Chapter 59

After the four of them ran out, Xue Yu immediately looked up at the sky. “The secret realm is going to collapse.”

The ancient battlefield was held together by that scroll. Once Ye Qiao took it, the secret realm lost its energy support and was clearly going to close prematurely.

Fortunately, the secret realm of the Five Sect Competition had elders guarding it to prevent other rogue cultivators from entering. This meant that only the direct disciples of the other sects would suffer.

Zhou Xingyun felt an inexplicable sense of closure upon hearing this.

“It really is collapsing, huh.”

“What’s happening?” Qin Huai was stunned.

He watched as all the monsters that had been sleeping in their nests ran out, becoming frantic and berserk. The barriers within the secret realm were also faintly showing signs of cracking ahead of time.

Duan Hengdao asked, “The secret realm is ending early? It’s only the third day.”

Why?

He didn’t understand what accident could cause the secret realm to end prematurely. The last major secret realm exploration, where he and Ye Qiao had participated, lasted the full five days.

This situation was too bizarre. As the chief disciple, Qin Huai had the final say on whether they should leave or stay. After glancing at the rankings, he waved his hand for the safety of his junior brothers. “Let’s go.”

“Crush the identity tokens and leave.”

Yueqing Sect was firmly in first place with 4,300 points.

Changming Sect was second with 4,000 points.

Chengfeng Sect was third with 2,200 points.

There was no need to struggle under these circumstances. Qin Huai glanced at the soon-to-close secret realm and sneered inwardly. Plans couldn’t keep up with changes. With Yueqing Sect out, Changming Sect was almost guaranteed first place if they stayed a few more days.

Ye Qiao probably didn’t expect the secret realm to close early, either.

He was eager to see the expressions of the Changming Sect disciples.

“Let’s go.”

As the five disciples of Chengfeng Sect crushed their identity tokens, the Bishui Sect’s tokens also shattered. Clearly, they had no intention of struggling further. Getting out quickly was the priority in this situation.

Ye Qiao watched as the names of all the sect disciples dimmed, leaving only the four of them still active.

“How many more monsters do we need?” she asked.

Xue Yu replied, “Three hundred.”

Ye Qiao looked at the crumbling secret realm, turned back, and took out the bamboo shoot weapon. “Then let’s gather enough.”

With the four sects exiting, all eyes were now on Changming Sect. Everyone crowded around the viewing stones to watch. The elder of Chengfeng Sect couldn’t help but scold, “Why aren’t those kids coming out yet?”

They dared to stay in the secret realm.

Mu Chongxi remarked, “Amazing.”

The secret realm wouldn’t end so easily. Ye Qiao had entered twice, and there was still enough time. Moreover, she wanted to try the second form of the Qingfeng Technique.

Zhou Xingyun watched, his lips tightening. He usually didn’t care about such matters, but this situation was different. He sighed, touched the sword at his waist, and gently patted the two on their backs. “Watch carefully.”

The young man’s Broken Dust Sword unsheathed, and its light shone as bright as snow. Wherever the sword light reached, a chill remained on the ground.

Zhou Xingyun deliberately slowed his speed, allowing Ye Qiao to barely capture his sword movements.

The great way is simple, like a breeze or a bright moon.

There were no flashy moves.

The two watched in astonishment and immediately imitated his starting stance.

The next second, Zhou Xingyun struck Mu Chongxi’s right hand coldly. “Wrong. Try again.”

“Ouch, it hurts!” Mu Chongxi cried out. “Senior Brother, it hurts.”

Ye Qiao didn’t speak, silently adjusting her stance.

“They’re crazy?” Duan Yu was dumbfounded. They were trying to master the second form of a sword technique as the secret realm was collapsing?

Who taught them this?

The elder of Wenjian Sect commented, “Young calves are not afraid of tigers.”

In the realm of swordsmanship, it all depended on talent.

He had seen Ye Qiao use a sword before. Unlike the ease of other direct disciples, Ye Qiao’s moves seemed unrefined, leading him to think that her innate potential might be lacking.

Ye Qiao took a deep breath and struck. She had learned a few times before, but the sword techniques were too abstract. Without being able to achieve a meditative state, she couldn’t see the real demonstration.

As a result, she had only vaguely grasped the edges of the second form.

Zhou Xingyun’s sword style suddenly became clear in her mind.

She swung her sword, and the wind sliced silently, revealing a gush of blood. It seemed gentle but was full of killing intent.

The difference between the first and second forms was that the first was suitable for fighting, while the second was for hunting. If used well, it could even kill.

But for now, it could only be used to kill monsters.

This cultivation world differed slightly from her imagined world of sword fights and bloody battles. The direct disciples were treasured as the future of the cultivation world. Despite their conflicts, none could come to serious harm.

After all, they were the geniuses nurtured by each sect.

Hence, these direct disciples developed naive personalities, never having faced harsh realities.

The three of them moved quickly. The second form of the Qingfeng Technique was similar to a group attack, making it easier to deal with the monsters. Xue Yu looked at the ranking and hurriedly said, “That’s enough, let’s go!”

“Let’s go!”

Outside, there was dead silence. The elders couldn’t help but marvel. This generation of Changming Sect truly managed to surprise at every turn.

When the other direct disciples saw this situation, they ran faster than dogs.

But Ye Qiao was particularly daring. She had the nerve to turn back and gather the remaining three hundred beasts.

“The secret realm won’t collapse so quickly; it’s a large place. Nowadays, direct disciples just lack courage,” commented the elder of Bishui Sect, stroking his beard. To be honest, he had just taken a deep breath himself.

It had been a long time since he’d seen such brave direct disciples.

Learning a sword technique in a collapsing secret realm was unbelievable, and the most outrageous part was that they actually mastered it.

As Ye Qiao and her senior brothers were transported out, a crowd of cultivators rushed in, surrounding her. The sudden influx of people almost made her want to run away.

“Ye Qiao is out!!”

“Ye Qiao!!” Someone came forward, shaking her hand vigorously. “You’re the one who practices both sword and talisman techniques, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’ve heard so much about you, Ye Qiao.”

“…” Ye Qiao was nearly buried by the enthusiastic crowd.

Just as she struggled to squeeze out and stand beside her senior brothers, the voice of the Sword Inquiry Sect’s leader echoed from the sect’s seats in the distance. His voice was so loud and filled with Qi that it made all the direct disciples who had exited the secret realm tremble:

“Who?!”

“Who caused the secret realm to collapse?!”