
The edge of the giant pit was crowded with people, but very, very few could actually get in.
Jiang Zuo was also standing at the edge of the giant pit. He gently lifted his foot and lightly stepped down on the Defense Shield. The barrier immediately cracked, and a hole broke open.
The hole was just large enough to accommodate him. In this way, Jiang Zuo entered the giant pit. From start to finish, not a single person even noticed him.
The only one who saw Jiang Zuo enter was that Daoist.
Watching Jiang Zuo enter, the Daoist couldn’t help but remark, "Affinity... it is truly a wondrous thing. I share no affinity with him, and yet we meet time and again. It is an affinity that cannot be grasped."
"What a marvelous person."
Then, the Daoist sighed. But this formidable man was too much; he always managed to interrupt his search for those with whom he shared an affinity.
And wherever he went, disaster seemed to follow.
’It’s best to stay away from him.’
With that, the Daoist began to walk away. The people who brushed past him never gave him a second glance.
It was as if he didn’t exist at all.
Fate brings together those destined to meet, even from a thousand miles away. Without it, they’re strangers even when face-to-face.
* * *
Jiang Zuo was now in constant descent. The giant pit seemed to be bottomless.
Jiang Zuo adjusted his position and took a single step. The bottomless Abyss instantly vanished, and he found himself standing on solid ground.
This was the Secret Realm, not some place deep underground.
Jiang Zuo found himself on a wooden walkway built into the side of a cliff.
He glanced down and was surprised to see a town below.
The town was situated at the foot of the mountain, but Jiang Zuo couldn’t tell if it was inhabited.
He then headed up toward the mountain peak. ’The Master of Curses should be up there.’
He had only taken a couple of steps when a coy voice drifted from up ahead. "Oh, Senior Brother, you’re so bad. You’ve stolen my heart."
A man’s pained voice followed. "Junior Sister, please, give me a break. Don’t say that again. I was nearly cleaved in two by Senior Beitian last time."
Jiang Zuo then heard the junior sister retort, disgruntled, "What’s the matter? There’s no one else around. Why would I say you stole my heart if you didn’t?"
"Can we please act normal? People say that couples who flaunt their love are doomed. Let’s just hold hands."
"Besides, this place is extremely dangerous. One wrong move could get us killed."
"Fine," the woman said. Though clearly unhappy, she didn’t argue further.
Just then, Jiang Zuo rounded a bend and saw a young man and woman. Their Cultivation was barely at Tier Two.
’Looking for a cultivation partner with only a Tier Two Cultivation?’
’That’s not a good idea, especially for a Sword Cultivator.’
’It was just like Su Qi. Once she got married, she stopped thinking about Cultivation.’
’Marrying me, or rather, starting a relationship with me, was the same as giving up the path of Cultivation.’
’She was just an exception, accidentally reaching Tier Three.’
’In any case, ever since I started my Cultivation in my previous life, I never wanted to get entangled in romantic affairs again.’
’But everyone has their own destiny. It’s not fair to generalize.’
So, Jiang Zuo paid them no mind and simply planned to walk past.
The pair naturally saw Jiang Zuo as well. His appearance was so sudden that they hadn’t sensed his approach at all.
Encountering a stranger of unknown strength in a Secret Realm was extremely dangerous.
They grew vigilant. The senior brother cupped his hands in a fist and said, "I am Chen An of the Sword Cultivation Lineage, and this is my junior sister, Chen Yu. Might I ask, sir..."
Chen An trailed off before he could finish.
He had seen Jiang Zuo walk right past them, ignoring them. Completely and utterly ignoring them.
The two of them didn’t snap out of it until Jiang Zuo was far in the distance.
Chen Yu asked, "Senior Brother, could he be a senior?"
Chen An shook his head. "I don’t know. But how could someone of our tier be so arrogant? We’d best be careful."
Chen Yu nodded, then asked, "Didn’t they say this place could be used to temper one’s Sword Intent? Why haven’t we felt anything after being here for so long?"
"Let’s head up to the peak first," Chen An said. "We should be able to get a full view of this place from there."
"Okay, Senior Brother. I’ll do whatever you say... anything," Chen Yu said in a sweet, tender voice, pulling on Chen An’s hand.
However, a dark expression crossed Chen An’s face. His intuition told him he was very likely going to die here because of his junior sister.
He glanced at Chen Yu and sighed again.
’Women are so much trouble.’