Chapter 176: Historical Information
At the border between the Earth Realms of the Vast Sea Sect and Star Moon Valley.
Here lay a Secret Realm, which was the Trial Secret Realm for the four sects.
The two Core Formation Sects had designated this place as a border point between their Earth Realms because of the Secret Realm’s existence.
On a stretch of rocky ground, stones of all sizes were scattered about. The very center, however, was bare, without even a single small rock.
By now, the disciples and Elders from three of the sects had already arrived.
"The Celestial Cloud Sect is here."
"They were the last to arrive last time, too."
"They’re the farthest away, so it makes sense they’d be the slowest."
The Elders of the three sects, who had been conversing, all glanced toward the distant Spirit Ship before turning their gazes away.
The Celestial Cloud Sect’s medium-sized Spirit Ship landed.
First, three Elders disembarked, followed by the twenty-five disciples.
As soon as Fang Yun’s feet touched the ground, he once again took in his surroundings.
The disciples from the other three sects were gathered to the south, west, and north.
In the center of the bare, rocky ground stood the nine Elders from the three sects.
’I can feel a faint trace of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.’
Fang Yun took a moment to sense the state of the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
There was a Spirit Vein here, but most of its energy was being absorbed by the Trial Secret Realm, leaving only a tiny amount to flow freely.
According to what Fang Yun had learned from his master, Xiong Xingfeng, the Trial Secret Realm used for the four-sect trial had belonged to a great Nascent Soul sect tens of thousands of years ago.
After that great Nascent Soul sect declined and was wiped out, the Trial Secret Realm fell into the hands of several Core Formation Sects.
One thousand years ago, the Wind Ling Sect was not yet among the four great Core Formation Sects; in its place was its predecessor, the Wind and Cloud Sect.
The Wind and Cloud Sect’s downfall was due more to external factors than its internal problems.
After the Wind and Cloud Sect was destroyed, its remnants were only able to establish the Wind Ling Sect with the help of the Purple Mist Sect.
Therefore, among the four great sects, the Wind Ling Sect is the youngest Core Formation Sect, having been established just over eight hundred years ago.
A thousand years ago, the Purple Mist Sect had also intervened in a crisis faced by the Celestial Cloud Sect.
Currently, among the Orthodox Sects in the Qionglin Domain, only the Purple Mist Sect has a Great Power Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Level.
The more Fang Yun learned about these historical events, the more he realized how difficult things were for sects like theirs, which focused on cultivating Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
This was all just within the Qionglin Domain; he knew there were other regions outside it, but the information he could access about them was extremely limited.
He had even asked his master, Xiong Xingfeng, about this.
The reply he received was that the Celestial Cloud Sect itself didn’t know much about the regions beyond their domain, and that he shouldn’t dwell on it.
For now, his mind should be focused on Artifact Refining and his cultivation.
Pushing aside his thoughts, Fang Yun looked toward Feng Tianrui and Bai Qinying.
At that moment, Feng Tianrui was leading Bai Qinying and another Elder toward the center of the rocky area.
"Fellow Daoist Li, Fellow Daoist Luo, and Fellow Daoist Wen, it has been a long time," Feng Tianrui said with a smile, greeting the lead Elders of the three sects.
Among the twelve Foundation Establishment Cultivators, only those three and Feng Tianrui appeared to be over sixty years old.
Foundation Establishment Cultivators like them were, in terms of actual age, typically over one hundred and eighty years old.
The lead Elders for the four-sect trial were all old-timers like them, and they also had to have a Cultivation at the Late-stage of Foundation Establishment.
"Fellow Daoist Feng, this must be your beloved disciple. She’s already reached Foundation Establishment," Li Mingyi said to Feng Tianrui after glancing at Bai Qinying.
"She only reached Foundation Establishment last year."
"Not interested in the four-sect trial?"
"That’s not it," Feng Tianrui said, shaking his head with a smile. "We’re just giving your Wind Ling Sect a chance."
"Hahaha, thank you for the kind thought, Fellow Daoist Feng, but the Wind Ling Sect doesn’t need you to go easy on us," Li Mingyi also laughed. "Our disciples are quite formidable this time. You have the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Body, and we have the Snow Spirit Body."
"Speaking of special constitutions, Fellow Daoist Luo, why is your Vast Sea Sect even joining in on the fun?"
Wen Zhongyun directed this question at Luo Yiyang.
Neither his Star Moon Valley nor the Vast Sea Sect had any disciples with special constitutions participating in the trial this time.
"Fellow Daoist Wen, isn’t Fellow Daoist Luo’s grandson among the Vast Sea Sect’s disciples?" Li Mingyi continued, still smiling.
Luo Yiyang himself simply smiled without saying a word.
’It’s not yet certain which sect will take first place in individual points for this trial.’
’The fine items I gave my grandson will definitely come in handy.’
’By the third day of the trial, I’ll get to see the strange looks on the faces of the other three old-timers.’
Luo Yiyang’s heart filled with even more glee at the thought.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, don’t tell me your grandson has awakened a special constitution recently?" Wen Zhongyun said, ignoring Li Mingyi and keeping his gaze on Luo Yiyang. "The trial is about to begin. There’s no need to keep it under wraps."
Many special constitutions are difficult to detect.
Cultivators with special constitutions are rare. Among those who have them, some go their entire lives without ever knowing it. There are even those who only discover their uniqueness when their Life Span is about to run out.
In short, a special constitution could be discovered at any stage of life.
"Not at all, not at all," Luo Yiyang said, shaking his head with a smile.
"Fine."
The Star Moon Valley Elder, Wen Zhongyun, did not press the matter further.
The four of them soon began to chat casually about the situation with the surrounding Evil Sects.
According to the Elders’ discussion, the Wind Ling Sect’s situation was currently the worst. If things got any worse, they might have had to postpone this four-sect trial.
The fact that the four-sect trial could be held at all indicated that everyone’s overall situation was still manageable.
"Fellow Daoist Feng, your Celestial Cloud Sect should be on guard for the next few years. According to some unconfirmed intel our Star Moon Valley has received, the Celestial Demon Sect may be planning to make a move," Wen Zhongyun warned Feng Tianrui.
"Thank you for the warning, Fellow Daoist Wen. The Celestial Cloud Sect will be on the lookout."
Even though it was only unconfirmed news, Feng Tianrui felt it needed to be taken seriously. What if the information from Wen Zhongyun turned out to be true?
Their Celestial Cloud Sect would be able to respond with more composure.
"It’s about time. Let’s open the Trial Secret Realm."
"Agreed."
The Elders of the four sects stepped back from the central area.
At that moment, all one hundred disciples from the four sects grew alert, their attention fully focused on the center.
Feng Tianrui held a shard that looked like a piece of a circular disc.
The Elders of the other three sects did the same.
"Go!"
The four Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators simultaneously threw the shards in their hands.
"Combine!"
Under their control, the four shards merged into one.
Fang Yun knew with a single glance that the disc-shaped object now floating in the center was the key to opening the Trial Secret Realm.
The disc produced a violent fluctuation of Spiritual Power, and a beam of light shot down onto the bare patch in the middle of the rocky ground.
Before long, under Fang Yun’s watchful gaze, a spatial rift appeared where the light was shining.
The rift steadily grew larger.
The gate to the Trial Secret Realm was open!